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Evaluating and selecting the best among the offers provided by various suppliers is a complex problem that takes into account both tangible and intangible criteria, which incorporate interdependencies and feedback. The decision making is aggravated by the complexity of supply chain relationships and enterprise strategies especially within enterprise clusters. The aim of this paper is to present a comprehensive method for the evaluation and selection of suppliers' offers in parapharmaceutical industry clusters.

The proposed approach consists of two parts. The former is the comprehension of the supply chain processes within the parapharmaceutical industry in Greece, and the latter is the use of an analytic network process (ANP)‐based method for the selection of the best offer.

The proposed approach enables the decision maker to visualize the impact of various criteria on the final outcome and documents the evaluation results in such a way that they can be communicated to various stakeholders. The results indicate that quality‐related issues dominate the decision‐making process in the parapharmaceutical industry.

The outcome of the model depends highly on the inputs provided by the decision maker. Moreover, the ANP method is computational intensive, but this limitation can be alleviated by appropriate software tools.

The proposed framework is considered to be an innovative approach for the parapharmaceutical industry as well as enterprise clusters. The criteria set here may be used for nearly every similar industry consisting of active clusters (for example, the apparel industry).

Britain's merchant navy dominated the international maritime trade in the 19th century. The strong ship owners' lobby imposed on the shippers the only choice to contract either under bills of lading drafted almost totally on the ship owners' terms or not to contract. The conflict between Britain and its rival the American merchant navy precipitated a movement for the use of model contracts of shipment (carriage) and towards standardisation of the liability of International liner carriers by legislative intervention. The bill of lading through its use in international trade gained the characteristic of being the document which incorporates the contractual terms. So, the orally agreed contract of carriage gave way to the contract of carriage in the form of a bill of lading.

Adopting an agentic positioning, we question and compare competing logics hybridization within French hospitals and universities facing major reforms inspired by new public management. In addition to the resulting forms of hybridization exposed in the literature (accepted or refused), we observe four additional modes: instrumentalized, uncomfortable, reformulated, and suffered. They all reveal the varied manner with which each professional faces reform. However, we develop a new argument: the ways professionals hybridize (or do not) their prevailing logic depends on an overarching mode of hybridization that characterizes the way their organization deals with reform. We identify two contrasting modes: overarching strategic logics hybridization and overarching enforced logics hybridization. They give insight into how actors decouple structure from practices. We contribute to the literature on logics hybridization by first analyzing the role of specific actors who act as either a translator-actor or a closure-actor to respectively facilitate appropriation of the reforms or to protect professionals against the growing dominance of the new logic introduced by the law; and secondly by discussing importance of articulating higher and lower organizational levels all involved in hybridization.

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the discussion about how to develop a common identity of local stakeholders of places (e.g. politicians, local companies, residents). Such a common identity is regarded as an essential aspect to market a place consistently to external target groups (e.g. tourists, companies, qualified workers, students).

The paper follows a conceptual approach by transferring semiotic (symbolism) and sociological concepts (symbolic interactionism) to the concept of place branding. Moreover, a practical example of how to identify potential place symbols of cities is presented within the case study of the German town of Bremen.

Symbols are identified to be of special importance for the development of group identity of local stakeholders of places. Moreover, symbols are presented as essential aspects of a feeling of belonging to a place (place commitment).

As semiotic theory has not yet been transferred to the context of place branding this paper is opening up a new subject and needs to be understood as a first approach to constitute a theoretical framework. An empirical analyses needs to be carried out in order to proof the theories in the place branding context.

The paper explains that symbols can be established by the arrangement of public discourses like, e.g. competitions for place logos, place mascots or place songs. Moreover, it is pointed out, how already established place symbols which are not yet part of branding strategies can be identified in order to strengthen place identity.

Following the semiotic concept of symbolism the paper explains a high participation of residents as a necessity to establish and negotiate the meaning of symbols in order to strengthen place identity.

Because of being the first paper putting the semiotic theory of symbolism in the focus of the interdisciplinary discussion of branding the originality of the paper can be regarded as high.

