Pages: 1550 - 1566 Abstract: Industrial Management & Data Systems, Volume 117, Issue 8, Page 1550-1566, September 2017. Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on the operation strategy of high-performance alliance portfolios by analyzing the effect of alliance portfolios on the performance of focal firms, using post-structuralism of social network theory and contingency theory. In detail, this paper refines alliance portfolios into three dimensions, and studies the moderating role of context on the relation between alliance portfolios and firm performance. Design/methodology/approach The empirical study was carried out with second-hand data gathered from Internal Revenue Service. In total, this paper gathered data from 506 focal firms in Zhejiang Province from 2001 to 2010 as the sample to test the hypotheses. Findings Based on the empirical results, the authors find the positive effect of relational dimension (weak alliance portfolios) and partner dimension (the diversity of partners) on performance. The effect of the former will become weaker with the increasing environmental dynamic, while the effect of the latter will become stronger. However, the structural dimension (alliance portfolios size) and relational dimension (new partners) have the negative effect on performance. And the negative effect will become stronger under high environmental dynamic. Moreover, the negative effect of non-local partners on performance becomes stronger when the environmental dynamic is high. Research limitations/implications The paper reveals that with the industry transformation caused by “internet +,” companies have been required go beyond traditional dyadic alliance management perspective. That is to say, individual alliance relationship should be seen as a part of a much broader picture of alliance portfolio. As such, the framework may help companies to manage their alliance portfolios by matching high-performance alliance portfolios to the external environment to produce a synergistic effect (Lea et al., 2006; Tritos et al., 2013; Keith et al., 2014) taking the characteristics of the configuration of alliance portfolios into consideration. Originality/value The paper presents a model that explains the effect of three dimensions of alliance portfolios on the performance of focal firms in different contexts through empirical study. This paper also integrates post-structuralism of social network theory and contingency theory to enable the understanding on the configuration of alliance portfolios. Citation: Industrial Management & Data Systems PubDate: 2017-09-04T01:24:14Z DOI: 10.1108/IMDS-09-2016-0351
Pages: 1567 - 1588 Abstract: Industrial Management & Data Systems, Volume 117, Issue 8, Page 1567-1588, September 2017. Purpose The online direct selling mode has been widely accepted by enterprises in the O2O era. However, the dual-channel (online/offline, forward/backward) operations of the closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) changed the relationship between manufacturers and retailers, thus resulting in channel conflict. The purpose of this paper is to take a dual-channel operations of CLSC as the research target, where a manufacturer sells a single product through a direct e-channel as well as a conventional retail channel; the retailer are responsible for collecting used products in the reverse supply chain and the manufacturer are responsible for remanufacturing. Design/methodology/approach The authors build a benchmark model of dual-channel price and service competition and take the return rate, which is considered to be related to the service level of the retailer, as the function of the service level to extend the model in the reverse SC. The authors then analyze the optimal pricing and service decision under centralization and decentralization, respectively. Finally, with the revenue-sharing factor, wholesale price and recycling price transfer payment coefficient as contract parameters, the paper also designs a revenue-sharing contract led by the manufacturer and explores in what situation the contract could realize the Pareto optimization of all players. Findings In the baseline model, the results show that optimal price and service level correlate positively in centralization; however, the relation relies on consumers’ price sensitivity in decentralization. In the extension model, the relationship between price and service level also relies on the relative value of increased service cost and remanufacturing saved cost. When the return rate correlates with the service level, a recycling transfer payment can elevate the service level and thus raise the return rate. Through analyzing the parameters in revenue-sharing contract, a point can be reached where lowering the wholesale price and raising the transfer payment coefficient will promote retailers to share revenue. Practical implications Many enterprises establish the dual-channel distribution system both online and offline, which need to understand how to resolve their channel conflict. The conflict is especially strong in CLSC with remanufacturing. The result helps the node enterprises realize the coordination of the dual-channel CLSC. Originality/value It takes into account the fact that there are two complementary relationships, such as online selling and offline delivery; used product recycling and remanufacturing. The authors optimize the strategy of product pricing and service level in order to solve channel conflict and double marginalization in the closed-loop dual-channel distribution network. Citation: Industrial Management & Data Systems PubDate: 2017-09-04T01:23:52Z DOI: 10.1108/IMDS-12-2016-0544
