Search results

This article investigates the distinctive characteristics and the performance of academic spin-offs within young innovative companies (YICs) supported by public regional agencies. Considering that academic spin-offs are characterized by high intensity in innovation and technology transfer, we raise the issue of their performance relative to other YICs.

The authors focus on YICs which receive support from public or semi-public institutions at the early stage of their development as a reward for their innovative business ideas. The study is performed in two steps. First, the authors estimate the growth of the academic spin-offs within a set of YICs supported for fewer than 5 years. This estimation is based on data gathered in 2014. Second, the authors investigate the survival of these supported YICs with the Cox proportional hazards model, 5 years later, at the end of 2019.

Results reveal that academic spin-offs are more able to capture resources in the early stages: These firms have more patents, more external funding and higher increases in the number of employees. The authors also demonstrate that academic spin-offs have the highest survival rates.

The drawback of the studies on ASOs is the limited sample. The main issue is related to survival analysis. Limitation of the sample sizes precludes from in-depth survival analyses, which may highlight fundamental differences in the development patterns of the firm.

The study’s results provide evidence on how the identity of academic spin-offs based on technology transfer act as a positive signal to obtain legitimacy. It is of particular interest for entrepreneurs who can rely on trust provided by their parent institution to engage in negotiations with different stakeholders. Moreover, results give insights to policymakers on the usefulness to invest on academic spin-offs because of its outperforming results.

The results provide important insights for designing, conducting and monitoring policies that favor innovation. Moreover, it demonstrates to universities, research institutions and entrepreneurs engaged in technology transfer the economic and social usefulness of their approach.

This study seeks to provide insights into corporate achievements in supply chain management (SCM) and logistics management and to detail how they might help disaster agencies. The authors aim to highlight and identify current practices, particularities, and challenges in disaster relief supply chains.

Both SCM and logistics management literature and examples drawn from real‐life cases inform the development of the theoretical model.

The theoretical, dual‐cycle model that focuses on the key missions of disaster relief agencies: first, prevention and planning and, second, response and recovery. Three major contributions are offered: a concise representation of current practices and particularities of disaster relief supply chains compared with commercial SCM; challenges and barriers to the development of more efficient SCM practices, classified into learning, strategising, and coordinating and measurement issues; and a simple, functional model for understanding how collaborations between corporations and disaster relief agencies might help relief agencies meet SCM challenges.

The study does not address culture‐clash related considerations. Rather than representing the entire scope of real‐life situations and practices, the analysis relies on key assumptions to help conceptualise collaborative paths.

The study provides specific insights into how corporations might help improve the SCM practices by disaster relief agencies that continue to function without SCM professional expertise, tools, or staff.

The paper shows that sharing supply chain and logistics expertise, technology, and infrastructure with relief agencies could be a way for corporations to demonstrate their good corporate citizenship. Collaborations between corporations and disaster agencies offer significant potential benefits.

For one merit-based undergraduate scholarship program at Washington University in St. Louis (the University), discovery and dialogue have been essential to the program’s nearly 30-year existence. Named for Dr. John B. Ervin, the first African American Dean at Washington University in St. Louis, the John B. Ervin Scholars Program has attracted, recruited, retained, and graduated over 600 students deemed to exemplify extraordinary commitments to four pillars – scholarship, leadership, service, and diversity. Because the Program’s administrators have cultivated a community grounded in discovery and dialogue, the Ervin Scholars’ resolve to foster a more just and equitable society has deepened over time, perhaps preparing them for this time in which universities, this nation, and our world face crises over race. This resolve has manifested the last few years as Ervin Scholars have responded quickly to racial issues at Washington University in St. Louis and throughout the nation.

