Citation
(2011), "Editors note", Journal of Business Strategy, Vol. 32 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/jbs.2011.28832aaa.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2011, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Editors note
Article Type: Editor’s note From: Journal of Business Strategy, Volume 32, Issue 1
This first issue of 2011 starts off a new decade on a strong international note. Two papers come from a small European country, Finland, but they cover broad global issues. Another paper comes from two Irish researchers in Dublin. Two papers come from Australian authors and one from the USA (representing Montana, California and Colorado).
Ingrid Bonn and Josie Fisher, Australian professors, write about sustainability, a subject perhaps most often applied to discussions of resources such as energy and how it may affect future quality of life. The Bonn article examines sustainability in the context of Australian companies, citing examples where organizations have carefully executed strategic decisions that allow them to remain sustainable.
The French are different from you and me and Tanja Kontinen provides evidence that the French have a unique business culture. The French language is a key to understanding the culture and it holds a revered place. Even though English is the international business language of the world, the French prefer their own tongue. And one can never underestimate the importance to the French of drinking wine at all hours. Doing business in France thus requires sacrifices such as fine dining and drinking, as well as appreciating the cultural environment.
Grahame Dowling, a prominent presence in the field of reputation management, teams up with a media research consultant to show that not all media coverage or commentary is created equal, even when it is all positive. Companies can save substantial money and even increase share price and revenue by being more judicious in how they seek coverage.
It’s tough to be a subsidiary, according to Pamela Scott and Patrick Gibbons, who survey Irish companies to understand more about the problems subsidiaries of multinationals face today. To stop the erosion of their influence, knowledge sharing, and business position, subsidiaries, and their parent companies, can take key actions to maintain viability.
Closely connected to the decline of subsidiaries is the outsourcing issue. Three US professors, Jakki J. Mohr, Sanjit Sengupta and Staley F. Slater, suggest that outsourcing involves a series of strategic decisions that may have far-reaching implications for the company. If the intention is to conserve management time and attention in addition to cost savings, the former may be less likely to occur as outsourcing becomes more complex.
Providing customer value has also become more complex today, as three Finnish contributors demonstrate. Value may derive from multiple services, companies or products and thus managers need to apply systemic thinking to the pursuit.
We hope our readers enjoy this issue, with its truly global scope that goes from down under (Australia) to way above (Finland).