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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 28 November 2023

Silvia Massa, Maria Carmela Annosi, Lucia Marchegiani and Antonio Messeni Petruzzelli

This study aims to focus on a key unanswered question about how digitalization and the knowledge processes it enables affect firms’ strategies in the international arena.

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to focus on a key unanswered question about how digitalization and the knowledge processes it enables affect firms’ strategies in the international arena.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conduct a systematic literature review of relevant theoretical and empirical studies covering over 20 years of research (from 2000 to 2023) and including 73 journal papers.

Findings

This review allows us to highlight a relationship between firms’ international strategies and the knowledge processes enabled by applying digital technologies. Specifically, the authors discuss the characteristics of patterns of knowledge flows and knowledge processes (their origin, the type of knowledge they carry on and their directionality) as determinants for the emergence of diverse international strategies embraced by single firms or by populations of firms within ecosystems, networks, global value chains or alliances.

Originality/value

Despite digital technologies constituting important antecedents and critical factors for the internationalization process, and international businesses in general, and operating cross borders implies the enactment of highly knowledge-intensive processes, current literature still fails to provide a holistic picture of how firms strategically use what they know and seek out what they do not know in the international environment, using the affordances of digital technologies.

Details

Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 27 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1367-3270

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 October 2020

Akiebe Humphrey Ahworegba, Christophe Estay and Myropi Garri

To illustrate how threats of institutional duality (ID) incidence subsidiaries confront are converted to opportunities, by conceptualizing how subsidiaries attain operational…

Abstract

Purpose

To illustrate how threats of institutional duality (ID) incidence subsidiaries confront are converted to opportunities, by conceptualizing how subsidiaries attain operational legitimacy at both their headquarters (HQs) and host countries.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a systematic literature review, the authors build on institutional theories by analyzing the ID literature along its structure, main processes and outcomes. The authors configure frameworks of both HQ control systems and host countries' institutional threats, showing how subsidiaries contingently navigate across them using configuration, differentiation and avoidance strategies.

Findings

The authors’ findings show that “foresighted” subsidiaries attain operational legitimacy through configuration, differentiation and avoidance of threats incidental to ID, by strategizing along certain formal and informal institutional variables including legal, sociocultural and technical factors.

Originality/value

The authors propose “structural configuration of ID incidence” and “subsidiary path to legitimacy” frameworks. The former configures how the interaction between HQ and host countries' variables constitute ID incidence threats. The latter highlights how “foresighted” subsidiaries use configuration, differentiation and avoidance strategies to attain operational legitimacy.

Details

Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 33 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0953-4814

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1994

Christian Grönroos

Discusses the nature and sometimes negative consequences of thedominating marketing paradigm of today, marketing mix management, andfurthermore discusses how modern research into…

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Abstract

Discusses the nature and sometimes negative consequences of the dominating marketing paradigm of today, marketing mix management, and furthermore discusses how modern research into, for example, industrial marketing and services marketing as well as customer relationship economics shows that another approach to marketing is required. This development is supported by evolving trends in business, such as strategic partnerships, alliances and networks. Suggests relationship marketing, based on relationship building and management, as one emerging new marketing paradigm of the future. Concludes that the simplicity of the marketing mix paradigm, with its Four P model, has become a straitjacket, fostering toolbox thinking rather than an awareness that marketing is a multi‐faceted social process, and notes that marketing theory and customers are the victims of today′s mainstream marketing thinking. By using the notion of a marketing strategy continuum, discusses a number of consequences of a relationship‐type marketing strategy for the focus of marketing, pricing, quality management, internal marketing and intraorganizational development. Briefly comments on the possibility of developing a general marketing theory based on the relationship building and management approach.

Article
Publication date: 3 June 2022

Zichun Yan, Xiying Lu, Yan Chen and Kai Wang

From the perspective of the institution and internationalization speed, the article discusses the internal mechanism of cross-border e-commerce selection mode, as well as the…

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Abstract

Purpose

From the perspective of the institution and internationalization speed, the article discusses the internal mechanism of cross-border e-commerce selection mode, as well as the moderating role of social networks as the intangible resource, and expand the theoretical system of corporate internationalization.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the empirical data of 456 multinational e-commerce companies in five first-tier cities in China from 2016 to 2019, our research explores the selection mode of cross-border e-commerce.

Findings

The results show that (1) the institutional distance of the host country leads to the exit from cross-border e-commerce platforms in the international expansion of enterprises. (2) The difference in internationalization speed online and offline has become a mediated mechanism for the exit of cross-border e-commerce platforms due to the institutional distance of the host country. (3) The diversity and scale of offline social networks can weaken the impact of differences in internationalization speed on the exit from cross-border e-commerce platforms. (4) The resistance of companies expanding to countries with a weak institutional environment is greater than that experienced when expanding to countries with a strong one.

