Implementing reshoring: insights and principles from a longitudinal case study in the e-bike industry

Despite the growing body of literature on firms revising their production offshoring decisions, there is scarce research on how reshoring is actually implemented. This paper responds to this gap by analysing the case of FIVE, an Italian electric bike (e-bike) company that has insourced and relocated its production activities - originally outsourced to a Chinese manufacturer - to its home country. The research combines a design science approach with a longitudinal single case study method to gather both theoretical insights and practical managerial advice on how to conduct the reshoring implementation. The study captures the dynamic nature of the implementation process, showing how its elements evolve over time. Organisational learning emerges as a driving factor of reshoring. Each of the implementation stages is characterised by the development of a specific organisational process, which provides the know-how required for performing tasks at that particular stage. From a practical perspective, the study develops five reshoring implementation principles and a three-stage implementation process, thereby offering valuable guidelines for managers of SMEs who wish to undertake the reshoring decision

Strategic supply chain management implications of an unregulated BREXIT

Due to the integrated, complex and long supply chain structure of the automotive industry and the large size of cross-border trade of components and cars between UK´s and EU´s automotive supply chain actors, the implementation of a tariff scheme and custom handling procedures in the event of an unregulated (hard) BREXIT by March 2019 negatively affects the industry. The fundamental Four Freedoms are hindered resulting in an increase of sourcing costs. Assembly parts and distribution of final cars becomes costlier. The crucial JIT (just-in-time) philosophy is jeopardized due to the requirement of safety stock and custom checks. The purpose of this thesis is to develop a case study providing students with an effective way to apply Strategic- and Supply Chain Management (SCM) concepts based on a real case scenario of automobile industry (BMW). Professors are provided with resolution documents to effectively assess students’ solutions. A deductive approach was adopted in which the causal relationship between a hard BREXIT and strategic SCM implications is elaborated. A qualitative exploratory method was adopted, and the nature of the collected data is primarily qualitative, but also entails quantitative elements. Data was retrieved from scientific articles, industry specific reports, company reports, interviews and documentation from BMW. A hard BREXIT presents great challenges for BMW and their suppliers. BMW should foster cooperation with suppliers and engage in more backward integration policies to secure supply of strategic components and avoid supply stops. Supply network flexibility is crucial to maintain a sustained competitive SC. To offset trade barrier costs, BMW should partially shift MINI and eMINI production from the UK to other suitable European countries such as Hungary or the Netherlands and the company should aim towards more local sourcing in the UK for more standardized components

Exploring the Evolution of a Manufacturer’s Capabilities and Managers’ Mindsets When Transitioning from Closed Innovation to Open Innovation Ecosystem

