Search results

The method applied to carry out the study of the transformation of strategic alliances in emerging markets is discussed in this chapter. Specifically, this chapter discusses how the whole study is conducted, i.e. the identification and development of the research issues, the research aim and problem, the development of the conceptual framework, the development of the research method, how the empirical study is analyzed and conclusions are drawn. The specific research strategy applied to conduct the current study is a longitudinal research approach. A short discussion on how the ECE countries are classified into various groups is conducted in the current chapter and a detailed discussion on the classification of ECE countries into different groups is also conducted in chapter eight. Moreover, the logic for adopting a longitudinal research strategy to conduct the current study of the transformation of strategic alliances is also justified. The identification and choice of the case companies, the logic followed in the development of the questionnaire and how much and to what extent the questionnaire is modified are also discussed in detail. The identification of the interviewees, the execution of the interviews and the transcription of the interview materials and the structuring of the cases are also discussed in detail.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how logistics performance is affected by the use of different identification technologies and practices for utilising the tracking data.

The paper uses the survey method. The survey instrument is developed in co‐operation with an expert group consisting of both researchers and industry representatives. The data are analysed using multivariate techniques and hypothesis testing.

This paper indicates better logistics performance for companies using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, while no significant differences can be seen for companies using Auto‐ID in general. In terms of registration, best‐in‐class firms have more identification points along their supply chains compared to other firms. Best‐in‐class firms also seem to have more extensive sharing of tracking data with supply chain partners, both upstream and downstream, and in terms of frequency and scope, which contributes to superior logistical performance.

To provide a more robust scientific justification of the survey results, in‐depth case studies should be carried out. Further studies are needed to verify the links between RFID and logistics performance.

The findings may enable managers to estimate the potential of using identification technologies and learn of practices which may enable their organisations to improve logistics performance.

This paper presents empirical links between different identification technologies, attributes of the tracking system, use and sharing of tracking data and logistical improvements.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework of the potential benefits of asset visibility in the context of returnable transport items (RTI), and uses the framework to examine the effect of asset visibility on the management of RTI systems.

A combined case study and simulation approach was used. A case study was performed to identify and understand how an existing RTI system is managed, while discrete‐event simulation was the method chosen to explore the potential effect of asset visibility.

The paper identifies cost aspects of implementing and operating RTI systems which may be influenced by asset visibility. The study implies that significant cost savings can be achieved through increased asset visibility, and highlights the importance of shrinkage and its impact on the operating cost of an RTI system. However, asset visibility alone is not enough; it requires proper actions and continuous management attention in order to attain the savings.

The results are derived from a single, combined case and simulation study.

The combined methods proved to be an efficient way of assessing and quantifying the potential effect of asset visibility along with the associated uncertainty in the results.

The paper provides an improved understanding of the effect of asset visibility on the management of RTI systems and complements existing visibility literature.

This paper aims to examine the use of unique identities (through radio frequency identification technology, bar codes and “human‐readable” labels) on packages and load carriers in Swedish manufacturing industries. The purpose is to investigate drivers behind the adoption, the perceived improvements and visions for the coming 2‐5 years. It also covers different methods for reading the identities, locations of identification in the supply chain and how the acquired information is utilised.

The paper uses the survey method. The survey instrument was developed in co‐operation with an expert group consisting of both researchers and industry representatives. The data were analysed using multivariate techniques.

The analysis shows that there are a number of distinct clusters of companies with similar drivers for the adoption of unique identification. Characteristics of companies in these clusters are described and compared. The analysis clarifies the essential roles of integration and information sharing to obtain logistical improvements.

To provide a more robust scientific justification of the survey results, in‐depth case studies should be carried out and similar studies could be conducted in other countries and/or industries.

Managers intending to implement unique identities need to understand the importance of having the right organisational motivation to succeed. Firms already using unique identities should note that the greater the integration and information sharing, the greater the number of improvements which could be obtained.

The study shows that there are links between the drivers behind the adoption of unique identities and the level of integration and improvements achieved. It also provides the current status of different identification methods in Swedish manufacturing industries.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the intention of companies to reduce transportation emissions by 2020 and the barriers and the discriminating factors that affect the reduction.

A literature review identified potential logistical and technical actions and their barriers, and discriminating factors for reducing transportation emissions. A survey of freight transport-intensive industries in Sweden examined the effects of, intention for implementation of and barriers to 12 actions to reduce CO₂ emissions from freight transportation. In total, 172 logistics managers responded, representing a response rate of 40.3 per cent.