With its 30-year foundation, the John B. Ervin Scholars Program continues to develop, nurture, and support young people who advance discovery and dialogue. Drawing on a number of interviews, Program and University publications, and external publications, “A Legacy of Commitment,” the second installment of the Program’s history, demonstrates how the presence, contributions, and achievements of Ervin Scholars have changed Washington University in St. Louis. The Ervin Program has been an important part of the University’s efforts to be more diverse and inclusive, and it will continue to be integral to the University’s current and future plans.

There is a lack of extensive research related to the immediate consequences of supply management ethical responsibility (SMER) and the moderating and/or mediating factors that strengthen or weaken its consequences. Although the underlying presumption is that companies no longer have the luxury of ignoring the importance of SMER, the lack of empirical research of SMER's impact on supply management performance (SMP) reflects the need for research that draws on and empirically tests established theories concerning the role of corporate ethics within the context of supply management (SM). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the impact of SMER and strategic supply management skills on SM perceived reputation and performance.

Structural equation modeling is employed to investigate the hypothesized relationships. A sample of 162 purchasing managers provided the data via survey.

Strategic supply management skills and perceived reputation have a positive direct impact on performance. SMER is not directly affected by skills and has an indirect impact on performance through its positive relationship with perceived reputation.

The findings suggest that SMER is limited in its ability to predict performance, but is a valuable component of building SM perceived reputation. Firms should not ignore SMER, as it may provide strategic marketing advantage as an order qualifier or limiting criterion.

This paper investigates the interplay among several important determinants of supply chain performance, including the greatly under‐studied ethics construct.

The purpose of this study is two‐fold: to survey research on supply management and corporate social responsibility (CSR) reported over the past two decades; and to carry out an empirical study of the current status of supply management and CSR in the Korean electronics industry.

The study is based on an explorative approach, wherein “triangulation” is adopted, combining quantitative and qualitative methods. A questionnaire survey with a 132‐company sample is employed as a quantitative method and the telephone interviews with 23 samples are used as a qualitative method. By adopting a triangulation approach, rich data and explanatory power can be obtained to answer the research question.

The results of the study show that “environmental” pressures and standards are widely accepted and implemented for supply management in the Korean electronics industry. However, “social” pressures and standards are still not commonly used and there is a lack of implementation in the entire supply chain in the industry. The main reason for adopting CSR standards is to identify risks and problems in the supply chain, and to avoid or at least reduce the consequences for the final manufacturer. Although most manufacturers in the Korean electronics industry demand certified environmental standards such as ISO 14001 from their suppliers, there is generally a lack of integration of social standards in supplier management or requirements.

Companies today face a growing number of restrictions from national legislations and international standards influencing the environment, labour standards, and human rights issues. Within the Korean electronics industry as a whole there appears to be consensus that it is not easy being “socially responsible”. Vague notions about CSR issues for supply management practices have not provided suppliers with adequate guidance as they seek to improve their performance vis‐à‐vis company standards. The development of evaluation standards to assess suppliers can be a critical factor in improving a firm's performance. Another critical factor is documenting all CSR activities for external requirements such as auditors.

This study is the first empirical attempt to explore CSR adoption and implementation in supply management in the Korean electronics industry.

Contracts and trust are mechanisms to coordinate processes in supply chains. However, contracts are incomplete and trust takes time to develop. The aim of this paper is to show how Social Accountability 8000 (SA8000) can help to manage supply chains (in particular small and medium‐sized companies as its partners) by solving the problem of incomplete contracts as well as replacing trust in new partnerships, especially with respect to intangible performance indicators.

Supply chain management (with an emphasis on coordination) and corporate social responsibility (with an emphasis on codes, especially SA8000) are briefly described, based on a literature review. These descriptions led to three research propositions. In the second part, four cases describe the practice of SA8000. The richness of the cases provides both literal and theoretical replication. Finally, the theoretical and empirical results are compared, with specific regard to the research propositions.

Codes facilitate coordination between immediate partners in a supply chain, especially when the most powerful one enforces the code. However, indirect coordination with second‐ or third‐tier partners is hardly influenced. Chain directors can impose SA8000 certification in the supply chain and the latter can benefit from reduced information asymmetry. Transaction costs are reduced without a loss in flexibility.

