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The purpose of the paper is to investigate the nature of linkages between characteristics of a service and customer consequences and elicit the types of such linkages.

The paper builds on current research on linkages and customer consequences within the means‐end approach and on a qualitative case study in the context of website use in business‐to‐business relationships.

The paper introduces six types of linkages between characteristics of a service and customer consequences: common and unique, conflicting and non‐conflicting, and homogenous and heterogeneous linkages.

The paper portrays four cases of implications of the linkages for simplicity and homogeneity of the design of services and of their marketing strategies.

The ways in which characteristics of a service are linked with customer consequences of an engagement with the service are of crucial importance in marketing. Despite the importance, research on linkages is scarce. By considering currently neglected aspects such as different units of analysis, different relationships between characteristics and customer consequences, and diversity in characteristics and consequences, the paper introduces new types of linkages. It also depicts the relevance of the knowledge of the linkages for portraying customer value fully.

Effective policy to support business ecosystems should build on evidence-based analyses of firm-level activities and outcomes. This paper aims to contribute to this requirement and makes three contributions. The first contribution is to extend the application of the network capital concept to a variety of eight distinct linkage categories (e.g. suppliers, customers and business support agencies) that support networking and clustering, in both activity and impact terms. The second contribution is outlining a novel method of network visualisation (V-LINC) based on the collection of primary and qualitative data. The third contribution is in applying the method to one cluster, information and communications technologies.

Qualitative research on the nature and extent of organisational network linkages was undertaken. Structured interviews with a set of focal firms followed a tailored design approach. The concept of network capital was extended and applied to the cluster context by measuring network inputs and output (i.e. investments and impact). The approach was operationalised via a novel impact measurement approach, denoted as V-LINC, an acronym for visualising linkages in networks and clusters.

The authors develop a business impact framework exploiting novel linkage visualisations and qualitative data from firms in a cluster in one city region across eight linkage types to capture distinct network capital elements. Organisational inputs into network development, measured as investment and involvement indicators and organisational outcomes from those networks, measured as importance and intensity indicators, are used to assess network performance. A comprehensive, systematic and robust analysis of network elements and performance is possible. Distance is found to interact differently across linkage types. Targeted recommendations may be made from the analysis of local or regional business ecosystems in light of measured business impacts of linkages.

Due to the resource-intensive nature of data collection, the current study engages a limited sample of firms and interviewees. Applications of this approach in other contexts will permit further research into its usefulness in evaluating business impacts generated through networking activities.

The method introduced here (V-LINC) offers a novel means to include both geography network theory into an understanding of knowledge relationships and networks within clusters. Accounting for both distance and linkage type reveals which categories of intra-regional and extra-regional linkages generate the greatest impact, given their frequency. The approach adds to available cluster visualisation and analysis approaches through identifying patterns of disaggregated knowledge flows and their impacts, with application to evaluation demands of policy.

Purpose – This chapter investigates the role of the multinational enterprise (MNE) in Finland, a small but advanced economy known for its innovative industry clusters. Specifically, the research explores how resource sharing differs between national MNEs, foreign MNE subsidiaries and solely domestic enterprises by type of resources transferred, industry cluster, international orientation, ownership and linkage type.

Design/methodology/approach – The responses are drawn from 85 of Finland's 500 largest firms using a survey instrument for data collection. Results are analysed using SPSS/PASW.

Findings – The chapter provides evidence that MNEs share innovation-related resources via collaborative and supply chain linkages. More importantly, it confirms the important role of national flagship firms – those firms that are Finnish by origin but international in scope. The findings suggest that local cluster development may be attractive to foreign MNEs, but is more likely shaped by the significant contributions to resource sharing made by national MNEs. The research also finds that linkages with customers rather than suppliers are more likely to involve resource sharing, highlighting the importance of forward linkages in the small, advanced economy context.

Originality/value – The results suggest that future research should take a finely grained approach to examining the role of MNEs in resource sharing. Determinants such as types of resources, MNE characteristics and types of linkages are important inclusions in future work.

This study aims to examine what types of interfirm linkages a firm enters in relation to its manufacturing strategy. The authors further aim to determine whether heterogeneous resources have different moderating effects on the relationship between a firm’s manufacturing strategy and interfirm linkages.

