Considering the rapid progress of information technology (IT) and volatility of the marketing environment, the past concept that enterprises run the whole show, has become insufficient in an environment so volatile, challenging and competitive, demonstrating the need of up and downstream supply chain cooperation to survive. Following the maturity of internet related technology, a new industrial...

To compete in globalized business environments, manufacturing firms, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), need to be collaborative with respect to their total product life cycle. In this research, a focus on complex products is proposed and a new approach to structure collaboration in design and operational activities is suggested. A complete framework and guidelines for collaborativ...

There exist various service systems that have hierarchical structure. In hierarchical service networks, facilities at different levels provide different types of services. For example, in health care systems, general centers provide low-level services such as primary health care services, while the specialized hospitals provide high-level services. Because of demand congestion in service networ...

Purpose: The goal of this paper is to introduce and discuss the concepts of service convergence and service integration, illustrate them in the context of the medical tourism industry, and link them to factors that contributed to the success of a medical tourism firm. Methodology: The basis for the conceptual development of service convergence and service integration is an in-depth case study o...