A Historical Review of Postponement Research

This historical review traces the development of postponement research starting in the fifties. The focus is on seven related themes: connecting form and time postponement, conceptual extensions to postponement, decoupling points, design for postponement, customization and mass customization, factors favoring postponement implementation, and postponement in global settings. Within these themes, the review includes concepts such as postponement costs, decoupling points, part commonality, and the impact of demand correlations on the benefits of postponement. The review suggests that substantial progress has been made in postponement research.     

Toward Mass Customized Product Deployment in E-Commerce: The Modularization Function and Postponement Strategy

Strategically deploying customized products in an e-commerce environment not only helps businesses respond with greater agility to customer needs and strengthen their market position, but also helps businesses gain competitive edge and increase profitability. Underlying successful mass customization within the digital marketplace, a firm needs a methodology for striking a balance between the degree of customization and product pricing and delivery time—a critical supply chain issue. Providing either too much or too little customization can negatively impact both the business and the customer.

This study introduces a decision-making method for product customization. This method takes into account the level of customization, production costs, and the product delivery time and applies the concept of postponement strategy to the product supply chain to boost overall supply chain effectiveness and customer satisfaction. Bicycle customization is used as an example to demonstrate the feasibility of the new approach to determine the optimal level of customization in product deployment.     

THE ADOPTION OF FORM POSTPONEMENT STRATEGY IN A GLOBAL LOGISTICS SYSTEM: THE CASE OF TAIWANESE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY

The concept of postponement is becoming more and more important as firms put more emphasis on customization along with attempting to control inventory risks and logistics costs. Types of form postponement are examined along with factors affecting the adoption of different form postponement strategies. Data from information technology (IT) firms in Taiwan, one of the largest IT product manufacturers in the world, are utilized in the research.     

Maximizing customer value via mass customized e-consumer services

While the Internet provides an ideal marketplace for customized services, its strategic potential has yet to be fully realized. In particular, multi-seller (or “cross retail”) partnerships are the key to a largely unexploited Internet strategy for mass customizing bundles of goods or services as value-added solutions to individual customer needs. This article uses mass customization successes to advance cross retailing as a comprehensive strategy that frames current Web initiatives specifically in terms of customer value. Exploiting the strategy will necessitate an understanding of the enablers and dimensions of mass customized “e-consumer services” (i.e., e-tail services, as well as service-related consumer products, that are defined and sold via the Internet). The overall success of the broader Internet marketplace will be determined not just by industry-wide cooperation, but also by the development of rich standards that allow for the highly customized bundling of products. More importantly, service providers will be differentiated by their ability to employ powerful Web interfaces within a strategy that comprehensively supports and extends a customer-controlled customization process.     

Internationalization capabilities of SMEs: A comparative study of the manufacturing and industrial service sectors

Nowadays, the global economy requires developed countries to undergo industrial restructuring. In this context, industrial small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) need to collaborate with the service sector to enhance their competitiveness and strategic capabilities. Indeed, industrial service SMEs have been the object of particular attention from governments since these enterprises have become a key element for manufacturing and innovation networks in developed countries. However, these firms, as well as the manufacturing SMEs they serve, now face the challenge to internationalize. This paper addresses the of the strategic capabilities required by SMEs in general, and manufacturing and industrial service SMEs in particular, to internationalize, as well as the effect of these capabilities on their export performance. These strategic capabilities are presented in a research model, which relates human resources (HR), product development capabilities and market development capabilities to export performance. In testing this model with a sample of 347 Canadian and French SMEs, similarities and differences between the two types of SMEs are highlighted.     

Customer Attitude and Dispositions Towards Customized Products: The Interaction Between Customization Model and Brand

Despite increasing interest in customization-related topics, little is known about the relation between customization and brand. The authors identify two main archetypes of product customization based on the degrees of freedom given to the customer in the design process: Combination-based Customization (CbC), which is the selection of product modules provided by the company, and Integration-based Customization (IbC), which is product customization by means of signs and symbols provided by the customer. The authors propose that customer attitude and dispositions towards CbC and IbC depend on the presence/absence of a mass brand logo upon the product. Results of three studies, based on web toolkits for t-shirt and trolley bag customization, demonstrate that in the presence of a mass brand logo CbC shows higher customer attitude and dispositions than IbC. In the absence of a mass brand logo, the opposite pattern holds. Additional findings show, however, that the advantage of CbC over IbC for branded products disappears when there is high congruence between the customer self and the brand, and when creative brands are considered.     

