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Purpose: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) use networks to overcome knowledge deficiencies in pursuing innovation. However, balancing the cost and risk of growing networks, especially internationally, with potential gains in knowledge remains a critical challenge. Searching for innovation knowledge in international and domestic networks can be complementary when learning is compressed or as competing when the SMEs capacity to use the new knowledge is exceeded. This paper aims to investigate whether knowledge searches in domestic and international networks are complementary or conflicting in pursuit of innovation. Design/methodology/approach: This study is based on firm-level data set comprising 426 SMEs located in New Zealand, an advanced small and open economy. Using multi-level modelling, this study tests competing hypotheses, asking whether domestic and international network searches are complements or substitutes when seeking ambidexterity. Findings: The research finds that, in contrast to earlier research, which shows increasing network breadth drives innovation activity, SMEs benefit less from knowledge search across combined domestic and international networks for exploration innovation and ambidexterity. In contrast, exploitation shows no effect, suggesting that combined networks could support exploitation. Originality/value: This paper highlights how SMEs mitigate the influence resource constraints have on the partnerships they form and how this translates to ambidexterity. Specifically, recognising that an opportunistic approach to network development may impose future constraints on SME ambidexterity. From a management perspective, the paper recognises that balancing knowledge search across domestic and international networks can facilitate ambidexterity; however, to prevent spreading resources too thinly, this likely requires exit from early domestic innovation network partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to estimate empirically and by empirical means, the empirical effect of the balance sheet management at the zero lower bound on the interest rate on performance and financial variables. Design/methodology/approach: The paper has an empirical approach to examine whether the movement in the balance sheet has had a spillover effect on the performance and financial variable. The empirical method used is a "structural panel management," being appropriate for the analysis. This has never been used in strategic and management development. Findings: The paper presents the following interesting results: the balance sheet management explains a significant portion of the changes in performance and financial variable during the non-conventional strategy approach; the performance fundamentals as the development and the opening of the financial market deal with the heterogeneity of the business in relation to the responses of the balance sheet shocks; the positive advantage of the balance sheet management may not be profitable in context characterized by low liquidity, low exposure to global markets and low stability of performance fundamentals. Originality/value: Based on a heterogeneous structural panel data management over a sample spanning the balance sheet management model, the author find some evidence of small cross-border effects on the decline of long-term bond yield, an increase in performance, an increase in the stock market prices, local currency appreciation and increase in credit growth. Yet, the quantile responses show that there is substantial heterogeneity in the Asia pacific business market responses to the governance's shocks over all response periods. Accordingly, the effects vary across Asia pacific market and are time-varying, depending on their performance fundamentals, exposure to global markets and financial market depth. The balance sheet management on performance and financial variables could be an excellent reference for future researches and practices in Schools of Management and Finances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been considerable research into different approaches to workplace dispute resolution in the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), and to a lesser extent other English-speaking countries. This chapter considers what guidance this research can provide into the practical implications of these different approaches. One frame of reference for evaluating different approaches to workplace dispute resolution is provided by Budd's three objectives of the employment relationship: equity, voice and efficiency. While dispute resolution procedures can contribute to all three objectives, there can be negative consequences for employees who make use of formal workplace dispute resolution procedures. It is desirable that workplace disputes be resolved quickly and informally. Such an approach places considerable weight on the skills of line managers. Unfortunately, there is evidence of a preference among line managers to replace pragmatic approaches to conflict resolution with a rigid adherence to process and procedure. This is partly due to a lack of skills, but is often compounded by inadequate support from senior management. While it is important for organisations to have formal workplace dispute resolution procedures, the focus should be on line managers. The role of human resources staff and senior management should primarily be to monitor the dispute resolution system, ensure that it is operating effectively and deal with any emerging issues. They should ensure appropriate training is in place and provide appropriate support to line managers. Only when line managers have failed to resolve disputes should they become directly involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the joint effect of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and total quality management (TQM) on the organizational performance. In addition, this study aimed to examine the ability of TQM to transmit the effect of EO on the organizational performance. Design/methodology/approach – To examine the hypothesized model of the study, the survey questionnaire research design was employed. The data were collected from Dubai police department. The total number of questionnaires distributed was 320 out of which only 111 usable questionnaires were returned. The structural equation modeling partial least squares approach was used. Findings – The statistical results confirmed the effect of EO and TQM on the organizational performance. In addition, TQM was found to partially mediate the effect of EO on organizational performance. Practical implications – Further details and valuable implications of this study were discussed throughout the study. The results of this study have many practical implications. The results will help managers to make the proper decisions when deciding to implement TQM in their organizations. TQM can help managers with strong EO to achieve maximum performance in organizations and to remain competitive in the market. Originality/value – This study is a rare and unique empirical study that examines the effect of EO on TQM and the mediating effect of TQM on the EO-performance relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This study aims to explore the relationship between mission statements and organisational performance in non-profit organisations. It also examines the role of organisational commitment in moderating that relationship. Design/methodology/approach – Invitations were sent to a network of non-profit organisations inviting them to complete an online survey. Usable responses were obtained from 117 respondents from 30 countries. Hierarchical regression was used to test the hypotheses. Findings – The findings suggest that mission statements have a significant positive relationship with organisational performance. Also, organisational commitment, particularly affective commitment, moderates the relationship between mission statements and organisational performance. Research limitations/implications – The results confirm that the relationship between mission statements and organisational performance is complex. The study of intervening variables is a worthwhile program of research. Practical implications – The findings suggest that non-profit organisations can improve performance by communicating their mission and building emotional commitment to their cause. Originality/value – This is one of the first studies to examine the role of organisational commitment in influencing the relationship between mission statements and performance. This study contributes to our understanding of the impact of mission statements on performance in non-profit organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of the application of green standards on the companies’ financial returns. It aims at answering the following question: does the market reward or penalize the players that carry out responsible management policies toward environment? Design/methodology/approach – Using US data from 2009 to mid-2014 and employing two financial models, that is Capital Asset Pricing Model and Fama-French three-factor model, the authors first estimate the extra remuneration provided to investors. Then, the authors link this extra return to a green-based factor. The green-factor data are taken from Newsweek Green Rankings, which annually publishes an environmental ranking of the 500 biggest publicly traded companies in the USA. Findings – The analysis demonstrates that there exists no linear relationship between the adoption of green standards and financial returns, i.e. the “green-behavior” does not affect the remuneration required by investors. These results could be justified by the fact that the implementation of environmentally friendly standards is quite a new one. Research limitations/implications – The results could be subject to major changes in next few years, due to the increasing attention over environmental issues. Originality/value – The paper investigates the financial profitability and the creation of economic value of a topical managerial issue, in light of the increasing importance of social responsible behavior for the companies. To the authors knowledge, this is the first paper that examines this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to expose techniques that telco vendors use for maximising revenue from their clients. Although the five-point strategy unearthed was based on the Canadian telco industry, it is interpreted as generic to the digital-age. Design/methodology/approach – Findings are based on focus groups with telco vendors and client perception data. Inductive reasoning is used to generalise findings to other distinctively digital-age industries. Findings – This paper finds five generic techniques that are used within the Canadian telecommunications (telco) industry to ensure that customers cannot control the cost of a smartphone. These techniques are described as an array of telco hybrid offerings, each with its own cost-structure and pricing strategy; the underestimation problem; devices are not geostationary; third-party agreements; and death-by-a-thousand-qualifications. Research limitations/implications – The research develops theory about modularity and platform technologies. Practical implications – Findings and insights have implications for strengthening consumer protection arrangements in the teleco industry, as well as other distinctively digital-age industries. Originality/value – This paper elaborates theory (particularly with respect to platform technologies and modularity). It interprets the flexibility that comes with modern technology as having a specific downside for consumers, namely, the removal of their capacity to control cost. As far as the authors have been able to ascertain, such an interpretation has not hitherto been presented. It is hoped that the classification of findings will become something of a public policy template for ensuring consumer protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs') R&D capability and learning capability on their technology commercialization by focussing on the moderating effect of environmental dynamism. Design/methodology/approach -- Based on a review of the literature on organizational capability, technology commercialization, and environmental dynamism, various hypotheses were developed and tested using a sample of 179 SMEs in Korea. Non-response bias using t-test and common method bias was assessed. Findings -- The results indicate that their R&D capability and learning capability were significant drivers of their technology commercialization, which in turn influenced their business performance. Environmental dynamism was found to moderate the relationship between technology commercialization and business outcomes. These results suggest that SME managers should place greater emphasis on strengthening their organizational capability and dealing with turbulent business environments. Originality/value -- Few studies have explored the drivers of technology commercialization and their effects on business performance. To fill this gap in the literature, the present study examines the effects of firms' R&D capability and learning capability on technology commercialization in the context of SMEs, focussing specifically on the moderating effect of environmental dynamism. The study contributes to the literature by extending the research horizon to firms' technology commercialization capability, providing a better understanding of the pivotal role of technology commercialization and its key drivers and environmental factors in boosting performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to identify and understand the relationship dynamics amongst the key factors impacting