School of Management (SoM)

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Browsing School of Management (SoM) by Supervisor "Bastl, Marko"

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    Business triads in servitization; The influence of the provider's - partner relationship on the performance of the partner towards the provider
    (Cranfield University, 2012-10) Karatzas, Antonios; Johnson, Mark; Bastl, Marko
    The thesis is concerned with a problem arising in contexts where there is provision of integrated product-service offerings (servitization). It may be the case that the provider relies on independent service partners for the delivery of the services to the customer, which means that the three actors (provider, service partner and customer) form a triad. This makes the performance of the partner determinative for customer satisfaction and hence an important issue for the provider. Because the buyer – supplier relationships and business triads literatures suggest that relationships affect the performance of the related parties, the aim of this work is to understand how the provider – partner working relationship influences the service performance of the latter. To satisfy the aim, an appropriate setting in the UK commercial vehicles industry was identified (one provider plus a network of service partners), and a mixed-methods research design was employed. The qualitative part consisted of several exploratory interviews and three case-studies of purposively sampled provider – partner relationships. The quantitative part had a supplementary character, and as part of it, questionnaires completed by 38 of the provider’s partners were analyzed with the use of a configurational method (fsQCA). In this study, the firm-level working relationship was considered as a five-dimensional construct based on Cannon’s and Perreault’s (1999) framework of relationship connectors. The findings consist of: 1) A model capturing the causal ordering of the relationship dimensions, their interplay with two emergent exogenous factors, and their eventual impact on the service performance of the partner. 2) A set of configurations of relationship dimensions and exogenous factors enhancing service performance. With the in-depth study of the influence of the provider – partner relationship on the performance of the partner towards the provider’s customer-base, my research simultaneously contributes to knowledge in two ways. Firstly, it helps in the theoretical development of the phenomenon of servitization, and secondly, it extends triadic research by examining in depth and in a novel setting the relationship – performance interdependence within the triad.
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    Interplay between network configurations and network governance mechanisms in supply networks a systematic literature review
    (Cranfield University, 2012-10) Habib, Farooq; Bastl, Marko
    Purpose: This work systematically reviews the extant academic management literature on supply networks. It specifically examines how network configurations and network governance mechanisms influence each other in supply networks. Design: 125 analytical and empirical studies were identified using an evidence-based approach to review the literature mainly published between 1985 and 2012. Synthesis: Drawing on a multi-disciplinary theoretical foundation, this work develops an integrative framework to identify three distinct yet interdependent themes that characterize the study of supply networks: a) Network Configurations (structures and relationships); b) Network Governance Mechanisms (formal and informal); and c) The Interplay between Network Configurations and Network Governance Mechanisms. Findings: Network configurations and network governance mechanisms mutually influence each other and cannot be considered in isolation. Formal and informal governance mechanisms provide better control when used as complements rather than as substitutes. The choice of governance mechanism depends on the nature of exchange; role of management; desired level of control; level of flexibility in formal contracts; and complementary role of formal and informal governance mechanism. Research implications: This nascent field has thematic and methodological research opportunities for academics. Comparative network analysis using longitudinal case studies offers a rich area for further study. Practical Implications: The complexity surrounding the conflicting roles of managers at the organisation and network levels poses a significant challenge during the development and implementation stage of strategic network policies. Originality/value: This review reveals that formal and informal governance mechanisms provide better control when used as complements rather than as substitutes.