Search results
1 – 10 of over 7000The importance of global connectivity for Third World producers has recently come under intense academic scrutiny in the value chain literature in development studies. However…
Abstract
The importance of global connectivity for Third World producers has recently come under intense academic scrutiny in the value chain literature in development studies. However, global value chain analysis seldom mentions the importance of the Internet in facilitating and enhancing the access of Third World manufacturers to developed country markets. This paper attempts to bridge this gap in the literature by exploring the link between Internet connectivity and access to global markets, and uses the South African wood furniture sector as a case study. E‐commerce technologies are becoming increasingly important for South African wood furniture producers as they are integrated into global value chains and exposed to the demands of more sophisticated markets. Failure to adopt e‐commerce technologies on the part of wood furniture producers could lead to them becoming increasingly marginalized from the international markets that they wish to supply. The paper articulates a number of policy recommendations to promote greater diffusion of e‐commerce technologies in the wood furniture sector.
Details
Keywords
Viet Hoang, Khanh-Duy Nguyen and Hoang-Le Nguyen
This study aims to develop a benchmarking model with productivity, management, and sustainability indicators (PMS), measure the performance of furniture firms in Vietnam, explore…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to develop a benchmarking model with productivity, management, and sustainability indicators (PMS), measure the performance of furniture firms in Vietnam, explore the causes of performance gaps, and identify the barriers and factors of benchmarking practice.
Design/methodology/approach
The article uses both qualitative and quantitative methods. Literature review, exploratory interviews and a grounded-theory process are employed to develop a benchmarking framework and identify performance gaps, barriers and factors of benchmarking practice. The PMS benchmarking model and quantitative analysis are utilized to assess performance indicators.
Findings
The study proposes the PMS benchmarking model and measures performance indicators of furniture firms. The sources of performance gaps are explored as design, material supply, the economy of scale, market, management systems and openness. Benchmarking practice encounters barriers of difficult indicators, unsuitable firms, insufficient benchmarking knowledge, reluctance to share data, unavailable and unreliable data, and weak engagement. Benchmarking practice is determined by core factors: leader; internal factors: systems, engagement, strategy, scope, culture; external factors: customers, suppliers, associations, support, competition.
Practical implications
Firms could learn benchmarking indicators and the causes of these gaps to improve their performance. When implementing a benchmarking study, scholars and practitioners need to pay attention to barriers and factors of the benchmarking practice to ensure effective results.
Originality/value
This study develops the PMS benchmarking model and estimates performance indicators in an emerging country with the performance gap justification. It provides readers with benchmarking barriers with solutions and success factors of benchmarking practice.
Details
Keywords
This paper develops a typology of strategic options for small firms in the furniture industry and examines the extent to which firms are re‐engineering their strategies in…
Abstract
This paper develops a typology of strategic options for small firms in the furniture industry and examines the extent to which firms are re‐engineering their strategies in response to profit performance. Empirical analysis is based on data from 39 firms with between 10 and 100 employees in the Irish furniture industry. Three main results emerge from the analysis. First, firms in the Irish furniture industry predominantly adopt “simple” business development strategies. Secondly, in terms of profit performance, we find no evidence that simple strategies unambiguously outperform more complex approaches. Instead, the success of both simple and complex business strategies is directly related to the strength of firms’ resource base. Finally, systematic differences were found in firms’ ability or willingness to re‐engineer their strategies in the light of their profit performance.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to examine how furniture retailing firms in Greece monitor competition and its effects on the formation of their strategies with respect to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how furniture retailing firms in Greece monitor competition and its effects on the formation of their strategies with respect to competitive intelligence (CI) setting.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is exploratory in nature and data were collected by carrying out semi‐structured in‐depth interviews with 15 senior managers in an area of strategic marketing importance in Greece, representing a reasonable percentage of the firms in the sector.
Findings
Greek furniture retailing firms monitor competition with the help of traditional and effective marketing tools. Also, the pricing of the products is the principal information that the managers are interested in. Finally, the respondents believe in the importance of monitoring the competition and ideally they would apply it to their company.
Research limitations/implications
This research is an exploratory study of a small sample of managers from the major companies in a national setting. Recommendations are presented for further research.
Practical implications
In today's unstable business environment, CI can make a crucial strategic contribution to competitive success. It has clear value to strategic planning for marketing in Greece itself, but also in general.
Originality/value
The paper offers empirical findings from furniture retailing companies, where a shortage of studies has been observed and broadly confirms the findings and conclusions of earlier studies in other industries in the international context.
Details
Keywords
Aries Susanty, Diana Puspita Sari, Dyah Ika Rinawati and Lutfi Setiawan
The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to investigate the direct effect of internal and external drivers on full implementation of the green supply-chain management (GSCM…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to investigate the direct effect of internal and external drivers on full implementation of the green supply-chain management (GSCM) practice; and second, to investigate the direct effect of internal drivers and indirect effect of external drivers on the full implementation of the GSCM practice.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on the data collected from 30 to 35 furniture small and medium enterprises (SMEs) chosen from each surveyed region. In this case, the selected SMEs should have been conducted some GSCM practices. So, the total number of samples used in this study is 100 SMEs. The relationships between internal and external drivers and the success of the implementation of the GSCM practices are analyzed using structural equation modeling.
Findings
The results of this study have revealed that internal and external drivers, which consist of involvement, technology, financial, regulation and customer pressure, have a direct effect on early adoption of GSCM practices. Among these drivers, technology gives the most significant effect. The results have also shown that only financial factor has a direct effect on the full implementation of GCSCM practices, whereas regulation and customer pressure have positive effect on the full implementation through early adoption of GSCM practices.
Research limitations/implications
Among the limitations of this study is related to the sample that was restricted to SMEs of furniture in three regions. The other limitation could be related to variable involved as internal and external drivers. This study has only used involvement, technology, knowledge, financial, and regulation and customer pressure as the antecedent variables of early adoption of the GSCM practices. Moreover, this study has only used the Likert scale as an approach to measure the implementation of GSCM practice management, which could be the source of bias in expressing the level of the implementation.
Practical implications
From the internal side of enterprises, the top management or the owner of SMEs can develop an effective comprehensive environmental strategy. This strategy requires the top management of SMEs show an environment oriented, allocate a specific person for implementing the GSCM practice and learn about the current technology that can support the environmentally friendly products, and also allocate the specific budget to support the implementation of GSCM practice. Moreover, since the study also found that financial factor was just the only factor having a direct effect on the full implementation of GSCM practices; therefore, the government should help the SMEs of furniture in developing low cost-GSCM implementation techniques and also provide easiness for the SMEs to get the needed fund for implementing the GSCM practice.
Social implications
The research has confirmed that regulation and customer pressure have the positive and significant effect on the full implementation of GSCM practices. It may encourage the government to make some policy related to improvement of the implementation of GSCM practice by SMEs of wooden furniture, specifically in the Central Java Province. Another implication would be to encourage the customer to make purchasing oriented decision for the implementation of GSCM practices by the SMEs of wooden furniture.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature of GSCM by combining the critical factors of implementation of GSCM practices toward internal and external drivers and empirically testing the direct and indirect impacts on the level of adoption of GSCM practices.
Details
Keywords
Federica Murmura, Fabio Musso, Laura Bravi and Giada Pierli
There is a strong consensus among scholars that the international competitiveness of companies strongly depends on the support of institutions, which reduces uncertainty in…
Abstract
Purpose
There is a strong consensus among scholars that the international competitiveness of companies strongly depends on the support of institutions, which reduces uncertainty in transactions by giving form to economic interactions, while less attention was paid to the role of international standards within this context. This study intends to propose its contribution by deepening the role of process certifications in the competitiveness and internationalization strategies of companies, with specific reference to the wood-furniture sector.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected using a questionnaire survey distributed via computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI) methodology and sent to a sample of 2,845 Italian companies which operate in the wood-furniture industry, using simple random sampling. Thanks to the survey administration, 228 companies participated to the survey.
Findings
The study shows that it is companies operating in international markets that define this tool as relevant; this underlines how certification is seen as a kind of business card for entering international markets. In this context, the role of business leadership emerges as fundamental in the practical definition of the objectives to be set by adopting a quality management systems and in the subsequent commitment to obtain them.
Originality/value
Up to now, the literature has taken these elements into analysis mainly considering the consumers' perspective. In sectors with a higher content of innovation, technology and design, such as the wood-furniture sector, the literature appears to be poor in terms of contributions.
Details
Keywords
Alessandro Pagano, Elisa Carloni, Serena Galvani and Roberta Bocconcelli
This paper aims to provide a contribution on the diffusion of Industry 4 (I4.0)-related knowledge in industrial districts (IDs). The main goal is to examine the dissemination of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide a contribution on the diffusion of Industry 4 (I4.0)-related knowledge in industrial districts (IDs). The main goal is to examine the dissemination of I4.0 knowledge, exploring the main mechanisms for its spreading and highlighting the main factors shaping such processes. Focus is on dissemination processes in IDs active in traditional industries, which could represent the “periphery” of I4.0 application context.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology is qualitative. Notably, this paper presents a case study of the Pesaro ID specialized in furniture/woodworking machinery sector. A total of 18 in-depth one-to-one interviews have been conducted with relevant informants from a variety of organizations within the cluster: companies, institutions and universities.