The three propositions introduced are supported. Further research could further strengthen the validity of the propositions or show the need for refinements in them. The results show managers that certification can facilitate coordination of intangible aspects of performance to reduce information asymmetry with at least no negative results.

Firms that use SA8000 should take more advantage of it because it reduces information asymmetry and transaction costs, not only between direct partners but also further up‐ and downstream in the chain. Chain directors can use codes to complement incomplete contracts. Third‐party monitoring should be strengthened, especially with respect to second‐ and third‐tier partners.

The originality of the paper is in the analysis of the position of the second‐ and third‐tier participants in the chain, questioning whether codes like SA8000 are a sufficient instrument to make them real partners in the chain. SA8000 increases traceability of proper processes by customers and partners in the chain, which facilitates the coordination and the management of the chain.

The paper's aim is to develop a closed‐loop supply chain orientation as a strategic alternative available to supply chain organizations seeking competitive advantage in a setting that puts a premium on socially responsible decisions.

The literature describing the concepts of supply chain orientation and supply chain leadership is used to develop a framework for achieving a competitive advantage.

Creating a closed‐loop supply chain orientation may be facilitated when the supply chain leader demonstrates a transformational leadership style, and when socially important environmental issues are present.

The paper presents a synthesis of previously unconnected concepts in a conceptual framework that sets a stage for future research in this area.

The paper highlights the strategic importance of developing a closed‐loop supply chain orientation in the presence of environmental factors, and a supply chain leadership style that may enhance the transformation to such an orientation.

The paper extends the strategic concept of supply chain orientation to include forward and reverse flows in a holistic, closed‐loop view of the supply chain.

The purpose of this paper is to outline the anatomy of small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) that try to manage corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the supply chain.

The data used for analysis stem from a large‐scale survey of 1,071 Danish SMEs carried out in 2005.

It is concluded that CSR activities directed towards the supply chains still remain the privilege of a small group of SMEs with quite advanced CSR systems.

The survey was not specifically designed for this article. Moreover, only Danish SMEs participated in the survey. Whether the evidence from Denmark can be generalised to cover SMEs in other countries is left to determine.

The results indicate that there may be a need for more differentiated initiatives to promote CSR that will enable smaller enterprises to address CSR issues in the supply chain. Thus far, CSR has often been associated with large, high‐profile multinationals that have been trying to protect their image and brands from negative press, NGO activism, consumer boycotts and governmental sanctions. Little has been done to examine how SMEs can improve social and environmental conditions in cooperation with suppliers.

This article contributes to the existing body of literature by examining how a number of key SME characteristics affect the management of CSR.

The paper aims to present a conceptual framework for analysing CSR practices in global supply chains. It also seeks to demonstrate how a pioneering Swedish company, IKEA, implements and manages CSR practices at its suppliers.

A case analysis of IKEA illustrates the implementation and management of CSR practices in supply chains. The focus is on internal and external integration of CSR practices in the supply chain. IKEA holds a leading position in its supply chain and is a global brand‐owner. Personal interviews are performed with employees from one of the company's trading areas.

Practising CSR in supply chains requires that CSR is embedded within the entire organisation, including subsidiaries abroad and offshore suppliers. It includes employee training and sharing of experience, training of key personnel at the supplier level, positive incentives for suppliers in the form of long‐term contracts and enlarged purchasing orders, and regular auditing of suppliers' performance.

The paper focuses on CSR practices in a specific company's supply chain. Therefore, the findings cannot be generalised to other companies. Also, the practices have been studied from the perspective of the focal company.

The CSR practices of IKEA can serve as inspiration for other companies that are considering adopting corporate codes of conduct.

The paper presents a company that has a long tradition for working with environmental and social issues. The paper demonstrates how the actual management of CSR practices is determined by context‐dependent factors.