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1 – 10 of over 1000Tibor Mandják, Samy Belaid and James A. Narus
The purpose of this paper is to address the effects of deep environmental changes on business network actors’ behaviors. The consequences of political, institutional, and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to address the effects of deep environmental changes on business network actors’ behaviors. The consequences of political, institutional, and socio-economic changes on Tunisian automotive spare-parts distribution networks during the past five years are examined. The authors chose the Tunisian automotive spare-parts distribution network for several important reasons. Most importantly, it gave us a unique platform to study the aftermath of deep political, socio-economic, and governance shocks caused by the Jasmin Revolution on a historically stable, simple, and productive business network within the import-dependent Tunisian spare-parts distribution system.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative, exploratory research project was conducted in Tunisia to assess and interpret changes in actors’ behaviors and business relationships within the automobile parts aftermarket due to major social, economic, and political upheavals. Automobile parts jobbers served as principal source of data for investigations. Jobbers were selected as key respondents because of the middle and pivotal position they occupy in Tunisian automobile parts distribution channels. For this reason, they were able to provide insightful and compelling information about business relationships with upstream channel members such as manufacturers and wholesalers as well as with downstream channel members such as retailers, repair shop owners, and repair technicians.
Findings
The authors found that seismic political, socio-economic, and interpersonal relationship shocks to institutions significantly impacted the behaviors of key actors in those networks, which, in turn, altered the nature and conduct of business within those networks. Profound changes in the companies’ external environment provoked changes in the companies’ proximate relationships and business dealings. In the short-run, these changes brought more conflictual and more short-term and selfish behaviors on the part of network actors in their ongoing business relationships. In long term, the increased volatility and uncertainty will likely bring wanted and unwanted institutional changes which, in turn, will likely create new forms of behaviors, relationships, and business networks. This new situation will cause a distrust between distribution actors and among notorious automotive brand names that are counterfeit and sold as genuine brand.
Research limitations/implications
As in the case of qualitative methodology, this research has several limitations. One of them is the focus on jobbers. Although the choice of jobbers as a key respondent is justified by their middle role between the importer wholesalers as their suppliers and the repair shops as their clients, the views of these other actors are not directly mirrored in the research. Another limit is that only the most important jobbers were asked who were generally threatened by the counterfeit products and who did not deal with those products. Thus, the view of the new actors is missing from the picture.
Practical implications
Managers must pay attention to potentially dangerous combinations of elements which, when taken together, may prompt self-serving and destructive behaviors that may threaten the continued prosperity of long-standing business relationships and networks. As in the Tunisian case, the lower the level of compliance combined with the availability of low price, counterfeit or imported goods dramatically increased the level of short-term, malevolent relationship-destroying behaviors. Perhaps the greatest danger to overall network prosperity comes when short-term opportunism replaces the pursuit of long-term mutual benefits. Research has long demonstrated that high-involvement long-term relationships are essential for distribution companies’ growth and sustained performance.
Originality/value
Given the immediacy of the revolution and the paucity of research on channels in developing North African nations, this work stands to make a timely contribution to the literature. The influence of weak institutions (including governments) is a unique and important contribution. Other unique contribution is the introduction of counterfeit goods into consideration showing their role in the changes of actors’ behavior and in the possible source of conflicts.
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Jennifer JooYeon Lee and Zecong Ma
The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) to understand the process and consequences of the two-way communication between consumers and businesses on online-to-offline (O2O…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) to understand the process and consequences of the two-way communication between consumers and businesses on online-to-offline (O2O) diagnosis-and-cure services platforms and (2) to examine how consumer request-specific factors and service quote-specific factors influence consumer decisions in the interactive marketing context.
Design/methodology/approach
The study analyzes a dataset of 17,878 service requests and 57,867 price quotes obtained from an O2O platform bridging consumers and automotive repair shops. On the platform, consumers request service quotes by uploading the description of automotive damage and multiple service providers suggest price quotes. The authors formulated a logit model to examine consumer decisions of responding service quotes.
Findings
This paper finds that (1) consumers receiving more severe diagnostic results are more likely to respond to the price quotes, and (2) diagnostic severity and inconsistency moderate the impacts of geographic distance, shop size, and quote price on consumers' responses to the service quotes.
Research limitations/implications
This paper fills the gap in the literature by advancing the consumer decision processing model to address the interactive shopping experience on O2O diagnosis-and-cure services platforms. The findings are limited by the data and the research context.
Practical implications
For marketing practitioners, the empirical results imply specific positioning and targeting strategies for markets with informational and geographic barriers to expand the market scope and customer base.
Originality/value
The present work is the first to examine the consumer decision process on O2O diagnosis-and-cure service platforms. It adds value to the literature by investigating how consumers update their problem awareness through the service request-specific factors (i.e. diagnostic severity and diagnostic inconsistency) and how the request-specific factors moderate the impacts of the quote-specific factors (i.e. shop distance, shop size and quote price) on consumers' responses to price quote. The conceptual model and empirical findings provide theoretical and practical values for e-commerce researchers and practitioners.
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Virginia Bodolica and Martin Spraggon
Reflect on the influence of different lifecycle stages on the strategy of a family business; evaluate the impact of family, industry and company dynamics on the evolution of a…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
Reflect on the influence of different lifecycle stages on the strategy of a family business; evaluate the impact of family, industry and company dynamics on the evolution of a family firm; assess the impact of ownership, governance and succession considerations on the sustainability of a family firm; and develop decision-making skills to overcome specific dilemmas and secure the family business longevity.
Case overview/synopsis
Five industries, three generations and one family business. What started off as an entrepreneur’s ambition, Almajid Limited has proven itself to a sustainable source of revenue and a diverse portfolio of businesses for multiple generations of a Saudi Arabian family. This case study offers an exclusive opportunity to follow the tumultuous journey of a Saudi family business and analyze the different phases of its evolution over seven decades and three generations. In particular, the case aims to highlight the complexities surrounding the management of a family firm and illustrate how various lifecycle stages stemming from a number of areas (e.g. family, company, industry, ownership and governance) simultaneously influence the family business strategy. Being deeply embedded in the context of Saudi Arabia, the case unveils the unique challenges of managing a family business in a conservative cultural setting. The case study is divided into four parts, with each of them putting the emphasis on a different lifecycle area of significance for the evolution of the family business. Each part culminates with the identification of an area-relevant dilemma that needs to be addressed for the family firm to be able to move into the next stage of its development. Part A focuses on the family area or axis, the Part B on the industry axis, Part C on the company axis, while Part D is based on the sustainability axis, which embraces as many as three dilemmas in relation to the ownership, governance and succession in the family firm. Moreover, each part incorporates a timeline of critical events that contributed to the emergence of a specific dilemma and a culturally-rooted anime that helps the readers visualize the story, picture somebody else’s reality, and empathize with the key protagonists of the case to achieve optimal decision-making.
Complexity academic level
Graduate audience: Master of Business Administration or Master of Global Entrepreneurial Management.
Supplementary materials
Teaching Notes are available for educators only.
Subject code
CSS 11: Strategy.
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Khairul Akmaliah Adham, Rosmah Mat Isa, Noreha Halid, Norrana Khidil, Adlin Masood and Zizah Che Senik
Strategic Management and Organization Theory and Design.
Abstract
Subject area
Strategic Management and Organization Theory and Design.
Study level/applicability
Advanced undergraduate and MBA students taking courses in Strategic Management and Organization Theory and Design.
Case overview
By the end of 2011, five years short of its centennial anniversary, UMW Holdings was one of the biggest corporations in Malaysia, registering revenues of RM13.5 billion (US$4.5 billion), and net profit after tax of RMI billion (US$0.33 billion). By that time, it had 110 subsidiaries, operating in four core businesses of automotive assembly and distribution of Toyota lines of products, automotive components and lubricants original equipment manufacturing (OEM) and replacement equipment manufacturing (REM), heavy equipment, and oil and gas drilling service. In September 2011, the company had targeted its Toyota automotive business to contribute to 50 percent of its revenues, while the other 50 percent would come from its other three businesses, by the year 2015. However, as of the first quarter of 2012, Datuk Syed Hisham Syed Wazir, the Group CEO and his management team realized that, at 72 percent, the automotive business was still the main contributor to the Group's revenues. As the company's Toyota assembly operation was limited exclusively to the Malaysian market, plus in the face of greater competition within the automotive industries, the company needed to set strategies to achieve its 50:50 plan. The case stimulates discussion on strategy formulation of a mature corporation, involved in diversified business portfolio.
