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Article
Publication date: 10 October 2016

Catarina Figueira, Giorgio Caselli and Nicholas Theodorakopoulos

The aim of this paper is to provide novel insights into how the cosmopolitan mind-set can be fostered at a time of globalization by considering a group of social actors that has…

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to provide novel insights into how the cosmopolitan mind-set can be fostered at a time of globalization by considering a group of social actors that has received scant attention in the literature on institutional change, notably migrant entrepreneurs.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a conceptual study that draws on Bourdieu’s theory of capital to develop a set of testable propositions as to how the economic, cultural, social and symbolic capital endowments of migrant entrepreneurs shape their agency in bringing about cosmopolitan transformation.

Findings

Together, migrant entrepreneurs endowed with higher levels of capital may act as institution reformers and promote the cosmopolitan mind-set by influencing the beliefs, incentives and behaviors of those embedded in more entrenched traditional institutions.

Research limitations/implications

This conceptual framework deals with only one of the many agents that may help bring about cosmopolitan change and is particularly well suited to a Western European context.

Practical implications

This conceptual paper provides a number of testable propositions that can be central to an empirical investigation into how the levels of capital possessed by migrant entrepreneurs affect their engagement in cosmopolitan change.

Social implications

The findings help identify those individuals who are more likely to endorse the cosmopolitan movement. This implication may be of particular interest to policymakers concerned with conceiving ways of counteracting some of the negative effects caused by globalization, as they need to identify and understand the social agents who can take on the role of catalyzers of public reforms.

Originality/value

The novelty of this paper lies in the development of a set of propositions that shows how divergent change toward a cosmopolitan vision might be engendered by spatially dispersed actors endowed with varying degrees of economic, cultural, social and symbolic capital.

Details

Society and Business Review, vol. 11 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5680

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 2013

Nicholas Theodorakopoulos

The purpose of this paper is to scrutinise the characteristics of the relationship between large purchasing organisations (LPOs) and ethnic minority suppliers (EMSs) engaging with…

1052

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to scrutinise the characteristics of the relationship between large purchasing organisations (LPOs) and ethnic minority suppliers (EMSs) engaging with supplier diversity programmes and provide an assessment and developmental framework for such organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

Having considered an array of purchaser‐supplier relationship frameworks in relevant streams of literature, the paper draws on Lamming et al.'s framework to advance a tool for assessing and developing the relationship between LPOs and EMSs.

Findings

The submitted relationship assessment and development framework brings in sharp focus the characteristics of the relationship between LPO and EMS, providing a systematic way to examine the inter‐organisational context within which EMS development takes place.

Research limitations/implications

The framework submitted could signpost future research in this field, which should take a longitudinal, processual approach. This is necessary to provide opportunities to examine the dynamics underlying the development of potent LPO‐EMS relationships in a variety of settings, including negative instances.

Practical implications

The paper has implications for corporate policy making and practice in this arena. Assessing the potency of LPOs‐EMSs relationships by applying the proffered tool can help both parties engage with supplier diversity, to develop fruitful relationships that enhance their competitiveness.

Social implications

The latter can have social implications, as EMSs often operate in and employ people from disadvantaged communities.

Originality/value

The framework advanced in this article constitutes a novel tool that highlights the areas in which LPOs and EMSs should channel their efforts, in order to develop a potent relationship between them, which underpins the development of EMSs’ supply capabilities.

Article
Publication date: 11 November 2014

Nicholas Theodorakopoulos, Nada K. Kakabadse and Carmel McGowan

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to provide a critical assessment of the literature on business incubation effectiveness and second, to submit a situated theoretical…

8777

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to provide a critical assessment of the literature on business incubation effectiveness and second, to submit a situated theoretical perspective on how business incubation management can provide an environment that supports the development of incubatee entrepreneurs and their businesses.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides a narrative critical assessment of the literature on business incubation effectiveness. Definitional issues, performance aspects and approaches to establishing critical success factors in business incubation are discussed. Business incubation management is identified as an overarching factor for theorising on business incubation effectiveness.

Findings

The literature on business incubation effectiveness suffers from several deficiencies, including definitional incongruence, descriptive accounts, fragmentation and lack of strong conceptual grounding. Notwithstanding the growth of research on this domain, understanding of how entrepreneurs and their businesses develop within the business incubator environment remains limited. Given the importance of relational, intangible factors in business incubation and the critical role of business incubation management in orchestrating and optimising such factors, it is suggested that theorising efforts would benefit from a situated perspective.

