This paper focuses on diffusion-oriented innovation intermediaries (“diffusion intermediaries”), i.e. actors that function as brokers between technology adopters and the providers of resources needed to implement a new technology that is available more or less “off-the-shelf”. It investigates how such actors create value for adopters of new technologies as well as the trade-offs they face. An interview-based, qualitative survey of 14 Swedish consultants and project developers involved in solar PV and wind power reveals that diffusion intermediaries create value mainly through technology transfer and coordination of various actors throughout the planning and implementation of turnkey projects. There is evidence of trade-offs related to value capture as well as between different value dimensions (e.g. between quality control and legitimacy). These findings have important implications for the design of strategies and policies to leverage value creation and handle trade-offs to avoid negative effects on projects, companies, and the overall diffusion of cleaner technologies. 

To limit the irreversible consequences of global warming, it is crucial that new actors adopt renewable electricity technologies. This type of innovation is, however, complex to implement, which is the reason adopters often contract with intermediaries for support services, e.g., project developers or installers. Previous studies have underlined that it is difficult for intermediaries to provide services that fully satisfy different types of adopters. Contributing to the previous research on customer satisfaction of services and innovation intermediaries, this article identifies adopters' expectations when adopting photovoltaic technology and analyzes whether such expectations match with the services provided by intermediaries. A cross-case analysis of photovoltaic projects was performed. Results underline that motives and driving forces for adopting the technology influences how adopters select intermediaries as well as what they expect from the services provided by intermediaries. The study finally contributes with some recommendations for intermediary organizations that want to improve and adapt their services to match their clients’ expectations and demands. 

PurposeThis case study explores a high-tech defence company, focusing on procurement's mediating role in enabling supply chain integration (SCI) within complex engineer-to-order (ETO) projects. The study aims to examine how procurement strategically responds to varying complexities to facilitate internal and external integration.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory cross-case study examined procurement's role in ETO SCI. Semi-structured interviews with procurement professionals and key stakeholders, including project managers, design engineers and other central project members, provided a multifaceted perspective. These interviews provided insights into high-tech ETO-projects' structural and dynamic complexities.FindingsThis study shows how procurement mediates SCI dimensions in response to varying structural and dynamic complexities. It develops a framework that links SCI responses to complexity types, offering a more nuanced understanding of procurement's integrative role in ETO-defence projects.Originality/valueAddressing research gaps in the way in which procurement can respond to structural and dynamic complexity to facilitate SCI in ETO defence projects, the paper introduces a supply chain and technical complexity matrix, a framework tailored to high technology defence ETO-projects, by contributing to the SCI, ETO and procurement literature streams. Specifically, it positions procurement at the nexus of SCI dimensions and conceptualises its role in mediating structural and dynamic complexities. The framework offers both theoretical insight into procurement's integrative function and practical guidance for managing integration challenges in complex project-based environments.

PurposeThis study aims to examine supply chain resilience (SCR) in the defence industry by mapping supply-side, demand-side and internal risk dimensions and corresponding mitigation strategies disclosed by seven publicly listed defence firms over 2014-2024. Drawing on Resource Dependence Theory (RDT), the study introduces the Strategic Risk and Resilience Roadmap (S3R) to explain how firms use bridging and buffering to manage evolving resource dependencies.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a longitudinal qualitative content analysis of annual reports. It combines artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted extraction using large language models (LLMs), iterative prompt engineering and manual cross-validation against source reports to categorise risks, trace mitigation strategies and track shifts in disclosed mitigation postures across three disruption eras: Baseline (2014-2019), Pandemic (2020-2021) and Emerging Risk (2022-2024).FindingsFirms adapt SCR by rebalancing bridging and buffering as resource dependencies change across disruption eras. In the Baseline era, firms rely mainly on bridging to stabilise external dependencies; during the Pandemic, they scale buffering to protect continuity under acute shocks; from 2022, they combine to adopt a hybrid posture as constraints persist and multiply. Supplier capacity and availability dominate post-2022 and customer-side risk reorients from funding uncertainty to delivery-performance exposure during ramp-ups. S3R traces a path-dependent process in which shifts in resource dependence drive risk reassessment, posture recalibration and learning that strengthens SCR over time.Research limitations/implicationsWhile based on publicly available reports and AI-extracted content, the analysis may omit informal or undisclosed practices. Future research should triangulate findings with interviews and firm-level performance metrics to deepen the insights.Originality/valueThis paper applies a longitudinal, AI-assisted qualitative content analysis of annual reports across supply-side, demand-side and internal risk dimensions, and it extends RDT into SCR by revealing dynamic bridging and buffering cycles across three disruption eras. It offers theoretical insight into the temporal evolution of defence SCR and a practical, multi-dimensional diagnostic framework.