bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Customer relationships and the heterogeneity of firm performance
Authors: Storbacka Kaj , Nenonen Suvi 
Published: July 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how, taking customer relationships as the unit of analysis, the heterogeneity of customer relationship performance influences the heterogeneity of firm performance, and how firms can balance the heterogeneity of customers, customer relationships, and customer portfolios by differentiated business models.Design/methodology/approachThe approach to the topic is one of theoretical analysis and conceptual development.FindingsValue capture is defined as the discounted present value of all future economic profit from the relationship. Three sources of value capture heterogeneity are identified: the customer, the relationship with the customer, and the interdependence between customers in a customer base. Relationship performance can be improved by investing in business model differentiation, in order to facilitate controlled adaptation to specific customer relationships and/or customer portfolios. Firms have to manage parallel business models and a central capability is the ability to create internal fit between the elements of a specific business model.Research limitations/implicationsThe research presented relates to business‐to‐business customer relationships. Some of the conceptual thinking will not be applicable in consumer relationships.Practical implicationsA firm should have an optimum mix of customer relationships in its customer base, in relation to firm goals and strategy. Management needs to recognize the heterogeneity of customer relationship performance, and manage customer portfolios accordingly. In order to deal with the heterogeneity, it may be necessary to manage parallel business models. This will necessitate new capabilities, such as customer insight generation, account management, modularized production platforms, and relationship performance control.Originality/valueFor a scholarly audience the paper contributes to the discussion on how marketing improves firm performance by assuming responsibility for increasing firms' market value. For a practitioner audience it offers ideas for genuinely customer‐centric management.
Toward a transcending conceptualization of relationship: a service‐dominant logic perspective
Authors: Vargo Stephen L. 
Published: July 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose and elaborate on a service‐dominant‐logic‐based conceptualization of relationship that transcends traditional conceptualizations.Design/methodology/approachThe paper consists of a review of traditional conceptualizations of relationship, a review of service‐dominant logic foundational premises that are useful in reframing the concept, and supporting views from the institutional economics and business ecosystems literature.FindingsA transcending, service‐dominant‐logic‐based conceptualization of relationship as a general term representing the network‐with‐and‐within‐network nature of value creation, with transactions as “temporal isolates” of relationships is suggested.Originality/valueThis higher‐order conceptualization of relationship provides a foundation for better understanding the role of relationship in value creation, as well as its correspondence to transactions and products.
The moderating influence of client sophistication on relationships within business‐to‐business credence service markets
Authors: Garry Tony , Harwood Tracy 
Published: July 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report on a study which aims to identify the characteristics and determinants of client sophistication within the UK corporate legal services market and to investigate its effect in determining the nature and essence of client‐solicitor relationships.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses in‐depth interviews of a range of individuals involved in the selection and evaluation of legal services used by their organisations and practice lawyers working for a variety of regional and national law firms involved in the delivery of legal advice related to corporate and commercial issues.FindingsFindings suggest the level of client sophistication has a moderating influence in a number of key areas. These are identified as: service evaluation criteria; interdependency and power; the atmosphere in which solicitor‐client interactions take place and relationships develop; the nature of joint personal relational goals and the role of trust and extent of commitment.Originality/valueThe paper enriches the limited literature on business‐to‐business credence services and develops a deeper understanding of the nature of relationships within such contexts.
Extending relationship value: observations from a case study of the Canadian structural wood products industry
Authors: Lefaix‐Durand Aurelia , Kozak Robert , Beauregard Robert , Poulin Diane 
Published: July 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present how the construct of relationship value (RV) has the potential to help suppliers understand how to create superior value in their customer relationships and ultimately improve their competitiveness. Nowhere is this truer than in the Canadian wood products industry, where sales to its most important market, the USA, have recently been dwindling. The paper seeks to present how RV was adapted in this research context and extended over elements of scope, range of potential applications, scale of measurement, and computational techniques.Design/methodology/approachA multiple‐case study was undertaken and consisted of the evaluation of 58 customer relationships for three wood products manufacturers.FindingsFindings highlight the necessary distinction between “value for” and “value of” customers when measuring relationship value from a supply perspective. Based on the value and orientation of exchange, a new segmentation of customer relationships emerges which differentiates “questionable”, “supportive”, “promising”, and “strategic” relationships.Originality/valueThe case study will serve in the development of value‐driven relationship management approaches, which are likely to become a major source of competitive advantage, not only in the wood products industry, but in business in general.
