Social media engagement strategy : Investigation of marketing and R&D interfaces in manufacturing industry

Research shows that effective marketing and R&D interface is pivotal in a company's new product development performance and future competitiveness. The increased popularity of social media promised to enhance interaction, collaboration, and networking between the two functions. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the key activities, infrastructure requirements, and potential benefits of social media in the marketing and R&D interface. This study aims to advance the current understanding of social media engagement strategies, which facilitates improved marketing and R&D interfaces and ultimately NPD performance for manufacturing companies. Based on a multiple-case study in two manufacturing companies, this study first presents the role of social media in facilitating improved marketing and R&D interface within a B2B context. Second, it presents the adoption process of the social media engagement strategy for an evolving marketing and R&D interface. The adoption process is divided into three phases, namely coordination, cooperation, and coproduction, to provide detailed insights regarding full-scale social media engagement. Taken together, the study provides novel insights into industrial marketing management literature by exemplifying the role of social media and proposing a systematic social engagement strategy for improved marketing and R&D interface in the manufacturing industry.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Literature review on industrial digital platforms : A business model perspective and suggestions for future research

Rapid digitalization of industries has led to the proliferation of complex industrial digital platforms; however, few industrial platform leaders have successfully established sustainable business models around their offerings. The need for a concrete definition of industrial digital platforms and their business models further complicates our understanding of the issue. In this prospecting review, we critically analyze the existing literature on industrial digital platforms to identify key research themes and research gaps and propose a future research agenda for the industrial digital platform literature from a business model perspective. Drawing on insights from research on industrial platforms, digitalization, digital servitization, and business-to-business (B2B) relationships, our analysis focuses on three key themes in defining the boundaries of industrial digital platforms and the crucial aspects of value creation, value delivery, and value capture on such platforms: (a) co-creative value creation, (b) digitally integrated value delivery, and (c) mutual value capture. The findings of this study and a future research agenda framework provide a roadmap for advancing the understanding of business models for industrial digital platforms. This research aims to contribute to the emerging field of industrial digital platforms and guide future research endeavors in this domain, unlocking the full potential of these platforms for businesses and industries.© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

INVESTIGATING THE PATH FROM FIRM INNOVATIVENESS TO FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE: THE ROLES OF NEW PRODUCT SUCCESS, MARKET RESPONSIVENESS, AND ENVIRONMENT TURBULENCE

This resource-based study investigates how a path from firm innovativeness to financial performance is channelled through new product success, and is contingent upon levels of market responsiveness and environment turbulence. Using primary data from small- and medium-sized exporting firms in the United Kingdom, the study finds that new product success partially mediates the path from firm innovativeness to financial performance. The study further finds that while market responsiveness strengthens links between new product success and financial performance, environment turbulence weakens the relationship. The implications of these findings for both researchers and managers of small- and medium-size enterprises are discussed

Digital servitization business models in ecosystems:A theory of the firm

This study extends the discussion of digital servitization business models by adopting the perspective of the theory of the firm. We use four theories of the firm (industrial organization, the resource-based view, organizational identity, and the transaction cost approach) to understand digital servitization business models of firms in the context of ecosystems. Digitalization transforms the business models of solution providers and shapes their firm boundary decisions as they develop digital solutions across organizational boundaries within ecosystems such as harbors, mines, and airports. Thus, digitalization not only affects individual firms' business models but also requires the alignment of the business models of other firms within the ecosystem. Hence, business models in digital servitization should be viewed from an ecosystem perspective. Based on a rigorous literature review, we provide suggestions for future research on digital servitization business models within ecosystems

ENTREPRENEURIAL AND MARKET-ORIENTED ACTIVITIES, FINANCIAL CAPITAL, ENVIRONMENT TURBULENCE, AND EXPORT PERFORMANCE IN AN EMERGING ECONOMY

This study examines the impact of the simultaneous implementation of entrepreneurial and market-oriented export activities on export success and whether this relationship depends on levels of financial capital and market environment turbulence. The findings from a study of 164 Ghanaian exporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) indicate that high levels of both entrepreneurial and market orientation generate better export performance. The relationship is stronger when firms have greater financial capital and operate in more turbulent export market environments. These results extend existing knowledge of how SMEs can improve export performance by seeking fit between firm-specific capabilities and external environment conditions

