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International audience; PurposeTo investigate the emergence and specificities of local-led innovation platforms (IPs) in Madagascar and contrast them with neighbouring research-led IPs.Design/methodology/approachWe developed a multi-disciplinary framework combining insights from the literature on IP, innovation support services, and innovative networks. Using an exploratory multiple case study approach, we used this framework to analyse eight IPs in Madagascar.Findings(i) local-led IPs are problem oriented, (ii) there is a gap between the stated objectives of the IPs and their activities, (iii) their significant shortcomings result from weak or lacking inter-organisational management practices.Practical ImplicationsWe propose concrete avenues for strengthening local-led IPs by building their capacity to innovate at the individual, organisational and network levels.Theoretical ImplicationsWe contribute to refining IP assessment methods with an operational framework based on a small subset of variables, focusing on activities, shortcomings, and inter-organisational management practices. We also call for further research into innovation network capacities.Originality/ValueOur study sheds light on less documented local-led IPs. From a critical point of view, it shows that, despite the interest they attract among donors, local-led IPs suffer from specific weaknesses and require substantial support, especially when they operate in weak enabling environments.

Purpose This descriptive multiple case study examined the effects of a contextualized expository strategy intervention on supported and independent note-taking, verbal rehearsal, and reporting skills for three elementary students with language disorders. Method Two 9-year-old fourth grade students and one 11-year-old sixth grade student with language disorders participated. The intervention was delivered as sixteen individual 20-minute sessions across nine weeks by the school speech-language pathologist. Students learned to take written and pictographic notes from expository texts and use verbal formulation and rehearsal of individual sentences and whole reports in varied learning contexts. To explore both emergent and independent accomplishments, performance was examined in final intervention session presentations and pre/post intervention testing. Results Following the intervention, all three students effectively used notes and verbal rehearsal to prepare and present fluent, organized, accurate, confident oral reports to an audience. From pre- to post-test, the students showed a range of improvements in the quality of notes, use of verbal rehearsal, holistic quality of oral and written reporting, and strategy awareness. Conclusions Sketch and Speak shows potential as an expository intervention for students who struggle with academic language learning. The results support further examination of this intervention for supported strategy use by younger students and independent use by older students.

While smart maintenance is gaining popularity in professional engineering and construction management practice, little is known about the dimensions of its maturity. It is assumed that the complex networked environment of maintenance and the rise of data-driven methodologies require a different perspective on maintenance. This paper identifies maturity dimensions for smart maintenance of constructed assets that can be measured. A research design based on two opposite cases is used and data from multiple sources is collected in four embedded case studies in corporate facility management organizations. Through coding data in several cross-case analyses, a maturity framework is designed that is validated through expert consultation. The proposed smart maintenance maturity framework includes technological dimensions (e.g., tracking and tracing) as well as behavioral dimensions (e.g., culture). It presents a new and encompassing theoretical perspective on client leadership in digital construction, integrating innovation in both construction and maintenance supply networks.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore if and how informal governance mechanisms are used for coordinating actors of digitalized supply networks.Design/methodology/approachA multiple case study analysis of ten German firms in digitalized supply networks is conducted. Data are collected through semi-structured expert interviews with interviewees having notable years of professional experience in purchasing or sales.FindingsThis research shows that reduced personal contacts in digitalized supply networks decrease the ability to coordinate with informal governance mechanisms. However, the need for informal governance in digitalized supply networks remains when facing supply network disruptions or building new business relationships.Originality/valueThis is the first study examining the role of informal governance mechanisms in digitalized supply networks. Theoretical and practical insights on the changing abilities and needs to use informal governance after the digital transformation are given.

PurposeThis paper aims to examine critical factors of successful logistics outsourcing relationship from the perspectives of both LSPs and shippers employing case studies in Singapore and Vietnam as examples of well-established and growing logistics outsourcing markets.Design/methodology/approachThe case study design is adopted to empirically examine logistics outsourcing practices. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with senior managers from four cases in Singapore and seven cases in Vietnam. These case organisations are engaged comprehensively in logistics outsourcing activities and encompass both international firms that have their local operations and those local firms whose operations expand internationally.FindingsResults suggest that the success of logistics outsourcing may depend on five strategic factors and five operational factors, with some of them being the same between LSPs and shippers in both countries and in line with the literature. There also seemed to be a difference between logistics outsourcing practitioners in a developed country (Singapore), and those in a developing country (Vietnam), in which factors, i.e. having the right people and management support, business processes integration and cultural intelligence, tend to be emphasised and practised more in the former. A strategy matrix of logistics outsourcing was mapped accordingly.Research limitations/implicationsThe generalisation of this study would require further empirical examination from more quantitative research, for example, the use of surveys with shippers who engage with LSPs.Practical implicationsFindings from this research can assist managers in charge of outsourcing to reflect on their practices and devise and implement appropriate strategies for successful logistics outsourcing. Especially for growing logistics outsourcing markets and not-yet-standardised practices like Vietnam, the findings of this research are significant as they provide policy and managerial insights into how logistics outsourcing can be performed successfully. Specifically, adequate guidelines and resources including training relating to strategic factors of logistics outsourcing must be provided.Originality/valueThis research is one of the first studies that categorise success factors of logistics outsourcing into strategic and operational factors and postulates their conceptualisation in a strategy matrix that can be applied in future research.