Organizations in the 21st century have started to opt for open innovation instead of closed innovation for numerous reasons. Opting for open innovation allows organizations to decide how to orchestrate it. One popular theme of open innovation is innovation ecosystems. This study scrutinizes how a manufacturer’s capabilities and managers’ mindsets evolve when transitioning from closed innovation to orchestrating an open innovation ecosystem. To be able to scrutinize how the manufacturer’s capabilities and the managers’ mindsets evolve, it is essential to employ a microfoundational approach. This study’s theoretical background is built by examining three main concepts. First, closed and open innovation are examined, and reasons for organizations employing open innovation are explicitly looked at. Secondly, the ecosystem concept, specifically the innovation ecosystem concept, is delved into. Thirdly, the dynamic capability is examined thoroughly, and microfoundational research has a role important in this part. Altogether, the three concepts are combined for a working theoretical framework. This empirical study employs a single case study. The case organization in this study is stock-listed and was selected due to the unique innovation ecosystem it orchestrates. Furthermore, the innovation ecosystem is in the evolution phase, and this is why there are visible changes in managers’ mindsets and capabilities. Primary data was gathered through semi-structured interviews, while secondary data was gathered from annual reports, capital market days, and other publicly available information. The data analysis occurs through a within-case study. This study’s findings showcase numerous mindset, cognition, work method, process, and organizational routines, which enable open innovation in an innovation ecosystem. This study’s main contribution is building an empirical framework that can be used to understand how microfoundations aid the manufacturing organization in achieving dynamic capability when the organization transitions from a closed innovation process towards an open innovation ecosystem.2000-luvulla organisaatiot ovat alkaneet valita avoimen innovaation suljetun innovaation sijaan monista syistä. Avoimen innovaation valitseminen antaa organisaatioille mahdollisuuden päättää, miten innovointi toteutetaan ja yksi suosittu avoimen innovoinnin toteutustapa on innovaatioekosysteemi. Tässä tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan, miten teollisuusyrityksen valmiudet ja johtajien ajattelutavat kehittyvät siirryttäessä suljetusta innovaatiosta avoimen innovaatioekosysteemin organisointiin. Yrityksen kyvykkyyksien ja johtajien ajattelutapojen kehittymistä tarkastellaan mikroperusteiden näkökulmasta. Tämän tutkimuksen teoreettinen tausta rakentuu kolmen pääkäsitteen tarkastelun kautta. Ensiksi tarkastellaan suljettua ja avointa innovointia ja syitä, joiden vuoksi organisaatiot käyttävät avointa innovointia. Toiseksi syvennytään ekosysteemin käsitteeseen, erityisesti innovaatioekosysteemin käsitteeseen. Kolmanneksi tarkastellaan dynaamisia kyvykkyyksiä mikroperusteiden avulla. Nämä kolme käsitettä yhdistetään toimivaksi teoreettiseksi kehykseksi. Tämä empiirinen tutkimus on yksittäinen tapaustutkimus. Tutkimuksen tapausorganisaatio on pörssilistattu ja se valittiin sen organisoiman ainutlaatuisen innovaatioekosysteemin vuoksi. Lisäksi innovaatioekosysteemi on kehitysvaiheessa, joten johtajien ajattelutavoissa ja kyvyissä on nähtävissä muutoksia. Ensisijainen aineisto kerättiin puolistrukturoiduilla haastatteluilla. Toissijaista aineistoa kerättiin vuosikertomuksista, pääomamarkkinapäivistä ja muista julkisesti saatavilla olevista tiedotteista. Tutkimuksen tulokset osoittavat lukuisia erilaisia ajattelutapoja, kognitiota, työmenetelmiä, prosesseja ja organisaation rutiinimuutoksia, jotka mahdollistavat avoimen innovaation toteutumisen innovaatioekosysteemissä. Tämän tutkimuksen tärkein anti on empiirisen kehyksen luominen, jonka avulla voidaan ymmärtää, miten mikroperustat auttavat tämän tutkimuksen teollisuusyritystä saavuttamaan dynaamisen kyvykkyyden, kun organisaatio siirtyy suljetusta innovaatioprosessista kohti avointa innovaatioekosysteemiä

Law and the political economy of AI production

The governance of artificial intelligence (AI) is at a historical juncture. Legislative acts, global treaties, export controls, and technical standards are now dominating the discourse over what used to be a predominantly market-driven space. Amidst all this frenzy, this paper explains why none of these projects will achieve ‘alignment’ of AI with the prospect of a sustainable model of production authentically committed to the rights and freedoms of people and communities. By reflecting on the role of law in consolidating the visions and logics of few multinationals in the global value chains of AI, it warns against the peril of regulating AI without looking at the methods and logistics of its material production. Following a detailed overview of the various (techno-)legal ways through which law enables the flow of materials, capital, and power from Global South to Global North, and from small players to lead firms, the paper concludes with some preliminary thoughts on a transformative agenda for the transnational regulation of infocomputational production

