区块链辅助航天数据分发的可行性分析及方案设计

为了快速准确、安全可信地分发海量航天数据,基于区块链技术的可溯源和不可篡改等特性,提出了一种新的航天数据分发方案.首先,在总结传统航天数据分发服务不足的基础上,分析了区块链技术在航天数据分发领域的优势以及应用过程中可能遇到的重点问题,并给出了可能的解决方法;其次,从技术架构、节点部署、模块划分3个角度设计了基于区块链的...     

A multi-dimension framework for value creation through big data

Big Data represents a promising area for value creation and frontier research. The potential to extract actionable insights from Big Data has gained increasing attention of both academics and practitioners operating in several industries. Marketing domain has become from the start a field for experiments with Big Data approaches, even if the adoption of Big Data solutions does not always generate effective value for the adopters. Therefore, the gap existing between the potential of value creation embedded in the Big Data paradigm and the current limited exploitation of this value represents an area of investigation that this paper aims to explore. In particular, by following a systematic literature review, this study aims at presenting a framework that outlines the multiple value directions that the Big Data paradigm can generate for the adopting organizations. Eleven distinct value directions have been identified and then grouped in five dimensions (Informational, Transactional, Transformational, Strategic, Infrastructural Value), which constitute the pillars of the proposed framework. Finally, the framework has been also preliminarily applied in three case studies conducted within three Italian based companies operating in different industries (e-commerce, fast-moving consumer goods, and banking) in the final aim to see its applicability in real business scenarios.     

Employing the business model concept to support the adoption of product–service systems (PSS)

Although the existing literature indicates that the business model concept can be useful to implement product–service systems (PSS), there is still a paucity of guidelines to assist companies in this respect. Therefore, this paper proposes a framework to support the adoption of PSS employing the business model concept. This framework was developed based on literature review and intends to guide the company on the analysis of their business context, on the choice of the appropriate type of PSS and on the definition of their PSS characteristics. A single case study was then performed to illustrate an application of the framework in a machine tool manufacturer and provide research insights. Overall, results indicate that the framework can provide companies with a useful reference to PSS implementation, helping on the investigation of different PSS scenarios as well as the main barriers and challenges to be overcome.     

The roles of internet of things technology in enabling servitized business models: A systematic literature review

The internet of things (IoT) is gaining attention from both scholars and practitioners regarding its potential as a key enabler of servitized business models; academic research on this emerging concept is increasing but overall underexplored, however. This paper comprehensively analyses and consolidates the relevant literature on the emerging concept of IoT and servitized business models through conducting a systematic literature review. Based on an analysis of 74 articles, four archetypes of business models are identified that are enabled by the IoT: add-on, sharing, usage-based and solution-oriented and supplemented with information on what role IoT adoption takes, benefits from the provider perspective, and the inhibiting factors per archetype. A framework draws the findings together and forms five propositions about these elements and their corresponding business models that may guide future empirical research and serve as a common typology. Therefore, this study contributes to the body of knowledge on innovative servitized business models by classifying emergent business models utilising IoT and what is currently known about them. For practice, this paper provides an overview for initial consideration by practitioners before adopting IoT in enabling servitized business models and the range of applications IoT may have in enabling servitized business models with examples.     

The antecedents of open business models: an exploratory study of incumbent firms

Firms engage increasingly in open business models. While most research has previously focused on typologies or challenges of open business models, their specific antecedents have not been studied so far. We use data from eight open business model cases to explore this question and identify five main antecedents of open business models: (1) business model inconsistency, (2) need to create and capture new value, (3) previous experience with collaboration, (4) open business model patterns, and (5) industry convergence. Based on openness characteristics from the existing literature, we differentiate four basic types of open business models and develop an initial understanding of the relevance of the identified antecedents for each of them. We thereby provide first guidelines for practitioners in choosing the right form of business model openness for their company.     

A framework of brand value in B2B markets: The contributing role of functional and emotional components

The creation of value is admittedly a critical task for marketers regardless of industry. This paper focuses on a type of value that has traditionally been perceived as irrelevant to industrial markets and argues that brand value facilitates the progression from goods and services value to relationship value. To address the limited amount of research on B2B branding from the suppliers' point of view, we complement insights gained from a literature review with ten exploratory interviews with B2B supplier managers, and develop a framework of brand value applicable to industrial markets. This identifies both the functional (i.e., quality, technology, capacity, infrastructure, after sales service, capabilities, reliability, innovation) and emotional qualities (i.e., risk reduction, reassurance, trust) important for the development of industrial brand equity. Situational (e.g. nature of the purchase) and environmental factors (e.g. the economic situation) affecting suppliers' perceptions of the importance of brand in a B2B context and the role of functional versus emotional brand qualities are discussed. The value of the brand as a driver for the development of business to business relationships is also highlighted. The framework provides a basis for B2B practitioners to build their brands in such a way as to make a functional as well as an emotional connection with buyers that is more likely to lead to a supplier–buyer relationship.     

