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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 13 February 2024

Jasmin Mahadevan, Tobias Reichert, Jakob Steinmann, Annabelle Stärkle, Sven Metzler, Lisa Bacher, Raphael Diehm and Frederik Goroll

We conceptualized the novel phenomenon of COVID-induced virtual teams and its implications and provided researchers with the required information on how to conduct a…

Abstract

Purpose

We conceptualized the novel phenomenon of COVID-induced virtual teams and its implications and provided researchers with the required information on how to conduct a phenomenon-based study for conceptualizing novel phenomena in relevant ways.

Design/methodology/approach

This article stems from phenomenon-based and, thus, theory-building and grounded qualitative research in the German industrial sector. We conducted 47 problem-centered interviews in two phases (February–July 2021 and February–July 2022) to understand how team members and team leaders experienced COVID-induced virtual teamwork and its subsequent developments.

Findings

Empirically, we found COVID-induced virtual teams to be characterized by a high relevance of shaping positive team dynamics via steering internal moderators; crisis is a novel external moderator and transformation becomes the key output factor to be leveraged. Work-from-home leads to specific configuration needs and interrelations between work-from-home and on-site introduce additional dynamics. Methodologically, the phenomenon-based approach is found to be highly suitable for studying the effects of such novel phenomena.

Research limitations/implications

This article is explorative. Thus, we advocate further research on related novel phenomena, such as post-COVID-hybrid and work-from-home teams. A model of how to encourage positive dynamics in post-COVID-hybrid teams is developed and lays the groundwork for further studies on post-COVID teamwork. Concerning methodology, researchers are provided with information on how to conduct phenomenon-based research on novel phenomena, such as the COVID-induced virtual teams that we studied.

Practical implications

Companies receive advice on how to encourage positive dynamics in post-COVID teamwork, e.g. on identifying best practices and resilient individuals.

Social implications

In a country such as Germany that faces labor shortages, our insights might facilitate better labor-market integration for those with care-work obligations and international workers.

Originality/value

We offer a first conceptualization of a relevant novel phenomenon, namely COVID-induced virtual teams. We exemplify the phenomenon-based approach as a suitable methodology that serves to build relevant theory using active categorization.

Details

Central European Management Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2658-0845

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 December 2022

Mats Forsgren and Mo Yamin

The purpose of this paper is twofold: to analyse what theories assume about multinational enterprises (MNEs) when they claim these are superior and to discuss possible…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is twofold: to analyse what theories assume about multinational enterprises (MNEs) when they claim these are superior and to discuss possible explanations for why MNE superiority seems to be dominant in the international business (IB) research field.

Design/methodology/approach

A common theme in mainstream IB theories is that multinational enterprises (MNEs) are superior in terms of cost efficiency and innovativeness compared with other types of organizations. A closer look at transaction cost economics (TCE)/internalization theory, evolutionary theory and dynamic capability theory reveal a bias toward MNE supremacy because of how MNEs are conceptualized as firms and therefore fail to explain the essence of “multinational advantage”. These revelations and the strong dependence on the benevolence to provide unbiased data means that MNE supremacy posited by mainstream IB theories is as much a rationalized myth as an empirical fact.

Findings

Although mainstream theories differ when it comes to the building blocks that constitute MNE supremacy, they have one attribute in common: they are silent as to why MNEs are superior compared with, for example, domestic firms or other types of economic agents. Irrespective of whether the focus is the strength of the hierarchy, the skill of managers or a common identity, nothing in the theories tells us that these factors are more pronounced in MNEs than in other types of economic actors.

Originality/value

The paper deals with the issue of multinational advantage. It claims that mainstream theories of MNEs tend to assume, explicitly or implicitly, that MNEs are superior in terms of cost efficiency and innovativeness compared with other types of economic agents. The analysis demonstrates that this tendency is a consequence of how MNEs are conceptualized as firms in the different theories as well as of the strong dependence in IB research on the benevolence of MNEs to provide unbiased data. It is concluded that MNE supremacy posited by mainstream IB theories is as much a rationalized myth as an empirical fact.

Details

Critical Perspectives on International Business, vol. 19 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1742-2043

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 11 July 2023

Paloma Miravitlles, Fariza Achcaoucaou and Tim Laurin Spieth

This research explores how subsidiary embeddedness in different networks, both internal and external to the firm, contributes to the innovation of the service multinational…

Abstract

This research explores how subsidiary embeddedness in different networks, both internal and external to the firm, contributes to the innovation of the service multinational corporation (MNC). Specifically, the authors analyze the different effects of networks on MNC’s subsidiaries performing competence-creating or competence-exploiting innovation activities, in the context of the service industry. The present study analyzes the data of 178 foreign-owned subsidiaries in the service sector performing innovation in Spain. The results of data analysis at two points in time show that external and internal embeddedness have a positive impact on the subsidiary innovation. Moreover, external embeddedness has a major positive influence on the competence-creating rather than on the competence-exploiting activities, while the internal embeddedness is equally important for both types of innovation. Therefore, this study contributes to further our understanding of how subsidiaries’ linkages affect innovation of the service MNC.

