Performance improvement of supplier-side e-tender-driven marketing process

Abstract

Purpose – Considerable amount of purchases in business-to-business (B2B) markets make through the tendering process. As technology keeps driving B2B procurement, both the supplier/contractor and buyer firms have settled down in their respective roles in the electronic-tendering environment. Researchers have ignored the supplier-side e-tender-driven marketing process that might lead to substantively successful financial performance. The purpose of this study is to improve the performance of an e-tender-driven marketing process of an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) incorporating the stakeholder’s inputs. Design/methodology/approach – Discrete event simulation modelling (DESM) has been used as a methodology to model, analyse and improve the process with the involvement of stakeholders at every stage of the study. Different scenarios are analysed to identify the near-optimal scenario based on agreed-upon key performance indicators. Findings – Scenario that incorporated man-power sharing and eliminating avoidable activities gives the near optimal solution for implementation. Research limitations/implications – This study highlights that better insights can be gained by adopting the process-oriented view of the marketing–operations interface. Embracing a stakeholder-based consultative approach gives research a more practical outlook and reduces the gap between theory and practice. Suggestions for further research are provided. Practical implications – B2B organizations, where lines between marketing and operations are blurred, can improve their marketing processes by implementing operations research tools. Originality/value – This study provides an attempt to improve the performance of a supplier-side e-tender driven marketing process of an OEM using the DESM methodology incorporating stakeholder’s inputs.