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This research aimed to investigate the mediating role of social media engagement in the relationship between differentiation-oriented content and purchase intentions. Additionally, this research studies the moderating impact of entrepreneurial social media skills in the relationship between social media engagement and purchase intentions.

The research proposes a positivist research philosophy, deductive research approach and survey research strategy. Data were collected from followers of social media pages of small and medium businesses operating in the fields of groceries, food items, apparel and supplies in Pakistan. Respondents were selected randomly. The descriptive statistics were calculated first, followed by reliability and validity analysis as part of the measurement model. Finally, mediation and moderation analyses were run by using structural equation modeling.

Results of the study confirm that differentiation-oriented content has a positive relationship with purchase intentions and social media engagement mediates this relationship. Results further confirm that the social media skills of entrepreneurs moderate the relationship between social media engagement and purchase intentions.

From a practical point of view, this study will potentially help entrepreneurs in Pakistan unveil the undiscovered potential of social media and understand the importance of social media marketing campaigns in crisis situations. It will unlock the importance of entrepreneurial training and development to better adapt to the dynamic and vibrant world of social media.

This is the first study that investigates the relationship between differentiation-oriented content and purchase intentions. Additionally, the current study adds to existing knowledge by proposing entrepreneurial social media skills as moderators in the relationship of social media engagement with purchase intentions.

The purpose of this study is to develop and empirically test a model investigating the relationship between conflict with private label (PL) suppliers and retailers’ PL performance. The study also examines differences in the relationship based on two PL types, namely, price-oriented and differentiation-oriented PLs.

Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling and data obtained from a survey of general merchandise managers in 190 supermarket chains in Japan.

The results indicate that conflict with PL suppliers can have negative effects on retailers’ PL performance. Moreover, the use of price-oriented PLs leads to higher levels of conflict with PL suppliers than the use of differentiation-oriented PLs.

This study offers managerial insights into the importance of sophisticated conflict management in relation to PL suppliers and the efficacy of premium PLs, which may cost less in terms of conflict management than price-oriented PLs.

Considering the influence of conflict with suppliers on retailers’ PL performance, this study suggests a novel approach to examining conflict between PL suppliers and retailers by classifying PLs into two types, namely, price-oriented and differentiation-oriented PLs.

This paper analyses the way that the industry's competitive environment and the company's strategy influence the implementation of the supply chain's (SC’s) triple-A capabilities (agility, adaptability and alignment). Two competitive environment variables are analysed: competitive intensity of the industry and complexity of the SC. Two opposing competitive strategies are also considered: cost and differentiation.

The hypotheses have been tested using data gathered via a questionnaire given to 277 Spanish manufacturing companies, and structural equation modelling has been used for the analysis.

The results show that competitive intensity is the most influential factor followed by business strategy. SC complexity does not seem to affect agility. Moreover, although the competitive environment variables affect the business strategy, the latter has no mediating effects between the competitive environment and SC agility, adaptability and alignment capabilities.

This study presents new insights into the environmental and strategic drivers linked to the implementation of SC agility, adaptability and alignment capabilities and offers guidelines to managers involved in SC management.

本文分析產業的競爭環境和公司的策略如何影響供應鏈三A能力 (靈活性、適應能力和調整能力) 的實現。兩個競爭環境變數被分析, 就是產業的競爭強度和供應鏈的複雜性。同時, 兩個對立的競爭策略也被探討,就是價格和差異化。

各個假設均以數據測試; 數據取自277間西班牙製造商囘應之問卷, 分析則以結構方程模型進行。

研究結果顯示、競爭強度是最重要的影響因素, 其次是經營策略。供應鏈的複雜性似乎對靈活性沒有影響; 而且, 雖然競爭環境變數影響著經營策略, 但經營策略在競爭環境與供應鏈靈活性、適應能力和調整能力之間沒有起仲介效果。

本研究就環境和策略如何驅動供應鏈靈活性、適應能力和調整能力方面提供了新的啓示, 亦為負責供應鏈管理的主管提供了指引。

Top management team (TMT) serves as the critical designer of a firm’s business model, whose cognition exerts key influence on business model design (BMD). Drawing insights from the managerial cognition and knowledge-based views, this paper aims to examine the effect of TMT transactive memory system on BMD and investigate how the relationship between TMT transactive memory system and BMD is contingent upon the firm’s strategic orientation.

Survey data collected from 210 Chinese firms was used to test the research hypotheses through multivariate regression analysis.

This paper reveals that TMT transactive memory system facilitates novelty- and efficiency-centered BMD. Furthermore, both differentiation orientation and cost leadership orientation can strengthen the effect of TMT transactive memory system on novelty-centered BMD; the impact of TMT transactive memory system on efficiency-centered BMD is weakened by differentiation orientation but strengthened by cost leadership orientation.

This paper adds to the business model literature by unraveling the effect of TMT transactive memory system on BMD, which not only enriches the internal cognitive antecedents of BMD but also provides an in-depth understanding of how TMTs can use their knowledge structure to proactively design a certain business model. Moreover, this paper also offers insights into how TMTs can better use transactive memory system to design business models according to the specific strategic orientation.

The purpose of this study is to verify whether managers’ strategic orientation influences decision-making related to differentiation and whether these two factors impact on the performance of the firms in the Brazilian wine industry.

A survey was conducted with representatives from 123 wineries located in the following Brazilian states: 78.86 per cent in Rio Grande do Sul; 13.01 per cent in Santa Catarina; 2.44 per cent in Paraná; 2.44 per cent in São Paulo; 1.63 per cent in Bahia; and 1.63 per cent in Pernambuco. The data were analyzed using multivariate statistical techniques, resulting in a structural equations model of the constructs.

The research findings show that there is a positive association between prospector orientation and differentiation. Analyst positioning was negatively associated with differentiation of winery companies. It was also possible to show that differentiation has a positive relationship with performance.

While a previous study attempted to identify wineries’ strategic orientation using other theoretical constructs, this study makes a contribution to consolidating reflections on strategic orientation focused on differentiation and performance. The results contribute to expanding the scientific debate by filling a gap in existing theory and also provide information of use to decision-makers, demonstrating, which approaches improve differentiation, and hence, performance.

To examine the strategic posture of third‐party logistics (3PLs) providers in mainland China.

A sample survey, obtained by mail, of 3PLs firms in mainland China. Key informant data are used to operationalize Porter's competitive strategy and provides a framework to identify logistics strategies pursued by 3PLs providers. Various aspects of 3PLs providers are compared by different strategy types.

Identified four logistics strategies pursued by 3PLs providers in mainland China. Differentiation strategy outperforms cost leadership strategy. Companies pursuing cost leadership are shifting towards differentiation strategy to cope with the intense competition faced in mainland China's immense logistics markets.

Bias may exist due to the mail survey. In‐depth studies on strategy formulation of 3PLs providers could be carried out to examine what factors influence the strategy formulation and explore the strategy evolution path.

This study is a very insightful source of information about 3PLs in mainland China for logistics managers, investors and policy‐makers. It provides guidance for 3PLs executives to formulate logistics strategy, adjust business objectives and prioritize operations, and for logistics users to select appropriate logistics providers. There are also suggestions for government to improve the business environment for the logistics industry. The study provides a basis for research on logistics management in mainland China.

This study is a pioneer and comprehensive study of mainland China's 3PLs providers. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to examine 3PLs providers in mainland China.