The purpose of this study was to examine how secondary students with severe disabilities (i.e., severe intellectual disability or autism, multiple disabilities) participate in extracurricular school clubs. Using a qualitative multiple case design, the experiences of three high school students were examined. Data were collected through interviews, observations, and document reviews. A single-case inductive open-coding strategy was utilized across all data sources in which codes and categories emerged, and a final cross-case thematic evaluation was conducted. The cross-case thematic analysis resulted in the following four overarching themes: (a) going with the flow; (b) social obstacles: on the outside looking in; (c) supports provided: too much, too little, just right; and (d) safety in numbers.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze how the application of gamification promotes employee motivation and engagement in the workplace. This study sought to identify gamification characteristics, examine motivation and engage at work to relate them to different game designs. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative exploratory study of multiple cases involving four companies located in Brazil’s southern region. These companies use gamification with their employees or companies whose business offers gamification solutions focused on people management. Findings This multiple case study presented aspects and different approaches to gamification and serious games. Of the four case studies, the Bravi Quiz application was the most satisfactory case because of its attractive design. Research limitations/implications The research instruments prioritized the topic of gamification with its tools and applicability. The themes of motivation and engagement at work have been addressed but need further research. Practical implications The planning and application of gamification with the appropriate score, feedback and rewards are necessary to promote motivation and engagement in the workplace. Gamification must be linked to its systems and processes on its excellent progress because it is taken in isolation; it does not increase engagement and motivation. Originality/value This is one of the few studies dealing with gamification in human resource management by involving developers/instructors, managers and employees/users and different companies’ tools. This study served as a comparison between the tools of gamification and serious games.

University teaching in STEM has come under increased scrutiny as internationally, a recognition of the importance of a STEM-literate future workforce is becoming clear. In STEM faculties, where change has been historically difficult and the tension between teaching and research more pronounced, this represents a significant challenge. Although there have been no widespread success stories or single models for pedagogical change in STEM in higher education, there have been unique ‘pockets’ of excellence; faculties, groups or individuals that are making a significant difference. In this study, we adopt a multiple case study approach to identify emergent themes underlying ‘pockets of excellence’ at six Australian universities. We argue that the four themes correspond to critical factors; a ‘champion’, support for the champion from the leadership team or a mentor, a critical mass of supporters, and an institutional culture that values the contribution. We find that although change can occur with some of these present, for it to be lasting, all must be emphasised to some degree.

Mental imagery of ‘future selves’ is considered a powerful means for motivating learners, and also teachers, whose own motivation is an important basis for the creation of engaging teaching–learning environments. This multiple case study accompanied Chilean novice teachers of English over 18 months and explores the use of visualizations of teacher selves as a reflection tool in early career development. What images of themselves and their classroom environments do novice teachers create when prompted to visualize themselves as ‘motivating teachers’? What role do these visualizations play in supporting novice teachers in implementing methodological innovations? And do novice teachers value the use of visualizations? Two contrasting cases demonstrate variability in the evolution of visions, and illustrate how these can fulfil different roles in assisting teachers during their induction phase.

Background/aims Healthcare professionals play an important role in vocational rehabilitation for people receiving welfare support. The research questions for this study were: how do qualified healthcare professionals operate in UK welfare-to-work settings? What factors influence healthcare professionals' practice within a UK welfare-to-work setting? Methods A qualitative methodology was adopted. Four semi-structured interviews were conducted and additional documents (the awarded Work and Health Programme bids and job descriptions) about the healthcare professionals' roles were reviewed. Inductive thematic analysis was undertaken. Results Five themes were generated from the interview data: supporting frontline staff to understand clients' health needs; moving clients with complex needs closer to work; getting it right for the client by individualising support; gaining consent and maintaining confidentiality; and seeking and organising clinical supervision. These themes were corroborated with the document data. Conclusions Healthcare professionals have a key role within welfare-to-work provision. Further research is needed to determine if the proposed healthcare professional roles have come to fruition, to identify their prevalence, and to explore their effectiveness.

PurposeLittle is known regarding triggers in the adoption of governance practices within family businesses. Enterprises can implement governance practices to avoid re-arising conflicts lived in the past. Moreover, the type of conflicts experienced can determine the order in which different types of governance practices are adopted, another issue that requires further investigation. To address these knowledge gaps, this study gathers evidence into how the adoption of governance practices is linked to the conflicts experienced in family businesses and how this adoption evolves.Design/methodology/approachA multiple case study was conducted with 15 family businesses in the agricultural sector. The conflicts experienced throughout the enterprises' trajectories and the governance practices adopted were analysed and classified according to their relationship with the family, business and ownership subsystems.FindingsThe study shows that there is no direct link between the conflicts experienced and the governance practices adopted in family businesses. The most recurrent conflicts have to do with the relationship between family and ownership; however, the adoption of governance practices is centred on the relationship between business and ownership. The practices that mediate the relationship between family and business are adopted second, and the practices that mediate the relationship between family and ownership are adopted last.Originality/valueThe study applies a classification of conflicts and governance practices that adjusts to the complexity of the family business. The research contributes to the field by providing an understanding of the integration of knowledge about the family business, governance systems and conflict.

