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Article
Publication date: 19 January 2015

Pingying Zhang, Paul Fadil and Chris Baynard

The purpose of this paper is to better understand dependency issues between the CEO and the board as well as the between the board and CEO through Emerson’s power dependency

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to better understand dependency issues between the CEO and the board as well as the between the board and CEO through Emerson’s power dependency framework.

Design/methodology/approach

A symbolic management approach is integrated with a board-CEO power dependency model to study the dependency issues.

Findings

According to the symbolic management perspective, uncertainty increases the likelihood of symbolic actions. A high level of uncertainty in CEO dependency issues suggests a high likelihood that board power over the CEO is manifested on a symbolic level, whereas a low level of uncertainty in board dependency issues suggests otherwise for CEO power over the board. The core of board-dependency issues is information provision.

Practical implications

A focus on improving board control over CEO performance, compensation and strategic proposals is likely to generate symbolic actions without an effective result.

Originality/value

The paper advocates that an effective approach to enhance board power is through reducing board information dependency on the CEO.

Details

Competitiveness Review, vol. 25 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1059-5422

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 February 2017

Frank Ulbrich and Mark Borman

Organizations increasingly form or join collaborations to gain access to resources paramount for achieving a sustained competitive advantage. This paper aims to propose an…

Abstract

Purpose

Organizations increasingly form or join collaborations to gain access to resources paramount for achieving a sustained competitive advantage. This paper aims to propose an extension to the established dependency network diagram (DND) technique to better facilitate analysis, design and, ultimately, strategic management of such collaborations.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the resource dependence theory, the constructs of power and secondary dependency are operationalized and integrated into the original DND technique. New rules and an updated algorithm for how to construct extended DNDs are provided.

Findings

The value of the proposed extension of the DND technique is illustrated by analysis of an application hosting collaboration case study from the Australian financial service industry.

Research limitations/implications

This study provides preliminary evidence for strategically managing resource collaborations. Future research could further test empirically the usefulness of the proposed extension of the DND technique and how much it contributes to better understanding resource collaborations.

Practical implications

The proposed extension of the DND technique enables managers to perform a broader analysis of dependencies among participants in a collaboration, helping them to more accurately comprehend the relationships between the entities in their collaborative environment and, thus, being in a better position of strategically managing resource dependencies.

Originality/value

The proposed extension of the DND technique makes a central contribution to the extant literature by adding a strategic dimension to a visualization technique used to represent collaborative environments.

Details

Journal of Global Operations and Strategic Sourcing, vol. 10 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-5364

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 December 2023

Saroj Kumar Pani and Madhusmita Tripathy

This paper explains why some firms manage to capture disproportionate value from their network of relationships, leading to superior performance. The paper examines how a firm's…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper explains why some firms manage to capture disproportionate value from their network of relationships, leading to superior performance. The paper examines how a firm's dependencies affect its value appropriation potential (VAP) in economic networks.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper follows the axiomatic method and the embeddedness perspective of firms to develop an index called nodal power, which captures the power that accrues to a firm in exchange-based economic networks. Thereafter, using the formal method and simulation, it shows nodal power reflects a firm's VAP in economic networks.

Findings

The study analysis and findings prove that a firm's dyadic level exchange relations and the embedded network structure determine its VAP by affecting the nodal power. A firm with lesser nodal power is likely to appropriate less value from its relations even if it equally contributes to the value creation. This finding explains how the structural and relational characteristics of a firm's network enable disproportionate value appropriation.

Practical implications

Nodal power furthers the scope of analyzing firms' economic relationships and changing power equations in dynamic networks. It can help firms build optimal strategic networks and manage the portfolio of relationships by predicting the impact of changing relations on firms' VAP.

Originality/value

The paper's original contribution is to explain, through formal analysis, why and how the structure and nature of relations of firms affect their VAP. The paper also formalizes the power-dependence principle through a dependency-based index called nodal power and uses it to show how interfirm dependencies are key to value appropriation.

Details

International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0401

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 May 2023

Huicheng (Jeff) Wu, Nancy Nelson Hodges, Jin Su and Sukyung Seo

The purpose of this study was to investigate the affective and cognitive dimensions of satisfaction that impact the buyer-supplier relationship (BSR) from the supplier's…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate the affective and cognitive dimensions of satisfaction that impact the buyer-supplier relationship (BSR) from the supplier's perspective and to consider satisfaction within the context of power-dependency theory.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 Chinese apparel supply professionals who regularly interact with apparel buyers. Audio or video interviews were conducted via WeChat (the most popular social media platform in China).

Findings

A thematic analysis of the interview data revealed that both affective and cognitive dimensions of satisfaction impact the BSR. A model of supplier affective and cognitive satisfaction in a collaborative BSR was developed to illustrate the connections between the two dimensions.

