Purpose – This article aims to explore the impact of supply chain integration on the financial performance of Swedish manufacturing firms.
Design/methodology/approach – The literature review provided the foundation for the development of the survey instrument and hypotheses for the study. In addition, the survey instrument was tested by the experts in the field and modified before it was sent to the managers in the survey group.
Findings – The findings show that supply chain integration at any level is beneficial to the financial well being of the firm. Companies with total supply chain integration reported the highest level of financial performance.
Research limitations/implications – Data were collected from Swedish manufacturing firms without regard to the size of the firm. The results show that supply chain integration is beneficial at any level.
Practical implications – The findings will assist managers with decisions regarding supply chain integration and its role as a critical factor in improving the financial performance of manufacturing companies.
Originality/value – Limited empirical studies have been conducted in this area, especially in Sweden. This study provides insight for manufacturing managers with regard to the importance of supply chain management and the competitive nature of business in the global market.
Drawing from fit research in strategic management, this study develops and investigates a model predicting destination attitude and (re)visit intention. The study introduces the concept of destination personality fit on the basis of how well consumer perceptions of a tourist destination's brand personality fits that of what the destination brand manager wishes to convey. A model incorporating destination advertising awareness as an antecedent of destination personality and consumer-manager destination personality fit is tested on international consumers with the destination personality of Switzerland as the study setting. Structural equation modeling results reveal that destination advertising awareness does indeed relate positively to both stronger perceived destination personality and destination personality fit in consumers’ minds. Interestingly, the subsequent destination personality–destination attitude relationship is moderated by consumer–manager destination personality fit in such a way that the link grows stronger in cases where fit is high. The results have important implications for destination brand managers in that they reinforce the importance of strong and distinct destination personalities. The findings also show the importance of actively communicating the destination brand to consumers since the positive outcomes of a strong destination personality increase in magnitude when successfully communicated, and the vision of the destination brand manager has been adopted by the consumer.
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 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. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
The growing trend toward enterprise systems (ES) adoption serves to highlight a number of issues that merit careful managerial consideration. We present a conceptual model delineating the antecedents and consequences of ES adoption based on scholarly insights from multiple literature streams. Managers should consider that in order to improve firm performance by ES adoption, they need to embed these systems in supply chain integration and competition capabilities. In this context, we highlight the supply chain integration, competition capabilities, firm performance and other issues.
As competition in the service sector is continuously intensifying, managers are increasingly realizing how effective use of enterprise systems (ESs) might improve competition capabilities. Building on previous work that explores ESs and supply chain integration, this study investigates antecedents and consequences of ES usage among service firms. Following an empirical study using data from 233 Swedish retail and wholesale service providers, findings indicate that internal reasons such as access to new markets and anticipated performance, rather than external pressure, drive ES adoption. The study further reveals that ES usage relates positively to supply chain integration, which subsequently relates to firm performance via the mediating variable of competition capabilities. This study contributes by synthesizing previously separate constructs into a coherent research model that is both empirically viable and integrative. The study concludes by discussing implications for theory building and management practice.
Consumer behaviour has changed dramatically in the past decade. Today, consumers can order online many customised products ranging from trainers to cars. In an increasingly interdependent world where barriers to trade and to international exchanges constantly diminish, cultural differences remain the single most enduring feature that has to be taken into account for localizing marketing strategies. The findings of this research are mostly useful to those managers and web-designers who intend to penetrate international "Business to Consumer" markets. One of the key challenges of online businesses is the management of service quality, which holds a significant importance to customer satisfaction. This paper is purposed to unveil customers' perceptions on service quality priority and different cultures' expectations in online shopping. The proposed study has been tested on data from 413 customers divided in two groups from Europe (n=215) and Middle east (n=198). The study is based on the SERVQUAL instrument that identifies five quality dimensions. The findings indicate that; developing countries customers need more security and clarity in transactions but also better internet infrastructure. Based on the study results, recommendations for managers and future research are also provided.
For optimizing supply chain processes a promising technology 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, concerned with RFID system penetration. The findings show that although the great majority of firms are actively working with integrated information systems, only a very small fraction has adopted RFID.
Both practitioners and researchers are concerned about resource deficiencies on the planet earth and agree that circular business models (CBMs) represent solutions to move towards zero waste, improving environmental impacts and increasing economic profit. Despite all of the benefits of CBMs, the implications are not widely available, and failure rates are high. Thus, there is a need to identify the obstacles that stand in the way of CBM transition. This paper aims to identify the primary challenges of CBMs. Multiple case studies are employed, incorporating six companies and data gleaned from 17 in-depth interviews. Theoretical and managerial implications are described at the end of the study.
Self-service facilities are nowadays widely implemented in the service industry and their rate of usage is steadily increasing, it is therefore critical to understand the nature of the value customers place on self-service and how they decide on their use of self-service options. In light of this, the current paper extends the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by merging self-service attributes in order to develop and test a self-service acceptance model (SSAM). The proposed model has been tested on data from 277 customers of a university library that has recently employed self-service technologies. The findings indicate that the SSAM fits the empirical data well and that intention to use self-service is an ultimate function of the customers' perceived usefulness of the service, attitude towards using it, and their perceived enjoyment of the self-service feature in question. Based on the study results, recommendations for managers and future research are also provided.
Technology-based self-service (TBSS) facilities have been widely implemented in the service industry, and it is therefore vital to understand how customers arrive at decisions to adopt them. This article presents and tests a model assessing the antecedents of customers' acceptance of TBSS facilities by merging the technology acceptance model (TAM) with self-service attributes. The findings show that intention to use TBSS facilities is an ultimate function of customers' perceived usefulness of the self-service technology, their attitude towards using it, and their perceived enjoyment of using it. Managers who wish to employ TBSS should therefore first obtain a good understanding of the factors that drive their customers' attitude towards the self-service. They should investigate how to make the self-service more enjoyable in addition to focusing on the traditional usability and usefulness-enhancing features. Recommendations for future research are also provided.
Consumer behaviour has changed dramatically in the past decade. Today, consumers can order online many customised products ranging from trainers to cars. In an increasingly interdependent world where barriers to trade and to international exchanges constantly diminish, cultural differences remain the single most enduring feature that has to be taken into account for localizing marketing strategies. One of the key challenges of online businesses is the management of service quality, which holds a significant importance to customer satisfaction. This paper is purposed to unveil customers’ perceptions on service quality priority and different cultures’ expectations in online shopping. The proposed study has been tested on data from 413 customers divided in two groups from Europe (n=215) and Middle East (n=198). The study is based on the SERVQUAL instrument that identifies five quality dimensions. The findings indicate that developing countries customers need more security and clarity in transactions but also better internet infrastructure. Based on the study results, recommendations for managers and future research are also provided.
Elderly individuals are increasingly using social media sites to access health-related information. Using responses from 610 elderly individuals in Sweden to a large-scale questionnaire survey, this study examines technology acceptance model and sociodemographic factors that positively influence elderly individuals' use of social media for health-related activities. The results show evidence of a positive association between general technology use experience, attitudes toward technology use, age, or gender, and the use of social media for health-related activities. Technology attitudes strengthen the effect on social media use for health-related activities regarding general use of technology, for older individuals, and among females.