A Contingent View of the Internet-Enabled Supply Chain Integration and Firm Performance

Building on multiple theoretical perspectives, we examined how organizational culture moderates the association of different dimensions of Internet-enabled Supply Chain Integration (i.e., online information integration and operational coordination) and firm performance (i.e., customer service and financial performance). We tested hypotheses using survey data from senior executives in China. Our findings reveal that an internally focused culture weakens the effects of online information integration on customer service performance, whereas it strengthens the influences of online operational coordination. Further, an externally focused culture weakens the effects of online operational coordination on customer service performance too. In addition, the results indicate that customer service can directly improve financial performance, and partially mediate the relationship between online information integration and financial performance. Theoretical contributions and managerial implications of the study are discussed

Leveraging Open-standard Interorganizational Information Systems for Process Adaptability and Alignment: An Empirical Analysis

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand the value creation mechanisms of open-standard inter-organizational information system (OSIOS), which is a key technology to achieve Industry 4.0. Specifically, this study investigates how the internal assimilation and external diffusion of OSIOS help manufactures facilitate process adaptability and alignment in supply chain network.Design/methodology/approachA survey instrument was designed and administrated to collect data for this research. Using three-stage least squares estimation, the authors empirically tested a number of hypothesized relationships based on a sample of 308 manufacturing firms in China.FindingsThe results of the study show that OSIOS can perform as value creation mechanisms to enable process adaptability and alignment. In addition, the impact of OSIOS internal assimilation is inversely U-shaped where the positive effect on process adaptability will become negative after an extremum point is reached.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the existing literature by providing insights on how OSIOS can improve supply chain integration and thus promote the achievement of industry 4.0. By revealing a U-shaped relationship between OSIOS assimilation and process adaptability, this study fills previous research gap by advancing the understanding on the value creation mechanisms of information systems deployment

Market Orientation, Electronic Supply Chain Integration, and Firm Performance in China: The Moderating Role of Ownership Type

Integrating supply chain processes over the Internet to achieve competitive advantages has generated much attention from practitioners and researchers, especially those in emerging economies. Drawing upon the institutional theory and resource based view, this study investigates how market orientation affects electronic supply chain integration (eSCI), which, in turn, influences firm performance in the emerging economy of China. We further examine how the relationships between market orientation and eSCI are moderated by ownership type. The results of a survey with 260 firms in China suggest that the dimensions of market orientation have differential impacts on the eSCI, and both dimensions of eSCI have significant effects on firm performance. In addition, the relationships between market orientation and eSCI are moderated by both ownership type in China. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed

Essays on digitalization among small and medium-sized firms : Complementary and contingent approaches

