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This study investigates how insurance intermediaries in Portugal and Ireland evaluate supply chain management (SCM) practices within the insurance industry, specifically focusing on potential regional variations in their assessments.

A comparative research design was employed, collecting data through surveys administered to insurance brokers in Portugal and Ireland. These countries were chosen due to their well-developed intermediary-based insurance markets.

The results show that some dimensions of supply chain management are significantly different between Portugal and Ireland. Nevertheless, the insurance brokers from the two countries also share similar views on key aspects of supply chain management.

This study offers valuable insights for insurance industry management, particularly regarding the dynamics of the insurer-intermediary relationship and the importance of catering to intermediary needs. The findings also highlight potential areas for European Union policy consideration, such as addressing potential asymmetries within the insurance sector across member states.

Improved relationships and collaboration within the insurance supply chain can lead to enhanced access to insurance products and more tailored services for consumers.

This research addresses two key gaps in the literature. Firstly, it examines the insurer-intermediary relationship from the intermediary perspective, a viewpoint often neglected in prior research. Secondly, the study investigates and confirms the existence of regional variations in insurance SCM practices across two European countries.

本研究擬探究在葡萄牙和愛爾蘭兩地的保險中介人於保險行業內,如何評價供應鏈管理方面的慣常做法,研究會特別專注探討這些評價所顯示的潛在地域差異。

研究人員以比較研究設計進行其探究;他們透過向葡萄牙和愛爾蘭兩國的保險經紀發出調查,繼而收集數據。這兩個國家被選中的原因是:它們擁有健全的、以中介為基礎的保險市場。

研究結果顯示,葡萄牙和愛爾蘭兩國的供應鏈管理在有些層面上存在著顯著的差異;但兩地的保險經紀在供應鏈管理的關鍵環節上則有頗類似的見解和看法。

本研究在保險業管理方面提供了寶貴的啟示,特別是它使我們更了解承保人與中介人之間的關係的變革動力,以及滿足中介人需要的重要性。研究結果亦強調了歐洲聯盟在制訂政策時必須考慮的潛在領域,如處理各成員國之間於保險業內的潛在不對稱。

若保險供應鏈內各方的關係和合作得到改善,則消費者會更容易取得各種保險產品;同時,他們亦可獲得更合適的訂製服務。

本研究嘗試處理相關文獻內兩個主要的研究缺口。首先,研究人員以中介人的觀點,去探討承保人與中介人之間的關係,而過去的研究,通常忽視了這個觀點;其次,本研究探究並確認有關的兩個歐洲國家,在其保險供應鏈管理方面的慣常做法上,確實存在著地域差異。

Even though trust is known for improving supply chain performance (SCP), previous studies have overlooked the investigation of its dimensions. Limited studies exist on the variations of the influence of trust dimensions in agribusiness supply chain relationships. This study examined the influence of trust dimensions on SCP in a developing country's context.

A cross-sectional study design was used to collect from 204 farmers and 192 traders (396 respondents) using a multistage sampling approach. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the hypothesized relationships.

Pooled sample results show that integrity and competence were the trust dimensions with significant effects on SCP, whereas competence was significant across different supply chains and markets, integrity and benevolence were only significant along fresh chains and in the contract market.

The extent of application of this study's findings is limited to situations similar to those of tomato and soybeans value chains in developing countries.

The paper contributes to a better understanding of the influence of trust dimensions on SCP across supply chains in different market typologies in agribusiness relationships in a developing country's context.

This paper aims to examine the effects of intellectual property rights (IPRs) on firm performance, considering the mediating effect of process innovation and the moderating effect of organizational innovation. Additionally, this study investigates both the direct and indirect effects of IPRs on firm performance.

We employed partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine proposed hypotheses. Our analysis attempted to analyze 3,750 Korean firms sourced from the Science and Technology Policy Research Institute (STEPI).

Process innovation mediates the relationship between IPRs and firm performance, and organizational innovation moderates the relationship between IPRs and process innovation. As a result, process and organizational innovation positively and indirectly affect firms’ financial performance. Also, IPRs can be regarded as a crucial resource for service firms, contributing to enhancing their performance.

The results of this study imply that IPRs can act as valuable intellectual resources for firms, improving financial performance. The mediating role of process innovation in the relationship between IPRs and firm performance highlights the significance of process innovation as a principal resource applicable to both the service and the manufacturing industries. Additionally, this study reveals that organizational innovation plays a vital role in determining firm performance by moderating the relationship between IPRs and process innovation. For the limitation of this study, it is important to acknowledge that the research primarily focuses on examining firms’ internal resources, while innovation activities can be significantly influenced by external knowledge resources as well. To address this limitation, future research should consider integrating the influence of external knowledge resources to provide a more well-rounded perspective on the relationship between IPRs, innovation, and firm performance.