Details

Collective Entrepreneurship in the Contemporary European Services Industries: A Long Term Approach
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80117-950-8

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 9 August 2023

Aidan O’Sullivan

This chapter analyses the degree to which the UK Higher Education (UKHE) Sector can offer spaces for students to critically reflect on topics relevant to activist criminology such…

Abstract

This chapter analyses the degree to which the UK Higher Education (UKHE) Sector can offer spaces for students to critically reflect on topics relevant to activist criminology such as zemiology or abolitionism as opposed to constructing the criminal justice system (CJS) as a natural solution for crimes and social harms. This chapter argues for the importance of this topic due to deepening institutional links between universities and criminal justice agencies in the name of professionalisation for the latter (Hallenberg & Cockroft, 2017). This chapter proposes that to avoid criminology curricula merely reproducing the priorities and solutions of the CJS, it should turn to the liberatory pedagogy of Paolo Freire (1996). This includes teaching practices to encourage recognition of social movements and resistance against harms of states, corporations, or the CJS as legitimate foci in the criminology curriculum.

Details

The Emerald International Handbook of Activist Criminology
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80262-199-0

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 July 2022

Jorge Alcaraz and Elizabeth Salamanca

The purpose of this paper is to identify how the cultural attributes of ethnic networks affect foreign direct investment (FDI) location.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify how the cultural attributes of ethnic networks affect foreign direct investment (FDI) location.

Design/methodology/approach

The study tests on panel data the effect of ethnic networks in interaction with their member’s cultural attributes on FDI location.

Findings

Results show that ethnic networks whose members predominantly exhibit a human orientation do not affect FDI location. However, when performance orientation is the predominant cultural attribute of the members of an ethnic network, there is a positive and significant effect on FDI location.

Practical implications

Managers need to be aware that not all networks will be equally helpful in achieving particular goals. For instance, ethnic networks where the performance orientation is dominant among their members affect FDI location, unlike ethnic networks where human orientation is dominant. Therefore, decision-makers need to identify and align these two elements (networks and goals) to maximize outcomes.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature by suggesting that FDI location is affected by ethnic networks where performance orientation is dominant among the members, which is not the case when human orientation is dominant among the members of the ethnic networks.

Details

Review of International Business and Strategy, vol. 33 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2059-6014

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 April 2023

Edgar Nave and João Ferreira

Engaging in international business (IB) is a particular challenge to small and medium-sized companies (SMEs), representing a condition to ensure growth and longevity. Due to their…

Abstract

Purpose

Engaging in international business (IB) is a particular challenge to small and medium-sized companies (SMEs), representing a condition to ensure growth and longevity. Due to their limitations of tangible resources, these companies make use of their levels of knowledge and capabilities to reach new markets. This study seeks to ascertain the role, the typologies of the knowledge and capabilities required for access to IB, and how benefits may arise for SMEs from their international experience.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve these objectives, the authors ground the insights on a qualitative study that gathered data from ten semi-structured interviews with leading entrepreneurs engaged in IB. The data were analysed resorting to the QSR Nvivo software.

Findings

The results demonstrate how (1) knowledge and the development of dynamic capabilities all represent determinant facets to engaging in IB and that (2) the knowledge and learning capabilities acquired and developed in IB context also result in positive returns in domestic markets.

Originality/value

Despite the rising of IB studies, the interaction between knowledge and capabilities from the perspective of accessing international markets has not received attention enough from scholars. The authors argue that both constructs must act together to reach and maximize the IB of SMEs and provide evidence that engagement abroad brings several other advantages beyond economic returns.

Details

EuroMed Journal of Business, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1450-2194

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 June 2022

Sunali Bindra, Deepika Sharma, Hari Govind Mishra and Rohit Bhardwaj

The purpose of this study is to explicate the relationship between knowledge-based dynamic capacities (KBDC) and innovation-based performance (INPF) in information technology (IT…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explicate the relationship between knowledge-based dynamic capacities (KBDC) and innovation-based performance (INPF) in information technology (IT) firms in India by examining the mediating impact of absorptive capacity (ABCP). The paper aims to determine whether and how the ABCP of the firms is recognized as the essential facilitator of INPF.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey of 511 respondents from Indian IT employees at the upper and middle management levels was undertaken. In this study, the partial least squares (PLS) technique explored the causal links between constructs with the use of the software application SMART-PLS 3.0.

Findings

The outcomes of this study proved the existence of a statistically significant relationship between the ABCP and INPF of information technology firms. Furthermore, ABCP's influence as a mediator between KBDC and INPF is significant. Therefore, findings imply that ABCP mediates the relationship between KBDC and INPF, however, only to some extent.