the tier-I auto manufacturing domain which is currently under severe strain. It is an approach for improving the pace of the manufacturing excellence journey. Design/methodology/approach - In total, 20 key factors impacting the manufacturing sector have been identified from the literature review coupled with the inputs from the experienced industry and academic experts. Interpretive structural modelling (ISM) approach has been adopted for the inter-relationship understanding and in stratifying the factors into drivers and independent clusters. The interpretation of the ISM results with respect to the current environment has also been carried out. Findings - Out of the 20 identified key factors, people- excellence related factors have been found to be the key drivers and global presence and visibility, operational cost reduction approach and customer responsiveness have a significant role to play in changing the pace of manufacturing excellence. Research limitations/implications - ISM framework does not incorporate the feedback concept and transition dynamics toward manufacturing excellence. These issues may be tested through System dynamics, which will help in identifying the cause and effect relationship between variables and model the transition toward manufacturing excellence. Practical implications - The manufacturing framework of 20 variables is a useful trigger to the strategic planners. The deep understanding of these variables in the current challenging environment is highly relevant and would facilitate the strategic industry leaders in their journey to excellence. Social implications - The manufacturing sector has been the growth engine for a nation's economy. If the manufacturing sector grows, the impact on the society will always be favorable as it results in greater degree of employment, better earning capacity and improved quality of life. Through this paper an attempt has been made to identify those key factors which could accelerate the manufacturing excellence pace and hence it is very relevant for the society at large. Originality/value - The paper provides some useful insight to manufacturing excellence framework and the application of ISM approach to it involving the experienced industry and academic experts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of "optionality" of corporate social responsibility programs in the mining sector. It is postulated that the degree of commitment and implementation varies with the different stages of the mine life cycle. Design/methodology/approach -- The methodology/approach applied in this paper follows that of complex systems theory. The authors recognize that elements of CSR do not function/occur in isolation but rather operate in a complex and dynamic system. Findings -- The findings presented in the paper indicate that there is a not a single "silver bullet" approach to CSR but rather one that ebbs and flows with not only the technical stage of development of a mine but also those extra- economic modifiers that influence a mine's performance and survivability in a competitive global market. Research limitations/implications -- The limitations of this particular paper/research is the inability to get a complete set of cost data from any single mining operation. This is due to the highly confidential and proprietary nature of this data, hence a hypothetical/theoretical case is presented. Practical implications -- The practical implications of this research include recognizing the different stages of the mine life cycle cause different applications of CSR policy development and implementation. The authors present a view of a flexible and reflective CSR application. Originality/value -- This is the first and novel attempt to consider the actual value and commercial implication of CSR using the methods of real options within the broader theoretical framework of complex systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to illustrate and discuss how healthcare organisations can act as institutional entrepreneurs in a context of change. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted an in-depth longitudinal case study (2005-2008) of a healthcare organisation in the province of Quebec, Canada. Data collection consisted of real-time observations of senior managers (n=87), interviews (n=24) with decision-makers and secondary data analysis of documents. Findings – The paper reports on the extent to which entrepreneurial healthcare organisations can be a driving force in the creation of a new practice. The authors analyse the development of a diabetes reference centre by a healthcare organisation acting as an institutional entrepreneur that illustrates the conceptualisation of an innovation and the mobilisation of resources to implement it and to influence other actors in the field. The authors discuss the case in reference to three stages of change: emergence, implementation and diffusion. The results illustrate the different strategies used by managers to advance their proposed projects. Research limitations/implications – This study helps to better understand the dynamics of mandated change in a mature field such as healthcare and the roles played by organisations in this process. By adopting a proactive strategy, a healthcare organisation can play an active role and strongly influence the evolution of its field. Originality/value – This paper is one of only a few to analyse strategies used by healthcare organisations in the context of mandated change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Reorienting health services towards health promotion is one of the major health promotion strategies stipulated by the Ottawa Charter). Important contradictions, tensions and barriers to health promotion implementation associated with organisational structures have, thus far, been underexposed in the hospital health promotion discourse. This paper aims at identifying risks and the chances for hospital management to strategically and sustainably reorient their hospitals towards health promotion. Design/methodology/approach – The paper combines theories and findings from organisational science and management studies as well as from capacity development in the form of a narrative literature review. The aim is to focus on the conditions hospitals, as organisational systems with a highly professionalised workforce, provide for a strategically managed reorientation towards health promotion. Models and principles helping managers to navigate the difficulties and complexities of health promotion reorientation will be suggested. Findings – Hospital managers have to deal with genuine obstacles in the complexity and structural formation of hospital organisations. Against this background, continuous management support, a transformative leadership style, participative strategic management and expert governance can be considered important organisational capacities for the reorientation towards a new concept such as health promotion. Practical implications – This paper discusses managerial strategies, effective structural transformations and important organisational capacities that can contribute to a sustainable reorientation of hospitals towards health promotion. It supports hospital managers in exploring their chances of facilitating and effectively supporting a sustainable health promotion reorientation of their hospitals. Originality/value – The paper provides an innovative approach where the focus is on enhanced possibilities for hospital managers to strategically manage the reorientation towards health promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Information and communication technology (ICT) is a key enabler for new product- and process-oriented services. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how ICT can enable service differentiation and, in doing so, act as a catalyst for a service business orientation. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a qualitative, multi-case research design with eight multinational goods manufacturers. Findings – The paper identifies two distinct types of service-oriented differentiation: services in support of the product (SSP) and services in support of the client's actions (SSC). The study finds that SSC have the largest positive impact on firms' service business orientation. Research limitations/implications – Western firms in a limited sample of industries are studied. Furthermore, the service business orientation construct does not include any measurements of service profitability or impact on overall competitive advantage. Practical implications – To various extents, successful firms are likely to pursue both SSP and SSC differentiation traits through ICT. The two options are interdependent and the framework presented helps managers to understand both key specificities and their interrelatedness. Originality/value – The study contributes to theory on service strategies by specifically focusing on the enabling role of ICT for new services and its effects on each of the three dimensions of the service business orientation construct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Businesses increasingly find themselves competing in highly dynamic markets, making visibility of the future limited and the strategic way forward ambiguous. The purpose of this paper is to present the findings from a survey of UK media executives and identify their outlook for the industry, and an evaluation of their usage and satisfaction with the tools that they use to manage their businesses.Design/methodology/approach – The survey sampled 24 UK media executives who had responsibility for strategy and other functional areas of their business.Findings – The survey found four strong themes amongst media executives. These were related to the launch of new products and services, seeking innovation through collaborative partnerships, leveraging their brand and content through new platforms, and uncertainty regarding the future direction of the industry.Practical implications – The paper will provide media executives with a better understanding of the management tools at their disposal and how these can be used to improve performance in a number of key areas. Non-media executives will be able to draw on the paper's findings to see how other firms are managing turbulent and uncertain market conditions.Originality/value – This is the first survey of the UK media industry in terms of examining the strategic tools that are being used to manage media firms through turbulence and uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an interview with Rita Gunther McGrath, Columbia Business School Professor, and author of The End of Competitive Advantage: How to Keep Your Strategy Moving as Fast as Your Business.Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes the form of an interview.Findings – In the following interview, Rita Gunther McGrath discusses the demise of traditional strategy practices, proposing a more flexible approach in response to the volatile environment in which we live.Originality/value – McGrath signals the end of sustainable competitive advantage, suggesting that businesses must organize for the "waves of transient advantage" that are now commonplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Business strategy and its quest for sustainable competitive advantage and success is challenged by external and internal change, which increasingly takes the form of radical discontinuity. However, emergent strategy models are rising as concepts and constructs, possibly impacting on the advancement of strategic management theory and practices: these tools are the business model (BM), the value network (VN) and resource management (RM). The purpose of this paper is to propose a revisited role for BM design, VN configuration and RM, with specific reference to strategy execution and monitoring under discontinuity. Design/methodology/approach – The study builds its contribution on a theoretical framework (constituted by a literature review on discontinuity, BM, VN and RM), supplemented by two longitudinal case studies on companies which went through several discontinuities affecting their business strategy. Findings – BM, VN and RM are the strategic tools through which a company executes its planned strategy. In addition, radical variations in: BM parameters performance; VN configuration and firms relationships; RM consistency with resources core status, resulting from an external or internal discontinuity, constitute a signalling "vector" of inputs to identify the discontinuity and activate a new strategic re-planning process. Originality/value – By revisiting the role of BM, VN and RM, the study revives the theoretical debate on business strategy under discontinuity, and provides managers with a comprehensive model to concretely employ these three tools for strategy analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The objective of the paper is to summarize major faults in the process that later lead to strategy failures. These faults, or follies as the authors term them, infect all stages of the strategy process and can be ameliorated through careful managerial attention and action.Design/methodology/approach – These follies are interconnected, one building on another, but for the sake of exposition the authors treat them separately. They identify seven managerial follies dealing with purview, diagnosis, presumptions, direction, implementation, one-way communication and willful blindness.Findings – The authors describe and illustrate the follies with real life examples and argue that these follies can be ameliorated by habits of thought and institution of organizational routines, both levers that can be employed by executives.Practical implications – Based on the authors' extensive experience, strategic