Originality/values

Due to intense competition in the market, supplier satisfaction is essential for building relationships in the apparel industry. Existing studies have focused on satisfaction from the perspective of the buyer rather than the supplier because in a BSR, the buyer tends to hold more power. Moreover, research has primarily considered cognitive evaluations of satisfaction with the BSR. This study offers new insight on both cognitive and affective satisfaction from the perspective of suppliers within the context of power-dependency theory.

Details

Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, vol. 28 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1361-2026

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 May 2018

Sherwat Elwan Ibrahim and Khaled Farouk Mohamed Altahawi

This study aims to investigate the effect of power and dependence as separate constructs on opportunism. Power-dependence studies have been previously used to explain…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the effect of power and dependence as separate constructs on opportunism. Power-dependence studies have been previously used to explain opportunistic behavior in strategic outsourcing relationships. However, there have been no clear distinctions about the separate effects of each regardless of the different theoretical dispositions each construct uses with respect to the dynamics of strategic outsourcing.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used multiple theoretical perspectives to analyze the courses of six dyadic strategic outsourcing relationships from the pharmaceutical industry in Egypt. The study employed an exploratory research approach to retrospectively examine the development of dependency and power-balance variables throughout the pre- and post-contractual phases.

Findings

The paper concludes with a time-phased theoretical framework and a set of propositions that further segment the post-contractual relationship phase. The segmentation allows for better studying the outsourcing phenomenon and differentiates between having power, recognizing power and exercising power.

Research limitations/implications

The paper theorizes that buffering against opportunism requires a certain state of power-balance awareness, as power was found to be dynamic, relative and arguably “perceptual”. This awareness would not be needed if the outsourcing relationship was static, but given the time argument in this study, awareness of the power-balance shifts becomes necessary in managing strategic outsourcing relations.

Practical implications

The comprehensive framework represents a guiding tool for managers who are planning to, or are currently involved in, strategic outsourcing relationships.

Originality/value

This study applied a time dimension to studying opportunism in strategic outsourcing relationships, and used this perspective to examine the length of the period of mutual dependency and power-balance between buyers and suppliers. The notions of power-balance awareness and latent sources of power are introduced.

Details

Journal of Global Operations and Strategic Sourcing, vol. 11 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-5364

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 April 2013

Stefan Ulstrup Hoejmose, Johanne Grosvold and Andrew Millington

The purpose of this study is to analyse the role of relational power/dependent asymmetries and symmetries in shaping socially responsible supply chain management, whilst also…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to analyse the role of relational power/dependent asymmetries and symmetries in shaping socially responsible supply chain management, whilst also examining how these issues are moderated by geographical distance between buyer and supplier.

Design/methodology/approach

The study draws on data from 339 buyer‐supplier relationships, and the authors use a set of regression models to test their hypotheses.

Findings

Joint dependency positively influences socially responsible supply chain management, whilst supplier power constrains it. Both joint dependency and buyer power become increasingly important determinants of socially responsible supply chain management as geographic distance increases.

Research limitations/implications

Further work is needed to examine the conditions under which organisations will exercise their power advantage or their joint dependence position to improve socially responsible processes in the supply chain, as there may be situations where the buyer chooses not to exercise their power positions.

Practical implications

The authors' results indicate that jointly dependent relationships create the best conditions for socially responsible supply chain management, but they also find that supplier power advantage can constrain such initiatives.

Originality/value

This is the first paper to systematically analyse the implementation of socially responsible supply chain management, within a model that considers power a/symmetric positions of the buyer‐supplier relationship, and the role of geographical distance as a moderating influence on these power positions.

Details

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, vol. 18 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-8546

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 July 2021

Evgeniya Balabanova

The purpose of this paper is to identify previously unexamined predictors of abusive supervision (AS) that stem from socio-economic dependency of employees upon their direct…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify previously unexamined predictors of abusive supervision (AS) that stem from socio-economic dependency of employees upon their direct supervisors.

Design/methodology/approach

Using social exchange theory (SET) as framework, the author conducted empirical analysis that was based on survey data collected among 1,100 Russian white-collar private sector employees.

Findings

The results reveal the importance of organisation-level managerial practices which create employees' socio-economic dependency in predicting abusive supervision (AS). Significant positive predictions of AS in Russian business organisations are “accidental” and “zero-option” employment; getting a job through informal social contacts (“blat”); and dependence of wage upon personal relations with a supervisor. In turn, performance-based payment is the strongest factor that hinders AS. Taken together, these factors support one of the key assumptions of SET that control over valued resources creates imbalanced power relations, thus providing the fertile ground to the abuse of power.

Practical implications

Findings show that a transparent, performance-based system of payments, contributes to preventing AS by immediate supervisors. The author also provides arguments for reducing the economic and administrative power of line managers.

Originality/value

This study adds to the understanding of the role of managerial practices, which create socio-economic dependency of employees from managers, in predicting AS in organisations.

