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Article
Publication date: 21 September 2015

Benjamin Gomes-Casseres

– The author defines and discusses the three laws of business combinations that are essential to a profitable use of resources.

Abstract

Purpose

The author defines and discusses the three laws of business combinations that are essential to a profitable use of resources.

Design/methodology/approach

The author shows how applying these laws is necessary for success.

Findings

All business combinations must have the potential to create joint value, must be governed to realize this value, and must share value in a way that provides a reward to each party’s investment

Practical implications

In remix strategy, the fundamental unit of analysis is the combination of resources that yields value. That combination competes with other combinations. Some combinations will gain advantage over others because they encompass just the right resources; others will gain advantage because they manage their collective resources better than others do.

Originality/value

The author’s insight is that instead seeing competition as a battle of firm vs. firm, practitioners need to understand how bundles of resources compete, regardless of whether they are organized as firms.

Details

Strategy & Leadership, vol. 43 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1087-8572

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 8 April 2005

Fredrik von Corswant

This paper deals with the organizing of interactive product development. Developing products in interaction between firms may provide benefits in terms of specialization…

Abstract

This paper deals with the organizing of interactive product development. Developing products in interaction between firms may provide benefits in terms of specialization, increased innovation, and possibilities to perform development activities in parallel. However, the differentiation of product development among a number of firms also implies that various dependencies need to be dealt with across firm boundaries. How dependencies may be dealt with across firms is related to how product development is organized. The purpose of the paper is to explore dependencies and how interactive product development may be organized with regard to these dependencies.

The analytical framework is based on the industrial network approach, and deals with the development of products in terms of adaptation and combination of heterogeneous resources. There are dependencies between resources, that is, they are embedded, implying that no resource can be developed in isolation. The characteristics of and dependencies related to four main categories of resources (products, production facilities, business units and business relationships) provide a basis for analyzing the organizing of interactive product development.

Three in-depth case studies are used to explore the organizing of interactive product development with regard to dependencies. The first two cases are based on the development of the electrical system and the seats for Volvo’s large car platform (P2), performed in interaction with Delphi and Lear respectively. The third case is based on the interaction between Scania and Dayco/DFC Tech for the development of various pipes and hoses for a new truck model.

The analysis is focused on what different dependencies the firms considered and dealt with, and how product development was organized with regard to these dependencies. It is concluded that there is a complex and dynamic pattern of dependencies that reaches far beyond the developed product as well as beyond individual business units. To deal with these dependencies, development may be organized in teams where several business units are represented. This enables interaction between different business units’ resource collections, which is important for resource adaptation as well as for innovation. The delimiting and relating functions of the team boundary are elaborated upon and it is argued that also teams may be regarded as actors. It is also concluded that a modular product structure may entail a modular organization with regard to the teams, though, interaction between business units and teams is needed. A strong connection between the technical structure and the organizational structure is identified and it is concluded that policies regarding the technical structure (e.g. concerning “carry-over”) cannot be separated from the management of the organizational structure (e.g. the supplier structure). The organizing of product development is in itself a complex and dynamic task that needs to be subject to interaction between business units.

Details

Managing Product Innovation
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84950-311-2

Book part
Publication date: 8 April 2005

Magnar Forbord

In every industry there are resources. Some are moving, others more fixed; some are technical, others social. People working with the resources, for example, as buyers or sellers…

Abstract

In every industry there are resources. Some are moving, others more fixed; some are technical, others social. People working with the resources, for example, as buyers or sellers, or users or producers, may not make much notice of them. A product sells. A facility functions. The business relationship in which we make our money has “always” been there. However, some times this picture of order is disturbed. A user having purchased a product for decades may “suddenly” say to the producer that s/he does not appreciate the product. And a producer having received an order of a product that s/he thought was well known, may find it impossible to sell it. Such disturbances may be ignored. Or they can be used as a platform for development. In this study we investigate the latter option, theoretically and through real world data. Concerning theory we draw on the industrial network approach. We see industrial actors as part of (industrial) networks. In their activities actors use and produce resources. Moreover, the actors interact − bilaterally and multilaterally. This leads to development of resources and networks. Through “thick” descriptions of two cases we illustrate and try to understand the interactive character of resource development and how actors do business on features of resources. The cases are about a certain type of resource, a product − goat milk. The main message to industrial actors is that they should pay attention to that products can be co-created. Successful co-creation of products, moreover, may require development also of business relationships and their connections (“networking”).

