This paper presents a decision-support system for reshoring decision-making based on fuzzy logic. The construction and functionality of the decision-support system are described, and the functionality is evaluated in a high cost environment exemplified through a Swedish context. Ten different reshoring scenarios, provided by Swedish reshoring experts, are entered into the decision-support system and the decision recommendations provided by the system are presented. The confidence that can be put on the recommendations is demonstrated by comparing them with those of the reshoring experts. The positive results obtained indicate that fuzzy logic is both feasible and that the quality of the results are sufficiently good for reshoring decision-making.

Purpose – This study aims to explore the enablers and barriers to design-driven innovation, defined as the innovation of product meanings, in the product-development process. Previous research provides some insights into what enables and hinders design-driven innovation; however a detailed understanding of these factors is missing. Design/methodology/approach – A long-term case study was conducted at a furniture company between 2009 and 2016. Interviews were conducted with respondents within the company, as well as with partners such as retailers and designers. Findings – This paper presents an overview of the identified enablers and barriers. The results demonstrate that enablers and barriers occur in all phases of the product-development process. Second, the connections between enablers and barriers are presented. These are found both within and across different phases, and extend beyond the company’s influence. Research limitations/implications – This study demonstrates how the innovation of product meanings is influenced throughout all phases of the product-development process. Therefore, there is a need to go beyond the mere identification of enablers and barriers. More is gained from generating a thorough understanding of the causes and connections of these factors, including the changes over time. Practical implications – This study demonstrates the need for companies to be able to map what enables and hinders design-driven innovation in their product-development process, where a distinction needs to be made between internal and external factors, to enhance value creation. Originality/value – This study presents a rare long-term case study on design-driven innovation. This study provides new knowledge on the enablers and barriers a company faces while adapting its productdevelopment process to accommodate design-driven innovation.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to characterize the internal dynamics of cross-functional teams (CFTs) in different organizational processes in a service company.

Design/methodology/approach: A case study from a Brazilian service company was conducted. CFTs in five different organizational processes (strategy development, product development, portfolio management, sales channels management and business analysis) were analyzed through in-depth interviews, documents and non-participant observation.

Findings: A framework with four pillars was constructed: constitution of the CFT, task drivers, behavior and attitudes of the team and personal motivators. It was possible to analyze the process of how a group acts and reacts under changing circumstances based on the pillars included in the framework.

Research limitations/implications: The study is focused on creating analytical generalizability. Several insights in the 12 propositions presented in this study may be investigated in future research to validate the identified relationships among the pillars included in the framework. Moreover, the proposed framework allows the teams to be analyzed through a multidimensional view: structure, processes and impacts.

Practical implications: If the semantic boundaries of the communication are not well delineated, the differences in understanding can generate manifest conflicts. Moreover, the workload in a CFT seems to be larger and more complex than working in a functional activity; however, members perceive that it reduces the risk of unemployment and increases motivation.

Originality/value: The present study contributes to the extant literature with the proposal of a set of new exploratory propositions that can support future quantitative research about the use of CFTs in the service industry context.

The purpose of this study is to explore reshoring drivers and barriers in the Swedish manufacturing industry. The research is based on case research including five case companies from the Swedish manufacturing industry with experience of manufacturing reshoring. The empirical findings are compared to the existing literature to identify any potential gaps between the existing literature and the Swedish manufacturing context. The findings suggest that quality related issues, an increased degree of automation, and improved cost performance at the home base are the strongest reshoring drivers for Swedish manufacturing companies. The identified drivers and barriers are transferable and have the potential to be building blocks for researchers and practitioners to better understand the reshoring phenomena. The findings also show that further research should focus on reshoring drivers and barriers in relation to specific reshoring characteristics (e.g., ownership, scale of production being reshored, and position in the supply chain).

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore reshoring drivers and barriers from a Swedish manufacturing perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is a case study, including four Swedish manufacturing companies, with focus on drivers and barriers from the context of the Swedish manufacturing industry. A literature review of previously established drivers and barriers is used to map out the empirical findings and thereby identify potential gaps between the current body of literature and drivers and barriers from a Swedish manufacturing context.

Findings

The findings of the study suggest that quality issues continue to be one of the strongest reshoring drivers. Except for product quality, quality is also connected to host country’s infrastructure, communication and service. The supply chain perspective is a source of several drivers and is identified as a perspective often overlooked in offshoring decisions. Barriers related to firm specifics were more elaborately discussed by the companies, especially concerning calculation of location decision and the need to invest in resources, which allows for a higher level of capacity at the home country facility.