Engineering design has a major impact on downstream performance, but is often guided, in both procurement and solution type, by intuition rather than a solid science base. Engineering is also increasingly collaborative, crossing organisational boundaries. However, the long-term close partnerships, as often proposed, are difficult to achieve in the context of individual engineering projects. Building on concepts related to investments in specific assets, this study describes the underlying characteristics of engineering design investments and then prescribes the relational investment and contract forms to select them, thereby contributing to our understanding of the engineering design and relational investments that can and should be made. We undertook multiple case study research, which is presented in two phases. The descriptive phase identifies positive outcomes for solutions based on off-the-shelf designs with fixed price mechanisms, for solutions based on adaptive designs with target cost mechanisms, and for bespoke solutions contracted either on cost-plus mechanisms or, if in bite-sized pieces, on fixed price mechanisms. Negative performance outcomes were found for adaptive solutions with Fixed Price mechanisms. A prescriptive phase, yielding a visualized model, then offers guidance for relational investments and contract mechanisms that are suitable for different engineering designs. Applicability zones and three potential transitions to challenge and guide current practice are developed to inform decision making.

Prior research on peer literacy teaching tends to be conceptualized as peer tutoring and often focuses on the cognitive aspects of reading (e.g., skills, strategies). In this multiple case study, we draw on theories of identity and positioning to propose a conceptual shift from tutoring to mentoring to also describe the affective and relational dimensions of peer literacy teaching. In our analysis, we explore how two 11th graders positioned themselves as readers and mentors in a cross-age literacy mentorship class in a public high school in the northeastern United States. Data sources include mentor interviews, field notes, and artifacts. Our multiphase coding process identified three main themes: the importance of (a) texts and (b) relationships and reciprocity to mentors’ positioning, and (c) complexities of the mentor position. Findings suggest that school-based opportunities for youth to work collaboratively to understand their own and others’ reading processes may contribute insights into both the affective and the cognitive aspects of peer literacy teaching.

While music education researchers have examined cooperating teacher and student teacher interactions via classroom observations and interviews, there is little research on extended dialogues between the cooperating teacher and student teacher or various mentoring roles (coach, guide, model, and evaluator) assumed by cooperating teachers. During one 8-week student teaching placement period, I recorded extended dialogues between four student teacher-cooperating teacher pairs, along with individual interviews. Data were analyzed using the mentor roles in dialogues model. The mentoring role assumed during dialogues reflected the student teaching context, perceptions about appropriate roles, cooperating teacher and student teacher personalities, and their relationship. Mentoring dialogues were especially influenced by unique features of the music ensemble class.

A Capacidade de Inovação (CI) e os Fundamentos Estratégicos (FE) são elementos potencialmente relevantes à diferenciação dos Negócios Tradicionais (NT), pois podem contribuir para a geração de inovação tecnológica. No entanto, uma questão importante é investigar se esses elementos são igualmente importantes para os Negócios de Impacto Social (NIS) que geram inovação social. Nesse contexto, buscaram-se respostas para a questão de pesquisa, como os fundamentos estratégicos (FE) (missão, visão, valores e estrutura) podem contribuir para a capacidade de inovação (CI) de NT e NIS? A fim de buscar resposta a essa questão o objetivo desse estudo é investigar as contribuições dos FE para a mobilização de recursos que fomentam a CI em NT e aqueles que promovem Inovação Social. Nesta pesquisa, de natureza qualitativa e descritiva, adotou-se como método o estudo de caso múltiplo, sendo as unidades de análises: um NT, a BRAILE, e um NIS, o CREN. Os dados foram coletados a partir de entrevistas semiestruturadas e levantamento de documentos. Para a interpretação dos dados, adotou-se a análise de conteúdo com o auxílio do software Atlas.Ti, para a organização e codificação dos dados. Os principais resultados apontam que os FE em todas as suas subdivisões fomentaram a CI nas duas empresas. A pesquisa contribui para o entendimento de que os NIS precisam de uma estrutura organizacional estabelecida, como ocorre nos NT (com fins lucrativos).

Using educational advisors to facilitate the implementation of innovations in schools is a widespread, yet still relatively little studied and understood strategy in reform policies. This article reports on an exploratory, multiple case study on the support provided by external advisors to secondary schools in Flanders (Belgium) on the implementation of a new policy on inclusive education. We found that the form and content of support practices were constituted and determined by four thematic elements: congruency, legitimacy, loyalty, and urgency. Striving for congruency between the agendas of several parties appeared to be an important theme in the interpretations, negotiations, and appreciation of support practices. Furthermore, support practices were found to be constituted by the advisors’ loyalty towards the organisations they worked with. The acquisition of legitimacy as an advisor, necessary for receiving a clear mandate from the school teams, was a third factor. A final key factor in external support practices was the sense of urgency around the agenda of the external support, felt by members of the school team.