大规模定制供应链研究述评

近年来,把大规模定制与供应链结合起来的研究较多。本文回顾和整理了国内外的大规模定制供应链文献,分析了大规模定制供应链特征、运作优化、延迟策略、计划调度、客户订单分离点定位对大规模定制供应链影响等研究热点,提出了大规模定制供应链运作存在的局限性,对大规模定制供应链的未来研究提出了展望。     

Strategies for Business Format Franchisors to Expand into Global Markets

Abstract

Franchising is emerging as a highly effective strategy for growth, job creation, and economic development and is spreading rapidly around the globe. However, the pursuit of global markets by franchisors has traditionally relied on employing just three generic franchising options (i.e., direct franchising, master franchising, area development). This paper presents a more expansive view of strategic choice for franchisors by presenting first-mover, platform, and conversion strategies as additional strategic approaches that may be utilized to meet the challenge of expanding into international markets. Propositions are advanced to first suggest which strategic approaches aremost appropriate under varied foreign market conditions and then how these approaches should be linked to the three generic licensing options to create combination strategies based on franchisor experience/capabilities and similar/dissimilar markets. A contingency model of global franchising is presented, which depicts the above relationships and provides an overall framework that can assist franchisors in solving the foreign expansion and distribution question. Managerial and research implications are then provided.     

食品企业大规模定制质量链协同研究

随着人们对食品质量等要求的提高,食品企业的生产正在从大批量生产向大规模定制发展,影响食品企业间竞争的因素也由生产规模、效率向速度、柔性、集成和创新方面转变。鉴于此,在大规模定制、供应链、质量链、协同理论研究的基础上,提出了针对食品企业的大规模定制质量链,并对其进行协同分析。     

大规模定制生产:制造业的新选择

大规模定制生产是信息时代的产物，是经济发展进入到买方市场时期的一种全新的生产经营模式，它既保留了大批量生产的低成本、高速度优势，又具备定制生产的灵捷性和多样性。我们要从大规模定制的内涵、特点、实施步骤及其在我国制造业中的应用等方面去了解。     

Capabilities, Proactive CSR and Financial Performance in SMEs: Empirical Evidence from an Australian Manufacturing Industry Sector

Proactive corporate social responsibility (CSR) involves business strategies and practices adopted voluntarily by firms that go beyond regulatory requirements in order to manage their social responsibilities, and thereby contribute broadly and positively to society. Proactive CSR has been less researched in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) compared to large firms; and, whether SMEs are ideally placed to gain competitive advantage through such activity therefore remains a point of debate. This study examines empirically the association between three specified capabilities (shared vision, stakeholder management and strategic proactivity), proactive CSR and financial performance in SMEs. Using quantitative data collected from a sample of 171 SMEs in the machinery and equipment sector of the Australian manufacturing industry, we find that all specified capabilities are positively associated with adoption of proactive CSR by SMEs, and that proactive CSR is, in turn, associated with an improvement in firm financial performance. Evidence of a fully mediating role for proactive CSR on the association between capabilities and financial performance presented in this study aligns with RBV theory that suggests adoption of value-creating strategies that make the most effective use of a firm’s capabilities is essential to financial success. The study contributes to the CSR literature by demonstrating a case for SMEs being able to maximise financial returns whilst proactively making progress towards CSR.     

Dynamic capabilities,environmental dynamism,and competitive advantage: Evidence from China

Some scholars hold that dynamic capability is one of the key in searching for competitive advantage in strategic management. But there are still debates on the definition and effects of dynamic capabilities and the role of environmental dynamism. In the context of Chinese-like emerging economies, from a strategic process perspective, this study defines dynamic capability as the firms' potential to systematically solve problems, formed by its propensity to sense opportunities and threats, to make timely decisions, and to implement strategic decisions and changes efficiently to ensure the right direction, and also explores the relationship between dynamic capabilities and competitive advantage and, the role environmental dynamism plays. With an empirical study of 217 enterprises in China, this study finds that dynamic capabilities do significantly positively affect competitive advantage, and environmental dynamism is a driver rather than a moderator.     

The dyadic capabilities concept: examining the processes of key supplier involvement in collaborative product development

The increased use of suppliers in the new product development process has important implications for the strategic performance of organisations. In this paper an analysis of supplier collaboration in the development process is deployed to support the development of a dyadic (or two-level) capabilities analysis of the strategic management of the innovation process. By setting an organisation's competencies within the context of their customer or supplier interactions this paper supports the view posited by Ford et al. (1986) that interaction defines the value of assets and resources. In a study of collaboration in the UK auto industry, it was found that both operational and relational competences are critical factors in the performance of the new product development process. Thus, the ability of customers and suppliers to develop both structured and ad hoc processes of interaction is shown to be important to the development process from early supplier selection process.     

Product customization: A profile of consumer demand

Increasingly, many brands are handing over to consumers the control of the design process, allowing for the customization of products, experiences, and services. While there is a clear demand for customization, the general assumption is that such demand is homogeneous among consumers. We propose that heterogeneity exists in consumer demand for customization and that a better understanding of these differences is important for brand managers to effectively develop and deliver to consumers the opportunity to customize. Drawing on configuration theory, we provide insights into consumer market segments for firms seeking strategic fit for more effective customization. Across multiple studies, a Latent Cluster Analysis is utilized to profile customization demand. Four distinct segments are identified: Non-Customizers, New Customizers, Active Customizers, and Lapsing Customizers, while studying their outcome considerations in terms of new product design. The varying patterns of customization preference and consumption patterns among segments provide opportunities for retail and service providers to target customization offers more effectively.     

Hierarchical Dynamic Capabilities and Strategic Entrepreneurship in Changing Industrial Environments

The research fields of dynamic capabilities and strategic entrepreneurship have developed concurrently but separately. This study aims to bridge the gap in research on the underlying linkage between the two independent areas, both of which are critical for firms to sustain competitiveness in changing industrial environments. Drawing upon insights from the integrated perspective of hierarchical dynamic capabilities, strategic entrepreneurship, and environmental dynamics, an explicit theoretical framework is put forward to achieve a better understanding of the ways through which hierarchical dynamic capabilities promote strategic entrepreneurship. Moreover, through the proposed theoretical lens, this study further explores the detailed mechanisms of how first-order and second-order dynamic capabilities improve strategic entrepreneurship with regard to uncertainty of market conditions.     

Perspectives on strategic internationalization: Developing capabilities for renewal

While strategic renewal has increasingly received interest from strategy scholars (Agarwal and Helfat, 2009, Baden-Fuller and Volberda, 1997, Capron and Mitchell, 2009, Crossan and Berdrow, 2003, Gulati and Puranam, 2009, Huff et al., 1992), its gains from internationalization are less understood. We draw on both internationalization and strategy literature to investigate what is known about ‘if’ and ‘how’ firms renew their capabilities through internationalization. We anticipate that the scope of internationalization has an inverted U-shape effect on the firm's ability to create alternatives for renewal, thus allowing for the development of renewal capabilities. Yet we also draw attention to the factors that may represent limitations of the role of internationalization for strategic renewal. Internationalization strategies related to location, timing and venture mode decisions are antecedents to capability renewal strategies, uncovered as linear vs. non-linear renewal paths.     

Postponement Strategies for Global Downstream Supply Chains: A Conceptual Framework

Postponement is a well-known organizational concept and usually relates to the deferment in time of manufacturing and/or logistics operations. In the current global competitive landscape, situations where postponement can be applied are rapidly increasing. Faced with the wide range of customs duties and free-trade agreements currently in place, companies need to (re)design their postponement strategies to customize their products appropriately, and to the proper degree, in each market. As the actual location where operations take place has a major impact on a company’s overall performance, the spatial perspective must also be taken into account when designing global postponement strategies, alongside the conventional temporal perspective. Heretofore, the academic literature does not offer any comprehensive framework on a global scale either for handling what is known as the postponement boundary problem, or for conceptualizing the related postponement strategies. Building on previous research, the aim of the present study was to investigate the postponement concept in a global environment with a downstream focus. The intended purpose is twofold: first, to review and expand previous studies on the subject and, second, to provide some guidelines for conceptualizing global postponement strategies. A structured literature review was first conducted, followed by the development of a framework that combines both the temporal and the spatial dimensions. Finally, the framework was applied to a group of 28 business cases taken from the literature, to act as a bridge between academic theories and practitioners’ current business operations.     

新发展格局下全国学会数字化转型初探——以中国大坝工程学会为例

随着数字中国建设战略的部署推进,在新冠疫情席卷全球的特殊时代背景下,聚焦新时代世界科技强国建设和群团组织改革要求,数字化转型成为全国学会改革发展的必然选择。本文以入选中国科协世界一流学会建设项目的中国大坝工程学会为研究样本,围绕如何通过数字化转型提升学会群众组织力、学术引领力、战略支撑力、文化传播力和国际影响力这五大核心能力,总结提炼出学会在数字化建设中的积极探索和实践经验,并由此思考全国学会数字化转型的未来着眼点。     

How Knowledge Management Capabilities Help Leverage Knowledge Resources and Strategic Orientation for New Product Advantages in B-to-B High-Technology Firms

ABSTRACT

Purpose: Current understanding of how new product development (NPD) teams use knowledge management capabilities to acquire, disseminate, and apply knowledge resources to achieve competitive advantages is limited by a lack of compelling theory supported by empirical evidence. This study provides a theoretical framework and empirical validation for how an NPD team manages knowledge resources and strategic orientation to enhance its knowledge management capabilities, which, in turn, lead to business-to-busienss (B-to-B) new product advantages.

Methodology/approach: A total of 100 sets of data was collected from B-to-B firms in U.S. high-tech industries. In order to validate the proposed hypotheses, we estimated the main effects using path analysis in AMOS, and tested for interaction effects using interaction term regressions.

Findings: Our findings show that the two dimensions of NPD knowledge management capabilities—acquisition and application—are important but differential drivers of product quality superiority and product differentiation. In testing whether NPD management capabilities matter for two product advantage constructs, we confirmed that product quality superiority can be enhanced by both NPD knowledge acquisition and application capabilities, whereas product differentiation can be increased strongly by NPD knowledge acquisition capabilities.

Research implications: Our research confirms the importance of strategic orientation as a driver of NPD knowledge management capabilities, which enhances understanding of how strategic factors operate under a resource-based view. Our results further provide direct empirical support for the knowledge-based view of firms, in that an NPD team’s abilities to manage and deploy knowledge-based resources by acquiring and applying NPD knowledge lead to competitive advantages, for outcomes of quality superiority and differentiation.

Practical implications: Our findings have relevance for managers in three ways. First, NPD knowledge acquisition and application capabilities have differential impacts on product quality superiority and differentiation. Second, in exploring NPD resource factors as antecedents, managers should manage levels of NPD market intelligence, resource tacitness, and NPD resource deployment differentially to directly improve NPD teams’ acquisition and application capabilities. Third, managers should not underestimate the importance of market and technological orientations in enhancing NPD knowledge management capabilities. Market orientation drives both NPD knowledge acquisition and application capabilities; technological orientation drives NPD knowledge application capabilities. Originality/value/contribution of the paper: An NPD team’s knowledge management capabilities generally, but differentially, mediate the relationships of knowledge resources and strategic orientation factors with new product competitive advantage. However, simply enhancing NPD knowledge management capabilities is not a panacea for developing product competitive advantage in B-to-B settings, because of their differential effects.     

低碳时代商业银行碳金融业务面临的挑战及发展策略

近些年世界经济在经历工业化信息化之后,正逐步走向低碳化。目前发展低碳经济是世界各国寻求持续发展的重要战略选择,从而促使碳金融业务成为国际金融领域内又一新的竞争热点。商业银行作为枢纽和纽带应积极参与和支持。本文从商业银行发展碳金融业务的现状及面临的挑战分析,提出相应的发展策略。