External knowledge resources and new venture success in developing economies : leveraging innovative opportunities and legitimacy strategies

This study draws insights from entrepreneurial opportunity and organizational legitimacy perspectives to specify an intervening role of opportunity recognition and the contingency effect of entrepreneurial legitimacy to explain how and when external knowledge resources are associated with new venture performance. The conceptual model is tested on primary data from 230 new ventures operating in a sub-Saharan African economy: Ghana. Findings from the study indicate that the relationship between external knowledge resources and new venture performance is mediated by opportunity recognition and that high levels of both strategic and regulatory legitimacy strategies strengthen the indirect relationship. Theoretical implications and new venture management lessons drawn from these findings are discussed.https://www.elsevier.com/locate/techforehj2022Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS

Entrepreneurial and market-oriented activities, financial capital, environment turbulence, and export performance in an emerging economy

This study examines the impact of the simultaneous implementation of entrepreneurial and market-oriented export activities on export success and whether this relationship depends on levels of financial capital and market environment turbulence. The findings from a study of 164 Ghanaian exporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) indicate that high levels of both entrepreneurial and market orientation generate better export performance. The relationship is stronger when firms have greater financial capital and operate in more turbulent export market environments. These results extend existing knowledge of how SMEs can improve export performance by seeking fit between firm-specific capabilities and external environment conditions

Sustainable financing through crowdfunding

The phenomenon of crowdfunding has been widely studied, while the sustainability of crowdfunded ventures is attracting growing interest from academia and society. In light of this interest, we conducted bibliometric analysis to study the relationship between crowdfunding and crowdfunded ventures’ sustainability orientation. We analyzed the number of publications, type of publications, and most productive countries, journals, and authors. We also analyzed the most cited articles and examined their approach to sustainability and crowdfunding. The results suggested that a sustainability orientation could bring about change in the current financial and environmental system

RFID and ERP systems in supply chain management

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to identify the impact of enterprise systems (ESs), in particular radio frequency identification (RFID) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, on supply chain management (SCM). The results of this conceptual paper demonstrate that ERP and RFID systems contribute to SCM by improving supply chain integration. Supply chain integration occurs to facilitate the flow of financing, products, and information throughout the chain. In this regard, ERP and RFID contribute to integration by enhancing the information flow across the supply chain. Design/methodology/approach - This paper proposes a conceptual model developed from the findings of literature review within the research domains of SCM, ESs, and supply chain integration. Findings - This conceptual study contributes to the existing theory by linking the concept of information technology, ESs to SCM. The conceptual model in this paper may provide insights for executives who wish to implement ERP or RFID systems in their businesses in order to achieve higher integration, both within internal sectors and also with supply chain partners. Originality/value - The findings in this study contribute to the theory base by linking the concept of information technologies, ESs to SCM. The conceptual model presented in this paper can provide insights for executives who wish to implement ERP or RFID systems in their businesses in order to achieve higher integration within internal sectors and with supply chain partners. This study offers new understandings by investigating the impact of ERP and RFID together on SCM

Developing and utilizing coopetitive relationships : evidence from small and medium-sized enterprises in sub-Saharan Africa

The study proposes the notion of coopetition capability as an ability to cooperate and compete with rival firms simultaneously. We draw on the tenets of the resource-based and dynamic capability theories as well as insights from in-depth qualitative studies of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in two Sub-Saharan African markets – Kenya and Zambia – to explore the conceptual domain of the coopetitive capability phenomenon. We further examine how external and internal environmental forces trigger the development of coopetition capability, and how coopetitive capability contributes to firm success outcomes. Findings from the study indicate that coopetitive capability is manifested in SMEs’ ability to proactively develop, coordinate, and learn from portfolios of inter-firm relationships with competitors. The study further finds that interactivities between regulatory requirements, customer demands, and firm-specific learning processes are major triggers of SMEs’ propensities to develop and benefit from coopetition capability. The study extends the literature on inter-organizational relationships by highlighting the conceptual domain and drivers of coopetition capability.The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, United Kingdom.https://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusreshj2023Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS