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Uncertainty is the norm of our time: uncertainty with the U.S. economy, uncertainty with continuing oil supplies at a reasonable price, uncertainty with continued economic growth. American industry stands at the threshold of a new era. Perhaps never before has industry had at one time so many problems and such promise for the future. Superior planning, management, and research will be required to solve the problems ahead and to realize the prospectus for the future.

This case study of a fashion-design company aims to show how a co-creation initiative produces competitive advantage by nurturing creativity, expanding the company’s innovation capabilities and enabling it to engage with both taste-making customers and designers from anywhere in the world.

In 2009, Fronteer Strategy, a Netherlands-based market-analysis firm published a conceptual framework for identifying specifically how a firm’s processes and initiatives employ co-creation. This case looks at how this theoretical framework compares with the actual complexities of the co-creation process developed by Own Label.

Own Label’s co-creation approach is a hybrid model that utilizes more than one type of co-creation across its fashion-design process.

What makes co-creation in design-intensive industries a disruptive approach is the democratization of the process by which design choices are made.

Own Label is utilizing its hybrid models of co-creation in order to strategically position its self in niche markets, adapt faster to trends, as well as to be a design leader.

This study explores practitioner views regarding which elements of the service offering to emphasise when formulating strategies to add value and, hence, gain competitive advantage in services markets. In particular, the case of retail financial services is emloyed to investigate hypotheses regarding variations in importance of elements of the service offer in adding value due to increased complexity and intangibility of some offerings and the resultant implications for consumer evaluation. Evidence suggests that these issues may be particularly relevant in the context of services and that consequently many of the common prescriptions regarding strategy formulation may be rather more difficult for services organisations to implement. It is found that factors such as image and reputation of the organisation, as well as functional service quality, are perceived to be particularly important in adding value to more complex financial services offerings. More surprisingly, the features and quality of the core service provided are also perceived to be more important in adding value to complex services. In addition, factors such as price, location and recovery are perceived to be significantly more important in adding value to more simple, rather than complex, offerings. Finally, conclusions are presented.

Planned organizational change has been viewed from a variety of conceptual perspectives, and a plethora of variables that impact the change process have been proposed. However, few empirical studies have investigated the relationships thought to exist among change process variables. Drawing from questionnaire‐based data obtained from managers involved in the implementation of change, we evaluate three plausible change model configurations using multivariate methods. Findings from the study support a dynamic change process configuration over a direct effects model. Results, discussion, implications and direction for further research are offered.

This article shows first the problems of treating tourism as a product and analyses then the literature about information behavior of tourists, when they are making their decision for holidays. Empirical tests are dealing with data from eleven winter sport resorts, which were originally designed for purposes of service quality. However the results show that there are differences in information behavior due to personal and tourist status, due to the source of information and also whether tourist value the importance of skiing high or less.

Based on the strategic challenges faced by Western companies in the coming decade, this paper is concerned with the area of strategic management. In particular, emphasis is on the relationship between managerial problems, managerial practice and state‐of‐the‐art theories on strategic management. Interestingly, it is found that managerial practice over the past 10 years has had a poor relationship to the actual problems faced by managers and to the state‐of‐the‐art theories on strategic management. At the same time, however, state‐of‐the art theories of strategic management have also had a poor relationship to the problems faced by managers. Strategic management is, therefore, lost and needs to be reconsidered in light of the empirical challenges of the area.

Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Companies need to focus on the four key areas of innovation, adaptation, strategic alliances, and strategy if they’re to stay ahead of their competitors and continue to grow. Strategic alliances and innovation are clearly linked to sustainability, and any organisations planning long-term sustainability need to consider forming strategic alliances for product development and innovation.

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Notes how the value of developing corporate identity (CI), as a means of encouraging an organization's key stakeholders to perceive the corporate entity in a clear and positive way, has been receiving increased attention in the last decade. To date much of the practitioner and academic attention has been focused on the communication function between an organization and its customers (primarily). In order that managers and academics are able to realize more of the potential that CI offers organizations, it is necessary to consider the role and impact CI can have on strategic management. Reviews the literature and considers the concepts of corporate identity, image, reputation and personality. Determines the linkages between these concepts and argues that image research studies should not just be oriented to improving images and communications but that this information can also have a central role to play in the strategic development of an organization. To do this presents a framework, referred to as a corporate identity management process (CIMP). Provides an illustration which shows how an understanding of stakeholder images can be used, via the CIMP, to reveal opportunities for developing sustainable competitve advantage.

This paper summarises how the Scottish agri‐food industry has been developing farm and quality assurance activities since the early 1990s as it seeks to strengthen its competitive position. It also outlines the European system of third party certification for quality assurance schemes. The paper is an introduction to a number of “insights from industry” presented to a conference on “Food Traceability ‐ What? Why? How?” which was held in Edinburgh in February 1998.

This study aims to investigate the hierarchical relationship between industry-specific attributes of supply chain (SC) strategies and information technology (IT) to improve the performance of firms in textile industry in Pakistan.

This study presents a mix of enablers through literature review and experts’ opinions. Next, the driving and dependence powers of enablers were identified, using the interpretive structural modeling (ISM) approach.

The ISM model suggests eight levels, with customer satisfaction at the top of the model. Process automation and TQM are placed at second and third level, respectively, whereas flexible sourcing and flexible capacity are positioned at fourth level. The key enablers of IT have high driving power, hence positioned at the bottom of ISM model.

This study has value for firms in garment manufacturing and exporting industry to invest into IT and sustainable SC design for competitive performance. The theoretical and managerial implications are provided.