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The present study aims to describe the micro-dynamics of decision-making that refer to knowledge translation pursued by organizational actors to see how they affect the travel of new ideas within the managerial practice of Project Portfolio Management (PPM). The study focuses on how the alignment of actors' meanings is reached at the organizational level and how they move towards a common direction by synthesizing information and negotiating meanings across the activities that constitute PPM. The study also investigates the intermediation function of information support systems in knowledge translation, which brokers information among those involved in the PPM practice.

This piece of research uses an inductive, qualitative research approach and a methodological combination of case study research and grounded theory to investigate and explore the processes of knowledge transfer and translation enacted by the organizational actors (both human and non-human) involved in innovation portfolio decision-making.

The findings of this research reveal the sequence of portfolio decision-making process that confirms that PPM occurs not only in a single hierarchical level or meeting, but that decisions are made across different organizational levels in a complex network of relationships where many actors are involved. We also show that the technological artefacts have an intermediate role in knowledge translation.

Despite referring to a single case study, the results discussed in this piece of research provides insightful evidence for academics and practitioners alike. In fact, the paper discusses organizational pre-alignment and alignment as a crucial enabler of knowledge transfer. Moreover, the intermediate role of an information support system is discussed.

Our study highlights the positive effect on actors' meaningful participation in PPM associated with the adoption of information support systems in PPM. Moreover, our results highlight the importance of considering a horizontal perspective in the decision-making process, so that knowledge translation occurs by leveraging on all the actors' breadth of experience and expertise.

This research emphasizes two organizational routines termed as decision- making preparation processes that were identified as key enablers of portfolio decision-making: cross-functional pre-alignment and an information support system.

Although managers have struggled with SKU proliferation for decades, research has provided inconsistent guidance, and the cross-functional and cross-firm aspects of the problem were not considered. The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors that favor successful and sustainable SKU rationalization.

A single case study was used to investigate the implementation of an SKU rationalization project by a national restaurant chain in collaboration with its food distributor. Qualitative data analysis techniques were used to understand managers’ perceptions about the SKU rationalization problem and the financial results that were achieved.

The findings include seven propositions that begin to formalize theory for SKU rationalization. Cross-functional involvement was both a challenge and a critical success factor, and the supplier was an important resource for managing product variety and complexity.

Seven propositions are provided that increase the likelihood of successfully dealing with SKU proliferation.

SKU proliferation increases supply chain complexity and leads to higher costs. The research reports on an SKU rationalization project that saved a company and its supplier $6.7m.

A previously unexplored theoretical perspective on SKU rationalization was employed that emphasizes cross-functional alignment, buyer–supplier relationships and the impact on financial performance of a firm.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for measuring the S&OP process performance.

The method used is a multiple case study of five companies from different industries based on data from 12 structured interviews.

The main result is a framework to measure the S&OP process. It includes concrete suggestions for organizations when developing measures to increase effectiveness and efficiency of the process. It will also help organizations to standardize measures and to enhance organizational transparency. Our results include measures for every step of the process as well as for the outcome of the process. The authors highlight the importance of cross-functional measures along with measures that focus on how to conduct the process. The framework is founded on a set of criteria on appropriate measures such as comprehensiveness, internal process efficiency, horizontal and vertical integration, internal comparability, and usefulness. The study contributes to performance measurement literature and the S&OP literature.

Validation of the framework is desirable in similar as well as other contexts. Implementation challenges should also be investigated.

The framework provides guidelines in order to measure, analyze and improve the effectiveness and the efficiency of the process.

This is the first framework for measuring the S&OP process that includes detailed measures for each step of the process, for the outcome of the process as well as how to conduct the process itself.

The purpose of this paper is to draw on resource orchestration theory (ROT) and resource advantage theory (RAT) to develop a measurement scale for supply chain competitive advantage (SCCA) as a second-order construct with the dimensions of agility, adaptability and alignment (triple-A).

A survey research design is adopted to collect primary and secondary data from 182 international firms. The paper utilizes a scale development procedure to develop a measurement instrument and assess its psychometric properties. The scale’s predictive validity is tested using both subjective and objective data. Additionally, the simultaneous effect of triple-A is tested using latent congruent modeling.

Drawing upon ROT and RAT, this study introduces SCCA as a second-order construct composed of SC agility, adaptability and alignment. In addition, the findings show that an SCCA has a direct and positive impact on firms’ financial and market performance.

Existing literature indicates that competition has shifted from inter-firm to inter-SC. To account for this change in competition level, past studies have suggested various capabilities that SCs must possess to offer a competitive advantage, such as triple-As. However, drawing upon RAT and ROT, the authors argue that the SCCA construct accounts for sources of advantage in both the resource side and the demand side. The authors further assert that possessing supply chain resources (i.e. agility, adaptability, alignment as disparate resources) is not sufficient to create advantage but the resources must be orchestrated to create SCCA (i.e. the combination of agility, adaptability and alignment).

The purpose of this paper is to extend the research domain of Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) beyond the hard issues by focusing on soft issues in S&OP processes. This paper aims to investigate how consciousness of different personality types can affect S&OP processes.

This paper is based on a single longitudinal case study from a medium-sized enterprise with a data collection period of more than two years. This paper is based on observation and interviews gathered at several stages during pilot implementation and operation phases.

This paper indicates that a focus on behavior using personality type theory and key behavioral indicators has provided a common framework for understanding how the S&OP process is impacted by different personalities and behavior. This knowledge has increased the awareness of which behavior sustains a silo mentality and which behavior breaks it down. Quotations are used to provide substance of this explorative topic.

As a single case study, this paper only provides results for analytical generalization.

Consciousness of behavioral elements in S&OP processes is proposed here as a complement to key performance indicators as levers to implement and obtain sustained operation of S&OP.