Details

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

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 August 2015

Sandra Cohen, María-Dolores Guillamón, Irvine Lapsley and Geraldine Robbins

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the Eurozone financial crisis by discussing the experiences of Greece, Ireland and Spain. It particularly examines the…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the Eurozone financial crisis by discussing the experiences of Greece, Ireland and Spain. It particularly examines the influence and actions of the Troika in the management of the sovereign debt crisis in the Eurozone.

Design/methodology/approach

The primary source of information for this study has been the documents of the Greek, Irish and Spanish Governments (often only available in their native language) and the reports of EU bodies and the IMF, supplemented by media coverage, as deemed appropriate. This has been analysed on a comparative basis to contrast the experiences of these three countries.

Findings

This study reveals how the Eurozone crisis has impacted on financially weak countries in this currency union. The fiscal conservatism of the Troika (the IMF, the EU and the European Central Bank) has had profound consequences for these economies, which have experienced dramatic cuts in public services.

Research limitations/implications

This study has focused on the experiences of three countries in the Eurozone. There is a case for extending this analysis to other Eurozone countries.

Practical implications

There are two approaches to recession – governments can stimulate demand by infrastructure spending or take the financial conservatism route of reducing public expenditure and public sector borrowing. However, the severity of the crisis undermines the first approach and there are uncertain outcomes with the second approach. This paper shows the effects of adopting financial conservatism as a strategy in this crisis.

Social implications

The austerity programmes pursued by the governments in this study have led to unemployment, migration of skilled workers, collapse in property markets, failing banks and social unrest.

Originality/value

This study takes an accounting perspective on the Eurozone crisis. This offers a distinctive interpretation of events. This study examines the merits of widely used theories in studies of public sector change namely legitimation and resource dependency theory intertwined with power and offers insights into how meaningful they are in explaining the dramatic influence of austerity programmes in the Eurozone.

Details

Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, vol. 28 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-3574

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2011

Christoph Dörrenbächer and Jens Gammelgaard

As subsidiary power has received relatively little attention in existing research, this paper aims to enhance the understanding of genuine sources of subsidiary power and how they…

6989

Abstract

Purpose

As subsidiary power has received relatively little attention in existing research, this paper aims to enhance the understanding of genuine sources of subsidiary power and how they work in headquarters‐subsidiary relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on a review of the relevant literature and four illustrative case studies, which are written on the basis of secondary sources. Each case was selected because it adequately represents a particular type of power. This allows for cross‐case comparisons of the strengths and sustainability of different types of power, and facilitates the exploration of the application of subsidiary power in headquarters‐subsidiary relationships.

Findings

Four genuine types of subsidiary power are identified. One of these – micro‐political bargaining power – plays a subtle but crucial role, as it is important in the enactment of the three other types of power, i.e. systemic, resource‐dependency, and institutional.

Practical implications

As headquarters have unlimited access to formal power, subsidiaries find it necessary to constantly apply micro‐political bargaining power. The empirical material suggests that the effectiveness of micro‐political bargaining power for subsidiary actors is based on two factors: information retrieval from headquarters and the leveraging of such information in issue‐selling or conflict‐handling processes.

Originality/value

The paper contributes by theoretically delineating genuine types of subsidiary power and by illustrating the strength, sustainability and interaction of these types of power in headquarters‐subsidiary relationships.

Details

Critical perspectives on international business, vol. 7 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1742-2043

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 June 2016

Milena Ratajczak-Mrozek and Magdalena Herbeć

The purpose of this paper is to identify in what way micro and small firms from low-technology industries which are dependent on foreign companies can ensure that they derive…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify in what way micro and small firms from low-technology industries which are dependent on foreign companies can ensure that they derive benefits from these relationships and what is more, in what way government policy should support this.

Design/methodology/approach

A longitudinal study of a furniture company has been used. The company’s relationship with its large foreign customer is analysed from the perspective of the market-oriented power dependence and the IMP interdependence concept. Additionally the secondary sources of information about Polish furniture industry have been used in order to present its international specificity.

Findings

The analysis shows that micro and small firms may derive benefits from their relationships with foreign entities due to their flexibility and the creation of heavy resources based on the standards of cooperation. Policies supporting exports and internationalisation cannot be isolated activities which end with the creation of foreign contacts and initiating transactions. Policy makers should concentrate on the support of the knowledge and experience exchange in terms of maintaining contacts with foreign entities as well as creation of a favourable framework of conditions for companies.

Practical implications

The recommendations may be applied to design a policy supporting micro and small enterprises representing low-technology industries from economies with a limited internal market.

Originality/value

The paper compares the perspective of a market-orientated power-dependency concept with the IMP interdependency approach. This sheds a light by adding an analysis of how to best utilise interdependencies on both sides of the supplier-customer interface. Both opportunities and hindrances resulting from the relationship between small firms and larger foreign companies are highlighted. Thanks to this approach a discussion is conducted in order to illustrate the policy implications of supporting micro and small enterprises from low-technology industries.

Details

IMP Journal, vol. 10 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2059-1403

Keywords

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