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11 – 20 of over 85000Wantao Yu and Ramakrishnan Ramanathan
The purpose of this paper is to provide an initial analysis of the roles of functional capabilities in adopting environmental management practices (EMP) and improving…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide an initial analysis of the roles of functional capabilities in adopting environmental management practices (EMP) and improving environmental performance from an organizational capability perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
By combing survey data and archival data from 121 UK-based manufacturing firms, this study explores the relationships among functional capabilities (marketing and operations), EMP and environmental performance.
Findings
The results show that marketing and operations capabilities significantly affect EMP, which in turn leads to improved environmental performance. More specifically, this study finds that EMP fully mediates the relationship between marketing capability and environmental performance.
Practical implications
The results of this study provide guidance for managers considering how to develop environmental capability in order to improve environmental performance.
Originality/value
This study addresses a demonstrable gap in the existing literature that few empirical studies have explored the potential effects of functional capabilities on implementing EMP.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of organizational knowledge and innovation practices on the outcomes of operations strategy.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of organizational knowledge and innovation practices on the outcomes of operations strategy.
Design/methodology/approach
The study employs a survey‐based method to test a theoretically grounded set of hypotheses using regression techniques.
Findings
The results indicate that cost, quality, delivery and flexibility outcomes are influenced by specific organizational knowledge and innovation practices. Also, the findings show that innovation performance mediate the relationship between knowledge practices and operations strategy.
Practical implications
Acquiring knowledge is not enough. Managers need to facilitate dynamics of knowledge sharing and utilization to cultivate a better level of technical and administrative innovation performance, which in turn will result in favourable operations strategy outcomes.
Originality/value
The paper is one of the first studies that highlight knowledge and innovation practices in relation to operations strategy in one study applied to a developing country context.
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Irina Farquhar and Alan Sorkin
This study proposes targeted modernization of the Department of Defense (DoD's) Joint Forces Ammunition Logistics information system by implementing the optimized innovative…
Abstract
This study proposes targeted modernization of the Department of Defense (DoD's) Joint Forces Ammunition Logistics information system by implementing the optimized innovative information technology open architecture design and integrating Radio Frequency Identification Device data technologies and real-time optimization and control mechanisms as the critical technology components of the solution. The innovative information technology, which pursues the focused logistics, will be deployed in 36 months at the estimated cost of $568 million in constant dollars. We estimate that the Systems, Applications, Products (SAP)-based enterprise integration solution that the Army currently pursues will cost another $1.5 billion through the year 2014; however, it is unlikely to deliver the intended technical capabilities.
Mandar Dabhilkar, Seyoum Eshetu Birkie and Matti Kaulio
The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize a typology of supply-side resilience capabilities and empirically validates these capabilities and their constituent bundles of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize a typology of supply-side resilience capabilities and empirically validates these capabilities and their constituent bundles of practices.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is primarily qualitative, employing the critical incident technique to collect data across 22 firms and seeking to validate how and why practice bundles form and relate to operations performance. It contains a frequency of occurrence analysis for the purpose of triangulation, a minor statistical part to provide some additional evidence of bundle formation and correlation between adoption of bundles of practices and recovered operations performance after upstream supply chain disruptions.
Findings
Four supply-side resilience capabilities are conceptualized along two dichotomous dimensions – “proactive/reactive” and “internal/external” – in a 2×2 matrix as proactive-internal, proactive-external, reactive-internal and reactive-external resilience capabilities. Empirical support for the conceptualized typology is found. Bundles of specific practices that can be associated with each capability are identified. Moreover, the study finds a relationship between these practice bundles and recovered operations performance.
Research limitations/implications
The statistical part is used just to provide some additional evidence through factor and regression analyses that these capabilities exist and do benefit adopting firms.
Practical implications
Specifies practices that lead to recovered operations performance in the event of supply disruptions.
Originality/value
Advances current theory by operationalizing resilience as a set of dynamic capabilities in terms of practice bundles that aid in recovering operations performance upon supply disruptions.
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Alka Ashwini Nand, Prakash J. Singh and Damien Power
The purpose of this paper is to test the integrated model of operations strategy as proposed by Schmenner and Swink to explain whether firms trade‐off or accumulate capabilities…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to test the integrated model of operations strategy as proposed by Schmenner and Swink to explain whether firms trade‐off or accumulate capabilities, taking into account their positions relative to their asset and operating frontiers.