Expected learning outcomes
Understanding the process of industry analysis, as well as the formulation and implementation of business-level and corporate strategies, enables case analysts to extend the concepts to many business situations.
Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.
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Ajith Tom James, O.P. Gandhi and S.G. Deshmukh
The purpose of this paper is to develop an ontological model of failure knowledge of automobile systems that will enhance the knowledge management of automobile system failures…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop an ontological model of failure knowledge of automobile systems that will enhance the knowledge management of automobile system failures, which will help for design and maintenance of automobiles. Failure knowledge of automobile systems and components gained through maintenance and repair can mitigate future failures, if integrated in the design. This is an outcome of this paper.
Design/methodology/approach
A failure coding scheme is developed for assimilating various entities of automobile failure knowledge and an ontological model is developed for its systematic structuring and representation. The developed failure code is a combination of alphanumeric and numeric code that incorporates ingredients of the failure knowledge, which will help database management, with reduced data entry time and storage space.
Findings
The maintenance of automobiles not only brings back the systems into operating conditions but also convey a lot of information regarding the failures. This is a useful input to the designers in development of reliable and maintainable automobile systems. A knowledge base can be created for automobile systems/components failures from their maintenance and service experience.
Research limitations/implications
Developed ontological model of automobile failure knowledge gained through maintenance experience can be shared across automobile manufacturers and service providers. This would help in design improvements, with ease and efficient undertaking of maintenance activities. This paper proposes the conceptual ontology structure, which is populated with three cases of automobile maintenance.
Originality/value
This research work is a first attempt to develop an ontological model for automobile failures from their maintenance and service experience. The novelty of the work is in its explicit consideration of all knowledge related to failures and maintenance of automobile systems, with their coding and structuring.
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Service research including justice has ignored the full range of service outcomes possible and has only been conducted when a service failure has occurred. This study allows for a…
Abstract
Service research including justice has ignored the full range of service outcomes possible and has only been conducted when a service failure has occurred. This study allows for a full spectrum of service outcomes including service success, service failure, and service recovery. This study used the survey method to collect data to measure the relationship of justice constructs (i.e., interactional, distributive, and procedural justice) to overall justice and customer satisfaction. The researcher used a convenience sample-survey method. Graduate students in a service class collected 50 useable questionnaires for the pilot study. The researcher and two graduate students collected 302 useable questionnaires in an airport for the main study. Path analysis results showed that interactional, distributive, and procedural justice, all had direct effects and a significant positive relationship to overall justice and customer satisfaction, and overall justice had a direct and significant positive relationship to customer satisfaction.
Eduardo de Senzi Zancul, Silvia M. Takey, Ana Paula Bezerra Barquet, Leonardo Heiji Kuwabara, Paulo A. Cauchick Miguel and Henrique Rozenfeld
The purpose of this paper is to propose a method for adopting an Internet of Things (IoT) enabled product-service system (PSS) considering business model and product enhancements…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a method for adopting an Internet of Things (IoT) enabled product-service system (PSS) considering business model and product enhancements. The method focusses on business process implications of IoT. The paper also discusses a real application of the proposed method to the machinery industry.
Design/methodology/approach
Considering the IoT technologies available, failure mode and effects analysis is applied to identify what should be monitored in the product to minimize potential product failures. In parallel, in order to assist the company in deciding which PSS strategy to be followed, a Configurator of PSS proposals is applied. The results are derived to define the IoT architecture and the business process design supported by the selected IoT technologies.
Findings
The main findings include the proposed IoT-enabled PSS adoption method, illustrated by the description of the application and its assessment. In addition, the identification of key process areas that are impacted by IoT is offered, namely: remote machine setup; corrective and predictive maintenance; material supply; product pricing; and information reporting.
Research limitations/implications
The application of the method proposed is limited to one company. Future work includes extending the application of the method to other units of analysis.
Practical implications
The method proposed can be considered by companies willing to increase product-service revenues based on IoT technologies.
Originality/value
The IoT-enabled PSS adoption method is an approach grounded on the intersection theories of PSSs and the more technology-oriented IoT developments.
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Saul Berman, Steven Davidson, Kazuaki Ikeda and Anthony Marshall
The IBM Institute for Business Value, which has been conducting Global Chief Executive Officers studies for 15 years, has been reporting on CEO concerns about business and…
Abstract
Purpose
The IBM Institute for Business Value, which has been conducting Global Chief Executive Officers studies for 15 years, has been reporting on CEO concerns about business and economic disruption and described their efforts to respond to it. But surprisingly, in the 2018 study CEOs also indicate that the shock of disruption is waning. Only 26 percent of the CEOs say new entrants are actually taking market share. 10; 10; 10;
Design/methodology/approach
This report is based on input from 2,148 Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), who were interviewed as part of the 19th IBM Global C-suite Study. Both quantitative and qualitative responses were collected from 346 face-to-face meetings and 1,802 in-person phone interviews. To understand how top-performing organizations navigate disruption differently, IBM researchers applied cluster analysis to examine the approaches of three groups of CEOs – Reinventors,. Practitioners and Aspirationals. 10;
Findings
Most CEOs see the emergence of platforms and the growing importance of network economics – both scale and scope – as the crucial drivers of future growth.
Practical implications
Almost six in ten Reinventors co-create new products, services or experiences with their customers.
Originality/value
Today’s CEOs have learned to not only accommodate but embrace disruption. Anticipating and responding to sudden and dramatic change has become standard operating procedure. Chief executives from top performing businesses understand that success requires collaboration with partners within ecosystems and on platforms. Indeed, Checklists for leaders are included.
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Certification students in a post-baccalaureate teacher preparation program investigated the local educational environment in a social studies methods course with a brief community…
Abstract
Certification students in a post-baccalaureate teacher preparation program investigated the local educational environment in a social studies methods course with a brief community study of several K-4 neighborhood schools. School district maps and street maps guided their exploration of the city between the university and the schools where they had field placements and jobs as substitute teachers. Student summaries and reflections with photos and sketch maps promoted discussion of issues relevant to informed social studies educators. Evaluation of the instructional approach indicated an increased student awareness of local places, using a model of inquiry applicable to elementary social studies instruction, as well as promoting place-based instruction and potential partnerships between neighborhood schools and communities. The approach established a collegial, cooperative climate among future teachers for developing effective social studies programs.
This conceptual paper aims to present a new framework for the use of incentives when encouraging small businesses to adopt more sustainable business practices. It seeks to…
Abstract
Purpose
This conceptual paper aims to present a new framework for the use of incentives when encouraging small businesses to adopt more sustainable business practices. It seeks to identify and categorize various types of incentives.
Design/methodology/approach
The incentives framework was designed as a practical tool for use during the development of a small business sustainability program. Although conceptual in nature, the framework is based on research conducted by the Washington State (USA) Department of Ecology that used, in part, a modified grounded theory approach.
Findings
In addition to identifying and categorizing potential incentives, the paper presents an overview of mainstream thought on incentives and argues that incentives and disincentives are significantly different concepts. The paper identifies seven potential barriers to implementing incentives and summarizes potential solutions to those barriers. It also explains how incentives can be used to encourage sustainable behavior and corporate social responsibility reporting.
Practical implications
The framework presented is intended to assist practitioners develop and structure incentive programs. It is also intended to provide guidance to practitioners regarding the current mainstream paradigm on incentives and recommends changes to that paradigm.
Originality/value
The framework presented is entirely original. No similar framework appears to currently exist.
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