Explaining scientific networking with b2b network theories: the cases from the EU and Russia
Authors: Tretyak Olga A. , Popov Nikita I. 
Published: July 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to extend existing theories of b2b networks over non‐profit networks.Design/methodology/approachThe paper sheds light on the network organisational forms recently implanted in the academic community. the analytic induction method is used to extend b2b network concepts to a non‐profit context. The concepts of b2b networks are critically analysed and applied to explorative case studies of networks in academia. The paradox of open knowledge exchange in these networks is revealed and an attempt is made to elucidate it.FindingsB2b network concepts should be modified before being extended to non‐profits. Propositions are suggested to adapt b2b network concepts to explain non‐profit networks. Questions to address in further research are developed.Research limitations/implicationsThe main conclusions are only applicable to specific types of networks. Only academic networks are reviewed. The case study approach does not allow for generalizing the findings and deriving a set of concepts for non‐profit networks, and thus, calls for further research.Practical implicationsThere may be space for achieving excellence in research by facilitating interpersonal rather than interorganisational research networks. This is important, since by facilitating interpersonal networks one can escape from organisational bureaucracy.Originality/valueThe study reports networking between the non‐profits, an issue largely neglected by marketing researchers, and contributes to its understanding in the frame of existing b2b network concepts.
Food product traceability and supply network integration
Authors: Engelseth Per 
Published: July 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a more precise conceptual understanding of the interplay between food product traceability and supply network integration.Design/methodology/approachA resource‐based network approach was used to create a framework with empirical evidence from a fresh strawberry product case.FindingsA conceptual model describes product traceability as interacting with different organizational and informational resources.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a preliminary model that substantiates a cross‐functional approach teamwork‐based to developing product traceability.Originality/valueThe study shows developing food product traceability as a complex undertaking dependent on information connectivity including a technical aspect of supply chain integration, and different forms of knowledge, an organizational aspect of supply chain integration.
The evolution of network positions in emerging and converging technologies
Authors: Low Brian , Johnston Wesley J. 
Published: July 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how and why staying on the edge of emerging and converging technologies is significant for businesses to create the most vibrant, adaptive and complex behaviors, including a wider range of business relational initiatives (e.g. outsourcing, opportunistic partnership, merger and alliance, acquisition), and a better sense of which initiative to choose.Design/methodology/approachThis is an inductive, interpretative case study complemented by hands‐on experience with the industry.FindingsAppreciating why existing proprietary technologies need to be replaced with new robust and open technologies is important. Knowing when and how existing and emerging technologies would converge is even better. Developing an understanding of the likely impact of this convergence on existing network structure and network position is critical.Originality/valueFor practitioners the paper presents a framework for examining business relational initiatives at any given point in time and identifying a positioning path over time to shift the firm's network position. For academics it advances one's understanding on how various business relational initiatives are influenced by network structure and network position at the network level.
Manufacturers' intention to extend the relationships with distributors
Authors: Ono Akinori , Kubo Tomokazu 
Published: July 2009

PurposeToday, it is becoming increasingly important for manufacturers to develop cooperative relationships with distributors and obtain customized distribution services. Previous research has suggested that, with specified assets, manufacturers might “hold up” distributors and that such a relationship would not be sustainable. In contrast, the purpose of this paper is to develop a causal model to explain why and how manufacturers intend to extend cooperative relationships with distributors.Design/methodology/approachTo propose a causal model, two approaches – relationship marketing and transaction cost analysis – are examined. To complement the defects of the two approaches, a repeated game theoretic approach was applied in the causal model. The proposed model is empirically tested with 144 strategic business units of manufacturers and the structural equation modelling. Also, a case from the US and Japanese automobile industries is proffered to discuss the validity of the model.FindingsThe results of the empirical analysis show that asset specificity by distributors increases manufacturers' long‐term orientation, which increases manufacturers' intention to extend the relationship. It was also found that the intention to extend the relationship is reduced by distributors' opportunism. These findings are supported by a case study of the automobile industry in the USA and Japan.Originality/valueWhile most previous relationship marketing literature has focused on social psychological constructs, the present paper introduces the viewpoints of a game theoretic approach. The paper proposes a causal model regarding the relationship among asset specificity, opportunism, long‐term orientation and intention to extend the relationship, which successfully explains why manufacturers do not hold up distributors with their specified assets.
