Hugh Wilson

State-of-the-art in product service-systems

Abstract A Product-Service System (PSS) is an integrated combination of products and services. This Western concept embraces a service-led competitive strategy, environmental sustainability, and the basis to differentiate from competitors who simply offer lower priced products. This paper aims to report the state-of-the-art of PSS research by presenting a clinical review of literature currently available on this topic. The literature is classified and the major outcomes of each study are addressed and analysed. On this basis, this paper defines the PSS concept, reports on its origin and features, gives examples of applications along with potential benefits and barriers to adoption, summarizes available tools and methodologies, and identifies future research challenges.

Adoption of E-Commerce by SMEs in the UK Towards a Stage Model

Research has shown that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are rapidly adopting the Internet and e-commerce. However, there is little systematic research into how such companies are adopting this new technology. This study addresses the research gap by seeking to understand how SMEs in the UK are adopting e-commerce, through an exploration of their level and sequence of adoption. The research, which was carried out by means of a mailed questionnaire, found four distinct clusters of adoption. These formed a set of sequential stages, through which firms appear to pass during the adoption of e-commerce. The firms in the first cluster are currently developing their first e-commerce services; the second adoption cluster are using e-mail to communicate with customers, suppliers and employees. Those at the third level of adoption have information-based websites operating and are developing on-line ordering facilities. The most advanced adopters have on-line ordering in operation and are developing online payment capabilities. The association of the adoption stage currently reached by a firm with contextual variables both at an industry and an organizational level is investigated and discussed.

Factors for success in customer relationship management (CRM) systems

The importance of effective customer relationships as a key to customer value and hence shareholder value is widely emphasised. In order to enhance these relationships, the application of IT to marketing through customer relationship management (CRM) software, e-commerce and other initiatives is growing rapidly. This study examines the factors that influence the successful deployment of CRM applications, with particular emphasis on those factors which are distinct from other areas of application. Using the analytic induction method, success factors were derived from five in-depth case studies. Resulting factors underemphasised in previous literature include: the need for project approval procedures which allow for uncertainty; the need to leverage models of best practice; the importance of prototyping new processes, not just IT; and the need to manage for the delivery of the intended benefits, rather than just implementing the original specification.

The role of dynamic capabilities in e-business transformation

The domain of e-business is characterised by rapid change and in such markets managers can no longer rely on the resources that they have assembled to provide their extant competitive position. Instead they must be able to combine resources in new ways, gain additional resources and dispose of superfluous resources, and to do this repeatedly and rapidly if they are to compete successfully. The term ‘dynamic capabilities’ is emerging in the strategic management literature for these skills. This study seeks to identify the dynamic capabilities that are necessary for e-business transformation and to identify practices in developing these capabilities that are both effective and common across companies, and might therefore be considered as ‘best practice’. Eight distinct dynamic capabilities are identified, each appearing to address either innovative or integrative aspects of e-business transformation. Consistent with previous studies of dynamic markets it was found that ‘best practice’ involved simple, experiential and iterative approaches to these necessary capabilities.

The governance of supply networks: a systematic literature review

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to establish what is known regarding how supply network governance leads to network outcomes, what mechanisms underlie this relationship, and how context impacts it.Design/methodology/approach – A systematic literature review identified 44 conceptual and empirical studies. Purely dyadic studies were excluded. Synthesis used the context‐intervention‐mechanism‐outcomes (CIMO) logic.Findings – From a categorization of contexts, governance instruments, mechanisms and outcomes a contingent conceptual framework is developed in the paper relating governance instruments to network outcomes dependent on the context. In general, formal instruments are adopted in dynamic and unstable circumstances defined as risky, uncertain, unpredictable or during organizational change. These instruments can result in coordination, control, viability and performance outcomes. Informal instruments tend to be adopted in contexts where prior relationships exist between actors.Research limitation...

