IMP studies: A bridge between tradition and innovation

“Combining the Social and Technological Aspects of Innovation: Relationships and Networks” was the title of the 28th IMP Conference held in Rome, at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in 2012.     

福建低碳转型优势及策略思考

在全球气候变暖的大背景下,改变高能耗的经济发展方式,积极推进低碳经济的发展,逐渐成为世界各国高度重视的战略发展方向。结合福建省的实际情况,对福建“先行先试”发展低碳经济的可行性和优势进行了分析,阐述了福建发展低碳经济面临的主要困难,最后对福建发展低碳经济提出了一些建议。     

Knowledge management and franchise systems

Knowledge management is generally recognized as a resource for sustainable competitive advantage. Many organizations have approached knowledge management through the use of information technology. However, results are mixed, primarily because (1) information is merely one aspect of knowledge management, (2) some types of knowledge are difficult to transfer effectively and (3) the structure and culture of organizations may inhibit knowledge transfer. In this study, we examine knowledge management in a franchising context because franchisors and franchisees are independent entities linked together in a contractual (some even use the word hybrid) relationship. In addition, the ’product or service’ offered by a franchise organization is an outcome of knowledge resources and the success of a franchise system depends on how well the parties involved in a franchise system leverage their knowledge resource. Specifically, we explicate types of knowledge, discuss the differences between traditional and network franchise organizations and develop a framework for knowledge management in franchise systems.     

Systems sales as a competitive response to the Asian challenge: Case of a global ship power supplier

Cost-based competition from East Asia has forced western companies to reassess their competitive strategies. It is difficult for western companies to attain cost leadership because of high domestic labor costs. Thus it is crucial to pursue differentiation. One way to do this is to shift the market from products to systems. To examine the role of systems as an enhancer of competitive advantage, this study synthesizes the literature concerning competitive advantage and systems. The emerging theoretical framework is then tested against an in-depth case study of a Finland-based ship power supplier. The findings suggest that systems can be a value-enhancing strategy whereby the seller takes over the buyer's value activities related to systems integration. Such forward integration results in enhanced systems performance at a lower total cost. This strategy, based on the seller's rare and valuable resources, is difficult for cost-based competitors to imitate or substitute.     

The impact of supplier development on buyer competitive advantage: A path analytic model

As manufacturing firms increasingly realize that supplier performance is crucial to their establishing and maintaining competitive advantage, supplier development has been a subject of considerable research in supply chain management. We develop and test a path model to explore how supplier development practices affect buyer-supplier performance from the buying firm's perspective in the context of Hong Kong's electronics industry. The results show that top management, supplier evaluation, and supplier strategic objectives are significant determinants of transaction-specific supplier development, and that buyers that have closer collaborative relationships with suppliers may strengthen their competitive advantage.     

北京市汽车工业战略联盟博弈与实现途径

本文分析了北京汽车工业内外战略联盟关系，给出了有中心企业的多方、多阶段组织博弈的数学描述，以及多方、多阶段战略联盟博弈模型。依据战略联盟博弈模型分析的结果对北汽控股公司内外战略联盟的建立提出若干建议．给出了北京汽车工业战略联盟的目标、战略联盟的形式及建立的途径。     

Strategic market analysis and definition: An integrated approach

Two distinct approaches to market analysis and definition have evolved. Those approaches which adopt a top-down persepective, tend to specify markets in terms of competitive capabilities and resource transferability. The alternative bottom-up perspective emphasizes customer requirements or usage patterns when defining markets. An integrated approach begins with a common model of the principal dimensions of a market. The second element is the recognition that different market definitions are needed for different strategic purposes. Next, the strategic planning framework which links business units and product-market units should be compatible with these purposes and reflect a strategically relevant balance of cost and demand factors. A procedure for forming business units from groups of product-markets is shown to be effective for achieving this balance.     

A resource-based approach to the multibusiness firm: Empirical analysis of portfolio interrelationships and corporate financial performance

The resource-based view of the firm has provided important new insights into corporate strategy (Barney, 1991; Peteraf, 1993); however, there has been only limited empirical research linked to the theory (e.g., Farjoun, 1994). Although a great deal of work has been done on Corporate diversification, the measures and data typically have a weak connection to resource-based theory. Empirical research on resource-based corporate strategy has been particularly dificult because key concepts such as tacit knowledge or capabilities resist direct measurement. This study is an effort to narrow the gap between theory and empirical research on the multibusiness firm. It develops a resource-based approach to modeling interrelationships among businesses and applies it to the analysis of corporate economic performance. This approach proves to be significant in explaining the financial performance of large manufacturing firms, and it promises to be an important source of insight into corporate strategy.     

