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The purpose of this paper is to explore the different human factor characteristics that are emphasized when co-creating value through digital service capabilities.

Empirical data are gathered from two small companies that deliver digital services and products in business-to-business markets.

The study highlights the role and importance of human factors as reflected in employees’ customer orientation while delivering digital service capabilities. The role of human factors also changes during the digital service production process.

Developing digital service capability is positively associated with value co-creation, but it requires new skills: firms need to evaluate their mechanisms for supporting continuous learning about the properties of digital technologies. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to focus on the role of human factors in in developing digital service capabilities.

The purpose of this paper is to theoretically articulate and empirically test an integrated model of capability antecedents and performance outcomes of servitization strategies. The authors characterize servitization strategies based on the offering of two types of services: basic services (BAS) and advanced services (ADS).

Hypotheses are tested based on statistical analyses of a large survey of manufacturers from different countries and sectors.

The authors find that manufacturing capabilities associate with the provision of BAS, while service capabilities associate with both BAS and ADS; BAS do not impact financial performance, but support the offering of ADS; there seem to be naturally occurring servitization trajectories involving the gradual development of balanced levels of BAS and ADS and adequate levels of manufacturing and service capabilities.

The findings on servitization trajectories are based on the observation of manufacturing business units at different stages of servitization (cross-sectional data).

Manufacturers wishing to servitize should distinguish between BAS and ADS and deploy a balanced adoption of BAS and ADS, using BAS as a platform. This should be accompanied with the building of appropriate capabilities.

This is one of the first studies to show an explicit link between different servitization strategies, capabilities, and servitization maturity. It provides new insights into the servitization paradox and servitization trajectories.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate empirically the impact of intrafirm resources, interfirm relationships, and logistics service capabilities on logistics performance (LP) in the context of container logistics.

Factor analysis was employed to identify the key intrafirm resources (i.e. tangible assets and intangible assets), interfirm relationships (i.e. communication (COM) and long-term relationships), logistics service capabilities (i.e. service efficiency, service reliability, service flexibility, and value-added service), and LP dimensions. Data were collected from a survey of container shipping service providers, and were analyzed by a structural equation model to test the research hypotheses.

The findings show that interfirm relationships and logistics service capabilities act as mediator variables between intrafirm resources and LP.

The results of this research support the application of the general theory on firm-level performance and the resource-based view (RBV) as a lens through which LP can be achieved via logistics service capabilities. In addition, the findings lend empirical support to the capability-building view, which asserts the importance of resource investment and relationship maintenance, and the development of distinctive capabilities to enhance performance.

Container logistics operators should not view their intrafirm resources (including logistics information technology and teamwork organizational culture) or interfirm relationships (including informal COM with key stakeholders and evergreen relationship with key stakeholders) separately; instead, a systems approach should be used.

This research updates the RBV theory by clearly indicating that the overall performance of shipping firms cannot be decided solely by the firm’s own resources. Interfirm relationships and logistics service capabilities are found to be powerful moderators which help shipping firms allocate their resources effectively and thus improve their LP.

The purpose of this paper is to challenge the focal firm perspective of much resource/capability research, identifying how a dyadic perspective facilitates identification of capabilities required for servitization.

Exploratory study consisting of seven dyadic relationships in five sectors.

An additional dimension of capabilities should be recognised; whether they are developed independently or interactively (with another actor). The following examples of interactively developed capabilities are identified: knowledge development, where partners interactively communicate to understand capabilities; service enablement, manufacturers work with suppliers and customers to support delivery of new services; service development, partners interact to optimise performance of existing services; risk management, customers work with manufacturers to manage risks of product acquisition/operation. Six propositions were developed to articulate these findings.

Interactively developed capabilities are created when two or more actors interact to create value. Interactively developed capabilities do not just reside within one firm and, therefore, cannot be a source of competitive advantage for one firm alone. Many of the capabilities required for servitization are interactive, yet have received little research attention. The study does not provide an exhaustive list of interactively developed capabilities, but demonstrates their existence in manufacturer/supplier and manufacturer/customer dyads.

Manufacturers need to understand how to develop capabilities interactively to create competitive advantage and value and identify other actors with whom these capabilities can be developed.

Previous research has focussed on relational capabilities within a focal firm. This study extends existing theories to include interactively developed capabilities. The paper proposes that interactivity is a key dimension of actors’ complementary capabilities.

This study explores the influencing factors on organizational efficiency of the smart logistics ecological chain, and designs the corresponding theoretical framework to guide the practice of enterprises

A multi-case study method is adopted in this study. It includes four companies A, B, C and D in China as the case study objects, collects data through enterprise survey and uses the combination of open coding and spindle coding to process the data. By testing the reliability and validity, the theoretical framework is summarized.

First, organizational efficiency in smart logistics ecological chains is directly related to their service and technology innovation capability. Second, symbiotic relationships, information sharing and customer demand affect the efficiency of smart logistics multi-case ecological chains by influencing their service capacity; their technological innovation capability regulates the mechanism of influence. Third, technological innovation in smart logistics ecological chains positively impacts their service capabilities. Improving technological innovation capability can enhance logistics service capabilities.

According to the characteristics of smart logistics, the theoretical framework about organizational efficiency of smart logistics ecological chain is constructed, which fills the research gap and can provide interesting perspectives for the future research related to the smart logistics ecological chain. At the same time, the findings can also help enterprises to better build the smart logistics ecological chain in practice.

