Inflation, Scarcity, and B2B Purchasing Behaviour: A Conceptual Framework from the Cee Dry Construction Distribution Sector

Abstract

This paper is conceptual and exploratory; it does not provide direct empirical measurement of firm-level B2B purchasing behaviour. It develops a sector-specific framework explaining the paradoxical resilience of construction activity in the dry construction distribution channel across selected Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries – Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary – during the inflationary period 2021-2024. Drawing on dynamic capabilities theory, the resource-based view and the supply chain disruption literature, the framework theorises that when an inflationary shock and supply chain disruption occur simultaneously, the primary B2B supplier-selection criterion in the dry construction distribution channel temporarily shifts from price to product availability, granting distributors with strong inventory positions a temporary bargaining and competitive advantage. The empirical component is restricted to a descriptive analysis of Eurostat macroeconomic indicators (HICP, construction production index, construction PPI) for 16 country-year observations. These aggregated national-level indicators serve only as a macroeconomic backdrop and do not measure dry construction distribution behaviour directly; no inferential statistical model is reported. Four propositions are derived and presented as premises for future empirical research using surveys, case studies and longitudinal designs. The framework offers conceptual guidance for distributors formulating inventory strategies under shortage conditions and for manufacturers designing distribution-partnership mechanisms.