The sample consists of survey and archival data on 80 publicly listed electronics firms from the semiconductor and optoelectronics industries in Taiwan. Because the dependent variable, interfirm linkage, is a binary term, the authors apply logistic regression in our study.

This paper provides empirical insight into how a firm’s manufacturing strategy affects its probability to engage in specific types of interfirm linkages. The authors find that when a firm pursues an efficiency (flexibility) strategy, it will tend to engage in marketing (technical) interfirm linkages. In addition, absorbed slack strengthens the fit between manufacturing strategy and interfirm linkage type more than unabsorbed slack does.

Because the sample is drawn from the Taiwanese semiconductor and optoelectronic industries, the authors encourage scholars to examine the generalizability of the findings. Future studies can furthermore adopt in-depth interviews to facilitate a better understanding of decision-makers’ considerations when entering interfirm linkages.

This study extends resource dependence theory across a firm’s boundary and applies the resource-based view to resource heterogeneity. The findings advance the understanding of the relationships between strategic orientation, slack resources and interfirm linkage choices. The authors show that it is important that firms consider strategic fit when they create linkages outside their existing boundaries.

Today, supply chain design and management constitute a major source of competitive advantage for firms. The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate, from a balanced scorecard strategy map (BSSM) perspective, the types of linkages through which supply chain management practices (SCMPs) impact on financial and non-financial performance, and consequently lead to the achievement of the firm’s strategic objectives.

This study is carried out in two stages. First, based on the survey data collected from 450 French industrial firms (with a return rate of 20.2 per cent), structural equation modelling (SEM) is used to test eight hypotheses that are formulated through the discussion of previous theoretical and empirical findings in extant literature. Then, based on the framework of the BSSM, the SEM results are used to discuss the linkages between SCMPs and firm performance.

After confirming some of the relationships already observed in extant literature, the results show that there are many strategic paths (of different nature) that link SCMPs and other intangible assets to financial performance.

The results of the study constitute a practical contribution that would guide managers in the strategic alignment of their firm’s supply chain initiatives with corporate strategy. The authors argue that when implementing supply chain management initiatives, managers should pay particular attention to how intangible assets act as mediating factors in the achievement of the firm’s financial objectives. The BSC framework that the authors propose can also be used by researchers to investigate causal linkages between intangible and tangible assets.

There are few studies that adopt an extensive multidimensional approach by looking simultaneously at both upstream and downstream linkages of the supply chain whilst taking into account many performance measures. Using the BSSM framework, this paper proposes eight types of linkages that could lead to the achievement of the firm’s strategic goals.

Scheduling in information-driven design phase of construction projects is challenging due to multiple entity types (teams, components, deliverables, activities or parameters) and their dependencies/linkages. Established techniques such as dependency structure matrix (DSM), beeline diagramming method (BDM), multiple domain matrix (MDM), etc. have been independently utilized in past to model information dependencies/linkages and associated iteration. However, there has not been a holistic solution yet for scheduling multiple entity types and their relationships. Hence, an integrated solution needs to be developed that schedules information-driven projects accurately.

A case study data collection approach is utilized. With data from two projects, i.e. hostel design and highway design, a BDM–MDM integrated solution was developed and applied to the same. Feedback from experts was obtained for refinements.

The proposed solution is efficient for scheduling multiple entity types and their information dependencies/linkages.

The proposed integrated solution enables the project participants to schedule information-driven projects systematically. Application to two distinct design cases emphasizes that the concept is generic and can be applied to any information-driven project with multiple entity types.

The BDM–MDM integrated solution concept is investigated for scheduling multiple entity types in any information-driven projects. This study also explored the terminologies such as multiple entity types and information-driven scheduling.

International business theory suggests that multinational enterprises (MNEs) seek to internalise resources embedded in local firms to complement their own through inter-organisational relationships, yet little is known about whether and how these business linkages differ between foreign (F)MNEs and domestic (D)MNEs. This paper aims to explore the linkage differential between DMNEs and FMNEs operating in the same single-country contexts and to examine whether foreignness, regional origin and technological capability make a difference.

