Argues that the existing supply chain literature provides no explanation for the role of intermediation and intermediaries and may even be said to predict their demise. This claim…
Abstract
Argues that the existing supply chain literature provides no explanation for the role of intermediation and intermediaries and may even be said to predict their demise. This claim is made on the basis of two assumptions derived from the literature, namely that intermediation reduces supply chain transparency and adds cost but not value. Observes, however, that intermediation is an important component in many international clothing supply chains and outlines an explanatory framework that focuses on information costs. The principal sources of information costs in international markets for clothing are then identified and, finally, a case study is presented to provide empirical illustration of the preceding arguments, demonstrating the explanatory power of the theory advanced.
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Andrew Popp, J.E. Ruckman and H. Rowe
Building on a series of earlier studies of the relationship between quality and international clothing supply chains, this paper focuses on the role of independent test houses in…
Abstract
Building on a series of earlier studies of the relationship between quality and international clothing supply chains, this paper focuses on the role of independent test houses in order to further explore the tensions between cost and quality imperatives operating in the process of internationalisation. The paper, using qualitative data derived from semi‐structured face‐to‐face interviews, first establishes a theoretical perspective on the position of testing and the test house in the supply chain, before turning to an examination of the cultural attributes of test houses, retailers and manufacturers. This approach allows for an assessment of the value accorded to quality issues. The paper concludes by stressing the dominance of the cost imperative.
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The purpose of this paper is to reflect back over his career as a management and business historian so far as to consider opportunities for the future of management and business…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to reflect back over his career as a management and business historian so far as to consider opportunities for the future of management and business history as a disciplinary area.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper consists of two segments – the first half is an auto-ethnographic personal reflection looking at the author’s research journey and how the discipline as experienced by the author has evolved over that time. The second half is a prescriptive look forward to consider how we should leverage the strengths as historians to progress the discipline forward.
Findings
The paper demonstrates opportunities for management and business history to encompass new agendas including the expansion of the topic into teaching, the possibility for the advancement of empirical contributions and opportunities for findings in new research areas, including the global south and public and project management history.
Originality/value
The paper demonstrates that historians should be more confident in the disciplinary capabilities, particularly their understandings of historic context, continuity, change and chronologies when making empirical and theoretical contributions.
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Paul Childerhouse, Ramzi Hermiz, Rachel Mason‐Jones, Andrew Popp and Denis R. Towill
The automotive industry acts as a barometer and flagship of the national economy. First tier suppliers are essential enablers in the success of the sector. Here we identify…
Abstract
The automotive industry acts as a barometer and flagship of the national economy. First tier suppliers are essential enablers in the success of the sector. Here we identify present practices concerning information flow as perceived by typical first tier suppliers. Observations are made via “top pain analysis” facing an individual supplier and “quick scan analysis” on a range of automotive value streams. Major information flow weaknesses encountered in real‐world value streams are highlighted. To conclude, we show the “well‐trodden path” established for performance improvement as enabled in real‐world supply chains.
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Paul Childerhouse, Ramzi Hermiz, Rachel Mason‐Jones, Andrew Popp and Denis R. Towill
Improving competitive advantage to the first‐tier echelon of automotive supply chains is enabled via the requirement for transparent information flows in both the order‐generating…
Abstract
Improving competitive advantage to the first‐tier echelon of automotive supply chains is enabled via the requirement for transparent information flows in both the order‐generating and order fulfilment channels. However, four generic areas are identified which are barriers to improving performance. These are cultural (is it in our interests?); organisational (does the supply chain have the right structure?); technological (what common format and standards are required?); and financial (who pays the bill?). How these barriers may be overcome to the benefit of all “players” in the chain is discussed, plus benchmarking of current best practice. Exemplar supply chains are identified as noteworthy for the emergence of supply chain “product champions”. These have the vision, authority, and drive to implement new systems and set in place mechanisms to minimise regression to old working practices.
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Gaynor Lea‐Greenwood, Ruth Murphy and Margaret Bruce
The second annual conference of the Research Alliance of Fashion and Textiles (RAFT), hosted by the Department of Clothing Design and Technology of Manchester Metropolitan…
Abstract
The second annual conference of the Research Alliance of Fashion and Textiles (RAFT), hosted by the Department of Clothing Design and Technology of Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), took place in Manchester in June.