Design/methodology/approach
The four major airlines based in Australia were studied. The paper is based on longitudinal data obtained from secondary sources. The four operations capabilities cost, quality, delivery and flexibility, and asset and operating frontiers, were all measured with proxy variables.
Findings
The study provides some support for the integrated model. Firms do appear to trade‐off capabilities when their asset and operating frontiers are close to each other. Firms show signs of accumulation when the asset frontiers are expanding significantly over time. There is indirect evidence that firms could be accumulating capabilities when the gap between the two frontiers is large.
Practical implications
The study provides insights into when firms trade‐off or accumulate capabilities. A good understanding of asset and operating frontiers is important in this regard. Managers need to better identify, establish and combine their firms' capabilities in response to varying internal and external contingencies.
Originality/value
The paper provides an original and detailed empirical validation of Schmenner and Swink's integrated model. In doing so, this study contributes to informing and clarifying the debate in the operations strategy area relating to the circumstances in which firms trade‐off and/or accumulate capabilities.
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Rolf Brühl, Nils Horch and Mathias Osann
The purpose of this paper is to gain a deeper understanding of how companies integrate their innovation and operations processes. Referring to the dynamic capability approach, the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to gain a deeper understanding of how companies integrate their innovation and operations processes. Referring to the dynamic capability approach, the authors derive an “integration capability” construct from a set of qualitative data. The authors expand this concept stressing the specific role of management control as a crucial part of an integration capability to align the different processes.
Design/methodology/approach
Case studies in eight German industrial and service companies were conducted and qualitative material was analysed guided by a grounded theory approach.
Findings
The paper aims at exploring a specific dynamic capability in order to integrate innovation and operations processes. Based on a qualitative study of eight cases, three distinctive categories are derived describing the construct of an integration capability: organization, communication, and management control. Furthermore, influencing factors which lead to different levels of intensity of integration are described.
Research limitations/implications
Comparing the findings with existing research on integration capabilities fosters and expands knowledge on the construct “integration capability”. Effective coordination and communication based on efficient and structured processes seem to be crucial elements of integration capabilities. The paper expands the literature on the role of technology in integration capability which plays a major role in organizing effective coordination and communication.
Practical implications
Management control culture contributes to the present design of control systems of every company studied. Starting point for the design of control systems in research departments is the standard of management control in operations management. Therefore, it is assumed that higher control intensities in operational units will lead to higher control intensities in R&D departments.
Originality/value
In turbulent market environments, companies need to set up organizational processes which effectively coordinate and deploy internal and external resources. These dynamic capabilities are crucial to gain a sustainable competitive advantage. Until now, research on integration capabilities has lacked an analysis of the role of management control; with the empirical findings, this paper shows how management control improves integration capability.
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The main purpose of this paper is to examine the extant literature of humanitarian supply chain management (HSCM) which specifically use dynamic capabilities (DCs) view. By this…
Abstract
Purpose
The main purpose of this paper is to examine the extant literature of humanitarian supply chain management (HSCM) which specifically use dynamic capabilities (DCs) view. By this means, the objectives of this study are to identify and assess the DCs used in the HSCM context, the factors positively and negatively affecting the DCs and how the DCs affect humanitarian supply chain (HSC) operations. Furthermore, this research aims to give directions for future research in the field of HSCM.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts systematic literature review (SLR) approach proposed by Denyer and Tranfield (2009). Based on a SLR, this study synthesizes and compares the evidence, has a specific focus and research questions, has certain inclusion and exclusion criteria and provides evidence-based implications to the researchers and practitioners. This is a method which is replicable, transparent and auditable. The SLR methodology provides scholars and practitioners a basis for comprehending the current situation of relevant topic and taking correct steps in their future actions.
Findings
This SLR deduces that applying DCs view is still in its infancy in the HSCM literature. The result of this SLR reveals that supply chain agility (SCA), supply chain resilience (SCR), reconfiguration/transformation, integration, (short-term) collaboration, sustaining, sensing, seizing and knowledge access DCs have been used in the HSCM literature. In addition, it is determined that only one paper analyzed the influence of DCs on predisaster performance while rest of the papers focused on the postdisaster performance.
Originality/value
The result of the exhaustive literature search indicates that this is the first SLR that specifically analyzes the application of DCs view in the HSCM domain. This investigation determined the DCs used in HSCM and revealed the relations between the dependent and independent variables through the comprehensive model. In this way, this review provides a guidance to researchers in conduct their future investigations and practitioners to carry out supply chain (SC) operations by considering the factors affecting their operations.
