Jens Hultman

Small Business e-commerce development in Sweden : an empirical survey

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to empirically explore small business e‐commerce development and usage of the emerging ICT‐infrastructure for e‐commerce in Sweden. For more than a decade firms in countries with appropriate infrastructures in place have generally been able to exploit internet technologies for business purposes.Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents the results from a telephone survey on Swedish small businesses. The 160 firms surveyed were independent manufacturing firms in Sweden with a number of employees ranging from ten to 50 and a turnover not surpassing €10 million. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS.Findings – The paper presents empirical data on e‐commerce development among small businesses in Sweden. The study shows that a significant share of the studied firms have adopted internet technologies, but also that more than 70 per cent of the small businesses in the study have more than five years of experience of e‐commerce. The study finds that small businesses ...

One digital leap or a step-by-step approach? An empirical study of e-commerce development among Swedish SMEs

One Digital Leap or a Step-by-Step Approach? : A longitudinal study of e-commerce development among Swedish SMEs

CSR: retailer activities vs consumer buying decisions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how a retailer’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and image influence consumer perceptions regarding the firm’s social responsibility, and how CSR aspects influence consumers buying decisions in store for a specific product. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative case study method is used, including interviews, document studies and observations. The CSR approach of a Swedish retailer is investigated at corporate level and in the store, and how this interacts with the views of consumers as they make decisions regarding the purchase of a disposable product. Findings – The authors propose the concept CSR identity to capture the internal efforts and positioning that a retailer attempts to achieve. Store activities and external independent stakeholders will have a main influence on whether the identity is regarded as credible by consumers. Furthermore, factors such as self-image and influences from the social network will influence whet...

The Balancing Acts in SME e-Commerce Development : a multiple case study

By applying a resource-based view on SME development and analysing empirical data collected from qualitative and longitudinal research on e-commerce development among 20 Swedish SMEs, the authors identify and discuss the post-adoption decision dilemmas – or Balancing Acts – faced by managers. The study contributes to the existing literature on SME e-commerce development by suggesting that SME management faces three major decision dilemmas: e-commerce capacity and competence development, e-commerce scope and e-commerce development drive. By outlining a set of managerial aspects of e-commerce development, we point out the contextual and resource dependence of SME management.

Exploring the dynamics of global sourcing development over time - – the case of IKEA

This research aims at contributing to the literature on global sourcing and particularly to the literature on global sourcing development over time. Using case study materials on the home furnishing retailer IKEA, this research constitutes a picture of the sourcing landscape of IKEA from the 1950s onward. The case of IKEAs global sourcing development over time is discussed over three dimensions: sourcing market development (where?), sourcing scope development (what?), and sourcing mode development (how?). The results of the study imply that modelling the linkages between the dimensions and the overarching operational principles of the firm provides a more comprehensive view on how, and why, global sourcing development evolves over time.

Exploring store format development and its influence on store image and store clientele–the case of IKEA’s development of an inner-city store format

Abstract A changed technological landscape and radically changed consumer behavior are forcing retailers to rethink their business models, retail formats, and retail offerings. The global retailer IKEA is no exception in this development. Recently, the traditional IKEA format, which has been so successfully duplicated across the world over the years, has been complemented with other formats that are new and innovative for IKEA. Based on an empirical investigation of consumer perceptions of the store format development in Hamburg-Altona, Germany, the present study explores format development and its influence on store image and clientele, considering also the purpose of visiting IKEA and how this seems to have changed with the introduction of the new format. We also discuss the core aspects of the IKEA formats, and the fact that although some things have changed, others have stayed the same to preserve the IKEA image.

Country Report Sweden

The Swedish retail landscape is undergoing changes manifested through, for example, an increasing degree of international retailer entries, an increasing concentration of retail supply and changing demographics of retail consumers. Sweden is indeed an interesting context for retail research, as with the exception of the past few years, the Swedish retail sector has experienced significant growth for more than a decade and in this respect outperformed most other Western European countries. Sweden is also the country of origin of two well-known and globally omnipresent consumer and retail brands H&M and IKEA. This report aims at providing a broad description and analysis of the Swedish retail sector, and at highlighting and discussing some of the managerial challenges that lie ahead for retail management in Sweden. In addition to describing the general structure of the retail environment, the report aims at providing a broad overview of inward and outward internationalization and a discussion of managerial practices in the wake of an increasing degree of international sourcing practices.

Developing CSR in retail–supplier relationships: a stakeholder interaction approach

Abstract The purpose of this research is to explore how a stakeholder interaction perspective can add to the understanding of the dynamics of the process of corporate social responsibility (CSR) development in retail buyer–supplier relationships. Firstly, we find that interaction with suppliers and other stakeholders seems to have a pivotal role in the development towards sustainable retail supply chains. Secondly, and by addressing the phases of initiation, implementation and maturation of CSR development, we find that the role and intensity of interaction in stakeholder interaction changes over time and that the salience of particular stakeholders can be pivotal in the phases of the process of CSR development. Thirdly, we find that there is not necessarily one active and one passive party in the stakeholder interaction. Although suppliers in developing countries are typically asked to follow codes of conducts of retailers, suppliers are also acting and taking initiatives, and organizing themselves to better meet the demands on CSR.