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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the strategic role evolution of client‐following local subsidiaries of foreign automotive parts suppliers in China.

The units of analysis are five local subsidiaries of foreign automotive parts suppliers dealing with Beijing Hyundai Motor Corporation in China; a case study methodology based on interviews with managers of the subsidiaries was employed.

First, a modified version of Ferdows's model can be utilized to aptly analyze the strategic role changes of subsidiaries of foreign automotive parts suppliers which have followed their major client into the emerging market. Second, the development of a subsidiary's functional capabilities varies from subsidiary to subsidiary, depending on the headquarters' (HQ) global strategy and the nature of its interactions with external players. Third, the strategic role evolution of a subsidiary is critically influenced by the levels of its functional capabilities. Finally, the mechanism for a subsidiary's strategic role evolution can be explained by the interactions of three critical factors: the task assigned by HQ, the subsidiary's choice, and the local environment.

The external validity of this case study is yet to be verified and the possible gaps in perceptions between the subsidiary and the HQ have not yet been addressed. This is the first case study to address the strategic role evolution of client‐following subsidiaries of automotive parts suppliers.

This study presents the HQ with a framework for role assignments and a checklist for planning the development of a subsidiary's capabilities.

This is the first paper to investigate the strategic role evolution of local subsidiaries of foreign automotive parts suppliers in the emerging market, and it finds critical factors affecting capability development, which in turn shape the subsidiary's process of role evolution.

Most of the existing studies on the evolution of emergency topics in social media focused on the emergency information demand of fixed user type in emergency while ignoring the changing roles of stakeholders during the emergency. Thus in this study, a three-dimensional dynamic topic evolution model is proposed, in which fine grained division of time, dynamic identification of stakeholders in the emergency, and emergency topic evolution based on both timeline and stakeholder's type are all considered.

Particularly the relevance between the tweets posted and the topic of emergency, the influence on the social network, and the attention of emergency topic are as well taken into account to quantitatively calculate the weight and ranking of stakeholders at different stages of the emergency. To verify the proposed model, an experimental demonstration was carried out under an emergency event posted on social media.

The results show that (1) based on the three-dimensional dynamic topic evolution model, the composition and ranking of stakeholders have obvious differences at different stages; (2) the emergency information needs and the sharing behavior of stakeholders on emergency information also indicate different preferences where the topic concerns of stakeholders at different stages have a strong relationship with their weight ranking; (3) the emergency topic evolution considering both the dynamics of emergency stakeholders and emergency information demand could more accurately reflect the changing regularity of social media users' attention to information in emergency events.

This study is one of first to investigate the emergency topic evaluation on social media by considering the dynamic changes of various stakeholders in emergency. It could not only theoretically provide more accurate method to understand how users share and search emergency information in social media, but also practically signify an information recommendation way in social media for emergency tracking.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-02-2021-0098.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the different roles and natures of objects in organizational process. Furthermore, the concept of the mediation object is developed to understand how the objects help to structure interactions and collective activities over time.

The paper employs data from a case study (the Pupitre Virtuel) in order to highlight and illustrate the relevance of a process analysis of the roles and natures of objects.

The paper demonstrates that the roles and natures of objects evolve over time through controversies and compromises. On one hand, the evolution of interactions drives the evolution of the roles and natures of objects. On the other, the evolution of objects help the actors to structure their interactions and activities.

The paper argues that, rather than a static analysis, human‐object interaction needs to be understood and observed through a process analysis, taking into account the evolution of objects and interactions. This paper shows that mediation objects can play three roles – as carriers of controversies, of compromises, and of prescriptions – and that it can appear in one of three aspects – interpretable, modifiable, and non‐interpretable/non‐modifiable.

The authors’ contention in this paper is that the expression of subsidiary strategy in IB literature has become fragmented and incomplete. Therefore, this study aims to propose a rethink on how IB scholarship approaches the important issue of subsidiary strategy by holistically examining the discrete and integrated set of activities, choices and decisions that constitute the subsidiary strategy process for, in this context, assuming a competence-creating role within the multinational enterprise (MNE).

A conceptual model is designed to illustrate the holistic process of subsidiary strategy from assigned to assumed role and how a subsidiary can navigate a pathway to elevated performance and survival.

The paper identifies the key integrated elements that constitute a holistic strategic process that can enhance a subsidiary’s standing within the MNE and maximise its survival prospects.

Particular focus is placed on subsidiaries that strategise to advance their internal corporate role to competence creator via upgraded knowledge capabilities.

This paper offers a roadmap for IB scholars to contribute to a future discourse around the subsidiary strategy process for assuming a competence-creating role.

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the literature discussing the internationalization of research and development (R&D) among multinational companies by proposing a process description to capture the development of local R&D capabilities in subsidiaries.

The authors build the conceptualization not only on the prevailing literature on resource management, subsidiary evolution and subsidiary initiatives, but also on empirical observations.

A process in four phases is distinguished to describe the evolution of R&D capabilities in subsidiaries: the identification of an opportunity in the host country that triggers the establishment of local R&D capabilities; the gathering of support – from the host country and from MNC internally – and resources; the bundling of the resources to build capabilities; and finally the leveraging of the capabilities.