Marketing relationships in Brazil: trends in value strategies and capabilities
Authors: Helena Puga Ribeiro Áurea , Brashear Thomas G. , Rafael Reis Monteiro Plinio , Faluba Damázio Luciana 
Published: July 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the use of value strategies among international and national firms in Brazil by exploring the trends in value strategies for use in future marketing relationships and the capabilities necessary to implement those value strategies.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a Delphi technique to elicit the opinions and perceptions from a group of B2B marketing experts. An iterative data collection with 30 senior executives of national and foreign, mid‐ and large size firms in Brazil was used to explore the strategies firms use, the types of key capabilities, and the capabilities that drive performance.FindingsThe findings show that both national and international firms in Brazil expect to continue to use commodity strategies as their primary relational form, but move toward the higher value added strategies. Higher value added strategies are expected to account for 42 per cent of the respondent firms' relationships in the coming years. Firms rated “methods to identify and monitor” and “marketing intelligence” as the two most important capabilities for driving performance. An additional finding is the distinction between firms' self‐evaluations of capability competence and the capabilities that drive performance.Practical implicationsThe study provides insight into the links between value strategies practiced and the marketing capabilities required to support those strategies.Originality/valueThe study provides practitioner insights into the practices and trends in the use of value‐driving and value‐creating strategies among firms in a big emerging market, Brazil.
C2CAD: a sustainable apparel design and production model
Authors: Jin Gam Hae , Cao Huantian , Farr Cheryl , Heine Lauren 
Published: July 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop and implement a new sustainable apparel design and production model, cradle to cradle apparel design (C2CAD), that provides guidelines for apparel designers and manufacturers to solve some of the sustainability problems related to apparel production.Design/methodology/approachThe C2CAD model was developed by integrating McDonough and Braungart's “cradle to cradle” model into existing apparel design and production models. Knitwear design and production was used to implement the C2CAD model as a proof of concept. The performance and cost of the C2CAD knitwear were evaluated.FindingsThe C2CAD model has four main steps: problem definition and research; sample making; solution development and collaboration; and production. Following the four steps and with an international collaboration similar to current apparel industry practices, “Four‐season sustainability” children's knitwear prototypes were developed. Produced with an acceptable manufacturing cost, the products have good mechanical and color fastness performance.Practical implicationsThe C2CAD model provides practical guidelines for apparel designers and manufacturers and allows them to address all three pillars in sustainable development: economic development, social development, and environmental protection.Originality/valueThe C2CAD is the first apparel design and production model that emphasizes sustainability in addition to functional, expressive, and aesthetic considerations. The production process of “Four‐season sustainability” children's knitwear demonstrated the implementation of C2CAD model in sustainable apparel design and production.
Improvement of dentist gowns – new constraints and new risks
Authors: Schacher Marie , Haïkel Youssef , Berger Stéphane , Schacher Laurence , Adolphe Dominique C. 
Published: July 2009

PurposeFor years, the main reason for using textiles in the health care sector was to protect the patient from the medical staff. Nowadays, the garment has to play another role and protect the wearer. For dentists, risks can come from saliva which is considered potentially infectious because it frequently contains blood. This paper aims to define dentist gown specifications according to the new situation, and to propose new garments providing safety protective function as well as comfort.Design/methodology/approachEnquiries, direct interviews as well as internet forums have been used to extract dentists' requirements taking into account their need of barrier and their comfort concerns. Studies of the spraying area on the gowns have been performed to define the location of the required protection. A study of the warmer zone of the garment via IR camera has been done. Two prototypes have then been constructed and tested.FindingsImages of impacts of drops that could cause cross‐infection allow defining the zones which are to be specifically protected. Thermographic images provide maps of hot zones of the garment when worn in working conditions, and information is obtained of desired open space zones which have been designed to create preferential ventilation required for comfort improvement. A second prototype was designed to improve results of the first one.Practical implicationsReplacement of current dentists garment in routine situation.Originality/valueDentists' gowns used in dental care have not been studied and not been redesigned yet, whereas new dentists are facing new risks and eagerly looking for personal protective equipment providing safety protective function as well as comfort.