Technology Sharing in Manufacturing Business Groups

Technology represents the primordial force for companies and organizations in securing long‐term competitiveness. In the intensive search to access new technology, organizations are more and more looking beyond the borders of the focal firm and becoming involved in various networks with suppliers, consultants, partners, and others. However, the distinction between the focal firm, on the one hand, and networks, on the other, is in this paper argued to be too extensive without intermediating nuances. Less focus is given to an in‐between perspective configured by business groups or concerns here defined as parent corporations with subsidiary companies. It is this perspective of business groups with characteristics between individual firms and open networks that is of interest in this paper. The focus is on manufacturing business groups in which the companies will typically have individual as well as common technologies. The research aim is to develop a framework to be used as an analytical tool for understanding and organizing technology sharing in manufacturing business groups. The research approach was to study technology sharing in a natural setting combining multiple in‐depth sources of evidence in a clinical research setting. A prestudy identified key dimensions in classifying cases leading to four clusters of typified cases. Data were gathered from meetings with 24 managers from various research and development (R&D) units who met regularly every other week during seven months, in‐depth interviews, internal documents and protocols, and workshops. Following the clinical field‐study approach, findings are theoretically validated in relation to literature. The analysis identifies and depicts four different types of technology‐sharing scenarios in manufacturing business groups. Each type has particular characteristics of its own. The four scenarios together provide a synthesized portfolio with different types of dimensions. A first dimension makes a distinction between sharing new technology development versus existing technology. Another distinguishes between technologies aimed at the whole business group and those aimed at specific segments. The two dimensions together comprise four different types of technology‐sharing alternatives. Each one of them can be used at the focal firm, and together, they are applicable from a business group perspective comprising technology‐sharing portfolios of manufacturing business groups.     

Challenges of servitization: A systematic literature review

The challenges of servitization have gained significant attention from both academics and practitioners, as more firms in the industrial sector are seeking marketing opportunities leading to business growth through the adoption of a service strategy. Although existing research has explored its challenges from multiple perspectives, this is largely fragmented and the studies offer little understanding of the impacts of the challenges on the realisation of servitization benefits and improvements in business performance. This study, therefore, aims to create a formal construct of the challenges and develop a set of hypotheses through a systematic review of the servitization literature to build a theoretical model explaining the underlying relationships. Five challenges are identified: organisational structure, business model, development process, customer management, and risk management. The indicators of each challenge are discussed to support the establishment of hypotheses. This study contributes to the current body of knowledge by reaching a clear conclusion from the fragmented literature and brings together five challenges to explore their impacts on the overall business.     

Book Reviews

The first review describes a book devoted to the value and conduct of customer visits. The reviewer recommends it as especially valuable for practitioners in firms producing goods and services for business-to-business markets. The second review covers a book devoted to the integration of process design and development. Our reviewer finds that the book provides valuable coverage of an important but frequently overlooked aspect of product development. The third review covers a book of particular value to manufacturers. Although lacking in specific examples, the authors' experience is persuasive in addressing key issues that overlap points covered in the book discussed in the preceding review. The fourth review examines a book about competitive positioning. The book has value for those needing an introduction to this important topic. This issue also reviews two books of special interest to academics teaching and conducting research in the area of product innovation. The first offering is essentially a comprehensive review of the growing literature on how technology can improve collaborative work among individuals or groups. It covers theoretical foundations, conceptual paradigms, empirical research to date, and an agenda for future research. The next book is an advanced but relatively user-friendly text covering all facets of the new product development process. It is loaded with examples and cases and draws on a wide range of concepts and methodologies from the marketing and general management literature.     

A rolling stone gathers no moss: the effect of customers' perceived business model innovativeness on customer value co‐creation behavior and customer satisfaction in the service sector

Both researchers and practitioners have been focusing extensively on business model innovation, as it has shown to positively influence business performance. Although the effect of business model innovativeness on customer behavior might be an important mediator between business model innovation and business performance, it has not yet been analyzed. In line with recent calls to consider the customer side in business model innovation research, our paper addresses this problem by studying the influence of customers' perceived business model innovativeness (CPBMI) on customer satisfaction and customer value co‐creation behavior in the service sector. We, therefore, emphasize customers' perceptions and reactions to business model changes. Relying on data from a large‐scale survey of restaurant customers, we find that perceived value creation innovativeness and value proposition innovativeness positively affect customer satisfaction and customer value co‐creation behavior. In addition, we identify a significant indirect effect of CPBMI on customer satisfaction via customer value co‐creation behavior. Our findings allow deriving concrete implications for both researchers and practitioners.     

