Empirical studies show that most franchise chains use dual distribution - or a plural form franchise system - characterized by the coexistence of franchised units and company- owned retail units in the same distribution network. Therefore, this paper focuses on dual distribution and considers...

History provides numerous examples of incumbent market leaders being leapfrogged by newcomers that have exploited the opportunities offered by new technologies. In light of the growing number of ecological threats linked to the use of the internal combustion engine, can Chinese auto...

Many industrial firms are implementing fundamental changes in their organizations to increase the efficiency of their product development processes. Here we focus on the relations between project management models and the permanent organization and processes of the firm. The case of the French...

This article analyses location strategies pursued by multinational corporations. The authors examine different conceptual frameworks proposed in the literature, in order to identify major determinants of location choice. The analysis focuses on production and R&D activities, which play a...

This text relates an innovative process carried out jointly by Renault both engineering and industrial design departments, which has showed the possibility of a new form of cooperation, and drawn the outlines of a new model for the design / engineering interface organization. While being a form...

This paper investigates the impact of offshoring on export performances of French, German and Italian automotive firms. We argue that the different offshoring strategies run by the main European automakers are responsible for the discrepancies in export performances of France, Germany and Italy...

There is evidence to suggest that firms wish to work with universities to gain access to new technologies, to knowledge of future technologies and their possible impact and to thechnical problem-solving capability. There is much less evidence to support the proposition that firms work with...

Outsourcing is one of the top priorities on the strategic agenda of Original Equipment Manufacturers [OEMs] in many industries. The decision of outsourcing an activity as opposed to doing it in-house and the development of a part or parts system is one of the most complex decisions facing...

Projectification and platform approaches have been two main transformation trends implemented by industrial firms during the1990s. For those firms, innovation management no longer deals with introducing radically and totally new products, but rather withapplying innovative features within a...

Since the seminal work of J. March (1991), balancing exploration and exploitation activities is an important topic in management research. Though the literature is abundant on the management of exploitation activities, exploration activities remain a much less studied area. How should be...