The article concerns the revision of earlier decisions to offshore production activities (so called “relocation of second degree”); more specifically it is focused on the “reshoring” (also referred as “relocation to the home country”, “back-reshoring” or “back-shoring”). The research aims are to investigate what types of mistakes occur along the decision-making and implementation process and how they affect the outcome, in terms of success or failure, of a relocation strategy. A multiple case study involving four companies in the fashion industry from Portugal and Italy was conducted. The cross-case analysis allowed to differentiate decision-making mistakes from implementation ones and to assess differences and similarities among the cases in terms of content of the relocation, drivers and outcomes. The research contributes to previous literature on reshoring by bringing evidence of different types of mistakes to be considered, thus requiring further conceptualization of the reshoring process. Managers and entrepreneurs should consider the importance of doing the things right also during the implementation, too often underestimated. The present article is the first one in the reshoring literature bringing evidence of cases of failure in the relocation decisions and discriminating among different kinds of mistakes.

PurposeIn a context of technological disruption, companies face a digital imperative to adopt successfully emerging new technologies. While family firms have a huge potential for growth and innovation, they may – due to idiosyncratic but often limited resources, have to address the complex challenges induced by digital technologies introduction. The purpose of this paper is to explore how human and cultural resources influence the formulation and implementation of five French family firms' digital strategy.Design/methodology/approachBased on a phenomenological epistemology, semi-structured interviews among different generational cohorts of family business owners.FindingsThe thematic analysis highlights five main cultural and psychological determinants holding the potential for positive and synergetic outcomes while implementing a digital strategy: the change management nurtured by long-term sustainability, the emotional attachment to the firm, the entrepreneurial legacy influence, the personalised involvement of individual family members and the family owners' central focus on employees.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the first research projects exploring the digital transformation process of family businesses from the perspective of the firm's human capital. The participants of the study reveal idiosyncratic attitudes such as long-term orientation, entrepreneurial bridging and non-economic goals leading to competitive advantages and transgenerational wealth creation.

Neurodevelopmental disorders are seen quite commonly by general pediatricians. They should be managed with a multi-professional approach. The potential beneficial effect of poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) has been reported in recent literature, but guidelines describing their use in everyday practice are still lacking. We describe four cases as examples of the possible integration of a supplementation with PUFAs in the management of four relatively common clinical situations (i.e., children too young to receive pharmacological treatment for ADHD, children with nonspecific neurodevelopmental disorders, children whose parents refuse consent for pharmacological treatment of ADHD, and children for whom methylphenidate is not sufficient to achieve expected results).

The study employed a qualitative multiple case study approach to investigate second-grade students’ perceptions of their classrooms’ physical learning environment. Data were collected through interviews, participant-generated photographs, and observations. Participants in the study were 16 students in four classrooms in three school districts. A physical learning environment tool, Assessing the Pillars of the Physical Environment for Academic Learning (APPEAL), developed by Evanshen and Faulk and published in 2019, was used to select classrooms to participate in the study. According to the scale, the top-scoring classrooms were more learner-centered (more constructivist) than the lowest-scoring (more traditional) classrooms. Generally, participants believed that classroom physical learning environments that were best for them were meaningful, offered easy access to resources and materials, and provided active learning and social engagement opportunities. Both physical and emotional comfort were important to participants. There were more similarities than differences between the participants’ perceptions in the classrooms that scored highest on the APPEAL and the classes that scored lowest. The findings suggested that young children’s perceptions of the environment can be influenced by their experiences or contexts and their differences. The results encourage teachers of young children to think about their students as actively affected by their environment and challenge them to design classroom physical learning environments that support the diverse needs of students within these spaces.

This multiple case study focused on the implementation of a computer-aided design (CAD) simulation to help students engage in engineering design to learn science concepts. Our findings describe thr...

The purpose of the present study was to understand the nature of the link between science teachers’ epistemologies and their socioscientific issue (SSI) teaching discourse. It is important to consider this link due to the limitations of science teachers in shifting from monologic to more dialogic orientations in their teaching, despite SSI-based science education reforms in many countries. Teachers’ epistemologies are likely to contribute to the difficulties experienced in this shift. We selected three science teachers using purposive sampling procedures. Using classroom observations and follow-up constructivism-oriented interviews, we selected one non-constructivist, one moderately constructivist, and one constructivist science teacher. We then examined these teachers’ (knowledge-based and science-based) epistemologies by two semi-structured interviews. The teachers taught one SSI topic and then we conducted classroom observations. Benefiting from highly used classifications, we classified teachers’ epistemologies and discourses in the transcripts. The results showed that there were some coherences and incoherences between science teachers’ epistemologies and their SSI teaching.