Competitive behavior in the European mobile telecommunications industry: Pioneers vs. followers

This paper studies the relationship between competitive strategy and improvement in the competitive position of pioneers and followers in the mobile telecommunications industry. The analysis uses a panel of data comprising all the actions of European firms operating in the digital mobile telecommunications industry with GSM 900 and/or DCS 1800 networks. The results show that competitors gain market share when they follow competitive strategies that are different from those of other firms. The paper also finds that price reduction actions represent the best approach for followers, while differentiation actions are the most effective strategy for pioneers.     

Defining and developing competence: A strategic process paradigm

In this paper, competence is defined in operational terms as the degree to which the firm or its subunits can reliably meet or exceed objectives. Two antecedents to competence (and thus competitive advantage) are then developed and defined. These are the ‘comprehension’ of the management team working on developing competence and the ‘deftness’ of their task execution. Empirical results from a study of 160 new initiatives in 40 organizations from 16 countries suggest that: (1) it is feasible to operationalize and measure these constructs; (2) comprehension and deftness are important correlates of an organization's degree of competence as defined; and (3) a process-centered paradigm for understanding competence development shows promise.     

The cornerstones of competitive advantage: A resource-based view

This paper elucidates the underlying economics of the resource-based view of competitive advantage and integrates existing perspectives into a parsimonious model of resources and firm performance. The essence of this model is that four conditions underlie sustained competitive advantage, all of which must be met. These include superior resources (heterogeneity within an industry), ex post limits to competition, imperfect resource mobility, and ex ante limits to competition. In the concluding section, applications of the model for both single business strategy and corporate strategy are discussed.     

Exploring the characteristics of the market-driven firms and antecedents to sustained competitive advantage

During the last few decades, identifying and examining the characteristics of market-driven firms have been a dominant theme in strategic marketing research. It has been argued that market-driven firms are superior in their market sensing and customer linking capabilities, enabling market-driven firms to outperform their competitors. This paper reports the findings of a study that examines the role market-focused learning capability and marketing capability in innovation-based competitive strategy on sustainable competitive advantage. The findings indicate that entrepreneurship is an important factor in sustained competitive advantage (SCA) and while market-focused learning capability leads to higher degrees of innovation, marketing capability enables SCA.     

A comparative analysis of net neutrality: Insights gained by juxtaposing the U.S. and Korea

This study compares and contrasts the U.S. and Korea in the context of network neutrality, focusing on debates among stakeholders and regulatory approaches. Similarities and differences are highlighted by comparisons within the broadband ecosystem framework: government functions, histories, people׳s perceptions, regulatory approaches, legislative initiatives, and implementation. In Korea, a regulatory framework with suggested guidelines exists, and it can be used to address net neutrality in a case-by-case fashion. The U.S. follows a regulatory approach by creating enforceable non-discrimination rules. The findings in this study suggest that the issue is not only complicated because it is embedded contextually, but also because the respective parties׳ diverse interests are multifaceted and vague. It is concluded, therefore, that a coherent and consistent approach is an effective way to govern neutrality.     

Technological capabilities and firm performance: The case of small manufacturing firms in Japan

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between technological capabilities and firm performance. We divide technological capabilities into two types—refinement capability, which involves the improvement of the existing asset portfolio, and reconfiguration capability, which involves the restructuring of the asset portfolio through the integration of new assets. The results of an analysis of a sample of 302 small and medium-sized manufacturing firms in Japan suggest that refinement capability relates more positively to operational efficiency than does reconfiguration capability, and that reconfiguration capability relates more positively to strategic performance than does refinement capability. The results also suggest that firms with superior refinement capability tend to possess superior reconfiguration capability. Our findings show that both external and internal factors, such as technological volatility, inter-firm collaboration, and firm age and size, are significantly associated with the level of refinement and reconfiguration capabilities possessed by a firm.

