Cultural adaptation in Chinese-Western supply chain partnerships: dyadic learning in an international context

Article"This article is (c) Emerald Group Publishing and permission has been granted for this version to appear here. Emerald does not grant permission for this article to be further copied/distributed or hosted elsewhere without the express permission from Emerald Group Publishing Limited."Purpose: Inter-firm learning, or dyadic learning, has been studied extensively in recent years however very little attention has been devoted to extending the concept to an international context and no formal definition exists. We propose ‘cultural adaptation’ as a special form of international dyadic learning and link it to supply relationship performance. Design/methodology/approach: Case studies in four Chinese-Western buyer-supplier relationships, providing cross-case replication, employing qualitative and quantitative methods. Data are triangulated by questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and documentation. Findings: Qualitative and quantitative evidence shows that cultural adaptation can lead to mutual benefits (relationship rents) and inbound spillover rents for both parties in a supply relationship. Research limitations/implications: Using four cases and a small sample of key informants completing the questionnaire limits generalisability of findings. Practical implications: 1. We develop the causal relationship between cultural adaptation and mutual benefits motivating managers to adapt culturally. 2. We emphasize that the current relationship performance measures should include guanxi quality in order to adapt to the Chinese context. Originality/value: Building on Extended Resource Based Theory, stating that strategic resources may lie beyond a firm’s boundary and that relational and inbound spillover rents may be obtained from the relationship, the research contributes to dyadic or inter-organisational learning literature by empirically building causal relationships between cultural adaptation (as a form of international dyadic learning) and associated mutual benefits (relational and inbound spillover rents), using multiple data sources and methods and tentatively redefining the dyadic learning concept

A framework for sustainable supply networks: alternative routes for the identification of sustainability-oriented innovations in industrial supply networks

This article presents a conceptual framework for Sustainable Supply Networks. To build this framework, we reviewed existing sustainability frameworks and found that innovation was highlighted as a key factor in sustainability. However, we also found little consideration given to how to discover innovations that address sustainability issues. Through an examination of the Supply Chain Management and Network literature, we uncovered three alternative and sometimes contradictory routes to discovering Sustainability-Oriented Innovation. The Supply Chain Management literature proposes strong ties with a few strategic suppliers to benefit from the knowledge and technology that spills over from supplier to the firm during the New Product Development process. In contrast, the network literature calls for the creation of multiple weak ties to non-strategic suppliers to increase the opportunities for identifying innovation. The network literature further suggests a third and potentially more promising route: building weak ties to suppliers that bridge structural holes in the network. We posit that strong ties with strategic suppliers will lead to the development of incremental Sustainability-Oriented Innovations, whilst weak ties with multiple suppliers and with suppliers that bridge structural holes will tend to lead to radical Sustainability-Oriented Innovations. Finally, we suggest that once Sustainability-Oriented Innovations are identified, they should be transferred to other suppliers and implemented in their operations to increase the sustainability performance of the focal fir

Adaptation of supply management towards a hybrid culture: the case of a Japanese automaker

Purpose – This paper aims to identify problems caused by cultural differences between Japan and China that face supply chain managers by applying Japanese-style supply management practices within supply networks in China and present solutions to this problem. Design/methodology/approach – A single, longitudinal case study conducting two waves of data collection (i.e. interviews and observation) plus the collection of much archival data was performed. It goes beyond the dyad by examining supply management of a Japanese company’s supply chain up to three tiers in China. Findings – The four supply cultural differences between Japan and China, which caused the cultural clashes between JVCo and some of its suppliers were revealed and a model of adaptation of Japanese supply management to the Chinese business system was developed. Adaptation involves creating new supply management practices out of selective adaptation, innovation and change of existing Japanese and Chinese supply management practices rooted in different Japanese, Chinese and Western cultures. A list of organisational factors affecting the adaptation has also been provided. Research limitations/implications – Due to the adoption of a single case study method, caution should be given to generalising the findings to all Japanese firms. Practical implications – The Japanese, Chinese and Western managers were provided with insights on how to mitigate the problems caused by cultural differences within supply relationships in China and some innovative ideas on how managers from all three cultures could blend the elements of the three cultures to form a hybrid culture and reduce cultural clashes. Originality/value – This is one of the few attempts to study the transfer of Japanese supply management practice to China. Organizational theory (i.e. transfer of organizational practice and hybridization) is applied and provides a robust framework to explain the supply management practice. This study also answers the call for a global supplier relationship management paradigm

Global purchasing strategy and International Purchasing Offices: Evidence from case studies

“NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in International Journal of Production Economics. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in International Journal of Production Economics, 154, 284-298. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpe.2013.09.007”Setting up an International Purchasing Office (IPO) is one of the key steps for firms doing global sourcing. This paper aims to explore the relationship between strategy and structure in a contemporary global purchasing context. We build a theory of IPOs, employing a case study method to address two research questions - what types of IPOs exist in China? And how may an IPO become strategic to its parent's global purchasing? We identify three types or clusters of IPOs along four dimensions: motives for sourcing from China; global purchasing strategy for China; IPO structure and IPO followership. We present a causal model and associated propositions to explain how an IPO may become more strategic for its parent company. In the model we identify that, in addition to the direct link of 'structure follows strategy', IPO followership can be an underlying construct, linking IPO structure and global purchasing strategy for China. The paper opens up new avenues for global sourcing research and provides new insights for managers on global purchasing strategy, specifically with respect to IPO organisational design and capabilities

