Strategic and Operational Determinants of Relationship Outcomes With New Venture Suppliers

While the vast majority of the supplier selection and development literature has focused on relationships between mature, established firms, significantly less attention has been paid to relationships between established firms and new, entrepreneurial ventures. This study addresses this important topic and, using an interdisciplinary lens, investigates the question of how established buying firms can work with new ventures to achieve desired relationship outcomes. Drawing on the literature from the disciplines of entrepreneurship and supply chain management, we propose a theoretical model that links buying firms' strategic orientation in supplier selection (innovation and cost in strategic supplier selection) and operational approach in supplier development (direct and indirect development of new venture suppliers) with new venture‐specific relationship outcomes (purchasing volume and realized innovations). The model's predictions are tested on cross‐sectional survey data from 136 buying firms. Our results contribute to the emerging research stream at the supply chain management–entrepreneurship interface and enhance the understanding of relationships between established firms and new ventures.     

Different determinants at different times: B2B adoption of a radical innovation

This research aims to empirically determine which factors best explain business to business adoption of a radical, high-tech innovation early in the diffusion process. Early lifecycle data collection provides insights about the differences in determinants of adoption at different times in the product diffusion process. The results indicate that differences do exist between the determinants of early adoption, intent to adopt later, and unawareness of the innovation. The influencers of earliest adopters appear to be innovation-focused: the perceived benefits of the innovation as well as the strength of the producer network positively relate to early adoption; early adopters also tend to perceive the technology in the innovation as less different than previous technology than do those who intend to adopt later. The influence of a champion within the adopting firm, the ability of the firm to sense and respond to new technology, and the depth of technology knowledge within the adopting firm are significant influencers across multiple stages of diffusion, showing that firm-internal traits are particularly important influencers of adoption. Laggard firms are missing the critical firm traits that lead to information gathering and understanding of innovations. In addition to contributing to adoption research theory and methodology, this research has implications for innovation-marketing and innovation-adopting firms.     

Using Country Sustainability Risk to Inform Sustainable Supply Chain Management: A Design Science Study

The sustainability of our global supply chains is an essential concern in strategic supply chain management research. Modern information and communication technologies enable stakeholders to punish buying firms for any sustainability‐related grievances at their suppliers, even in remote locations. This study investigates how the notion of country sustainability risk can inform sustainable supply chain management, in particular with respect to sustainability risk assessment at the individual supplier level. Drawing on institutional theory, we provide insights surrounding the emergence of environmental, social, and governance‐related country‐level sustainability risks and show their implications for and application in sustainable supply chain management. The study employs a design science methodology, based on cooperation with a multidivisional German technology firm, to develop a supply chain sustainability risk (SCSR) map as technological solution design. This article contributes to the study of SCSR by reconciling the scholarly SCSR discourse with the buying firms’ pursuit of efficiency. Moreover, it elucidates the augmentation of a research agenda through a design science approach. In practical terms, the technological solution design can directly inform managers about SCSR at the country level and serves as a decision basis for the management of individual suppliers.     

Strategic orientations,joint learning,and innovation generation in international customer-supplier relationships

While innovations generated by international supply channel relationships, as opposed to individual partners, are playing an increasingly important role in the success of all international supply chain partnerships, research on how international supply chain relationships cultivate the process of such innovation generation, particularly for contracting suppliers firms, remains scant. This study explores how supplier joint learning capability can play a role in developing both incremental and radical innovations. The empirical test, which used a sample of 204 Taiwanese executives in electronic suppliers, supports most of the hypotheses in the study. The results demonstrate that different strategic orientations can drive various types of innovation through different paths by the mediating effect of joint learning capability. Specifically, we find that long-term orientation influences only incremental innovation, whereas radical innovation is driven by electronic integration and proactive customer orientation by joint learning. Furthermore, environmental uncertainties such as technological uncertainty and demand uncertainty are found to be moderating the impacts of joint learning capability on radical innovations. Some implications of the results are discussed at the end.     