Originality/value

This study shows, for the first time, how to select expansion mode for cross-border e-commerce. And the paper also centers on the research of the impact of “social network”, a kind of intangible resource, on cross-border e-commerce platform adoption.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 61 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 March 2013

Bowon Kim

The purpose of this paper is to explore how high‐performing companies in the fashion industry align their supply chain strategy with their competitive priorities.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how high‐performing companies in the fashion industry align their supply chain strategy with their competitive priorities.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to answer the research question, case study research on four fashion companies most competitive in the global market. The primary sources of information for the case studies were interview data.

Findings

Based on in‐depth interviews with top managers at the companies, propositions are reached: the competitive priorities are closely linked with the firm's choice of target market, which in turn determines its supply chain strategy, including both sourcing and channel strategy.

Research limitations/implications

This paper shows how in‐depth case studies based on interview data about best practices in the fashion industry can contribute to the literature by linking firm's competitive priorities with its supply chain strategy.

Practical implications

The research outcome enables managers to design their supply chain strategy including sourcing and channel strategy more systematically and effectively so as to be consistent with their competitive priorities.

Originality/value

The research framework is unique in that it combines important concepts and theories in business strategy, outsourcing, and SCM literature. Implications from the in‐depth case studies on best practices in the fashion industry can help managers make a decision on supply chain strategy more effectively.

Details

Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, vol. 16 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1352-2752

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 September 2022

Omar S. Itani, Vishag Badrinarayanan and Deva Rangarajan

This study aims to develop and test a process model of the effect of social media use by business-to-business (B2B) salespeople on their value cocreation and cross/upselling…

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to develop and test a process model of the effect of social media use by business-to-business (B2B) salespeople on their value cocreation and cross/upselling performance. Adopting a research acquisition perspective, the authors claim that salesperson’s social media use is critical for generating social capital – an operant resource characterized by superior market knowledge, reputation and networking – which, in turn, directly and synergistically enhances value cocreation and cross/upselling outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

A model is developed based on extant sales research on salesperson’s social media use and social capital theory. Data from B2B salespeople is analyzed using structural equation modeling to test the proposed hypotheses.

Findings

The results demonstrate that salespeople’s social media use enhances their social capital with support for direct effects on market knowledge and reputation, and indirect effect on networking. The results also show that the three aspects of social capital drive value cocreation, which enhances cross/upselling performance. Post hoc analysis shows the indirect effects of salesperson’s social media use as well as the interconnected effects of the aspects of social capital on value cocreation.

Practical implications

The study indicates that salespeople should be encouraged to use social media as a means for enhancing market knowledge and reputation, which can then be leveraged to build networking skills. Providing training to salespeople and coaching them on how to build their social capital is essential if organizations need to capitalize on novel ways to improve the value cocreation performance of their sales teams.

Originality/value

This study demonstrates how salespeople’s social media use can enhance their social capital, which, in turn, is critical for value cocreation and cross/upselling performance. The proposed framework opens opportunities for future studies to examine the role of salesperson social capital and value cocreation in B2B exchanges.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 57 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 January 2021

Mueen Ahmed and Sankalp Pratap

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the motivation for firms in emerging economies to engage in constraint absorption. It illustrates the mechanisms that enable business…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the motivation for firms in emerging economies to engage in constraint absorption. It illustrates the mechanisms that enable business group (BG) affiliated firms to manage interdependencies vis-à-vis standalone firms in emerging economies.

Design/methodology/approach

The propositions outlined in this study are rooted in the theoretical lens of resource dependence theory (RDT). The authors integrate RDT with the resource-based view and institutional theory to explain the effect of BG affiliation on the relationship between the two types of interdependence (i.e. mutual dependence and power imbalance) and the likelihood of constraint absorption.

Findings

This paper theorizes that BG affiliation influences the relationship between mutual dependence/power imbalance and the likelihood of constraint absorption. However, if both the firms in a dyad are affiliated to a BG, the likelihood of constraint absorption is likely to be low owing to a process called “co-optation” even if mutual dependence or power imbalance between the firms is high.

Originality/value

This paper highlights how BG affiliated firms are better at managing contingencies in the external environment vis-à-vis standalone firms. This paper also advises managers that the type of organizational form is an important factor to be considered while engaging in constraint absorption in an emerging economy.

