基于知识交易视角的供应链伙伴关系与创新绩效实证研究

以供应链企业间知识交易为视角,构建了供应链伙伴关系、知识交易与创新绩效之间关系的概念模型,其中供应链伙伴关系包括信任与关系承诺两个维度。利用结构方程模型结合256家供应链上下游企业的调查数据对上述概念模型进行了实证研究。研究结果表明,供应链企业间信任对关系承诺、知识交易与创新绩效有显著的正向影响;关系承诺对创新绩效有显著的正向影响,但其对知识交易的影响并不显著;知识交易对创新绩效有显著的正向影响。     

The role of social networks and institutions in the internationalization of Russian entrepreneurial firms: Do they matter?

Drawing upon network theory and institutional theory, this paper examines the influence of networks on the internationalization of Russian entrepreneurial firms. Our case analysis suggests that within the context of the Russian environment, networks play a much less important role in the internationalization process than it is usually assumed in the literature. For the Russian entrepreneurial firms examined in our study, the most important factor in their internationalization was their engagement in honest business practices that established trust and commitment in their relationships with international business partners. This study underscores the importance of the institutional context of an entrepreneurial firm’s country.     

The impact of IT and customer orientation on building trust and commitment in the supply chain

The application of information technologies (IT) to logistics activities may have benefits beyond cost savings, as it can create bonds between the supply chain partners. The objective of this paper is to analyse the influence of customer orientation on the application of IT to the supply chain and of these on the development of channel relationships based on trust and commitment. A questionnaire-based personal survey was conducted among manufacturers. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypothesis contained in the theoretical model. The results indicate that customer orientation affects the application of IT to logistics, and IT has a positive impact on manufacturer and supplier commitment to the relationship.     

Does Relationship Marketing Age Well?

Most managers agree that close co-operative relationships between business partners yield benefits to all parties. However, some question whether these benefits continue as the relationship ages. This article reports on a study designed to answer this question. The study suggests that, however long the relationship, building trust, commitment and the other components of Relationship Marketing (RM) continue to have a positive effect on the performance of business partners. However, it also shows that, over time, the positive effect diminishes. The authors suggest that managers need to recognize this, and to identify the true costs of building relationships so as to judge whether the diminishing returns justify the effort. Ultimately, managers need to vary their handling of each relationship because standardized RM practices are unlikely to be effective.     

PARTNER CONGRUENCE IN ELECTRONIC DATA INTERCHANGE (EDI)‐ENABLED RELATIONSHIPS

Business partnerships are a prerequisite for an effective supply chain. EDI‐enabled business partnerships are crucial in linking suppliers and customers. This paper develops congruence factors for customer‐supplier EDI partnerships. Data were collected from sixty‐four customer‐supplier dyads of firms using a questionnaire instrument. By factor analyzing thirty‐one items, six congruence factors were identified: top‐level strategic commitment, trading partner flexibility, joint partnering for EDI, readiness for high‐level EDI implementation, EDI infrastructure, and partner communication. Additional analysis revealed that customer firms placed significantly more emphasis on congruence factors than supplier firms except for “joint partnering for EDI.” These findings have implications for assessing business partnerships in the networked economy.     

Dimensions and Levels of Trust: Implications for Commitment to a Relationship

Previous research has found that trust is positively related to commitment in buyer-seller relationships. However, the validity of this finding is questionable because trust has been operationalized in many different ways. For example, prior research has not distinguished among levels of trust (interpersonal or organizational trust) and dimensions or motives of trust (credibility or benevolence). In this study, we distinguish among the levels and dimensions of trust. The results indicate that trust in a sales representative (interpersonal credibility) is more strongly related to commitment than trust in an organization (organizational credibility). In contrast, trust based on organizational benevolence is a stronger predictor of commitment than interpersonal benevolence.     

Competing with Marketing Channels and Logistics in Africa's Booming Markets: An Investigation of Emerging Supply Chain Management Practices in Ghana

Using Ghana as the African context for testing the applicability of supply chain management, this study reveals that firms there place less emphasis on logistics and channels management practices relative to product and pricing marketing mix elements. However, this situation is changing in response to the perceived positive impact of the regulatory and technological environment on market-share competitive performance. Those firms that emphasize integration of both logistics and channels management practices exhibited the strongest competitive market-share and financial performance; firms whose practices placed moderate emphasis on both logistics and channels management integration reported moderate levels of market-share and financial performance. These results suggest that firms in Ghana compete along a continuum of supply chain integration primarily on the basis of the increasingly market-oriented business environment.     