Logistics service providers (LSPs) and freight owners are likely to reduce a considerable amount of CO₂ emissions from freight transportation by 2020 using a combination of actions. The lowest level of confidence was for reducing CO₂ emissions by changing logistics structures, while there was greater confidence by means of operational changes. The actions have few barriers, but there is often a combination of barriers to overcome. Three discriminating factors influence the intention of a firm to reduce transportation emissions: perceived potential, company size and LSP/freight owner. The industrial sector of a freight owner has minor influence. Companies that are particularly likely to reduce emissions are LSPs, large companies, and those that perceive a large reduction potential.

Logistical and technical barriers appear to hinder companies from implementing actions, while organisational barriers and external prerequisites do not. Barriers cannot be used to predict companies’ intentions to reduce transportation emissions. The authors examined the impact of three discriminating factors on reduction of transportation emissions. The research is based on perceptions of well-informed managers and on companies in Sweden.

The findings can be used by managers to identify firms for benchmarking initiatives and emissions-reducing strategies.

The study provides insights into intended CO₂ reductions in transportation by 2020. It presents new knowledge regarding barriers and discriminating factors for implementing actions to reduce transportation emissions.

This chapter offers a selective review of the emerging Indigenous Pacific educational research from 2000 to 2018. The Pacific region is home to many and various cultural groups, and this review is an opportunity to celebrate the consequent diversity of thought about education. Common threads are used to weave this diversity into a set of coherent regional patterns. Such threads include the regional value to educational research of local metaphor, and an emphasis on relationality or the state of being related as a cornerstone of education, both in research and as practice. The relationship between indigenous educational thought and formal education in indigenous contexts is also addressed. The review pays attention to educational research centered in home islands and that which focuses on the education of those from Pacific Islands in settler societies since connections across the ocean are strong. Because of the recent history of the region, developments are fast paced and ongoing, and this chapter concludes with a sketch of research at the frontier. Set within the context of an area study, the chapter concludes by suggesting what challenges the region has to offer in terms of re-thinking the field of international and comparative education.

The aim of this article was to focus on how supervisors relate to and handle the emotional work involved in the supervision process. These emotional issues are related to changes in the academic system, such as an increasing emphasis on efficacy and quality assurance.

Interviews with supervisors are discussed using a theoretical framework built on the concepts of emotional boundary work and feeling rules. A narrative approach was used to make connections between individual stories and the institutional level of the academic system.

The findings show how emotions challenge and condition supervision, and how the micro-processes of supervision and the wider university systems are tightly connected. A paradox is illuminated where emotional aspects are both recognized as an important feature of supervision and as a threat, which could affect it in the context of regulation and increasing demands on efficiency.

The findings suggest that a mediating role of supervisors and emotional boundary work needs to be considered in supervision, which demands certain amount of flexibility in regulations. Also, the risks of associating supervision with private issues are acknowledged.

The findings suggest that supervision is a highly emotional process, and that supervisors, on the one hand, tend to downplay the emotional side of this process, but on the other hand, are well aware of the complexity of the supervision process and its demands on them. Although supervisor–student interactions have become more regulated, they also include more attention to human interactions, feelings and emotional boundary work.

This article explores how employees in a public sector organization (PSO) make sense of the introduction of a social intranet and new employee communication roles. The aim is to understand employee sensemaking and how sensemaking influences the change process within the organization.

The article is based on a case study in a Danish PSO with 30,000 employees. The empirical material includes strategic documents, online observations and seven focus groups with employees conducted before, during and after the introduction of a new social intranet.

The employees found that making sense of the purpose with the social intranet is difficult. A managerial approach to change communication could easily result in employees' frustrations and concerns being dismissed as signs of resistance to change. From a communication perspective, the findings reveal that the employees engaged in seven different sensemaking enactments.

Change cannot be understood simply as something that employees are for or against. Instead, a change process should be perceived as a set of communication processes or sensemaking enactments happening in interactions between employees that can act in favor of, against or neutrally toward change.

Managers and communication professionals can interact with the seven sensemaking enactments, and some tentative initiatives are suggested in the article.

The article explores the employee perspective in a change process in a PSO and identifies seven employee sensemaking enactments highlighting that change happens in communication processes.