Organization Structure and Service Capabilities as Predictors of Supply Chain Performance: B2B Seller’s Perspective

In buyer-seller exchanges the seller not only provides the goods and service but also transfers its organization capabilities on to the buying firm. Improper selection and usage of these capabilities may reduce the seller’s sustainable competitive edge in future transactions in this supply chain. Through field interviews and Resource Based View literature, the authors propose and test a model linking organization structure, service capabilities, and seller’s satisfaction and performance in business-to-business exchanges. Based on eighty-seven responses, the results indicate that autonomous structure has a positive impact on all three service capabilities. Formalization has a positive influence on only logistics service capability. The service capabilities had a direct impact only on satisfaction. The supply chain performance link in the model was mediated through satisfaction

A model of manufacturer-driven governing mechanisms and distributor performance

Drawing from relational exchange, dependence, and agency theories the authors explain that it is not only the type of governing mechanisms but also the proper sequencing of them that improves a manufacturer-distributor relationship and performance. Dependence affected relationship continuity positively. Monitoring affected the second order relational norm construct, comprising information sharing and flexibility, positively. Relational norm positively affected relationship continuity. Dependence, relationship continuity, monitoring, and relational norm affected distributor performance positively

Heart ventricular histology and microvasculature together with aortic histology and elastic lamellar structure: A comparison of a novel dual-purpose to a broiler chicken line

The use of dual-purpose chickens is a strategy to avoid killing one-day-old male chicks of egg laying lines. Lohmann Dual (LD) is a novel dual-purpose chicken line created by the crossbreeding of layer and broiler lines. However, many of the cardiovascular diseases of broilers are likely to be associated with intensive genetic selection for growth and feed conversion efficiency. This study aimed to compare the macroscopic and microscopic structure of the heart and the aorta of the LD chicken line with that of the broiler chicken line, Ross 308 (Ross) under typical husbandry conditions for meat production. Eighty, one-day-old male chicks of each line were housed for 5 weeks (Ross) and 9 weeks (LD). Six birds of each line were sampled weekly. Heart mass, thickness of ventricular walls, cardiomyocyte size and blood capillary density as well as aortic diameter and thickness, number of elastic lamellae and elastic fiber percentage in the aortic wall were determined. The growth patterns of the heart were the same in the two lines. Although LD chickens had a lower absolute heart mass than that of Ross chickens, the relative heart mass in both lines was similar. The cardiomyocytes of LD chickens were larger than those of Ross’s of the same body weight (BW), nevertheless both lines had similar thicknesses of their ventricular walls. The blood capillary density was greater in the LD heart than in that of the Ross heart. The aorta of LD chickens had proportionally; a greater aortic lumen radius, larger numbers of elastic lamellae and more elastic fibers than in Ross chickens. Our results suggest that the heart and aorta of the LD chickens have not been disadvantaged by their intensive genetic selection; furthermore, LD chickens have a better myocardial capillary supply and better aortic mechanical properties than those of Ross chickens

Logistics Service Provider-Client Relationship: Comparing U.S.A and Brazil

This research compares organization structure and market-based capabilities of American and Brazilian Logistics Service Providers in their respective countries. Using the resource based view, the authors propose that a LSP’s organization structure influences its service capabilities, which in turn will influence satisfaction and performance. The results indicate that the individual models hold true in their respective countries. Autonomy enhanced LSP’s capabilities in the areas of information sharing, logistics service, and customer service in both models. Formalization improved logistics and customer services in the Brazilian case, but only logistics services in the U.S. case. Unlike the U.S. model, service capabilities did not affect satisfaction for the Brazilian case; satisfaction did not contribute to performance for Brazilians. Paths of the two models are compared as part of the descriptive approach for the study and managerial insights provided

Structure and age-dependent growth of the chicken liver together with liver fat quantification: A comparison between a dual-purpose and a broiler chicken line

Rearing dual-purpose chickens is a practicable approach to avoid culling one-day-old male layer chicks. The present study examined the impact of a conventional fattening diet on the liver of a novel dual-purpose chicken line (Lohmann Dual, LD) in comparison to a broiler (Ross 308) chicken line. Age-related changes of structure and lipid content of the liver were assessed. One hundred twenty and newly hatched chicks (LD = 66, Ross = 54) were kept under the same husbandry conditions and fed a commercial diet for 5 weeks for Ross and 9 weeks for LD. Six birds of each line were examined weekly. Their body weight (BW) and liver mass were recorded. Microscopic structure and ultrastructure of the liver were investigated and the liver lipid content was measured using a pre-validated method. During the study period, liver mass increased with age, while normalized liver mass decreased. Furthermore, liver mass of Ross birds was greater than that of LD birds of the same BW. Overall, no significant differences were observed in the hepatic structure or ultrastructure between the two chicken lines. The hepatic lymphatic aggregations were without fibrous capsules and their number and area increased throughout the first week, then the values began to fluctuate with age in both chicken lines. The changes in the liver lipid content of the two chicken lines were within the normal physiological range over the term of the study. The liver lipid content correlated negatively with age and body weight in both lines. It was the highest on the first day then decreased until day 7 and thereafter did not change in both chicken lines. However, given the same body weight, the Ross chickens had a 9% greater liver lipid content than LD chickens. It is concluded that there is no apparent adverse effect of a high-energy diet on the liver of LD chickens

Organization structure and service capabilities as predictors of supply chain performance: B2B seller’s perspective

In buyer-seller exchanges the seller not only provides the goods and service but also transfers its organization capabilities on to the buying firm. Improper selection and usage of these capabilities may reduce the seller’s sustainable competitive edge in future transactions in this supply chain. Through field interviews and Resource Based View literature, the authors propose and test a model linking organization structure, service capabilities, and seller’s satisfaction and performance in business-to-business exchanges. Based on eighty-seven responses, the results indicate that autonomous structure had a positive impact on all three service capabilities. Formalization had a positive influence on only logistics service capability. The service capabilities had a direct impact only on satisfaction. The supply chain performance link in the model was mediated through satisfaction

A model of manufacturer-driven governing mechanisms and distributor performance

Drawing from relational exchange, dependence, and agency theories the authors explain that it is not only the type of governing mechanisms but also the proper sequencing of them that improves a manufacturer-distributor relationship and performance. Dependence affected relationship continuity positively. Monitoring affected the second order relational norm construct, comprising information sharing and flexibility, positively. Relational norm positively affected relationship continuity. Dependence, relationship continuity, monitoring, and relational norm affected distributor performance positively