Sanna Laukkanen, Sami Sarpola and Petri Hallikainen
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the discussion on enterprise resource planning (ERP) system adoption by investigating the relationship of enterprise size to the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the discussion on enterprise resource planning (ERP) system adoption by investigating the relationship of enterprise size to the objectives and constraints of ERP adoption.
Design/methodology/approach
In the paper, survey data, based on the responses of 44 companies, are analyzed, by dividing the companies into small, medium‐sized, and large enterprises; and comparing these groups, using statistical methods.
Findings
The paper finds significant differences exist between small, medium‐sized and large enterprises regarding the objectives and constraints of ERP system adoption. While small enterprises experience more knowledge constraints, large enterprises are challenged by the changes imposed by ERP adoption. Further, large and medium‐sized enterprises are more outward‐oriented in ERP adoption than small enterprises. Business development, as opposed to mere efficiency improvement, while being the most prevalent objective for ERP adoption in all the company groups, is considered especially important by medium‐sized enterprises. Finally, the findings suggest that, instead of considering small and medium‐sized enterprises as one homogeneous group of smaller enterprises, differences between these two groups of companies should be acknowledged in information system adoption.
Research limitations/implications
The paper shows that the Finnish context and the sample size should be taken into consideration when generalizing the findings.
Practical implications
The paper points out the differences in objectives and constraints between companies of different sizes that should be acknowledged in ERP adoption.
Originality/value
Instead of resorting to the customary approach of considering small and medium‐sized enterprises as a homogeneous group of smaller enterprises, this study acknowledges the differences between these two groups of companies.
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Sanna Laukkanen, Sami Sarpola and Katariina Kemppainen
The paper aims to examine the role of extranet portals – one‐to‐many web‐portals extending a company towards its suppliers or customers – in relation to system‐to‐system (S2S…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to examine the role of extranet portals – one‐to‐many web‐portals extending a company towards its suppliers or customers – in relation to system‐to‐system (S2S) links in facilitating information exchange between suppliers and buyers.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study approach is used to analyze empirical data collected from 16 Finnish companies concerning the use of inter‐organizational information systems in information exchange with supply chain partners.
Findings
For the use of extranet portals in relation to S2S links in information exchange between supplier and buyer, two concepts – partner‐extending role and information‐expanding role – emerged from the case studies.
Research limitations/implications
The Finnish context and the research methodology chosen have to be taken into consideration when generalizing on the findings. As for future research, the findings indicate that, when studying the use of technological solutions for information exchange in supply chains, the interplay between the different types of solutions used should be acknowledged instead of studying the solutions separately.
Practical implications
S2S links and extranet portals can be used as complementary solutions in facilitating supply chain co‐operation and the related information exchange. Hence, practitioners should not only acknowledge the fundamental differences between these two types of information systems but also leverage these differences to achieve more synergy in the use of inter‐organizational information systems. Further, a conceptual tool is provided for assessing the use of extranet portals in relation to S2S links with supply chain partners.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the limited prior research on extranet portals and develops concepts that can be utilized both in future research and in practice.
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Mikko Kärkkäinen, Sanna Laukkanen, Sami Sarpola and Katariina Kemppainen
The purpose of this study is to investigate how and for what purposes companies use interfirm information systems (IS) in supply chain management (SCM). Further, the drivers for…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate how and for what purposes companies use interfirm information systems (IS) in supply chain management (SCM). Further, the drivers for the different uses of interfirm IS are investigated.
Design/methodology/approach
Two a priori constructs – the roles of interfirm IS in SCM and the drivers for interfirm IS use in SCM – are derived from the prior research. The case study approach is applied to analyze empirical data collected from 16 Finnish companies in order to assess the validity of the constructs.
Findings
The findings suggest that the proposed three categories – transaction processing, supply chain planning and collaboration, and order tracking and delivery coordination – represent well the different types of interfirm IS uses in SCM. Further, the findings suggest that the drivers behind these different categories of interfirm IS use differ.
Practical implications
The different purposes for which interfirm IS can be used in the management of supply chains are demonstrated. Further, the reasons for adopting interfirm IS for the different purposes are shown to vary and not to be as self‐evident as anticipated in the prior research.
