Sirle Bürkland, Frederik Zachariassen and João Oliveira
The purpose of this paper is to examine meetings as a form of meta-practice and investigate their role related to management control of innovation development.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine meetings as a form of meta-practice and investigate their role related to management control of innovation development.
Design/methodology/approach
This research draws on case studies of two biotechnology firms operating in pharmaceuticals and medicine, which represent different contexts regarding the uncertainty and complexity of innovation development.
Findings
The study suggests two distinct roles of meetings in the context of innovation development: meetings as regulating and ordering; and meetings as a resource. In the first role, meetings serve as a regulative mechanism that brings together multiple elements of control into a system. Meetings as a meta-practice regulate and order by bracketing elements of innovation in time and space, rendering the innovation process more manageable and allowing actors to handle the complexity of knowledge. In the second role, meetings are used as a resource, sporadically intervening in the ongoing activities of innovation projects. The study explains how these two roles relate to the uncertainty and complexity of innovation development and have different implications for management control.
Originality/value
The study challenges the instrumental view of meetings by taking a closer look at their structuring potential in the organization. Understanding the roles of meetings provides another perspective on the functioning of management control and opens new avenues for studying the practices of control and decision-making.
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This paper seeks to explore the impact of different negotiation strategies on the negotiation setting in different buyer‐supplier relationships. So far, the extant supply chain…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to explore the impact of different negotiation strategies on the negotiation setting in different buyer‐supplier relationships. So far, the extant supply chain management (SCM) literature has only briefly touched this subject, though such a study has been advocated on previous notes in the SCM literature.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative research methodology was chosen in order to investigate a focal firm's negotiations with five of its suppliers. A total of 25 hours of interviews and 15 hours of observations were carried out at the focal firm and with a number of the firms' tier one suppliers in order to investigate the subject at hand.
Findings
Explanation is given of when the use of different negotiation strategies can be considered expedient in different relational settings, pairing a distributive negotiation strategy with arm's length relationships, while integrative negotiation strategies remain a more ambiguous exercise. Valuable insight concerning the impact of different negotiation strategies on the negotiation setting are advanced, which, in turn, leads to a questioning of previous research conclusions regarding the application of distributive negotiation strategies in strategic partnerships. The reason for such questioning is due to a limited focal perspective applied in previous research on negotiations in SCM.
Research limitations/implications
Future research should statistically and analytically validate the research in order to reject or confirm the reached conclusions.
Originality/value
The paper is the first to specifically investigate the role of negotiation strategies in the academic discipline of SCM from a qualitative angle using participant observations and interviews.
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Søren Graungaard Pedersen, Frederik Zachariassen and Jan Stentoft Arlbjørn
The purpose of this paper is to explore the major drivers behind the choice of centralising versus decentralising warehousing locations from a small‐ and medium‐sized enterprise…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the major drivers behind the choice of centralising versus decentralising warehousing locations from a small‐ and medium‐sized enterprise (SME) perspective. Previous literature has investigated this solely from a large company perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
An in‐depth literature review was carried out and, in addition, a single case study was conducted in order to investigate the issue at hand. A Danish medium‐sized do‐it‐yourself (DIY) retailer was chosen, as this company faced the challenge of deciding between centralisation vs decentralisation of its warehousing structure.
Findings
The paper has two findings: existing literature does not deal with the difference between SMEs and large companies when speaking of centralised vs decentralised warehousing; and the difference between SMEs and large companies with regard to centralised vs decentralised warehousing lies in the fact that SMEs generally have scarcity in competences and fewer resources, have fewer advantages of economies of scale in a centralised setting, and, finally, have fewer management resources to carry out a centralisation project.
Research limitations/implications
It is a limitation of this research that a statistical generalisation is not possible. Therefore, the findings in this paper might not be applicable for all SMEs.
Practical implications
When speaking of centralising vs decentralising warehousing, SMEs should be aware that different drivers are at play when compared with larger companies.
Originality/value
Research in supply chain management and logistics has not addressed the consequences of warehousing structure from an SME perspective.
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Frederik Zachariassen and Dennis van Liempd
The purpose of this paper is to investigate supply chain management (SCM) as a management implement from a symbolic perspective on a dyadic level. So far, no research has…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate supply chain management (SCM) as a management implement from a symbolic perspective on a dyadic level. So far, no research has investigated SCM from such a perspective, although SCM researchers implicitly have noted that it would be useful to have such a study in order to broaden the understanding of the SCM concept, as such a study allows for the use of alternative sociological theories.
Design/methodology/approach
A single case study was chosen in order to investigate a focal firm's use of SCM. A total of 27 hours of interviews and 15 hours of observations were carried out at the focal firm and with a number of the firm's suppliers in order to investigate the subject.
