The Use and Impact of Communication Media in Purchasing and Supply Management

SUMMARY Effective communication is a critical component of buyer‐supplier relationships. Purchasing professionals utilize a variety of media to communicate with suppliers, including phone, fax, face‐to‐face, mail, e‐mail, Internet, and electronic data interchange (EDI). The purpose of this research was to assess the impact of EDI and a variety of other media on buyer‐supplier relationships and performance. Analysis of the responses from a survey revealed that EDI is not living up to its promise. The results also show that purchasing professionals’ preference for various communication media depends on the nature of the message being transmitted.