...THE CHANGING ROLE OF MIDDLEMEN - STRATEGIC RESPONSES TO DISTRIBUTION DYNAMICS Robert Olsson robert.olsson@chalmers.se Sweden Chalmers University of Technology Lars-Erik Gadde lars-erik.gadde@chalmers.se Sweden Chalmers University of Technology Kajsa Hulthén kajsa.hulthen@chalmers.se Sweden Chalmers University of Technology Competitive Paper ABSTRACT This paper deals with changing roles of so called middlemen. In today’s business reality, there is a clear shift in the orientation of middlemen, from ‘only’facilitating the sale of produced goods, to identifying customer needs and sourcing to create solutions that match these needs.This paper aims to explore the changing roles of middlemen.The analytical framework takes its point of departure in the Industrial Network Approach. The study of roles focuses on operations and skills with regard to the activity and resource layers. For the actor layer significant issues concern the nature of the middleman’s relationship with other actors and its position in the network. These aspects are central for the value-generating capacity of the middleman. The paper relies on a case study of an actor (a middleman), Mobile Inc., involved in providing ‘Wireless equipment’ with a focus on mobile phone solutions.The main conclusion of the empirical study is that numerous opportunities are open for identification of roles for middlemen in the current distribution landscape. From being a typical ‘traditional’ middleman, Mobile...
Words: 12578 - Pages: 51
...www.gutenberg.net Title: Essays Author: Ralph Waldo Emerson Editor: Edna H. L. Turpin Release Date: September 4, 2005 [EBook #16643] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ESSAYS *** 1 Essays Produced by Curtis A. Weyant , Sankar Viswanathan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net ESSAYS BY RALPH WALDO EMERSON Merrill's English Texts SELECTED AND EDITED, WITH INTRODUCTION AND NOTES, BY EDNA H.L. TURPIN, AUTHOR OF "STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY," "CLASSIC FABLES," "FAMOUS PAINTERS," ETC. NEW YORK CHARLES E. MERRILL CO. 1907 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION LIFE OF EMERSON CRITICAL OPINIONS CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF PRINCIPAL WORKS THE AMERICAN SCHOLAR COMPENSATION SELF RELIANCE FRIENDSHIP HEROISM MANNERS GIFTS NATURE SHAKESPEARE; OR, THE POET PRUDENCE CIRCLES NOTES PUBLISHERS' NOTE Merrill's English Texts 2 Essays 3 This series of books will include in complete editions those masterpieces of English Literature that are best adapted for the use of schools and colleges. The editors of the several volumes will be chosen for their special qualifications in connection with the texts to be issued under their individual supervision, but familiarity with the practical needs of the classroom, no less than sound scholarship, will characterize the editing of every book in the series. In connection with each text, a critical and historical introduction, including a...
Words: 97797 - Pages: 392
...follow; “The impact of the Internet on customer relationship marketing strategy in banking sector in the UK” I have chosen this topic about the impact of correlation between the Internet and customer in banking industry because there is plenty of wide information in different sources in order to compare advantages and disadvantages.However,I have chosen topic that specific about Customer Relationship between Bank sector and Internet and also looking for the impact of the Internet influence to customer relationship. Moreover,I have specified more narrow about the scope of my research just in the UK to understand clearly.Therefore,each data source which I have used should be very update and focus just only on the UK. Therefore ,I have aimed advantage from the quality of data sources ,namely Business Source Premier/Ebdco(BSP),Nexis UK,Google Scholar and Guardian newspaper to research my topic. Online Databases First step for this resource is to access the Sheffield Hallam Shuspace website,I then log on in order to search information in ‘library gateway’.There are a plenty of reliable information related to my topic.In there I am going to use ‘Subject guides’ function of the gateway (Business and Management),then I chose sub-tab on the top (Journals and newspapers).This provides me a number of important journals and newspapers for business and management and also cover knowledge of this topic .Consequently, I...
Words: 1580 - Pages: 7
...I have often dreamed about what it would be like to attend The University of Miami, especially when my dad and I would drive pass the campus on his way to work. So when I heard about the Summer Scholars Program I knew applying and getting accepted into the program would be the first step toward the fulfillment of my dream. I thoroughly believe participating in this program will grant me the opportunity to enrich my education and social skills in several ways. First and foremost, it will familiarize me with college life and curriculum. I am excited that not only can I receive college credits for undergraduate course work over the summer, but I can also live on the campus. This head start in college credits will greatly benefit me during my succeeding years...