Details

International Journal of Organizational Analysis, vol. 30 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1934-8835

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 April 2023

Tahniyath Fatima and Saïd Elbanna

This study aims to examine corporate sustainability in the hospitality industry as it caters to multiple stakeholders such as society and environment. Further, the researchers…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine corporate sustainability in the hospitality industry as it caters to multiple stakeholders such as society and environment. Further, the researchers have attempted to portray a comprehensive outlook of corporate sustainability by examining the organizational-level and environmental-level drivers and assessing the impact of corporate sustainability on an overarching measure of hotel performance: sustainability balanced scorecard (SBSC).

Design/methodology/approach

A three-staged mixed-methods research design was implemented comprising interviews, surveys and a post-hoc analysis to test the comprehensive framework of corporate sustainability.

Findings

The authors observed that corporate sustainability positively impacted hotel performance. The results further indicated that in competing environments and presence of slack resources, sampled firms could develop their sustainability strategy to improve performance. Surprisingly, environmental munificence did not significantly influence corporate sustainability but directly increased hotel performance. Interestingly, hotel performance also improved upon having managerial commitment toward sustainability.

Practical implications

The study highlights the crucial role of top management in hotels, where their commitment to sustainability can positively impact not just hotel's engagement in corporate sustainability but can also directly enhance hotel's overall performance. Hotel managers can utilize the SBSC developed in this study to comprehensively measure hotel performance which is found to be positively impacted by hotel's engagement toward corporate sustainability.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the sustainability literature by examining drivers of corporate sustainability in the Indian hospitality industry from two perspectives: environmental and organizational. With the escalating ambiguity of sustainability–performance relationship, the authors employed a novel technique for operationalizing hotel performance: SBSC.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 61 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 November 2018

Christine Holmström Lind, Olivia Kang, Anna Ljung and Mats Forsgren

This paper aims to develop a conceptual framework and presents a number of propositions relating to why and how multinational companies (MNCs) engage in social innovations. The…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to develop a conceptual framework and presents a number of propositions relating to why and how multinational companies (MNCs) engage in social innovations. The central focus is on the role of MNC knowledge, networks and power for their involvement in social innovations.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors combine literature on social innovations, business innovations and MNC literature, and present a number of propositions dealing with the link between MNC knowledge, networks and power-relations and their potential involvement in social innovations.

Findings

The authors emphasize that when social innovations are embraced by MNCs, the way that these corporations use their knowledge, networks and existing power-relations needs to be adapted to the new conditions present in the social innovation arena.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitation of this work is that the propositions are based on anecdotal evidence and that they are restricted to literature revolving around a few theoretical concepts (knowledge, networks, power). Against this, the authors suggest that to address the call for more empirical work on MNCs engagement in social innovation, these concepts could be used as a starting point in future empirical investigations.

Originality/value

The paper brings together and outlines a theoretical framework based on three theoretical approaches to the MNC as suggested by the literature: the knowledge-based MNC, differentiated MNC and political MNC. Based on these three perspectives, the key contribution of this paper is to develop a broader understanding of why and how MNCs engage in social innovation and the potential underlying liabilities for this involvement.

Details

critical perspectives on international business, vol. 16 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1742-2043

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 April 2020

Agnieszka Izabela Baruk and Sebastian Białoskurski

The main purpose of this article is to determine the significance of selected reasons for the market success of a new food product depending on the perception of the offeror.

Abstract

Purpose

The main purpose of this article is to determine the significance of selected reasons for the market success of a new food product depending on the perception of the offeror.

Design/methodology/approach

A cognitive-critical analysis of the literature on marketing, innovation management and image management were used to prepare the theoretical section. The results of the analysis indicate a cognitive and research gap regarding the role of innovative food products in creating their offerors' image. In order to reduce the gap, empirical studies were conducted on a sample of young Polish consumers, in which a questionnaire was used to gather primary data. The data were subjected to statistical analysis using the following methods and statistical tests: exploratory factor analysis, Kruskal–Wallis test, Pearson chi-square independence test and V-Cramer coefficient analysis.

Findings

The results of the analysis conducted indicated, inter alia, that there are no statistically significant dependencies between opinions on the importance of individual components to achieve market success by a new food product (NFP), and on the relationship between the perception of the NFP and the image of the offeror. Opinions on the impact of an offeror's image on the perception of an NFP are a feature that differentiates the factors indicating the success of NFPs in the case of three variables only.

Originality/value

The results obtained from the research have a cognitive and applicability value, characterized by originality. Until now, the role of innovative food products in creating their offerors' image has not been analyzed.

Details

American Journal of Business, vol. 35 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1935-5181

Keywords

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