Pages: 1589 - 1611 Abstract: Industrial Management & Data Systems, Volume 117, Issue 8, Page 1589-1611, September 2017. Purpose The purpose of this paper is to establish a conceptual model adopted from a strategy-structure-performance paradigm for investigating the fit between the supply chain integration and halal food supply chain integrity and the impact of halal food supply chain integrity on firms’ performance in a Malaysian context. Design/methodology/approach This study comprises a sample of a halal manufacturing firm in Malaysia. A cross-sectional research design was used in this study. Data were gathered based on mailed and personally administered questionnaires. SmartPLS was used to analyse the 254 valid responses. Findings The research findings indicate that internal integration and strategy have positive impact on halal food supply chain integrity. The study results confirmed that customer integration and supplier integration contributes to halal food supply chain integrity. It also finds that halal food supply chain integrity has a significantly positive impact. Research limitations/implications The results suggested that a strategic collaboration with the supplier pivoted around the quality and integrity of the raw materials should be undertaken. Practical implications The results from this study supports that the managers should adopt all halal food supply chain integrity components to achieve a superior performance. Even though some of the components did not yield significant results in terms of their relationships with firms’ performance, these dimensions were generally related to the standardised industry requirements, such as certifications. Originality/value The findings are original and unique and are based on established theories from the literature on supply chain management practices. The research findings are useful to academics and policymakers interested in fostering a halal supply chain in Malaysia. Citation: Industrial Management & Data Systems PubDate: 2017-09-04T01:24:29Z DOI: 10.1108/IMDS-09-2016-0357
Pages: 1612 - 1631 Abstract: Industrial Management & Data Systems, Volume 117, Issue 8, Page 1612-1631, September 2017. Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a theoretical model to measure the impact of enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) systems and moderating relationships of system and process integration on business value. Design/methodology/approach ERP and CRM systems are analysed with the resource-based view theory and measured by their impact on business value, having in consideration the moderation of system and process integration. The model was tested and analysed with data collected by Microsoft, from firms that have adopted both ERP and CRM systems in their organisation. Findings ERP system is found to be an important asset to business value, but CRM systems’ impact on business value is found to be not significant. System integration as moderator of ERP or CRM system is found to be not significant but has a positive and significant impact on business value. For process integration, the study finds that it is significant only when moderating the CRM system variable. Research limitations/implications The model shows that the moderating effects of system and process integration are important variables for understanding the joint business value of ERP and CRM. Practical implications Adopting an ERP system and ensuring system integration provides a direct impact on business value. In order for a CRM system to have a positive impact on business value, process integration with ERP system must be ensured. Originality/value This study provides new knowledge on how ERP and CRM systems used together may positively influence value from IT investments, and how systems integration and process integration provide business value. Citation: Industrial Management & Data Systems PubDate: 2017-09-04T01:23:54Z DOI: 10.1108/IMDS-08-2016-0340
