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Book part
Publication date: 11 October 2023

Javier Peña Capobianco

The aim of this chapter is to present a comprehensive definition of Global Services that encompasses the wide variety of phenomena currently present in the international trade in…

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to present a comprehensive definition of Global Services that encompasses the wide variety of phenomena currently present in the international trade in services to bring to light the shift we are witnessing from Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO), and Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) models toward end-to-end (E2E) services and to highlight the factors which have had and will have an effect on these processes in the coming years.

Details

The New Era of Global Services: A Framework for Successful Enterprises in Business Services and IT
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83753-627-6

Keywords

Content available
Book part
Publication date: 11 October 2023

Javier Peña Capobianco

Abstract

Details

The New Era of Global Services: A Framework for Successful Enterprises in Business Services and IT
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83753-627-6

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 26 January 2024

Alessandra Da Ros, Francesca Pennucci and Sabina De Rosis

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted healthcare systems, presenting unforeseen challenges that necessitated the implementation of change management…

Abstract

Purpose

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted healthcare systems, presenting unforeseen challenges that necessitated the implementation of change management strategies to adapt to the new contextual conditions. This study aims to analyze organizational changes within the total hip replacement (THR) surgery pathway at multiple levels, including macro, meso and micro. It employs data triangulation from various sources to gauge the complexity of the change process and comprehend how multi-level decision-making influenced an unexpected shift.

Design/methodology/approach

A multicentric, single in-depth case study was conducted using a mixed-methods approach. Data sources included patient-reported outcome measures specific to the THR pathway and carefully structured in-depth interviews administered to managers and clinicians in two healthcare organizations serving the same population.

Findings

Decisions made at the macro level resulted in an overall reduction in surgical activities. Organizational changes at the meso level led to a complete cessation or partial reorganization of activities. Micro-level actions for change and adaptation revealed diverse and fragmented change management strategies.

Practical implications

Organizations with segmented structures may require a robust and structured department for coordinating change management responses to prevent the entire system from becoming stuck in the absorptive phase of change. However, it is important to recognize that absorptive solutions can serve as a starting point for genuine innovations in change management.

Originality/value

The utilization of data triangulation enables the authors to visualize how specific changes implemented in response to the pandemic have influenced the observed outcomes. From a managerial perspective, it provides insights into how future innovations could be introduced.

Details

Management Decision, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 January 2024

Luca Simone Macca, Nazia Shehzad, Maria Kovacova and Gabriele Santoro

The recent pandemic period (COVID-19), while negatively impacting many companies, has contributed to the growth and adoption of online platforms such as marketplaces and…

Abstract

Purpose

The recent pandemic period (COVID-19), while negatively impacting many companies, has contributed to the growth and adoption of online platforms such as marketplaces and e-commerce. This environment has led many companies, which previously acted only through offline channels, to adopt new technologies and online channels and develop new e-commerce strategies. Small and micro enterprises are most vulnerable due to their limited resources and lack of capabilities. For this reason, the main objective of this paper is to unveil the e-commerce implementation capabilities that micro and small enterprises should build and the challenges they must face when managing an e-commerce strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors adopted an inductive qualitative research design approach focused on multiple case studies. The firms operate in the food and beverage industry.

Findings

The findings identify several e-commerce implementation capabilities that micro and small enterprises operating in the food and beverage industry should build to manage e-commerce strategies. These are related to outsourcing management, multichannel management, time management, internal stock management and marketplace choice. Moreover, the paper identifies key e-commerce implementation challenges these firms must cope with. These regard distribution management, potential loss of control, fresh product management and lack of resources, time and capabilities.

Originality/value

This research shows that proper capacity management in the implementation of micro and small enterprises e-commerce strategies is critical to achieving efficient results and preventing challenges that threaten such strategies. The research offers guidelines and frameworks for micro and small enterprises to understand how to manage e-commerce and face its challenges.

Details

European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-1060

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 April 2022

Pengcheng Wang, Chuanyan Qin and Shanshi Liu

How to manage outsourced employees in interorganizational teams with triangular relationships has not yet attracted enough attention. Based on relative deprivation theory, this…

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Abstract

Purpose

How to manage outsourced employees in interorganizational teams with triangular relationships has not yet attracted enough attention. Based on relative deprivation theory, this study explores how relative deprivation affects outsourced employees’ innovative behavior and investigates the complex moderating effects of dual organizational support.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors tested their hypothesis by conducting a two-wave survey; responses to a questionnaire were collected from 283 outsourced employees and their managers among 52 client organizations.