This article presents a research framework that understands any management innovation, such as total quality management (TQM), as discursive knowledge that can have certain power effects. It may transform individuals into subjects that secure some sense of their own meaning and identity through participating either as managers or employees in the practices the knowledge embraces. But TQM can also have the opposite effect, resulting in subjects resisting or distancing themselves from, rather than embracing, the discourse. The paper reviews three interpretations of TQM, which are described as rational managerialist, critical control, and processual. It critiques each of these approaches so as to offer an alternative way of understanding TQM, which would also have application to a wide variety of other innovations. In short, it attempts to build upon earlier approaches in the anticipation that we might move beyond our present understanding of innovations such as TQM.

The concept of smart city has recently become more topical in academic and policy discussions. This idea is considered a complex, non-consensual subject since its definition has not yet been agreed upon by most authors in the relevant fields. The need to identify and measure smart city indicators has also given rise to many different evaluation procedures. However, the available frameworks have yet to overcome challenges in structuring and measuring all the evaluation parameters of the cities in question. Thus, methods still need to be developed and applied that can structure criteria used to assess smart city success.

This study sought to show cognitive mapping's tangible usefulness as an expedient tool for strategic analysis, using smart cities as a complex object of study. To this end, various cognitive maps were constructed and compared using the Strategic Options Development and Analysis (SODA) approach.

Cognitive mapping's advantages and limitations in the strategic visualization research context are analyzed and discussed.

The authors know of no prior work reporting comparative analysis of this methodological approach in the same research context.

The article seeks to explore the various ways in which researchers have approached boundaries in relation to organizations.

This paper is conceptual in nature and explores prominent strands of research into boundaries within and at the periphery of the organization through a selective literature analysis.

The paper introduces new categories in the way boundaries are conceptualized and explores how researchers can introduce these in their studies.

The literature review is selective and provides an indication of how further work could be directed.

The work could be of use to those exploring the dynamics of organizational boundaries.

A few convergence zones in the literature are identified and a new categorization indicating the dichotomies inherent in the study of organizational boundaries is introduced.

The use of accounting information in industrial relations has reached a critical stage in its development. Further studies which merely serve to ornate the existing framework of analysis (for example by continuing the debate as to the type and amount of appropriate information disclosure; the dangers of non‐disclosure; the costs and benefits of disclosure, etc.) we believe to be of little value. The subject area needs to be exposed to a much wider critical analysis encompassing specific alternative perspectives as to the nature and roles of organisations, accounting, and industrial relations. In this paper we review first some of the orthodox perspectives derived from models of organisation which have been employed to analyse the role of accounting. Secondly we discuss the conceptualisations of industrial relations which have informed much of the discussion as to the use which may be made of accounting information to promote good industrial relations. Our discussion of both these areas suggests that the role of power, although largely ignored, is of central importance to analysis of these areas.

To examine the various discourses on “knowledge” and to understand what knowledge means – is it a process of leveraging resources, is it a resource, or is it both – a process and a resource? Further, the purpose of the paper is to propose a framework for knowledge management.

The literature on “knowledge” is reviewed and “knowledge” is analyzed along the epistemological dimensions. The synthesis seeks to integrate the disparate ways in which “knowledge” has been conceptualized in the management literature.

The framework on knowledge management recognizes and establishes linkages between both attributes of knowledge – knowledge as a process and as a resource. It recognizes knowledge as an input resource (“knowledge of”), knowledge as an output resource (“knowledge from”), and knowledge as a process linking the “knowledge of” to the “knowledge from”.

A very useful source for practitioners and students interested in the field of knowledge management.

This paper is among the early works to organize the literature and to clarify the alternative thoughts that exist towards defining knowledge. The framework offers the literature in a very understandable and usable form for all those who are centrally or peripherally related to knowledge management.

Suggests that theories of organization structure since mid‐century have been dominated by a systems view that emphasizes macro‐economics. The potential for further contribution to theory at that level appears sharply limited. Role analysis and the theory of organization as interaction of internal and external roles offers opportunity for expanded depth of theoretical development in the domain of organization structure. Limited application of role analysis at the level of leadership that has progressed must now be carried down into the organization and over into the operating environment, to permit the established disciplines of individual differences, social psychology and psychodynamics to lead in revitalizing theory of organization structure.