Elgar Fleisch

Business Networking Systems: Characteristics and Lessons Learned

A model of demand for the Internet and other information sources is presented that treats the Internet as a production factor employed in producing benefits of search. Based upon the premise that the Internet is most efficient at providing information about functional attributes and price, several propositions are developed about its use and its impact on the use of other information sources. The model is supported by empirical evidence, using the example of Internet deployment in the search for a new automobile.

Extending the EPC network: the potential of RFID in anti-counterfeiting

The International Chamber of Commerce estimates that seven percent of the world trade is in counterfeit goods, with the counterfeit market being worth 500 billion USD in 2004. Many companies already use overt anti-counterfeiting measures like holograms to confine counterfeiting and product piracy. However, current techniques are not suited for automated tests of product authenticity as required in warehouses, or do not provide the required level of security. In this context, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a promising approach, providing an extensible, flexible and secure measure against counterfeiting. Unique product identification numbers together with an infrastructure to seamlessly share RFID-related data over the Internet are a basis of efficient Track & Trace applications. An emerging infrastructure is the EPC Network, which can be used to provide pedigree information of products and makes plausibility checks possible. In this paper, we propose a solution for products requiring authentication mechanisms that go beyond track & trace. Therefore, the evolving EPC Network should comprehend the functionality to handle tags which support strong cryptography. We suggest extending the upcoming EPC Network infrastructure with an EPC Product Authentication Service. Moreover, the development of cost-effective, dedicated authentication devices as well as the belonging standardization is motivated.

Success factors for achieving high service revenues in manufacturing companies

Purpose – Despite the proven benefits of an extended service business, most manufacturing companies find it extremely difficult to increase service revenues successfully.Design/methodology/approach – An extensive benchmarking project was conducted with a variety of firms in order to gain a better understanding of success factors aimed at increasing service revenue in manufacturing companies. By reviewing the first benchmarking findings with companies that struggled to achieve a high level of service revenue, additional insight into how service revenue is influenced by the success factors was gained.Findings – This paper attempts to provide a better understanding of the necessary changes in a firms activities, organizational structure and culture, and to demonstrate the impact of these factors on service revenue increases.Research limitations/implications – The findings have some clear limitations. The main focus was on the German and Swiss machinery equipment manufacturing industries, and remarks are lim...

The Emergence of Counterfeit Trade: A Literature Review

Purpose – Trade in counterfeit goods is perceived as a substantial threat to various industries. No longer is the emergence of imitation products confined to branded luxury goods and final markets. Counterfeit articles are increasingly finding their way into other sectors, including the fast‐moving consumer goods, pharmaceutical, and automotive industries – with, in part, severe negative consequences for consumers, licit manufacturers, and brand owners alike. This paper seeks to shed light on the economic principles of counterfeit trade and the underlying illicit supply chains.Design/methodology/approach – An extensive literature review was conducted that comprised contributions from different strands of management research.Findings – Though governments as well as management have clearly identified the problem, very little is known – both in practice and theory – about the mechanisms and structure of the illicit market, the tactics of counterfeit producers, consumer behavior with respect to imitation prod...

Exploitation or exploration in service business development?: Insights from a dynamic capabilities perspective

Purpose – The paper aims to explore how dynamic capabilities of sensing, seizing and reconfiguring shape the way in which service business is developed in a broad range of capital goods industries.Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes an interpretative multiple‐case study approach. It seeks to develop primary organizing themes around the key dynamic capabilities and support them with research propositions.Findings – The findings suggest that companies either exploit or explore the opportunities when it comes to service business development. Moreover, dynamic capabilities differ between the two approaches and predict which way a company chooses.Research limitations/implications – Research limitations are mainly due to the nature of qualitative research. The dynamic capabilities identified here are by no means exhaustive; rather, they indicate directions for future research.Practical implications – The research findings provide guidance to managers as to how the strategic shift towards services is i...

