This study aims to investigate account managers’ dual embeddedness (customer and internal embeddedness) in solution co-creation. The authors examine the mediating role of two-way…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate account managers’ dual embeddedness (customer and internal embeddedness) in solution co-creation. The authors examine the mediating role of two-way matching between suppliers and customers and the moderating role of customer requirement complexity.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use a questionnaire to collect data from 566 account managers of supplier companies in China and conduct hypothesis testing through multiple linear regression analysis and bootstrapping.
Findings
The findings demonstrate that customer and internal embeddedness are distinct with different dimensions and are positively related to solution co-creation performance. Customer and internal embeddedness affect solution co-creation performance through two-way matching in the customer requirement definition and solution integration phases, respectively. The interaction term of customer and internal embeddedness indirectly affect solution co-creation performance through two-way matching, and customer requirement complexity strengthens this main effect.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine dual embeddedness at the individual level and distinguish between the customer and internal embeddedness of account managers by different dimensional classifications. The authors clarify the difference and relationship between customer and internal embeddedness in solution co-creation and investigate the mediating and moderating roles of two-way matching and customer requirement complexity, respectively. This study expands the theoretical research on social embeddedness theory and business-to-business solutions and provides useful insights into the solution co-creation practice for account managers and suppliers.
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Yunyun Zhao, Xiaoyu Zhao and Yanzhe Liu
Consumers worldwide are increasingly ordering groceries from grocery delivery platforms (GDPs). This study aimed to explore the role of brick-and-mortar (B&M) retailers and GDPs…
Abstract
Purpose
Consumers worldwide are increasingly ordering groceries from grocery delivery platforms (GDPs). This study aimed to explore the role of brick-and-mortar (B&M) retailers and GDPs in online grocery shopping (OGS) experience, attitude and continuous purchase intention under the platform model of online grocery retailing.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a mixed method approach. A qualitative analysis was conducted based on 30 in-depth interviews and relevant literature to identify key attributes of the OGS experience. Then, data from 352 online grocery shoppers was used to examine the associations between service attributes, attitude and continuous purchase intention using a structural equation model.
Findings
The authors identified six key attributes of the OGS experience related to B&M retailers and GDPs. The quantitative study results showed that customer service, price value and instant delivery significantly impact attitude towards GDPs, while product quality, product assortment, customer service, price value and attitude toward GDPs positively impact online attitude toward B&M retailers. Online attitude toward B&M retailers significantly influences continuous purchase intention.
Practical implications
B&M retailers and GDPs should strengthen cooperation and joint oversight.
Originality/value
This study identified key attributes of the OGS experience associated with B&M retailers and GDPs under the platform model, giving a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between the OGS experience and behavioural intention when B&M retailers collaborate with GDPs.
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This study aims to investigate the new connotations, key antecedents, outcomes and contingency factors of value-based selling (VBS) in the context of business to business (B2B…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the new connotations, key antecedents, outcomes and contingency factors of value-based selling (VBS) in the context of business to business (B2B) industrial marketing.
Design/methodology/approach
This study develops a comprehensive conceptual framework of VBS by analyzing and synthesizing the existing literature on VBS and associated solutions.
Findings
The paper describes the research streams of VBS; proposes a comprehensive conceptual framework consisting of the factors influencing VBS at the organizational, individual, customer and environmental levels, together with 12 research propositions; and provides an agenda for future research.
Research limitations/implications
The paper is conceptual; empirical studies are required for examining the suggested propositions and agenda.
Practical implications
VBS is a process-oriented sales approach that involves multiple value creation and plays a crucial role in industrial solution selling. The successful implementation of VBS depends on the micro-foundations of an organization’s dynamic capabilities and considers the influence of individual, customer and environmental factors.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to introduce value co-creation and dynamic capability theory into VBS research in the context of industrial marketing. It discusses the antecedents, outcomes and contingency factors of VBS in detail in the form of a comprehensive research framework and proposes a future research agenda. These discussions expand the theoretical research on VBS and provide useful implications for B2B marketing practice.
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The purpose of this study is to examine supplier–customer capabilities in solution co-creation and how they are matched from a relational process perspective.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine supplier–customer capabilities in solution co-creation and how they are matched from a relational process perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a qualitative approach, the authors identified 20 sets of supplier–customer capability matches by conducting in-depth interviews with 34 matched informants and retrieving suppliers’ archival data (project documents and success stories).
