ABSTRACT
Today firms are more actively involving suppliers in their integrated development processes and have identified suppliers as a source of competitive advantage (Cusumano and Takeishi, 1991; Nishiguchi and Beaudet, 1998; Quinn and Hilmer, 1994; Richardson, 1993). That means that there is room for development and identification of factors that could help sustain or improve the relationship between the buyer and the supplier in outsourced product development. There are various factors that one could look into when trying to improve or sustain the buyer-supplier relation such as Just In Time, location of suppliers, trust, specialised investments, specifications and contracts (Cusumano and Takeishi, 1991; Harris et al., 1998; Lamming, 1993; Sako, 1992). With the exception of specifications, the literature dealing with buyer-supplier relationships is very rich. Supported by few existing references (Smith and Reinartsen, 1991; Kaulio, 1996; Harris et al., 1998), this book sets out to explore the role of specifications in product development.