Research question: Schools are recognized as a stakeholder in sport events; however, how their involvement can contribute to the leveraging processes remains unclear. This study explores the role of local schools in leveraging sport events for lifelong sport participation. Research methods: The National Sports Festival of Japan was examined using a multiple case study approach. Six host cities were purposively selected, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with policy-makers and sport governing body representatives of these cities (N = 11). Results and findings: Nine categories related to schools’ involvement in the event leveraging process were identified. These nine categories were further classified into four themes: (1) need for actions by or through schools, (2) presence of central actors, (3) intermediate outcomes for future promotional activities, and (4) supplemental conditions to amplify effects. Moreover, these themes and categories formed a framework illustrating a positive sustainable circular system that bolsters the event's impacts on sport participation in the host city. Implications: Our findings contribute to the literature on sport event leveraging and sport development by showing the key administrative role of schools in increasing sport participation through the leveraging of events. For event organizers, this study highlights the importance of developing a continuous partnership with schools to implement the long-term policy for sport event's impact.

Prior research suggests that corporate boards and directors play important roles in firm strategy and performance. In this paper, we examine an important yet underexplored avenue and focus on their role in overcoming multilevel psychic distance (PD) faced by internationalizing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) originating from an emerging market. Analyzing Indian Fintech SMEs, using multiple case studies, our findings reveal that boards contribute important network-level resources and knowledge about foreign markets, which in turn assists internationalizing SMEs in mitigating PD. We demonstrate that the human and social capital of boards’ play important, yet, distinctly different, roles in mitigating PD at pre- and post-internationalization phases. At the pre-internationalization phase directors’ prior international and industry experience, as well as board interlocks and prior connections, are most valuable, whereas, at the post-entry phase, transnational boards, and those with stronger trust-based personal relationships (i.e., greater depth of social capital (Haynes and Hillman, 2010), facilitate faster experiential learning. Taken together, our findings contribute novel insights into the mechanisms through which boards affect the outcomes of firms operating, and originating from, extreme institutional environments. We further draw implications for research and practice.

The measurement of innovation has been developed by various previous studies with a specific focus and goal. However, the existing measurement framework still cannot be applied all that easily by companies in Indonesia for assessing, evaluating, and improving their innovations. This study aims to propose a measurement framework using a multiple case study approach. Cases were selected from companies in the pharmaceutical and information and communications technology (ICT) industries because they contribute substantially to the manufacturing sector and both are vital to Indonesia. The results of this study indicate that the measurement model of innovation consists of technological innovation and the management of technological innovation. There are three phases in the technological innovation process which include the initiation phase (conceiving ideas and acquiring information, then transforming it into knowledge), the development phase (validating knowledge and checking its appropriateness), and the diffusion phase (getting users' feedback and Go & scaling up). Meanwhile, the management of technological innovation consists of having a strategy, the necessary resources, and operation. The analytical generalization of this study is still considered to be limited, so further studies are needed to analyze cases in other industrial sectors. In addition, a quantitative study is required to construct a measuring instrument for the variables proposed in this study.

This article explores how waste reduction approaches as found in lean thinking can be applied to engineering design in Engineer-To-Order (ETO) projects based on a multiple case study of ten companies over a 2-year period. ETO projects deliver capital goods that are customised to individual customer requirements. Customisation and ultimately value generation are achieved through an iterative engineering design process. Although inevitable, iterative engineering design allows much leeway for waste generation, expressed in higher costs and longer lead times. Accordingly, this paper investigates the iterative nature of engineering design in current practice and discusses how these iterations create wastes. It applies the concept of lean engineering design and elaborates on how this concept can eliminate wastes. The findings extend the literature on lean thinking by demonstrating its applicability to engineering design and provide a unique description of the most common wastes found in ETO projects. Furthermore, this article provides managerial implications on how lean engineering design can eliminate wastes and ultimately improve ETO project performance based on lessons learned from the case companies.

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to identify ways and motives of application of e-commerce in the foreign expansion of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) fashion brands.Design/methodology/approachA multiple case study was used as the research method. Data were obtained from primarily in-depth interviews with managers of four Polish SMEs –fashion brands owners, whose products are sold in the foreign markets using e-commerce, and secondary sources.FindingsThrough this study the authors identified both strategic-proactive and market-reactive motives of e-commerce applications in SMEs’ fashion brands in the internet-enabled foreign expansion and three different models of usage of e-commerce in the foreign expansion of SMEs.Research limitations/implicationsThe research was based on the multiple case study of only Polish SMEs in the fashion industry. The conclusions of this study can be applied by fashion companies in their internet-based foreign expansion.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the existing body of literature on the internationalization process of SMEs, and particularly on the application of cross-border e-commerce in the foreign internet-enabled expansion of fashion SMEs by identifying three various models of applying e-commerce, in the internet-enabled foreign expansion and their both proactive and reactive motives.

This multiple case study of four journalism and mass communication programs examines teaching presence as a mechanism for mitigating transactional distance in online learning environments. This study explores instructor-to-student communication strategies and techniques utilized by experienced online journalism and mass communication educators, and the contributions of instructional designers in collaborative course design and delivery settings. Six emergent themes are identified and discussed. Recommendations for journalism and mass communication educators, including administrators, are provided.