International purchasing offices in China: a dynamic evolution model

“NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in International Business Review. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in International Business Review 23, 580-593. DOI: 10.1016/j.ibusrev.2013.09.006”The salience of the international purchasing office (IPO) in the management of international sourcing activities of multinational corporations (MNCs) has steadily increased, in developed and emerging economies, since the first adoption of this supply chain strategy in the 1980s. The aim of this paper is to develop an activity/role-based evolution model for IPOs, employing multiple case studies: 14 MNCs’ IPOs in China, studied by British, Italian, and Chinese scholars. Applying role theory in a global purchasing context, we identify eight routine roles and four strategic roles played by IPOs and propose that IPOs could lead an MNC's global sourcing in a geographical region. We challenge the unilinear and sequential nature of existing global sourcing process models and propose a dynamic evolution model, consisting of five stages differentiated by number, depth, and breadth of roles, in which IPOs could leapfrog some stages, re-trench (move back to lower stages) and be potentially withdrawn. Finally, we conclude that the stage of an IPO is determined by the strategic importance of China to its parent company

International purchasing offices in China: roles and resource/capability requirements

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Emerald via the DOI in this record.Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to address global sourcing organisational design through the following research questions: how do the roles performed by International Purchasing Offices (IPOs) change over time?; what are the resources/capabilities required by an IPO for an effective performance and how do they change over time?; and what are the contingent factors affecting such changes? Design/methodology/approach - The authors employed an exploratory multiple case study approach and analysed 14 Western IPOs located in China for a period between 2007 and 2012. The data were primarily collected through 34 direct, semi-structured interviews of IPO heads and sourcing managers or senior buyers. Findings - The authors identify and discuss the importance of ten roles played by IPOs and 12 required resources/capabilities. Furthermore, considering the changes that occurred to these IPOs over a five-year period (2007-2012), the authors observe three distinct evolutionary behaviours (i.e. "overall development", "selective development", and "stable configuration") and highlight three contingent factors that jointly affect these behaviours (i.e. the architectural and technological complexity of the sourced items, annual volume sourced abroad, and experience in the foreign context). Originality/value - This paper contributes to the resource-based view of the firm in a global sourcing context by highlighting the resources/capabilities required by IPOs and discussing their characteristics. Furthermore, it proposes a typology of IPO micro-organisational evolutionary behaviours. Finally, it applies contingency theory and identifies three factors that might affect the evolutionary behaviours

Sex differences in lifespan extension with acarbose and 17‐α estradiol: gonadal hormones underlie male‐specific improvements in glucose tolerance and mTORC2 signaling

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140036/1/acel12656.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140036/2/acel12656_am.pd

An Organizational-Level Program of Intervention for AKI: A Pragmatic Stepped Wedge Cluster Randomized Trial

Background Variable standards of care may contribute to poor outcomes associated with AKI. We evaluatedwhether a multifaceted intervention (AKI e-alerts, an AKI care bundle, and an education program)would improve delivery of care and patient outcomes at an organizational level.Methods A multicenter, pragmatic, stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial was performed in five UK hospitals,involving patients with AKI aged$18 years. The intervention was introduced sequentially across fixed three-monthperiods according to a randomly determined schedule until all hospitals were exposed. The primary outcome was30-day mortality,withpre-specifiedsecondaryendpointsandanestedevaluationof careprocessdelivery.Thenatureof the intervention precluded blinding, but data collection and analysiswere independent of project delivery teams.Results We studied 24,059 AKI episodes, finding an overall 30-day mortality of 24.5%, with no differencebetween control and intervention periods. Hospital length of stay was reduced with the intervention(decreases of 0.7, 1.1, and 1.3 days at the 0.5, 0.6, and 0.7 quantiles, respectively). AKI incidence increasedand was mirrored by an increase in the proportion of patients with a coded diagnosis of AKI. Our assessmentof process measures in 1048 patients showed improvements in several metrics including AKI recognition,medication optimization, and fluid assessment.Conclusions A complex, hospital-wide intervention to reduce harm associated with AKI did not reduce30-day AKImortality but did result in reductions in hospital length of stay, accompanied by improvementsin in quality of care. An increase in AKI incidence likely reflected improved recognitio

Longer lifespan in male mice treated with a weakly estrogenic agonist, an antioxidant, an α-glucosidase inhibitor or a Nrf2-inducer

The National Institute on Aging Interventions Testing Program (ITP) evaluates agents hypothesized to increase healthy lifespan in genetically heterogeneous mice. Each compound is tested in parallel at three sites, and all results are published. We report the effects of lifelong treatment of mice with four agents not previously tested: Protandim, fish oil, ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and metformin – the latter with and without rapamycin, and two drugs previously examined: 17-α-estradiol and nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), at doses greater and less than used previously. 17-α-estradiol at a threefold higher dose robustly extended both median and maximal lifespan, but still only in males. The male-specific extension of median lifespan by NDGA was replicated at the original dose, and using doses threefold lower and higher. The effects of NDGA were dose dependent and male specific but without an effect on maximal lifespan. Protandim, a mixture of botanical extracts that activate Nrf2, extended median lifespan in males only. Metformin alone, at a dose of 0.1% in the diet, did not significantly extend lifespan. Metformin (0.1%) combined with rapamycin (14 ppm) robustly extended lifespan, suggestive of an added benefit, based on historical comparison with earlier studies of rapamycin given alone. The α-glucosidase inhibitor, acarbose, at a concentration previously tested (1000 ppm), significantly increased median longevity in males and 90th percentile lifespan in both sexes, even when treatment was started at 16 months. Neither fish oil nor UDCA extended lifespan. These results underscore the reproducibility of ITP longevity studies and illustrate the importance of identifying optimal doses in lifespan studies