Management and Marketing - Research Publications
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ItemCompetitive progression: Extensions and cross validations in emerging markets(Decision Sciences Institute, 2009)
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ItemThe cultural characteristic of individualism/collectivism: A comparative study of implications for investment in operations between emerging Asian and industrialized Western countries(Wiley, 2010-05-01)This study provides insight into the importance of national culture, investment in operations, and performance in the context of emerging Asian economies with a collectivist orientation, which are compared to industrialized Western nations with an individualist orientation. Hypotheses are developed and tested based on the cultural concept of individualism/collectivism, the theory of performance frontiers, and the extent of economic development. More specifically, data collected from 639 manufacturing plants in nine countries are used to first assess the influence of the cultural trait of individualism/collectivism on the extent of investment in structural assets (specifically: physical and capital-based) and infrastructural assets (specifically: team-based methods and improvement programs). Second, the influence of the extent of economic development on these investment factors is measured. Third, evidence is provided supportive of the theory of performance frontiers, and the nature of resource investments in the context of the cultural construct of individualism/collectivism. And fourth, support is provided for the efficacy of this theory, as well as for its compatibility and association with the resource-based view of the firm. Overall, this study makes important contributions to both theory and practice, and provides evidence for the role played by the cultural characteristic of individualism/collectivism in determining plant level investment outcomes in emerging Asian economies.
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ItemProfiles of innovation in business-to-business e-commerce Three Australian cases(EMERALD GROUP PUBLISHING LTD, 2009-01-01)Purpose The purpose of this paper is to throw light on both motivation for adoption of innovative technologies, as well as identifying critical organisational factors influencing effective implementation. Design/methodology/approach Three case studies have been conducted in Australian companies involved in the use of business‐to‐business enabling technologies. The multiple design approach was chosen in order to provide robust findings across a group of similar sites, with the possibility of replicated and comparative results providing extra clarity and insight. Findings These three cases provide evidence to suggest that at the same time the three theoretical approaches examined – organisational innovativeness, diffusion of innovations and process theory – are found to be individually and collectively present as explanatory models of innovation adoption. Research limitations/implications This paper is limited to Australian firms using technologies for the management of their supply chains. The number of firms studied also represents a limitation and generalization of findings therefore needs to be approached with caution. Practical implications The practical implication is that adoption and use of innovations is highly situational, and therefore needs to be researched using methods that enable the context to be incorporated and understood. Originality/value The evidence indicates that the innovation adoption puzzle can be explained less by a single theory generalised across broad populations of organisations, than perhaps by the complex interplay of all three theories in the context of an individual organisation.
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ItemSupply chain enabling technologies: Management challenges and opportunities(WORLD SCIENTIFIC, 2010-01-01)
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ItemDeterminants of business-to-business e-commerce implementation and performance: a structural model(EMERALD GROUP PUBLISHING LTD, 2005-01-01)Purpose Seeks to test the relative importance of various drivers of information‐technology‐related performance, and compare these drivers in the context of using established and emerging technologies. Established technologies include those generally promoted as the European Article Numbering (EAN) system (electronic data interchange (EDI), barcoding, etc.), while the emerging ones are based on the use of the internet. Design/methodology/approach A survey was designed based on previous research and a series of case studies conducted within the membership of EAN Australia. The method of analysis employed was structural equation modelling based on data collected from 553 members of the EAN organisation in Australia. Findings Use of technology enabling business‐to‐business (B2B) e‐commerce was found to provide a potential source of performance improvement, but such improvement is shown to be more a function of the process by which strategy is formulated, and organisational capability, than of the technologies per se. The adoption and use of emerging technologies (such as the internet) are not subject to the same restrictions and impediments traditionally associated with established technologies. Therefore, organisations will find emerging internet‐based technologies easier to implement and to use, but this will not necessarily mean that they will improve performance as a result. Performance will still be determined by effective strategy formulation, a clear understanding and knowledge of the technologies, appropriate application, and prudent change management. Research limitations/implications This research has been conducted in Australia, and restricted to the membership of the EAN organisation. This membership is largely representative of the fast‐moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. Whether such results would be consistent in other countries and industries would need to be verified through further research. Originality/value Develops and tests an integrated model linking strategy formulation, knowledge, capability, use of technology and performance. Provides valuable insight into why and how technology implementations can be configured for success.
