Rein Juriado and Niklas Gustafsson
The paper aims to discuss the emergence of communities of practice in a temporary event organisation involving public and private partners.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to discuss the emergence of communities of practice in a temporary event organisation involving public and private partners.
Design/methodology/approach
The study employs qualitative methods in the form of 31 semi‐structured interviews, a five‐week period of participant observations and archive research in a Swedish public‐private partnership, focused on large‐scale media and entertainment event.
Findings
In the temporary event‐driven project‐based organisational structure studied, communities of practice emerged by themselves because of the complexity of the task at hand. These are called “emergent communities of practice”. Four built‐in organisational mechanisms that cultivated the emergent communities of practice were identified: trust building stability; competence contributors; competence shadows; and social glue of informal events. Surprisingly, the public/private dimension was found not to affect the emergence of the community negatively.
Research limitations/implications
Given that conclusions are based on the Swedish data, the paper recommends that similar studies be carried out in other countries.
Originality/value
The paper extends the framework of communities of practice beyond the boundaries of a single or few stable organisations by analysing communities of practice within a temporary project organisation; it introduces the concept emergent communities of practice; and it proposes four ways to cultivate communities of practice.
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Keywords
This paper aims to increase the understanding of networks within the service‐dominant logic (S‐D logic) and to demonstrate the importance of interaction between network actors as…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to increase the understanding of networks within the service‐dominant logic (S‐D logic) and to demonstrate the importance of interaction between network actors as a driving force behind the co‐creation process.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses rich empirical data from a travel industry network consisting of in‐depth interviews and a survey of approximately 100 meetings professionals.
Findings
The paper conceptualizes the key actors involved in the co‐creation process as Brand Governor, Providers and Customers. In addition, it proposes an advancement of the service brand‐relationship‐value triangle introduced by Brodie et al. by linking the key processes and actors in the triangle. It is found that the network approach provides a deeper understanding of how actors integrate with one another and how this interaction leads to co‐created outcomes that can be translated into value.
Research limitations/implications
Future research could employ empirical material from other studies to increase the reliability of the findings. In particular, the issues of trust and power among actors with regard to S‐D logic are highlighted.
Practical implications
The differences in power could be advantageous for the entire network because the actors are involved in exchange and constantly seeking balance between themselves.
Originality/value
The paper extends the current debate on S‐D logic, especially the co‐creation of value, by highlighting the importance of networks.
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Keywords
Richard Wilding and Rein Juriado
This paper investigates customer perceptions on three key logistics outsourcing decisions: why to outsource, what to outsource and how to manage satisfaction within third party…
Abstract
This paper investigates customer perceptions on three key logistics outsourcing decisions: why to outsource, what to outsource and how to manage satisfaction within third party logistics providers (3PLs) partnerships. In addition to an analysis of the current literature, a Europe‐wide postal and telephone survey revealed that outsourcing in the consumer good industry is heavily service driven and focused on the traditional logistics functions. The key findings of the work are that cost aspects play a smaller role for outsourcing in the consumer goods industry than anticipated, and that performance measurement systems will require increased sophistication over the coming years. It was found that a considerable number of consumer goods companies admitting that soft issues, such as cultural incompatibility and poor communication, may lead to the failure of the 3PL partnership.
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S.I. Lao, K.L. Choy, G.T.S. Ho, Y.C. Tsim and N.S.H. Chung
The purpose of the paper is to investigate the factors that affect the decision‐making process of Hong Kong‐based manufacturers when they select a third‐party logistics (3PL…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to investigate the factors that affect the decision‐making process of Hong Kong‐based manufacturers when they select a third‐party logistics (3PL) service provider and how 3PL service providers manage to retain customer loyalty in times of financial turbulence.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents a survey‐based study targeting Hong Kong‐based manufacturers currently using 3PL companies. It investigates the relationship between the reasons for using 3PL services and the requirements for selecting a provider, and examines the relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty. In addition, the relationships among various dimensions – in small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), large enterprises and companies – of contracts of various lengths are investigated.
Findings
In general, the reasons for using 3PL services and the requirements for selecting 3PL service providers are positive‐related. The dimension of “reputation” of satisfaction influences “primary customer loyalty” positively.
Practical implications
Constructive suggestions are provided to help 3PL service providers allocate their limited resources to business areas that help them to meet the demands of their target customers, increase the number of customers, and improve customer loyalty.
Originality/value
The paper is an attempt to help 3PL service providers find ways to survive in a climate of financial crisis.