Dynamics of forming the network relationships in a supply chain. The triadic perspective

One of the key prerequisites for establishing the network connections in a supply chain is the focus of primary members on core competencies and outsourcing remaining services to the service providers. As a result, the multiple relationships with several actors are established. In the literature, to illustrate the network relationships in a supply chain, the concept of transitive triads has been often employed. Nonetheless, this framework is rather static, as it does not derive the real dynamics of forming the network relationship in the light of the social capital theory for which the concept of triad is a key issue. The paper aims to reveal and describe the stages of forming the network relationships in a supply chain with the use of transitive service triad. The transitive triad encompasses three actors that establish the dyadic relationships between one another. As a result, the transitive triad is formed by three dyadic arrangements.

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