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Packaging represents an essential issue for marketers in terms of effectively communicating the product’s benefits, especially in the case of organic food products. Because of logistical advantages, rectangular packaging is frequently used for organic food products. However, the question arises whether packaging alignment may significantly influence consumers’ decision-making at the point of sale. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the effects of rectangular packaging alignment (vertical vs horizontal) on consumer perception in the context of organic food products.

On the basis of the empirical results of a pilot study, a between-subjects online experiment with a sample size of 699 participants and two conditions (vertical vs horizontal packaging alignment) was performed. Analyses of covariance and PROCESS mediation analysis were used for data analysis.

The results of two empirical studies confirm the relevance of differences in consumers’ horizontal and vertical information processing for the research context of organic food and provide evidence for the assumed relevance of packaging alignment by ultimately showing a change in packaging alignment affects consumers’ willingness to pay. Importantly, this effect is mediated by utilitarian value perception.

This paper importantly contributes to research on packaging design of organic food products. Specifically, the relevance of an efficient utilitarian value perception for the consumer’s willingness to pay is highlighted in this context. Potential implications of these results for companies, consumers and public health are discussed.

The purpose of this paper is to identify and define the types of organizational alignment – vertical and horizontal; to examine the evidence for the alignment‐performance relationship, and propose research questions and practical implications to advance the theory and practice of managing alignment.

The study is a conceptual examination based on a thorough review of both theoretical and empirical research.

The paper finds that vertical alignment has received considerably more attention in the literature. Studies of horizontal alignment within organizations are less common. When horizontal alignment is studied, the focus tends to be dyadic – between two functional areas. The limitations posed by the dyadic approach suggest gaps in the research and opportunities for future research. As firms grow and diversify, becoming multi‐business organizations, the importance of horizontal alignment will be elevated.

Research on vertical alignment should focus on developing larger sets of moderating variables, such as the morale of the workforce, or the life cycle of the firm or industry. Research on horizontal alignment should explore multi‐point horizontal alignment.

Managers in organizations with multiple strategic business units could use the application questions in the study to assess the state of alignment in their respective units and the organization as a whole.

The paper documents existing literature on the concept of organizational alignment and identifies new opportunities to continue to build and expand the research stream. It also provides a list of application questions that may be used to assess organizational alignment in organizations.

This study aims to expand the knowledge on strategy and alignment by exploring how executives and strategists can manage alignment between corporate and business strategy to leverage synergies, from a corporate strategy perspective, without limiting local responsiveness, from a business strategy perspective.

The study is characterized by privileged access and richness of data. A case study design was used to explore the results. Data include interviews, observations in workshops, material produced in workshops and personal field notes.

The study provides insights about how alignment between corporate and business strategy can be managed to balance requirements on both corporate and business strategy. To do so alignment needs be understood and managed based on its contribution to the competitiveness of the firm. In addition, alignment encompasses two dimensions: direction of alignment (which can be vertical and horizontal) and relation of alignment (which can be numerical and non-numerical). This leads to four different types of alignment.

Explorative case studies yield results less generalizable. Future research is thus encouraged to confirm or contradict the results of this study.

When formulating strategy, executives and strategists need to consider what type of alignment is appropriate for what parts and elements of the strategies (e.g. goals and activities) to gain competitive advantage. By using different types of alignment, it is possible to balance the need for both corporate synergies and business responsiveness.

This study fulfils an identified need to study what alignment between strategies on different organizational levels encompasses and the potential risks of alignment.

The review is based on “Testing horizontal and vertical alignment of human resource (HR) practices designed to achieve strategic organizational goals”, by Martinson and De Leon, (2018), published in Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance.

This research paper concentrates on the alignment of HR goals and objectives with the strategic objectives of the organization (vertical alignment) and how the HR goals and objectives align with each other (horizontal alignment).

The results suggest that aligning HR management practices (HRMP) with organizational strategic goals does increase the probability of achieving these objectives. In addition, aligning HRMP with each other further strengthens the likelihood of achieving the strategic goals.

Therefore, for organizations to optimize performance and gain a competitive advantage through protecting their investment in human capital and decreasing voluntary turnover, both vertical and horizontal alignment should be implemented.

This paper has an original approach by providing a unique empirical examination of an organization’s implementation of HR practices designed to achieve stated strategic objectives through a large-scale study.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of internal strategic alignment (ISA) on business performance. A model is developed in which internal alignment is explained by the covariance between vertical and horizontal alignment. The perspective of business strategy implementation is adopted in order to support the theoretical relationship between the variables.

The partial least squares method, a structural equation modeling technique, is applied to estimate the model.

The results provide empirical validation for the model and confirm the positive relationship between internal alignment and business performance.

The ISA model is an essential aid for executives when implementing strategies and the validated research instrument can be applied for firms as a diagnosis of internal alignment in the organization.

The research contributed to meet the need for studies involving strategy implementation, as its formulation has already been emphasized, as well as to the need for models of strategic internal alignment that include activities relevant to the successful execution of the strategy, and to the need for alignment studies based on a holistic perspective.

O estudo foi conduzido com o objetivo de avaliar o impacto do alinhamento estratégico interno sobre o desempenho do negócio. Foi desenvolvido um modelo em que o alinhamento interno é explicado pela covariância entre o alinhamento vertical e o alinhamento horizontal. É adotada a perspectiva da implementação da estratégia de negócios para apoiar a relação teórica entre as variáveis.