Originality/value
The study addresses the lack of empirical research on how companies actually use IS in managing supply chain activities. It also contributes to the extant knowledge on the factors that drive companies to use IS in specific ways in their SCM efforts.
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Khiam Jin Lee, Sanna K. Malinen and Venkataraman Nilakant
This study examines challenges to cross-sector collaboration in disasters. The authors use Malaysian flooding as the context for the study and offer a framework to understand…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines challenges to cross-sector collaboration in disasters. The authors use Malaysian flooding as the context for the study and offer a framework to understand different types of collaborators in disaster settings.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected with semi-structured interviews, complemented with secondary data from government documents and news reports. The authors interviewed a total of 30 participants including six disaster aid recipients and 24 strategic and operational participants from 12 disaster management organizations. Thematic analysis was conducted including two cycles of coding, memoing and constant comparisons.
Findings
The authors present two key theoretical contributions: key barriers to cross-sector collaboration and a typology of collaboration in disasters. Key barriers include leadership approach and central vs local decision-making, differing levels of motivation to collaborate and the organizations' ability to collaborate in disasters. Despite these barriers, collaboration does occur in disaster settings. The authors suggest that the forms of collaboration may be driven primarily by differing motivations to collaborate and differing perceptions of others’ ability to collaborate, resulting in four types of collaboration: (1) enthusiastic, (2) mandate-driven, (3) reluctant and (4) non-collaboration.
Originality/value
The authors show that although the command-and-control model was dominant, organizations also attempted to improve disaster management efficacy through collaborative approaches. Central institutional agencies and their wider external partners are capable of using cross-sector collaboration as a strategy to tackle the complex problems post-disaster. However, pre-disaster relationship building will likely help organizations to collaborate more effectively when a disaster occurs.
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Xiyue Zheng, Fusheng Wang, Shiyu Liu, Han Wang and Dongchao Zhang
This paper aims to conduct an analysis of the influence of both the breadth and depth of outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) undertaken by Chinese high-tech listed companies…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to conduct an analysis of the influence of both the breadth and depth of outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) undertaken by Chinese high-tech listed companies during the period spanning 2010–2019. The data pertaining to these companies was used as a research sample to analyze the effects of OFDI on radical innovation performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the proposed models, using survey data collected from 442 high-tech companies in China.
Findings
The findings of this study indicate a curvilinear (i.e. U-shaped) relationship between the breadth/depth of OFDI and radical innovation performance. Additional analysis reveals that OFDI plays a role in facilitating innovation breakthroughs by enhancing the internal dynamic capabilities of companies. Moreover, it is observed that a well-established institutional environment in the host country of investment can positively moderate the relationship between OFDI breadth/depth and radical innovation performance.
Originality/value
This study proffers a significant contribution to the understanding of the crucial role played by OFDI from emerging economy companies in enhancing radical innovation performance. Moreover, it offers theoretical guidance for multinational companies aiming to foster innovation breakthroughs.
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Ranjan Chaudhuri, Sheshadri Chatterjee, Arka Ghosh, Demetris Vrontis and Alkis Thrassou
The paper aims to examine the nature and scale of the sustainability value of car sharing and to identify, through consumer analysis, the contextual and consumer factors of…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to examine the nature and scale of the sustainability value of car sharing and to identify, through consumer analysis, the contextual and consumer factors of success of car subscription as a business model.
Design/methodology/approach
The study evaluates the car sharing model against the sustainable development goals defined by the United Nations in 2019. Individual interviews were performed for preliminary understanding of the factors affecting consumers' choices. Subsequently, through two phases of data collection, factor analysis and path model analysis were performed to identify and confirm latent factors. Consumer market segmentation was performed using cluster analysis.
Findings
Car sharing was found to have an overall positive net impact, with certain potential negative dimensions. Willingness, financial affordability, location and experience were identified as the key factors of consumers opting for car subscriptions. The findings further highlight the significant business potentialities of car subscription in India, consequent also to consumers' attitudes toward car ownership.
Practical implications
The research has substantial implications for both society and business, with the former being presented with an innovative sustainable means of transportation, and the latter with the elements of success of an entrepreneurial business model to support the former.
Originality/value
The study is a pioneer in objectively evaluating and prescribing positive social and business value creation for and through car subscription in India, based on consumer analysis.