Expatriate is one of the potential sources of knowledge for firms to increase their capability in creating innovation. Currently, Indonesia has a relatively small number of expatriates but the figure tends to increase overtime. This country has experienced a changing nature of expatriation that brings consequences to several conditions for the achievement of successful knowledge transfer (KT) from expatriates to local employee in Indonesian local firms. This paper proposes a new concept namely Knowledge Transfer Readiness (KTR) which is beneficial in helping the firms to deal with the changing nature. Combining grounded research and multiple case studies to apply this concept to the Indonesian local firms, it is argued that not all of the elements in KTR’s dimensions must be fulfilled in excellent conditions. Weak elements from the source’s side can be surmounted by fulfilling excellent condition of recipient’s side, and vice versa. Nevertheless, there are elements that must be fulfilled in excellent condition of both sides, or becomes absolute requirements solely for the expatriates. The fulfillment of KTR’s elements influences the relationship qualities between expatriates and local employees to achieve Knowledge Transfer Quality (KTQ). The KTQ includes the amount and the accuracy of knowledge and depth of understanding, so it can be a new option of qualitative indicator to measure the success of KT.

The article presents detailed description of methods of arrangement and description of archival materials in three community archives from Poland: the Foundation of General Elżbieta Zawacka, the Association “History Tellers from the Lower City in Gdańsk”, and the Civic Archive in Podkowa Leśna. Information presented in the article are part of a research project entitled “Community archives in Poland: multiple case study” (2016–2019). Research data was collected during field studies, using methods of semi-structured interviews, on-site direct observations, and desk research. The article also provides information about the context of operation of contemporary community archives in Poland, especially the phenomenon of professionalization of community archives and its impact on methods of their archival work. As a key finding, the study stresses the importance of knowing the community archive’s context in understanding its archival practices.

The present research inquired about beliefs of in-service and pre-service mathematics teachers as well as the analysis and comparison between the beliefs that they declare, argue, and reflect in their lessons plans, and the use of those beliefs in their practical exercises. Five pre-service teachers studying a Bachelor’s in Mathematics, and three in-service teachers who were Ph.D. candidates in Mathematics Education participated in the study. A multiple case study was carried out using mixed methods. Closed questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and lesson plans were used as instruments for information collection. The obtained data show how participants have been structuring their beliefs. Moreover, it was possible to determine that in-service teachers have more firm beliefs which were evidenced in their classroom proposals, whereas pre-service teachers have more tentative beliefs that, in general, do not align with what is evidenced through their lesson planners. The training received at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels has permeated the formation of participants’ beliefs which can be evidenced in the obtained results. Some implications and suggestions for initial and continuous education programs for mathematics teachers and future research suggestions are presented.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the performance of incubators in the stages of formation and development of incubated business networks, especially in bottom-up and top-down network models. Design/methodology/approach The research is defined as qualitative and descriptive, with the application of multiple case studies, in which two networks of incubated businesses were investigated, one being top-down and the other bottom-up, which emerged within the incubation process of two business incubators (CIETEC and INCIT). To make the study operational, 11 semi-structured interviews were carried out and the thematic analysis of content was developed. Findings The results pointed out that in the top-down network the incubator performs a new assignment, the network orchestration, which corresponds to the actions of formation, coordination and governance of the group. In the bottom-up network, it was found that the role of the incubator was to expand the value offers usually practiced. Research limitations/implications As a limitation of the research, the very limitation of case studies is pointed out that is they do not allow for generalizations. Practical implications The research contributes to reflections on the effectiveness of the incubator and sheds light on the complementarity of networks in incubation processes, providing gains for incubators, incubated businesses and society. Originality/value The originality of this document is the new role of the incubator, which is orchestration, and its categorization. The results allow us to understand the effects of providing networks and relationships for incubated businesses. In addition, this study broadens the focus of traditional analyses of the incubator–incubated duo to consider the incubator–network–incubated trio.

Social enterprises aim to create both social and financial value, requiring the creation of business models that allow both objectives to be pursued simultaneously. However, the tensions between these objectives can make this a challenging task in terms of issues such as mission drift and commercial failure. Our multiple case study of seven social enterprises operating in Finland examines business model innovation in social enterprises from an activity system perspective to identify different patterns of activity through which social and financial goals are developed, discarded, and reconfigured. We find that the process involves variety of hybrid logics, with both sequential and parallel combinations of social and financial value, as well as gradual and discontinuous progressions. The findings also provide evidence of how social and financial goals guide the strategic framing of the business model in social enterprises by setting mutually constraining boundary conditions, restricting or guiding opportunities for business model innovation. Post-print / Final draft

Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT), an empirically supported third-wave behavioral approach for the treatment of couples, is examined in this multiple case study. IBCT was developed to help couples navigate challenging differences, so this study examines its use with couples reporting problems arising from differences in self-identified cultural identities, practices, or beliefs. The experiences of three therapists using IBCT in their work with intercultural couples is examined. Each participating therapist in this study contributes by describing one case in which IBCT was used to help the couple with existing conflicts related to cultural differences. These descriptions, provided through written responses to open-ended questions, were examined using cross-case analysis. Results include descriptions of the various stressors faced by intercultural couples, therapists’ formulations of cultural differences, change processes and change mechanisms during treatment, and similarities and differences across therapists’ reports. Specific quotations that demonstrate main ideas and particularly poignant or useful information are integrated. The study concludes with participating therapists’ recommendations for treatment of intercultural couples in general, their recommendations for utilizing IBCT with intercultural couples, and implications for future research.