Technology Transfer to the Private Sector: A Field Study of Manufacturer Buying behavior

Public sector R&D is an important source of new product technologies and concepts. If the transfer of these technologies to private sector manufacturers is viewed from a marketing perspective, manufacturing organizations can be analyzed as industrial "buyers." David Large and Donald Barclay report on case-based research that explores this technology buying process. Findings are induced that suggest: user value, patent/proprietary position, prototype efficacy, and strategic fit are the most important attributes of the transfer proposal; and business empathy and credibility are the most important attributes of the transfer agent. The R&D director is identified as a key influencer in the transfer decision and represented by a model of the director's attitude toward technology transfer proposals. The authors develop implications for public sector managers/agents and suggest opportunities for further research.     

Toward a theory of outside-in marketing: Past,present, and future

Outside-in marketing is a powerful driver of superior firm performance, especially for firms in dynamic, competitive markets. The use and application of outside-in marketing has flourished in the past four decades, but research that synthesizes and extends understanding of this approach is missing, such that extant literature remains fragmented and scarce. This paper aims to deliver a theoretically grounded, managerially relevant framework to guide outside-in marketing research and business practices. Specifically, it offers an integrative conceptualization of outside-in marketing, examines its evolution over the past four decades, and provides business cases that depict how organizations have implemented outside-in marketing. On the basis of a comprehensive analysis of research domains pertinent to outside-in marketing, combined with business examples, this article establishes an evolving theory of outside-in marketing, comprising four key tenets and seven testable propositions.     

A bibliometric analysis of extended key account management literature

Key account management (KAM) has played an important role in business, and this study reviews key account management research using bibliometric techniques. This review includes 373 KAM relevant articles published in 68 journals between 1979 and 2016. In our analysis, we extend the discussion on KAM literature by highlighting areas such as the roles of technology and conflict as well as relationship planning and implementation. We discuss the value of co-creation, inter-organizational design elements, and dyad-level performance measures. We examine five distinctive time-periods and find that KAM relevant literature has progressed 1) from selling and relationship-building approaches to key network management, 2) from network innovation to governance, 3) from network-level performance to co-creation of business solutions and values, 4) from product and service performance to incorporating sustainability. Finally, we present the fifth transition based on a network-view of KAM and identify future research aimed at integrating areas such as network-based orientation, applications of organizational theories, organizational innovativeness, network competence for optimal structure and processes, network-based KAM teams, value-sharing mechanisms, co-created value measurement, and value sustenance within networks. We identify areas of future research and expect the adoption and application of key account management concepts to grow across multiple disciplinary fields.     

Disrupting the Disruptors or Enhancing Them? How Blockchain Reshapes Two-Sided Platforms

The importance of platform-based businesses in the modern economy is growing continuously and becoming increasingly relevant. Specifically, the deployment of digital technologies has enhanced the applicability of two-sided business models, enabling companies to act not just as builders and owners of assets, but also as orchestrators of external resources. Management research has, therefore, focused increasingly on the unique aspects of this model. At the center of a two-sided platform there is a platform provider that enables a transaction between the sides, reducing the relative transaction costs. However, in recent years, a new technology emerged that challenges some of the underlying assumptions of this model: the blockchain. Blockchain enables the creation of a peer-to-peer network that is able to authenticate transactions, upon which applications and services may be built. It allows users to conduct transactions without the need for a central platform. We explore how blockchain technology reshapes two-sided platforms, focusing in particular on the role of the platform provider. The research is based upon multiple case studies, using an inductive approach to explore this emerging phenomenon. Our findings show there is a significant shift in the role of the central player that links the two sides of a transaction using blockchain. We frame this as a shift from a “platform provider” to a “service provider,” leveraging the blockchain as a Platform-as-a-Service. Our work examines the peculiarities of this model, unveiling new dynamics in these businesses. Specifically, we show that different variables must be considered to classify two-sided platforms using blockchain. Furthermore, the essential characteristics of two-sided platforms must also be enlarged. For example, traditional platform theories emphasize the importance of cross-side network externalities in creating value. In blockchain-enabled platforms however, we show the use of “tokens” play a key role in creating different types of externalities between the two sides.     

