Figure 1
The conceptual diagram is divided by a dashed horizontal line into two parts: “Empirical world” at the bottom, shown in a vertical gray sidebar, and “Theoretical constructs” above, also labeled in a vertical gray sidebar. At the top part, four rectangles are arranged in a row, labeled “2. Theoretical perspectives on warehouse configuration and technology adoption,” “5. Theoretical perspective on strategic intent,” “6. Theoretical perspective on automation strategy,” and “7. Theoretical contributions: W A-strategy definition and considerations; Framework connecting strategic intent, W A-strategy, and A W S investment decisions; Competitive priorities and four strategic profiles; Ranked evaluation aspects; Reciprocal relationship.” A dashed horizontal line divides the upper and lower parts, and a central yellow oval is positioned at the center of the dashed line and labeled “4. Identified strategic factors as important for A W S investment decisions in retail.” In the bottom part, the left oval is labeled “1. Identified strategic importance of A W S investments in retail.” This oval has an arrow pointing right to a larger oval in the center labeled “3. Data collection and analysis,” which is further described below with “Multiple case study with eight retailers from different segments.” A rightward arrow from this leads to the large oval at the right, which is labeled “8. Practical contributions: A framework for formulating a W A-strategy to align the direction and scope of A W S investments with the firm’s strategic intent; Empirical insights from retailers in the forefront of A W S implementation.” Arrows flow downward from boxes 2, 5, and 6 to a central oval, and arrows are also returned to boxes 5, 6, and 7 from the central oval. An arrow extends upward from oval 1 to box 2, and another downward arrow leads from box 7 to oval 8.Overview of the abductive approach