Comparative education research in Japan is strongly oriented toward emphasizing fieldwork, unlike Western methodologies that aim for theorization. For this reason, it is sometimes regarded as peripheral research without a theorizing orientation or as a counterstrategy to Western research. This study examines why Japanese comparative education research emphasizes fieldwork, focusing on discussions at the Japanese Society of Comparative Education from the 1990s to the present, and considers whether the discussion far from aimed at theorizing. It can be said that Japanese comparative educational research, while characterized by a field-oriented orientation, has been trying to analyze the subject with sincerity through more in-depth fieldwork and is aware of the back and forth between theorizing and differentiation. Furthermore, recently, an international, agenda-based approach and the concept of transboundary fieldwork based on triangulation and Border Studies as a new way of looking at the field itself have also emerged. Therefore, it can be said that Japanese comparative educational research, while characterized by a field-oriented orientation, is increasingly aiming for a multilayered and relative analysis of the field, which is an argument autonomously derived from a focus on the field rather than being a strategy or a challenge to Western universalization-oriented methodologies.

Investigates export marketing performance and internationalisation strategies of Central American firms engaged in non‐traditional exports to developed countries. A five‐country survey of Central American firms identified three patterns of export performance. Each performance pattern is associated with distinct marketing strategies and organisational characteristics. The evidence is consistent with the notion of a stage‐wise internationalisation process. The discussion points out how the transition from low‐price and cost‐oriented exporting to differentiated marketing poses hurdles which many currently successful exporters have yet to overcome.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual model on the role that information systems (IS) architecture planning plays in enhancing IS outsourcing's impact on IS performance and to empirically test the model.

Survey data were gathered and structural equation modeling technique is used to test hypotheses.

The empirical test clearly demonstrates the important role that IS architecture planning plays in enhancing IS outsourcing's impact on IS performance. In other words, it shows that IS architecture planning provides a blueprint for establishing necessary technical and administrative platforms, based on which IS outsourcing can be effectively implemented to positively impact IS performance. Consequently, the key proposition in the conceptual model of the study has been empirically validated.

The relatively low response rate requires future studies to re‐validate the model to test the robustness of the findings. The fact that 75 percent of respondents are IS managers/directors may produce inflated responses on IS performance and future studies with more balanced IS and business managers' participation can help to further verify the model. Future research can also investigate how web compliant‐based technologies such as SOA and XML can enable high levels of modularity to improve IS outsourcing effectiveness for better IS performance. As to control variables, the extent of IS outsourcing and the level of IS architecture maturity may be incorporated in a refined model to better test the role IS architecture planning plays in enhancing IS outsourcing's impact on IS performance. IS outsourcing effectiveness may be added to the model as a bridge linking IS outsourcing competences to IS performance. A longitudinal study can be conducted to analyze the dynamics of how IS architecture planning can impact IS outsourcing informed buying and help one to understand the portfolio of outsourcing control mechanisms in a multiple outsourcing projects setting.

The empirical support of the key proposition that IS architecture planning enhances IS outsourcing's impact on IS performance makes it very clear that IS management should make due efforts to improve their understandings of various IS components, associated business processes, and their interactive relationships for better IS outsourcing management. Further, the identification of the antecedents of IS architecture planning will enlighten practitioners about how to improve their IS architecture planning competence.

The paper builds on previous research to provide further empirical evidence on the role that IS architecture planning plays in enhancing IS outsourcing's impact on IS performance.

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationships among business strategy, market competition and earnings management.

This paper uses 2,037 Chinese A-share listed firms from 2010 to 2012 to test the research questions using regression analyses.

The firms that follow cost leadership strategy (cost leaders) are more likely to have a higher level of real earnings management. The firms that follow differentiation strategy (differentiators) are less likely to use real earnings management. For cost leaders, the market competition further increases the level of real earnings management, whereas the level of earnings management of differentiators is not significantly impacted by the market competition.

Results of this study indicate the feasibility of differentiation strategy in China and suggest that management should be encouraged to use such a strategy or to use a hybrid strategy to achieve its operational and financial goals.

The study contributes to the research of earning management by providing evidence on that business strategy has significant impacts on earnings management. It also shows an incremental influence of market competition on earnings management through its impacts on business strategy.