This study holds two significant practical implications. First, from a corporate management perspective, service firms can improve their financial performance by developing or improving process innovations. This underscores the importance of investing in and fostering process innovation within an organization to achieve better financial outcomes. Second, from the corporate managers’ perspective, organizational innovation is crucial in improving firm performance, particularly when combined with IPRs and process innovation. This suggests that a holistic approach to innovation, encompassing both organizational and process-oriented initiatives, can lead to more substantial positive effects on firm performance. Finally, managers should proactively manage and regulate IPRs at various organizational levels, especially in the rapidly evolving digital landscape. By safeguarding and strategically leveraging their IPRs, companies can position themselves advantageously and capitalize on the opportunities presented in the digital realm.

This study shows that firm innovations can dynamically shape the relationship between IPRs and firms’ performance. This highlights the significant potential for firms to leverage their intellectual resources strategically to create novel and competitive products or services. Adopting a resource-based view, this study suggests that firms can enhance their competitive advantage and overall performance by effectively utilizing and collaborating with IPRs and innovations.

“The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on service innovation during the past two decades and provide an analysis of sources of publication, citations and authorship using bibliometric analysis techniques (VOSviewer).” This paper aims to assesses the important trends, enhance the academic debate, identify research gaps and propose future directions and a research agenda.

This paper examines 176 articles in English language published from 2002 to 2022 from the Scopus database by adopting the bibliometric technique using VOSviewer software. This paper analyzes the different levels and boundaries of service innovation using bibliometric analysis of “service innovation research” using VOSviewer software. The methodology analyzes the number of citations, co-citations, keywords, authors, journals and countries.

The review of the past 20 years indicates a substantial growth in the number of good research publications on service innovation. The UK, the USA, Sweden and Australia dominate this research area with the most articles published to date under the subject area of “Business management.” The review highlighted that most of the studies on service innovation focused on products, companies and processes in the services industry. The most critical factors behind service innovation failure are improper management and lack of knowledge. The citation analysis revealed various research implications and directions for the future.

This study focuses only on service innovation and excludes research on performance management and control. Thus, future studies may explore this area of research in future studies. Only research articles were analyzed; conference papers, reports, manuals and white papers from practice were excluded. Research implications indicate that future studies on service innovation would be essential for organizational excellence, not process excellence.

This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the current status and essential trends of research on service innovation. This study identifies the research gaps and provides a clear research agenda for understanding the various elements of service innovation.

Based on the Social Exchange Theory (SET), the paper attempts to extend the research on the relationship between green self-managed teams and firm performance by exploring the serial mediation of extra-role green behavior and environmental performance. Furthermore, via moderated mediation, the study inspected the differences in relationships among these variables for manufacturing and service organizations.

Data of 407 respondents from 122 manufacturing and service organizations (having green self-managed teams) operating in India were collected using purposive sampling. Various statistical techniques like confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), correlations, multiple regressions and bootstrapping were employed.

The results indicated that extra-role green behavior and environmental performance served as serial mediators. Additionally, the nature of the organizations significantly moderated several indirect relationships, with one pathway found to be insignificant.

The study may be limited by the fact that the data were collected at a single moment in time rather than using a longitudinal design.

The study guides service organizations to attract environmentally conscious employees by promoting green self-managed teams and manufacturing organizations to enrich their operations and service delivery through such teams.

The study uniquely examines how green self-managed teams addressing environmental issues contribute to improved firm performance through mutual exchanges. It also advances existing literature by conducting a comparative analysis across manufacturing and service organizations in an emerging Indian market.

The purpose of this study is to explore green innovation and its role in driving competitiveness in Ecuadorian manufacturing firms, focusing on structural equation modelings, which account for more than 90% of the productive units and aggregate national income. The manufacturing sector in Ecuador reports variable growth since the start of the COVID pandemic, drawing more attention from practitioners, regulators and scholars alike, due to its distinctive footprint on people, profit and planet, particularly in the context of developing economies.

A model with two second-order constructs is developed and tested in a sample of 325 managers from manufacturing firms in Ecuador, using quantitative and cross-section methods.

After obtaining adjusted and validated metrics, a structural equation model is presented, where the main hypothesis is confirmed, supporting the positive impact of green innovation on competitiveness.

The research provides evidence on how manufacturing firms favoring green innovation in their long-term planning can unlock and sustain competitiveness. Policymakers could then offer incentives for firms to embed sustainable practices, with potential ripple effects along the supply chain, aggregating up competitiveness to industry and national levels.

