Towards Triangulation – Blending Techniques in Supply Chain Management Context

Supply chain relationships are impacted by the use of the Internet and the transformation through its technologies (Bak, 2004). Although an area of growing interest, little research has focused on the impact of the Internet and on understanding how different approaches for creating supply chains are suitable for different supply chain requirements (Pant et al., 2003). Similar to MacPherson et al. (1993) and Sherif & Vinze (2003), a case study research method with grounded theory approach was used. The findings of the case study (Phase A), the so-called derived theory, allowed the researcher to establish a follow up questionnaire for a second investigation (Phase B) in similar settings with a wider spectrum. In this study, blending was particularly helpful in eliciting the controversial findings and proved to be a useful source.