Originality/value

The identification of specific shortcomings in the literature on business incubation highlights the need for more systematic efforts towards theory building. It is suggested that focusing on the role of business incubation management from a situated learning theory perspective can lend itself to a more profound understanding of the development process of incubatee entrepreneurs and their firms. Theoretical propositions are offered to this effect, as well as avenues for future research.

Details

Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, vol. 21 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1462-6004

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 May 2014

Nicholas Theodorakopoulos, Carmel McGowan, David Bennett, Nada Kakabadse and Catarina Figueira

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate analytically how entrepreneurial action as learning relating to diversifying into technical clothing – i.e. a high-value manufacturing…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate analytically how entrepreneurial action as learning relating to diversifying into technical clothing – i.e. a high-value manufacturing sector – can take place. This is particularly relevant to recent discussion and debate in academic and policy-making circles concerning the survival of the clothing manufacture industry in developed industrialised countries.

Design/methodology/approach

Using situated learning theory (SLT) as the major analytical lens, this case study examines an episode of entrepreneurial action relating to diversification into a high-value manufacturing sector. It is considered on instrumentality grounds, revealing wider tendencies in the management of knowledge and capabilities requisite for effective entrepreneurial action of this kind.

Findings

Boundary events, brokers, boundary objects, membership structures and inclusive participation that addresses power asymmetries are found to be crucial organisational design elements, enabling the development of inter- and intracommunal capacities. These together constitute a dynamic learning capability, which underpins entrepreneurial action, such as diversification into high-value manufacturing sectors.

Originality/value

Through a refinement of SLT in the context of entrepreneurial action, the paper contributes to an advancement of a substantive theory of managing technological knowledge and capabilities for effective diversification into high-value manufacturing sectors.

Details

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, vol. 25 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-038X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 August 2006

Felicity Kelliher and Joan Bernadette Henderson

The aim of this article is to offer insight into the factors affecting individual and organisational learning in a small business; specifically the identification of the learning…

3752

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this article is to offer insight into the factors affecting individual and organisational learning in a small business; specifically the identification of the learning relationships that are unique to the small business environment.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors apply Crossan et al.'s (1997, 1999) Organisational Learning Framework. The proposed framework is supported by empirical evidence generated through a longitudinal case study carried out in a small business in the Republic of Ireland over a two‐year period. A learning catalyst, in this case the implementation of a new information system (IS), offered an initial point from which to gauge subsequent learning within the studied case.

Findings

This framework acknowledges the learning impact of a small workforce, an owner‐centred culture and a simple organisational structure, as well as the time and resource constraints specific to small businesses which affect the learning dynamic. The framework also takes account of the learning challenges brought about by external influences unique to a small business environment, such as enforced organisational change created by powerful business partners' commercial requirements.

Research limitations/implications

As this framework was developed based on a single case, similar research may be conducted on additional case studies to determine the learning dynamic in alternative settings and business environments.

Originality/value

This research presents some valuable insights into the ways in which organisational learning can be facilitated and impeded in the largely ignored small business environment.

Details

Journal of European Industrial Training, vol. 30 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0590

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 July 2021

Kibum Kwon and Soebin Jang

The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical review of the literature on talent management (TM) and highlight the potential downsides of exclusive TM approaches and…

5514

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical review of the literature on talent management (TM) and highlight the potential downsides of exclusive TM approaches and workforce differentiation.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review of 32 theoretical and empirical studies published in peer-reviewed scholarly journals in the field of TM was conducted.

Findings

The review resulted in four overarching themes that highlight the dysfunctional aspects of exclusive TM approaches and workforce differentiation: (a) organizational justice, (b) ethics, (c) internal competition and (d) workplace diversity. Based on the four themes, the authors present a conceptual model that includes a feedback loop for reevaluating and improving on existing TM processes. Several research questions and propositions are also presented for consideration in future TM research.

Research limitations/implications

This paper highlights the need for more empirical studies and statistically rigorous evidence to demonstrate and justify the effectiveness of TM.

Practical implications

The authors suggest that the locus of TM practices should be shifted from managing individual job competencies to managing organizational capabilities.

Originality/value

This review illuminates the need to reevaluate existing TM approaches and minimize TM's potential downsides for long-term organizational health and competitiveness.