The study aims to bridge the existing knowledge gap on the interplay of green innovation and competitiveness, claiming that the former significantly influences the latter, in an emerging market context, with incremental gains for all stakeholders, as posited by stakeholder theory.

El propósito de esta investigación es explorar la innovación verde y su rol en la generación de competitividad en las empresas manufactureras ecuatorianas, centrándose en las PYMES, que representan más del 90 por ciento de las unidades productivas y del ingreso nacional agregado. El sector manufacturero en Ecuador reporta un crecimiento variable desde el inicio de la pandemia de COVID, lo cual atrae la atención de profesionales, reguladores y académicos por igual, debido a su huella distintiva en la sociedad, la rentabilidad y el planeta, particularmente en el contexto de las economías en desarrollo.

Se desarrolla y estima un modelo con dos constructos de segundo orden, en una muestra de 325 gerentes de empresas manufactureras del Ecuador, utilizando métodos cuantitativos y transversales.

Tras obtener métricas ajustadas y validadas, se presenta un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales, donde se confirma la hipótesis principal, sustentando el impacto positivo de la innovación verde en la competitividad.

Aportamos evidencia empírica sobre cómo las empresas manufactureras que favorecen iniciativas ecológicamente innovadoras en su planificación a largo plazo, pueden generar y sostener competitividad. Los reguladores podrían eventualmente diseñar incentivos para que las empresas incorporen prácticas sustentables, acumulando beneficios en la cadena de suministro, e incrementando así la competitividad a nivel de la industria y de la economía en su conjunto.

Nuestro estudio aspira contribuir a cerrar la brecha en la literatura en la convergencia entre la innovación verde y la competitividad, argumentando que la primera influye significativamente en la segunda, en un contexto de mercado emergente, con beneficios incrementales para todas las partes interesadas, como lo postula la teoría de stakeholders.

O objetivo desta pesquisa é explorar a inovação verde e seu papel na promoção da competitividade nas empresas manufatureiras equatorianas, com foco nas PMEs, que representam mais de 90% das unidades produtivas e da renda nacional. O sector manufatureiro no Equador regista um crescimento variável desde o início da pandemia da COVID, atraindo mais atenção tanto de profissionais, reguladores como académicos, devido à sua pegada distinta nas pessoas, nos lucros e no planeta, particularmente no contexto das economias em desenvolvimento.

Um modelo com dois construtos de segunda ordem é desenvolvido e testado em uma amostra de 325 gestores de empresas industriais no Equador, utilizando métodos quantitativos e transversais.

Após a obtenção de métricas ajustadas e validadas, é apresentado um modelo de equações estruturais, onde é confirmada a hipótese principal, apoiando o impacto positivo da inovação verde na competitividade.

A nossa investigação fornece evidências sobre como as empresas industriais que favorecem iniciativas ecologicamente inovadoras no seu planeamento a longo prazo, podem aumentar e sustentar a competitividade. Os decisores políticos poderiam então oferecer incentivos às empresas para incorporar práticas sustentáveis, com potenciais efeitos em cascata ao longo da cadeia de abastecimento, agregando competitividade aos níveis industrial e nacional.

O nosso estudo visa colmatar a lacuna de conhecimento existente sobre a interação entre inovação verde e competitividade, alegando que a primeira influencia significativamente a última, num contexto de mercado emergente, com ganhos incrementais para todas as partes interessadas, conforme postulado pela teoria dos stakeholders.

This empirical study explores the intricate relationships between Industry 4.0 (I4), Lean practices and sustainable operational performance (SOP) within the dynamic context of the services sector. Rooted in the theoretical framework of Resource Orchestration Theory (ROT), the research investigates the nuanced interplay between these paradigms and their collective impact on firm performance.

The research methods included creation of a structural model, hypothesis formulation and advanced data analysis. Primary data were gathered through an online questionnaire distributed among service sector professionals. Analysis was completed using Partial Least Squares (PLS) Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using the Smart-PLS software.

The results underscore the mediating role of Lean practices between I4 and SOP, emphasizing the imperative of harmonized integration to enhance overall firm performance. In alignment with ROT principles, the study illuminates the positive influence of Lean practices on sustainable operational outcomes.

The study contributes to the scholarly discourse on I4, Lean and Services, emphasizing the strategic necessity of integrating I4 capabilities with Lean practices. Practical insights guide practitioners in orchestrating a balanced adoption of I4 and Lean practices for SOP. This research offers actionable insights for industry leaders seeking to cultivate SOP within their organizational contexts.

This study contributes to the evolving understanding of the interplay between I4, Lean practices and SOP within the services sector, offering novel insights for both academia and industry practitioners.