THE BENEFITS OF USING E‐BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY: THE SUPPLIER PERSPECTIVE

The use of e‐business technologies between supply chain organizations has primarily been examined from the viewpoint of buying firms or retailers, with little attention given to the benefits accrued to suppliers. Further, previous studies have been limited to either financial or marketing performance measures, or a narrow range of operational measures. This study builds on research in this area by testing a model of the relationship between supplier use of e‐business technologies in communication with their primary buyer, degree of buyer‐supplier coordination, and a complete set of benefits that include strategic and operational performance measures. Using data from 241 first‐tier OEM suppliers in the computer industry, the findings show that supplier use of e‐business technologies positively impacts organizational benefits both directly and indirectly by promoting buyer‐supplier coordination.     

Network view of MNCs' socio-political behavior

While business networks and relationships in international and industrial marketing studies are explored extensively, relationships between firms and socio-political actors are rarely been studied. This paper addresses this gap and examines how MNCs manage their relationship with socio-political organizations. The study builds from the proposition that business firms, besides their actions in business market, have to manage their socio-political market. The study aims to develop a theoretical view that is based in business networks and contains the three concepts of legitimacy, commitment and trust. The proposition is that business firms behave proactively towards the actors in the socio-political environment which is related to their business goals. The three conceptual elements will enable us to understand more deeply the varieties in the firms' managerial behavior. Two cases test the concept in the model — those of Daewoo Motor Company (a South Korean MNC) and the Swedish MNC, Vattenfall. The study will contribute towards deeper understanding of socio-political market and how firms manage their socio-political relationships. The conclusions describe the theoretical and managerial implications.     

CSR Practices and Corporate Strategy: Evidence from a Longitudinal Case Study

This paper aims to contribute to the present debate about business ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) that the Journal of Business Ethics is hosting. Numerous contributions argued theoretical frameworks and taxonomies of CSR practices. The authors want to ground in this knowledge and provide further evidence about how companies adopt CSR practices to address stakeholders’ claims and consolidate their trust. Evidence was provided by a longitudinal case study about an Italian food company that is one of the largest producers of baby food. This company reshaped its corporate strategy along three decades through the adoption of CSR practices in order to win stakeholders’ trust about food safety and supply chain behaviour. The empirical exercise was informed by a literature review of the relevant contributions in terms of CSR business practices and levels of efforts to adopt them. In light of this review, the authors adopted for the research framework the taxonomy of business practices proposed by Spiller (2000, “Ethical Business and Investment: A Model for Business and Society”, Journal of Business Ethics 27, 149-160) and the levels of commitment towards CSR proposed by Stahl and Grigsby (1997, Strategic Management; Total Quality & Global Competition (Blackwell, Oxford)). The main findings are discussed in order to argue theoretical implications and identify further areas of research and debate.     

Agent-Based E-Supply Chain Decision Support

The global Internet economy is expected, over time, to give rise to increasingly agile practices where new supply chain arrangements are dynamically set up in response to changing business conditions and demands for highly customized products and services. To implement these "e-supply chain" practices, enterprises need the ability to rapidly evaluate new business opportunities and dynamically identify the best potential supply chain partners to respond to them. They also need the ability to effectively coordinate production and delivery of goods or services across the resulting value chains. In this article, we introduce MASCOT, an agent-based decision support environment for dynamic supply chain management. MASCOT agents help users distributed across multiple organizations and across different levels within a given enterprise to collaborate on the development and revision of supply chain solutions, as they evaluate different business opportunities (e.g., requests for bids from potential customers) and different sourcing options. This article also discusses new coordination protocols, developed within the context of MASCOT and aimed at better exploiting the power of finite capacity scheduling functionality across the supply chain. Empirical results are presented quantifying the benefits afforded by these new protocols under different loads and supply chain configurations.     

A Contingency Perspective on Psychic Distance in International Channel Relationships

Internationalization theory states that firms, which attempt to forge exchange relationships with foreign counterparts, will be most successful with those who appear to be similar to their own culture and business practices. Other research has pointed toward a psychic distance paradox, whereby successful trading relationships thrive when the parties are “far apart” along these lines (i.e., great psychic distance). These inconsistent findings suggest a contingency approach may better determine when differences between international channel partners are a hindrance to success and when they are an asset. A conceptual model is proposed as to how psychic distance affects an international channel relationship at different stages of its development. In general, it is felt that significant psychic distance will be detrimental to the relationship in its early stages, where it may serve as an asset in later stages of the relationship.     

AN ANALYSIS OF SUPPLY CHAIN COLLABORATIONS AND THEIR EFFECT ON PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES

This research examined how operational outcomes, relational outcomes and business performance are affected by a collaboration project between buyers and suppliers in a supply chain. It is hypothesized that interdependence of knowledge and process, supply chain partner insight, and the level of collaboration between the firms affect the outcomes of a collaboration project. Survey data from buyers and suppliers from a wide range of industries and organizations were used in this analysis. Among these participants, higher levels of collaboration led to improvements in operational and relational outcomes, which together led to improvements in asset utilization, competitive position, organizational performance, and profitability.     

