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This study aims to consider the developing of strategic use of big data in association with long-linked physical goods supply focusing on risk management.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to consider the developing of strategic use of big data in association with long-linked physical goods supply focusing on risk management.
Design/methodology/approach
Analysis is grounded on a case study of organizing the import of machine parts from Shanghai, China, to Norway. An analytical framework is developed through a literature review on long linked supply chains, big data and risk management.
Findings
Analysis reveals that big data use in this scenario encompasses mainly around handling risks associated with transformations in the supply chain, a data-driven approach. Complexity is founded in transformation – the flows of goods and information. Supply chain dynamics represent an important source for data acquisition for big data analytics.
Research limitations/implications
The qualitative nature of the study limits the aim of generalization. An alternative view of big data as process is discussed and proposed, adapted to supply chain management and industrial marketing functionality.
Originality/value
This is the first part in an ongoing research project aimed at developing a research approach to study information technology use in the inherently complex setting and scope of a long linked supply network. This scope of investigation enhances big data associated with operations dynamics providing foundation for future research on how to use big data to mitigate risk in long linked supply chains.
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Norman T. Sheehan, Ganesh Vaidyanathan and Suresh Kalagnanam
Most, if not all, management control tools were formulated for firms employing an industrial value creation logic (i.e., Ford, McDonald’s, and Wal‐Mart). We argue that given the…
Abstract
Most, if not all, management control tools were formulated for firms employing an industrial value creation logic (i.e., Ford, McDonald’s, and Wal‐Mart). We argue that given the growth, both in number and importance, of firms employing a knowledge value creation logic (i.e., Accenture, Goldman Sachs, and Clifford Chance) and firms employing a network logic (i.e., Verizon, eBay, and Expedia) that these control tools should be revisited in light of this potentially critical contingency. This paper outlines the key characteristics of knowledge intensive firms and network service firms and then examines how these contingencies impact Simons’ (1995) Levers of Control and Kaplan and Norton’s (1996) Balanced Scorecard. We find that whilst each lever/perspective is still relevant for each value creation logic, the relative importance and thus intensity of use should vary between logics.
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Denitsa Blagoeva Hazarbassanova
The purpose of the research is to put to a test the belief that the idiosyncratic internationalisation process of Internet firms is homogeneous. The research question is thus…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the research is to put to a test the belief that the idiosyncratic internationalisation process of Internet firms is homogeneous. The research question is thus, “How does the value creation logic of Internet firms influence their internationalisation process?”.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors answer this question using three cases illustrating the internationalisation process of three pure play digital service firms, each falling into one value creation logic.
Findings
Each case company had a different approach to internationalisation, explained by a different theory. The firms differed in what their motivation was to internationalise, how they dealt with their liability of foreignness and how they learnt to internationalise. The differences were consistent with the specificities of their value creation. The contribution of this paper is to take the first steps towards linking the way firms create value with their internationalisation. What theory best explains the internationalization of IFs seems contingent on what firms do.
Practical implications
The message to practitioners is that international strategy not only can but also needs to be different across firms. It needs to be tailored to the concrete way a firm endeavours to generate and capture value. “One strategy fits most” is unlikely to succeed, because different value propositions demand different approaches to realising them.
Originality/value
In extant literature, IFs have been treated as one group, albeit distinct from “offline” firms. This paper proposes that the value creation process of IFs causes them to differ from each other, just as much as they differ from traditional firms.
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This study is founded on contingency theory, which is derived from organization theory, and in it we examine the structural problems of the modern Japanese recycling business…
Abstract
This study is founded on contingency theory, which is derived from organization theory, and in it we examine the structural problems of the modern Japanese recycling business using J. D. Thompson's model of contingency theory. Based on the results of our interviews conducted with 16 companies through the nondirective method, we argue that there are multiple contingency factors in the modern Japanese recycling venture and that these factors increase uncertainty and reduce the stability of the business as a result. We conclude that as an active level of 'sub technology,' recycling businesses created as diversifications of major companies will eventually manage the multiplicity of contingency factors.
The study has two related objectives. At the firm level of analysis, the author proposes that a clearer distinction between firms’ mediating functions and mediators could enhance…
Abstract
Purpose
The study has two related objectives. At the firm level of analysis, the author proposes that a clearer distinction between firms’ mediating functions and mediators could enhance the understanding of business network strategizing. Whereas firms’ mediating functions have received attention in IMP research, less focus has been given to organizations whose core business is mediation. At the system level of analysis, the study complements the perception of a network horizon with that of a network verizon. Whereas the horizon is closely associated with work on firms’ mediating functions, the network verizon is of particular interest to mediators. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
This conceptual study combines IMP insights with strategic management theory.
Findings
The notion of a network horizon is important for business network strategizing, but also influences the perception of relevant network structures. These structures tend to be characterized by sequential interdependencies and a long-linked technology, often associated with physical products and production facilities. The notion of a network verizon highlights a network “depth” that has been unnoticed by previous work, which has focused on how narrow or wide a firm’s network horizon should be. The network horizon and the network verizon add strategizing options in terms of connecting key actors in the network to create additional value.
Originality/value
This paper concerns how IMP scholars understand boundaries and firms, and how perceptions of these influence business network strategizing. The study articulates a distinction between firms’ mediating functions and those organizations that fundamentally create value through mediating services. This distinction has system-level implications. In particular, the claim that the basis for a firm’s strategizing is its network horizon is discussed. The author proposes the notion of a “network Verizon,” providing a boundary perception of specific relevance to mediators. The network verizon portrays a network depth beyond both sequential tiers in a supply chain and links between different supply chains.