By offering a conceptualization of the process through which subsidiaries build R&D capabilities, the authors contribute to the literature on R&D internationalization that hitherto has neglected the central role played by subsidiaries and the fact that a subsidiary needs to develop and manage resources and capabilities to change its R&D related role and/or mandate within the MNC.

By providing a process perspective on MNCs internationalization of R&D focussing on the development and management of R&D capabilities at subsidiaries, the paper adds a more dynamic dimension to the previously rather static view on R&D internationalization.

Few high-growth firms (HGFs) are able to maintain high-growth over time. The purpose of this paper is to find out why only a small number of firms become persistent HGFs, explicitly focusing on the role of the founding entrepreneur in this process.

Initially, 28 semi-structured interviews were performed with high-growth entrepreneurs to discover why so few founders could become persistent high-growth entrepreneurs. In a second phase, four case studies were conducted to uncover the factors that facilitate a swift evolution from the “managerial” role to the “strategic” role.

High-growth entrepreneurs, who quickly make a transition from a managerial role into a strategic role are more likely to keep their firm on its high-growth trajectory. This transition is made possible by: the early development of strategic skills; the presence of a high quality human capital base; and an organizational structure with characteristics from Mintzberg’s “machine bureaucracy.”

The results are vital for entrepreneurs of “one-shot” HGFs with the ambition to make their firm a “persistent” HGF. If high-growth rates are to be sustained, the three factors that emerged from the authors’ analysis should foster the delegation of managerial tasks, resulting in an easier transition toward a “strategic role.”

Insights are valuable as both founders and governmental institutions can benefit from knowing which factors contribute to a successful phase transition from “manager” to “strategist.”

Outlines the essential elements of a role theoretical perspective and explores its potential importance to service performance in people‐based service encounters. Drawing on Biddle, and on Solomon et al.’s interpretations, how role theory enhances our marketing exchange understanding by focusing on the interactive features within successful service encounters is demonstrated. Outlines how role management offers a framework to evaluate the degree of interactivity sought in relationship approaches. Role theory, it is argued, can enable organizations to identify role development needs for service personnel within interactive service formats and permits organizations to monitor processual elements of service performance. A managerial framework, which identifies specific role management tasks in client encounters, is developed. This, it is proposed, may operate in two domains, internally within the service process and externally within the service encounter with clients. The contribution of role to the service life cycle, as a factor in service performance, and as a means to encourage customer retention is discussed: its application in different services contexts is briefly outlined.

The purpose of this paper is to explore research opportunities for service innovation and system design in network platforms by investigating representative case examples in an emerging market, China.

The authors provide four case examples to illustrate the manner in which network platforms facilitate and lead to service innovation and effective system design. Then, the authors propose nine research directions that present significant research opportunities, and the authors make theoretical and methodological suggestions.

The results indicate that research opportunities exist mainly in three areas: ecosystem design and evolution, including role design, coherence and sustainability issues; leader–participant collaboration, including governance, co-opetition and innovation stimulation issues; and transformation of traditional industries, including process informatization, modularization and standardization issues.

This study extends the platform-related literature by showing new platform features represented by case evidence from emerging economies, and provides recommendations to guide and direct management practices and efforts in platform-based service innovation and system design.

This chapter introduces evolutionary neuroscience and its organizational applications, especially its usefulness for motivation analysis in macrolevel disciplines such as strategic management. Macrolevel organizational disciplines have mostly lacked a theory of motivation beyond self-interest assumptions, which fail to explain many important macrolevel organizational phenomena. Evolutionary neuroscience provides an empirically grounded, parsimonious perspective on the human brain and brain evolution which helps clarify the profound complexities of motivation. Evolutionary neuroscience’s theory of the physiological causes of self- and other-interested motivation can support better macrolevel motivation analysis and unify disparate, potentially conflicting motivation theories. Examples are offered of how neuroscience-based motivation theory can support more comprehensive strategic management analysis of competences and competitive advantage.

The paper seeks to capture the history of the evolution of modern‐format food and grocery retail in India. Its focus is on the time period from 1971 to 2001.

The research is primarily exploratory in nature. Primary research included depth interviews, focus groups and survey through questionnaire with organized retailers, unorganized retailers, consumers, fast‐moving consumer goods manufacturers, channel members and opinion‐leaders. Secondary research involved a review of the existing literature on Indian retail available at that time.

Emergence of modern retail in India is not just a result of increasing consumer buying power – manufacturers and unorganized retailers also have an important role to play in this process at the macro‐level. At the micro‐level, the trigger came from diverse angles like entrepreneurial desire to provide better service to consumers, social desire to provide relief to the masses in the form of lower prices, desire to capitalize on emerging business opportunities being provided by the changing business environment, etc.

Being an early work in this area, the research was exploratory in nature and tried to understand the role of different stakeholders in emergence of modern retail in India. It does not use any statistical technique to prove or disprove any hypothesis. It is focused on the food and grocery retail business.

The paper provides a historical perspective to academics as well as practitioners.