DO PERCEPTIONS BECOME REALITY? THE MODERATING ROLE OF SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCY ON DISRUPTION OCCURRENCE

The concern and study of supply risk and supply continuity has recently come to the forefront in managing business and conducting research. This empirical study of U.S. and German firms investigates the relationship between perceived supply risk sources and supply disruption occurrence, as well as the use of supply chain resiliency practices to reduce disruption frequency. We demonstrate that supply managers' concerns with risk emanating from suppliers and the supply market are positively related to supply disruption occurrence. We further show how and when implementing flexibility and redundancy may reduce the effects of supply disruptions.     

Are supply-chain relationships more influenced by buyer-supplier relationships or the business environment of the country itself? Evidence from the ‘China-Australia’ trading relationship

In doing business with China, poor supply chain performance is reported as being caused by either poor relationships between firms in China or the business environment in which firms in China have to operate. This research paper explores the relative importance of these two factors for food supply chains from Australia to China. Results are based on surveys of 84 importers, wholesalers and retailers in China and 22 Australian exporters and wholesalers. They show that the country itself had a greater influence than firm to firm relationships. Firms exporting food to China should therefore keep supply chains as short as possible to minimize the uncertainties associated with the business environment.     

The formation of trust and commitment in business relationships in the Middle East: Understanding Et-Moone relationships

In recent years, different forms of relationships that are culturally bond have emerged such as; ‘Guanxi’ in China (Liu et al., 2008, Luo, 2007, Yau et al., 2000), ‘Blat’ in Russia (Michailova & Worm, 2003) and ‘Boon Koon’ in Thailand (Pimpa, 2008). While these special forms of relationships are culturally bond, studies have also suggested that the development of a business relationship is directly linked to the development of trust and commitment (Wilson, 1995). Considering that these forms are culturally bond, studies from the Middle East on the formation of trust and commitment within relationship development are largely absent. We argue that understanding the dynamic formation of trust and commitment will help to better understand Et-Moone business relationships within the specific cultural context of the Middle East. Thus, this study combines the insights from the theory of life-cycle (Dwyer et al., 1987, Ford, 1980) and the theory of trust and commitment by Morgan and Hunt (1994) to understand business relationships in the Middle East. Based on qualitative research using a longitudinal approach and 33 semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted in 2003, this study finds the relationship between trust and commitment to be far more dynamic and changeable as the relationship evolves. Also, it finds that trust and commitment are major factors in establishing Et-Moone relationships.     

Do the magnitude and asymmetry of specific asset investments matter in the supplier–buyer relationship?

Abstract

Despite a body of literature on specific asset investments, the extant literature falls short of exploring the magnitude and symmetry of specific asset investments in supplier–buyer relationships. This paper builds on prior research to identify and examine the impact of total and asymmetric specific asset investments on commitment, trust, and conflict in supplier–buyer relationships. Covariance structure analysis is used to analyse survey data. The results show that total SAI are positively related to commitment and trust, while asymmetric SAI are negatively related to trust and positively related to conflict in supplier–buyer relationships. Decision-making uncertainty affects trust, commitment, and conflict more than any other variables. Therefore, firms should work to strengthen their relationships by increasing the magnitude of specific asset investments with the aim of increasing trust and commitment. We also discuss the limitations of this study and suggestions for future research.     

Bridging the Gap Between Strategy and Performance: Using Leadership Style to Enable Structural Elements

Successful leaders create structural elements in order to achieve the performance objectives set forth by organizational strategy. Supply chain oriented structural elements are reflected in an organization's relationships, both within the firm and with supply chain partners. In this research effort, we examine how such structural elements can be created as a means through which to enhance performance. Our hypothesized model is rooted in strategy‐structure‐performance theory and integrates elements of servant leadership theory and social exchange theory to explain how building organizational commitment via servant leadership behaviors can ultimately impact performance. We use a survey method to collect data from 158 motor carriers. The results of our structural equation model support our hypotheses and serve to extend the discussion of supply chain structural elements and the role of leadership style in achieving organizational performance.     

Cultural interpretations of destructive acts and trust in Japanese supply channel relationships

This paper investigates the way culture influences Japanese inter-firm exchange processes, arguing that isomorphism (e.g., due to macro-force flux and convergence) is eroding traditional Japanese management practices and increasing heterogeneity. The role of culture in the development of routines and relationship capabilities across firm boundaries is particularly important in Japanese firms. Traditional Japanese business values engender confidence in a business partnership's conformity and harmony. However, cultural erosion is shifting Japanese attributions of and responses to destructive acts in channels relationships, which has implications for appraising and sustaining trust and success. Based on a qualitative investigation of Japanese subsidiaries’ supply relationships, our study furnishes academics and practitioners with a set of research propositions on culturally influenced destructive act cognitions and behavioural responses. These provide novel insights into the modern face and unfulfilled promise of inter-firm relationships with the Japanese.