Research limitations/implications

With the dynamism of the global market, the research has made significant gains in illustrating the criticality of ABCP for strengthening its KBDC in a much-needed Indian context. Therefore, following the recommendations and findings of this study, practitioners should concentrate on strengthening both ABCP and KBDCs to improve their INPF. To do this, managers must proactively organize their resources, procedures, and structure to promote knowledge absorption and dissemination, fostering innovation.

Originality/value

It is a ground-breaking study that proposes that the ABCP plays a crucial role in enhancing the INPF of the firms. The software industry will likely benefit from this study by understanding ABCP's potential impact on its INPF and designing knowledge management methods accordingly.

Article
Publication date: 21 July 2023

Lawrence Abiwu and Isabel Martins

The purpose of this paper was to identify talent development practices and processes that enhance professional and career growth of employees in South African higher education…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper was to identify talent development practices and processes that enhance professional and career growth of employees in South African higher education institutions (HEIs).

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative study was carried out to investigate the subject matter. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data from 265 academics in three South African HEIs. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 27.0, was used to analyse the data. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and factor analysis were used to test the reliability and validity of the measuring instrument. Pearson’s correlations and regression analysis were used to interpret the relationship between the independent and dependent variables.

Findings

The results of the Pearson correlation test established a strong positive influence of training development, coaching and mentoring and career development on talent development. On the other hand, linear regression results indicated that training and development, coaching and mentoring and career development made a strong contribution to the model.

Research limitations/implications

The scope of the study only applied to South African HEIs, making the generalisation of the findings to be limited because of the differences in an organisational context. Hence, future research should focus on different industries.

Practical implications

The study contributes to understanding how talent development can be leveraged to assist academics in HEIs to improve their professional and career goals. The findings suggest that HEIs must invest in talent development to help academics acquire the skills, knowledge and competencies required to perform their tasks.

Originality/value

This paper sheds more light on talent development practices and processes that enhance academic skills, knowledge and competencies in HEIs. Moreover, the study expands on the findings of prior studies concerning talent development in learning organisations.

Details

The Learning Organization, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-6474

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 June 2022

Zhen Luo, Julie Callaert, Deming Zeng and Bart Van Looy

Shifting focus from innovation quantity to innovation quality becomes a priority in innovation study, business and policy. This paper aims to figure out whether and how knowledge…

Abstract

Purpose

Shifting focus from innovation quantity to innovation quality becomes a priority in innovation study, business and policy. This paper aims to figure out whether and how knowledge recombination (recombinant exploration/recombinant exploitation) affects firms' innovation quality (technological value/economic value) and how these relationships are moderated by environmental turbulence (technological turbulence/market turbulence) in the context of open innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

A panel data set is built on 373 Chinese pharmaceutical firms' patents and new product data from 1997 to 2020. And a negative binomial regression model is applied to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The analyses indicate that (1) recombinant exploration favors technological value but hinders economic value, while (2) recombinant exploitation benefits both. Regarding environmental turbulence's moderating effects, (3) technological turbulence has opposite moderating effects on the impacts of recombinant exploration versus exploitation on technological value, whereas (4) market turbulence benefits the impacts of both on economic value.

Practical implications

This research provides the answer to practitioners' question that “How to improve innovation quality?” That is “Think from a recombination logic, clarify your internal value preference and the external turbulence.”

Originality/value

From an emerging perspective of innovation, this research expands the innovation quality research to a recombination logic. A multi-dimensional research framework is developed to clarify the complex relationships between knowledge recombination and innovation quality. Finally, two moderators, technological versus market turbulence, formulate more targeted implications for firms' innovation management in open innovation.

Details

European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. 27 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-1060

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 22 August 2023

Daniella Fjellström, Ehsanul Huda Chowdhury, Sohail Ahmad and Bolortuya Batkhuu

This study aims to understand the role of drivers, underlying challenges and, consequently, the implications of the reverse knowledge transfer (RKT) process for the multinational…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to understand the role of drivers, underlying challenges and, consequently, the implications of the reverse knowledge transfer (RKT) process for the multinational enterprises (MNE)s.

Design/methodology/approach

A dyadic qualitative research design was used with a cross-country design covering perspectives from both the headquarters and subsidiaries from the USA, Denmark, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. In-depth interviews were conducted with managers in multiple sectors such as information technology, telecommunications, project management and engineering.

Findings

The study reveals the constraints and drivers of the RKT process, and furthermore elaborates on the implications for MNEs. RKT can lead to the development of new processes, subsidiary independence and intra-organizational knowledge transfer. Besides, it can entail challenges such as position insecurity for subsidiaries and a blurring of the MNE market vision. The findings demonstrate several implications for the MNEs.

Practical implications

The study highlights the direct implications of RKT for the multinational enterprises. The findings serve as a practical guide for global managers seeking to improve their competitive edge.

Originality/value

The study presents a framework of the RKT process from emerging market subsidiaries to parent companies, that demonstrates the role of drivers, underlying challenges and implications of the RKT process for the MNEs.

Details

Central European Management Journal, vol. 31 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2658-0845

Keywords

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