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Electronic marketplace-to-marketplace alliances: emerging trends and strategic rationales
The electronic marketplace domain has recently witnessed the joining together of a number of previously independent marketplaces and the formation of collaborative alliances between others. This study seeks to determine the nature or type of cooperative arrangements or alliances that are currently being forged between electronic marketplaces, and the strategic rationale that is leading to this observed alliance formation. The findings of the study are based upon an examination of statements made to the press by marketplaces undertaking strategic alliances. This published data was supplemented with face-to-face interviews with managers at three relevant electronic marketplaces. Three distinct types of alliance are observed; the merger between previously separate marketplaces, the acquisition of one marketplace by another and the formation of an interoperability agreement between two marketplaces. Three rationales for alliance formation were observed: an increase in the number of buyers or suppliers in a given market sector that can access the marketplace (an increase in scale of operations), an increase in the breadth or depth of services that are offered to users of the marketplace (an increase in the scope of operations) and providing the ability to exchange information across multiple tiers of a supply chain. A broader discussion of the findings is given and suggestions for further research are made
Understanding the UK hospital supply chain in an era of patient choice
Author Posting © Westburn Publishers Ltd, 2011. This is a post-peer-review, pre-copy-edit version of an article which has been published in its definitive form in the Journal of Marketing Management, and has been posted by permission of Westburn Publishers Ltd for personal use, not for redistribution. The article was published in Journal of Marketing Management, 27(3-4), 401 - 423, doi:10.1080/0267257X.2011.547084 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2011.547084The purpose of this paper is to investigate the UK hospital supply chain in light of recent government policy reform where patients will have, inter alia, greater choice of hospital for elective surgery. Subsequently, the hospital system should become far more competitive with supply chains having to react to these changes as patient demand becomes less predictable. Using a qualitative case study methodology, hospital managers are interviewed on a range of issues. Views on the development of the hospital supply chain in different phases are derived, and are used to develop a map of the current hospital chain. The findings show hospital managers anticipating some significant changes to the hospital supply chain and its workings as Patient Choice expands. The research also maps the various aspects of the hospital supply chain as it moves through different operational phases and highlights underlying challenges and complexities. The hospital supply chain, as discussed and mapped in this research, is original work given there are no examples in the literature that provide holistic representations of hospital activity. At the end, specific recommendations are provided that will be of interest to service to managers, researchers, and policymakers
Lean Thinking: Theory, Application and Dissemination
This book was written and compiled by the University of Huddersfield to share the learnings and experiences of seven years of Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) and Economic and Social
Research Council (ESRC) funded projects with the
National Health Service (NHS). The focus of these
projects was the implementation of Lean thinking and optimising strategic decision making processes. Each of these projects led to major local improvements and this book explains how they were achieved and compiles the lessons learnt. The book is split into three chapters; Lean Thinking Theory, Lean Thinking Applied and Lean Thinking Dissemination
Big Data and the Internet of Things
Advances in sensing and computing capabilities are making it possible to
embed increasing computing power in small devices. This has enabled the sensing
devices not just to passively capture data at very high resolution but also to
take sophisticated actions in response. Combined with advances in
communication, this is resulting in an ecosystem of highly interconnected
devices referred to as the Internet of Things - IoT. In conjunction, the
advances in machine learning have allowed building models on this ever
increasing amounts of data. Consequently, devices all the way from heavy assets
such as aircraft engines to wearables such as health monitors can all now not
only generate massive amounts of data but can draw back on aggregate analytics
to "improve" their performance over time. Big data analytics has been
identified as a key enabler for the IoT. In this chapter, we discuss various
avenues of the IoT where big data analytics either is already making a
significant impact or is on the cusp of doing so. We also discuss social
implications and areas of concern.Comment: 33 pages. draft of upcoming book chapter in Japkowicz and Stefanowski
(eds.) Big Data Analysis: New algorithms for a new society, Springer Series
on Studies in Big Data, to appea
Opportunities for greater Lincolnshire's supply chains: full report
A study of the key sector supply chains across Greater Lincolnshire, and identification of barriers and opportuniteis for growth
Sustainable supply chain management needs sustainable logistics services. The strategic role played by logistics service providers
Purpose â The purpose of this research is to examine the concept of sustainable service co-creation
in triadic business relationships in logistics and supply chain management. More companies seek to
develop sustainable solutions that would not be sustainable exclusively for themselves but for the
supply chain they belong to. In doing that â especially when dealing with services â they may need
the external support from logistics service providers (LSPs). This paper aims to explore the
innovative initiatives undertaken by LSPs in triadic relationship management with their customers
and suppliers while co-creating sustainable services along the supply chain.
Design/methodology/approach â To investigate the research question, a systematic literature
review and empirical exploratory investigation through case study will be conducted adopting the
qualitative methodology, to explore trends and evolving paradigms.
Findings â A literature review conducted in this paper enriches existing literature through an
integration of sustainability in a viable system approach and logistics service provision, in
particular, it investigates the ways in which sustainability is achieved. It is assumed that
the triadic relationship among an LSP and its customers and suppliers requires significant
modifications in collaboration and an innovative approach in operating procedures.
Research limitations/implications â This paper is an exploratory study and limited in its scope to
an example of a relationship that focuses mainly on three actors: the supplier, the LSP and the
customer. However, it could be extended in terms of numbers of case studies investigated.
Practical implications â The implications arising from the literature and the empirical research
offer a range of current sustainable practices in the services sector. This could be a starting point for
other research and company activities.
Originality/value â There is little research that addresses the issue of sustainability and logistics
service providers simultaneously, hence the present paper is meant to fill the gap by providing a
foundation which actors of different supply chains could use as a benchmark. This study gives
evidence of how logistics services may contribute to sustainable development.
Key words â sustainable supply chain management, logistics service providers, viable system
approach, co-creation, business relationship managemen
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