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The purpose of this study is to develop and validate the business streamlining (BS) model proposed in 2017.

This study/paper develops and validates the qualitatively generated BS model, a conceptual model of service sourcing relationships, by testing it quantitatively. A survey was sent to chief exective officers, chief purchasing officers or facility managers in 764 private or public companies in Sweden with an annual turnover exceeding € 10m. The categories were tested and analyzed by means of factor analysis.

The BS model for managing service sourcing processes was confirmed to be significant overall, meaning that it is applicable irrespective of service sourcing context. The efficiency pursuing (EP) was found to have an interlinking role that calls for a revision of the BS model. Furthermore, the four categories tended to load pairwise.

Although this cross-sectional study confirms the relevance of the BS model for managing service-sourcing processes, further studies should examine both the relative significance of its categories in different service-sourcing contexts and why the four main categories tend to pair.

The results support that the model is flexible and adaptable to a wide range of service-sourcing circumstances. Irrespective of the relative complexity of facility management (FM) sourcing processes, the categories can be adapted to fit the service sourcing context. Thus, it can be used as a tool to analyze and facilitate strategic decision-making.

The paper validates that the BS model can represent the dynamics of different service-sourcing processes, regardless of the complexity of the context.

Reshoring implies the reconfiguration of supply networks. Focusing on the specific case of a born-offshored firm that engaged in reshoring of outsourced activities, this study aims to analyse how initial key suppliers in the home country can help the reshoring firm to organize a new supply network.

The research is qualitative and based on a single exploratory case study. The data was collected from multiple primary and secondary sources, and using different techniques, such as in-depth interviews, direct observation and network pictures.

The study provides insights on how an initial key supplier can enable its customers’ reshoring in the home country. Specifically, the authors identify 10 roles played by a key supplier. The results also identify supply network formation as an essential component of the reshoring process.

This paper provides unique contributions. Firstly, it presents the specific and under-explored case of a born-offshored firm engaged in outsourced reshoring; secondly, it sheds light on the roles that key suppliers may play for the reshoring process; thirdly, it explores the formation of business relationships in the context of reshoring. In essence, the paper contributes to the reshoring literature, by stressing the importance of supply network formation in the reshoring process and by identifying the multiplicity of roles that key suppliers can play when implementing reshoring, and to the industrial marketing and purchasing (IMP) literature, by showing how relationships and networks develop during reshoring, a phenomenon so far understudied by IMP scholars.

To investigate how providers of product-service bundles design and manage their contracts with upstream suppliers to incentivise incremental innovation for the benefit of their downstream customers, who contract the provider based on performance.

An embedded multiple-case study was conducted to examine elements of a European jet fighter’s manufacturing and after-sales supply chain. The embedded cases concern provider contracts with first-tier suppliers of product and service offerings. Data collection involved 21 semi-structured interviews, documents and other secondary data sources. Data analysis was informed by agency theory to assess the effectiveness of contract design and management in delivering incremental innovation and to identify related contracting strategies.

We identify four strategies for fostering incremental innovation in contracts between providers and their first-tier suppliers. These include two contract design strategies, i.e. reducing goal incongruence and addressing information asymmetry; and two contract management strategies, i.e. reducing outcome uncertainty and promoting inter-firm integration between providers and sub-suppliers.

The research offers managerial guidelines regarding how providers can design and manage their tier-one supplier contracts to achieve incremental innovation. These include encouraging early supplier involvement, using focussed KPIs in contracts, and managing product and service-offering suppliers differently.

The research shows the contingent effect during contract design and management of a sub-supplier’s product vs. service offering, which, in turn, impacts incremental innovation. We also find that using focussed key performance indicators in sub-supplier contracts can be effective in improving product and service quality.

Despite significant advancements in project processes, tools and systems, overall project success rates have not markedly improved. Recent studies underscore the importance of “value creation” as a key factor in enhancing project outcomes, particularly through the interaction between project managers and employees. However, there remains a critical gap in understanding how project managers can effectively leverage daily social interactions to foster cooperation and create value in complex, temporary and high-pressure environments typical of project-based organizations. This study aims to address this gap by exploring the lived experiences of project managers in governmental project-based organizations, focusing on how they use social interactions as a strategic tool for value creation.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with various groups of project managers using open-ended questions, selected through the snowball sampling method. The collected data were then analyzed qualitatively using grounded theory techniques.