This dissertation explains how and under what circumstances the operational performance of small and medium-sized (SME) firms is most likely to benefit from digitalization. This topic will be examined by combining the resource-based view (RBV) and contingency theory, that is, using the contingency RBV, which remains relatively rarely used in current research. The perspective permits an examination of the impact of various resources and capabilities in the presence of situational factors. The dissertation consists of five papers dealing with digitalization in SMEs operating in various areas. The research relies on two surveys involving Finnish SMEs from manufacturing industries, the first of which provides cross-sectional data. Together the two datasets provide the longitudinal data informing the dissertation. The research shows that the contingency RBV provides a comprehensive framework that can assist in examining how and in what circumstances SMEs can benefit from digitalization, that benefit being measured from an operational improvement perspective. Previous research on SMEs is limited, so the first result of this thesis involves testing a theoretical framework for SMEs in the context of their digitalization. The research results show that the benefits of digitalization for operational performance arise through two different mechanisms, and digitalization alone does not affect the firm's success. The effect of digitalization on SMEs’ operational performance emerges from the complementarity between digitalization and firms’ organizational attributes, factors, or resources that enhance performance. The second mechanism relates to environmental and situational factors and shows that both the firm's internal and external environment determine the level of the impact of digitalization. Among Finnish SMEs, digitalization produces value in the form of improved operational performance when digitalization, resources, and capabilities bolster each other in internal and external environments conducive to digitalization.Tässä väitöskirjassa selvitetään miten ja missä tilanteessa pienet ja keskisuuret (pk) yritykset pystyvät todennäköisemmin hyötymään digitalisoitumisestaan operatiivisen suorituskyvyn näkökulmasta. Aihetta tarkastellaan yhdistämällä resurssi- ja tilannetekijäteoria eli tässä työssä hyödynnetään tilanteista resurssiteoriaa, joka on nykyisessä tutkimuskentässä vielä varsin rajallisesti käytetty. Näkökulman mukaan erilaisten resurssien ja kyvykkyyksien vaikutusta voidaan tarkastella tilannetekijöiden ollessa läsnä. Väitöskirja muodostuu viidestä artikkelista, joissa käsitellään yritysten digitalisoitumista. Väitöskirjassa käyte¬tään kahta eri kyselytutkimusta, joihin suomalaiset valmistavan teollisuuden pk-yritykset ovat osallistuneet. Ensimmäinen aineisto on poikkileikkausaineisto ja aineistot yhdessä muodostavat toisen, pitkittäisen, aineiston. Tutkimustulokset osoittavat, että tilanteinen resurssiteoria muodostaa kattavan viitekehyksen, jonka perusteella voidaan lähestyä sitä, miten ja missä tilanteissa pk-yritykset pystyvät hyötymään digitalisoitumisesta parantuneen operatiivisen suorituskyvyn näkökulmasta. Aikaisempi pk-yrityksiin keskittynyt tutkimus on ollut vähäistä, joten tämän väitöskirjan ensimmäisenä tuloksena voidaan pitää teoreettisen viitekehyksen testaamista nimenomaan pienillä ja keskisuurilla yrityksillä niiden digitalisoitumisen kontekstissa. Tutkimustulokset osoittavat, että digitalisoitumisen hyöty operationaaliseen suoriutumiseen syntyy kahden erilaisen mekanismin kautta eli digitalisoituminen ei yksin vaikuta yrityksen menestymiseen. Ensimmäinen mekanismi muodostuu niin kutsutusta täydentävästä suhteesta, joka tarkoittaa sitä, että yrityksen digitalisoituminen vaikuttaa yrityksen muihin resursseihin ja kyvykkyyksiin vahvistavasti, ja yhdessä digitaaliset tekijät yrityksen resurssien ja kyvykkyyksien kanssa parantavat yrityksen suoriutumista. Toinen mekanismi liittyy kontingenssivaikutukseen, jossa tilannetekijät vaikuttavat yritysten digitalisoitumisesta syntyvään hyötyyn. Tulokset osoittavat, että mikäli yrityksen sisäinen ympäristö on suotuisa yrityksen digitalisoitumiseen, sillä on positiivisia vaikutuksia digitalisoitumisesta saatavaan hyötyyn. Tulosten mukaan myös ulkoinen ympäristö vaikuttaa yrityksen digitalisoitumisesta saatavaan hyötyyn. Suomalaisten pk-yritysten digitalisoituminen tuottaa yrityksille arvoa parantuneena operatiivisena suorituskykynä silloin, kun yritysten digitalisoituminen ja resurssit sekä kyvykkyydet vahvistavat toisiaan digitalisoitumiselle suotuisassa sisäisessä ja ulkoisessa ympäristössä.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

The Interaction Effects between Supply Chain Integration and IT Capabilities on Firm Performance

It is well touted that embedding information technology (IT) capabilities in supply chain processes would allow firms to derive competitive advantage. Yet the outcomes of such embeddedness vary greatly across companies. Investigating how a firm configures appropriate IT capabilities with supply chain integration (SCI) to achieve superior performance is of significance. Drawing upon the dynamic capabilities theory, we examine how SCI and IT capabilities jointly affect firm performance. We test the hypotheses of interest with data collected from 252 firms in China. The results of hierarchical regression analysis reveal that the interactive effects of SCI and IT capabilities on firm performance vary across different combinations of dimensions of SCI (i.e., information sharing and collaborative planning) and IT capabilities(i.e., IT infrastructure flexibility, IT assimilation capability, and top management’s IT knowledge). In addition, the dimensions of SCI and IT capabilities have differential effects on firm performance. Theoretical contributions and managerial implications of the current research are discussed

