PurposeDespite the episodic pervasiveness of recessions and their destructive impact on firms, a ... more PurposeDespite the episodic pervasiveness of recessions and their destructive impact on firms, a void exists in the management literature examining the intersection between recessions, strategy, and performance. This paper seeks directly to address this research void by reviewing relevant literature spanning the past 20 years and building an integrative framework for future research efforts.Design/methodology/approachThe paper systematically reviews and compartmentalizes articles on the intersection between firm strategy and economic recession published between 1991 and 2010 in widely recognized management and entrepreneurship journals. Concurrently, a theoretical framework is proposed which identifies distinct constructs and linkages related to economic recessions, strategy, and performance.FindingsThe findings are twofold. First, the review distils disparate scholarly works on firm behavior and recessions to provide a systematic appraisal and review of what people know and do not ...
The first element of a firm’s “value added” chain is logistics. “Logistics management” is concern... more The first element of a firm’s “value added” chain is logistics. “Logistics management” is concerned with the supply, storage and movement of materials, personnel, equipment and finished goods within the organisation and between the organisation and its environment. Broadly, functions such as purchasing, materials management, distribution and maintenance fall within the logistics management area. An important element of “strategic logistic management” is “purchasing”. This paper is primarily concerned with “purchasing”, with a particular focus on “vendor rating”.
International Journal of Management Reviews, Jul 12, 2023
Sustainability‐oriented collaboration, a heterogeneous set of formal interorganizational arrangem... more Sustainability‐oriented collaboration, a heterogeneous set of formal interorganizational arrangements that vary considerably in size, membership, focus and functioning, but share the same interest in addressing sustainability challenges of public concern, is becoming a mainstay of corporate agenda setting. Yet, the more firms interact on social and environmental issues, the more the burdens and tensions of collaborating for sustainability become apparent. Research and practice increasingly question whether an alliance management capability (AMC) perspective can be adopted to explain variability in collaboration effectiveness. With the aim to investigate whether, and to what extent, existing sustainability‐oriented collaboration research integrates or challenges mainstream theory on AMC, we adopt a problematization method to unpack the root assumptions underlying the AMC construct. We find that self‐interest in economic value creation and capture, the need for homogeneity to favour knowledge accumulation and learning on alliance management, and predictable patterns of AMC deployment are consistently assumed by scholars to predict success in alliance management. Accordingly, we analyse AMC assumptions’ current integration in the study of sustainability‐oriented collaboration, conducting a systematic literature review on collaborative capabilities developed for, during and in response to sustainability challenges. In so doing, we identify what distinguishes sustainability‐oriented collaboration from mainstream strategic alliances and the related implications on the collaborative capabilities firms should develop and deploy when dealing with sustainability challenges. We elaborate on these and their implications for AMC constructs to provide a future research agenda, which integrates further theoretical perspectives and broadens the scope of existing ones.
Technological advancement compounds the complexity of competitor identification, making it increa... more Technological advancement compounds the complexity of competitor identification, making it increasingly multi-front and multi-dimensional. Strategic groups are an important unit for competition analysis, typically delineated by firms' characteristic similarities or cognitive maps. Both have inadequacies-the former produces methodological artefacts, and the latter is subject to scale limitations, replicability and managers' cognitive blind spots. Hence, the need for alternatives supplementing the existing approaches. We propose a novel grouping methodology based on news co-mentions, reflecting factual corporate events, executives' and journalists' views, and environmental changes. It yields three advantages. First, news depicts interorganizational relationships, alleviating the concern that strategic groups are statistical artefacts. Second, the approach supplements managers' cognition with that of journalists. Third, the public availability of data offers replicability. The proposed methodology is applied to a sample collected from the US high-tech sector. We document commonalities between the co-mention-based groups and the conventionally used characteristic-based approach. However, the similarity and groups yielded from news co-mentions go beyond characteristic similarities in explaining competitive inclination, suggesting that the co-mention-based approach offers a robust alternative to identifying competitors and strategic groups. Overall, by developing a novel methodology based on a strong theoretical foundation, this study sheds new light on strategic group research. Greckhamer, 2019). Categorizing firms into comparable groups is of interest to several disciplines (Cattani, Porac and Thomas, 2017). We draw on the strategic
International Journal of Production Economics, Dec 1, 2018
This paper investigates the relationship between lean, process innovation, green practices and gr... more This paper investigates the relationship between lean, process innovation, green practices and green supply chain management performance. Data were gathered by surveying 374 firms in the manufacturing supply chain industry. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the collected data. The study results show general support for the theoretical research framework. Findings reveal that there is a synergetic effect between process innovations, green and lean practices playing a crucial role towards the improvement of green supply chain performance. This paper presents an innovative approach since it studies simultaneously the three dimensions of sustainability (environmental, social and economic), the lean, the innovation process and green paradigms which are considered strategic for supply chain competitiveness. Investigation of the relationships between the four strategies is a contribution that the authors hope will become a forward step in the promotion of sustainability as a third dimension of the manufacturing supply chain, along with the efficiency and responsiveness dimensions.