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Oğuz N. Babüroğlu and John W. Selsky
The digital transformation calls for new thinking about sociotechnical systems design (STSD) because it has enabled new kinds of work systems to proliferate. We identify a new…
Abstract
The digital transformation calls for new thinking about sociotechnical systems design (STSD) because it has enabled new kinds of work systems to proliferate. We identify a new class of sociotechnical system, called the Platform-STS (P-STS), which complements the existing Industrial- and Knowledge-STSs. The P-STS has distinctive characteristics compared to the other classes because it reaches directly into ecosystems and is, therefore, “distributed,” and because it is governed through market mechanisms rather than hierarchy or clan mechanisms. We introduce a new design principle, redundancy of connectivity, to ground design thinking about the P-STS. We demonstrate why fundamental STSD principles need to be reconfigured, suggest how they might do so, and conclude that socioecological designs and interventions may need to supplant sociotechnical ones.
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Joseph B. Skipper, Christopher W. Craighead, Terry Anthony Byrd and R. Kelly Rainer
The purpose of the paper is to provide a conceptual/theoretical foundation to enhance the body of knowledge related to supply chain interdependence and technology‐enabled…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to provide a conceptual/theoretical foundation to enhance the body of knowledge related to supply chain interdependence and technology‐enabled coordination.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper heavily engaged itself in the theory/literature related to coordination theory, interdependence theory, interdependence, coordination and supply chain technologies to formulate the theoretical propositions.
Findings
From the literature/theoretical bases, the paper derived a total (include sub‐components) of eight theoretical propositions related to interdependence, coordination and technology enablers.
Research limitations/implications
While technology enabled‐coordination is central to supply chain management, there is a lack of a prescriptive view present in the literature. By deriving insights from the rich literature related to coordination theory and interdependence theory, we provide a theoretical foundation for future research to enhance the body of knowledge related to the systematic application of technology to foster the appropriate coordination strategy.
Practical implications
Although empirical support is warranted, the proposed concepts related to technology‐enabled coordination offer pragmatic advice to managers.
Originality/value
The paper provides a theoretical foundation for future research to enhance the body of knowledge related to the systematic application of technology to foster the appropriate coordination strategies.
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Per Engelseth, Judith Molka-Danielsen and Brian E. White
The purpose of this paper is to question the applicability of recent industry-derived terms such as “Big Data” (BD) and the “Internet of things” (IoT) in a supply chain managerial…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to question the applicability of recent industry-derived terms such as “Big Data” (BD) and the “Internet of things” (IoT) in a supply chain managerial context. Is this labeling useful in managing the operations found in supply chains?
Design/methodology/approach
BD and IoT are critically discussed in the context of a complete supply chain organization. A case study of banana supply from Costa Rica to Norway is provided to empirically ground this research. Thompson’s contingency theory, Alderson’s functionalistic end-to-end “marketing channels” model, Penrose’s view of supply purpose associated with service provision, and particularities of banana supply reveal how end-to-end supply chains are complex systems, even though the product distributed is fairly simple.
Findings
Results indicate that the usefulness of BD in supply chain management discourse is limited. Instead its connectivity is facilitated by what is now becoming commonly labeled as IoT, people, devices and documents that are useful when taking an end-to-end supply chain perspective. Connectivity is critical to efficient contemporary supply chain management.
Originality/value
BD and IoT have emerged as a part of contemporary supply chain management discourse. This study directs attention to the importance of scrutinizing emergent and actual discourse in managing supply chains, that it is not irrelevant which words are applied, e.g., in research on information-enabled supply process development. Often the old words of professional terminology may be sufficient or even better to help manage supply.
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This article is concerned with growth processes, growth dimensions and conditions for growth. In it, the author espouses the importance of a strong management mentality capable of…
Abstract
Purpose
This article is concerned with growth processes, growth dimensions and conditions for growth. In it, the author espouses the importance of a strong management mentality capable of providing an appropriate organizational arrangement and supporting competitive growth.
Design/methodology/approach
Original and other research.
Findings
Organizations that are integrated into industries with intensive technologies are more likely to strongly emphasize innovation efforts, flexibility, and growth orientation than firms in industries with long‐linked technologies.
Practical implications
Management's challenge is to continually try to focalize on organizations' growth, adapting technological capabilities to be in dynamic alignment with the chosen growth dimensions and to take into account business vision and environmental opportunities.
Originality/value
Successful organizations will be differentiated by their ability to visualize the logic growth dimensions and to leverage technological advances to create an appropriate organizational arrangement to support a competitive growth. The future of technological innovation and advanced manufacturing processes depends on continued investment in cutting‐edge research and development, finding new market segments, and a highly qualified workforce.
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Herbert Kotzab and Andreas Otto
Academic discussion in the field of supply chain management is influenced by descriptive, case‐oriented and consultancy‐driven research outcomes. The debate is often limited to…
Abstract
Academic discussion in the field of supply chain management is influenced by descriptive, case‐oriented and consultancy‐driven research outcomes. The debate is often limited to the search for valid definitions and models of observable facts. The present research makes an alternative effort. This article deals with the question of whether there are any common suggestions that can be condensed to nine process‐based principles that contribute to the management of such chains. The applicability of these principles was evaluated using Thomas and Tymon's notions of “necessary properties of relevant research”.
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