Modernizing Supply Chain through Cloud Adoption: Role of Cloud Enabled Supplier Integration in Gaining Competitive Advantage and Sustainability

Cloud computing is deepening its roots in modern day businesses as companies are using it not only for their internal operations but also for suppliers and customers. Cloud enabled supplier integration system is one of the finest examples of such modernization which is being adopting by the firms for better organizational outcomes. However, evidence of such progress is quite rare. This study has targeted to identify the impact of cloud adoption on firm’s sustainability and competitive advantage in mediating role of cloud enabled supplier integration in manufacturing industry of Thailand. Such manufacturing organizations of Thailand were taken in sample which have already adopted cloud system in their firms and 32 such entities’ management was surveyed through questionnaire. Data was afterwards analyzed on AMOS and SPSS for hypotheses testing and screening purposes respectively. Results have confirmed significant positive impact of cloud adoption on firm’s sustainability as well on competitive advantage along with significant mediating role of cloud enabled supplier integration. Originality of this study is inclusion of competitive advantage in model to check its relation with both cloud adoption and cloud integration. Implications of this study are there in paper along with limitations and future research indications

Typology and Portfolio of Net-enabled Organizational Capabilities and Competitive Advantages: The Case Study of Travel and Hospitality Industry

Electronic business (e-business) is evolving from its technological tool towards a strategic role, supporting new business strategies. Prior studies explained e-business value creation from net-enabled organizational capabilities perspective, and delivered many insights at firm level with individual-level analysis of capability. In this paper, we posit that competitive advantages under e-business environment will be dependent upon the deployment of multiple types of net-enabled organizational capabilities and their appropriate portfolios. Further, we use Wade and Hulland (2004)’s capabilities taxonomies and multiple cases-based data in Chinese travel and hospitality industry to understand the effect of appropriate portfolios of net-enabled organizational capabilities on competitive advantages

The impact of digitalization on firm performance : examining the role of digital culture and the effect of supply chain capability

Purpose The study examines the impact of digital platforms and supply chain capability on operational performance and tests the mediation effect of supply chain capability. Further, the purpose is to examine the moderating effect of digital culture and sharpen our knowledge of how organizational culture as a contextual factor affects the firm's digitalization. Design/methodology/approach The data were harvested from 194 Finnish manufacturing companies, and structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses. Findings The findings show that digital platforms positively and significantly affect supply chain capability. Moreover, supply chain capability mediates the relation between digital platforms and operational performance. Further, this study confirms that digital culture is a contextual factor that explains the differences in the effects of digital platforms on firm performance. Originality/value This study is one of the first attempts to examine the effect of digital culture in the context of digital platforms, supply chain capabilities, and operational performance.© Tuire Hautala-Kankaanpää. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode The author gratefully acknowledges the financial support from the Foundation of Economic Education, Finnish Cultural fund and University of Vaasa. In addition, author wants to thank the reviewers for their suggested valuable and thorough feedback, which improved the contents of this paper.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Information technology and performance management for build-to-order supply chains

En las siguientes líneas se plantea un artículo de reflexión que tiene en cuenta parte del marco teórico que sustenta la investigación titulada “Prácticas pedagógicas que promueven la competencia argumentativa escrita (CAE) en niños campesinos de los grados 4° y 5° del Centro Educativo Municipal La Caldera, Sede Principal de Pasto”, desarrollada en el año 2012. En él se contemplan los aportes de las ciencias del lenguaje y la comunicación, la teoría de la argumentación, la didáctica de la lengua escrita y los géneros discursivos, que dan cuenta de la necesidad de desarrollar la capacidad crítica en los estudiantes a través de la argumentación, lo cual implica transformar las prácticas pedagógicas para que se alejen de la transmisión de conocimientos y den paso a la comunicación, para que la palabra escrita sea apropiada de manera significativa