Findings
The authors identified 20 capability matching sets (21 supplier and 23 customer capabilities) and developed a process-based model of bilateral capabilities that match at the organizational level in solution co-creation. The authors reveal their match forms (complementarity and compatibility) and offer suggestions for future research.
Research limitations/implications
This paper is qualitative; quantitative studies are required for testing and extending the initial conclusions.
Practical implications
This study guides the supplier and customer to cultivate different capabilities at different stages of solution co-creation and alerts them to the importance of capability complementarity and compatibility.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to introduce the bilateral perspective into dynamic capability research in the context of solution co-creation. The authors discuss the abilities the supplier and customer must possess at different stages and how they match dynamically. The analysis extends the research on solution-specific capabilities and dynamic matching, offering useful implications for solution co-creation in practice.
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Zongwu Xie, Xiaoyu Zhao, Yu Zhang, Qi Zhang, Haitao Yang, Kui Sun and Minghe Jin
The purpose of this paper is to develop an easily implemented and practical stabilizing strategy for the hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) system. As the status of HIL system in the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop an easily implemented and practical stabilizing strategy for the hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) system. As the status of HIL system in the ground verification experiment for space equipment keeps rising, the stability problems introduced by high stiffness of industrial robot and discretization of the system need to be solved ungently. Thus, the study of the system stability is essential and significant.
Design/methodology/approach
To study the system stability, a mathematical model is built on the basis of control circle. And root-locus and 3D root-locus method are applied to the model to figure out the relationship between system stability and system parameters.
Findings
The mathematical model works well in describing the HIL system in the process of capturing free-floating targets, and the stabilizing strategy can be adopted to improve the system dynamic characteristic which meets the needs of the practical application.
Originality/value
A method named 3D root-locus is extended from traditional root-locus method. And the improved method graphically displays the stability of the system under the influence of multivariable. And the strategy that stabilize the system with elastic component has a strong feasible and promotional value.
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Haitao Yang, Zongwu Xie, Cao Li, Xiaoyu Zhao and Minghe Jin
The purpose of this paper is to study the path optimization method of the manipulator in the lunar soil excavation and sampling process. The current research is a practical need…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the path optimization method of the manipulator in the lunar soil excavation and sampling process. The current research is a practical need for the excavation and sampling of the lunar soil in the lunar exploration project.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper proposes the objective function and constraints for path optimization during the excavation process of the lunar soil, regarding excavation time and energy consumption as the two key fitness indexes by analyzing the whole excavation process of the lunar soil. Specifically, the optimization is divided into two consecutive phases, one for the excavation path and the other one for joint motions. In the first phase, the Bézier polynomial is adopted to get the optimal excavation angle and reduce energy consumption. In the second phase, a method based on convex optimization, variable conversion and dynamic process discretization, is used to reduce excavation time and energy consumption.
Findings
Controlled experiments on the fine sand and the simulant lunar soil were conducted to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the two phases of the optimization method, respectively.
Originality/value
The optimization method of the excavation tasks in this paper is of great value in theoretical and practical engineering, and it can be applied in other robotic operational tasks as well.
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Haitao Yang, Zongwu Xie, Kui Sun, Xiaoyu Zhao, Minghe Jin and Cao Li
The purpose of this paper is to develop a set of ground experiment system to verify the basic functions of space effector and the capturing reliability of space end-effector for…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a set of ground experiment system to verify the basic functions of space effector and the capturing reliability of space end-effector for the free-floating target payload in the three-dimensional space. The development of ground experiment system for space end-effector is essential and significant, because it costs too much to launch a space robot or other spacecraft and carry out operation tasks in space. Owing to the negligible gravity in space, which is different from that in the ground environment, ground experiment system for space end-effector should have the capability of verifying the basic functions of space effector and the reliability of space end-effector in capturing the free-floating target payload in space.
Design/methodology/approach
The ground experiment system for space end-effector mainly adopts the hybrid simulation method, which includes the real hardware experiment and software simulation. To emulate the micro-gravity environment, the contact dynamics simulator is applied to emulating the motion state of the free-floating target payload, while the admittance control is used to realize the “soft” capturing of space end-effector to simulate the real situation in space.
Findings
With the gravity compensation, the influence of gravity is almost eliminated and the results meet the requirements of the experiment. In the ground experiment, the admittance control is effective and the actual motion state of space end-effector capturing the target in space can be simulated. The experiment results show that space end-effector can capture the free-floating target payload successfully and hopefully have the ability to capture a free-floating target in space.