Research limitations/implications

The study develops a structured table of reshoring drivers and barriers which can serve as a base for future research. Future research on the calculation of location decisions is deemed as a crucial step to further understand reshoring and aid companies in the decision-making process.

Practical implications

The drivers and barriers identified in the study can give practitioners insight into reshoring from the perspective of the Swedish manufacturing industry and thus aid in future manufacturing location decisions. The table of drivers and barriers can also be important to understand how Sweden can strengthen its competitive advantage and motivate more companies to reshore manufacturing.

Originality/value

This is one of only few papers from the Nordic countries and also one of few case studies examining reshoring in manufacturing companies.

Purpose

– This paper aims to describe and discuss a balance model of theoretical business sustainability, to leverage the inferior side, so as to enhance performance.

Design/methodology/approach

– A conceptual description and discussion are provided, along with an empirical depiction.

Findings

– The empirical illustration presents one organization that embodies the goals of theoretical business sustainability in the marketplace and society.

Research limitations/implications

– Further research is needed to enhance our understanding of the phenomenon and performance of business sustainability in supply chains.

Practical implications

– Findings highlight that there is no justification for practitioners to strive consistently for anything other than theoretical business sustainability, and stakeholders need to push organizations in that direction.

Originality/value

– The paper contributes to our understanding of what should be done and why business sustainability performance should be improved in supply chains.

Purpose

The study aims to explain the role of moral disengagement in supply chain management (SCM) research and the challenges that arise if the theory is used beyond its inherent limitations.

Design/methodology/approach

Conceptual paper based on how Bandura developed and used moral disengagement.

Findings

Moral disengagement can be used validly in SCM research. The theory should not to be applied to the supply chain itself, but SCM can be seen as an environment that is part of a reciprocal exchange, which shapes human behavior.

Research limitations/implications

The paper suggests a new theory for a better understanding of business ethics, corporate social responsibility and sustainability in SCM. Furthermore, the paper outlines how the theory should be used and some challenges that remain.

Originality/value

SCM researchers have shown how to apply a theory from psychology to SCM, which could progress to several areas of the research field. The paper also highlights an inconsistency in the use of the theory and explains how it should be used in SCM research.

Purpose – Operations and supply chain management (OSCM) is a theoretically and philosophically fragmented field. Researchers must consider how they use theory and explain empirical phenomena. This paper aims to use critical realism to introduce more coherence into this fragmented field.

Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws on existing critical realism and abduction literature and this study uses a research process from two PhD projects to investigate critical realism’s role in OSCM research. This paper uses a narrative approach to collect data over a long timeframe, capturing data not commonly used in OSCM research.

Findings – Research that struggles to bridge the gap between theory and data benefits from critical realism, which provides a philosophy and associated methods to identify a suitable theory and guide researchers when they encounter obstacles. While clear steps often outline established methods, researchers are sometimes unable to identify when their research process has reached an obstacle. This paper argues that such obstacles can be treated as “crossroads” offering new research opportunities when correctly evaluated and addressed.

Research limitations/implications – Importantly, researchers should be able to reflect upon their own research processes, enabling a better understanding of these processes and the discovery of new research directions. Researchers can use critical realism, abduction and systematic combining to bridge the divide between theory and data in OSCM.

Originality/value – This paper contributes to the field’s discussion regarding the roles of critical realism and abduction, synthesizing multiple academic sources, highlighting critical realism’s importance and providing a novel means of addressing difficulties in navigating an eclectic research area. This paper offers a philosophical alternate to the field, which is often instead considered from a positivistic standpoint. The paper is valuable to researchers in the OSCM field, who can use the research to improve their selection of data and theories, as well as their understanding of their own research processes.

Increased competition in many markets has forced firms to adopt new business models. Oneway to differentiate from the competition is to develop products based on implicit consumerneeds that may be sold at a premium price. This research uses case study methodology toinvestigate a Swedish furniture wholesaler, and how their shift to a consumer driven businessmodel has affected sourcing and inventory. The research reveals that the high focus on thedemand-side of the company has had detrimental effect on the supply-side. Between 2004 and2009 the number of stock keeping units increased dramatically, and the sales increased with22%. Sourcing was affected since the order quantities became smaller, which lead to longerlead times in manufacturing. The inventory levels also increased, as did the averageinventory turnover. As the market dropped in 2008 due to the economical situation, the casecompany was not able to respond to the changes in demand. The main theoretical implicationis that the management of the demand- and the supply-side of the firm have to be coordinatedon macro level, the main practical implication is that managers needs to devote time to bothmanagement directions, and the main social implication is that differentiated supply chainstrategies may employ people closer to the consumption market.

urpose

This study aims to explore how the flow of moral responsibility in supply chains can be understood through an analysis of material, monetary and information flows.