Findings

Results found that relative deprivation negatively influences the outsourced employees’ innovative behavior by eliciting their perceptions of status conflict. Support from client (supplier) organization attenuates (aggravates) the positive impact of relative deprivation on innovative behavior throughout status conflict. The moderating effect of client organizational support was moderated by support from supplier organization.

Research limitations/implications

The authors selected the outsourced employees in a Chinese context to conduct this study, and the results need to be generalized in future research.

Practical implications

Client organizational support can alleviate the negative effect of relative deprivation on outsourced employees, whereas supplier organization support aggravates the negative effect; managers should pay attention to the different effects of the two organizations’ support and provide reasonable support for outsourced employees.

Originality/value

This study identified the mechanism of relative deprivation’s effect on outsourced employees’ innovative behavior from the perspective of interpersonal interaction and compared the effect of support from dual organizations. This study expands the research on triangular relationships, relative deprivation, status conflict and other field.

Article
Publication date: 5 October 2022

Amoin Bernadine N’Dri and Zhan Su

This paper aims to contribute to international business research by providing an integrative framework of the factors determining the learning process of outsourcing companies in…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to contribute to international business research by providing an integrative framework of the factors determining the learning process of outsourcing companies in developing countries.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic review of the literature was performed with an analysis of 84 articles published in peer-reviewed academic journals, published between 2000 and 2020.

Findings

The results show that the different factors should be seen as complementary and not mutually exclusive. It is the interaction between macro and micro factors that jointly shape the learning of developing country subcontractors. Moreover, the results of the analysis show that many existing studies have not been based on specific theoretical frameworks.

Research limitations/implications

This study develops a roadmap of the current state of research on the determinants of learning among developing country subcontractors and offers suggestions to guide future research. The authors conclude with a call for methodological advancement and theory development on the topic.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study proposes the first comprehensive review of the literature on the factors determining the learning of subcontractors in developing countries. The authors have tried to provide an integrative analytical framework to discuss what has been known and what needs to be known in this regard.

Details

Critical Perspectives on International Business, vol. 19 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1742-2043

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 March 2022

Kaique Doratiotto, Jose Geraldo Vidal Vieira, Lucas Eric da Silva and Luiz Paulo Fávero

This research aims to evaluate the factors that influence logistics outsourcing, including the impact of logistics outsourcing on measuring companies' logistics performance. This…

Abstract

Purpose

This research aims to evaluate the factors that influence logistics outsourcing, including the impact of logistics outsourcing on measuring companies' logistics performance. This research provides interactions among the various factors (constructs) such as “financial”, “collaboration and process characteristics”, “external influencer”, and “logistics performance”.

Design/methodology/approach

To investigate the interaction between the constructs, structural equation modelling is proposed to understand what the relevant criteria are while outsourcing logistics. Data were acquired from surveys conducted with 129 managers from Brazilian companies in the industry sector.

Findings

The factor “collaboration and process characteristics” is what most influences the “logistics performance” of companies, highlighting the importance of managing contractors; and the “financial” factor also contributes to the logistic outsourcing decision.

Research limitations/implications

Some limitations of this study need to be clarified. First, the model could test the moderate and mediate aspects by using variables inspired on RBV and TCE. Second, the sample is relatively small and restricted to the Brazilian industries' case, although the results may be useful for other countries in the world. Third, the responses represent viewpoints of the people who work in the companies. To address this issue, the authors asked respondents to fill out the questionnaire from the perspective of the organisation.

Practical implications

Most 3PL come from developed countries and find different requirements in Brazil. Then, this new knowledge may help 3L providers better understand the needs of the local or foreign companies that operate in the local market. The measurement model may also help to construct a new organisational process, as it sheds light on the main elements necessary for gathering logistics performance outcomes.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors' knowledge, the literature lacks studies on the interaction among these logistics outsourcing constructs, mainly in emerging markets where significant growth opportunities have led to logistics activities being outsourced. The literature that examines the impact of these constructs on logistics performance is also limited. Therefore, this research contributes to providing a model that measures these impacts according to the company's point of view.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. 30 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 October 2022

Hokey Min

This paper aims to examine how significantly the COVID-19 pandemic affects supply chain operations and how the firms have reacted to the COVID-19-induced supply chain crisis. In…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine how significantly the COVID-19 pandemic affects supply chain operations and how the firms have reacted to the COVID-19-induced supply chain crisis. In addition, this paper investigates whether the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are affected disproportionally by the COVID-19-induced supply chain crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper developed a series of hypotheses and tested them using cross-tabulation, canonical correlation, discriminant and exploratory factor analyses of the empirical data.