Post-merger and acquisition (M&A) integration is especially important for the services industry, ... more Post-merger and acquisition (M&A) integration is especially important for the services industry, where value co-creation between actors plays a crucial role. This paper is a qualitative single case study of a multinational company (MNE) in information technology (ICT) industry, and the post-acquisition processes of its subsidiary in Russia. The main contribution of this article is the application of a value co-creation view, to the settings of the international business. We also identify the actors and their roles and activities in the value co-creation in the Russian context.
This paper explores how Guanxi shapes different levels of entrepreneurial behaviour of family bus... more This paper explores how Guanxi shapes different levels of entrepreneurial behaviour of family businesses in China. Extant research draws on network theory, suggesting that firms focusing on less intimate social relationships are more entrepreneurial than those focusing on intimate social networks. However, this notion of networks neglects Guanxi’s indigenous cultural roots that promote intimacy in social relationships, thus limiting our understanding of why some firms in China demonstrate a higher level of entrepreneurial behaviour than others. Through an in‐depth multi‐case study analysis of eight family firms in China, we find that Guanxi is a multi‐dimensional concept that can only be effective through intimate relationship building. This study contributes to the social network literature on entrepreneurial behaviour by incorporating the gift exchange theoretical perspective and demonstrating that political Guanxi in China can only facilitate entrepreneurial behaviour when it is ...
Supply chain partnership is viewed as an important contributor to superior competitiveness; yet, ... more Supply chain partnership is viewed as an important contributor to superior competitiveness; yet, the knowledge of ex-ante factors contributing to the deployment of supply chain partnership is nascent. This article examines the influence of the current supplier selection routines, supplier evaluation routines and managerial attitude towards relational and performance risks on the future intention to form buyer-supplier partnerships, based on relational and evolutionary economics theory. The analysis is based on 156 questionnaires received from senior executives and supply/logistics managers of UK firms. We found that partner selection routine positively influences firms' propensity (future intention) to form buyer-supplier partnerships, unlike the supplier evaluation routine and perceptions of both relational risk and performance risk, which were not found to have a significant role. Our findings suggest that firms wishing to initiate buyer-supplier partnerships can increase the likelihood of doing so by ensuring that their supplier selection routines incorporate efforts to establish potential suppliers' inclination for openness in a relationship, to establish their track record of demonstrating a high degree of integrity with other buyers and to confirm that potential suppliers have a deep knowledge and understanding of the buyer's business, a recognized strong reputation, and demonstrable financial stability.
Theory and research suggests that firms’ environmental context affect the way they manage their r... more Theory and research suggests that firms’ environmental context affect the way they manage their resources and the strategies they employ. This research examines effects of institutional polycentric...
The past two decades have seen the global competitive environment alter dramatically. Competition... more The past two decades have seen the global competitive environment alter dramatically. Competition is now more intense as a result of increasing globalization, greater use of new technologies and the Internet (Amit and Zott 2001, Kanter 2001, McKendrick 2001, Murtha et al. 1998). Other factors include a rapidly and radically changing competitive environment (Eisenhardt and Brown 1998). Nearly a decade ago, Bettis and Hitt (1995) referred to the emerging ‘new competitive landscape’. Around the same time, D’Aveni (1994) propounded the perspective ‘hypercompetition’ when he stated that hypercompetitive conditions are manifested in ‘inherent instability and change’. A dynamic and highly charged environment has some significant consequences for any business, such as the need for greater adaptability and flexibility (Volberda 1996), the changing market rules and processes and the necessary organizational structures and competencies needed for competitive advantage (Eisenhardt and Brown 1998, Hamel 2000).
