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Most mass customization literature focuses on the move from mass production to mass customization. However, in some literature engineer‐to‐order (ETO) companies are also claiming to have become mass customizers, although it can be questioned if these companies conform to popular definitions of mass customizers. The purpose of this paper is to ask the question: under which conditions is it reasonable to label ETO companies as mass customizers?

First, definitions of mass customization are examined and related to ETO companies that move towards mass customization. Second, the individual transitions from mass production and ETO to mass customization are analyzed by: relating the transition to classifications from relevant literature; describing the motivations and risks associated with the transition; and defining some of the most important transition characteristics. Finally it is discussed if ETO companies can become mass customizers and under which conditions it would be reasonable to describe them as such.

The paper argues that from several angles it makes sense to label some ETO companies as mass customizers although the products are not at prices near mass produced ones.

To avoid dilution of the concept of mass customization, while not excluding ETO companies, it is suggested to start out with a broad definition of mass customization under which separate definitions of different kinds of mass customizers are created.

Although much has been written about mass customization, and ETO companies in much literature have been labeled as mass customizers, the essential discussion of under which conditions it is reasonable to label ETO companies as mass customizers has been missing.

In literature, there is not agreement on the relevant data quality dimensions in an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system context. The purpose of this paper is to provide some clarification of this topic, by answering two important questions: What are the most relevant dimensions for assessing ERP data quality? What are the causal relationships between these data quality dimensions?

Based on a discussion of existing literature on data quality, a classification model of ERP system data quality is proposed and the relationships between the defined categories of data quality dimensions are defined. The validity of the classification model and the relationships between categories of data quality dimensions are investigated in three case studies.

The three case studies confirm that the classification model captures the most important aspects of describing ERP data quality and that the defined causalities between categories of data quality dimensions correspond with practice.

Besides being relevant in an ERP system context, the contribution of this paper may also be applicable for the evaluation of data quality in other types of information systems.

The defined classification model of ERP system data quality may support companies in improving their ERP data quality, thereby achieving greater benefits from their ERP systems.

A clarification of the most important data quality aspects in an ERP context is provided. Furthermore, some of the most important causalities between categories of data quality are defined.

A literature review revealed that none of the few longitudinal studies of enterprise content management (ECM) implementations focus on small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). To contribute to this area, the purpose of this paper is to generate insights in relation to how SMEs can successfully promote implementation of ECM solutions.

The paper presents and analyses a longitudinal study of an ECM project.

The findings of the paper include a definition of a process model for ECM implementation in SMEs, identification of ten success factors related to ECM system implementation, and a definition of a new pattern for ECM technology development, compared to existing case studies.

Since it appears to be the first detailed study of ECM system implementation in SMEs, this paper provides a point of departure for future research in the use of ECM technology in SMEs.

Practitioners in SMEs preparing to engage in ECM projects may utilize the findings of the paper in relation to managing the implementation process and understanding various benefits that ECM systems can produce.

The paper represents a contribution to the sparse literature on ECM implementation. In fact, the case seems to be the first longitudinal study of ECM implementation in SMEs.

Several frameworks of retail store environment variables exist, but as shown by this paper, they are not particularly well-suited for supporting fashion store design processes. Thus, in order to provide an improved understanding of fashion store design, the purpose of this paper is to identify the most important store design variables, organise these variables into categories, understand the design constraints between categories, and determine the most influential stakeholders.

Based on a discussion of existing literature, the paper defines a framework of store design variables and constraints between these. The framework is investigated through six case studies of fashion store design projects.

Through a discussion of literature and empirical studies, the paper: identifies the most important store design variables, organises these variables into categories, provides an understanding of constraints between categories of variables, and identifies the most influential stakeholders. The paper demonstrates that the fashion store design task can be understood through a system perspective, implying that the store design task becomes a matter of defining a set of subsystems, while considering their mutual interdependencies.

The proposed framework may be used as a point of departure and a frame of reference for future research into fashion store design.

The paper may support retail designers and retail managers in fashion store design processes by clarifying which store design variables to consider and providing an understanding of the constraints between them.

The perspective on the fashion store design task offered by the proposed framework adds a layer of understanding to the way in which existing literature describes the challenges related to store design. The empirical studies of fashion store projects demonstrate that the described system perspective offers a useful way of organising fashion store designers’ experiences from design processes.

Many companies are part of parent‐subsidiary supply chains, i.e. organisations where a parent company receives products from its subsidiary or the other way around. Having this close relationship in a supply chain network opens the possibilities for different setups of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems across such companies. This paper clarifies the different ERP system strategies for companies in parent‐subsidiary supply chains and the consequences of choosing the different strategies.

In order to position the contributions of the paper, literature on the use of ERP systems in supply chain management (SCM) is investigated. Next, four archetypical ERP system setups across parent‐subsidiary supply chains are defined. The consequences of the four defined setups are deduced. Three case studies are presented to justify the relevance of the defined four ERP system strategies and to further investigate the consequences of choosing these (one case study represents two strategies).

The paper shows that there are significant impacts of choosing one of the four ERP system setups across parent‐subsidiary supply chains, e.g. quality of communication, degree of local management, synergy effects, etc. Furthermore, the paper shows that extant literature dealing with ERP systems and SCM fails to consider this aspect, which may at worst lead to incorrect generalisations.

The paper clarifies the importance of considering different ERP system setups in parent‐subsidiary relationships. Future research in ERP systems and SCM needs to focus more on this aspect.

The paper provides an improved basis for companies in parent‐subsidiary supply chains that are to implement ERP systems or are to rethink their current ERP strategy.

The definition of ERP system setups across parent‐subsidiary supply chains and the clarification of the consequences of these strategies represent new and useful contributions to the SCM and the ERP literature.

For many management researchers, it is important that the knowledge they create is utilised and has some impact on managerial practice. Sustainable competitive advantage depends less on who has the information and increasingly on those able to make the best use of that information. This paper focuses on two key questions: what are the barriers to research utilisation and what are the most effective strategies for facilitating the use of research by managers in the public sector, based on research evidence? The approach entailed extensive searches of on‐line databases in the fields of management, education and medicine, from the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and Europe. Key themes to emerge from this review were the accessibility and relevance of research, trust and credibility; the gap between researchers and users, and organisational factors. Research use can be facilitated through: support and training; collaboration and partnership; dissemination strategies; networks; and strong, visible leadership.