Design/methodology/approach

Social responsibility, foliated networks and morality are used to present a conceptual framework that suggests responsibility links in supply chains.

Findings

By understanding the flows of material, money and information, it is possible to see how different types (liable and political) of responsibility can be identified. Conventional supply chain flows are thus connected with moral responsibility.

Research limitations/implications

Responsibility issues in supply chain management need to include supply chain links created by monetary and information flows, as well as material flows.

Practical implications

Supply chain actors need to consider responsibility across their entire supply chain, which includes material, monetary and information flows.

Originality/value

Foliated transportation networks, moral disengagement and different types of responsibility are combined in a novel way to facilitate a better understanding of responsibility in supply chains.

[...]our research shows that not all offshoring decisions are based on the best methods or information. [...]a series of incorrect decisions made offshoring look like a great decision when it was not. [...]after years of outsourcing, Plant A was still the same size and unable to trim its overhead despite lower production levels. [...]one product became so expensive to produce internally that it was priced too high and failed in the market while lower-cost competitors thrive today.

The purpose of this research is to assess how codes of conducts are outlined and formulated in relation to moral disengagement along the supply chain. The research is focused on the idea that supply chain structure may reduce the actors' sense of moral responsibility for the actions and impacts of the supply chain on workers and environment. The research has been conducted as a case study including Swedish firms in the textile industry. The research has used secondary data from codes of conducts. The findings show that codes of conduct do not cover all supply chain practices linked with moral disengagement. This does not cause immoral behaviour as such, but might cause moral disengagement. Supply chain research needs to focus on what should be included in codes of conduct and other ethical guidelines, so as to reduce the risk of immoral behaviour. In order to reduce the likelihood for moral disengagement, there are several supply chain practices that should be included in codes of conduct, such as power asymmetry, managerial support, and incentives.

Reshoring is an emergent theme in research and practice. It is important for researchers to understand the motivating force and prerequisites for these reshoring activities, and to develop a method that supports sustainable reshoring decisions. The purpose of this study is to shed light on the prerequisites for successful reshoring. The preparation for this study consists of a systematic literature review. The findings presented here, however, are revelatory and emerged during a workshop. The findings were further researched at a total of four companies, which were part of data collection in a larger project. This research identified three scenarios, in which preceding manufacturing step, creation of parallel steps, or exploration of overcapacity are central. The paper also presents a stage-gateprocess for reshoring decisions as well as a typology of reshoring alternatives. This research sheds light on prerequisites and contextual factors that enable companies to reshore. The importance of manufacturing capabilities can be seen in literature, but has not yet, to our knowledge, been given sufficient attention. The main practical implication is related to offshoring. Overly-aggressive offshoring can complicate future reshoring. As such, reshoring needs to be considered during offshoring, specifically what manufacturing capabilities that are kept at the domestic location.

The aim of this study is to evaluate how industrial approaches to learning can be introduced into logistics/supply chain management (SCM) education programs in a university setting. This issue has been examined through two case studies. The first case study outlines the current state of a bachelor education program in logistics/SCM at the University of Borås in Sweden. The second case study illustrates two education programs for practitioners in an international electronics company from Sweden. The investigated university education program has several practical goals, but few practical learning situations. The industrial case study illustrates how practical learning situations can be incorporated into the education program and this may help to improve skills and confidence of the students. Practical learning situations seem positive, but need consideration to when they are to be included in the education program.

Purpose: This paper aims to conceptualize managers’ psychological challenges with respect to implementing corporate responsibility throughout supply chains.

Design/methodology/approach: Four areas of psychological theory are introduced to expand the understanding of the challenges involved in implementing corporate responsibility in supply chains, namely, relationship and humanization theory; the number-of-people-suffering theory; superficial-identification theory; and the bystander effect theory.

Findings: The common denominator between the introduced areas of psychological theory is that all consider the expected degree of corporate responsibility in supply chains to extend beyond managers’ ability to cope so that failure is probable.

Research limitations/implications: Supply chain management research needs to consider various psychological challenges to effectively address corporate responsibility in supply chains. This research shows that it is important to include theory from psychology to truly understand the challenges faced by managers, although only a few theories are presented here. More comprehensive reviews are needed in the future.

Practical implications: Managers require guidelines based on psychological theory to assist them in overcoming their inabilities in this context.

Originality/value: SCM research advocates responsibility for all those affected by this phenomenon, but the lack of theoretical grounding to meet the prevailing psychological challenges hampers the efficacy of putting the current recommendations into business practice. The paper is one of only a few to address managers’ psychological challenges in dealing with corporate responsibility across organizational borders and judicial boundaries in supply chains. 

The aim of the paper is to explore and assess the process of responsibility, decoupling point, and disengagement of moral responsibility, in combination with business sustainability (BSus) in supply chains. The research is based on a qualitative approach consisting of two multifaceted case studies, each including multiple case companies and different empirical research characteristics, and a review of BSus in supply chain literature. The case studies apply moral disengagement (MDis) to propose how moral responsibility can deteriorate in supply chains, and the literature review identifies elements of BSus in supply chain management (SCM). The contribution of this paper is to compare these two research streams and evaluate the efficacy of the concepts proposed in the case studies. Through this study, BSus gains an entirely different and complementary toolkit which should facilitate further and more effective research in SCM. The theory of MDis also provides a foundation for reinforcing explanatory and prescriptive aspects of ‘best practices’ in the SCM literature. The findings also establish a basis for organizing and monitoring supply chains so as to improve BSus efforts. Considering moral responsibility as a flow this research explains why and how certain practices may impede BSus efforts in supply chains. Original and/or innovative outcomes include explanatory and prescriptive insights that emerge from a combination of empirical findings from two case studies, including seven companies and a framework for improving BSus management in supply chains, based on a typology of moral disengagement.

Responsibility for the environment, social, and economic issues is of rising concern for supply chain management. Even though it is acknowledged that responsibility issues extend across the entirety of the supply chain, some parts of the chain are still in need of attention. Much of the detected misconduct takes place at the beginning, or the end of the supply chain, but the end of one supply chain could actually be the beginning of another chain. Here, we shed light on the interface between such chains, an area that constitutes a blank space in research. Ship breaking is used as an empirical example, to explain one situation where materials and products at the end of their life are salvaged and enters new/other supply chains. Ship breaking has impacts on the environment and the workers, but seems to be disregarded of both the first and second supply chain. Highlighting the problem, we suggest three types of flows in and between supply chains. We also bring attention to the complexity of responsibility in, and especially between, supply chains. 

This research work investigates the occurrence of demand-supply chain management (DSCM) components in a Swedish furniture wholesaler that sources most of its products from China. Three of eight main components proposed in the literature were identified in the case company, and one component was not fully applicable. The case company’s strong focus on new product development (NPD) increased the number of end products, while the case company lost sales. The research shows possible caveats of being purely demand-driven and highlights the need to strike a balance between demand and supply chain imperatives.

The purpose of this special topic forum is to look at some current literature on the right-shoring debate. The papers that were selected for the special topic form use a range of qualitative and quantitative methodologies to answer specific research questions related to the right-shoring phenomenon. Each of the papers is summarized in this editorial to show the findings, implications and future research directions. The ideas from these manuscripts were used as a foundation to discuss the way in which research in this area should progress. What types of questions should we be asking as we seek to discover the best “shore”? What factors and variables should we consider in our future decisions? Are there differences across regions of the world? Research in this area has continued to progress, largely because of significant global economic, environmental and regulatory changes. The “shoring” decision appears to be an area where research is keeping up with, or potentially leading practice, but there is still more opportunity to advance decision making. The included papers address a number of factors related to specific geographies and factors related to the movement of manufacturing and products and services from one location to another.

New product development (NPD) and supply chain management (SCM) enable companies to respond to new demands in a responsive manner. The scarcity of research addressing the coordination of NPD and SCM is notable. The purpose of this research is to identify and examine linkages between NPD and SCM through a case study that includes a Swedish furniture wholesaler. Several linkages that stress the need of using an integrative NPD process where the design functions are aligned with other main functions of the company were identified. For example, it was observed that a strong focus on the demand side (NPD) has induced high demands on the supply side (SCM) of the case company. Therefore, the NPD process to a larger extend needs to incorporate main supply functions and other sales-related functions that support the commercialization of the product. This promises to create a consumer-oriented business, especially needed in markets where products have short life cycles and where having a short time to market is crucial. Within future research, it will be interesting to expand this research to companies that operate in different markets and/or have different objectives and to provide an inclusive description of the consumer-oriented business model.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine to what extent that a selection of economic, social and environmental factors is taken into corporate consideration (importance and priority) the longitudinal aspects of sustainable business practices.

Design/methodology/approach: This study is based on an inductive approach taking into account the longitudinal aspects and an in-depth case study of a Scandinavian manufacturer recognized for its initiatives and achievements of sustainable business practices.

Findings: The key informants indicated that economic factors are always important when it comes to sustainable business practices, social factors are to some extent important, and the environmental factors are generally important.

Research limitations/implications: The planning, implementation and follow-up of sustainable business practices and related efforts require a consideration of economic, social and environmental factors.

Practical implications: The framework of a triple bottom line (TBL) dominant logic for business sustainability applied may guide the corporate assessment to plan, implement and follow-up the importance and priority of the longitudinal aspects of sustainable business practices.

Originality/value: A TBL dominant logic for sustainable business practices adequately frames corporate efforts regarding importance and priority making a relevant contribution addressing the longitudinal aspects to complement existing theory and previous studies. 

Purpose

The large and   persistent trend of firms sourcing from China is in itself well-established with many success stories. However, managing the sourcing is a complex issue confounded both by cultural differences and the length of the supply chain. Outcomes are often described primarily in terms of cost savings.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse how Swedish firms manage their sourcing in China and connect this to the types of outcomes achieved.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is based on a series of semi-structured interviews with Swedish production firms sourcing from China. These findings are then confronted with previous research on sourcing from China from other regions.

Findings

The paper finds that the firms have developed good monitoring systems for their sourcing work and are generally satisfied with the outcomes, but also have persistent communication issues. The ability to source effectively from China, based on many years of experience and having handled prior difficulties is seen as a competitive advantage.

Research limitations/implications  

One archetype of Swedish firms successfully sourcing from China emerges from the research. The research only deals with selected Swedish production firms however and may not show the general situation for Swedish firms sourcing from China.

Practical implications

The implications are that the development and use of monitoring systems seems to be a critical component of sourcing success.

Original/value

The research addresses a gap where the actual outcomes of sourcing beyond general   assessments of whether they are successful are little explored in the literature, in particular from the Swedish perspective.

The purpose of this study is to investigate critical decisions when planning for product rollover at a manufacturing company, and how to organise these decisions. A literature review and a case study are used to develop a decision model. The findings indicate that product rollover can be organised in a five-phase decision model. The research quality is strengthened by a structured literature review, but it can be argued that more empirical research is needed for validation. For researchers, this paper contributes with the identification of critical decisions and a model for product rollover. For practitioners, the study highlights the need to acknowledge the importance of product rollover and its role as a competitive weapon. In earlier studies, product rollover has mainly been investigated from a market perspective, so that this study contributes by investigating the issue from a manufacturing perspective.

Today’s fast changing environment and increasing customers’ demands require that companies focus on efficiency along the entire supply chain. In order to achieve competitiveness, global sourcing is a common strategy. Especially sourcing from China is an accustomed practice and the topic of discussion by various academics and practitioners. Even though this topic is discussed extensively in literature, little focus is put on motivations, outcomes, problems and solutions when sourcing from China.The purpose of this study is to explore and analyze sourcing from China sourcing with regard to motivations, achieved outcomes, experienced problems as well as solutions to the problems. The results showed that it is crucial to recognize the importance of problems that can occur during global sourcing processes. As to achieve the desired outcomes, it is vital that companies address the problems by developing appropriate solutions. Motivations, outcomes, problems and solutions contain essential aspects that have to be considered and worked upon during a global sourcing process.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess both private and public organizations in order to compare the similarities and differences between the organizational priority logic of TBL elements. The research objective is, therefore, to describe the organizational logic, so as to prioritize between economic, social and environmental elements of the triple bottom line (TBL). The approach is also to describe the common denominators and differentiators between private and public organizations.

Design/methodology/approach: Based on judgmental sampling and in-depth interviews of executives at private and public hospitals in Spain. Data were collected from the directors of communication of private hospitals, and from the executive in charge of corporate social responsibility of public hospitals.

Findings: The organizational logic for prioritizing the elements of TBL differs between private and public hospitals. The economic element of TBL is crucial to survival for private hospitals. Compliance with the legal requirements and certifications of the environmental element is the major concern for public hospitals. Private and public hospitals would both pay considerably greater attention to the social element of TBL, if there were no judicial and economic restrictions. Research limitations/implications: This study differs from previous ones in terms of exploring the interfaces and relationships between TBL elements, which focus on the organizational logic to prioritize between the elements of TBL. There are both common denominators and differentiators between private and public hospitals, when it comes to the priority logic of TBL elements.

Practical implications: The priority logic of determining the most important TBL element it is mainly about satisfying organizational needs and societal demands. Determining the second most important TBL element is mostly about organizational preferences and what it wants to achieve. Determining the least important TBL element it is about the organizational mindset for and with respect to the future.

Originality/value: This study contributes to determining the appropriate organizational priority logic of the TBL elements, as well as common denominators and differentiators between private and public organizations. It also contributes to explaining the organizational reasoning as to why one TBL element may be prioritized over another, an issue which has not been addressed in existing theory and previous studies. 

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the logic and differentiators of organizational positioning and planning of sustainability initiatives between private and public organizations in the healthcare industry. Sustainability initiatives refer to organizations’ economic, social and environmental actions.

Design/methodology/approach: This study is based on an inductive approach judgmental sampling and in-depth interviews of executives at private and public hospitals in Spain have been used. Data were collected from the directors of communication at private hospitals, and from the executive in charge of corporate social responsibility in public hospitals. An empirical discourse analysis is used.

Findings: The positioning and planning of sustainability initiatives differs between private and public hospitals. The former consider sustainability as an option that is required mainly for social reasons, a bottom-up positioning and planning. It emerges merely spontaneously within the organization, while the sustainability initiatives in public hospitals are compulsory. They are imposed by the healthcare system within which the public hospital, operates and constitutes a top-down positioning and planning that is structured to accomplish set sustainability goals.

Research limitations/implications: A limitation of this study is that it is undertaken exclusively in Spanish organizations from one industry. This study differs from previous ones in terms of exploring the positioning and planning of the sustainability initiatives, which focus on the organizational logic of such sustainability initiatives. There are both common denominators and differentiators between private and public hospitals.

Practical implications: The logic of determining the positioning and planning of the sustainability initiatives is mainly about satisfying organizational needs and societal demands. Nowadays, organizations tend to engage in sustainability initiatives, so it is essential to understand the logic of how organizations position and plan such efforts.

Originality/value: This study investigates the path that follows sustainability initiatives in public and private organizations. It reports mainly differentiators between private and public organizations. It also contributes to explaining the organizational reasoning as to why companies make decisions about sustainability initiatives, an issue which has not been addressed sufficiently in existing theory studies. 

The private healthcare sector was chosen because of the fundamental importance of quality in this sector, the widespread understanding that sustainable development is part of hospital quality standards, and the compelling need for the supply chain components to work together in order to add value to the business models of private healthcare services. This study uses a qualitative methodology, striving to add value to and shed light on the relationship between private hospital communication modes and their stakeholders’ needs and their stakeholders’ expectations of business models in the marketplace and society. This research lists a range of actions and services for assessing the priorities of private hospital communication modes in business models with respect to stakeholder needs and expectations. Furthermore, the study links stakeholder needs and theexpectations of business models in private hospitals, with respect to private hospital communication modes with stakeholders, and vice versa. It also provides directions for managers in the healthcare industry to determine the appropriate actions and services for addressing stakeholders’ needs and stakeholders’ expectations of business models in private hospitals considering sustainable development. This research contributes to framing the future direction of sustainable development in business models of the healthcare industry. The paper outlines the assessment of communication modes in relation to economic, social, and environmental performance in the context of sustainable development. 

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to compare the similarities and differences relating to sustainability initiatives between health-care organizations. The aim is to provide a framework of factors and their determinants to enable a profiling of organizational sustainability initiatives.

Design/methodology/approach: Based on an inductive approach, judgmental sampling was applied to select relevant health-care organizations. Informants were identified according to their knowledge of their organizations’ sustainability initiatives.

Findings: Several factors and their determinants for characterizing differences and similarities were found. The results also reveal that organizational sustainability initiatives are either value-driven or business-driven.

Research limitations/implications: The reported framework of factors and their determinants serves the purpose of profiling organizational sustainability initiatives. Opportunities for further research are provided.

Practical implications: This paper provides managerial guidance for characterizing the differences and similarities with respect to organizational sustainability initiatives in relation to other organizations.

Originality/value: This study establishes a framework for characterizing organizational sustainability initiatives. It also contributes to reveal whether organizational sustainability initiatives are value – or business-driven and considers intrinsic-oriented differences and extrinsic-oriented similarities. 

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare private and public hospitals’ sustainability actions, as well as to contrast their organizational evolution over time (i.e. past, present and expected future) in the Spanish health-care sector. Sustainability initiatives refer to organizations’ economic, social and environmental actions.

Design/methodology/approach: This study applies an inductive approach based on judgmental sampling and in-depth interviews of key informants at private and public hospitals in the Spanish health-care sector. Data were gathered from the executive in charge of corporate social responsibility in public hospitals and the directors of communication at private hospitals.

Findings: Although the private and public hospitals studied are in the same health-care industry and run similar operations, their organizational sustainability initiatives in the past, present and expected future differ. The scope of sustainability initiatives between private and public hospitals is different, compared through time. Who was and who is promoting, as well as who is going to promote sustainability initiatives, also differs between private and public hospitals.

Research limitations/implications: One limitation of this study is that it was undertaken exclusively in Spanish organizations from one industry, but this is also a benefit, as it enables a comparison and contrast of the evolution between private and public hospitals. Future research could focus on the evolution of organizational sustainability initiatives in other industries and countries.

Practical implications: The reported comparison of empirical findings between private and public hospitals, as well as the subsequent discussion contrasting these findings, yields various managerial implications in terms of the scope and promotor of sustainable actions.

Originality/value: This study differs from previous ones by exploring the evolutionary details of the organizational sustainability initiatives through time in both private and public hospitals. This study also makes a contribution by revealing common denominators and differentiators between private and public hospitals that operate in the same health-care industry. 

This paper investigates critical operations capabilities discussed in the literature. The field is constantly evolving and in need of overview. The research is based on a systematic literature review, including a final sample of 157 peer-reviewed papers. Previously, cost, flexibility, quality, delivery, and service were considered the main dimensions of critical operations capabilities. This paper also identified innovation and environment, as well as their essential capabilities. In total, 21 operations capabilities were detected. Implications include the importance of understanding the dynamics between operations capabilities and their context, and to constantly be vigilant for new trends.

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate systematically the topic of operations capabilities within the operations strategy area. The output is a framework that will benefit researchers and firms to gain a more complete understanding of critical operations capabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

The research methodology is a systematic literature review. The aim of this study is to provide a snapshot of the diversity of studies being conducted in the field of operations capabilities, within the operations strategy area. In total, 157 papers were taken into consideration. Various operations capabilities were identified and synthesized in a conceptual framework.

Findings

The output of this paper is a conceptual framework of critical operations capabilities. Different operations capabilities and dimensions were identified in the literature. In total, seven dimensions were identified and included in the framework: cost, quality, delivery, flexibility, service, innovation, and environment.

Research limitations/implications

This research was conducted through a systematic literature review. The framework presented in this paper provides a summary of critical operations capabilities, and in addition theoretical support for managers and firms wishing to formulate an operations strategy.

Practical implications

In general, this research sets the basis for managers and practitioners concerning the formulation of successful operations strategies. In the long term, a deeper understanding and shared knowledge about competitive priorities and operations capabilities can positively influence the success of firms.

Originality/value

This paper extends the theory by providing researchers and managers with updated knowledge on operations capabilities.

There is increased interest in relocation to and from high-cost environments, but there remains a lack of knowledge with regard to operations capabilities in this specific context. The purpose of this study is thus to investigate critical operations capabilities in a high-cost environment. The research process is based on the investigation of an existing framework of operations capabilities through a multiple case study including five Swedish manufacturing companies. The findings reveal that all the dimensions and capabilities included in the framework were considered critical, and additional operations capabilities could be identified: service quality, supplier dependability, supplier flexibility, supply chain innovation, supply chain sustainability. The investigation underlines the dynamic nature of operations capabilities, which need to be updated constantly according to the environment in which they are developed. This study contributes on a practical level to managers by creating an overview of operations capabilities in a high-cost environment. Through the investigation of critical operations capabilities, it is possible for managers to find new areas of competitiveness, as well as to understand their current areas of excellence. The study makes several contributions, such as the identification of operations capabilities, their investigation and validation in a specific environment.

