Pejvak Oghazi

Private label competition : the perspective of Swedish branded goods manufacturers

Purpose – This paper aims to gain a better understanding of how Swedish branded goods manufacturers (BGMs) deal with the increased usage of private labels.Design/methodology/approach – The approach takes the form of answering the three research questions of this study: how private labels are viewed by BGMs on the Swedish market; how Swedish BGMs strategically respond to the increases in private labels; and how the benefits and drawbacks of these strategic responses are perceived by Swedish BGMs. A contrasting multiple case study of four Swedish companies in the fast‐moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry was used.Findings – The perceived advantages of private labels are connected to their overall control of the market in which they operate, whereas the advantages of BGMs are seen to be linked to product development and superior brand reputation. BGMs respond to private labels by taking them seriously and striving to increase the perceived distance of their brands from private labels in the eyes of the consumers. The overall benefit of these strategies is perceived to be preparedness for increased private label competition, while the drawbacks vary between companies.Research limitations/implications – In addition to empirical testing based on previous research on private label competition in a new setting, the study also presents suggestions for future research and the implications of the findings for managers.Practical implications – Findings indicate that BGMs should take the emergence of private labels seriously, while at the same time striving to maintain good business relationships with the retailers.Originality/value – The study provides insights into the competitive situation between private labels and the manufacturer brands in the Swedish FMCG market.

Adoption of enterprise systems and radio frequency identification among service firms

A promising technology for optimizing supply-chain processes is radio frequency identification (RFID). By adding functionality to previous enterprise systems, the aim is to increase transparency of information throughout the supply chain. In this paper, we present a survey of RFID implementation in Swedish service firms. The findings show that although the great majority of firms are actively working with integrated information systems, only a very small fraction have adopted RFID.

Antecedents of ERP in Service Firms

There have been studies of the adoption of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, the need for research within service sector is increasing. Thus, this study investigates adoption of ERP systems within service firms by a survey. Furthermore, antecedents of ERP adoption are investigated. The study proposes providing an insight about enterprise resource planning (ERP) adoption, theoretical background illustrates the pertinent literature on ERP systems in services and identifies antecedents of ERP adoption in the extant literature. The findings revealed that the majority of respondents, 82%, have adopted ERP. This study highlights and explains the reasons of deployment of ERP systems in service firms.

Realization of open innovation : a case study in manufacturing industry

Continuous innovation is regarded as an imperative for most companies. In this regard, open innovation suggests a successful approach to new product development, wherein the emphasis is on external collaboration. Previous research has provided examples from some industries, whereas mature and traditional companies such as manufacturing firms have gained limited interest. Thus, this paper seeks to answer two critical questions: why should manufacturing companies shift toward open innovation approaches and how can they adopt open innovation for product development. Based on case study in two companies, a list of opportunities, challenges, and efforts for organizational change toward open innovation are discussed.

International entrepreneurial orientation and regional expansion

Abstract This study examines how behavioral elements of international entrepreneurial orientation (i.e. product innovativeness, risk-taking, proactiveness, competitive aggressiveness, and autonomy) increase variability in scope of regional market expansion, and the international marketing channel management conditions under which this occurs. Results from an empirical study in a developing market show that not all behavioral elements of international entrepreneurial orientation (IEO) increase scope of regional expansion. The study specifically finds that scope of regional expansion is fostered when high levels of product innovation intensity, risk-taking, competitive aggressiveness, and autonomous behaviors are aligned with a stronger channel management capability. Conversely, the regional expansion values of product innovation novelty and proactiveness are cancelled out when channel management capability levels are high.

Social responsible supply chain and packaging strategy: a conceptual framework

This paper provides a framework by developing a conceptual model of socially responsible supply chain-based orientation (SRSC) and the incorporation of this orientation to the socially responsible packaging. Strategic alliance in the form of inter-firm and supply chain relationships are highlighted in this paper. By reviewing the literature in SCM, packaging, marketing, strategic alliances and CSR, appropriate constructs and related scale items were identified. Then, a panel of experts from academia and industry were consulted due to further improvements of the design of the study. To this point, resources and capabilities as driving factors have been largely left unexplored and the effect of these forces on socially responsible supply chain-based orientation, packaging and competitive advantage are brought to surface as further fruitful perspectives for future research. This research mainly assists industrial managers to better steer their supply chain management and packaging decisions in order to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage.

Elderly and technology tools: a fuzzyset qualitative comparative analysis

The number of senior citizens is growing globally and governments are striving to find innovative solutions to deal with complex care demands of this part of the population. Technology has been an answer to this situation; however, it is very important that the elderly accept and actually use the technology. This paper empirically tests the senior technology acceptance model using the fsQCA method to analyse data with a sample of 811 seniors aged 60 and over living in Sweden. The results revealed that the necessary conditions for high “perceived ease of use” and “perceived usefulness” are gerontechnology self-efficacy, gerontechnology anxiety, and cognitive abilities; however, each of these is not sufficient on its own. Self-reported health conditions and physical function also play a peripheral role in achieving the desired outcome. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed at the end of the paper.

A Study of How ICT Capabilities Can Influence Dynamic Capabilities

Purpose – Prior studies have argued that small firms with dynamic capabilities can revise and reconfigure their internal resources to meet the uncertainties of their business environment. However, there is a lack of understanding of how they can develop such critical capabilities. The purpose of this paper is to propose that small firms can employ information and communication technology (ICT) capabilities as a facilitator for developing dynamic capabilities. Thus, the study builds on resource-based view (RBV) literature and information systems (IS) literature by examining the influence of ICT capabilities on the dynamic capabilities of small firms. Design/methodology/approach – Several hypotheses were tested by analysing the survey data from 291 small high-technology firms in Sweden. Findings – The results reveal that ICT capabilities influence dynamic capabilities of small firms. More specifically, the ICT use for internal efficiency positively influences adoptive capabilities, collaborative use of ICT ...

Consumer Behavior Research : A Synthesis of the Recent Literature

This article analyzes 12 years of recent scholarly research on consumer behavior published in the five leading international journals in this field. Analyzing academic contributions to a specific area of research provides valuable insights into how it has evolved over a defined period. The approach was to briefly discuss content analysis and its application in scholarly literature review studies. The methodology used here involves the classification of topics to evaluate key trends in consumer behavior literature. It includes a ranking of topics published, typology of the published articles, the research classification in terms of methodologies, and analysis techniques. The most cited articles in the field and within each journal are also examined. The comprehensive literature review of consumer behavior research undertaken in this article could advance the discipline of consumer behavior research by elucidating the evolution of consumer behavior literature in the studied period.

Customer value in self-service kiosks: a systematic literature review

The purpose of this paper is to provide a cohesive overview of the available self-service and customer value literature, identify customer value in self-service kiosks (SSKs), and analyze this value from the customer experience perspective.,The study comprises a systematic literature review of available works on customer value.,The paper presents conclusions on the SSK’s technological forms, presence in industries, and conceptual state. The review also provides a cohesive inventory of customer value elements in SSKs. The in-depth analysis proposes two alternative models of the customer value creation process: linear and circular.,The study reveals gaps stemming from the inconsistency and fragmented nature of previous research on customer value in SSKs. The gaps are treated as opportunities for future studies.,By identifying new sources of competitive advantage and new ways to improve customer service strategies and experience management, the findings support managerial decision making at the stages of considering, implementing, and improving SSK networks.,This study is the first to systematically review and provide an inventory of customer value elements in SSKs. It, therefore, offers new perspectives on customer value creation using self-service technology.