Pages: 1632 - 1649 Abstract: Industrial Management & Data Systems, Volume 117, Issue 8, Page 1632-1649, September 2017. Purpose Logistics practitioners must continually improve inventory management processes as they daily respond to the twin drivers of customer satisfaction and cost efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the scenario of sourcing goods through lateral transshipments in a periodic-review policy setting, against a backdrop of cost optimization objectives. Design/methodology/approach The authors develop decision rules that make cost-optimized selection between backordering and combined reactive and proactive lateral transshipment options possible. This necessarily takes account of the trade-off between purchasing, holding and backorder cost components. In addition, the authors use simulation studies to illustrate the superior performance of the proposed decision options. Findings According to results of the simulation studies, the proposed two-step decision rule generates the lower inventory cost than the alternative decisions rules. The outperformance of proposed two-step decision rule is valid in different scenario. Practical implications This study develops the decision rules to assist wholesaler logistics practitioners to make optimized decisions with regard to whether they should proactively lateral transshipments and if selected, the optimum size of the extra lateral transshipment. Originality/value This study has made a significant contribution to the existing knowledge base as it develops decision rules for a combined proactive and reactive approach using lateral transhipments to meet both urgent demand and a part of the demand expected during the supplier lead time in a cost-efficient way. Citation: Industrial Management & Data Systems PubDate: 2017-09-04T01:23:32Z DOI: 10.1108/IMDS-08-2016-0325
Pages: 1650 - 1668 Abstract: Industrial Management & Data Systems, Volume 117, Issue 8, Page 1650-1668, September 2017. Purpose The purpose of this paper is to extend prior supply chain research by empirically exploring the relationship among guanxi, supply chain integration (SCI), and operational performance. More specifically, this study investigates the mediating role of SCI. Design/methodology/approach Ordinary least square regression is used to analyze survey data collected from 126 automobile manufacturers in China. Findings The results reveal a significant positive relationship between guanxi and SCI, and that SCI is significantly and positively related to operational performance. The authors’ findings further suggest that guanxi indirectly affects operational performance through SCI. Practical implications The empirical findings imply that it is vital for managers to recognize the important mediating role of dynamic SCI capabilities. Originality/value As a fundamental Chinese cultural norm, guanxi can be critical in a supply chain context. Although previous research has identified the importance of guanxi and SCI in improving firm performance, far less attention was given to the study of the mediating effect of SCI on the guanxi-performance relationship. This study thus fulfills the research gap by providing an initial empirical examination of the mediating role of SCI in China’s automotive industry. Citation: Industrial Management & Data Systems PubDate: 2017-09-04T01:24:53Z DOI: 10.1108/IMDS-06-2016-0198
Pages: 1669 - 1686 Abstract: Industrial Management & Data Systems, Volume 117, Issue 8, Page 1669-1686, September 2017. Purpose Specific research related to the study of innovation barriers in service SMEs in the Latin American region is limited. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects that external environmental, financial and human barriers have on innovation activities, particularly, within the context of Mexican service SMEs. Design/methodology/approach Three hypotheses were formulated and tested using structural equation modelling. Data were collected through an instrument that was developed based on relevant constructs adapted from the literature. The instrument was validated using confirmatory factor analysis, Cronbach’s α test and the composite reliability index to ensure reliability of the theoretical model. The instrument was distributed among service SMEs in the Aguascalientes state of Mexico, from were 308 valid responses were obtained. Findings In general, the results indicate that all the three barriers investigated (i.e. external environmental, financial and human) hinder innovation in service SMEs, with the external environmental barrier being the most significant of the three. Practical implications The findings of this research can inform managers of service SMEs and policy makers when formulating and implementing strategies to reduce innovation barriers. Originality/value Evidence suggests that specific research related to the study of innovation barriers in service SMEs in the Latin American region is limited. This paper fills this research gap by expanding the limited body of knowledge in this field and providing further evidence on this phenomenon. The study also enables the distinctive characteristics of innovation barriers to be understood within a particular context, expanding in this way the body of knowledge on this field. Citation: Industrial Management & Data Systems PubDate: 2017-09-04T01:24:17Z DOI: 10.1108/IMDS-08-2016-0339
