A New Integrated Knowledge Model in Supplier Selection : The Case of an Asian Automotive Supply Chain

Purpose – This paper aims to empirically explore the effects of IC on Supplier Selection (S.S) and consequently investigate the consecutive impacts on an Asian automotive Supply Chain Performance (S.C.P).Design/Methodology/Approach – A questionnaire-oriented survey from top managers and expert employees in Asian automotive industries, which exist in a same supply chain, was utilized for factor analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM).Findings – The findings indicate that some dimensions of IC containing human capital (HC), relational capital (RC) and structural capital (SC) sufficiently influence evaluation and selection of optimal suppliers which leads to more efficient performance of supply chain.Research Limitations/Implications – First, as the research analyzes the findings extracted three important Asian automotive companies which exist in a same supply chain, the results may not be applicable to other industries in different countries. Second, gathering data from other elements of supply chain like wholesalers and retailers can enrich the conducted research. Besides, more advanced statistical methods can be utilized to evaluate the regression equations and SEM.Practical Implications – With a comprehensive view on Intellectual Capital (IC) that takes into account its creation, protection and utilization, IC plays an essential role in selecting and assessing optimal suppliers which enhance competitive advantage especially in knowledge-based organizations and increase the supply chain performance efficiently and effectively.Originality/Value – This study develops an integrated knowledge model for supplier selection issue based on IC and focuses on the effects of various elements of it. It offers assistance to managers who tend to select optimal suppliers effectively