Flexible-foam-based capacitive sensor arrays for object detection at low cost

Polymer foams are used in the automotive and construction industries for thermal insulation, vibration attenuation, and pressure absorption, due to their lightweight structure, thermal characteristics and low manufacturing costs. These foams have higher elasticity in their cross sections than bulk polymers, which makes them the preferred mount for capacitive sensor arrays. The authors describe a flexible pressure-sensitive surface mounted on packaging foam. The elastic properties of the foam are presented along with the sensor array’s weight sensitivity. The authors illustrate an inventory management application where objects on display can be detected through their weights.

Handy feedback: connecting smart meters with mobile phones

Reducing their energy consumption has become an important objective for many people. Consumption transparency and timely feedback are essential to support those who want to adjust their behavior in order to conserve energy. In this work, we propose an interactive system that provides instantaneous feedback concerning the energy usage on household and device level. For that, we used and extended the capabilities of a smart electricity meter, built a web-based API to enable interoperability with other applications, and developed a mobile phone interface that allows users to monitor, control, and measure the consumption of single appliances. Our system illustrates a way how usage barriers can be lowered and how high user involvement can be created. By providing users the electricity feedback needed -- in real-time and on device level -- the system allows for identifying the biggest energy guzzlers and helps users decrease their energy consumption.

A Ubiquitous Computing environment for aircraft maintenance

Ubiquitous Computing bears a high potential in the area of aircraft maintenance. Extensive requirements regarding quality, safety, and documentation as well as high costs for having aircrafts idle during maintenance demand for an efficient execution of the process. Major weaknesses that impact the efficiency of the process are an inadequate tool management, human erros, and labour intensive manual documentation and check procedures. In this paper we propose a solution using ubiquitous computing technologies that improves aircraft maintence and provides a high level of usability. A scenario, a systems architecture, and maintenance applications are presented. The Smart Toolbox and the Smart Tool Inventory were implemented as proof of concept.

Innovation of product‐related services

Purpose – This paper aims to answer the following two research questions: “What antecedents are required for the innovation of product‐related services?” and “How do the antecedents differ for product‐related services developed during the product development process or during the product usage?”Design/methodology/approach – A multi‐case research design was employed.Findings – Involvement of frontline employees, information sharing, multifunctional teams, funnel tools, information technology, internal organization, and training and education have a similar impact on the success of integrated and separated service innovations. Presence of service champion, autonomy of employees, market testing, and market research have a positive effect on separated, but a negative impact on integrated service innovations. The strategic focus, external contacts, availability of resources, and management support are positively associated with both innovation types, but their importance is essentially higher for separated tha...

Understanding the Value of Integrated RFID Systems: A Case Study from Apparel Retail

This contribution is concerned with the business value of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology in retail. We present a case study of an RFID project at Galeria Kaufhof, a subsidiary of Metro Group and one of the largest department store chains in Europe. The project encompasses a variety of RFID applications at the intersection of store logistics and customer service. The contribution that our study makes to the literature is threefold. First, we describe an innovative large-scale trial that goes beyond what was done in earlier projects in several respects. The most fundamental difference from previous trials is the full integration of RFID event data with point-of-sale (POS) and master data, which for the first time offers the retailer the opportunity to directly observe and analyse physical in-store processes. Second, the heterogeneity of RFID applications implemented by Kaufhof allows us to theorise about the effects that RFID may have on business processes from an IT value perspective. We develop a conceptual model to explain the different cause-and-effect chains between RFID investments and their impact on firm performance, the role of complementary and contextual factors, and the difficulty of assessing these impacts using objective performance measures. Third, we compare the case to a prior trial conducted by Kaufhof about 5 years earlier. The differences between the lessons that the company learned in the two projects illustrate the impact of technological advances and standardisation efforts in recent years on managerial perceptions of RFID business value, which allows for the derivation of a number of useful implications for practice.