Charting the reach and contribution of IMP literature in other disciplines: A bibliometric analysis

The acknowledgement of a research tradition by other disciplines shows its contribution to the development of the broader body of scientific knowledge. This paper investigates the contribution of IMP (Industrial Marketing and Purchasing) research to broader research disciplines by analyzing how researchers within and beyond IMP have cited core IMP articles. First, through quantitative bibliometric analysis, the paper identifies the diffusion to other research disciplines. Thereafter, through qualitative analysis, the impact of the IMP perspective is captured to understand how strong these imprints are. The analyses show that IMP research has been noticed among a range of adjacent research disciplines. However, the use of IMP references has generally been rudimentary, and without a deeper understanding of the IMP ontology, meaning that IMP still has some “weak ties” to the other disciplines. Establishing IMP's contribution through enduring imprints would need further engagement with researchers from other research disciplines and publications in top journals. The paper contributes empirically with how the IMP perspective has spread beyond the IMP Group and theoretically by adding insight into how research ideas travel and transform to other disciplines.     

Success is not enough: The spectacular rise and fall of a strategic alliance between two multinationals

This article analyzes a strategic alliance between two multinational companies from the same geographical region. Originating in the same industrial culture and with technically advanced, complementary products, they formed a strategic alliance for international growth in 1947. Despite significant changes in the market over the years, the companies remained market leaders and icons of a successful alliance until 1988, when the alliance suddenly collapsed. The study describes the alliance process from a long-term perspective using a theoretical framework based on motives, resources, competitive advantage, trust and performance. Although the alliance is no more, it is found to have made a substantial contribution to the collaborating firms with respect to their growth and expansion in the world market. Both partners achieved what they expected from the alliance. They also have developed well as competitive companies thereafter. The sudden end to the collaboration can therefore not be seen as a failure. However, it is argued that the separation process, as the process of alliance formation, needs to be taken seriously, and managers must give sufficient time and effort to ensure that the break-up becomes non-dramatic and less painful.     

Pioneering advantages in manufacturing and service industries: empirical evidence from nine countries

Although one might expect differences between manufacturing and service firms in pioneering advantages, the extent of these differences has not yet been investigated. This is the first cross‐national study that compares such differences in nine countries/regions: the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Singapore. We develop several hypotheses concerning the perceptions of managers of manufacturing firms and service firms regarding the benefits and post‐entry risks of pioneering, and the cost and differentiation advantages accruing to the pioneering firm. We test the hypotheses with data from 2,419 firms representing all nine countries and both industrial sectors. We find that: (1) managers from all countries perceive pioneering to be associated with higher market share and/or profitability; (2) manufacturing firm managers perceive pioneering risks to be significantly more important than do service firm managers; (3) cost and differentiation advantages of pioneering are, for the most part, more significant to manufacturing than to service firm managers; (4) Western manufacturing firm managers perceive the cost advantages to be more important than Asian Pacific manufacturing firm managers. We conclude by presenting the managerial implications of our findings. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Resource-performance relationships in industrial export ventures: The role of resource inimitability and substitutability

Drawing on resource-based theory and insights from qualitative fieldwork we examine resource drivers of export venture performance in industrial firms using primary data from German and UK industrial-goods manufacturers. Our results indicate that while the levels of individual export venture resources are not directly related to export venture performance in the firms in our sample, many of the resources are related to two important characteristics of resources — namely the inimitability and non-substitutability of the mix of resources available to the export venture. Furthermore, we find that that resource inimitability and non-substitutability are directly related to export venture performance. Taken together these results demonstrate the important role that inimitability and non-substitutability play in mediating the resource-to-performance relationship in the industrial goods export ventures in our sample. Our study provides some of the first direct evidence supporting a key premise of the resource-based view of the firm — that the competitive imitability of a firm's resources and the inability of rivals to use substitute resources to execute a similar strategy are important drivers of firm performance.     

Resources and capabilities driving competitive advantage in export markets: guidelines for industrial exporters

In the context of the quest for the factors that determine competitive advantage, this study adopts a resource-based view and applies it to industrial goods' manufacturers engaged in exporting activities. The notion of organizational process is used as a filtering mechanism for the development of a classificatory scheme for firms' sources of competitive advantage in export markets. Different combinations of export-related resources and capabilities are identified as drivers of cost, service, and product advantage. Nonetheless, the capability to build enduring relationships with customers emerges as essential in achieving all three types of export competitive advantage. The findings of this inquiry have important implications for business practitioners in export manufacturing firms of industrial products. Limitations of the study are considered, and future research directions are identified.