The findings indicate that project managers can foster value creation in the minds of employees by employing a range of behavioral strategies in the workplace. The effectiveness of these strategies, however, is influenced by the prevailing social culture within the project implementation site.

Consequently, understanding and adopting the appropriate behavioral approaches depend on the project’s unique social context. In conclusion, this research sheds light on the most effective parameters for value creation through social interactions in project spaces.

The aim of this paper is to develop a framework to enhance building maintainability through facilitating early suppliers’ involvement (ESI) in the design process.

A research methodology consisting of literature review, case studies and survey questionnaire was designed to achieve the above-mentioned aim. Firstly, literature review was used to examine the concepts of building maintenance, maintainability, the design process and ESI. Secondly, three case studies were presented and analysed to investigate the role of ESI towards enhancing building maintainability during the design process. Thirdly, a survey questionnaire was carried out with a representative sample of architectural design firms (ADFs) in Egypt to investigate their perception and application of ESI towards enhancing building maintainability during the design process. Finally, the research developed a framework to facilitate ESI in the design process in ADFs in Egypt.

Through literature review, the research highlighted the relationship between ESI and enhancing building maintainability and identified the roles, benefits, challenges and that encounter ESI in ADFs, factors for suppliers selection and levels of involvement. Results of the data analysis showed that “Difficulty of trusting external parties and sharing information with transparency” was ranked the highest challenge of ESI in ADFs in Egypt, followed by “Legal competitive advantage restrictions”. Moreover, “Better estimation for operation and maintenance costs” was ranked the highest contributions of ESI towards enhancing building maintainability, followed by “Reduce the number of operation and maintenance problems or reworks”. Finally, respondents stated that “Innovation, technical expertise, and competence” was ranked the highest supplier’s selection criteria, while “paying consultation fees for offering advice and recommendations to the design team” was ranked the highest form of supplier’s remuneration.

The proposed framework contributes to the body of knowledge through proposing five functions that aimed to facilitate ESI in the design process, a research area that received scant attention in construction research. In addition, because of the conceptual nature of the framework, it has to be validated to ensure its capability to overcome the challenges of ESI as an approach for enhancing building maintainability during the design process.

This research presents a practical solution that bridges the gap between theory and practice through overcoming the challenges that obstruct suppliers from being involved in the design process as an approach for enhancing building maintainability.

This research discussed the relationship between ESI and enhancing building maintainability as well as the roles, benefits and challenges that encounter ESI in ADFs. In addition, the research investigated the levels of suppliers’ involvement, selection criteria and forms of payment. Moreover, it investigated the perception and application of ESI in ADFs in Egypt towards improving building maintainability. The research proposed a framework to facilitate the integration of suppliers in the early stages of the project life cycle. It represents a synthesis that is novel and creative in thought and adds value to the knowledge in a manner that has not previously occurred.

This study aims to explore and present discussions regarding the interconnectedness of procurement fraud, supply chain education, professional maturity and ethics, and their relevance to adopting a transcendence concept as well as proposing research directions thereof.

This study adopts a conceptual, intending to synthesize insights and propose a new conceptual framework that incorporates the transcendence framework and the process matrix. This generic framework provides a holistic view of the procurement and supply chain landscape at multiple levels – individual, team, organizational and industry.

This paper delves into the complex landscape of corruption within procurement, involving a diverse array of participants, including procurement professionals. The effectiveness of current corruption theories may be limited in this context. Despite the introduction of ethical training and anti-corruption initiatives, corruption remains widespread. The delivery of content and the design of the curriculum in supply chain education necessitate a reorientation to include not only moral education but also practical or hands-on delivery methods. In Kenya, sectors such as health and education exhibit a lack of recognition and professional maturity. When all the research constructs are examined separately, they do not provide a holistic understanding, thus underscoring the need for a comprehensive approach across the supply chain spectrum. This topic is ripe for further academic investigation with empirical evidence.

