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Article
Publication date: 12 September 2023

Anna Lis and Artur Radzio

This paper aims to show the possibilities of implementing the idea of sustainability in the context of energy transformation using the concept of an industrial cluster. The…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to show the possibilities of implementing the idea of sustainability in the context of energy transformation using the concept of an industrial cluster. The implementation of the idea of sustainability is of particular importance from the perspective of the functioning of the meta-organisations involved in the implementation and promotion of decarbonisation processes. Industrial clusters, as collective actors initiating collective actions and providing complex governance structures, seem to have a great fit with regard to the needs of disseminating and implementing the idea of sustainable development, also in conjunction with energy development.

Design/methodology/approach

Empirical evidence is derived from a case study of Mazovia Clustes ICT (MC ICT). Based on the experience of this cluster, this study wants to show the evolution of the industrial cluster through the prism of its growing activity in supporting energy transition. The authors conducted the research in the period 2022–2023 using in-depth personal interviews and an analysis of the secondary data. The primary technique for data analysis and interpretation was conventional qualitative content analysis.

Findings

As a result of this study, the authors have distinguished three main areas of cluster activity covering the strategic, operational/project and institutional levels. Within the first area, the cluster’s efforts focused on the development of a strategy and involvement in lobbying and co-legislating. The second area refers to the cluster’s activity in the carrying out of national and transnational projects on the creation and implementation of various energy solutions. The activities undertaken in the third area include support for the development of start-ups in the field of energy and involvement in the launch of an energy cluster and the development of distributed energy in Poland. Although the strategic and operational/project levels are characterised by a commonality of activities and goals, there is additionally a commonality of interests at the institutional level.

Research limitations/implications

This paper has its limitations, which primarily relate to the small research sample (the choice of a case study as the main research strategy) and the methods used (qualitative research). Therefore, it is impossible to generalise the results to the entire population of clusters.

Practical implications

This paper has considerable practical value, as the results of this study may be relevant for public authorities interested in implementing energy transition through industrial clusters. The activities described can also be a source of inspiration for other clusters interested in shaping pro-environmental attitudes.

Social implications

The cluster’s activities are closely linked to the three pillars of sustainable development, including the social pillar. The solutions developed within the cluster in the context of energy development are aimed not only at increasing energy efficiency and protecting the environment but also at broader social welfare.

Originality/value

This paper makes an additional contribution to the state-of-the-art of the industrial cluster concept by linking it to the idea of sustainable development, in the context of energy transformation. In addition, it sheds new light on issues related to cluster co-operation, combining the case of the industrial cluster with the very fresh and as yet poorly described idea of the energy cluster.

Details

Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal , vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1059-5422

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 April 2024

Jane Andrew and Max Baker

This study explores a hegemonic alliance and the role of relational forms of accounting and accountablity in the making of contemporary capitalism.

Abstract

Purpose

This study explores a hegemonic alliance and the role of relational forms of accounting and accountablity in the making of contemporary capitalism.

Design/methodology/approach

We use the WikiLeaks “Cablegate” documents to provide an account of the detailed machinations between interest groups (corporations and the state) that are constitutive of hegemonic activity.

Findings

Our analysis of the “Cablegate” documents shows that the US and Chevron were crafting a central role for Turkmenistan and its president on the global political stage as early as 2007, despite offical reporting beginning only in 2009. The documents exemplify how “accountability gaps” occlude the understanding of interdependence between capital and the state.

Research limitations/implications

The study contributes to a growing idea that official accounts offer a fictionalized narrative of corporations as existing independently, and thus expands the boundaries associated with studying multinational corporate activities to include their interdependencies with the modern state.

Social implications

The study traces how global capitalism extends into new territories through diplomatic channels, as a strategic initiative between powerful state and capital interests, arguing that the outcome is the empowerment of authoritarian states at the cost of democracy.

Originality/value

The study argues that previous accounting and accountability research has overlooked the larger picture of how capital and the state work together to secure a mutual hegemonic interest. We advocate for a more complete account of these activities that circumvents official, often restricted, views of global capitalism.

Details

Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-3574

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 28 February 2023

Shaimaa Magued

Combining two organizational change theories, life cycle and organizational development, this study examines how strategic change cycle has been adopted and implemented across…

Abstract

Purpose

Combining two organizational change theories, life cycle and organizational development, this study examines how strategic change cycle has been adopted and implemented across three different organizations, a public organization, an NGO and an intergovernmental organization toward achieving their goals.

Design/methodology/approach

This study triangulates three different qualitative research methods: open-ended semi-structured interviews conducted with UN Women Egypt's director, text analysis of the three organizations' websites and the discourse analysis of the Tri-County Foundation's leaders.

Findings

Strategic change cycle has been differently formulated, adopted and implemented by the three organizations based on their goals, resources and contexts. While Office Board of Investment adopted a comprehensive reactive change, Tri-County Foundation followed a partial proactive transformation and UN Women Egypt developed a partial reactive strategy. Henceforth, public organizations and nonprofit organizations can develop different strategies of change in function of needs, resources, goals and context.

Originality/value

This study advances a theoretical framework on organizational change by integrating two theories, life cycle and organizational development, presenting four patterns of change: comprehensive reactive, comprehensive proactive, partial reactive and partial proactive.

Details

Review of Economics and Political Science, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2356-9980

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 August 2023

Carson Duan

The COVID-19 crisis has adversely affected entrepreneurs, innovators and their ventures and, arguably, entrepreneurship research. This study aims to map the knowledge of…

Abstract

Purpose

The COVID-19 crisis has adversely affected entrepreneurs, innovators and their ventures and, arguably, entrepreneurship research. This study aims to map the knowledge of entrepreneurship research during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide evidence of literature evolution in the field with the purpose of supporting future decision-making for policymakers, academics and practitioners in the post-COVID-19 era.

Design/methodology/approach

The study examines various bibliometric and scientometric indicators of entrepreneurship research in the Web of Science database using bibliometric techniques and visualization tools. Using the information gained, the scientometrics of entrepreneurship research during the COVID-19 time slice (2020–02-12 to 2022–10-15) are synthesized and comprehensively presented, and future research avenues for the post-COVID-19 era are suggested.

Findings

The results of rigorous quantitative analyses show that entrepreneurship research activities were not disrupted by COVID-19, although entrepreneurial activities themselves were impacted worldwide. In addition to providing key insights into the research field, including the most relevant keywords, keyword co-occurrences, publication sources, countries' contribution and collaboration, and source co-citations, the conceptual structural analysis separates the current trends (hotspots) into ten themes. Based on the evolution of author keywords and research themes, the study identified numerous future research directions, including 1) entrepreneurship in emerging countries, 2) firm performance in different categories of enterprises, 3) immigrants and transnational entrepreneurs, 4) technology in entrepreneurship education and 5) the impact of COVID-19 on the entrepreneurial ecosystem and entrepreneurship.

Research limitations/implications

By building firm foundations for advancing the field in innovative and systematic ways, this timely study contributes to entrepreneurship literature and facilitates the understanding of the features and structures of entrepreneurship research towards the end of the pandemic. The research also has important implications for research management and entrepreneurship policymaking. The study's main limitation is that the results can only represent the time slice between 2020-02-12 and 2022-10-15.

Practical implications

Policymakers and managers of research and development can utilize this research to prepare a crisis-related minimization handbook in advance.

Originality/value

This first data mapping and thematic analysis research for entrepreneurship during the period of COVID-19 provides the latest knowledge in the field at the beginning of the end of the pandemic. It empowers scholars by 1) providing a one-stop literature overview for this global crisis time slice, 2) identifying research focuses and gaps, 3) developing new research avenues for investigation and 4) contributing conceptual structure for specific entrepreneurship research projects.

Details

Aslib Journal of Information Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-3806

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 March 2024

B. Nalani Butler, Thomas J. Aicher, Georgio Vahoua and Allyson C. Hartzell

This study focused on Ivorian track and field athletes who were current or former members of the Ivorian national team to understand athletes’ experiences with migration, diaspora…

Abstract

Purpose

This study focused on Ivorian track and field athletes who were current or former members of the Ivorian national team to understand athletes’ experiences with migration, diaspora and sport.

Design/methodology/approach

Participatory action research (PAR) methodology was used in this research study (Lenette and Nesvaderani, 2021). According to Schinke and Blodgett (2016), PAR is a type of qualitative research used to engage the researcher and researched. The researcher and researched work together to understand the issues of a situation and communicate a plan to work toward resolving those issues (Kemmis et al., 2014). Using PAR helped to engage multiple people in the study, and as more research studies explore forced migration and sport, more scholars are starting to lean on the methodology to create a more diverse perspective and to include marginalized populations in the world of scholarly research (Stone, 2018; Robinson et al., 2019).

Findings

Key findings illustrate Ivorian athletes’ ability to forge a bond that transcended tribal and political differences through geographical proximity and sport opportunity, allowing them to (re)connect with their Ivorian diaspora by representing the national team.

Originality/value

This research paper expands on past studies in sport and migration by showcasing the fluid nature of how diaspora constructs an athlete’s national identity once they are forced to leave their homeland.

Details

Sport, Business and Management: An International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-678X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 March 2023

Arne Schuhbert, Hannes Thees and Harald Pechlaner

The below-average innovative capacity of the tourism sector raises the question on the potentials of digital business ecosystems (DBEs) to overcome these shortages at a…

Abstract

Purpose

The below-average innovative capacity of the tourism sector raises the question on the potentials of digital business ecosystems (DBEs) to overcome these shortages at a destination level – especially within a smart city environment. Using the example of the German Capital Berlin, this article aims to discuss both the possibilities and inhibitors of innovative knowledge-creation by building scenarios on one specific design option: the integration of digital deep learning (DL) functionalities and traditional organizational learning (OL) processes.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the qualitative GABEK-method, major characteristics of a DBE as resource-, platform- and innovation systems are analyzed toward their interactions with the construction of basic action models (as the basic building blocks of knowledge).

Findings

Against the background of the research findings, two scenarios are discussed for future evolution of the Berlin DBE, one building on cultural emulation as a trigger for optimized DL functionalities and one following the idea of cultural engineering supported by DL functionalities. Both scenarios focus specifically on the identified systemic inhibitors of innovative capabilities.

Research limitations/implications

While this study highlights the potential of the GABEK method to analyze mental models, separation of explicit and latent models still remains challenging – so does the reconstruction of higher order mental models which require a combined take on interview techniques in the future.

Originality/value

The resulting scenarios innovatively combine concepts from OL theory with the concept of DBE, thus indicating possible pathways into a tourism future where the limitations of human learning capacities could be compensated through the targeted support of general artificial intelligence (AI).

Details

European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-1060

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 August 2023

Ao Zhou and Stephen B. Blumenfeld

This study examines the transformation of labour non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in Mainland China since the enactment of the 2017 Overseas NGO Management Law…

Abstract

Purpose

This study examines the transformation of labour non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in Mainland China since the enactment of the 2017 Overseas NGO Management Law, which aims to regulate foreign concerns functioning outside the direct control of the state. It focuses on the extent to which these organisations have responded to the rapidly changing political and social environment by altering their goals and strategies in support of migrant workers. It also considers the relevance of Western social movement theories (SMTs) to China's grassroots labour movement in the 2020s. 

Design/methodology/approach

The research is based on case studies of ten labour NGOs operating in Beijing, Tianjin and Yunnan. It draws upon fifteen semi-structured interviews with the founders, leaders and activists affiliated with those organisations, as well as records and documented information of each of those organisations.

Findings

While the power and influence of labour NGOs markedly diminished, most have been able to adapt their goals and the strategies remain sustainable amidst both China's changing political and social climates and the global pandemic. It suggests that conventional SMTs can still offer valuable insights into understanding the development of labour NGOs in China, although they might not fully interpret the specific conditions and challenges faced by these organisations.

Originality/value

This study stands out as one of very few to offer empirical evidence on the inner workings of China's labour NGOs over the last six years. It also contributes to our understanding of social movements in a non-Western context.

Details

Employee Relations: The International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 May 2023

Dimitrios Kafetzopoulos, Elpida Tryfon Samara and Ypatia Theodorakioglou

The main purpose of this study is to provide a relatively integrated perspective on the role of market orientation, strategic flexibility and technological capability as multiple…

Abstract

Purpose

The main purpose of this study is to provide a relatively integrated perspective on the role of market orientation, strategic flexibility and technological capability as multiple organizational capabilities and their potential effectiveness in promoting business model innovation (BMI) and business performance.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve this objective, an empirical survey was conducted among 379 firms in Greece. Initially, exploratory factor analysis and then confirmatory factor analysis were applied. Finally, the structural relationships among the latent factors were determined through structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results show the positive effect of market orientation on strategic flexibility and technological capability. Strategic flexibility drives firms to BMI and then business performance. Furthermore, it is essential that firms build up technological capability to be effective in BMI and business performance.

Research limitations/implications

Data were collected at only one point in time from one country, Greece. This might pose limitations on the generalizability of our results. Future research could also explore how organizations develop strategic flexibility and BMI capabilities in different environmental contexts and organizational structures.

Practical implications

This study sends the message that companies focusing on market orientation and technological capability can led to higher strategic flexibility and BMI capabilities, which in turn act as a catalyst for business improvement.

Originality/value

The proposed model provides plausible guidelines that advance the research on multiple organizational capabilities in companies.

Details

European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-1060

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 April 2024

Daniel R. Clark and Dan Li

This study aims to integrate entrepreneurship theories and acculturation perspectives into a unified lens to understand opportunity development by transnational entrepreneurs…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to integrate entrepreneurship theories and acculturation perspectives into a unified lens to understand opportunity development by transnational entrepreneurs (TNEs).

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a conceptual method, considering how acculturation strategies of TNEs influence cross-cultural arbitrage.

Findings

We develop six propositions that define how acculturation strategies relate to different levels of cultural embeddedness of transnational entrepreneurs and ultimately influence the process by which the entrepreneur engages in cross-cultural arbitrage.

Originality/value

We are one of the first to integrate the sociology of immigrants with entrepreneurship to better understand how TNEs engage in cross-cultural arbitrage.

Details

Cross Cultural & Strategic Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2059-5794

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 November 2023

Nicola Sum, Reshmi Lahiri-Roy and Nish Belford

Identity, positioning and possibilities intersect differently for South Asian women in white academia. Within a broader migrant community that defines Australian life, these…

Abstract

Purpose

Identity, positioning and possibilities intersect differently for South Asian women in white academia. Within a broader migrant community that defines Australian life, these identities and positioning imply great possibility, but pursuing such pathways within academia is a walk on the last strand of resilience. This paper explores this tension of possibilities and constraints, using hope theory to highlight the cognitive resistance evident in the narratives of three South Asian women in Australian academia.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use collaborative autoethnography to share their narratives of working in Australian universities at three different stages of careers, utilising Snyder's model of hope theory to interrogate their own goal-setting behaviours, pathways and agentic thinking.

Findings

The authors propose that hope as a cognitive state informs resistance and enables aspirations to contribute within academia in meaningful ways whilst navigating the terrain of inequitable structures.

Originality/value

The authors' use of hope theory as a lens on the intersectional experiences of career making, building and progression is a new contribution to scholarship on marginalised women in white academe and the ways in which the pathways of resistance are identified.

Details

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-7149

Keywords

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