The proliferation of technology, especially the internet and e-procurement platforms, has fundamentally altered the dynamics of buyer-supplier relationships. It has created greater market transparency, allowing buyers to easily search for, evaluate, and compare a global pool of suppliers. This increased access to information and a wider supply base intensifies competition among suppliers. Consequently, the bargaining power shifts towards the buyer, as suppliers must compete more aggressively on factors like price, quality, and service. This effect is a core principle discussed in the context of how e-sourcing impacts market structures and procurement strategy.

B. While technology enables faster quotations, this increases efficiency and competition among suppliers, which ultimately strengthens the buyer's position, not the supplier's.

C. Technology has vastly increased the visibility and accessibility of suppliers globally, expanding the supply base for buyers, not reducing it.

D. This statement contains a flawed premise; technology is typically implemented to reduce, not increase, operational costs, and there is no direct logic linking higher buyer costs to increased buyer power.

1. Lysons, K., & Farrington, B. (2020). Procurement and Supply Chain Management (10th ed.). Pearson. In Chapter 11, "E-procurement," the text explains that e-sourcing tools provide buyers with access to a wider range of suppliers, increasing competition and price transparency. This process inherently enhances the buyer's bargaining power by reducing the supplier's leverage (Section 11.4, pp. 328-330).

2. Cagliano, R., Caniato, F., & Spina, G. (2003). E-business strategy: how companies are shaping their supply chain through the internet. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 23(10), 1142-1162. The study notes that the internet reduces buyers' search costs and increases the availability of information about alternative suppliers. This "increases the competitive pressure on suppliers and shifts the bargaining power from the supplier to the buyer" (p. 1146). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/01443570310496607

3. Van Weele, A. J. (2018). Purchasing and Supply Chain Management (7th ed.). Cengage Learning. Chapter 14 discusses e-procurement solutions, highlighting how systems like electronic marketplaces and reverse auctions empower buyers. These technologies "increase the level of competition between suppliers... As a result of increased transparency in the market, the buyer’s negotiating position is strengthened" (p. 421).