Effect of high‐speed sewing on the tensile properties of sewing threads at different stages of sewing
Authors: Midha Vinay Kumar , Kothari V.K. , Chatopadhyay R. , Mukhopadhyay A. 
Published: July 2009

PurposeIn this paper, the contribution of dynamic loading, needle and fabric, and the bobbin thread interaction on the changes in the tensile properties of the needle thread are to be investigated.Design/methodology/approachTensile properties of the needle thread have been studied at four sewing stages, namely before being subjected to any loading, after dynamic loading, before bobbin thread interaction and after sewing.FindingsIt is observed that bobbin thread interaction plays a dominant role in the reduction of tensile properties except breaking elongation in cotton threads. Dynamic loading is mainly responsible for reduction in the breaking elongation of cotton threads. During sewing, there is an increase in initial modulus due to the dynamic loading, which is more in the case of cotton threads than polyester threads. However, the impact of dynamic loading on tenacity, breaking elongation and breaking energy is greater for coarser cotton thread. The contribution of bobbin thread interaction is more for fine threads as compared to coarse threads.Practical implicationsSince seam strength is dependent on the thread strength, a reduction in thread strength during sewing will lead to lower seam strength than expected. Therefore, in order to minimize the thread strength reduction, it is important to understand the contribution of different machine elements or processes during sewing. During high‐speed sewing, the dynamic and thermal loading are found to be the major causes of strength reduction of needle thread, which can go up to 30‐40 per cent. However, the extent of strength loss at different sewing stages is unknown.Originality/valueThe study will help in engineering sewing threads, designing of sewing machines and selection of process parameters for controlling loss of useful properties of sewing threads.
Selection of ERP suppliers using AHP tools in the clothing industry
Authors: Ünal Can , Güner Mücella G. 
Published: July 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore selection of the best ERP suppliers in the clothing industry by using analytic hierarchy process (AHP).Design/methodology/approachAHP is used in order to achieve the paper's purpose; selection criteria are determined by managers and experts.FindingsThree different enterprise resource planning (ERP) suppliers are investigated and best alternative is selected by using AHP. After the best alternative is selected, cost benefit analysis is calculated in order to define decisive result. All calculations are verified by performing the consistency test.Research limitations/implicationsSelection criteria and their evaluations can be changed depending on size of the clothing manufacturer and product type.Originality/valueThe results of the study will be helpful to clothing manufacturers which plan to implement an ERP system in their organizations. Furthermore, they can use AHP in other decision problems as well.
Parallel garment drape simulation of triangular mesh using GPU programming
Authors: Hwan Sul In 
Published: July 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine the possibility of implementing parallel processing feature of graphic processor unit (GPU) in garment drape simulation.Design/methodology/approachVelocity‐Verlet method based on explicit integration is used to drape triangular table cloth meshes. Both drape simulation and collision detection engines are converted to GPU version. Simulation speeds of simple linear algebra and actual free fall table cloth simulation are compared with those of the central processing unit (CPU) version.FindingsThere is apparent calculation speed increase when the parallel computation of GPU is implemented. But the current GPUs have several limits for general purpose computation, so the original CPU version algorithm should be split and modified to be used in GPU.Originality/valueThis paper implemented GPU parallel processing technique in both drape simulation and collision detection. Voxel‐based method is used to find possible collision pairs. Triangular meshes, which are more difficult to implement than quadrilateral ones in GPU programming, are successfully implemented.
Critical success factors in the context of humanitarian aid supply chains
Authors: Pettit Stephen , Beresford Anthony 
Published: July 2009

PurposeCritical success factors (CSFs) have been widely used in the context of commercial supply chains. However, in the context of humanitarian aid (HA) this is a poorly addressed area and this paper therefore aims to set out the key areas for research.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on a conceptual discussion of CSFs as applied to the HA sector. A detailed literature review is undertaken to identify CSFs in a commercial context and to consider their applicability to the HA sector.FindingsCSFs have not previously been identified for the HA sector, an issue addressed in this paper.Research limitations/implicationsThe main constraint on this paper is that CSFs have not been previously considered in the literature as applied to HA. The relevance of CSFs will therefore need to be tested in the HA environment and qualitative research is needed to inform further work.Practical implicationsThis paper informs the HA community of key areas of activity which have not been fully addressed and offers.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the understanding of supply chain management in an HA context.