Findings
The paper found that the SCM concept impacts the relationship between buyer and supplier in different ways depending on two dimensions: SCM as tool vs symbol and arm's length relationships vs strategic partnerships. Contrary to the mainstream idea of SCM as a tool for increased effectiveness of supply chains and increased collaboration with key suppliers, this paper found that SCM from a symbolic perspective at the focal firm came to function as either a justification or as a post‐rationalization for actions taken by the focal firm depending on whether the relationship can be considered a strategic partnerships or an arm's length relationship, respectively.
Research limitations/implications
The paper was conducted from a dyadic, buyer‐supplier perspective. Being a limitation of the study, future research should investigate the proposed claims set forward in this paper on different levels (focal, chain, and network) in order to either strengthen or weaken the credibility of this present paper.
Originality/value
This is the first paper to investigate the management implement of SCM from a symbolic perspective.
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Frederik Zachariassen and Jan Stentoft Arlbjørn
The purpose of this paper is to develop a differentiated approach to the cost management system of total cost of ownership (TCO), a system based on cost data. Existing TCO‐related…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a differentiated approach to the cost management system of total cost of ownership (TCO), a system based on cost data. Existing TCO‐related literature has investigated the tool from a focal buyer perspective but has consequently neglected to study TCO from an inter‐organisational perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
An explorative single case‐study approach is used, involving a large, industrial Danish manufacturing company. Interviews were conducted with relevant representatives from both the purchasing division and a range of the division's suppliers and observations made.
Findings
This paper indicates that a differentiated approach to TCO might be necessary, as suppliers might react negatively to the focal company presenting TCO data in negotiations. A matrix is proposed involving two dimensions: the nature of the relationship and the complexity of cost drivers.
Research limitations/implications
This study involves a single case study and is therefore not capable of enumerating frequencies. Future research should test the applicability of the findings in other spatial contexts.
Practical implications
Industrial managers should be aware that a differentiated approach to TCO is capable of solving problems pertaining to the current TCO “one‐size‐fits‐all” approach.
Originality/value
This is the first paper, known to the authors, to investigate the TCO concept from an inter‐organisational perspective.
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Frederik Zachariassen and Jan Stentoft Arlbjørn
The purpose of this paper is to identify Nordic doctoral dissertations in logistics and supply chain management (SCM) published from the years 2002 to 2008. The paper then seeks…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify Nordic doctoral dissertations in logistics and supply chain management (SCM) published from the years 2002 to 2008. The paper then seeks to analyze the identified dissertations by categorizing them in various dimensions, including but not limited to subject, methodology, and type of contribution. Subsequently, the paper compares the analysis of the dissertations with results obtained in a previous study that also concerned Nordic dissertations only published from 1990 to 2001, effectively opening up for longitudinal interpretations.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on reviews of 70 Nordic doctoral dissertations within logistics and SCM published at relevant Nordic research institutions. All dissertations were reviewed according to a priori determined categories adopted from a similar, previous study in order to strengthen the validity of the longitudinal comparison.
Findings
This paper identifies a clear and significant trend towards: more dissertations based on a collection of articles than monographs; more dissertations focusing on manufacturing companies and fewer on carriers; a shift from a focal company perspective to more dyadic and supply chain‐related research and finally; and a decreasing focus on the philosophy in science.
Research limitations/implications
Despite the thorough method applied, there is possibility that a few dissertations might not have been identified in this paper.
Originality/value
This paper is a continuation of documenting the progress of doctoral work in logistics and SCM within the Nordic countries from the years 2002 to 2008.
Anders Haug, Jan Stentoft Arlbjørn, Frederik Zachariassen and Jakob Schlichter
The development of IT has enabled organizations to collect and store many times more data than they were able to just decades ago. This means that companies are now faced with…
Abstract
Purpose
The development of IT has enabled organizations to collect and store many times more data than they were able to just decades ago. This means that companies are now faced with managing huge amounts of data, which represents new challenges in ensuring high data quality. The purpose of this paper is to identify barriers to obtaining high master data quality.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper defines relevant master data quality barriers and investigates their mutual importance through organizing data quality barriers identified in literature into a framework for analysis of data quality. The importance of the different classes of data quality barriers is investigated by a large questionnaire study, including answers from 787 Danish manufacturing companies.
Findings
Based on a literature review, the paper identifies 12 master data quality barriers. The relevance and completeness of this classification is investigated by a large questionnaire study, which also clarifies the mutual importance of the defined barriers and the differences in importance in small, medium, and large companies.
Research limitations/implications
The defined classification of data quality barriers provides a point of departure for future research by pointing to relevant areas for investigation of data quality problems. The limitations of the study are that it focuses only on manufacturing companies and master data (i.e. not transaction data).
Practical implications
The classification of data quality barriers can give companies increased awareness of why they experience data quality problems. In addition, the paper suggests giving primary focus to organizational issues rather than perceiving poor data quality as an IT problem.
Originality/value
Compared to extant classifications of data quality barriers, the contribution of this paper represents a more detailed and complete picture of what the barriers are in relation to data quality. Furthermore, the presented classification has been investigated by a large questionnaire study, for which reason it is founded on a more solid empirical basis than existing classifications.