Operations capabilities have been a popular research area for many years and several frameworks have been proposed in the literature. The current frameworks do not take specific contexts into consideration, for instance a high cost environment. This research gap is of particular interest since a manufacturing relocation process has been ongoing the last decades, leading to a huge amount of manufacturing being moved from high to low cost environments. The purpose of this study is to identify critical operations capabilities in a high cost environment. The two research questions were: What are the critical operations capabilities dimensions in a high cost environment? What are the critical operations capabilities in a high cost environment? A multiple case study was conducted and three Swedish manufacturing firms were selected. The study was based on the investigation of an existing framework of operations capabilities. The main dimensions of operations capabilities included in the framework were: cost, quality, delivery, flexibility, service, innovation and environment. Each of the dimensions included two or more operations capabilities. The findings confirmed the validity of the framework and its usefulness in a high cost environment and a new operations capability was revealed (employee flexibility).

Purpose: To survive in a competitive landscape, companies are required to identify, develop and continuously improve upon the operations capabilities that have the greatest impact on the overall competitiveness. This paper aims to evaluate critical operations capabilities for competitive manufacturing in a high-cost environment.

Design/methodology/approach: Critical operations capabilities for competitive manufacturing were extracted in a literature review and then evaluated from the perspective of a high-cost environment in a focus group study. The focus group included a quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative (discussion) evaluation of the extracted critical operations capabilities.

Findings: The empirical findings revealed that all the capabilities identified in the literature review are considered critical in a high-cost environment, albeit with varying emphasis. Companies located in a high-cost environment tend to emphasize a broad set of capabilities related to quality, cost, time, flexibility and innovation rather than only cost-related capabilities.

Research limitations/implications: The research is based on a focus group that was limited to 14 representatives from five Swedish manufacturing companies. This can reveal some limitations with regard to the generalizability of the conclusions drawn. Hence, this research should be considered as an initial step in gaining a more in-depth and complete understanding of the research topic under investigation.

Practical implications: The research outcome enables managers to design their operations strategy more systematically and effectively, to be consistent with their targeted capabilities. The operations capabilities are important for both the company’s competitiveness and its future direction.

Originality/value: The paper presents an updated understanding of how companies achieved a competitive advantage in a specific manufacturing environment such as a high-cost context. It additionally provides an overview of what capabilities are developed for implementing successful operations strategies.

Purpose:

The purpose of this study is to analyze the processes of interconnectedness in cross-functional relationships involved in customer value enabling. Design/methodology/approach: In total, 20 in-depth interviews were conducted in three Brazilian companies from different industries. The critical incident technique was used for data collection and analysis. Content analysis was used to characterize the critical incidents within functional area networks.

Findings:

Six main critical incidents were identified within the studied relationships: process, urgency, lack of trust, capacity and demand imbalance, motivation and challenge. The results show situations in which the collaborative behavior of the actors generates customer value facilitation.

Research limitations/implications:

The firms studied are small and medium, located in an emerging economy and are resource-constrained. Further research could be performed in organizations in other countries with different sizes and resources. Future studies could also include customers within the analyzed functional networks to evaluate value-in-use behavior.

Practical implications:

Process, as a critical incident, may be composed of several elements that could affect the processes of value creation. Moreover, the adjustment between production capacity and demand should focus on avoiding propagation of functional problems through the processes. This focus may facilitate spontaneous community behavior and customer knowledge renewal.

Originality/value:

This paper generates new qualitative bases to characterize the interconnectedness within functional networks within the perspective of relationship marketing. The study of the internal functions and processes revealed several particularities that are not evidenced in the extant literature, which is concentrated in relationships among companies. The quality of the relationship among the members of a functional network may affect the effectiveness of the promises of customer value, more specifically in value enabling. © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited.

The manufacturing reshoring phenomenon has received more attention in the academic and business literature in recent years. Due to the newness of the phenomenon, there is a lack of knowledge about how these decisions were made. This research provides a theoretical framework by reviewing literature on possible criteria that are considered in a manufacturing reshoring decision. The criteria are categorized into six categories including competitive priority, resource, strategy, context, preference and global condition. A multiple case study methodology is used to identify the criteria and compare them with the theoretical framework. The findings indicate that total cost is the most common criteria considered and each case company has followed its own cost analysis techniques. Other criteria considered by all case companies were inventory cost, transportation cost, switching cost, delivery lead times, proximity to customer and availability of manufacturing technology. The research concludes that manufacturing reshoring is a holistic decision with criteria occurring at all categories in the theoretical framework. This contributes to the knowledge of reshoring decision-making and suggests that future research should investigate decision support tools for such decisions.