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Johanna Frösén and Henrikki Tikkanen
The study investigates the development of three key strategic marketing constructs – market orientation, marketing-related business process capabilities and marketing performance…
Abstract
Purpose
The study investigates the development of three key strategic marketing constructs – market orientation, marketing-related business process capabilities and marketing performance measurement – as well as their performance implications over a period of six years in a Nordic setting. The aim of the study is to shed light on recent developments in contemporary strategic marketing, and thereby to identify managerially relevant points of focus for the future.
Design/methodology/approach
The study builds on a national-level survey study conducted among Finnish companies of various sizes representing different industries and market positions in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014. The data capture the development of strategic marketing over the most recent business cycle, from the upturn to the financial crisis of late 2008, the following downturn and the recent tentative recovery.
Findings
The findings shed light on the changing role of the three key strategic marketing constructs over the years. Particularly, the study supports the recent notion that market orientation is no longer a differentiator, but a standard. Furthermore, the study sheds light on the varying role of marketing-related business process capabilities over the changing business cycle. Finally, the study shows that marketing performance measurement maintains its beneficial impact on firm performance across years and across the business cycle.
Practical implications
By investigating recent developments in the field of strategic marketing, taking into account the changing business cycle and the broader trends and developments in the field, this study provides insights for managers of both product and service businesses on how to better adjust their marketing efforts to the contemporary business environment and its economic development.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first comprehensive study on a national level that longitudinally investigates the role and impact of the three key strategic marketing constructs, with a particular focus on their relative performance impact over time.
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Marek Michalski, Jose Luis Montes and Ram Narasimhan
The purpose of this paper is to examine the non-linear aspects of the asymmetry-performance relationship under varying conditions of trust and innovation. Its novel approach is…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the non-linear aspects of the asymmetry-performance relationship under varying conditions of trust and innovation. Its novel approach is useful for addressing the strategic elements of supply chain management (SCM) relationships based on trust and innovation decisions.
Design/methodology/approach
Results are based on a study of 90 managers from small- and medium-sized firms in Spain. Instead of a classical linear relationship analysis, the authors performed a non-linear analysis, using polynomial modeling and Warp 3 partial least squares method, which provides a more nuanced view of the data and constitutes an original approach to empirical research in SCM.
Findings
This study adds a new viewpoint on SC relationships by suggesting that not all trust and innovation development leads directly to performance improvement. The principal finding is, in varying trust and innovation contexts, that the influences of asymmetry on performance have uneven characteristics and follow non-linear paths.
Research limitations/implications
This study focuses on only one particular institutional environment in one country. The data are also cross-sectional, which makes it difficult to empirically test causality.
Practical implications
The findings provide rational insights to managers on when it is appropriate to reduce (or not) asymmetric relationships with partners.
Originality/value
Trust and innovation are important and ones of the key requirements of supply chain relationships in any environment, this study argues that the interactions of key SCM elements that drive members to better performance are more complex and non-linear.
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Markku Kaustia and Milla Perttula
The purpose of this paper is to measure overconfidence amongst finance professionals in domain relevant knowledge, and test for the impact of different debiasing methods.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to measure overconfidence amongst finance professionals in domain relevant knowledge, and test for the impact of different debiasing methods.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach used was survey field experiments with varying debiasing attempts.
Findings
The subjects were overconfident in terms of probability calibration, better‐than‐average beliefs, and unfounded confidence. Debiasing attempts yielded mixed results. Explicit written warnings reduced better‐than‐average‐type of overconfidence. There was a further strong effect from attending lectures on investor psychology covering relevant examples. In contrast, there was only limited success in reducing miscalibration in probability assessments.
Research limitations/implications
Different types of overconfidence are distinct and respond differentially to debiasing. Future research on debiasing professional judgment should concentrate on testing in‐depth/personally engaging methods.
Practical implications
It is important for bankers to acknowledge the dangers of overconfidence. Correct confidence interval calibration is needed in order to have a sense of the risks involved in different asset allocation policies and trading strategies. Bankers should also be able to help their clients avoid overconfidence.
Social implications
Debiasing overconfidence in the finance industry likely carries public benefits. The results imply that this task is not easy, but not impossible either. The authors think further investment in this endeavor is justified.
Originality/value
Documenting an important judgment bias among finance professionals and estimating the effects of debiasing.