Structural analyses of supply markets

The aim of this paper is to assess the methodological support for the systematic analysis of supply markets in view of fulfilling todays need for information on supply markets in strategic purchasing. Performing supply market analyses is regarded as an essential purchasing task that aims to capture the main characteristics of all relevant supply markets. Facing changes in the purchasing environment on the one hand and a greater strategic relevance of the corporate purchasing function as well as a broader scope of purchasing tasks on the other, the relevance of supply market analyses in strategic purchasing has increased and the range of application fields has become more diverse. Seen from a methodological perspective, these developments induce new requirements for supply market analyses. The assessment of concepts and methods is based on a literature review and a classification of fundamental approaches. Existing approaches are systematically evaluated according to a criteria set which reflects current purchasing requirements. Aiming to contribute to the development of a more effective methodological base, this paper concludes by deriving concrete potentials for further research and development related to methods for the systematic analysis of supply markets.