Strategy is one of the most over used words in management circles. The fixation with strategy sin... more Strategy is one of the most over used words in management circles. The fixation with strategy singularly rests on the belief that it has a positive impact on organizational performance. Therefore, not unsurprisingly, many researchers have tested this assumption. The results to date are mixed. Some studies have shown a positive relationship between strategy and performance, while other studies have failed to find any significant relationship. Some commentators have identified the deployment of widely differing strategy constructs for the observed inconsistencies in the relationship between strategy and performance
PurposeDespite the episodic pervasiveness of recessions and their destructive impact on firms, a ... more PurposeDespite the episodic pervasiveness of recessions and their destructive impact on firms, a void exists in the management literature examining the intersection between recessions, strategy, and performance. This paper seeks directly to address this research void by reviewing relevant literature spanning the past 20 years and building an integrative framework for future research efforts.Design/methodology/approachThe paper systematically reviews and compartmentalizes articles on the intersection between firm strategy and economic recession published between 1991 and 2010 in widely recognized management and entrepreneurship journals. Concurrently, a theoretical framework is proposed which identifies distinct constructs and linkages related to economic recessions, strategy, and performance.FindingsThe findings are twofold. First, the review distils disparate scholarly works on firm behavior and recessions to provide a systematic appraisal and review of what people know and do not ...
The first element of a firm’s “value added” chain is logistics. “Logistics management” is concern... more The first element of a firm’s “value added” chain is logistics. “Logistics management” is concerned with the supply, storage and movement of materials, personnel, equipment and finished goods within the organisation and between the organisation and its environment. Broadly, functions such as purchasing, materials management, distribution and maintenance fall within the logistics management area. An important element of “strategic logistic management” is “purchasing”. This paper is primarily concerned with “purchasing”, with a particular focus on “vendor rating”.
International Journal of Management Reviews, Jul 12, 2023
Sustainability‐oriented collaboration, a heterogeneous set of formal interorganizational arrangem... more Sustainability‐oriented collaboration, a heterogeneous set of formal interorganizational arrangements that vary considerably in size, membership, focus and functioning, but share the same interest in addressing sustainability challenges of public concern, is becoming a mainstay of corporate agenda setting. Yet, the more firms interact on social and environmental issues, the more the burdens and tensions of collaborating for sustainability become apparent. Research and practice increasingly question whether an alliance management capability (AMC) perspective can be adopted to explain variability in collaboration effectiveness. With the aim to investigate whether, and to what extent, existing sustainability‐oriented collaboration research integrates or challenges mainstream theory on AMC, we adopt a problematization method to unpack the root assumptions underlying the AMC construct. We find that self‐interest in economic value creation and capture, the need for homogeneity to favour knowledge accumulation and learning on alliance management, and predictable patterns of AMC deployment are consistently assumed by scholars to predict success in alliance management. Accordingly, we analyse AMC assumptions’ current integration in the study of sustainability‐oriented collaboration, conducting a systematic literature review on collaborative capabilities developed for, during and in response to sustainability challenges. In so doing, we identify what distinguishes sustainability‐oriented collaboration from mainstream strategic alliances and the related implications on the collaborative capabilities firms should develop and deploy when dealing with sustainability challenges. We elaborate on these and their implications for AMC constructs to provide a future research agenda, which integrates further theoretical perspectives and broadens the scope of existing ones.
Technological advancement compounds the complexity of competitor identification, making it increa... more Technological advancement compounds the complexity of competitor identification, making it increasingly multi-front and multi-dimensional. Strategic groups are an important unit for competition analysis, typically delineated by firms' characteristic similarities or cognitive maps. Both have inadequacies-the former produces methodological artefacts, and the latter is subject to scale limitations, replicability and managers' cognitive blind spots. Hence, the need for alternatives supplementing the existing approaches. We propose a novel grouping methodology based on news co-mentions, reflecting factual corporate events, executives' and journalists' views, and environmental changes. It yields three advantages. First, news depicts interorganizational relationships, alleviating the concern that strategic groups are statistical artefacts. Second, the approach supplements managers' cognition with that of journalists. Third, the public availability of data offers replicability. The proposed methodology is applied to a sample collected from the US high-tech sector. We document commonalities between the co-mention-based groups and the conventionally used characteristic-based approach. However, the similarity and groups yielded from news co-mentions go beyond characteristic similarities in explaining competitive inclination, suggesting that the co-mention-based approach offers a robust alternative to identifying competitors and strategic groups. Overall, by developing a novel methodology based on a strong theoretical foundation, this study sheds new light on strategic group research. Greckhamer, 2019). Categorizing firms into comparable groups is of interest to several disciplines (Cattani, Porac and Thomas, 2017). We draw on the strategic
International Journal of Production Economics, Dec 1, 2018
This paper investigates the relationship between lean, process innovation, green practices and gr... more This paper investigates the relationship between lean, process innovation, green practices and green supply chain management performance. Data were gathered by surveying 374 firms in the manufacturing supply chain industry. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the collected data. The study results show general support for the theoretical research framework. Findings reveal that there is a synergetic effect between process innovations, green and lean practices playing a crucial role towards the improvement of green supply chain performance. This paper presents an innovative approach since it studies simultaneously the three dimensions of sustainability (environmental, social and economic), the lean, the innovation process and green paradigms which are considered strategic for supply chain competitiveness. Investigation of the relationships between the four strategies is a contribution that the authors hope will become a forward step in the promotion of sustainability as a third dimension of the manufacturing supply chain, along with the efficiency and responsiveness dimensions.