Findings
The complexity of I4.0 requires a combination of traditional mechanisms with innovative ones within IDs characterized by the emergence of new players, activities and resources. These changes led to three main evolving patterns: the horizon of I4.0 upgrading shows blurred boundaries in terms of sectors and geographic location, the I4.0 diffusion appears fragmented in terms of initiatives and projects by both firms and institutions and the dissemination of I4.0 knowledge pushes ID firms and institutions to pursue deliberate initiatives leading to innovative forms of “collective” cooperation.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to both theory and practice. From the theoretical point of view, this paper contributes to the literature on innovation in IDs and clusters on two interrelated grounds. First, it provides further research on I4.0 and IDs and clusters. Second, it contributes to the stream of research on knowledge creation and diffusion in IDs and clusters, providing empirically based insights over emerging local learning processes in IDs. Moreover, relevant managerial and policy implications stem from the analysis.
Details
Keywords
The purpose is to analyze the impact of intellectual capital (IC) on export performance of firms and industries.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose is to analyze the impact of intellectual capital (IC) on export performance of firms and industries.
Design/methodology/approach
This research used value added intellectual coefficient (VAIC) to measure intellectual capital as an independent variable. An export performance, as dependent variable, was measured as growth of exports. The sample consisted of 134 firms in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). Empirical analysis was done by linear regression analysis.
Findings
The results of regression analysis show a significant (p<0.01), positive influence of the value added intellectual coefficient and its components on the export growth in the sector of food and beverages and manufacturing of furniture and wood products in B&H. For other sectors there is no significant relation of independent and dependent variable.
Practical implications
The results correspond with the results of the EU project that determined competitive advantages of B&H by Michael Porter's methodology. Results of this research raise the possibility of further testing of the author's methodology, called the measurement of intellectual capital in export performance (MICEP) methodology, in determining the competitive advantages, because it took considerably less time and money than EU project methodology. Also, a strong influence of IC on the export performance of sectors with competitive advantages opens the way for industrial policies based on intellectual capital, not only in B&H, but in other countries.
Originality/value
This is the first research that has measured the impact of intellectual capital on export performance by using the VAIC methodology.
Details
Keywords
Chiara Burlina and Eleonora Di Maria
This paper aims to provide a snapshot of various countries’ contributions to value produced along global value chains (GVCs). It focusses on manufacturing activities and their…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide a snapshot of various countries’ contributions to value produced along global value chains (GVCs). It focusses on manufacturing activities and their evolution over time, in the context of GVC regionalisation.
Design/methodology/approach
The Trade in Value Added (TiVA) and World Integrated Trade Solution databases for the period of 2005-2015 were used to explore the case of Italy and its industries’ specialisations (Made in Italy): fashion, furniture, automotive and machinery traditionally organised into clusters. Various analyses were used to show the dynamics of gross import–export and imported–exported value-added. Moreover, the revealed comparative advantage index was computed to test whether the Made in Italy sector remains a source of competitive advantage for Italy within GVCs.
Findings
The results highlight how the geography of value-added is changing over time, with growing importance placed on the countries close to Italy and with a different pace according to each considered GVC.
Originality/value
The paper applied new methods to compare trade and analyse value-added dynamics through a recent database released by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development within the TiVA initiative that is useful for scholars and policymakers.
Details
Keywords
Odongo Kodongo, Claire Beswick and Helen van den Berg
After working through and discussing this case, learners should be able to:1. evaluate the financial condition of Ellerine Holdings Limited (EHL) at the time of the merger…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
After working through and discussing this case, learners should be able to:1. evaluate the financial condition of Ellerine Holdings Limited (EHL) at the time of the merger proposal and use it to make inferences about the company’s ability, at that time, to function effectively as a going concern;2. identify the conditions within EHL and in the operating environment that may have made it necessary for EHL to seek to change its business strategy;3. determine whether the acquisition price offered to EHL by African Bank Investments Limited (ABIL) was fair; and4. compute the value accretion/loss expected to be realised by the existing shareholders of ABIL and EHL under the merger proposal.
Case overview/synopsis
This case situates the directors of Ellerine Holdings, a furniture retail company that merged with African Bank Limited in 2007, reflecting on the events that led up to both entities being placed into business rescue in 2014 and asking whether the merger was the cause of the demise. If they had chosen an alternative partner, would the results have been different?
Complexity academic level
Masters Level students – MBA or Masters in Finance.
Supplementary materials
For instructors.The following material has been provided with the teaching note for instructors:- Teaching Note.- Johannesburg Stock Exchange News System (SENS) extract of related original filing.For students.The following supplementary material has been provided to accompany the case:- Financial information on the two companies (Excel spreadsheet).- Johannesburg SENS extract of related original filing.
Subject code
CSS 1: Accounting and Finance.
Details