Semantic discovery and reuse of business process patterns

Patterns currently play an important role in modern information systems (IS) development and their use has mainly been restricted to the design and implementation phases of the development lifecycle. Given the increasing significance of business modelling in IS development, patterns have the potential of providing a viable solution for promoting reusability of recurrent generalized models in the very early stages of development. As a statement of research-in-progress this paper focuses on business process patterns and proposes an initial methodological framework for the discovery and reuse of business process patterns within the IS development lifecycle. The framework borrows ideas from the domain engineering literature and proposes the use of semantics to drive both the discovery of patterns as well as their reuse

Ambidexterity in Information Systems Research: Overview of Conceptualizations, Antecedents, and Outcomes

Organizations that are not efficient and innovative today quickly become irrelevant tomorrow. Ambidexterity (i.e., simultaneously conducting two seemingly contradicting activities, such as exploitation and exploration) helps organizations to overcome this challenge and, hence, has become increasingly popular with manifold applications in information systems (IS) research. However, we lack a systematic understanding of ambidexterity research, its research streams, and their future trajectory. Hence, we conduct a systematic literature review on ambidexterity in IS research and identify six distinct research streams that use an ambidexterity lens: IT-enabled organizational ambidexterity, ambidextrous IT capability, ambidexterity in IS development, ambidextrous IS strategy, ambidextrous inter-organizational relationships, and organizational ambidexterity in IS. We present the current state of research in each stream. More so, we comprehensively overview application areas, conceptualizations, antecedents for, and outcomes of ambidexterity. Hence, this study contributes to the emergent theme of ambidexterity in IS research

Synergies of firms' innovation dynamic capabilities and information technology: a study of Saudi firms’ innovation performance and practices

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.The ability of firms to innovate has become a cornerstone in the economy of many developed and developing countries. The performance of firms is not exclusively linked to their internal capability. Other external factors, such as technology, globalisation of the market, knowledge, and evolving approaches to value offering, force them to constantly change their approaches to wealth creation. Innovation is vital for firms’ competitive advantage. Hence, a firm with higher innovation prosperity compared to its rivals has a crucial advantage that enables it to compete in local and global markets. However, innovation is a complex phenomenon, and a holistic view is required for a deep understanding of the factors that influence firms’ innovation performance. Day after day, markets are becoming more dynamic, increasing the necessity to understand how such momentum affects innovation performance. With a focus on how they develop strategic routines that enhance their assessment of opportunities and resource-configuration capabilities, firms may better align their products and services with market demands. Using state-of-the-art dynamic-capability theory, this research highlights the routines of firms that influence their abilities to acquire and multiply knowledge and technology consistent with market status, leading to more novel and successful innovative products and processes as well as better economic advantage. This research aims to provide a framework that comprises factors that may influence Saudi firms’ innovation performance. Furthermore, the research aim attempts to understand the impact of information technology on firms’ innovation performance. The research is based on survey data from 203 Saudi firms registered at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The empirical results suggest that firms may enhance their ability to acquire, assimilate, transform, and exploit knowledge by increasing their breadth of knowledge sources and by internationalizing their searching activities for knowledge and skills. Moreover, both explorative and exploitative innovation strategies, although paradoxes, are significant to increasing firms’ overall innovative performance. Mutually, information technology (IT) plays a critical role in complementing firms’ dynamic capabilities through better provision of IT infrastructure, while IT effectiveness and IT flexibility are vital to increasing firms’ abilities to maintain both long-term and short-term competitiveness

Demystifying paradox in modern IT organizations: A transformation toward ambidexterity

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Teollisuuden palveluyrityksen pysyvä kilpailuetu