Adoption intentions and benefits realised: a study of e‐commerce in UK SMEs

Small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly making use of e‐commerce. This study seeks to identify the reasons that are causing such businesses to adopt e‐commerce (adoption intentions); the benefits they are realising from their e‐commerce developments; and, importantly, to determine if the areas identified as important are indeed those where benefits are being realised. It was found that responding to competitive pressure was the main reason leading companies to adopt e‐commerce. Information sharing and communication between employees within the firm were found to be the e‐commerce activities where firms are realising the greatest benefit. Areas where e‐commerce could be considered as “under‐performing” were found to be online recruitment and procurement. Areas that could be considered to be “over‐performing”, and hence may indicate an appropriate starting point for those firms yet to adopt e‐commerce, are in internal knowledge sharing and communication.

The adoption of consortium B2B e-marketplaces: An exploratory study

Despite the considerable number of electronic B2B marketplaces formed and the benefits cited as arising from their use, many have gone out of business. This exploratory study seeks to provide a qualitative exposition of the specific factors influencing the adoption of consortium-owned B2B e-marketplaces. The study is based upon case studies of twelve companies trading through three different consortium B2B e-marketplaces. Twenty-six specific factors are identified and their impact on adoption is discussed. The identification of a significant number of factors specific to this domain provides real meaning and depth to those interested in the future of e-marketplaces. In particular, the factors identified provide those that operate such e-marketplaces with a detailed and actionable understanding of the issues they should address in order to survive, and provide users or potential users of consortium marketplaces with a practical framework with which to assess individual marketplaces. The factors can also form the basis of future studies of other types of marketplaces and of quantitative studies of adoption.

Factors influencing the adoption of online recruitment

Purpose – The internet is initially hailed as the future of recruitment and is expected to replace other media as the preferred recruitment method, but the adoption of online recruitment has not been as comprehensively predicted. In addition, empirical research regarding online recruitment from an organisational perspective is sparse. This paper aims to examine the reasons behind an organisations decision to use online recruitment, and reports on the development of a model of the factors affecting the adoption of this recruitment method.Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses in‐depth interviews and a survey of human resource (HR) managers with recruitment responsibility. The factors that affect the adoption of online recruitment are explored, and related to Rogerss diffusion of innovation theory (DIT) and Ajzens theory of planned behaviour (TPB).Findings – Factors related to the adoption of corporate web sites and commercial jobs boards are found to be different, with positive beliefs/relative ad...

RFID in the supply chain : lessons from European early adopters

Purpose – Radio frequency identification (RFID) is increasingly being presented as a technology with the potential to improve supply chain performance, but empirical evidence from early adopters is sparse. This paper aims to rectify this scarcity and contribute to a more informed discussion in and between academic and practitioner communities.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a conceptual model of factors influencing the success of adoption efforts. It then reports the results of a survey of 612 European supply chain managers, focusing on the 128 respondents who have begun RFID trials.Findings – A significant influence on operational deployment is the presence of mandates from key customers requiring the technologys use. Customer mandates also impact the anticipated benefits of a faster sales cycle and of enhanced systems integration, though the relationships are complex. By contrast, greater cost reduction benefits are anticipated in two industries where mandates are less common – indu...

How Business Customers Judge Solutions: Solution Quality and Value in Use

Many manufacturers look to business solutions to provide growth; however, success is far from guaranteed, and it is unclear how such solutions can create superior perceived value. This article explores what constitutes value for customers from solutions over time—conceptualized as “value in use”—and how this arises from quality perceptions of the solutions components. The authors develop a framework for solution quality and value in use through 36 interviews combining repertory grid technique and means-end chains. The findings significantly extend the extant view of quality as a function of the suppliers products and services, and show that customers also assess the quality of their own resources and processes, as well as the quality of the joint resource integration process. The authors report that value in use corresponds not just to collective, organizational goals but also to individuals’ goals, a finding that strongly contrasts with prior research. Four moderators of the quality–value relationship demonstrate customer heterogeneity across both firms and roles within what the authors term the “usage center.” When shifting toward solutions, manufacturers require very different approaches to market research; account management; solution design; and quality control, including the need for value-auditing processes.