Details

Managing Product Innovation
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84950-311-2

Article
Publication date: 11 September 2017

João Ferreira and Cristina Fernandes

The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the moderating effect of competitive advantage on the resource value and rareness combination and firm performance.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the moderating effect of competitive advantage on the resource value and rareness combination and firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors adopted a quantitative research method to achieve the aims of this study. The data collected came from a sample of footwear firms and the hypotheses assessed by multivariate analysis.

Findings

The findings provide insights into previously inconsistent findings regarding the exploitation of resources and capabilities and contribute to resolving these issues by considering the conditions under which the resource value and rareness combination contributes to firm performance levels and the effects of competitive advantage on this relationship. Interestingly, the authors find that it cannot be inferred that the rarer the resources and capabilities combination, the greater the probability of attaining competitive advantage.

Research limitations/implications

As limitations, the authors would highlight the fact that the results are specific to one particular industrial sector, and thus not susceptible to the drawing of generalisations as well as the fact that the study does not make recourse to triangulating its methodology (for example, through interviews), which would generate more precise, detailed and objective information. The findings have important managerial implications and the authors close by presenting future research directions.

Originality/value

This study offers an explanation for previous mixed findings on the relationship between the resource value and rareness combination and firm performance and makes a contribution regarding how such combinations are of great relevance to the organisation and business strategy to turn in better performance levels.

Details

Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 21 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1367-3270

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 August 2019

Sara Jebbor, Abdellatif El Afia and Raddouane Chiheb

This paper aims to propose an approach by human and material resources combination to reduce hospitals crowding. Hospitals crowding is becoming a serious problem. Many research…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to propose an approach by human and material resources combination to reduce hospitals crowding. Hospitals crowding is becoming a serious problem. Many research works present several methods and approaches to deal with this problem. However, to the best of the authors’ knowledge – after a deep reading of literature – in all the proposed approaches, human and material resources are studied separately while they must be combined (to a given number of material resources an optimal number of human resources must be assigned and vice versa) to reflect reality and provide better results.

Design/methodology/approach

Hospital inpatient unit is chosen as framework. This unit crowding reduction is carried out by its capacity increasing. Indeed, inpatient unit modeling is performed to find the adequate combinations of human and material resources numbers insuring this unit stability and providing optimal service rates. At first, inpatient unit is modeled using queuing networks and considering only two resources (beds and nurses). Then, the obtained service rate formula is improved by including other resources and parameters using Baskett, Chandy, Muntz and Palecios (BCMP) queuing networks. This work is applied to “Princess Lalla Meryem” hospital inpatient unit.

Findings

Results are patients’ average number reduction by an average (in each block) of three patients, patients’ average waiting time reduction by an average of 9.98 h and non-admitted patients (to inpatient wards) access percentage of 39.26 per cent on average.

Originality/value

Previous works focus their studies on either human resources or material resources. Only a few works study both resources types, but separately. The context of those studies does not meet the real hospital context (where human resources are combined with material resources). Therefore, the provided results are not very reliable. In this paper, an approach by human and material resources combination is proposed to increase inpatient unit care capacity. Indeed, this approach consists of developing inpatient unit service rate formula in terms of human and material resources numbers.

Details

International Journal of Pervasive Computing and Communications, vol. 15 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1742-7371

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 October 2023

Karthik N.S. Iyer, Prashant Srivastava and Mahesh Srinivasan

The purpose of this study is to advance the understanding of resource orchestration in inter-firm partnerships that appropriately configure and align strategic cross-firm supply…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to advance the understanding of resource orchestration in inter-firm partnerships that appropriately configure and align strategic cross-firm supply chain resources and capabilities generating synergies to deliver superior performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Applying the resource orchestration logic, supported by the relational view of competitive advantage, the study draws from an empirical analysis of survey data from 152 top-level executives of US manufacturing firms to investigate the effect of leveraging and coherently combining cross-firm supply chain resources with capabilities on operational performance.