The purpose of this multiple case study was to gain insight into the self-efficacy beliefs of pre-service teachers participating in a teacher education curriculum that used mixed reality simulation...

Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) is an important marketing tool for achieving positive customer-related outcomes and firm performance. However, eWOM management is not well understood. This study explores how eWOM management can be utilized to optimize firm performance. Using a multiple case study approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with senior managers who were involved in the management of eWOM from nine hotels, and their websites and marketing materials were analyzed. eWoM digital platforms give even resource-constrained smaller hotels timely review analytics that can be used for the purpose of brand reputation strategy decisions. That is, those hotels that focus their limited resources on developing authentic response systems and create unique communication capabilities which are leveraged for eWOM reputation as a competitive advantage. These findings highlight that successful hotels use eWoM data analytics for decisions related long-term signaling strategies: as hotels can extend their authentic voice or an organizational character within their eWOM responses over time to complement their optimal brand position.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the talent acquisition practices adopted by startups and understand how small entrepreneurs leverage social capital to address the talent acquisition challenges faced by them, and; identify some of the unique parameters adopted by startups in talent acquisition. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a multiple case study method to explore the talent acquisition practices in startups in India. The study included six case studies on startups in Hubli city of North Karnataka in India. Findings This paper finds that startups (especially in smaller cities) face challenges such as lower quality of talent pool, absence of a brand name, inability to provide competitive salary and other benefits as per industry standards and locational disadvantages in talent acquisition. Thus, entrepreneurs leverage their social capital for talent acquisition by handpicking talent on the basis of familiarity or credible networks and recommendations. Incubation centres provide institutionalized sources of social capital to help them attract good talent. This study finds that employee-culture fit and trust play important role in acquiring talent in startups. Practical implications The study has implications for startup entrepreneurs, recruitment service providers, incubation centres, trainers, policymakers, etc. The study provides useful insights to the startups with regard to their recruitment practices. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature in the domains of talent acquisition, startups and social capital by describing hiring challenges faced by startups and exploring the mechanisms used by them in overcoming such challenges.

This paper reports on a multiple case study into the pedagogic beliefs and practices of Indonesian teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) regarding the teaching and learning of culture and...

In order to prepare Rwandan citizens for a competitive world, a competence-based curriculum (CBC) has been implemented since 2016. The problem addressed by this study is “under which conditions wil...

Millennial workers occupy the majority of employment positions worldwide, which is a concern to business leaders in the United States related to having knowledge and ability to train, motivate, and retain millennial employees. Using Gilbert’s behavior engineering model as a conceptual framework, this multiple case study explored the strategies that business leaders used to motivate millennial employees. The study population included 4 leaders of small restaurant businesses in eastern North Carolina, USA. Data were collected from semistructured, face-to-face interviews using 7 open-ended questions and a review of company documents, websites, and social media. Data were coded and analyzed following Morse’s method of data analysis. Three themes emerged from data analysis: rewards and recognition, high-quality leader-member relationship, and professional development. The findings of this research are significant for small business leaders who want to implement effective motivational strategies to manage millennial employees to keep their organizations productive and profitable. The implications of this study for positive social change include the potential to help millennial workers grow in their careers, become financially stable, and develop into prospective leaders prepared to proper their organizations and societies in the future.

University-enterprise (U-E) innovation chain fractures hinder the commercialisation of knowledge. However, few contributions in the academic field have uncovered how certain mechanisms repair U-E innovation fractures and commercialise their research results. In order to bridge the research gap in the repair mechanism of U-E innovation chain fractures, a multiple-case study of U-E innovation fractures was conducted by proposing a ‘behaviour-process-outcomes’ repair model. The results are as follows: motivation coordination mechanism is the driving force that converges the goals of different organisations; organisation coordination mechanism is the platform that provides the basic support for the weak links and makes up for the defects of a single organisation; capability development and coordination is the element of U-E cooperation through a combination of basic and applied research capability, technological innovation capability and product commercialisation capability; policy coordination mechanism is the vehicle of U-E innovation chain that strengthens U-E cooperation with various preferential policies. The conclusion shows the ‘coordinated innovation’ repair model for U-E innovation chain fractures provides important insights for practitioners and policymakers involved in developing an innovation chain in U-E cooperation.

The purpose of this instrumental multiple case study was to explore the roles that high school music educators and the experiences they provide play in influencing high school students’ decisions to pursue a career in music education. Four bounded systems, consisting of programs led by ensemble directors with documented records and reputations for helping matriculate music education students into undergraduate music education programs, were studied. Findings were organized into the following themes: (a) formative attraction to the profession, (b) differing approaches to encouragement, (c) forms of encouragement, and (d) life as a music teacher. Specific implications for practice for multiple stakeholders and implications for future research are provided based on these findings.