failures are preventable if one avoids the seven follies. To kick start recognition and treatment of the follies, they summarize a set of questions to keep in mind as managers craft strategies.Originality/value – For each folly, they outline how clear and specific habits of thought and organizational routines can mitigate the potential disastrous consequences of the folly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The paper aims to explain how Procter & Gamble's new strategy review meeting structure and new inquiry culture established a new norm for communication between leaders and their teams throughout the organization.Design/methodology/approach – The authors, one a former P&G CEO and the other a long-time consultant to the firm, describe how the firm instituted a robust process for creating, reviewing and communicating about strategy.Findings – The P&G process was designed to open a dialog between top management and the leaders of each business to discuss five strategic choices. What is your winning aspiration? Where will you play? How will you win? What capabilities must be in place? What management systems are required?Practical implications – At P&G the Objectives, Goals, Strategy, Measures (OGSM) statement for a brand, category, or company was the framework for articulating a clear and explicit expression of where to play and how to win, choices that connected with the aspirations of the business and the measures of success indicated.Originality/value – The paper explains the learning and communication techniques P&G used to foster an authentic, effective company-wide dialog about strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The objective of this study is to investigate if the five barriers, namely, Regulation/Government, Customer Demand, Level of Competition, Greenness at the Organizational Level, and Attitude at the Organizational Level towards Change, greatly impact the costs and potential benefits of environmental management practices (EMPs). Design/methodology/approach – The target population of this research was 208 hotels, which are four- and five-star hotels in Malaysia. Due to small population, questionnaires were sent by mail to all the targeted four- and five-star hotels in Malaysia. Findings – Only Greenness at the Organizational Level was found to have partially supported EMPs. Even though the results show that there is significant impact overall between barriers and EMPs in 40 four- and five-star hotels in Malaysia. In other words, the drivers do influence hotels' application of EMPs but weakly. Research limitations/implications – The limitation that is worth mentioning is regarding the drivers of EMPs chosen in this research. While the result indicated that drivers of EMPs significantly influenced hotels' usage of EMPs, the range of R2 of the five drivers and the two dimensions of EMPs was relatively very low. Originality/value – A definitive conceptual framework of EMPs is essential, which could only be achieved through consensus and close cooperation amongst scholars and practitioners. For that reason, EMPs should not be seen as a mere collection of management systems but more towards management practices that are used within and for hotels' strategic purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe and explain an evolving management strategy in state and local levels of government in the USA that contributes to better productivity through greater responsiveness, governance, increased market-like competition and leveraging government resources. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on reviews and analysis of published reports about Charter Schools. Findings – This paper asserts that public private partnership (PPP) charter schools can be very conducive for the development and implementation of a public entrepreneurial strategy (PES) and contribute to local government productivity because: charter schools stretch resources utilization, leverage its ability to license as a mean for mobilizing new resources, improve service quality without expanding cost, reduce future financial obligations (i.e. pensions), diffuse accountability issues that have to do with elementary and secondary education – what the government needs to do in such eventuality is revoke or discontinue the license, induce market dynamics, i.e. consumer choice, effect continuing efforts to improve quality of all schools, become more responsive to demands of some elements of the purpose, describe and explain an evolving management strategy in polity without upsetting others, increase transparency, e.g. who is involved in the process of licensing and the rationale for the decision in each case, accommodate a higher level of community participation in governance, i.e. through opportunities to contribute to the developing of the licensing process, its implementation and the evaluation of its results. Research limitations/implications – A research limitation is that this approach is still evolving and no long-term data or evaluations are available. An implication is that this is an evolving management strategy that is geared to address shortage of resources, quality issues in education, governance and the role of government. Practical implications – This approach might be helpful to other state and local governments outside the USA. Social implications – The paper describes another way to become more responsive to the educational needs of subgroups. Originality/value – Knowing more about the context and attributes of Charter Schools in the USA may help others to assess the possible relevancy of this approach for dealing with their own issues of public education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine certain venture capital (VC) practices that conventional company managers might adopt to improve effectiveness when faced with increasing competition.Design/methodology/approach – Based on current VC research, the paper isolates certain practices that are particularly effective in hypercompetitive contexts.Findings – If managers see their companies differently – not as monolithic entities but rather as a combination of different business models, some nascent, some mature, a portfolio of current opportunities with potential offshoots – managers can implement practices to increase the company's ability to survive and potentially thrive in a hypercompetitive environment.Originality/value – Venture capitalists guide companies through important transitions in turbulent contexts. This article isolates and analyses their practices, so as to allow them to be transposed to a more conventional business context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This article aims to identify strategies used by a midsize meatpacking plant company located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in order to remain competitive in the market. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to understand which strategies the company uses and how those have been designed according to the company managers. Design/methodology/approach – Concerning the methodology, a descriptive research was developed as a case study. The data collection was accomplished through researches on official company documents which describe its history and are used for several tasks. This information source pointed out critical events during the history of the organization which allowed the researchers to identify the strategies developed and implemented through its leaders' insight during those historical periods when the company was in crisis. Findings – Mintzberg and McHugh's model was applied to identify strategies, as well as discovering the effects they obtained by using them. It has been observed that in order to remain competitive in the market, the company used strategies classified as Deliberate-Accomplished and Emergent. Originality/value – Through this case study it has been possible to identify the strategies created and applied by the meatpacking company's managers in order to remain competitive in the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- Knowledge management (KM) has become a key driver of organisational performance. The existing literature suggests that many organisations fail in their attempts to align their KM strategies with knowledge processes within their organisation. Based on the management literature on alignment, there is a gap in the understanding of how an organisation's KM strategy and KM processes in workgroups can be aligned. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate that alignment in terms of KM is important and underpins the improvement of KM processes in organisations. Design/methodology/approach -- A qualitative case study research approach was used to examine alignment between strategy and processes of knowledge in organisations. In total, three case organisations representing different industry sectors were chosen to examine how organisations align their KM strategies with workgroup knowledge processes. Findings -- This study proposes a Strategic-Workgroup Alignment Framework that explains the key alignment enablers and different alignment approaches required to align KM strategy with workgroup KM processes in organisations. Research limitations/implications -- The authors acknowledge the limitations of this paper. Although the proposed framework provides valuable insights with respect to different alignment approaches, it does not specify how each alignment approach can be assessed in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. As part of the alignment approaches, this study's focus was between strategy and processes of knowledge: further research could bring to light new alignment options of knowledge and the associated implications. Originality/value -- This study illustrates that organisations can improve the management of knowledge through alignment between KM strategies and KM processes. Such an improvement is also possible in the absence of a KM strategy emphasis, where alignment would require a deeper examination of workgroup knowledge processes. This study also identifies specific alignment enablers to align KM strategy and KM processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a first person account of the differences in organizational vision within the public and private sectors.Design/methodology/approach – This essay is based on the author's personal experiences and although it may not be generalizable, based on criteria of methodological rigor, it is nevertheless true ... it happened! The author's experience was derived from working for two different legislatures and included about a dozen government departments. The observations made were based on interactions with numerous public sector employees, including staff, peers and superiors.Findings – The concept of "vision" is critical to the successful execution of organizational strategy. For this reason, it requires clarity of purpose and a careful articulation of goals and objectives. Public and private sector firms differ in the way in which they develop this vision and as a result they achieve different outcomes. The failings typically afflicting the civil service can be addressed by changing attitudes and behaviors in such a way that they are better aligned with organizational vision. This includes creating appropriate incentives and making accountability more than just a token notion.Originality/value – The paper is written by a management practitioner and is meant to generate discussion. It is based on a field study (i.e. "I was there") and is intended to capture what was viewed through the eyes of a "native". Consider it an organizational ethnography – it is an honest portrayal of events that were experienced. The essay should strike many who have worked in government as "true". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the fast fashion formula and the process of firm internationalization. Possible answers are sought to the following research question: does the fast fashion formula drive the internationalization process (driving the change), or does the internationalization process change the model (changing the model). Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents and discusses the data collected during a ten-year longitudinal case analysis of an Italian fast fashion company. Three main steps in the firm's international expansion are identified, and the firm's strategies for managing its fast model in each are then discussed. Findings – The findings highlight how the process of internationalization has exerted pressure on the firm's business model. In particular, the case reveals that the company's international development has had a strong impact on three main components of its fast fashion model. Originality/value – The paper contributes to previous work on fast fashion by focusing on the sustainability of such models during international expansion, a key theme which has to date received little attention in ongoing academic debate on the fast fashion phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Current conceptualizations of born-globals lack a full theoretical explanation of strategic re-structuring through the use of outward and inward-oriented activity and the processes of de-internationalization and re-internationalization. Strategy and internationalization processes are created by entrepreneurial behaviour. If one wants to understand various international behaviours and strategic changes in firms one needs to focus on entrepreneurs – individual managers. The purpose of this paper is to unify the theoretical framework on born-globals by addressing two questions. How do managers move through the de-internationalization (exit) to re-internationalization (re-entry) process? How do they choose their patterns of