Findings

The study underscores the view that appropriately orchestrated combinations of key partnership resources and capabilities as mechanisms for marketing strategy implementation, enhance performance. Specifically, research results suggest that complementary inter-firm resources and lean align, and similarly idiosyncratic resources and agility align synergistically to deliver superior operational performance outcomes. The results also accent partnership responses to intense competition, enabling enhanced operational performance. The findings thus enrich the understanding of the resource orchestration logic and strategy, making important theoretical contributions.

Research limitations/implications

As is typical in marketing and strategy research, the study research design has a cross-sectional framework, thus limiting insights on the resource orchestration dynamics that can otherwise be generated using a longitudinal design. Also, the resource orchestration stream is still nascent. Further research is needed to delineate the orchestration mechanisms that deliver on performance outcomes, especially in supply chains.

Practical implications

A key insight for supply chain and marketing managers is that close-knit inter-firm partnerships are critical for accessing idiosyncratic and complementary resources that can be configured and symbiotically aligned with market-facing agility and lean capabilities, respectively, to deliver market value. Proactive partnerships, especially in highly competitive and disruptive environments, enable mobilizing cross-firm resources and building appropriate matching combinations with capabilities to deliver on operational performance.

Originality/value

The study, guided by theory, advances the understanding of how key cross-firm resources and capabilities deliver performance gains. The key to competitive advantage and enhanced performance outcomes may lie in acquiring, leveraging and deploying appropriately matched resource-capability combinations. The present study investigates this proposition within the context of supply chain partnerships, focusing on cross-firm resources and capabilities.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 57 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 17 November 2023

Olof Wadell and Anna Bengtson

The purpose of this study is to develop a model of a starting situation for relationship initiation in turbulent business networks.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to develop a model of a starting situation for relationship initiation in turbulent business networks.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is designed as an extreme single case study that takes its point of departure in a company’s bankruptcy in the Swedish automotive industry.

Findings

This study illustrates how a new business relationship can start from a resource combination previously controlled by one actor (i.e. a single company) in a turbulent business network, thereby bringing nuances to the common understanding that new relationships start in stable business networks where resource combinations are developed between actors in established business relationships.

Originality/value

Previous studies have stated that the development of a mutual orientation between actors leads to the formation of a business relationship. The business relationship then leads to resource adaptations between the two companies. The developed model, however, illustrates that this pattern can be reversed in situations of turbulence. Hence, previously adapted resources might lead to the formations of a business relationship. Based on this observation, the authors argue that there are reasons to question if previous models of business relationship initiation and development in business networks are adequately equipped for analysis in turbulent business networks.

Details

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. 39 no. 13
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0885-8624

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 March 2023

Ana Cláudia Azevedo, João Maurício Gama Boaventura, Douglas Wegner, Ernesto Michelangelo Giglio and Cristina Boari

Few studies have analysed how to actively manage strategic networks (SNs) to achieve individual and collective goals and create value. This paper aims to examine the influence of…

Abstract

Purpose

Few studies have analysed how to actively manage strategic networks (SNs) to achieve individual and collective goals and create value. This paper aims to examine the influence of network management on the value created by SNs and the mediation role of resources and relationship quality.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors distributed a survey to 126 companies linked to SNs in the Brazilian information and communication technology sector. This study tested the hypothesized relationships using partial least squares structural equation modelling.

Findings

This study found that network management directly influences value creation. Furthermore, the exchange and combination of resources mediate the relationship between the two constructs. Surprisingly, the quality of the relationships does not mediate the relationship between management and the value created. However, it positively impacts the exchange and combination of complementary resources.

Originality/value

This study provides a new interpretation of the determinants of value creation in SNs. The results contribute to the theory by demonstrating that the relationship between network management and value creation is strengthened when the exchange and combination of resources between network participants occur. In turn, these are positively influenced by the quality of relationships established in the network, thus providing a new interpretation of the determinants of value creation in SNs.