Details

Employee Relations: The International Journal, vol. 44 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 April 2015

Anders Örtenblad

The purposes of this paper are to take a closer look at the relevance of the idea of the learning organization for organizations in different generalized organizational contexts;…

2359

Abstract

Purpose

The purposes of this paper are to take a closer look at the relevance of the idea of the learning organization for organizations in different generalized organizational contexts; to open up for the existence of multiple, context-adapted models of the learning organization; and to suggest a number of such models.

Design/methodology/approach

The suggested context-adapted models are deduced from works arguing that not all aspects of the idea of the learning organization should be adopted by organizations in some certain generalized organizational contexts.

Findings

The idea of the learning organization needs to be reformulated, to some extent, to become fully relevant for public organizations, safety organizations, human service organizations and knowledge-intensive organizations.

Research limitations/implications

To achieve a more inclusive contingency model than presented in this article, there is a need for further research examining the (full) relevance of the original learning organizational model for organizations in various certain generalized organizational contexts.

Practical implications

Organizational actors could use one of the suggested context-adapted models fitting their particular organizational context as a starting point when considering adopting the learning organization.

Social implications

Several adaptations suggested originate in social concerns.

Originality/value

In contrast to most previous works on the learning organization, this paper adds to the existing literature by proposing several context-adapted models of the learning organization.

Details

The Learning Organization, vol. 22 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-6474

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 October 2021

Monica Fait, Valentina Cillo, Armando Papa, Dirk Meissner and Paola Scorrano

The main aim of this paper is to demonstrate that “volunteer” employees’ perception of dimensions of intellectual capital (IC) – human, structural and relation capital – creates a…

1163

Abstract

Purpose

The main aim of this paper is to demonstrate that “volunteer” employees’ perception of dimensions of intellectual capital (IC) – human, structural and relation capital – creates a motivational environment to enhance knowledge-sharing intention (KSI) and stimulates “volunteer” employee engagement (VEE). The model is applied on the non-profit organizations (NPOs) sector that base their path on sharing values with volunteers and employees in relation to which they have to implement engagement strategies that are beneficial to both developing and deploying individual and organizational human capital.

Design/methodology/approach

To verify the existence of relationships between the constructs of IC, KSI and VEE a partial least squares structural equation model on a sample of 300 “volunteer” employees of NPOs was tested to verify the research hypotheses, as this could explain the causal relationships.

Findings

The results confirm that KSI is positively and directly influenced by the favourable environment resulting from the motivations below the dimensions of IC. The improvement of KSI, determined by IC, has a positive effect on VEE.

Research limitations/implications

Despite the limitation created by the peculiarities of NPOs and the role of volunteers, this paper suggests a strategic approach that the management could implement to create an environment based on the exchange of knowledge and to increase engagement in the value co-creation process.

Originality/value

The ability of a company to adopt sharing strategies depends on the existence of an environment in which individuals are willing to exchange knowledge realizing mutual benefits. The work broadens this perspective by providing governance with a behavioural model that creates a direct relationship between IC, KSI and VEE.

Details

Journal of Intellectual Capital, vol. 24 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1469-1930

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 August 2018

Steven A. Brieger and Dirk De Clercq

The purpose of this paper is to provide a better understanding of how the interplay of individual-level resources and culture affects entrepreneurs’ propensity to adopt social…

1887

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a better understanding of how the interplay of individual-level resources and culture affects entrepreneurs’ propensity to adopt social value creation goals.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a sample of 12,685 entrepreneurs in 35 countries from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, it investigates the main effects of individual-level resources – measured as financial, human and social capital – on social value creation goals, as well as the moderating effects of the cultural context in which the respective entrepreneur is embedded, on the relationship between individual-level resources and social value creation goals.

Findings

Drawing on the resource-based perspective and Hofstede’s cultural values framework, the results offer empirical evidence that individual-level resources are relevant for predicting the extent to which entrepreneurs emphasise social goals for their business. Furthermore, culture influences the way entrepreneurs allocate their resources towards social value creation.

Originality/value

The study sheds new light on how entrepreneurs’ individual resources influence their willingness to create social value. Moreover, by focussing on the role of culture in the relationship between individual-level resources and social value creation goals, it contributes to social entrepreneurship literature, which has devoted little attention to the interplay of individual characteristics and culture.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 25 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

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