Search results

This paper aims to explore the coexistence of formal, informal and personal knowledge management (KM) practices as they support employees' everyday work in organizations.

Qualitative study involving 12 in-depth interviews and 30 hours of observations in a small, quickly growing, knowledge-intensive company.

Formal, informal and personal KM practices were all found to be relevant and interconnected in supporting everyday work in the organization. This suggests a shift from understanding KM as an organizational approach to ecology, shaped by multiple actors and concerns and extending over the formal/informal as well as organizational/personal divides. Interrelationships between formal, informal and personal KM practices took various forms. Among each of these KM categories were practices that contributed in a unique way, without having a functional parallel in other categories. Some KM practices had a strong functional overlap and were competing. Moreover, some formal, informal and personal KM practices formed complementary relationships.

Findings are based on fieldwork in only one organization.

Organizations would benefit from the formal, informal and personal KM practices being complementarily connected. As these connections are sustained by employees in everyday work, effective management of KM ecology needs a collective and distributed effort.

This paper is one of the very few empirical accounts that problematizes the coexistence of formal, informal and personal KM practices and suggests a practice-ecology perspective through which their interrelationships could be studied.

This study investigates the formal/informal employment earnings gap in Turkey. We focus on the earnings differentials that can be explained by observable characteristics and unobservable time-invariant individual heterogeneity. We first, estimate the standard Mincer earnings equations using ordinary least squares (OLS), controlling for individual, household, and job characteristics. Next we use, panel data and the quantile regression (QR) techniques in order to account for unobserved factors which might affect the earnings and the intrinsic heterogeneity within formal and informal sectors. OLS results confirm the existence of an informal sector penalty almost half of which is explained by observable variables. We find that formal-salaried workers are paid significantly higher than their informal counterparts and of the self-employed confirming the heterogeneity within the informal employment. QR results show that pay differentials are not uniform along the earnings distribution. In contrast to the mainstream literature which views informal self-employment as the upper-tier and wage-employment as the lower-tier, we find that self-employment corresponds to the lower-tier in the Turkish labor market. Finally, fixed effects estimation indicates that unobserved individual characteristics combined with controls for observable characteristics explain the pay differentials between formal and informal employment entirely in the total and the female sample. However, informal sector penalty persists in the male sample.

The paper aims to investigate organizational variables and develop their relationship with horizontal strategy. The cultural dimensions and organization structure have been considered as organizational variables. The study also aims to shed light on the implementation horizontal strategy in conglomerates.

A survey was carried out with 122 conglomerate firms for examination. These companies were chosen to be of different sizes and sectors. The multiple regression analysis was utilized to analyze the data.

The results reveal that conglomerate firms also have a horizontal strategy. Additionally, organizational cultural dimensions namely, collectivism, clan culture, market culture and long-term orientation; formal and informal relationship; and horizontal organization structure (HOS) have positive and significant relationship with horizontal strategy. No significant relationship was found between uncertainty avoidance and adhocracy culture, and horizontal strategy.

The major contributions of this study are explicitly identified as horizontal strategy exists in the conglomerate firms where the few organizational variables play a significant role in horizontal strategy implementation.

This study has been done in an effort to make supporting guidelines to fill the gaps in conglomerate firms. This study offers an effective role of cultural dimensions and structure as drivers of horizontal strategy implementation, and this study spells out and extends the literature and proposes a conceptual framework.

The purpose of this study is to expand the understanding of knowledge governance approaches by examining governance mechanisms that can be used to enhance affective commitment. Then, this paper aims to investigate the mediating effects of affective commitment on the relationship between knowledge governance mechanisms (KGMs) and knowledge sharing.

Self-administered questionnaires were used to gather data from 391 employees working in a wide range of organizations operating in Kazakhstan. Regression analysis and structure equation models (SPSS and AMOS) were used to assess the research model.

The empirical results indicated that formal and informal KGMs have a significant impact on knowledge sharing. Moreover, the results revealed that affective commitment mediates the relationship between KGMs and knowledge sharing.