This paper is the first explicitly integrating personality type theory for a better understanding of implementing and operating S&OP processes. This paper contributes with a new understanding of S&OP success factors and how a common language may improve process efficiency.

The purpose of this paper is to test whether complexity interacts with Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) practices by positively moderating the impact of S&OP practices on manufacturing operational performance dimensions of quality, flexibility and delivery.

Three hypotheses are developed on the relationships between S&OP practices, task complexity and process complexity and manufacturing operational performance. Scales are validated with structural equation modelling. The hypotheses are tested through a hierarchical regression analysis using data from a sample of 725 manufacturing plants from 21 countries.

S&OP practices of organizational management, technological integration, measurement systems and integration of plans impact positively on manufacturing operational dimensions of quality, delivery and flexibility. Process complexity moderates the effect of S&OP practices, amplifying its impact upon all three performance dimensions. Product complexity moderates the effect on quality, but not on delivery and flexibility.

S&OP practices of organizational and technological coordination of manufacturing and new product design; information technology to measure information sharing and planning; dedicated information systems do impact upon manufacturing operational performance. Results are amplified by process complexity. The more complex are the manufacturing processes the larger the gains of S&OP.

This research applies contingency theory to S&OP and empirically demonstrates its impact on manufacturing operational performance and the moderator role of complexity.

This study aims to explore how bundling knowledge resources (i.e. knowledge integration mechanisms [KIMs]) and digital resources (i.e. big data-powered artificial intelligence [BDAI]) can enhance supply chain visibility (SCV) capabilities for implementing just-in-case (JIC) practices.

Analysis of survey data from Chinese manufacturers was conducted to test the proposed hypotheses.

The results reveal a significant positive effect of KIMs on BDAI, as well as positive effects of both BDAI and KIMs on SCV. Furthermore, the results suggest that SCV partially mediates the KIMs–JIC relationship and fully mediates the BDAI–JIC relationship.

This study advances the digital SC and inventory management literature by proposing and empirically testing a digital JIC model that explores how to bundle knowledge and digital resources into SC capabilities for managing JIC inventory in uncertain and digital times.

The purpose of this paper is to understand marketing–sales–service (M-S-S) interface from the point of how social media marketing (SMM) platforms are prioritized and associated business-to-business (B2B) sales process influence. This study also seeks to understand whether effective triadic alignment is achieved between marketing, sales and service.

This study combines literature review and the analytical hierarchy process model. In total, 30 M-S-S managers of a multinational electronics firm situated in Africa and the Middle East participated in this study. The authors collected data from M-S-S managers during training sessions on marketing, sales, service alignment and SMM role in sales process.

In their drive for customer orientation and improved organizational performance, marketing, sales and service managers view understanding the customer as the most important sales process attribute. Considered second most significant sales process attribute is needs discovery, whereas approaching the customer is ranked the least important. From the ratings of sales process attributes evaluation and rankings of SMM platform alternatives, the results show a significant hierarchical influence of Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter on sales process. The results also show an enabling influence of SMM activity on M-S-S interface alignment.

This study has a twofold limitation. First, it explored only one major B2B firm in the electronics industry. Second, only the African and Middle East settings are considered in this study. These limitations could be addressed in future research.

This paper provides practical insights into how M-S-S managers may leverage social media to enhance customer orientation and boost organizational performance. The use of SMM can help M-S-S managers of the focal firm to predict purchase behavior of customers more accurately and as a result effectively manage and improve sales performance. In that drive of using SMM-based competitive intelligence to deliver superior customer experience and enhance sales performance, B2B marketing-oriented firms can also leverage the interdependence (information sharing and involvement) in the M-S-S interface during the SMM activity to enhance triadic alignment.

This study contributes to the literature by developing a framework for modeling SMM influence on M-S-S and B2B sales process to deliver superior customer experience and drive business performance.

Alignment is a key aspect of strategic change. Alignment between customers and employees is a critical component. Two functional areas ‐ marketing and human resources ‐ are well positioned to play important roles in the alignment process, and they share similar methods. But in most organizations they are often not linked. The authors argue for leadership to overcome the functional barriers, avoid duplicate effort and gain fuller utilization of potential. They present a model for the alignment process and a set of tools to analyze alignment gaps and facilitate the cross‐functional linkage. The efficacy of the tools is illustrated by case examples. At the same time, the authors caution that continuously building alignment is more akin to a trek than a sprint.

This paper aims to improve upon the highly dispersed sales and operations planning (S&OP) research by integrating the findings of existing studies to identify and measure the size of the effect of S&OP on firm performance.

The methodology adopted was a systematic literature review of 271 abstracts and 55 papers. Three databases were selected for the search – Emerald, EBSCO, and ScienceDirect.

Although empirical evidence of the effects of S&OP in the supply chain is described, relatively few of the 55 papers reviewed estimate the effect of S&OP on firm performance. The research findings indicate a lack of unifying frameworks for the measurement of S&OP and constructs related to firm performance. The review offers partial evidence of the effect of S&OP on firm performance, suggesting the need for additional scientifically sound survey or case study research on S&OP.

Practitioners will benefit from insights related to the intermediate role of S&OP in mediating the effects of structural changes on firm performance. There is at least partial evidence that cross‐functional planning processes can mitigate the negative effect of misaligned organisational structures and contradictory incentives schemes on firm performance. Formal and informal communications between functions, networking and internal integrating roles can boost performance. Furthermore, internal alignment seems to facilitate supply chain integration with both suppliers and customers, particularly when inter‐organisational information systems favour supply chain integration.

This paper contributes to providing a better understanding of the role of S&OP as a determinant of firm performance in the supply chain.