Findings

The descriptive data analysis and hypothesis test results revealed that the labor productivity of the manufacturing, logistics and healthcare industry sectors was affected disproportionally by the COVID-19-induced crisis. However, outsourcing and global sourcing practices themselves did not necessarily exacerbate the severity of supply chain disruptions caused by COVID-19. The authors also found that MSMEs were adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic to a different degree than their large counterparts.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the first of its kind to assess the extent of the COVID-19 adverse impact on supply chain operations using the exploratory analysis of the data collected from the questionnaire survey of US firms representing various industries sectors.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. 30 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 February 2022

Noorzaini Moktar and Nik Elyna Myeda

The purpose of this paper is to enhance decision-making process for the procurement of facilities management (FM) services within aviation corporate organisation, where the FM…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to enhance decision-making process for the procurement of facilities management (FM) services within aviation corporate organisation, where the FM services functions to support the business operation. It builds on considering the fundamental elements comprising the FM procurement process from the aviation perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper investigates the characteristics of the different types of sourcing approaches and the underpinning factors affecting its selection for the procurement of FM services within the aviation industry. The decision-making framework for the procurement of FM services is developed based on the qualitative case study by interview and focus group discussion with the custodian department that is directly involved in the procurement of FM services.

Findings

The degree of outsourcing is increasing due to corporate organisation’s persona. Procurement of FM services is a complex process required detailed review, efforts and time in choosing the right sourcing approach. Off the shelf guidelines for the procurement of FM services suits property professional which directly involved with the procurement of FM services. However, decision-making process for the procurement of FM services specifically for aeronautical and non-aeronautical corporate organisation are rarely found. The case study findings signify that the respondents are familiar with the in-sourcing, outsourcing and right sourcing approaches. The underpinning factors affecting sourcing approaches were categorised according to the main reasons for the procurement of FM services, considerable factors during the procurement stage and value-adding criteria. The use of strategic management tools is not widely imposed, and intelligent client guideline is not available. Hence, the decision-making framework has been developed to fill the gap in this study.

Research limitations/implications

The research is based on a study of aviation or airline corporate organisation, which limits the possibility of holistic view to the FM industry as a whole but highlights the research gap of FM procurement which is scarce within the case study of airline companies. The focus area is also bounded within the procurement of FM services designated for the office buildings.

Originality/value

The paper provides initial guideline for the airline company in sourcing the procurement of FM services that were developed based on established guidelines from accrediting bodies and scholars, as well as from the sampling feedback analysis. It is also among the firsts that examine the procurement of FM services in the context of aviation or airline industry. The outcome of this paper is a decision-making framework for the procurement of FM services that is specially designed for the airlines corporate organisations, which fills the gap that exists in the industry.

Details

Facilities , vol. 41 no. 11/12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-2772

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 July 2023

Emil Georgiev and Svetoslav Georgiev

The authors extend the literature on decoupling by analyzing the microlevel effects of institutionalized practices within the framework of international standards. This study…

Abstract

Purpose

The authors extend the literature on decoupling by analyzing the microlevel effects of institutionalized practices within the framework of international standards. This study investigates the specific informal management practices that decision-makers embrace in order for organizations to achieve ISO 9001 certification without all regulations being adopted and followed according to the standard's original design and purpose.

Design/methodology/approach

As the basis for its research framework, this paper adopts the neo-institutional theory. The research employs the comparative case study method and draws its data from a sample of 21 ISO 9001:2008 certified organizations in Bulgaria.

Findings

The results show ambivalent behavior toward the ISO 9001 standard's formal requirements. This behavior is expressed through targeted noncompliance with (certain) regulations and procedures regarding top management commitment, as well as documented information which are formally adopted within the organization and certified as complying with the standard.

Research limitations/implications

The study has implications for future research into decoupling, organizational learning, and standardization. In terms of limitations, the authors examined the process of decoupling from a micro perspective in Bulgaria only. Noncompliance with international standards such as the ISO 9000 may exhibit specific regional or national characteristics.

Practical implications

Findings from this research encourage the International Standards Organization to respond to previous calls for revising the formal structure of ISO 9000 and other international management standards by considering a more flexible and liberal point of view.

Originality/value

As opposed to previous studies which have explored decoupling from a macro perspective, this study focuses on how the internal constraints imposed by the standard's universal requirements are being mitigated at a micro level. That is, the authors provide a detailed account of the specific informal management practices which managers (deliberately) adopt in order to achieve certification without fully integrating the formal criteria imposed by international standards (e.g. ISO 9001).

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

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