This paper provides key insights for researchers and practitioners in the field of procurement and supply chain education, particularly in Kenya. However, it acknowledges the lack of empirical studies and the limitations of current research, including procurement fraud, the context-specific nature of the findings and the dynamic nature of corruption and procurement practices concerning the constructs. This paper calls for further research to address these gaps, validate its propositions and contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of public procurement and corruption in Kenya. It also emphasizes the need for continuous research due to the evolving nature of corruption and procurement practices.

This study has practical relevance for researchers, professionals and the procurement and supply chain ecosystem. It offers insights that can inform future research, professional advocacy and policy development regarding the shape of supply chain academia in Kenya. In addition, it contributes to the advancement of procurement and supply chain professionalism in the country.

This study underscores the necessity for breaking the cycle of procurement fraud, enhancing procurement and supply chain education in Kenya, and fostering active engagement of professional associations in promoting maturity and specialization within the field.

This study holds distinctive value by uncovering previously unexplored dynamics among supply chain constructs within the context of a lower-middle-income economy, i.e. Kenya. Deconstructing and synergizing these concepts calls for a more robust theoretical and empirical comprehension of these constructs within Kenya's unique background.

This study aims to investigate the efficacy of the supply network approach in bolstering supply chain resilience amidst escalating global uncertainty. With enterprises worldwide facing increasing threats that disrupt supply chains, this research explores how firms enhance supply network resilience during crises.

Using a multi-case study design, this research thoroughly examines interactions within firms’ supply networks to uncover new insights on supply network approach and how firms enhance supply network resilience against global uncertainty. The selection of cases was methodologically aligned to represent diverse industries and geographical locations to ensure a comprehensive analysis.

This study’s findings reveal how firms develop supply network resilience during global crises. The supply network perspective provides a deeper understanding of how firms manage supply chain interactions, interdependencies and strategic positions to survive and thrive during crises. The conceptual framework developed here provides insights that can foster improved coordination and facilitate effective temporary organising. The framework highlights the need for firms to proactively seize opportunities and mitigate risks within their global supply chains during crises to boost overall resilience.

Offering novel insights into the domain of supply chain networks, this study underscores novel perspectives of the supply network approach when firms develop supply chain resilience during global crises. Highlighting the adaptive responses of firms that integrate these approaches enriches the understanding of strategic manoeuvres firms can use to navigate global uncertainty and secure supply chain continuity.

This research examines the long-held belief in the adaption-related literature that a firm’s ability to adapt organizational structure to changing environments is related to superior performance. We create and test a construct that reflects an organization’s ability to change structure, which we call Supply Chain Structural Adaptability (SCSA), rather than relying on proxies (e.g. structural form or organizational modularity) used in prior studies.

Quantitative data was collected from 218 firms to test our conceptual model.

We find that SCSA has a mixed effect on profitable growth under various environmental conditions.

We find evidence that refutes two widely held assumptions in organization research, namely, that structural form serves as a reasonable proxy for structural adaptability and that the benefits of adaptive capabilities always increase as environmental dynamism increases.

The different dimensions and contexts within which value is co-created has generated varied views of how value is understood or formed. This study aims to examine employee-guest perceived value as important factors for the successful implementation of value co-creation (VCC).

The study employs an interpretive paradigm, using in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and participant observation in a qualitative design to increase understanding of employee-guest perceived value to aid the implementation of VCC at the dyadic level.

Findings highlight eight value perceptions including value for money, hotel location, physical evidence, mutual respect, appreciation, safety & security, quality & varieties of food and technological characteristics of service as important factors for the successful implementation of VCC at the dyadic level.

Generalisability of the findings is a limitation not only due to the smaller sample size but also due to industry-specific context. The study follows rigorous procedures to minimise biases, yet research limitation is acknowledged from the researcher’s participation in the research process.

The notion that actor’s assess value differently from the same service suggests that diverse service elements might be experienced differently. This study provides insights for hotel managers to recognise not only individuals’ value preferences but also service types that reflect employee-guest collective service preferences for sustainability.

This study integrates and extends extant literature by examining employees’ and guests’ individual and collective views at distinct hotel contexts to gain useful insights into value and VCC. The study proposes a framework that hospitality firms can use to address service failure and competition-related issues.