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Joshua Ofori-Amanfo, Samuel Wunmalya Akonsi and Gloria Kakrabah-Quarshie Agyapong
The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which organisational capabilities do impact the performance of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which organisational capabilities do impact the performance of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional survey design was used for the study. Data was collected from 306 SMEs from different sectors of the economy. The partial least square structural equation modelling was used to analyse the relationships between organisational capabilities and SMEs’ performance measured by their financial viability.
Findings
The findings reveal as predicted that four out of the five organisational capabilities tested were indeed important predictors of SMEs’ financial viability. Specifically, managerial capability, supply chain capability, operations capability and marketing capability were found to positively and significantly impact SMEs’ financial viability. The findings further reveal that firm size does not moderate the relationship between these capabilities and financial viability.
Research limitations/implications
This study was undertaken in a developing economy with peculiar business operating conditions and, thus, may limit the generalisability of the findings.
Practical implications
The findings suggest that key organisational capability development is critical for enhancing the financial viability of firms, confirming four of such critical capabilities that are needed by SMEs. The findings further suggest the need for firms irrespective of size to develop organisational capabilities.
Originality/value
This study has empirically established that developing managerial capability, supply chain capability, operations capability and marketing capability are important success factors if SMEs, irrespective of size, intend to enhance their financial viability.
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This paper aims to clarify the fit of competitive strategies and firm-specific advantages (FSAs) with country-specific advantages (CSAs) in explaining manufacturing location…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to clarify the fit of competitive strategies and firm-specific advantages (FSAs) with country-specific advantages (CSAs) in explaining manufacturing location choices at product category level in the European automotive industry.
Design/methodology/approach
Seven hypotheses are formulated and tested using binomial logistic regression with data from 148 passenger car models (i.e. product category level) that are sold in Europe and manufactured in countries that offer CSAs of either cost advantages or differentiation advantages. The first four hypotheses test manufacturing location choices of product categories pursuing cost leadership strategy, differentiation strategy, focus strategy and hybrid strategy. The other three hypotheses test whether FSAs of R&D capability, marketing capability and operations capability will impact on the manufacturing location choice. The tests control for the type of passenger cars as well as the manufacturer’s region of origin.
Findings
While pursuing cost leadership strategy leads to manufacturing in countries that offer cost advantages, pursuing differentiation strategy as well as strong R&D capability and marketing capability result in manufacturing in countries that offer differentiation advantages. Focus strategy, hybrid strategy and operations capability do not have an impact on the manufacturing location choice at product category level.
Research limitations/implications
Conducting empirical research at product category level is subject to limitations in the choices of FSAs due to lack of availability of data.
Practical implications
Managers should assess the competitive strategies and FSAs of their product categories and then decide about manufacturing locations based on their fit with host country CSAs. Policymakers should understand the CSAs of their countries and target to attract manufacturing FDI from product categories with matching competitive strategies and FSAs.
Originality/value
The research contributes to discussions in explaining manufacturing location choices. Its originality lies in being the first study to test the fit of competitive strategies and FSAs of product categories with CSAs.
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Mario Henrique Callefi, Gilberto Miller Devós Ganga, Moacir Godinho Filho, Elias Ribeiro da Silva, Lauro Osiro and Vasco Reis
Road freight transportation companies need to take advantage of information and communication technologies to develop capabilities. This study proposes a framework to guide road…
Abstract
Purpose
Road freight transportation companies need to take advantage of information and communication technologies to develop capabilities. This study proposes a framework to guide road freight transportation companies to achieve data visibility in their operations by developing such capabilities. By proposing this framework, this research contributes to literature and practice, highlighting the capabilities and the respective supporting technologies for improved data visibility in road freight transportation.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-method approach is used to develop the framework, considering three methodological steps. In phase 1, the capabilities are identified in the literature and validated by experts. In phase 2, an empirical assessment of cause–effect relationships between capabilities is performed using a multiple case study and DEMATEL. Lastly, in phase 3, an analysis of the cause model and significant associations is conducted to enable the development of the framework. In addition, the proposed framework was validated by the experts interviewed.
Findings
The results provide a framework that explains the link between the technology-enabled data visibility capabilities in road freight transportation operations. In addition, a pathway was established that road freight transportation companies could follow to achieve data visibility in their operations by developing such capabilities.
Originality/value
This work develops the first framework that provides a path for data visibility in road freight transportation operations from adopting certain technologies. The insights are compelling for researchers and practitioners to optimize the decision-making process for adopting technologies and developing capabilities related to data visibility.
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