Words: 462 - Pages: 2
...communication skills between me and my colleagues, tutors and other acquaintances around the universe. This method has enabled me interact via online through discussing and exchanging learning information. However, the effect has not only made it easy for the general public and myself to access accurate and non-accurate information, but has also contributed in developing and improving social development/network. Most importantly, it has given me the privilege to search more than one database to enable obtaining a successful research project. Furthermore, the aspect of locating the right source is an enormous issue. Example is researching using Google and Google scholar. The difference is that, Google scholar is peer-reviewed but Google is not. Based on this evidence, not all information is academically evaluated or peer-reviewed before it is made public on the internet. Database searching enable me learn different techniques in acquiring successful research. Examples are: I get the privilege to access both old and new online journals, books, and newspapers. Most importantly, it enables learning to be more flexible and convenient. In addition to that, I am able to book an appointment, counselling services, apply for extensions and...
Words: 353 - Pages: 2
...Boote, D.N. & Beile, P. (2005). Scholars before researchers: On the centrality of the dissertation literature review in research preparation. Educational Researcher 34/6, 3-15. What is a literature review? (adapted from: http://www.library.cqu.edu.au/tutorials/litreviewpages/) A literature review is an evaluative report of studies found in the literature related to your selected area. The review should describe, summarize, evaluate and clarify this literature. It should give a theoretical basis for the research and help you determine the nature of your own research. Select a limited number of works that are central to your area rather than trying to collect a large number of works that are not as closely connected to your topic area. A literature review goes beyond the search for information and includes the identification and articulation of relationships between the literature and your field of research. While the form of the literature review may vary with different types of studies, the basic purposes remain constant: • • • • • • • • • • Provide a context for the research Justify the research Ensure the research hasn't been done before (or that it is not just a "replication study") Show where the research fits into the existing body of knowledge Enable the researcher to learn from previous theory on the subject Illustrate how the subject has been studied previously Highlight flaws in previous research Outline gaps in previous research Show that the work is adding to...
Words: 570 - Pages: 3
...the current knowledge including substantive findings, as well as theoretical and methodological contributions to a particular topic. Literature reviews use secondary sources, and do not report new or original experimental work.[1] Contents [hide] 1 Types of Literature Reviews 2 Distinguishing between Process and Product 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading Types of Literature Reviews[edit] Most often associated with academic-oriented literature, such as a thesis or peer-reviewed article, a literature review usually precedes a research proposal and results section. Its main goals are to situate the current study within the body of literature and to provide context for the particular reader. Literature reviews are a staple for research in nearly every academic field.[2] A systematic review is a literature review focused on a research question, trying to identify, appraise, select and synthesize all high quality research evidence and arguments relevant to that question. A meta analysis is typically a systematic review using statistical methods to effectively combine the data used on all selected studies to produce a more reliable result. Distinguishing between Process and Product[edit] Shields and Rangarajan (2013) distinguish between the process of reviewing the...
Words: 1430 - Pages: 6
...Google.com/scholar. Google scholar is a search engine that allows you to perform a board search using scholarly literature. Google Scholar categorizes documents using the same methodologies of researchers. I selected the one of the articles that returned at the top of the results list, ERP plans and decision-support benefits from Sciencedirect.com. The website reminded me of many websites that I have visited before to perform research for papers. Although the article was published in 2005 the information is still valid today. The website provides users with a link to both author’s credentials. The website links to an article provides extensive detail regarding ERP and the benefits of implementing the systems. Science Direct is a science based website, however the articles are written in a language which all visitors can understand. Visitors are provide with an abstract of the article and allowed to view the entire text by purchasing rights to the article or becoming a member of their website. In reading the abstract I felt that the article and source were both credible. The article provides source verification and knowledge of the subject. This website provides users with links to third party sponsored links for additional research. I believe this is a convincing source for further research. There is no plausible reason for not using ScienceDirect as a source for my current project. The article includes factual information. This website was generated from a scholar reference...
Words: 412 - Pages: 2
...curiosity never failed to motivate me to research the subjects of my interest. Whether it’s a research assignment or conducting an experiment out of personal interest, I’ve always enjoyed the process of exploring, gathering, examining and evaluating all information related to the research. My first research paper in college was, effects of music while studying. Throughout the four weeks of researching and conducting surveys, I have stumbled upon many interesting ideas that was different from my original research topic. One of the idea was that the different genre, beats and rhythm of the music have different affect on the brain, which can either help students focus or distract them. Another interesting idea was depending on the student’s personality whether they are introvert or extrovert has an effect on their attention span when listening to music. In addition to the fact that the ideas supported...
Words: 501 - Pages: 3
...American Psychological Association (APA) style. If you need help on the format, the University's writing center can help. Use it; that's why it is there. The center can provide invaluable support, and can help raise your grade. A standard academic paper, 12-15 pages in length, is organized as follows: I. Introduction. Introduce the topic and explain why it is important. Clearly say what you are intending to study and why it is important. List your primary research question and secondary research questions (don't pick too many). These secondary questions will help you formulate a hypothesis or general statement. II. Literature Review. What have other scholars written about this issue? You don't have to go into a lot of detail about their findings. A sentence or two on each is acceptable. Just say what the studies found and maybe whether they support or don't support the theory. While it is best to use published sources, you can use the Internet to search for studies, especially Google Scholar. But don't...
Words: 751 - Pages: 4
...stare of organizational behavior (GB) research and productive future directions. We report the results of a survey of GB scholars about the current importance of various research topics and their importance in an ideal world. We compare the survey responses with an archival analysis of papers published in leading GB journals over a 10-year period. We suggest that many of the topics that our respondents perceive to be ‘under researched’ can be summarized with one particular definition of GB that emphasizes organizing behavior. Considering all three definitions together, we highlight the limitations of the traditional (Big-B and Contextualized-B) definitions and discuss the benefits of a more organizational (Big-O) approach. Copyright ~ 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Introduction The purpose of this empirical essay is to be provocative. This paper is empirical in that it surveys leading organizational hehavior (GB) scholars to identify which topics they believed are currently important in the field and which should be important in an ‘ideal’ world and we compared their responses to an archival analysis of papers published in leading GB journals over a 10 year period. However, the paper is an essay because it is less like a traditional theory-building or theory-testing study, and more like an empirically grounded opinion piece. We use the empirical evidence as a springboard to raise questions about the boundaries and trajectory of research in GB, and to highlight areas of the field...
Words: 3380 - Pages: 14
...3 & 4. Research question and objective. Our first challenge was finding an interrelated theme for family business, that wasn’t too obvious or researched too much already, as we actually want to fill a small knowledge gap with this research. Therefore we choose innovation, because there is a lot of controversy to it about the innovativeness of family businesses. Also, innovation intrigues us very much, as it often determines the succeeding or failing of a company. After brainstorming we came up with the following research question: “How can we explain that family businesses, in comparison to non-family businesses, tend to be more innovative than is often assumed?” This question allows us to investigate the strengths of family businesses and...
Words: 1148 - Pages: 5
...placed lower so that children can recognize their products from commercials or other media and select them when grocery shopping with their parents. This is only one form of impression that food marketers are leaving on children of all ages. Whether good food or junk food, all food marketers are spending billions of dollars to advertise to one age group: children. Ranging from birth to 17 years, children and young adults are unknowingly programmed by their surroundings everyday to eat whatever the food industry wants them to. In my research paper, I will be analyzing food advertisement geared towards children; specifically how these advertisements affect their health and diets. My position on food marketing is that it is too influential on children and that it needs to be more regulated, either by parents or by the government. Someone needs to take a stand for children so that when they are older, they can live healthy and fulfilling lives. The research I have conducted supports this claim that food marketers, in order to lower the obesity rate in children, need to be more heavily regulated. I also find that the sources I have selected cover the food industry well and will prove to be well-chosen. In order to understand this topic, my audience will need to know how children are being targeted by marketers. The sources I have collected are mostly taken off of the Academic Search Premier database, which is considered to be a reliable source. The source I consider to be most useful...
Words: 2106 - Pages: 9
...question that was proposed in the title of this article: How do we bridge the gap between what we ( professors) teach and what they ( students) do? To fill in that gap, both sides need to work together. Students need to push themselves to expand their knowledge and help themselves become more inquisitive, critical, and reflective. Professors, on the other hand, should push and challenge the students to become better thinkers and help them use what skills they know to their advantage. When students and professors are thinking on the same page, they will start to understand each other's viewpoint, thus making researching a paper more easier. I agree that students do have a more difficult time to deal with the pressure of writing a research essay. "Choosing a...
Words: 970 - Pages: 4
...world is looking for a way to increase the efficiency of their business. Today, most of the schools are using manual processing of their transaction that causes many problems. In using manual system, they will need a lot of papers, spend more time and effort in writing the data on the log book. To minimize these problems, scholarship profiling system to be developed will improve the processing of papers for the scholar students and lessen the workload of the personnel. The usage of existing manual system is indeed a time consuming way of filing of applicant into a logbook and record by the personnel. In that way, it takes a long time and thread for the employee as well as the students before they can fully accomplish it. Developing a system will make a better result and give reliable source for the fastest and easiest way of processing. Automating the ISU-R scholarship profiling system is a new way of modernizing the present manual system used by the school for managing and processing of paperwork. The system that is responsible for letting the user view the list for scholars both old, new and renewal. It will also increase the security of the properties within the company. The system has an ability to sort files to distinguish the different...
Words: 2203 - Pages: 9