A configurational approach to servitization: Review and research directions

In this article, the authors extend the current literature on servitization by taking a configurational perspective, aiming to understand the interplay between the drivers (conditions) that lead to certain equifinal outcomes of servitization. By taking stock of the servitization literature using the contingency theory of strategy as a foundational theory and the strategy–structure–environment approach as a primary framework to systematically review and analyze the identified configurational servitization studies, the authors identify commonalities and gaps in the literature and set directions for future research. EPSRC New Industrial Systems: OMMS - Optimising Me Manufacturing System [EP/R022534/1

Scale development for the inter-firm market orientation concept

Purpose: The objective of this paper is to develop and validate a scale for inter-firm market orientation (IMO) based on an original conceptualization by Elg (2008). Building on the MARKOR scale development work, the inter-firm market orientation (IMO) scale is introduced in order to better understand the market orientation efforts that occur within business relationships. Design/methodology/approach: After establishing a conceptualization of IMO, an initial list of scale items was developed by adapting the original MARKOR scale. Several phases of qualitative pre-tests were conducted with both academic experts and several manufacturer and reseller partner executives in order to assess the applicability and clarity of the instrument. Using a quantitative survey design, the survey instrument was validated with relationship partner managers in a combination of both manufacturer and reseller companies. Findings: The results of the analysis reveal that IMO is a second-order formative construct consisting of two first-order reflective constructs labelled joint intelligence cooperation and joint customer responsiveness. Practical implications: The operationalization of IMO suggests to manufacturers and their partners that the market intelligence cooperation efforts between them should be more focused on intelligence about the end-users, and less on the general market trends. Furthermore, the customer responsiveness efforts between the partners tend to be more reactive in nature, unlike the proactive stance in intra-firm market orientation. 2 Originality/value: The paper extends the notion of focal firm market orientation to IMO, which exists between partners in business relationships, and does so by developing a conceptualization and measurement items for IMO. This newly developed construct and scale can be used in future research to explore in greater depth the interplay between IMO and firm performance

New perspectives on evolutionary medicine: the relevance of microevolution for human health and disease

Evolutionary medicine (EM) is a growing field focusing on the evolutionary basis of human diseases and their changes through time. To date, the majority of EM studies have used pure theories of hominin macroevolution to explain the present-day state of human health. Here, we propose a different approach by addressing more empirical and health-oriented research concerning past, current and future microevolutionary changes of human structure, functions and pathologies. Studying generation-to-generation changes of human morphology that occurred in historical times, and still occur in present-day populations under the forces of evolution, helps to explain medical conditions and warns clinicians that their current practices may influence future humans. Also, analyzing historic tissue specimens such as mummies is crucial in order to address the molecular evolution of pathogens, of the human genome, and their coadaptations.Frank Jakobus Rühli and Maciej Henneber

Open sustainability: Conceptualization and considerations

Sustainability represents a ‘grand challenge’, which can often not be addressed by actions of individuals or single organizations alone. To understand collaborative sustainability activities, in this article we propose the concept of open sustainability. We derive open sustainability from literature in the areas of sustainability, open approaches, and open innovation, and define the concept based on key tenets as follow: open sustainability refers to an orchestrated distributed process in which a focal company interacts with partners across organizational boundaries in order to better achieve its own (micro-level) sustainability objectives, its direct nets' (meso-level) sustainability objectives, and the broader networks' (macro-level) sustainability objectives, both short and long term. Based on this definition, we introduce the articles of our special section on open sustainability

Capabilities in business relationships and networks: Research recommendations and directions

Web of Science7426

Different Recipes for Success in Business Relationships

Companies need to manage business relationships successfully in order to stay competitive. Drawing on configurational logic, this study shows that companies can improve their relationship performance through leveraging the structure of their business relationships. However, relationship structures must align with the company's business strategy. To date, research has focused on individual characteristics of business relationships, but little is known about relational configurations, namely the interplay between different business relationship characteristics on the one hand, and the firm's underlying business strategy on the other. We apply Hoffmann's (2007) strategy typology, namely shaping, adapting, and stabilization strategy types, to operationalize different business strategies. Drawing on a sample of 658 business service companies and employing fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), this study confirms the existence of different recipes for success, that is, multiple equifinal configurations leading to relationship performance. For each of the three business strategies, different combinations of relationship characteristics are successful, each encompassing a distinct configuration of core and periphery conditions. While firms following an adapting strategy should stress behavioral commitment above all other relationship characteristics, the two remaining business strategies instead rely predominantly on different factors such as trust and communication. This study contributes to business marketing theory and practice by highlighting different ways to develop business relationships successfully