Post-merger and acquisition (M&A) integration is especially important for the services industry, ... more Post-merger and acquisition (M&A) integration is especially important for the services industry, where value co-creation between actors plays a crucial role. This paper is a qualitative single case study of a multinational company (MNE) in information technology (ICT) industry, and the post-acquisition processes of its subsidiary in Russia. The main contribution of this article is the application of a value co-creation view, to the settings of the international business. We also identify the actors and their roles and activities in the value co-creation in the Russian context.
This paper explores how Guanxi shapes different levels of entrepreneurial behaviour of family bus... more This paper explores how Guanxi shapes different levels of entrepreneurial behaviour of family businesses in China. Extant research draws on network theory, suggesting that firms focusing on less intimate social relationships are more entrepreneurial than those focusing on intimate social networks. However, this notion of networks neglects Guanxi’s indigenous cultural roots that promote intimacy in social relationships, thus limiting our understanding of why some firms in China demonstrate a higher level of entrepreneurial behaviour than others. Through an in‐depth multi‐case study analysis of eight family firms in China, we find that Guanxi is a multi‐dimensional concept that can only be effective through intimate relationship building. This study contributes to the social network literature on entrepreneurial behaviour by incorporating the gift exchange theoretical perspective and demonstrating that political Guanxi in China can only facilitate entrepreneurial behaviour when it is ...
Supply chain partnership is viewed as an important contributor to superior competitiveness; yet, ... more Supply chain partnership is viewed as an important contributor to superior competitiveness; yet, the knowledge of ex-ante factors contributing to the deployment of supply chain partnership is nascent. This article examines the influence of the current supplier selection routines, supplier evaluation routines and managerial attitude towards relational and performance risks on the future intention to form buyer-supplier partnerships, based on relational and evolutionary economics theory. The analysis is based on 156 questionnaires received from senior executives and supply/logistics managers of UK firms. We found that partner selection routine positively influences firms' propensity (future intention) to form buyer-supplier partnerships, unlike the supplier evaluation routine and perceptions of both relational risk and performance risk, which were not found to have a significant role. Our findings suggest that firms wishing to initiate buyer-supplier partnerships can increase the likelihood of doing so by ensuring that their supplier selection routines incorporate efforts to establish potential suppliers' inclination for openness in a relationship, to establish their track record of demonstrating a high degree of integrity with other buyers and to confirm that potential suppliers have a deep knowledge and understanding of the buyer's business, a recognized strong reputation, and demonstrable financial stability.
Theory and research suggests that firms’ environmental context affect the way they manage their r... more Theory and research suggests that firms’ environmental context affect the way they manage their resources and the strategies they employ. This research examines effects of institutional polycentric...
The past two decades have seen the global competitive environment alter dramatically. Competition... more The past two decades have seen the global competitive environment alter dramatically. Competition is now more intense as a result of increasing globalization, greater use of new technologies and the Internet (Amit and Zott 2001, Kanter 2001, McKendrick 2001, Murtha et al. 1998). Other factors include a rapidly and radically changing competitive environment (Eisenhardt and Brown 1998). Nearly a decade ago, Bettis and Hitt (1995) referred to the emerging ‘new competitive landscape’. Around the same time, D’Aveni (1994) propounded the perspective ‘hypercompetition’ when he stated that hypercompetitive conditions are manifested in ‘inherent instability and change’. A dynamic and highly charged environment has some significant consequences for any business, such as the need for greater adaptability and flexibility (Volberda 1996), the changing market rules and processes and the necessary organizational structures and competencies needed for competitive advantage (Eisenhardt and Brown 1998, Hamel 2000).
Strategy is one of the most over used words in management circles. The fixation with strategy sin... more Strategy is one of the most over used words in management circles. The fixation with strategy singularly rests on the belief that it has a positive impact on organizational performance. Therefore, not unsurprisingly, many researchers have tested this assumption. The results to date are mixed. Some studies have shown a positive relationship between strategy and performance, while other studies have failed to find any significant relationship. Some commentators have identified the deployment of widely differing strategy constructs for the observed inconsistencies in the relationship between strategy and performance
Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship: A Systematic Review
Article in Group & Organi... more Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship: A Systematic Review
Article in Group & Organization Management · June 2015
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Article in Group & Organization Management · June 2015