Francois Duhamel

Degree of innovativeness and new product performance

The relationship between innovativeness and innovations’ success still remains unclear. This lack of consensus stems from a confusion between customer familiarity with the innovation and synergy with the focal firms existing set of resources and competencies, to explain performance, as well as from the use of different measurement methods. On the basis of a sample of 114 innovation projects in small and medium-sized french companies, using our own measurement method, we show a U-shaped relationship between customer familiarity and performance, and a negative relation, as expected, between newness to the company and the innovations performance.

The role of joint actions in the performance of IT clusters in Mexico

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to show the importance of joint actions and institutions for collaboration (IFCs) in the development and performance of information technology (IT) business clusters in the context of Mexico. Design/methodology/approach – A review of the literature suggests the types of linkages that the clusters must develop to be successful in the context of emerging countries. Two IT clusters in the region of Puebla and Jalisco are compared to highlight the factors that differentiate successful and less successful clusters in this type of environment. Findings – The presence of an IFC, such as the Jalisco Institute of Information Technology in Jalisco, is a determinant factor of the performance of the IT cluster there, contrary to Puebla. A model of dynamic interactions in clusters is proposed as a result of the analysis of the two cases. Research limitations/implications – Our analysis included clusters from IT industry in Mexico. It needs to be extended to more clusters, more ...

Interorganizational collaboration and value creation in digital government projects

The importance of IT collaboration between government agencies and private organizations has been already identified in the literature. However, there is still a gap about the determinants of success of such collaborations. Using survey data, we look at the impact of the resources and processes of the public entity in delivering public value for private public IT collaborations in the context of Mexico, and the moderating role of collaboration with the private sector and with other public organizations in both causal relationships. Our results show that internal processes of the public entity have a positive impact on public value creation in their IT projects, while internal resources have no effect. Collaboration with the private sector moderates negatively the effect of internal resources on public value creation, and moderates positively the effect of internal processes on public value creation. Inter-organizational collaboration within other public sector organizations, on the other hand, moderates positively the relationship between internal resources and public value creation, and does not moderate the relationship between internal processes and public value creation.

Capturing value from innovations: the importance of rent configurations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to devise recommendations for firms to formulate modes of value capture for their product innovations, ex ante. More specifically, the research question is: how can innovators try to maximize, ex ante, the appropriation of the rent they can derive from their innovating projects? Design/methodology/approach – A theoretical framework is developed and proposed to assess modes of value capture of product innovations and two illustrations are provided to show how the framework can work in practice for innovation projects. Findings – This paper presents a practitioners view based on the development of an original concept of rent configuration and appropriable rent. Research limitations/implications – In terms of research limitations, the possible endogeneity of intellectual property protection and the timing of were not considered. Practical implications – The framework allows a set of predictions regarding modes of value capture for product innovators. Originality/value ...

Logistics service characteristics and supply chain priorities for freight management

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how the type of logistics services required by firms is related to the freight characteristics, and to the cost and other dimensions of the services in Mexico. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted an exploratory study using Anova analysis and correlations, on the basis of a sample of 266 freight movements in Mexico, in order to test two main hypotheses. Findings The authors found an association between some logistics services, according to their level of customization, with the freight characteristics, and a positive relation of those customized services with security and reliability, on the one hand, and a negative relation with cost of the services, on the other hand. Research limitations/implications Size of the sample and some subjective measures of logistics services performance. Practical implications For shipping companies to be aware of existing limitations of Mexican logistics service providers in relation to customizing their services ...

Value of inter-organizational collaboration in digital government projects

ABSTRACT Collaborative approaches to public management are generally known to represent sources of public value. However, certain theoretical and empirical gaps in understanding this process of value creation persist. We adopt a resource-based view to analyse how public and private collaborations moderate relations among resources and processes and creation of public value. Our results show that collaboration with private organizations negatively moderates the effect of resources on public value creation and positively moderates the effect of processes on public value creation. Collaboration within the public sector positively moderates the effect of resources but not the effect of processes.

Best Practices in the Management of IT Outsourcing in the Public Sector

We look1 at the best practices of IT outsourcing in the public sector. Based on an empirical study of the perceptions of IT project managers and their outsourcing providers at the State level in Mexico. Our survey reveals a set of best practices in IT outsourcing projects. Some of the best practices identified include the continuity of IT projects, and the quality of technical specifications.

Impact of Trans-Pacific Partnership’s Intellectual Property Rights Issues for Mexico and China

The general question explored in this chapter deals with the implications of intellectual property provisions of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on Mexico and China’s business interests and economic relations. We show in this chapter that Mexico will follow the TPP’s intellectual property rights (IPR) provisions set by the United States. China, because of its economic might has more options to follow, even though a close association with the United States still remains one of its best strategies. In the first part of this chapter, we explore the guiding principles that motivate the main negotiator of the treaty, the country that intends to write the rules related to IPR, that is, the United States. In the second part, we look at Mexico’s and China’s positions in this regard. In the third part, we highlight points of convergence and divergence between both countries in their respective IPR policies. In the conclusion, we draw some implications in terms of business and policy in the perspective of TPP’s IPR provisions for Mexico and China.

Long-Term Goals and Shifting Power Structures: A Convention-Based View

Sharing information in supply chains may prompt conflicts of interest among stakeholders, presenting a challenge for achieving the long-term goals associated with platforms such as I-Choose. In this chapter, we analyze such potential conflicts and possible ways to overcome them, on the basis of convention theory and as a result of case studies. Through semistructured interviews with stakeholders of the coffee supply chain in the NAFTA region, we found the presence of four worlds, or “orders of worth”: the domestic, civic, market, and industrial worlds, according to the terminology of convention theory. Our empirical work shows that in practice, supply chain participants can be characterized by a combination of at least two of such views. We also specify the conditions that make different supply chain configurations and set of values more or less amenable to the changes implied in the disclosure of private information that the I-Choose platform requires. In the conclusion of this chapter, we draw policy implications to design the right incentives to the private sector to enhance public value.

Information architectures and governance structures to support smart disclosure: a convention-based view

Consumers demand information about product sustainability, pushing for government actions and private regulations. Both approaches can benefit from applying information technologies, but sharing information may also prompt conflicts of interest among stakeholders. We propose using convention theory and case studies to analyze potential conflicts and possible ways to overcome them.