Over the last 20 years, Finland’s industrial service business – specifically its electrical and telecom network services and industrial services – has undergone a remarkable transformation. Network owners have outsourced these functions to newly established service companies, and a remarkable new service industry has resulted. After undergoing a rapid growth phase, it has faced numerous challenges, such as decreasing volumes and profitability, as well as new competitors. However, this service business transformation has not yet been the subject of theoretical nor practical research. This thesis examines this transformation from the perspective of service companies and their customers. The research questions are as follows: How can a sustainable competitive advantage for industrial service businesses be created? Do conflicts between service providers’ and customers’ targets exist? Can a win–win position be found? The research utilized theoretical approaches that were based primarily on deductive theory development, qualitative and quantitative methodologies, and a cross-sectional time horizon. The theoretical aspect of the research related to firm strategies, models of competitive and sustainable competitive advantage, conceptual frameworks, and methods and tools, all of which are applicable to the achievement of a sustainable advantage. The information was collected via questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and public reports. Based on the results, customers were very satisfied with service outsourcing and the larger service packages to come. However, service company volumes and profitability decreased, marginal business and competence development methods and investments were applied, and there was no service differentiation between competitors. Conflicts between service providers’ and customers’ competitive advantage targets were marginal and related solely to financials. A sustainable competitive advantage business model called ‘Smart Service’ was developed, and it comprises four sub-processes: profitability/growth, market analysis/customer proximity, critical competence/ resource, and service business development plans. The researched industrial service companies need to employ these new business approaches to recover their sustainable and profitable service business.Sähkö- ja televerkkojen sekä teollisuuden kunnossapitopalvelujen rakenne on muuttunut merkittävästi viimeisen 20 vuoden aikana Suomessa. Verkkoyhtiöt ovat ulkoistaneet näitä palveluliiketoimintoja uusille perustetuille palveluyhtiöille. Uusi merkittävä palvelutoimiala on syntynyt. Nopean kasvujakson jälkeen palveluyhtiöt ovat kohdanneet monia haasteita kuten liikevaihdon ja kannattavuuden laskemisen sekä uusien kilpailijoiden tulon markkinoille. Tämä väitöskirja tutkii tätä liiketoimintamuutosta sekä palveluyhtiöiden että niiden asiakkaiden näkökulmasta. Tutkimuskysymykset ovat: miten kehittää palveluyritysten pysyvä kilpailuetu; ovatko palveluyhtiöiden ja niiden asiakkaiden tavoitteet ristiriidassa keskenään ja voidaanko yhteinen win-win asetelma luoda? Väitöskirja rakentuu teoreettiseen deduktiiviseen viitekehitykseen, kvantitatiiviseen ja kvalitatiiviseen analyysiin sekä poikittaistutkimusmenetelmään. Teoriaosa koostuu yritysstrategiaosuudesta, yrityksen johtamisteoria osasta, kilpailuetu- ja pysyvän kilpailuedun malleista sekä pysyvän kilpailuedun menetelmistä ja työkaluista. Lähtötietojen keruussa käytettiin kyselyjä, syvähaastatteluja sekä julkisia yritysten tietolähteitä. Tutkimustyön päätulokset olivat: asiakkaat olivat erittäin tyytyväisiä palveluliiketoimintojen ulkoistukseen ja jatkossa isompia palvelukokonaisuuksia siirtyy palveluyrityksille. Palveluyritysten liikevaihdot ja kannattavuudet ovat laskeneet, liiketoimintojen ja osaamisen kehittämiseen ei panosteta juuri ollenkaan eikä erottautumista palveluissa kilpailijoiden kesken ole tapahtunut. Palveluyhtiöiden ja niiden asiakkaiden tavoitteissa ei ole juurikaan eroavaisuuksia, taloustavoitteissa luonnollisesti jonkun verran. Väitöskirjassa kehitettiin pysyvän kilpailuedun liiketointamalli, joka pohjautuu tutkittuun teoreettiseen ja konseptuaaliseen viitekehykseen ja työkaluihin sekä tutkimuksen empiirisiin tuloksiin. Liiketoimintamalli sai nimen ’Älykäs palvelu -työkalu’. Se koostuu neljästä osaprosessista: Kannattavuus/Kasvu, Markkina-analyysi/Asiakasläheisyys, Kriittiset Osaamiset/Resurssit ja Palvelujen Kehittämissuunnitelmat. Tutkittu palveluliiketoiminta selkeästi tarvitsee uutta liiketoimintamallia parantaakseen pysyvää kilpailukykyä ja kannattavuutta.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed