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Article
Publication date: 13 August 2020

Tobias Alexander Krause and Martyna Daria Swiatczak

This study examines the interplay of formal types of control (input, behavior and outcome) exercised on municipally owned corporations (MOCs). It further investigates whether…

Abstract

Purpose

This study examines the interplay of formal types of control (input, behavior and outcome) exercised on municipally owned corporations (MOCs). It further investigates whether particular informal contingencies (trust and interdependence) predict affiliation to the derived municipal control configurations.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper applies an exploratory cluster analysis based on survey data from 243 top-level managers of German MOCs. It then investigates the clustered municipal control configurations using binomial logistic regression.

Findings

The exploratory analysis reveals four municipal control configurations: (1) input-dominated control, (2) outcome-dominated control, (3) mixed input/outcome control and (4) “neglect of formal control”. As expected, both of the informal contingencies demonstrate strong predictive power. More precisely, trust increases the likelihood of belonging to the dominant outcome control cluster and interdependence increases the likelihood of belonging to the mixed input/outcome control cluster. Surprisingly, the neglect of formal control cluster is characterized by low trust and low interdependence.

Originality/value

The study sheds light on the widely assumed but understudied interplay of different formal controls in hybrid governance settings. Furthermore, the analysis stresses the importance of trust and interdependence when explaining hybrid control configurations.

Article
Publication date: 6 May 2014

Tobias Krause

The purpose of this paper is to analyze and compare the specific contingencies of partnership risk in shared equity public-private partnerships (PPPs) with the contingencies of…

1032

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze and compare the specific contingencies of partnership risk in shared equity public-private partnerships (PPPs) with the contingencies of privately held, loose related PPPs.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on instrumental and relational accountability perspectives, the author formulates theoretical propositions on partnership risk.

Findings

The author conclude that loose related PPPs are characterized by high expertise and a higher risk of contract incompleteness by reason of opportunism. Shared ownership PPPs are characterized by lower opportunism but stronger goal ambiguities and role conflicts. These relationships are threatened by political micromanagement, agency capture and bailout problems.

Research limitations/implications

The study offers an analytical frame of propositions and provides avenues for further research on partnership risk.

Practical implications

The author suggest risk mitigation strategies for tight and loose related PPPs.

Originality/value

Identifying crucial contingencies from both an instrumental and a relational perspective, the study makes a contribution to cooperation research in PPPs.

Details

International Journal of Public Sector Management, vol. 27 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-3558

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 June 2021

Joachim Kahl, Saskia de Klerk and Robert Ogulin

This paper takes a holistic and process-based view on agility from a Middle Management (MM) perspective. Its purpose is to identify subjective factors of agility emerging from…

1525

Abstract

Purpose

This paper takes a holistic and process-based view on agility from a Middle Management (MM) perspective. Its purpose is to identify subjective factors of agility emerging from people's interpretations and perceptions and to integrate them into the process of agile strategy-making.

Design/methodology/approach

To provide a theoretical foundation, literature was reviewed in the area of agile diversity and strategy-making. A qualitative study based on interviews was conducted to uncover the hidden subjective factors from the personal experiences and perceptions of the participants.

Findings

The study has revealed that individual opinions in terms of agility can originate from three sources: individual understandings, contextual drivers and personal beliefs.

Research limitations/implications

The research contributes to dynamic capability theory by providing a better understanding of agile diversity at the MM level. The findings can help mid-level executives to cope with the complexities and ambiguities in managing agility by aligning the different understandings and people's perceptions. This is crucial, as missing alignment of team members can lead to poor dynamic capabilities of business entities and thus threatens overall organisational agility.

Originality/value

A model was developed to align the subjective factors of agility during the process of agile strategy-making at the MM level. The framework allows a flexible adaptation to the individual demands of organisational units, as well as concentrated measures for effective agile management. It contributes to organisational agility and business success by scaling the dynamic capabilities of MM.

Article
Publication date: 16 December 2019

Claus Steinle, Holger Schiele and Tobias Bohnenkamp

In light of increasingly tight buyer–supplier relationships, opportunism is a problem of increasing relevance. So far, opportunism has mainly been researched as a detrimental…

Abstract

Purpose

In light of increasingly tight buyer–supplier relationships, opportunism is a problem of increasing relevance. So far, opportunism has mainly been researched as a detrimental action by suppliers and interpreted with an institutional economics lens. Recent conceptual work, however, has argued more for a behavioral approach to operations management, suggesting benefits of taking a social capital perspective on opportunism. Based on a large empirical sample of buyer–supplier relations, this paper aims to provide an empirical study using social capital as theoretical lens. Further, it analyzes both supplier and buyer opportunism at the same time.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper, through following a quantitative approach, considers the interacting dyad of buyer and supplier opportunism, its antecedents as well as its performance implications.

Findings

Findings did not support the expectation that supplier opportunism will be countered by buyer opportunism in a single relationship. However, social capital in the form of cognitive and relational capital has been found as a good predictor of opportunism. This study proposes new measures for structural capital. Further the study confirms the detrimental effect of opportunism on performance of the buyer–supplier relationship, highlighting the mediating role of innovation as building block of relational competitive advantage.

Research limitations/implications

Previous studies on opportunism in buyer–supplier relations were mostly transaction cost-oriented, thus neglecting the behavioral aspects of exchange processes. Introducing social capital theory revealed to be a rewarding amplification of the perspective. Next, most research up till now was focused on explaining supplier opportunism only. This study contributes by analyzing both sides of the interacting dyad. Finally, this research closes a research gap by not only explaining the occurrence of opportunism but by also testing its performance outcomes. Accordingly, this study contributes to the opportunism literature, social capital theory development and to the management of buyer–supplier relations.

Practical implications

Building up cognitive and relational capital is likely to be a tool to reduce the danger of opportunism – both with the partner firm, as well as inside the own organization. As such, firms need to make sure that both forms of social capital are present to a higher extent. If this is not the case, opportunistic actions on both buying and supplying side might occur which have damaging impacts on the generation of innovation as well as the achievement of strategic advantages.

Originality/value

While previous studies have focused on explaining supplier opportunism, an analysis of both sides of the interacting dyad between buyer and supplier opportunism is missing. Not only does this research provides further insights with regard to the latter, but further considers the role of social capital as underlying factor explaining both buyer and supplier opportunism. Also, this research answers the call on more research about the relation between opportunism and performance, specifically focusing on innovation and strategic advantage generation.

Details

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. 35 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0885-8624

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 February 2018

Vivek Roy, Tobias Schoenherr and Parikshit Charan

The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively review the vast literature on sustainable supply chain management (SSCM), with the specific objective of a thematic exploration of…

3155

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively review the vast literature on sustainable supply chain management (SSCM), with the specific objective of a thematic exploration of the literature in order to explicate the principal facets of SSCM development.

Design/methodology/approach

This comprehensive review follows the systematic literature review approach.

Findings

The authors find SSCM to develop around five principal facets. The first facet is adoption, which accounts for the development of preparatory grounds – for facilitating the generation of a SSCM philosophy to gradually seep into the frame of traditional supply chain management (SCM). The second facet of implementation accounts for the manifestation of a SSCM-oriented transformation for producing gradual upgrades in the traditional SCM environment. The third facet of extension signifies the broadening of the scope of implementation at a more wider (supply chain) level. The fourth facet of maintenance outlines the need for ensuring the continuity of progress in the course of SSCM development. The fifth facet of outcomes focuses on the yields of SSCM’s pursuit.

Originality/value

These principal facets are built across the multiple levels and unique conceptual standpoints as propagated by 13 themes and 34 sub-themes. These themes are generated based upon 419 articles (2000-2017) from more than 40 leading journals. The authors discuss the facet-specific key implications for guiding the literature in its further advancement, and thus propose a rigorous thematic landscape of the SSCM literature with a unique approach. Overall, the outcomes of this review provide a fundamental organization of the SSCM literature – from the perspective of a journey involved in the transition from traditional to sustainable supply chains.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 38 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 7 December 2020

Tobias Hahn

Business sustainability urges firms to simultaneously address economic, ecological, and social concerns. It innately combines different potentially competing organizational…

Abstract

Business sustainability urges firms to simultaneously address economic, ecological, and social concerns. It innately combines different potentially competing organizational elements. Therefore, sustainability represents a suitable context for the study and practice of hybridity. Based on an understanding of hybridity as a continuum, in this chapter, the author distinguish between four different forms of hybridity for business sustainability, depending on the degree of integration and autonomy of sustainability initiatives in business organizations. With ceremonial hybridity, businesses only leave the impression to pursue business and sustainability goals but focus their practices on conventional business priorities. Contingent hybridity denotes an approach where ecological and social concerns are only pursued to the extent that they align with business goals. With peripheral hybridity, firms pursue sustainability initiatives in their own right but do not integrate them with core business activities. Full hybridity puts both business as well as sustainability at the core of the organization without emphasizing one over the other. These different forms of hybridity in business sustainability are illustrated with examples from various business organizations. By characterizing different degrees of hybridity in business sustainability, the argument and the examples highlight how organizational hybridity and business sustainability can fruitfully inform one another. The author develop research opportunities for using business sustainability as a context for studying different degrees as well as the dynamics of hybrid organizing and for using different degrees of hybridity for achieving a better understanding of different pathways toward substantive business contributions to sustainable development.

Details

Organizational Hybridity: Perspectives, Processes, Promises
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83909-355-5

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 12 March 2021

Lode De Waele, Tobias Polzer, Arjen van Witteloostuijn and Liselore Berghman

Numerous of today's public sector organisations (PSOs) can be characterised as hybrids. Hybridity is caused by different (at times conflicting) demands that stem from the…

4138

Abstract

Purpose

Numerous of today's public sector organisations (PSOs) can be characterised as hybrids. Hybridity is caused by different (at times conflicting) demands that stem from the institutional environment, which is likely to affect performance measurement in these organisations. This paper focuses on the relationship between hybridity and organisational performance, which has so far not been studied in detail.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a literature review (final sample of 56 articles), the authors systematise performance dimensions alongside the pillars “economy”, “efficiency”, “effectiveness” and “(social) equity”. The article summarises results in a framework for measuring performance in hybrid PSOs. The authors outline strategies as to how public managers can tailor frameworks to the requirements and idiosyncrasies of organisations.

Findings

Since hybrid PSOs combine logics from different administrative models (Weberian bureaucracy, market-capitalism and democracy), so need their organisational performance measurement systems. Potential synergies from and frictions between the different performance dimensions related to the four pillars are discussed.

Originality/value

This is the first literature review on performance dimensions and their application in hybrid PSOs. The distilled “hybrid performance measurement framework” can be scrutinised and further refined in future research.

Details

Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management, vol. 33 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1096-3367

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 September 2011

Rao Tummala and Tobias Schoenherr

The purpose of this paper is to propose a comprehensive and coherent approach for managing risks in supply chains.

58295

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a comprehensive and coherent approach for managing risks in supply chains.

Design/methodology/approach

Building on Tummala et al.'s Risk Management Process (RMP), this paper develops a structured and ready‐to‐use approach for managers to assess and manage risks in supply chains.

Findings

Supply chain risks can be managed more effectively when applying the Supply Chain Risk Management Process (SCRMP). The structured approach can be divided into the phases of risk identification, risk measurement and risk assessment; risk evaluation, and risk mitigation and contingency plans; and risk control and monitoring via data management systems. Specific techniques for conducting this process are suggested.

Originality/value

While supply chain risk management is an emerging and important topic in our dynamic and interconnected world, conceptual frameworks providing a clear meaning and normative guidance are scarce (Manuj and Mentzer, 2008). This paper presents such a framework, offering structure and decision support for managers.

Details

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, vol. 16 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-8546

Keywords

Content available
Book part
Publication date: 12 October 2015

Abstract

Details

Inquiry-Based Learning for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (Stem) Programs: A Conceptual and Practical Resource for Educators
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78441-850-2

Article
Publication date: 6 May 2014

Tobias Matzner

Ubiquitous computing and “big data” have been widely recognized as requiring new concepts of privacy and new mechanisms to protect it. While improved concepts of privacy have been…

3563

Abstract

Purpose

Ubiquitous computing and “big data” have been widely recognized as requiring new concepts of privacy and new mechanisms to protect it. While improved concepts of privacy have been suggested, the paper aims to argue that people acting in full conformity to those privacy norms still can infringe the privacy of others in the context of ubiquitous computing and “big data”.

Design/methodology/approach

New threats to privacy are described. Helen Nissenbaum's concept of “privacy as contextual integrity” is reviewed concerning its capability to grasp these problems. The argument is based on the assumption that the technologies work, persons are fully informed and capable of deciding according to advanced privacy considerations.

Findings

Big data and ubiquitous computing enable privacy threats for persons whose data are only indirectly involved and even for persons about whom no data have been collected and processed. Those new problems are intrinsic to the functionality of these new technologies and need to be addressed on a social and political level. Furthermore, a concept of data minimization in terms of the quality of the data is proposed.

Originality/value

The use of personal data as a threat to the privacy of others is established. This new perspective is used to reassess and recontextualize Helen Nissenbaum's concept of privacy. Data minimization in terms of quality of data is proposed as a new concept.

Details

Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, vol. 12 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-996X

Keywords

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