Originality/value
The system can verify space end-effector capturing the free-floating target payload in three-dimensional space and imitate the motion of space end-effector capturing the free-floating target in space. The system can also be modified and improved for application in the verification of space robot capturing and docking the target, which is valuable for the ground verification of space applications.
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This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.
Findings
The study identifies three entrepreneurial behavioral configurations that combine causation, effectuation, and entrepreneurial bricolage, alongside different types of environmental uncertainty, to achieve high startup performance.
Originality/value
The briefing saves busy executives, strategists, and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.
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Dejun Cheng, Jie Huang, Xiaoyu Wang and Shuming Zhao
There is a clear correspondence between different types of high performance work systems (HPWS), economic rents and market entry strategies. This correspondence is manifested…
Abstract
Purpose
There is a clear correspondence between different types of high performance work systems (HPWS), economic rents and market entry strategies. This correspondence is manifested through the strategic vertical fit and internal synergetic horizontal fit within HPWS, leading to a “core-periphery” structure in human resource management practice configurations. This study aims to depict the “core-periphery” structure within specific HPWSs by identifying human resource (HR) practice configurations and by analyzing the matching mechanisms and structural characteristics among different HR practices based on the interaction between vertical and horizontal fits.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a sample of 277 enterprises in East China and employs the ability-motivation-opportunity (AMO) framework and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to identify and depict the “core-periphery” structure within HPWS. By integrating fsQCA with t-test, the study explores the interaction between vertical and horizontal fits within HPWS based on economic rent formation mechanisms.
Findings
Seven specific HR practice configurations, shown to effectively enhance organizational performance, have been identified and systematically classified into three typologies of HPWS, based on their distinct underlying mechanisms of horizontal and vertical fit.
Research limitations/implications
The data used in this study were sourced from manufacturing enterprises. Future research can enhance generalizability by expanding the dataset and examining whether efficient HPWS exist across different industries.
Practical implications
The findings of this study emphasize the crucial roles of interaction and complementarity among HR practices within HPWS. By extracting and synthesizing HR practice configurations from empirical data, this study provides practical insights for constructing effective HPWS in real-world settings.
Originality/value
First, this study incorporates both vertical and horizontal fits of HPWS into a unified analytical framework, emphasizing their interactive mechanisms and providing a more nuanced understanding of how these fits operate together. This contributes to the existing literature by validating and expanding the understanding of how specific HR practice configurations align with corporate strategies. Second, by adopting a configurational perspective, this study is able to conduct an in-depth exploration of the “core-periphery” structure within HPWS, thereby challenging the widely held assumption within the AMO framework that all HR practices carry equal significance within a specific HPWS. Third, the empirical analyses identify three specific types of HPWS that can be applicable to different new product strategies from a dynamic perspective, providing practical references for companies to select appropriate HPWS types based on their characteristics.
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Xiaolong Lu, Shiping Zhao, Xiaoyu Liu and Yishu Wang
The purpose of this paper is to describe the design and development of “Pylon-Climber II”, a 5-DOF biped climbing robot (degree of freedom – DOF) for moving on the external…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe the design and development of “Pylon-Climber II”, a 5-DOF biped climbing robot (degree of freedom – DOF) for moving on the external surface of a tower and assisting the electricians to complete some maintenance tasks.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper introduces a pole-climbing robot, which consists of a 5-DOF mechanical arm and two novel grippers. The gripper is composed of a two-finger clamping module and a retractable L-shaped hook module. The robot is symmetrical in structure, and the rotary joint for connecting two arms is driven by a linear drive mechanism.
Findings
The developed prototype proved a new approach for the inspection and maintenance of the electricity pylon. The gripper can reliably grasp the angle bars with different specifications by using combined movement of the two-finger clamping module and the retractable L-shaped hook module and provide sufficient adhesion force for the Pylon-Climber II.
Practical implications
The clamping experiments of the gripper and the climbing experiments of the robot were carried out on a test tower composed of some angle bars with different specification.
Originality/value
This paper includes the design and development of a 5-DOF biped climbing robot for electricity pylon maintenance. The climbing robot can move on the external surface of the electric power tower through grasping the angle bar alternatively. The gripper that is composed of a two-finger gripping module and a retractable L-shaped hook module is very compact and can provide reliable adhesion force for the climbing robot.