Causal loops in long-term supply relationships : theory and evidence from the United States

This paper investigates asymmetric effects of monetary policy over the business cycle. A two-state Markov Switching Model is employed to model both recessions and expansions. For the United States and Germany, strong evidence is found that monetary policy is more effective in a recession than during a boom. Also some evidence is found for asymmetry in the United Kingdom and Belgium. In the Netherlands, monetary policy is not very effective in either regime.

The effects of trust on performance of high-tech business relationships

We investigate the effects of trust propensity, cognition based trust and affect based trust on relationship performance in terms of openness, conflicts and success. Data from a field study of 391 Dutch firms in high tech industries support the research model. Trust that derives from affection is key and outweighs cognition based trust and trust propensity. Openness increases success that in turn fosters the development of affect based trust. The results provide preliminary but convincing evidence for the value of relational capital in durable business relationships that strive for the development of new technological knowledge.

Innovation in services : overview of data sources and analytical structures

This paper has a twofold aim. Firstly, it presents an overview of sources of data on service innovation. We distinguish two levels of data, namely data at the macro-level and data at the micro level. Data at the macro-level are mainly obtained from primary and secondary statistical sources produced by national and international (statistical) agencies. Most macro-data do not measure the service innovation process itself, but mainly represent inputs in or output originating from the innovation process. Data at the micro-level are derived from specific innovation surveys of firms and enterprises, which have been carried out over the past decade, and cover - although to a limited extent - service sectors as well. Section 2 provides an overview of macro and micro indicators on service innovation, and it discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the various measures. The second aim of the paper is to provide analytical structures that can assist in analysing the data on service innovation. The main characteristic of the analytical structures vis-à-vis the raw data, is that analytical structures require constructs and assumptions on the relation between the various indicators in the database. At the macro-level we propose two structures, namely a productivity accounting system, which allows to analyse the contribution of the inputs in the production process, including skilled and unskilled labour, different vintages of physical equipment and technology inputs, to the output produced. Secondly, we discuss an input-output accounting framework to analyse backward linkages of intermediate input use in service industries. The input-output structure may also serve a more detailed analysis of innovation relations between industries, using R&D data. At the micro level we compare the statistical computer package, LISREL (Linear Structural Relations), as a means to analyse the data from micro-based innovation surveys with regular regression analysis, which is mostly used in analysing micro-based innovation data. Section 3 describes these analytical structures in more detail. This paper is part of the project on Structual Information Provision in Services (SIID) carried out by the University of Groningen and DIALOGIC (Utrecht) for the Minisity of Economic Affairs in The Hague (The Netherlands).; Together with an accompanying thematic paper on the conceptualisation of service innovation, it concludes the first phase of the SIID project.

The impact of managers and network interactions on the integration of circularity in business strategy

Integrating circularity in business strategy is difficult to achieve for companies as it requires impactful changes in core business processes. While research has focused on identifying key barriers, little is known about the organizational attributes that can assist businesses in integrating circularity in their strategies. The purpose of this study is to investigate the implications of organizational managers and network interactions for the integration of circularity in business strategy. Through using survey data from 627 SMEs (small- and medium-sized enterprises) in the Netherlands, this study shows that managers who interpret circularity as an opportunity can have a positive direct and indirect effect on the integration of circularity in a company’s strategy. The results furthermore highlight the importance of circular network interactions for the integration of circularity in business strategy. This article contributes to recent calls for more empirical research into the integration of circularity and offers relevant insights for companies aiming to integrate circularity

The impact of dynamic capabilities on the sustainability performance of SMEs

Despite environmental and social goals being identified as key objectives for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the literature has not provided an explanation of how these goals can be achieved alongside stable economic outcomes. Several researchers have argued that sustainability performance should be addressed through a process of constant adjustment, which can be facilitated by dynamic capabilities. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of integrative dynamic capabilities on the social, environmental and economic performance of SMEs. This study is among the first to investigate this effect and uses unique survey data from 297 SMEs in the Netherlands. The empirical results highlight the importance of external integrative dynamic capabilities for all three pillars of sustainability performance in SMEs. These findings contribute to the debate on the ability/inability of SMEs to balance social, environmental and economic objectives by integrating new insights from the dynamic capabilities literature. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved