TY - JOUR
T1 - Outsourcing maintenance in complex process industries
T2 - managing firm capabilities in lock-in effect
AU - Maley, Jane
AU - Kowalkowski, Christian
AU - Brege, Staffan
AU - Biggemann, Sergio
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - Purpose - The aim of the article is to analyze the rationale for choice of suppliers and the influence these decisions have on the firm’s capabilities.Design/methodology/approach - We examine the choice of in-house operations versus buying maintenance in the Swedish mining industry through a qualitative case study approach.Findings - The findings reveal a strong tendency to outsource maintenance.Research limitations/implications - This in turn has a strong influence on the firm’s capabilities and long-term competitive advantage and sustainability.Practical implications - Based on the empirical findings, we comment on the strength and weaknesses of the different outsourcing and attempt to find practical solutions that assist the firm in creating competitive advantage.Originality/value - The unique contribution of this study is that it extends prior firm capabilities studies by investigating the impact of capability loss specifically in complex, intricate maintenance processes in a dynamic industry.
AB - Purpose - The aim of the article is to analyze the rationale for choice of suppliers and the influence these decisions have on the firm’s capabilities.Design/methodology/approach - We examine the choice of in-house operations versus buying maintenance in the Swedish mining industry through a qualitative case study approach.Findings - The findings reveal a strong tendency to outsource maintenance.Research limitations/implications - This in turn has a strong influence on the firm’s capabilities and long-term competitive advantage and sustainability.Practical implications - Based on the empirical findings, we comment on the strength and weaknesses of the different outsourcing and attempt to find practical solutions that assist the firm in creating competitive advantage.Originality/value - The unique contribution of this study is that it extends prior firm capabilities studies by investigating the impact of capability loss specifically in complex, intricate maintenance processes in a dynamic industry.
KW - Capabilities
KW - Mining industry
KW - Outsourcing
KW - Resourced-based view
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84944891793&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1108/APJML-02-2015-0018
DO - 10.1108/APJML-02-2015-0018
M3 - Article
SN - 1355-5855
VL - 27
SP - 801
EP - 825
JO - Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics
JF - Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics
IS - 5
ER -