Despite the opportunities provided by pay-per-use (PPU) services, product companies in business-to-business sectors often fail to compete systematically by using them. The purpose of this paper is to explain how companies can avoid failures when it comes to PPU services. The paper describes the “seizing” capabilities needed to achieve the strategic objectives of PPU services.

The research process is divided into a pilot and an in-depth study. Altogether, 17 companies participated in the study.

The findings reveal that the seizing capabilities depend on the strategic objectives of PPU services. To expand the market share with PPU services, companies need to broaden the customer portfolio for PPU services, to align individual services within the entire service portfolio and to balance profits made by PPU services and other business lines. For strategic objectives such as rapid sales growth early in the market development and new market creation other seizing capabilities are required.

The findings are not generalizable, due to the use of a qualitative study. The study is restricted to product companies in the business-to-business sector.

Managers often believe that extending and modularizing the service portfolio is beneficial. When achieving sales growth during the market development phase, these capabilities are in fact sometimes counterproductive. Practitioners have to look into the costs and benefits of setting-up their own financing company and working with banks.

PPU services contribute to a more sustainable consumption and make product design more resource-efficient.

The study is original by virtue of systematically studying PPU services, providing a microfoundation for seizing capabilities and developing testable propositions for future research.

Firms innovate and sophisticate their offerings to remain competitive. This sophistication often finds opportunities in servitization. Given that many customers expect the service offering from manufacturing companies, it is crucial to research what capabilities drive service offerings and their impact on performance. The purpose of this paper is to test the capabilities–service–performance chain.

A conceptual model is proposed and the research hypothesis is tested using structural equation modelling (SEM) performed on a data set corresponding to 205 Spanish and Croatian manufacturing firms.

Using SEM, this research analyses the causal model between manufacturing, organizational and digital capabilities on base, intermediate and advanced services, and their impact on both service and financial performance.

This study has some limitations: the advanced service construct was mostly developed on case-based research. Some constructs have low convergent validity and reliability. The relative smallness of the data set used and its two-country provenance could raise issues about the international nature and generalizability of the findings.

Digital capabilities are important for the provision of all three groups of services in terms of using digital devices in data acquisition, helping to make the manufacturing company more agile.

The present study also contributes to the conceptual framework of servitization by providing a new and more up-to-date definition of capabilities and services, also considering digital capabilities, which are less explored. It also contributes to being the first to explore the entire manufacturing sector [nomenclature statistique des activités and économiques dans la Communauté éuropéenne (NACE) 10–31].

The dynamic capabilities view is invoked to hypothesize relationships among the service supply chain management (SSCM) process capabilities using the information technology management (ITM) process capability. This study argues that ITM will have an impact on the service performance management (SPM) process capability only when it works through mediators and demonstrates the impact by using the framework of SSCM process capabilities.

This study is based on a survey using quantitative data collection to empirically test the research framework. The proposed framework and hypotheses were tested using a mail-in survey of the service industry in Thailand. The statistical analysis of data acquired from the survey was performed using structural equation modeling.

The results support the existence of a mediating role for the ITM process affecting the SPM process. This study identifies the role of ITM and emphasizes the urgent need for firms to embed other mediating factors into their approaches to achieve SPM process goals in the service supply chain context.

The study offers important implications to researchers as well as practitioners by highlighting the significance of mediating roles for ITM to achieve SPM process.

This research is among the initial attempts to argue the impact of ITM on SPM through mediators.

The purpose of t1his paper is to develop an instrument to measure agile services based on dynamic capabilities theory. The paper investigates the service agility through two building blocks service sensing and seizing agility and service responding agility.

The items were generated using existing scales, content analysis and using in-depth interview. The scale was validated using data from Indian services industry.

A pool of 32 items for dynamic service capabilities enabling agile services and 12 items for agile services were proposed. Empirical validation shows that the scale exhibits high levels of reliability.

The new concept of agile services has been introduced, which is of recent interest to both practitioners and academicians alike. The limitations of the study include a low respondent rate.

Organizations need measure the degree of agile services and different capabilities this can facilitate agile services. This scale can act as a foundation for organizations to evaluate their capabilities. This scale will act as a tool for top managers to assess their capabilities and suitably improve the capabilities of their services.

The capabilities enabling agile services are based on the dynamic capabilities framework and a new construct (agile services) is being proposed. This scale will be a theoretical contribution to this literature.

The purpose of this study is to explore the effects that information systems (IS) capabilities can have on supplier collaboration and customer collaboration and on quality performance in service contexts. In addition, the study examines how supply chain collaboration influences quality performance under various levels of environmental dynamism.

The conceptual model for this study is designed on the basis of the resource-based view (RBV) and dynamic capabilities view (DCV). A survey of 156 UK service firms was conducted and the data analyzed to test theoretical model using the structural equation modeling method. Furthermore, the moderating effect of environmental dynamism was investigated.

The results show that IS capabilities are positively associated with supply chain collaboration. Both supplier collaboration and customer collaboration are positively related to quality performance. Supplier collaboration has a positive effect on customer collaboration. Environmental dynamism significantly moderates the relationship between customer collaboration and quality performance, but no moderating effect on the relationship between supplier collaboration and quality performance.

This study takes a step toward quelling concerns about the business value of IS, contributing to the development and validation of the measurement of IS capabilities in the service supply chain context. The study deepens our understanding of supply chain collaboration by making a distinction between supplier collaboration and customer collaboration and investigating the correlation of supplier collaboration and customer collaboration. The findings extend the empirical application of RBV and DCV. In addition, this study’s findings direct service firms to develop IS capabilities that can enhance specific kinds of supply chain collaboration activities, thereby enabling improved quality performance.