While both concepts lean management and cooperation not only have received considerable attention in management literature but also have been combined e.g. in the field of supply chain literature, a comprehensive definition of lean cooperation is still missing. Whereas lean supply chain cooperation is only one aspect in a growing field, we aim at considering further forms of cooperation coming up and having consequences for the management of lean initiatives. Based on an extensive literature review, we develop a framework addressing lean cooperation and thus, allowing for systematization. Furthermore we find out that current literature mainly focusses on lean cooperation along the supply chain. This paper presents other forms of cooperation focused on lean management. With a case study of lean cooperation within an industry cluster we will show the potential of knowledge-transfer on lean practices for individual firm´s implementation. This paper provides a definition and a research framework for lean cooperation. Insights will be useful for further analysis of lean management roll-out within outlined forms of cooperation. Practitioners will learn about benefits and restrictions of lean cooperation. The paper also is of value for researchers giving a structured outline of lean cooperation and stating fields for further research.

Enhancing a firm’s value creation is one of today’s most discussed topics in management practice and science. Many approaches start by enhancing value creation while looking at operations and/or logistics of a firm, for example, a lean production. Furthermore, there is an increasing trend for cooperation. Close business-partner relationships are necessary while facing the challenges of changing business environments, inherent complexity, and dynamics of markets. We suggest that while the trade-off between competition and cooperation has to be decided on an organizational level, the individual level is crucial for value creation and success within cooperative forms of business. According to the call for micro-foundation, we will show how value creation can be improved within business-partner relationships by looking at the social behavior of individuals and human-level approaches. Accordingly, the overarching question in this paper is: Which models can be used for improving business-partner relationships aiming at an increasing value creation within cooperation. Answering this question, we consider people-oriented management approaches as a basis for the emphasis of the human level within cooperation, arguing that social exchange theory can complement the existing resource-based and relational view. As a result, we develop a micro-foundation framework including humans and their individual assets, exchange resources, and characteristics of the relationships as impact factors for value-creating relationships. Based on this literature-based investigation, we derive implications for further research and management practice.

We evaluate the effectiveness of global virtual student collaboration projects in international management education. Over 6,000 students from nearly 80 universities in 43 countries worked in global virtual teams for 2 months as part of their international management courses. Multisource longitudinal data were collected, including student and instructor feedback, course evaluations, assessment of changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors following the experiential project, and various indicators of individual and team performance. Drawing on experiential learning, social learning, and intergroup contact theories, the effectiveness of the experiential global virtual teambased approach in international management education was evaluated at the levels of reactions, learning, attitudes, behaviors, and performance. The findings show positive outcomes at each level, but also reveal challenges and limitations of using global virtual team projects for learning and education. Implications for international management education and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Over the last decades, the factors such as the enforcement of laws, increasing customer demands, and economic benefits are identified as the important drivers for reverse logistics in many countries, especially in Europe, where environmental and green awareness appears to be ahead of the rest of the world. The changing business, especially the increased outsourcing to third party service providers for the implementation of reverse logistics, indicates that the inter-organizational collaboration is becoming more important for reverse logistics operations in Europe. The intensified collaboration between supply chain partners has motivated the development of reverse logistics by increasing the effectiveness of reverse logistics networks. This paper developed the conceptual model of adaptability at network level based on transaction cost theory, the relational view, and the network-level approach to explore adaptive capability to reverse logistics. The case of European electronics industry is investigated through content analysis of case study literature, suggesting that the inter-organizational collaboration has increased the adaptability to revere logistics through the capabilities of coordinating with network members, the effective governance of network relationships, the increased combination and development of network resources and capabilities, and the improvement of network outcome.

Increasing cooperation trends force firms to roll out their strategic management approaches like lean management to their intra- and interorganizational network. Regarding lean management as a people-oriented management approach we argue that a successful roll-out constitutes a learning process comprising the level of individuals (i.e. managers and employees) as one of the most important factors. In this article we aim at recommendations for realizing competitive advantages by an efficient roll-out processes focussing the individual level. Therefore we look at cooperations as social networks. Combining the accepted relational view and social exchange theory we develop a framework for realizing relational rents regarding the individual level. We argue that the individual level acts as an enabler and has the potential to be managed depending on the stage of corporation development. Summing up we suggest the constructs of exchanged resources, individual assets and relationship structures and characteristica to be approaches for an effective management of exchange-relationships. Paper type: Conceptual Paper

Warum sind manche Unternehmen innovativer als andere, was entscheidet uber den Erfolg einer Innovation, weshalb ist ein Unternehmen trotz eines hohen Aufwandes fur Forschung und Entwicklung nicht erfolgreich, wie schaffen es Unternehmen, nachhaltig innovativ und erfolgreich zu sein? Auf der Suche nach Antworten haben wir die Innovationstatigkeit von 241 Unternehmen der Metall- und Elektroindustrie inklusive der Kunststoffindustrie analysiert. Die Bedeutung von »Innovation« sowie deren Notwendigkeit fur den Unternehmenserfolg wird haufig beschworen in den Fuhrungsetagen. Dennoch erscheint der Weg hin zur erfolgreichen Innovation als schwierig plan- und steuerbar. Diese Problematik wird in modernen Organisationsstrukturen, wie »Open Innovation« oder »Innovationsnetzwerken «, bei denen mehrere Partner an der Innovationsentstehung beteiligt sind, noch verstarkt. Dabei ist unbestritten, dass Innovation fur sich betrachtet, und insbesondere die aus kooperativen Innovationsvorhaben entstehenden radikalen Innovationen, einen wesentlichen Baustein zur Sicherstellung des langfristigen Unternehmenserfolges darstellen. In der vorliegenden Studie richten wir unseren Blick auf die Metall- und Elektroindustrie inklusive der Kunststoffindustrie. Ziel dieses Reports ist es, praxisrelevante Handlungsempfehlungen fur die Steigerung des Innovations- und Unternehmenserfolgs zu geben. Hierzu werden evidenzbasiert Er folgs faktoren der Innovations- und Kooperationstatigkeit identifiziert. Basis hierfur ist ein Uberblick uber den aktuellen Stand der Umsetzung des Innovationsmanagements in der Branche, die Evaluation der Bedeutung von Innovationen fur den Unternehmenserfolg und ein Blick auf die Nutzung und den Erfolg von Innovationskooperationen. Im Report stellen wir Ihnen zunachst die Datenbasis vor, bevor wir die Rahmenbedingungen der M+E-Industrie hinsichtlich Innovationsleistung, Internationalitat und Marktumfeld vorstellen. Kern des vorliegenden Benchmarking Re ports sind die Darstellung der Determinanten des Innovationserfolgs sowie die Strategien der Innovatorentypen.

Reverse Logistics was previously not an important driver of supply chain in European electronics industry to create differentiation and cost reduction, suggesting that it might not be managed strategically. However, because of transformed market with the enforcements of laws, the scarcity of resources, and the more powerful customers, many companies have adjusted their existing supply chain to adapt to reverse logistics, which resolves the issues related to reverse flows for complying with the law, satisfying customers, and recapturing value. Reverse logistics has today become a competitive necessity and has gained increased acceptance of profitable business strategy. This study uses structural equation modeling technique with Partial Least Squares to examine how firms adapt to reverse logistics and its influences on reverse logistics performance. Empirical results relying on responses from 102 firms in European electronics industry indicate that there has been increasing adaptability to reverse logistics through resource commitments, strategy formulation, liberalized returns policy, capabilities and performance of reverse logistics. Testing indirect effects of resource commitments on performance of reverse logistics through multiple mediator models suggests that formulating a proper strategy of reverse logistics is currently the most important adaptability influencing performance of reverse logistics.

Duale Studiengange stellen einen Baustein im Rahmen einer Employer Branding Strategie dar und helfen so bei der Attraktion sowie Bindung von Fachkraften. Insbesondere KMU konnen so als attraktiver Arbeitsgeber auftreten und Fachkrafte fur das Unternehmen begeistern. Im Rahmen der Kampagne „Duales Studium Hessen“ werden KMU bei der Umsetzung dualer Studienangebote unterstutzt.

It is this paper’s aim to examine strategies taking into account companies’ resource base and individual goals companies follow in order to achieve a competitive advantage using innovation cooperation. First different types of innovation cooperation are deduced according to relevant dimensions. Second the theoretical background for creating competitive advantage is explained including the different motives companies pursue when entering innovation cooperation. Companies are modeled according to their innovation strategy, their aims and their set of resources. These ideal types of companies are in a third step assigned to the different types of innovation cooperation. Using a confirmatory case study of eight companies which all are involved in different innovation cooperation the assignment of the different strategic types of companies to the different types of cooperation is empirically tested.