The proposed KGM is a response to practical necessity to promote the affective commitment by combinations of organizational antecedents.

It is the first attempt in post-Soviet Kazakhstan to systematically analyze the effect of knowledge governance on affective commitment. In addition, this paper offers a conceptual framework where affective commitment plays the mediating role in successful knowledge sharing.

The purpose of this paper is to address the strategies adopted by science-based start-ups to gain access to knowledge resources at diverse spatial levels. It investigates the presence and relative importance of ties endowed with different types of proximity in firms’ knowledge networks, and the role played by non-geographical proximity in gaining access to knowledge sources, both nearby and distant.

An analytical framework is proposed that distinguishes between two dimensions of proximity – geographical and relational – leading to different forms of proximity, which are further linked with modes of knowledge interaction (formal or informal). A methodology for network reconstruction is developed and applied to Portuguese molecular biology firms, permitting to identify the origin, location and nature of the ties and to position them along forms of proximity.

The results show that the incidence and mix of the different forms of proximity vary in firms’ individual networks, being possible to identify several patterns. They also uncover the relevance of relational proximity, whether or not coexisting with geographical proximity and often compensating for its absence.

This approach needs to be complemented with further research that refines the operationalization of relational proximity, by attempting to disentangle the influence of different types of non-geographical proximity. Further research will also explore in greater detail the factors that may explain variety in the proximity mix of firms’ networks.

The paper offers insights into the knowledge sourcing strategies adopted by science-based firms located outside the main concentrations of knowledge in their field.

The paper contributes to the literature on the role of proximity in knowledge access, by developing and empirically testing a taxonomy of forms of proximity, considering the characteristics of science-based firms. It uncovers the mechanisms through which relational proximity can contribute to span spatial boundaries, highlighting the role played by entrepreneurs’ personal networks.

Micro-enterprises have a vital role in the development of a nation by creating employment, encouraging entrepreneurship, balancing social income and educating the workforce. Yet, micro-enterprises face significant operational challenges such as low productivity, high production costs and long changeover times. These challenges are often overlooked by researchers and practitioners but have a drastic impact on micro-enterprises' operational performance. With over 95% of the economy consisting of micro-enterprises, it is vital to improve operational performance and competitiveness of the micro-enterprises.

Considering the data availability and practical challenges of gathering data from micro-enterprises, an action research methodology was selected as a suitable research method. Following the initial diagnostic visits, planned interventions were prepared and results were observed to gather data and draw conclusions.

Findings suggest that commonly adapted performance improvement initiatives by large enterprises cannot be directly applied in micro-enterprises to enhance operational performance. Micro-enterprises lack the critical resources and company culture to easily adapt these initiatives. On the other hand, when these performance improvement initiatives are filtered according to specific needs of micro-enterprises, continuous improvement initiatives were often found to be effective in improving operational performance. Specifically, 5S, single-minute exchange of dies (SMED), suggestion schemes, layout improvements, management coaching, visual management, empowerment were found to be useful and suitable to address command and control culture, low productivity, unorganised workspace, undelegated authority, low skilled employees and unwillingness to take responsibility problems.

Further research is required to investigate the specific factors that affect the adaptation of continuous improvement initiatives such as culture and industry type.

This research extends and contributes the current literature on continuous improvement initiatives by revealing how performance improvement initiatives need to be filtered according to the specific needs of micro-enterprises, and how these initiatives can be used to address specific problems to improve operational efficiency. It provides a conceptual framework to guide the decision-making process on operational performance improvement in micro-enterprises.

Environmental regulation is in a continuous state of intense change and modification amid the long-term tensions between environmental protection and economic growth. In this article, the authors creatively investigate how fluctuations of environmental regulation influence a nation's economic growth while also examining the mediating effect of technological innovation.

Using sample data of 36 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries from 2013 to 2018, environmental regulation is differentiated in two aspects of formal environmental regulation (FER) and informal environmental regulation (IER) and analyzed to assess the effects of regulatory fluctuations on investment and technological innovation.