Seeking knowledge or gaining legitimacy? Role of social networks on new practice adoption by OEM suppliers

This study tests two competing views (namely, institutional theory and organizational learning theory) regarding the role of social networks on firms' new practice adoption from 1999 to 2008 in Taiwanese high-tech sector firms that operate under the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) supplier model. Empirical data analysis shows that the sampled suppliers adopt customer relationship management (CRM) systems mostly to gain legitimacy, while they adopt supply chain management (SCM) systems with joint desires of gaining legitimacy and seeking knowledge in the OEM network. The findings indicate that social networks provide firms with a dedicated mechanism for assessing the logic of adopting new practices.     

供应链管理视角下的企业预付款融资采纳研究

文章结合供应链管理理论及营运资金管理理论,从供应链管理运作管理的视角出发,深入分析影响企业采纳预付款融资的因素。基于来自全国717个企业的供应链金融调查数据,文章利用对二分类因变量进行回归建模的Logistic回归模型,对企业采纳预付款融资的发生概率进行拟合。研究结果表明,从融资企业资金需求的角度,供应商提供原材料的平均交付周期越长、企业所采购物料的价格波动越大,越倾向于采纳预付款融资来解决资金问题,维持企业正常运营。结合金融机构信用风险控制的考虑,相对于原材料价格波动小的企业,所在供应链信息化程度高对帮助原材料价格波动大的企业获得金融机构授信的作用更显著。同时,文章认为出于确保还款资金来源的考虑,金融机构更倾向于向原材料库存平均周转天数短的企业授信;由于融资企业引入外部金融机构资金带来了额外的融资成本,会激励企业更努力做好其原材料库存管理,缩短原材料库存平均周转天数,尽早预付款融资,降低融资成本。     

Information Sharing in Global Supply Chain Alliances

The post–WWII economic expansion of economies such as Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and more recently China and India was enabled to a significant degree by the increasingly complex, global supply chain networks of large Original Equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the United States, European Union, and Japan. By linking buyers and suppliers across countries and industries, supply chain management (SCM) practices have a large impact on the economic fortunes of companies and countries throughout the world. Nowhere has the effect of this mutual interdependence been felt more strongly than between the U.S. companies and the Asia-Pacific market. Although the benefits of SCM are well documented, some evidence suggests that the reality of SCM implementation can create additional pressures for suppliers. We identify key problem areas experienced by suppliers and their link to the type of information shared by buying firms. The problem area experienced by most suppliers relates to issues of dependence in the alliance. Mere information sharing is insufficient for a successful alliance, and more information can be associated with a number of problems. For example, lack of information sharing can be associated with a supplier's perception of the buyer expecting excessive support. However, greater information sharing can be associated with a supplier's perception of the buyer passing on an excessive burden. Sharing of financial information is perceived as intrusive and controlling. These apparent contradictions uncover the complexity of the supply chain alliance. The moderating factors appear to be open communication and joint sharing of problem solving procedures—factors identified by suppliers that define a world-class buyer.     

Web Technology Adoption and Knowledge Barriers

Much of the technology diffusion research has focused on the "intention to adopt" of an adopting unit to explain its adoption behavior; the opportunity for adoption and the underlying adoption propensity are often not differentiated. However, the opportunity to adopt need not be uniform among adopting units. From the perspective of organizational learning, we argue that the differential opportunity to adopt originates from knowledge barriers (KB) and varied degrees of involvement of supply-side institutions (SSI) that can lower these barriers. In this article, we investigate the effect of such KBs and SSIs on the timing of adoption of the World Wide Web technology. The results confirm the major hypothesis of this study: that KBs delay adoption time and indicate the significant explanatory power that the learning perspective can add to the traditional adoption model. The findings of this study (a) explain why certain firms delay their adoption of potentially profitable innovations, (b) imply suitable diffusion strategies for firms promoting innovations, and (c) provide information on the adoption of World Wide Web technology.     