Pages: 1687 - 1706 Abstract: Industrial Management & Data Systems, Volume 117, Issue 8, Page 1687-1706, September 2017. Purpose As the number of users on social network services (SNSs) continues to increase at a remarkable rate, privacy and security issues are consistently arising. Although users may not want to disclose their private attributes, these can be inferred from their public behavior on social media. In order to investigate the severity of the leakage of private information in this manner, the purpose of this paper is to present a method to infer undisclosed personal attributes of users based only on the data available on their public profiles on Facebook. Design/methodology/approach Facebook profile data consisting of 32 attributes were collected for 111,123 Korean users. Inferences were made for four private attributes (gender, age, marital status, and relationship status) based on five machine learning-based classification algorithms and three regression algorithms. Findings Experimental results showed that users’ gender can be inferred very accurately, whereas marital status and relationship status can be predicted more accurately with the authors’ algorithms than with a random model. Moreover, the average difference between the actual and predicted ages of users was only 0.5 years. The results show that some private attributes can be easily inferred from only a few pieces of user profile information, which can jeopardize personal information and may increase the risk to dignity. Research limitations/implications In this paper, the authors’ only utilized each user’s own profile data, especially text information. Since users in SNSs are directly or indirectly connected, inference performance can be improved if the profile data of the friends of a given user are additionally considered. Moreover, utilizing non-text profile information, such as profile images, can help increase inference accuracy. The authors’ can also provide a more generalized inference performance if a larger data set of Facebook users is available. Practical implications A private attribute leakage alarm system based on the inference model would be helpful for users not desirous of the disclosure of their private attributes on SNSs. SNS service providers can measure and monitor the risk of privacy leakage in their system to protect their users and optimize the target marketing based on the inferred information if users agree to use it. Originality/value This paper investigates whether private attributes of SNS users can be inferred with a few pieces of publicly available information although users are not willing to disclose them. The experimental results showed that gender, age, marital status, and relationship status, can be inferred by machine-learning algorithms. Based on these results, an early warning system was designed to help both service providers and users to protect the users’ privacy. Citation: Industrial Management & Data Systems PubDate: 2017-09-04T01:24:13Z DOI: 10.1108/IMDS-07-2016-0276
Pages: 1707 - 1719 Abstract: Industrial Management & Data Systems, Volume 117, Issue 8, Page 1707-1719, September 2017. Purpose In order to understand the influence of technology innovation on market demand diffusion in the ICT service market, the purpose of this paper is to examine technology innovation in the mobile product market, which keeps a complementary relationship with the mobile communication market. Design/methodology/approach This study collected mobile communication user information of four leading countries in the ICT market – the USA, the UK, Korea, and Japan from 1981 to 2014. This study applies the Bass diffusion model to analyze the form of market demand diffusion and conducts white noise test to verify the hypotheses. Findings Technology innovation of mobile communication leads to an increase in innovation effect and a decrease in imitation effect. Thus, technology innovation of mobile communication needs to be promoted continuously for the purpose of increasing adopters in the early stage. Besides, mobile product’s technology innovation leads to an increase in imitation effect and a decrease in innovation effect, because individuals were aware of the usefulness of the products and services. Hence, the increase in the number of imitators caused a higher increase in imitation effect than in the mobile communication’s innovation effect. Originality/value Based on the results of this study, the role that product and service technology innovation plays in renewing the form of market demand diffusion in the ICT service market was defined. Also, since the strategies and plans to acquire competitive advantage of business were understood, it may help both companies and policy decision makers. Citation: Industrial Management & Data Systems PubDate: 2017-09-04T01:23:27Z DOI: 10.1108/IMDS-10-2016-0425
Pages: 1720 - 1737 Abstract: Industrial Management & Data Systems, Volume 117, Issue 8, Page 1720-1737, September 2017. Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the strategic intangible process assets characterization (SIPAC) methodology illustrated by an example of its application to the field of information technology (IT). This is a pioneering methodology for characterizing the impact and quality of intangible process assets and intellectual capital as levers to achieve organizational objectives. This strategic intellectual capital approach will help to identify both intangible assets and indicators geared to meeting organizational objectives. This is of vital importance since the success of an organization can be construed in terms of goal achievement. Design/methodology/approach The paper illustrates an example of the step-by-step application of the proposed methodology at an IT company. The aim is to describe its use in a real case so that other companies can benefit from the replication of the methodology used. Findings The proposed methodology (SIPAC) that the authors have designed and applied has been found to be useful and provide an insightful new point of view for strategic decision making in the IT industry taking into account intangible process assets. Practical implications The proposed methodology has been exemplified in a real case. This should help organizations to use the methodology to replicate the results. Originality/value Each and every organization has know-how represented by intangible assets. This paper meets an identified need to use intangible process assets as levers to help organizations achieve their business goals. Citation: Industrial Management & Data Systems PubDate: 2017-09-04T01:23:17Z DOI: 10.1108/IMDS-10-2016-0422
Pages: 1738 - 1760 Abstract: Industrial Management & Data Systems, Volume 117, Issue 8, Page 1738-1760, September 2017. Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate effects of two integrative mechanisms of third-party logistics (3PL) integration (i.e. information sharing and process coordination) between users and providers on relationship satisfaction, and further explores how partnership-surrounding (e.g. legal unprotectability) and partnership-specific barriers (e.g. measurement difficulty and cooperation difficulty) influence 3PL integration in the context of Chinese 3PL practices. Design/methodology/approach Using data collected from 247 3PL users in China, this study uses the structural equation modeling method to empirically examine the relationship among partnership-surrounding/specific barriers, 3PL integration and relationship satisfaction. Findings The results show that information sharing has no significant effect on relationship satisfaction, while process coordination has a positive effect on relationship satisfaction and partially mediates the relationship between information sharing and relationship satisfaction. Furthermore, as partnership-specific barrier, measurement difficulty and cooperation difficulty are negatively related to information sharing and process coordination. Surprisingly, as partnership-surrounding barrier, legal unprotectability is not significantly related to information sharing but is positively related to process coordination. Originality/value As a comprehensive study on 3PL user-provider relationship in China, this study extends existing 3PL literature by providing evidence about the importance of 3PL integration and different types of barriers to 3PL integration, also providing managerial implications for 3PL users, providers, law and regulation makers about how to better implement 3PL integration in China. Citation: Industrial Management & Data Systems PubDate: 2017-09-04T01:23:33Z DOI: 10.1108/IMDS-08-2016-0344
Pages: 1761 - 1776 Abstract: Industrial Management & Data Systems, Volume 117, Issue 8, Page 1761-1776, September 2017. Purpose Although perceived risk and usefulness have been identified as two major factors that influence consumer acceptance of an innovative mobile payment (m-payment), relatively few researchers have explored the impact of affective factors on perceived risk and usefulness, and the relationship between perceived risk and usefulness. Also, it is unclear whether there is a difference in the acceptance intention among users across different diffusion stages of this innovation. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of positive emotion in consumer acceptance of WeChat payment across time. Design/methodology/approach This study proposed and validated a framework integrating the consumer response system model and the affect heuristic. A total of 484 valid responses were collected through two online surveys at two diffusion stages of WeChat payment technology. The structural equation modeling and multigroup analysis were used to test the hypotheses. Findings The results show that users’ acceptance intention is relatively related to perceived risk, perceived usefulness, and positive emotion. Positive emotion has a strong negative impact on perceived risk and a positive impact on perceived usefulness. Also, perceived usefulness strongly decreases users’ perception of risk. Multigroup analyses find that both positive emotion and perceived risk have significant positive and negative impacts on acceptance intention at the stage of market introduction rather than market growth. Rather, the influence of positive usefulness on acceptance intention is significantly higher at the stage of market growth than at market introduction. Originality/value This study indicates that exploring the role of positive emotion and the moderating effect of diffusion stages in m-payment acceptance provides a more comprehensive understanding of how to achieve a greater acceptance rate of an innovative m-payment. Citation: Industrial Management & Data Systems PubDate: 2017-09-04T01:25:02Z DOI: 10.1108/IMDS-08-2016-0312
Hybrid journal (It can contain Open Access articles)
[335 journals]