Extensive research has been published on pedagogical approaches for online courses across traditional, theory-based curricula within business, education, and health care. However, there has been le...

To address increasing national interest in teacher candidate performance assessments, this multiple case study examined three novice teachers’ assessment literacy practices from their completion of...

In many European countries, for both demographic and financial reasons, small schools are being closed. A rural school is one of the few public places which enables formal and informal meetings of community residents. When it is closed, social activity changes. This paper presents a multiple-case study of four Polish villages which in the year 2000 organized protests against school closures; two schools were saved and two were closed. Semi-structured interviews with local leaders and office workers were conducted in 2004 and 2016. The study shows that the decline of structural social capital was significantly smaller in those villages where the school was saved. In the village in which the building of the school did not serve the local population due to the decision of the authorities, a significant and long-term decline in both structural and cognitive social capital was observed. That means that local authorities may contribute to the degradation of the local social capital.

PurposeThe aim of this research is to analyze sustainable value chain management based on dynamic capabilities in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).Design/methodology/approachA qualitative methodology is used, through a multiple case study with three SMEs, to identify the conceptual relationship between the sustainable value chain and dynamic capabilities. Interviews are conducted with managers, and the data are analyzed through content analysis.FindingsIt is observed that breaking down barriers in processes is important for establishing the sustainable value chain, generating dynamic capabilities with the readaptation of activities.Research limitations/implicationsIt is recommended that studies be conducted in other sectors and in large companies, to identify new perspectives.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study demonstrate the constant processes of SMEs in response to legal, bureaucratic and logistical changes, in the generation of dynamic capabilities and sustainable value chain management, to achieve their customers' goals.Social implicationsThe research contributes to the literature on the management of dynamic capabilities in the value chain in Brazilian companies and to the supply chain field, particularly in relation to SMEs.Originality/valueThis research analyzes sustainable value chain management based on dynamic capabilities in Brazilian SMEs, gathering the managers' perceptions regarding changes in the external environment that influence adaptations and alignments, impacting on their businesses.

This article analyses one of the most common tools employed by global focal companies in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) across all industries: supplier sustainability self-assessment questionnaires. Extant research has moved beyond the questions of whether and which suppliers should be assessed. Current research is already focussing on how to share and standardise such assessment data. Despite mounting general research on SSCM, we identified that specific tools such as self-assessment questionnaires have not been empirically analysed in SSCM literature. Thus, this paper addresses the research questions of what differences there are among supplier self-assessment questionnaires and how supplier responses to such questionnaires might be influenced. Our research involves an abductive multiple-case study design and an analysis of over 25,000 responses from globally dispersed suppliers to two types of supplier sustainability self-assessment questionnaires administered and requested by a global automotive focal company.Although the two questionnaires covered similar areas of sustainability practices and were administered to suppliers of the same focal company, the suppliers’ responses demonstrated various observable differences in average sustainability scores.Social desirability bias and supplier assessment fatigue were identified as issues confronting such questionnaires. We find that questionnaire design, how the questionnaire is embedded in the focal company’s processes and institutional settings are factors that potentially influence suppliers’ responses and could counteract social desirability bias and supplier assessment fatigue. Based on these findings we make suggestions for improving these SSCM tools and provide recommendations for further research.

PurposeThis paper identifies the forces that drive digital adoption among SMEs from low and high-tech industries in Malaysia.Design/methodology/approachThis research uses multiple case analyses based on data gathered by in-depth interviews with key representatives of 20 firms from low and high-tech industries in Malaysia.FindingsThe findings suggest that digital adoption among SMEs derives by four fundamental forces, which are sales, marketing, process improvement and product development.Research limitations/implicationsThis study employed qualitative research, but lack of geographic diversity limits the generalisability of the case findings. This study provides several suggestions to policymakers and technology suppliers on how to encourage adoption of digitalisation among SMEs.Originality/valueThis study proposes a model that presents the critical forces that drive digital adoption for export-oriented firms, thus enriching the knowledge in SME digitalisation literature.

Procurement decisions have a pervasive impact on supply chain performance and market success. This is particularly true in supply chains operating to deliver projects, such as construction and engineer-to-order companies, where a focal firm’s procurement decisions need to be coordinated with production activities to effectively satisfy customer orders. This study focuses on how the procurement department can be organised in order to support the needs of project-based supply chains better. Starting from a review of the procurement organisation literature in the context of project supply chains, we use a multiple case study methodology and discuss the procurement organisational choices in 11 project-based companies. Within and cross-case analyses allow identifying two possible archetypes, i.e. the procurement—focussed and the project-focussed organisations, as extremes on a continuum that also includes hybrid solutions. The characteristics of each model are discussed, and results are articulated in three propositions connecting procurement organisational variables and contingent factors.

This qualitative inquiry used the multiple case study and phenomenological designs to explore coteaching experiences of teachers in higher educational institutions. The research utilized the modal ...