Organizational culture and adoption of high‐technology products

Research on organizational adoption of high‐technology products has concentrated on two major elements. Researchers have primarily examined whether organizations adopted innovations and whether there are differences between organizations that adopt or do not adopt innovations. In contrast, the present research examines the decision‐making process of adoption of high‐technology products in organizations. Specifically, the paper examines the concept of organizational culture and its relationship with the adoption decision process. A survey of firms that had recently made an adoption decision for a high‐technology product is reported. The results suggest that adoption decision processes are distinct within organizational cultures. The paper explains these results and discusses the implications.     

Supply Chain Strategy in Nascent Markets: The Role of Supply Chain Development in the Commercialization Process

Research on supply chain strategy has emphasized the importance of ensuring the supply chain for a product is appropriately aligned with the characteristics of that product and the market for which it is intended. The current study synthesizes theory from supply chain management, entrepreneurship, and marketing, and examines the results from a case study of multiple supply chains that were formed to launch products based on disruptive innovations to propose new theoretical perspectives on the development of supply chain strategy in this unique market context. The results suggest that legitimacy and value proposition definition and refinement are the initial primary drivers of supply chain strategy and the specific means by which the initial supply chain is formed and structured to achieve successful commercialization. These findings advance theory in both supply chain management and entrepreneurship as well as provide insight to firms seeking to commercialize potentially disruptive innovations.     

The dual nature of innovative activity: How entrepreneurial orientation influences innovation generation and adoption

This paper analyzes two modes of innovation that differ in their scope of newness — innovation generation and adoption. Building a theoretical model based on the Entrepreneurial Orientation literature and utilizing a unique sample of innovating firms, we find that 54% adopt innovations of other firms, 7% generate innovations internally whereas 39% combine the two. We also find that proactivity and risk taking influence the number of innovations generated and the extent to which firms favor generation over adoption and that environmental dynamism moderates one of these relationships. These findings add to the innovation and Entrepreneurial Orientation literatures.     

Understanding the drivers of organizational innovations

Organizational innovations involve the implementation of significant changes in business practices, the workplace organization, and external relations. The article reports an analysis of organizational innovations' objectives and adoption in 240 Spanish healthcare businesses. Statistical tests find a dynamic behavior in healthcare organizations with 40.8% having developed an organizational innovation in the period from 2007 to 2009. The main objectives pursued are related to improved knowledge sharing and innovation skills. Results also reveal a close relationship between organizational and product/process innovations. Specifically, healthcare companies developing new organizational methods to improve innovation skills and knowledge sharing are more successful in adopting product and process innovations.     

How Environmental Management Competitive Pressure Affects a Focal Firm's Environmental Innovation Activities: A Green Supply Chain Perspective

Recently, environmental management offers firms a source of competitive advantage in the marketplace. The development of environmental innovations is critical to the success of today's firms. Drawing on the Schumpeterian perspective of competition, this research examines how the perception of rival firms' green success influences a firm to pursue and produce environmental innovation through its green supply chain integration activities. Using survey data from 230 firms, a conceptual model is developed and tested using structural equation modeling. We find that the firms in our sample do perceive pressure from their competitors' success in environmental management activities, and thus take supply chain action to pursue integration activities. By differentiating incremental and radical environmental innovation, this study also reveals the role of three dimensions of green supply chain integration (internal, supplier, and customer integration of green product development) on incremental and radical environmental innovation separately. Specifically, findings suggest that green supply chain integration has a positive impact on developing incremental environmental innovation, while only customer integration has a significant positive impact on developing radical environmental innovation.     

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.     

The role of Swedish retailers in food innovations

Innovations should create value for increasingly individualistic consumers with varying demands and for other stakeholders. Today, retailers have the power in the supply/value chain. This research investigates how Swedish food retailers view innovations, their role and that of customers and suppliers in the development process and how they see future development. The study is based on open-ended interviews. The results show that Swedish retailers regard food product innovations as something to provide to consumers rather than achieve with consumers. Retailers want more collaboration with packaging suppliers to differentiate. Retailers are successful in establishing their own brands, in becoming brands themselves and in competing with producer brands. This follows the UK model and may result in fewer alternatives in stores and fewer product – or new technology-based innovations by Swedish producers. Service innovations can still occur for retailers to retain consumer loyalty. Consumers demand more than new products; they want to be excited by the shopping experience. More innovations will require deeper insight about consumers, efforts from the value chain and from outsiders. Collaboration is needed to establish trust among supply chain actors.     

Open innovation: Are absorptive and desorptive capabilities complementary?

While recent studies in open innovation emphasize the synergies between in-bound and out-bound knowledge flow, empirical results are inconsistent. In this study, we argue that in order to engage simultaneously in both “buying” and “selling” activities, firms need to develop specific capabilities to manage knowledge inflows and outflows, e.g., absorptive and desorptive capacities. We build on key aspects of open innovation and knowledge management literature, arguing that absorptive and desorptive capacity are complementary rather than substitute, and engaging simultaneously in both activities should allow firms to develop their financial performance. We test our model using a sample of 541 New Zealand firms that are deeply involved in international collaborations and find empirical evidence that absorptive and desorptive capacity are not independent and the balanced development of these capabilities has higher impacts on firm’s performance. Further, our findings indicate that technology licensing capability is not a stand-alone task, and its interplay with absorptive capacity plays a key role in the development of a firm’s performance.     

供应链知识协同与集群企业创新绩效关系的实证研究——基于组织学习的中介作用

近年来越来越多的研究指出,对本地知识的过分依赖容易导致集群企业陷入发展路径的低端锁定,因此集群企业需同时建立本地和超本地知识网络以获取不同的互补性资源。文章认为供应链组织为集群企业建立本地和超本地知识网络提供了有效的途径。文章基于浙江省集群企业的问卷调查数据,实证考查了本地和超本地供应链知识协同对集群企业创新绩效的影响以及组织学习能力的中介作用。结果表明：本地供应链知识协同对集群企业创新绩效有显著正向影响,且隐性知识协同的效果更佳;超本地供应链知识协同对集群企业创新绩效有显著正向影响,且显性知识协同的效果更佳;组织学习能力在供应链知识协同与集群企业创新绩效的关系中发挥完全中介作用。     

The Diffusion of a Process Innovation with Gently Declining Production Cost

This paper develops a model to investigate the diffusion process of a cost-reducing process innovation within an industry. Two factors drive the diffusion process. First, the gradually declining production cost with the innovation makes the adoption of the innovation more profitable, and consequently motivates more firms to adopt it over time. Second, the switching from old technology to new technology requires suitable organizational knowledge, which is costly to acquire. This tends to slow down the diffusion. The interaction between the two factors determines the path and the speed of the diffusion process. The model is able to explain three observations in technology diffusion, including (1) the S-shaped diffusion path; (2) the rejection of an innovation by some firms; and (3) unprofitable technology adoption. A policy implication of the model is that, through subsidizing the transfer of relevant knowledge from adopters to non-adopters, government can facilitate the diffusion of innovations and improve social welfare.     

Unpacking Coordination Benefits in Supply Networks: Findings from Manufacturing SMEs

This paper examines how coordination among firms in supply networks generates benefits in the short and long terms for firms. It focuses on information technology (IT) and process improvement coordination. Analysis was performed on quantitative and qualitative data from a sample of SMEs in plastics manufacturing in Pennsylvania. Results indicate that coordination on both IT and process improvement leads to short‐ and long‐term benefits. These relationships were mediated by the adoption of innovations (when coordinating on IT) and access to new capabilities (in process improvement coordination). These results extend the understanding of how participation in supply networks benefits individual firms.