internationalization? Design/methodology/approach – To address these research gaps, this study draws on 26 in-depth interviews with senior managers across nine Australian born-globals. Findings – Moving between outward and inward-oriented activity as they de-internationalize and re-internationalize is used as proactive strategic re-structuring by born-global managers for survival during periods of global economic decline or changing competitive conditions. Originality/value – This study provides new theoretical insights where the entrepreneur is central to the internationalization process and provides practical implications for those involved in international business and marketing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a benchmarking framework to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the hotel industry, in a multi-period context, with consideration of perishable traits and carry-over activities. The sustained high performers in the case study are identified and their business strategies are discussed. Design/methodology/approach – The dynamic DEA (data envelopment analysis) approach is used to identify the multi-period sustained high performers. The super-efficiency DEA approach is employed to conduct a thorough ranking under an input-output-consumption structure. The supplementary analysis is further implemented to help elucidate the benchmarking results. Findings – In total, nine out of 80 international tourist hotels in Taiwan during 2006-2010 are identified as the sustained high performers. These hotels have diverged business strategies in terms of employees (intensive versus economical labor forces), products (room versus F&B (food and beverage) services), prices (extremely expensive versus very inexpensive room rates), guests (business versus tourism guests), and others (e.g. location advantages). Originality/value – This study contributes to benchmarking literature and to hotel industry in several aspects. Compared with conventional single-period benchmarking in efficiency aspect only, the proposed multi-period benchmarking framework under input-production-consumption structure can take into account the carry-over activities, account for perishable traits, provide more robust results, and add more useful information to facilitate the hotel managers to ameliorate the efficiency and effectiveness. The proposed framework should be readily applied to other service industries (e.g. transport). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The aim of the paper is to discuss specific HR practices that business leaders must embrace to create HR value and competitive advantage for their organizations.Design/methodology/approach – The paper integrates the authors' previous research on critical HR practices.Findings – The paper reveals that HR value creation is driven by: progressive HR thinking and planning; staffing for success; talent development; results-orientated performance management and appraisal systems; aligned compensation and incentive systems; line-managers acting as HR managers; and fostering an ethical culture.Practical implications – The paper discusses specific practices directly related to improving an organization's ability to create competitive advantage through its people.Social implications – The paper contends that better HR practices lead to stronger organizational performance and greater use of human-resource assets.Originality/value – The paper reinforces the importance of taking HR beyond administrative activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Today enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications are a substantial proportion of many corporations' capital expenditure and the effective management of this pliable asset has significant consequence for business performance. The purpose of this paper is to examine the corporate strategy of a global corporation that, in pursuit of competitive advantage, deployed ERP applications. Design/methodology/approach – This inductive case study research examines the corporate processes utilised to strategically manage ERP in a global corporation. The approach is explorative and method qualitative. Semi-structured interviews were conducted over a period of a year with senior executives, IT directors, IT managers, financial controllers, country managers and end-users. Findings – The study found that devolving responsibility of ERP applications to subsidiary organisations increased cost and hindered corporate parenting. The considerable cost of centralising IS management and standardising ERP processes was found to be greatly exceeded by the numerous benefits. The primary benefits being reduced cycle time, the ability to benchmark subsidiary performance, improved customer satisfaction and increased market share. Research limitations/implications – The research is limited by the analysis being of a single corporation. The major implication for future research is the need to understand the manner of ongoing management and control of ERP applications in different types of organisations. Particularly, their relationship with strategic management, how ERP enable and inhibit strategy, and ongoing management of operational ERP systems. Practical implications – The dissemination of the management practices that have been employed to achieve a very successful ERP application-based business strategy is helpful to the many organisations that have or intend to implement ERP applications. It is particularly noteworthy that centralised corporate objectives, when mandated and focused upon, provide benefits that could not be achieved in the ad hocracy that existed prior to the ERP implementation. Originality/value – The dearth of theory about ongoing management of ERP and the plight of the many organisations that are having difficulty understanding how to strategically manage these ubiquitous systems in a rapidly changing business landscape makes the study significant to both theory and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approach – This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.Findings – The recipe for business success appears pretty straightforward. Companies set the price of products and services to maximize the value they can secure from each transaction. Unsuspecting customers then pay up willingly, profits soar and the organization lives happily ever after. Times are changing though. Many individuals are no longer content to play the submissive role. Empowered by the internet and social media platforms, they can easily access information about a firm's pricing policies. Such customers typically then vote with their feet against those businesses they feel are trying to exploit them. So what should organizations do? For a start, change how they perceived the value offered. A current assumption is that each transaction enables a fixed amount. Customers can't be afforded too much as this leaves an insufficient portion for the company. The answer? Charge them more. Strategies based on aggressive pricing might bring immediate rewards. Long-term sustainability is much less likely.Practical implications – The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.Originality/value – The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to digest format. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approach – This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.Findings – It isn't easy at the best of times to bring new business ideas to the market, or to go from spotting an opportunity to launching a successful product that makes your business take off and grow. How much harder, then, to do this in an emerging economy, where the problems of doing business are so much greater? Even so, it's clear that many business people consider it worthwhile to act as entrepreneurs in these conditions – and that their success is a key part of economic development. What are the factors that drive them on? And are there ways of increasing entrepreneurial intensity in an emerging economy?Practical implications – The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.Originality/value – The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to digest format. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This article aims to address the relationship between price strategies and price-setting practices. The first derive from a normative tradition in the pricing literature and the latter from a descriptive tradition. Price strategies are visible in the market, whereas price-setting practices are hidden behind the boundaries of an organization. Design/methodology/approach – The study deals with the relationship between price strategies and price-setting practices that refer to the use of customer value, competition, and cost information. Hypotheses are tested on survey data on 95 small and medium-sized manufacturing and service firms in The Netherlands. Findings – The results show that price strategies and price-setting practices are related because strategies are implemented through price-setting practices. However, some firms do not pursue any of the strategies indicated by pricing theory, some firms engage in practices for no clear strategic reasons, and some firms insufficiently engage in appropriate practices to implement their strategic choices. Research limitations/implications – The results are limited to small companies. Researchers should examine why firms may not pursue any price strategy that is offered by pricing theory. They may also focus on organizational learning and pricing capabilities. Practical implications – Managers need greater awareness about the price strategies they can use, should be cautious about a potential mismatch between price strategies and price-setting practices, and should reassess whether their firms are capable of engaging in the appropriate practices. Originality/value – Linking price strategies to price-setting practices reduces conceptual confusion in the pricing literature and may help to specify the gap between pricing theory and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to gain an understanding of the growth performance of top African American-owned employer firms when compared with their White counterparts. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses longitudinal, revenue data from a sample of the largest African American-owned employer firms in the USA with that of a comparable sample of White-owned firms. Findings – The paper finds that complex and volatile industry environments have a significantly greater negative impact on African American businesses than their White-owned counterparts. Social implications – The complexity and volatility associated with one of the most difficult US business environments since the 1940s may increase the performance disparity between established African American and White-owned firms. On a macroeconomic level, such a performance disparity will have significant negative impact on US economy output and job creation, particularly as the number of new minority businesses continues to outpace the rate of all US business. Originality/value – This is the only published research to date, which examines the growth of top African American businesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This study aims to investigate the relationships among budget emphasis, budget planning models, and performance, to determine whether an emphasis on the budget has indirect effects on performance, in the presence of other budget planning characteristics as mediators. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey was conducted and structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed models among the constructs and related hypotheses. Findings – The results indicate that while budget planning models entirely mediate the influence of budget emphasis on the performance of management and the organization, they partially mediate the influence of budget emphasis on budget satisfaction. In addition, it is determined that differentiation strategies have a significantly positive influence on budget emphasis, budget planning models and performance. Originality/value – The results of this study provide a reference for organizations in the design of budgeting systems. During the design process, budget planning models should consider the degree of emphasis an organization places on the budget. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This study seeks to analyse the links between strategies, structures and processes in the case of the largest Spanish town halls, using the Miles and Snow's models about organisational strategies, and asking the following questions: "What is the situation of municipal services' outsourcing in the largest Spanish town halls?"; "Do Spanish town halls follow the strategies suggested in Miles and Snow's model?"; and "Is there a relationship between the strategic position adopted by town halls and their stance on outsourcing?". Design/methodology/approach – In order to achieve these aims a questionnaire was administered to the human resource managers in the town halls of the largest Spanish cities. Findings – The paper finds that outsourcing is a complement, which seeks to improve the services delivered, and local institutions do not resort to it due to a lack of internal resources but as a way to complement their own capabilities. Originality/value – The paper has identified three distinct strategic profiles in the town halls interviewed which coincide with the profiles that Miles and Snow call prospective, defensive and reactive strategies. It reveals that town halls which outsource to a greater extent are the ones which identify more with the prospective or reactive strategy, whereas those which outsource less are closer to the defensive strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]