Details

Measuring Business Excellence, vol. 27 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1368-3047

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 May 2018

Håkan Håkansson and Alexandra Waluszewski

The purpose of this paper is to argue that if the authors want to understand the role of heaviness, space and journey in innovation, the authors have to start with the interaction…

1747

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to argue that if the authors want to understand the role of heaviness, space and journey in innovation, the authors have to start with the interaction itself, that is the exchange process taking place between economic actors. Three major aspects will be considered: the first is that heaviness, space and journey imply restrictions, the second is that these aspects can be positively utilised in innovation processes, and the third is their joint importance to contemporary policy. All innovation processes must bypass and build on existing investments in social and material resources, related across time and space.

Design/methodology/approach

The theoretical foundation is a basic IMP observation: exchange has a content. Exchange is captured as an interaction process that creates specific imprints on material and social resources involved – across firm boundaries, and across time and space. The methodology is a consequence of the research question and the theoretical point of departure and is based on three earlier IMP studies, where heaviness has been measured in different ways. The authors utilize two earlier presented case studies to focus on the heaviness, space and journey dimensions.

Findings

Three main aspects are discussed: the first aspect concerns the need for utilisation of others heaviness in order for the innovation to gain heaviness in itself. The second aspect concerns the consequences that the search for heaviness has for the creation of an innovation space. The third aspect concerns the innovation journey; the specific interaction patterns between significant actors as well as places hosting heavy using, producing and developing activities created through interactions over time.

Research limitations/implications

In order to change or to establish a new economic exchange interface, there is an urgent need to be aware of and utilise heaviness, to find out in what way existing investments made in related interfaces can be taken advantage of. In order to do that, there is a need for a better understanding of the function of heaviness, spatial and journey aspects included.

Practical implications

In contemporary policy, certain heaviness is recognised, however, only in a non-business developing setting. The first conclusion is that heaviness of established producing and using settings is a policy blind spot. This implies that analytical policy approaches are not equipped for recognitions or of estimations of heaviness, nor as a hindrance or as a possibility in producing and using settings. The second conclusion is that the policy definition of the role of place implies neglecting the innovation space. The third conclusion is that there is a need for policy to recognise the innovation journey and its consequences.

Social implications

If the policy is expected to have regional effects, policy analysis has to start out from the established heaviness of the region and consider how it can be taken advantage of.

Originality/value

The paper draws attention to an aspect neglected in policy attempts to boost innovation, that the mobilising support has to come from actors representing heavy producing and using networks – and that these already have space and journey characteristics. A peripheral actor can come up with a suggestion for change – but it cannot alone mobilise the resources necessary for an innovation to get a space and journey in relation to established resource constellations.

Details

IMP Journal, vol. 12 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2059-1403

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 August 2011

Breda Kenny and John Fahy

This study aims to identify and examine the relationship between network resources and international performance of high tech small to medium‐sized enterprises (HTSME) in the…

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to identify and examine the relationship between network resources and international performance of high tech small to medium‐sized enterprises (HTSME) in the telecommunications industry in Ireland. The network resource construct for this paper comprises three dimensions: network human capital resources, network resource combination, and information sharing.

Design/methodology/approach

Empirical research was carried out using a mail survey in which 154 firms completed and returned the questionnaire. Three hypotheses were analysed using structural equations modelling using LISREL.

Findings

The study's main finding suggests a positive relationship between a firm's network human capital resources and international performance. However, no support was found for the relationship between network resources combinations, information sharing and international performance.

Research limitations/implications

This study is cross‐sectional, confined to a single industry and focused on the role of networks in the HTSME context only. Results from this study provide policy makers and practitioners with additional insights into specific network resource‐based factors that are associated with international performance for HTSMEs. Such an assessment would help identify specific areas of relationship strengths and weaknesses in terms of the level of human capital available to firms, the combinations of complementary resources across firms and the extent and level of information exchange between firms.

Practical implications

The paper concludes with a discussion of these findings and the overall implications for policy makers and managers. Specifically, it is necessary to identify and review the types of resources that are critical to the international performance of firms and develop and implement business strategies building on those resources in order to enhance the likelihood of international success.

Originality/value

This study offers a multiple dimensionality to the network resource concept by measuring the direct effect of the type of network resources in terms of human capital, information and network resource combinations on international performance of HTSMEs in the telecommunications industry. These findings advance network research by highlighting the trade‐offs that networks impose on firms that seek to manage and leverage their network resources.

Details

Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, vol. 18 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1462-6004

Keywords

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