The research results demonstrate that both FER fluctuation and IER fluctuation exert a significant negative impact on economic growth. These two fluctuations in environmental regulation increase uncertainty and unpredictable risks for corporations and investors, significantly stifling the willingness to contribute to innovation activities and leading to a diminished level of innovation. Technological innovation is revealed to have a mediating influence on the relationship of environmental regulation fluctuation to economic growth.

These findings enrich the research on the impact of environmental regulation from a dynamic, multinational perspective, contributing to the literature by exploring the relationships between environmental regulation fluctuation, technological innovation and economic growth at the OECD-country level.

The purpose of this research paper is to study the relationship between entrepreneurial marketing strategy (EMS), institutional environment (IE) and business performance (BP). Further, it examines the role of gender and entrepreneurial experience (EE) as moderators of EMS-BP and IE-BP relationships.

Based on the literature review, the authors proposed a conceptual model that was tested using a quantitative approach. Questionnaires were filled by 202 owners/entrepreneurs of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Egypt. Because of the absence of a formal population-frame for the Egyptian SMEs, non-probability quota sampling technique was used that considered differences in gender and EE. SmartPLS software was used for data analysis.

The results indicated that EMS has significant positive effect on BP. IE has significant positive effect on EMS but insignificant effect on BP. Gender was found to be moderating significantly both the EMS-BP and IE-BP relationships. However, EE was found to be an insignificant moderator in the EMS-BP relationship.

The findings communicate insights to the SMEs on the importance of undertaking proactive, risk-taking and innovative activities while creating and delivering value to their customers. Also, it encapsulates further implications for policymakers to promote a better IE for entrepreneurship in Egypt.

This study contributes conceptually to the interdisciplinary research that investigated the integration between entrepreneurship and marketing as a successful functional strategy in SMEs and its effect on enhancing BP and market share. Empirically, it adds value to the available literature on contemporary strategic entrepreneurship by analysing these IE-EMS-EE-Gender-BP relationships in a promising, yet under-researched, transitional economy.

In recent years the role of business incubators (BIs) within the small-medium enterprise (SME) dimension has grown fast, supporting SMEs, especially during the early stage. For these reasons, this paper aims to investigate how BI supports entrepreneurs in the early stage and what specific instruments are used? What kinds of relations do start-ups use (RQ2)? Finally, the authors intend to explore the long-term influence of these relationships on the economic value of the start-ups (RQ3)?

The present paper is supported by a qualitative methodology of a single case study. To reach the declared goal in terms of relationship observation, the paper applies the CAOS model (Paoloni, 2021), an interpretative model useful for analysing the relational capital within the SME dimension.

This first explanatory research confirms the crucial role of the BI in the firm’s development process. Especially in the early stage, the knowledge transfer from the BI allows the start-up to overcome its main difficulties: the organizational aspect and finance capacity.

The limitation concerns the number of start-ups observed. Future lines of research will be focused on the study of other firms to acquire more data on the topic of BI programmes and start-ups.

The managerial implication refers to advancing knowledge and practice in the area of knowledge sharing actuated by BIs. The present work underlines the importance of relational capital as an intangible asset in the development of the younger company.

This paper contributes to two different fields: knowledge sharing by relational capital and gender studies.

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the literature on management and communication consulting in general, and crisis consulting in particular, by investigating how public relations and communications firms understand crises, crisis management, and crisis communication; how they see themselves practicing crisis consulting; and how they envisage the future of this field of expertise.

The study is based on 12 semi-structured in-depth expert interviews with CEOs, board members, senior consultants, and/or partners representing national and international public relations and communications firms operating in Denmark who offer crisis consulting as one of their areas of expertise.

Findings demonstrate that crisis consulting is a field in transition, moving away from the traditional focus on image crises in the media handled by former journalists, toward a new focus on issue crises involving other types of stakeholders. Findings also demonstrate that crisis consultants generate important insights into aspects of crisis management and crisis communication hitherto neglected by academic scholars.

The insights into the professional “world view” of crisis consultants will contribute to the professionalization of the field.

This is the first major study of crisis consulting as a specific field of expertise within the growing industry of management and communication consulting.