This study is based on a unique firm-level data set of 292 MNEs located in five advanced, small open economies (SMOPECs). This study analyses the benefit received – in the form of technical and organisational resources and knowledge – by DMNEs and FMNEs via backward, forward and collaborative linkages with local business partners.

Our research finds FMNEs benefit less from linkages than DMNEs; and FMNEs originating from outside the region especially so. However, the results also show technological capability mitigates this difference and is thus a game changer for FMNEs from outside the region.

This paper differentiates between FMNEs and DMNEs in their propensity to benefit from resources received from different local partners and explores the influence of regional origin and technological capability. Despite the advanced and internationally oriented nature of SMOPECs, DMNEs still gain more benefit, suggesting either liabilities of foreignness and outsidership persist, or FMNEs do not desire, need or nurture local linkages.

This paper examines the relationship between open innovation (measured by exploratory and exploitative linkages) and firm-level innovative activity in the offshore renewable energy (ORE) sector.

A unique, purpose-built survey that targeted firms operating in the ORE sector and its supply chain was used. The data provides novel insights into the research activities and networking capabilities of an industry in its infant stages of development. Regression models are used to estimate the relationship between firm-level external linkages and innovative activity.

Exploratory linkages are positively related to more innovative activity. This relationship is subject to diminishing returns, distinguishing the ORE sector from other sectors. Collaborating with suppliers and accessing scientific journals are conducive to research and development (R&D) activity and process innovation, whilst collaborating with customers is associated with the decision to introduce new products and processes.

This study provides evidence of a positive, but curvilinear, relationship between external knowledge linkages and innovative activity, adding novel insights into the relationship between open innovation (OI) strategies, research and innovation outcomes for firms predominantly in the introductory stages of the technological life cycle with limited commercialisation experience. The nuanced finding that specific linkages matter for certain research and innovation (R&I) outcomes adds deeper complexity to March’s (1991) framework, where tailoring certain exploratory or exploitative linkages to specific innovation activities is important.

This study focuses on the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) on local firms in host economies. We examine both backward and forward linkages and their effects on domestic firms. Data collection was undertaken over a three-year period whereby qualitative in-depth interviews were carried out with senior managers in UK headquarters, subsidiaries and ‘linked’ local firms in order to facilitate a multi-perspective approach to examining this topic. Results indicate that linkages do exist, contrary to earlier belief. The main factors which facilitate linkage formation were found to be subsidiary-related variables, mainly the mode of entry into the local market, subsidiary autonomy, level of embeddedness and subsidiary role. It was also found that government regulation and policy had some impact on the formation of linkages. Over time the impact on local firms was found to be positive with increased employment, productivity and significant upgrading of skills and competencies. The key contribution of this chapter is to extend the literature on linkages to consider services while developing a conceptual framework in this area. Overall, our study confirms the importance of the subsidiary in linkage formation and also shows how the externalities occurring from linkage formation in the service sector may benefit local firms and subsequently aid local economic development as a whole.

The purpose of this paper is to understand (i) how crime linkage is currently performed with residential burglaries in New Zealand, (ii) the factors that promote/hinder accurate crime linkage and (iii)whether computerised decision-support tools might assist crime linkage practice.

A total of 39 New Zealand Police staff completed a questionnaire/interview/focus group relating to the process, challenges, products and uses of crime linkage with residential burglary in New Zealand. These data (alongside four redacted crime linkage reports) were subjected to thematic analysis.

The data clearly indicated wide variation in crime linkage process, methods and products (Theme 1). Furthermore, a number of factors were identified that impacted on crime linkage practice (Theme 2).

Future research should develop computerised crime linkage decision-support tools and evaluate their ability to enhance crime linkage practice. Also, researchers should explore the use of crime linkage in court proceedings.

To overcome the barriers identified in the current study, greater training in and understanding of crime linkage is needed. Moreover, efforts to enhance the quality of crime data recorded by the police will only serve to enhance crime linkage practice.

By enhancing crime linkage practice, opportunities to reduce crime, protect the public and deliver justice for victims will be maximised.

The practice of crime linkage is under-researched, which makes it difficult to determine if/how existing empirical research can be used to support ongoing police investigations. The current project fills that gap by providing a national overview of crime linkage practice in New Zealand, a country where crime linkage is regularly conducted by the police, but no published linkage research exists.