Technological catch-up by east Asian firms: Trends,issues, and future research agenda

This paper reviews extant research on technological catch-up of East Asian firms, which has recently emerged as an important issue. We review 76 articles on technological catch-up in the East Asian context published in 17 journals over 23 years (1995–2017), covering the academic disciplines of strategic management, international business, entrepreneurship, technology and innovation management, and economics. Based on a systematic analysis of this literature, we develop an overarching framework to this topic. We then identify the major gaps in the literature and suggest areas for future research on technological catch-up of Asian firms.     

Managing strategic system-building networks in emerging business fields: A case study of the Dutch smart grid sector

Companies that wish to launch innovative sustainability technologies can collaborate in strategic networks of actors from industry, government and research institutes to pro-actively build a business ecosystem around their new technology. This is called collective system building. In this paper, we examine how to effectively manage networks for collective system building. Based on a review of the literature, we identify the key factors of effective network management and we propose a conceptual framework for network management at the network level. Subsequently, we conduct a multiple-case study in the Dutch smart grid sector to examine how these key factors are implemented by system-building networks. We find differences with the existing network management literature regarding network composition, network management structure, governance modes, decision-making processes, project management, the free-rider problem and trust-building mechanisms. Our study contributes to a better understanding of effective management of system-building networks, which in turn can lead to greater success in establishing new business fields. We contribute to the literature on strategic business networks, specifically on emerging business networks building new business fields.     

Creating value in business relationships: The role of sales

Understanding the creation of value in business relationships has been a long-standing goal of researchers and managers alike. By adopting a relational perspective, recent research on business relationships has made much progress in understanding value-creating processes. As the sales function is thought to be a pivotal part of the value-creating processes in business relationships, the evolving view on creating relationship value clearly has implications for our understanding of the role of sales in these processes. In contrast to its importance, the question of how the sales function contributes to creating value in business relationships has been largely neglected in extant literature. The objective of our paper is to answer this question by systematically linking the relational value creating process to the sales function's content. Interpreting value creation as interaction process, we identify four features of value-creating processes in business relationships suggested in recent research (i.e., jointness, balanced initiative, interacted value, and socio-cognitive construction) and, based on these, outline a framework that is used to define a set of tasks that are key to creating value in business relationships and hence become critical for sales in its hitherto neglected role as co-creator of relationship value. We illustrate the various tasks of this new role of sales with data from 43 interviews with sales managers and salespeople. Along with related normative recommendations in extant literature, the interviews provide support for the validity and relevance of our framework for understanding the role of sales in creating relationship value. This framework puts forward a much-needed first effort towards a theory of sales' role in creating relationship value and offers several opportunities for future research.     

Conceptualizing business models in industrial networks

This paper is concerned with business model conceptualizations and outlines a framework for their analysis in industrial networks. A literature review suggests that there is a broad range of current conceptualizations of business models. Analyzing them as they pertain to interaction, business relationships, and industrial networks reveals two main explanations for their differences: first, they clearly rely on different basic theoretical assumptions, and second, they seem to address two types of business models. We refer to these as firm-centric and network-embedded business models. Based on this distinction, a scheme of analysis at the levels of the firm, relationship and network is suggested for the two types of business models. Business models are challenging from an analytical as well as managerial perspective. Further research on emerging network-embedded business models is suggested.     

Business service networks and their process of emergence: The case of the Health Cluster Portugal

Business services have been receiving increasing attention from academics, practitioners and policy-makers. Despite the growing interest, this field of research suffers from several limitations: it draws mostly on services marketing theory, and it is grounded mostly in monadic and dyadic studies. This paper contributes to the advance of business services research by addressing these limitations with regard to a specific service-related issue. We carry out an interdisciplinary study by integrating among others an industrial network approach (INA) into the services area, and we thus develop the research at a network level by adopting a services network perspective; furthermore, the study is carried out in a business-to-business context by looking into a health cluster: the Health Cluster Portugal. The article addresses one particular aspect of business services networks: their emergence. We propose a conceptual framework that draws on process-based research and integrates theories from other bodies of research, allowing a rich understanding of how a business service network is created. Our findings point to discontinuities along the emergence of such networks, showing that there is an iterative process underlying their formation, with different theories playing a predominant explanatory role at different stages. This paper contributes to the wider body of literature on services research by promoting the integration of the INA and other process-related approaches in the area of business services networks, and also provides practitioners and policy-makers with a structured framework to understand how an intentional ‘bottom–up’ business service network may be created or orchestrated.