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ItemGreening the automotive supply chain: a relationship perspective(Emerald, 2007)Purpose This study seeks to explore the moderating impact of relationship conditions existing between a customer and its suppliers on the uptake and effectiveness of the customer's environmental performance requirements (otherwise known as “green‐supply”). Design/methodology/approach The study assesses the extent to which a supplier's environmental performance is influenced by its customer's environmental performance requirements when specific relationship conditions (investment, contracting and monitoring routines) are taken into account. Data were collected through a survey of first and second tier component manufacturers in the Australian automotive industry and analysed using linear regression and MMR. Findings Suppliers were found to be more responsive to their customers' environmental performance requirements where increasing levels of relationship‐specific investment occurred. As the level of investment in the customer‐supplier relationship increased, suppliers become less likely to believe that they would be penalized for non‐compliance with the customer's environmental performance requirements. Research limitations/implications Survey data were collected in 2004 and are limited to the Australian automotive industry. The sample size available for the regression analysis also precluded the use of more comprehensive analytic techniques. Practical implications The research offers new insight into the issue of how firms might improve the environmental performance of suppliers and the sustainability of their supply chain. Originality/value Virtually no research exists on the actual effectiveness of green supply requirements when placed in context with the realities of inter‐organizational dynamics. The findings suggest that traditional operations theory on inter‐organizational performance improvement is just as relevant to the use of environmental performance requirements.
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ItemThe e-integration dilemma: The linkages between Internet technology application, trading partner relationships and structural change(Wiley, 2007-11-01)The evidence from an empirical study involving 281 Australian organizations suggests that the availability, open nature, and (comparative) ease of implementation of Internet technologies for integration with trading partners, whilst on the one hand providing the means by which organizations can integrate processes and systems in a cost effective way, can amplify the need for both structural change and closer collaboration with trading partners. The relationships proposed and tested in the model are justified and explained based on a number of theoretical perspectives. These include Transaction Cost Economics, Socio-technical Systems, Resource Dependency, Knowledge Based View, Stakeholder Theory and Organizational Learning. The implications of the findings for Transaction Cost Theory are noteworthy firstly because they support the appropriateness of the inter-organizational governance structure in the context of this study, and secondly because although application of these technologies may reduce information search and related costs, whether this necessarily leads to reduced coordination costs is problematic. The potential benefits from improved coordination may be constrained by the perceived costs, and risks, of transition to new structural forms. The implication for practice is that increased use of Internet technologies creates substantial pressure to invest in organizational change. The attractiveness of investing in technologies that place managers in a position where they need to promote organizational change in order to extract adequate returns creates a significant dilemma. On the one hand Internet technologies enable extensive sharing and integration of data among trading partners, but at the same time they create conditions requiring managers to embrace fundamental organizational change in order to leverage the potential of such integration.
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ItemUse the supply relationship to develop lean and green suppliers(EMERALD GROUP PUBLISHING LTD, 2005-01-01)Purpose To investigate the relationship between a supplier and firm's level of environmental management activity and the structure of the customer‐supplier manufacturing relationship. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents a conceptual framework and looks at the literature in order to investigate this relationship. Three main concepts (supply relationship, lean manufacturing, and environmental management practices) and their relationship to one another are described and the discussion concludes with major hypotheses for further research in this area. Findings A major literature review reveals that efforts to improve or influence a supplier's environmental management practice raises critical issues of transaction costs and efficacy of approach for the buyer. The review allowed development of a model for approaching issues of supplier environmental performance through lean supply. Originality/value The environmental performance of suppliers to the supply function can prove to be a costly endeavour if not managed correctly. The framework presented in this paper may be of use in this respect.