To servitize is to (re)position : utilizing a Porterian view to understand servitization and value systems

Drawing on the case of a global servitizing company in the ship power industry, we use a Porterian toolkit for analyzing the implications of industry power and its consequences on firm vertical (re)positioning within the value system. Whereas repositioning has been seen as a way of moving closer to customers and obtaining new competencies, strategic moves aimed at increasing companies’ sphere of influence were neglected. This chapter illustrates how the power approach to repositioning, through different alternative mechanisms, complements the widespread capability view and contributes to value system analysis in servitization.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Intermediate product selection and blending in the food processing industry

<p>This study addresses a capacitated intermediate product selection and blending problem typical for two-stage production systems in the food processing industry. The problem involves the selection of a set of intermediates and end-product recipes characterising how those selected intermediates are blended into end products to minimise the total operational costs under production and storage capacity limitations. A comprehensive mixed-integer linear model is developed for the problem. The model is applied on a data set collected from a real-life case. The trade-offs between capacity limitations and operational costs are analysed, and the effects of different types of cost parameters and capacity limitations on the selection of intermediates and end-product recipes are investigated.</p>

The Effect of Strategic Alignment of Complementary IT and Organizational Capabilities on Competitive Firm Performance

This study explores how firm performance can be explained from the strategic alignment of information technology (IT) and organizational capabilities, i.e., IT flexibility, dynamic capabilities, and absorptive capacity. We build upon dynamic capabilities theory and conceptualize our research model through the lens of strategic alignment methods. Then, we empirically test our main hypothesis using PLS-SEM analysis on a sample of 322 international firms. Outcomes show that measurements and indicators of all first-order and higher-order constructs are reliable and valid. Results also indicate that there is a positive relationship between strategic alignment and competitive firm performance. This study highlights the importance of alignment between IT and organizational capabilities. Strategic alignment can, therefore, be seen an important facilitator of competitive firm performance in constantly changing environments. We conclude with a discussion and conclusion, outline limitations of the current study and present some directions for future research