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The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyse the experiences of a small business, Deer Creek Land Developments (DCLD), which has been very successful in negotiating the competitive pressures in a mature industry over time and has built sustainable competitive advantage. The firm has been quite successfully navigating the ups and downs of the market. The case provides an excellent example of how small businesses can open their business models to respond to changes in the external environment, such as an economic downturn, and/or simply to grow.

The paper uses a single case study approach. Detailed interviews of the owner and the manager were used to collect data for the case study.

DCLD's success is found to be hinged on its ability to consistently enhance operational efficiencies, move to higher valuations by adopting an open business model that exploits core in‐house capabilities and those acquired through contractors and partner organizations.

The paper provides several interesting insights useful for small business managers and entrepreneurs. Small businesses can use openness of both types, as demonstrated in the case, to create strategic differentiation and also to reduce operating costs.

This paper initiates a rich field enquiry, which provides some interesting insights to small business managers. The case study is used to demonstrate how a small business can effectively use an open business model to negotiate competitive and environmental pressures.

This paper aims to examine major challenges faced by companies in enhancing their enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems for compliance with regulatory internal control requirements, specifically those imposed by the Sarbanes–Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002 and analogous Canadian legislation.

Data were collected through case studies of four medium‐sized and large companies that use ERP systems and that have operations in the USA and Canada, thus being subject to SOX and/or similar Canadian regulations.

The companies faced some technical, process and cultural challenges in implementing regulatory control compliance. In all companies, existing ERP systems were not able to meet all control requirements without some modifications or add‐on applications. Control implementations have been long, complicated and costly processes, which are not fully completed. Detailed analyses and documentation of existing systems, controls and processes were required in all companies. The protection of systems security and the segregation of duties were perceived to be major technical obstacles. Cultural factors resulted in additional challenges, notably resistance to change.

The findings of this study enhance the understanding of ERP systems design features, processes and challenges in implementing regulatory controls. As such, they provide a foundation for further empirical studies and for building models of ERP systems effectiveness in implementing effective controls.

The study provides managers insight into challenges in enhancing ERP systems for regulatory control compliance. Lessons learned can contribute to the development and sharing of best practices and to overall organizational effectiveness.

Using an interdisciplinary approach, the study provides new evidence on the extent to which ERP systems meet regulatory internal control requirements.

The institutionalization of an organizational innovation, such as an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, takes place as a continuous adaptation process that includes the development of a support organization, infrastructure, regulations, and norms, as well as the acquired knowledge of the organizational members. This paper aims to provide a structured road map for understanding this complex process and to explain some of the critical issues in institutionalizing ERP in the organization.

Multiple case studies were employed as the research approach. A multiphase design was used to introduce structure to the methodology.

The paper, using a reasonably representative sample, provides valuable insights into the ERP institutionalization process within organizations. It identifies and documents a number of key challenges that organizations face in the three phases of the institutionalization process.

A number of findings from the paper may help managers in successfully institutionalizing ERP systems. The paper identifies 15 key activities and several challenges in executing those activities along with coping strategies that firms employed to face these challenges.

ERP systems mark a major shift in the organizational approach to information systems. The paper uses empirical data from case studies to explore and delineate the ERP institutionalization process in the adopting organizations.

The purpose of this research is to take an emergent process theory perspective and model the supply chain partnering process as a series of four linked models that correspond to the phases of the partnership lifecycle, from initiation to maturity/termination, and discuss the management issues in those phases critical for optimal success of partnerships. The framework developed in this paper provides a road‐map to manage and optimize realization of partnership benefits.

The “partnership formation to business value” process is described as a series of four linked models that correspond to the phases of partnership lifecycle: foundation, implementation, shakedown, and onwards and upwards. The outcomes of one phase become starting conditions for the next. Thus, decisions and actions in a phase may subsequently increase or decrease the potential for optimal success.

Optimal partnership success is conceptualized and a framework for approaching optimal success in four broad phases is developed. It is believed that business organizations can considerably improve the realization of partnering benefits by focusing on the critical issues in the partnering process. Organizations cognizant of the critical issues in the various phases of supply chain partnerships can make systematic efforts to manage them better by providing training, incentives, leadership, and an overall environment that facilitates partnering and realization of partnering objectives.

A natural extension of this study could be to explore empirically the critical issues which have been identified, in greater detail. Given the wide variation in organizations due to size, products, and sectors, specific studies of supply chain partnerships, which compare partnerships along these dimensions, would also be valuable for understanding specific concerns. Empirical studies would also help to clarify the use of supply chain partnerships as a means to establish and sustain competitive advantage.

The framework developed in this paper provides a road‐map to manage and optimize realization of partnership benefits.

The prime benefit of this study is that it provides valuable insight on key issues in managing supply chain partnerships. Optimal partnership success is conceptualized and a framework for approaching optimal success in four broad phases is developed.

This paper aims to explore and illustrate the technology transfer (TT) experiences of a small to medium‐sized enterprise (SME), Rayton Packaging, using the stage‐gate approach to TT as an inquiry lens.

The approach described in this case conceptualizes TT as a process consisting of a set of stages and decision gates.

A TT project cannot be considered to be effective unless it also leads to profitability and growth for the firm. In today's global business setting, TT should be seen only as a component of business strategy and not in isolation as a technology project.

This paper describes the stage‐gate approach which has been successfully used for managing new product development programs in large firms.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a special issue on supply chains and the enterprise.

Introductory review and brief description of research papers in this issue.

To demonstrate the growing complexity and the multiple factors involved in structuring the enterprise effectively, references a paper by Iyer and Gottlieb that suggests an approach to enterprise architecture design. This integrates the internal and external environment, thus being highly relevant to supply chain issues.

Implies that the broad research framework for enterprise architecture is relevant to the study of supply chain issues, but leaves the reader to discover whether this is the case by perusing the research papers in this issue.

Links enterprise architecture to supply chain issues of importance to industry.

Provides a descriptive framework for linking papers in the issue to general supply chain issues.

The purpose of this paper is to follow the internationalisation of an Indian company, Bharat Forge Limited. It studies how a small company from India becomes one of the leading players in the global forging industry.

This is a case study approach for studying the process of internationalisation in one particular firm.

Bharat Forge Limited has followed the traditional stages model of internationalisation. It started global foray with exports and continued with that for more than three decades before going for acquisitions way. The company has gone for related‐diversified using its strengths in technology to diversify its products, markets and customers over the years and today has a global footprints in terms of sales and manufacturing locations.

It shows the way for companies even small ones and from developing countries, that how one can go for internationalisation and emerge as a leading global player.

India is one of the fastest emerging markets and there is growing interests in Indian economy and Indian firms. But there are few case studies on internationalisation of Indian firms and this study tries to fill that gap. Bharat Forge Limited is an Indian multinational company and has become a leading player in global forging industry.