Os dados foram processados e validados por meio da técnica de Modelagem de Equações Estruturais com estimação pelo método Partial Least Squares (PLS).

Os resultados dão validação ao modelo e confirmam a relação positiva entre o alinhamento estratégico interno e o desempenho organizacional.

O Modelo de Alinhamento Estratégico Interno define um conjunto de ações que podem servir de guia para os executivos quando da implementação da estratégia. Os instrumentos validados podem ser aplicados pelas organizações para realizar um diagnóstico do alinhamento interno.

Esta pesquisa traz contribuições quanto à necessidade de estudos envolvendo a implementação da estratégia, uma vez que ênfase tem sido dada à formulação; quanto à escassez de modelos de alinhamento estratégico interno que integrem atividades relevantes para a execução bem sucedida da estratégia e à necessidade de estudos de alinhamento empregando a perspectiva holística.

Lean manufacturing has been demonstrated to increase operations and economic performance, but its alignment with environmental and social sustainability is unclear. The purpose of this paper is to understand how cross-functional executive involvement and worker involvement, in the formulation and implementation of the operations strategy, support the strategic alignment of lean manufacturing and sustainability.

An inductive case study methodology was employed. Such theoretical elaboration is appropriate when extending existing theory (i.e. operations strategy theory and sustainability development theory). Evidence was drawn from ten cross-industry case studies. Within and cross-case analyses were performed.

The results demonstrate that cross-functional executive involvement and worker involvement positively affect the strategic alignment of the lean manufacturing statement and bundles (just-in-time, total quality management, total preventive maintenance, and human resources management) with environmental and social goals and practices. Specifically, the study reveals the impact of cross-functional executive involvement on the formulation of lean manufacturing aligned with environmental and social sustainability. Worker involvement positively affects the actual implementation of lean manufacturing aligned with environmental and social sustainability.

This research provides guidance to practitioners regarding how different organizational models lead to different levels of lean manufacturing and sustainability strategic alignment and performance.

This research contributes to the operations strategy literature and the sustainability development literature, providing evidence regarding the mechanisms supporting the strategic alignment of lean manufacturing and social and environmental sustainability.

Does the simultaneous vertical and horizontal alignment of HR systems positively impact innovation? The authors use the “innovation value chain” model to explore the interplay between the central strategic human resource management concepts of vertical and horizontal fit of HR systems and their role in positively impacting product innovation management.

The authors use the findings from a case study of a large multinational organization in the high-tech sector for the present study. In the first phase, the authors analyse responses to 20 qualitative interviews with senior business and HR executives at the organization using the grounded theory approach. In the second phase, the authors analysed six years of performance ratings and salary data for 4,500–5,500 employees.

Phase 1 of the study established the importance of innovation management as a strategic priority and the role of vertical and horizontal fit of HR systems and practices in positively impacting innovation management. Phase 2 reinforced the findings from Phase 1 by demonstrating the vertical and horizontal fit of the performance and compensation management processes towards furthering innovation management. Our study findings suggest that both forms of fit boost innovation management and interact to reinforce each other mutually, magnifying their respective positive effects towards improving innovation management.

While past studies have generally focused on the isolated role of either the HR system or that of a bundle of HR practices on innovation, the present study empirically demonstrates the simultaneous role of vertical and horizontal fit of HR systems and practices in furthering innovation management. The authors use interviews with senior executives and objective performance and salary data to provide the first experimental evidence of the mechanism of the interplay between the two forms of fit.

This paper presents an analytical framework for modeling and measuring strategic alignment. The resource-product-market (RPM) model is introduced as a means of representing the alignment of the firm's internal resources with its product lines and external markets. A strategic alignment index is defined to measure the degree of alignment represented by a model.

The RPM model is derived as an extension of prior research on diversification indexes. The strategic alignment index is mathematically defined and the properties of the model are characterized using graph theory. The approach is illustrated for two example firms.

The RPM model is flexible and can be used with different types and measures of resources, products and markets. The model represents strategy in a structural manner addressing a vertical type of alignment. The index ranges continuously from 0 to 1.0, providing a useful scale for measurement and comparison.

Practitioners may use RPM modeling to assess the current alignment of their respective firms and to identify strategic alternatives which increase alignment through a taxonomy of 13 strategic moves. The results of applying the model to ten firms are summarized.

The paper contributes to the literature by providing a new method for modeling firm strategy which integrates resource and industry views, thereby enabling a measurement of their alignment. The paper is also novel in the application of graph theory to management.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a theoretical model for the in‐depth study of organizations, producing a framework which makes it possible to clarify many propositions and to specifically test the theory. In order to carry out this assignment, the paper has two sub‐objectives.

The first one studies the adaptation of the internal culture‐structure variables as a way to determine the congruity of the components of the companies which form the real structure and to study the behavior that is expected from the people in the organization. The second sub‐aim is to analyze whether the partial adaptations of real structure mentioned above are orientated correctly towards the achievement of the strategic aims. Only a suitable design of the real structure which in turn enables the attainment of the aims raised by the strategy will give rise to the obtaining of a suitable level of efficiency.

The key contribution of the paper is to render operative in practical terms such a diffuse concept as is the alignment model.

Alignment theory has been combined with configuration theory to detect the ideal cultural, structural, and strategic options and making the comparison with the real forms possible in order to analyze the possible deviations and to predict the level of efficiency.