This paper aims to apply the Legitimacy-Based View (LBV) of political risk to the experience of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) in the First World War. The…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to apply the Legitimacy-Based View (LBV) of political risk to the experience of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) in the First World War. The paper shows that HSBC’s ability to survive this conflict was due, in part, to its ability to manage political risk by maintaining legitimacy in the eyes of stakeholders in its home market(s), Hong Kong and the UK.
Design/methodology/approach
This case study is based on the surviving internal correspondence from this period in the HSBC Group archives in London and other primary sources.
Findings
This paper suggests that maintaining legitimacy in the home market is crucial to firm survival and profitability. Managers’ efforts to bolster firm legitimacy should ensure that individuals in all of the relevant government departments continue to regard the multinational enterprise (MNE) as legitimate.
Research limitations/implications
This paper shows that the LBV is a potentially powerful analytical tool, but it also argues that the LBV must be modified so as to incorporate insights from the theoretical literature on ethnic and national identities, particularly the insight that such identities are culturally constructed and malleable.
Practical implications
Warfare tends to increase the degree to which a MNE’s stakeholders feel emotional bonds to their respective nations. HSBC’s experience in the First World War suggests that continued profitability in wartime may depend on the firm’s ability to shed its peacetime “world citizen” identity in favour of one that is more closely aligned with that of its home nation. Preserving political capital in wartime may require the ruthless termination of relationships with clients and employees who are associated with the enemy nation. Another lesson that MNE managers can derive from this paper is that preserving legitimacy in the home country may require the head office to exert more control over overseas managers, than would be the case in peace. A MNE in wartime that is concerned about the loss of legitimacy in the home country should consider adopting an organizational architecture that temporarily reduces subsidiary autonomy.
Originality/value
Buckley (2009) called for the re-integration of business history in International Business research. This paper is part of the ongoing historic turn in International Business and other management disciplines. This paper also argues that International Business scholars need to consider the impact of past wars on contemporary multinationals as we may witness the re-emergence of Great Power rivalries similar to those that led to the First World War. This paper proceeds on the assumption the probabilities of a war between two major capitalist economies are non-trivial and that additional investigation of the impact of major interstate warfare on MNEs is therefore merited. Historical research can help us to think about what a war between capitalist countries would mean for today’s MNEs.
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David Allen Pierce, Elizabeth Wanless, Nels Popp, Liz Sattler and Megan Shreffler
Sport ticket sales is often positioned as a “foot in the door” to the sport industry due to ample job opportunities, but anecdotal reports of high turnover raise questions of the…
Abstract
Purpose
Sport ticket sales is often positioned as a “foot in the door” to the sport industry due to ample job opportunities, but anecdotal reports of high turnover raise questions of the efficacy of recruitment, training and retention efforts in sport sales. The purpose of this study was to determine attrition levels among entry-level ticket sales personnel, observe whether entry-level sales positions lead to other non-selling positions within sport organizations and determine if education and market related variables are related to job tenure.
Design/methodology/approach
LinkedIn profiles were analyzed for 1,122 entry-level ticket salespeople listed in media guides between 2015 and 2019 in the “Big Four” North American professional sports leagues. Names were obtained from 26 NBA, 21 MLB, 20 NHL and 12 NFL teams. Survival analysis provided defection rates and demonstrated the relationship between those rates and key variables.
Findings
One in every four entry-level ticket salespeople defected within the first year and one in every two defected within 26 months. Only 8% moved on from ticket sales to a non-sales role within the sport industry. Increases in cost of living, working for an NFL team and having sport industry experience prior to taking a sales position decreased the likelihood of defecting, while increased distance between the salesperson's university and the team's location increased the likelihood of defecting.
Originality/value
This study applies survival analysis to a sport human relations context to understand turnover in a specific occupational discipline and establishes the turnover rate for sport sales positions.
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This paper seeks to provide information on progress within one of the local authorities involved with the original Total Place pilot a year following the production of the final…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to provide information on progress within one of the local authorities involved with the original Total Place pilot a year following the production of the final report.
Design/methodology/approach
Under a number of headings, the paper describes the progress being made in relation to the broader concepts described in the Total Place – Older People pilot report.
Findings
The paper reinforces the benefits of working closely and in partnership with older people and other public services, particularly the NHS.
Originality/value
The paper provides an example of how one local authority is working with partners on improving services and efficiency in outcomes for older people.