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1 – 10 of 20Mohamed Mousa, Rami Ayoubi and Vesa Puhakka
This paper aims to answer the question: To what extent should neurodiverse students experience improved access to public universities in Egypt and why?
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to answer the question: To what extent should neurodiverse students experience improved access to public universities in Egypt and why?
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic qualitative research method was used with data collected through semi-structured interviews with 44 educators in four universities in Egypt. A thematic approach was implemented to analyze the collected data.
Findings
The addressed educators believe that greater representation of neurodiverse students in their schools should be a priority for the following four reasons: first, neurodiverse students represent a promising new market segment schools could benefit from; second, recruiting more neurodiverse students represents a chance for schools and faculties to prove the social role they can undertake; third, schools can benefit from the unique skills many neurodiverse students have, particularly in mathematical and computational skills; and fourth, the greater the representation of neurodiverse students, the more research projects and funding opportunities educators can obtain.
Originality/value
This paper contributes by filling a gap in diversity management, higher education and human resources management in which empirical studies on the representation of neurodiverse individuals in public universities have been limited so far.
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Sari Laari-Salmela, Tuija Mainela, Elina Pernu and Vesa Puhakka
The purpose of this paper is to examine subsidiary positioning within the dynamic business networks in the context of multinational companies (MNCs). The research question of the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine subsidiary positioning within the dynamic business networks in the context of multinational companies (MNCs). The research question of the study is: How does the positioning of a subsidiary emerge through strategic practices in the dynamic business networks of an MNC?
Design/methodology/approach
The study relies on the IMP view on strategy with a focus on market positioning activity and the strategy-as-practice approach. Positioning is seen as a question of strategic practices in the interactive spheres of the subsidiaries. In the empirical part of the study, the authors examine the practices of a forest machine industry multinational through longitudinal interview and archival data on three of its sales subsidiaries in Sweden, Russia and the USA.
Findings
The study defines core tensions in subsidiary interactive spheres and the related strategic practices that shape the positioning of the subsidiaries. The study models the practice-based network positioning of MNC subsidiaries as a dynamic play of relationship tensions.
Originality/value
Prior research has focused either on the internal organizing of the MNCs or embeddedness of subsidiaries in their local environment. Less attention has been paid to the practices of positioning through which the subsidiaries deal with the inevitable tensions at the intersection of the internal and external networks.
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Mohamed Mousa, Vesa Puhakka and Hala A. Abdelgaffar
The purpose of this paper is to focus on physicians in the four public hospitals located in the October province of Egypt in an attempt to explore the effect of climate change on…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to focus on physicians in the four public hospitals located in the October province of Egypt in an attempt to explore the effect of climate change on physicians’ affective, continuance and normative commitment with and without mediating the role of responsible leadership.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 360 physicians were contacted and all of them received a set of questionnaires. After two follow-ups, a total of 240 responses were collected with a response rate of 66.67 percent. Multiple regressions were employed to show how much variation in affective, continuance and normative commitment can be explained by climate change with and without the mediation of responsible leadership.
Findings
The findings show a statistically negative effect for climate change on physicians’ three approaches of organizational commitment (affective, continuance and normative). Furthermore, the statistical analysis proved that having responsible leaders in hospitals has a negligible effect on the relationship between climate change and the affective, continuance and normative commitment.
Originality/value
This paper contributes by filling a gap in environment and organization literature, in which empirical studies on the relationship between climate change and organizational commitment have been limited until now.
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Mohamed Mousa and Vesa Puhakka
The purpose of this paper is to focus on physicians in the four public hospitals located in the October province (Egypt) in an attempt to explore the effect of responsible…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to focus on physicians in the four public hospitals located in the October province (Egypt) in an attempt to explore the effect of responsible leadership on physicians’ affective, continuance and normative commitment with and without mediating the role of organizational inclusion.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 360 physicians were contacted and all of them received a set of questionnaires. After two follow-ups, a total of 240 responses were collected with a response rate of 66.67 percent. The authors used the χ2 test to determine the association between responsible leadership and organizational inclusion. Multiple regressions were employed to show how much variation in affective, continuance and normative commitment can be explained by responsible leadership and organizational inclusion.
Findings
The findings highlight a positive association between responsible leadership and organizational inclusion. Moreover, another positive association is also explored between organizational inclusion and affective, continuance and normative commitment. Furthermore, the statistical analysis proved that having an atmosphere of respect, equality and sameness in the workplace fosters the effect of responsible leaders on physicians’ affective, normative and continuance commitment.
Originality/value
This paper contributes by filling a gap in HR management, cultural diversity and organization literature, in which empirical studies on the relationship between responsible leadership, organizational inclusion and organizational commitment have been limited until now.
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Tuija Mainela, Elina Pernu and Vesa Puhakka
The purpose of this research is to analyze the development of high‐tech international new ventures as an acting process by individuals in relationship networks.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to analyze the development of high‐tech international new ventures as an acting process by individuals in relationship networks.
Design/methodology/approach
The study cross‐fertilizes research on internationalization of international new ventures, opportunity development of entrepreneurs and innovation development in technology‐based firms. A longitudinal case study on the development process of an international new venture operating in the software business is used as a base for analytical generalization and theory development.
Findings
The study illustrates events at three intertwined levels of acting on the development of an international new venture. It defines internal problem solving, external solution creation, opportunity selling and opportunity organizing as the behaviors driving the emergent, multi‐level process and embedding the venture in various networks.
Research limitations/implications
Statistical generalization based on common patterns experienced by several firms was not sought in this study. Using the process research approach with event‐based analysis, the study, however, provides an in‐depth analysis of international new venture development through the actions of individuals at the level of key events. The methods for examining a complex development process over time can be utilized by other process researchers.
Practical implications
The complexity of building high‐tech international new ventures is, to a great extent, due to the necessity of handling the process at three levels simultaneously and in connection with one another. Since international new ventures are often based on business opportunities that have a short window of opportunity, the timeline creates further challenges. Embedding the business into various resourcing, legitimizing and otherwise assisting networks is crucial.
Originality/value
The study provides an insight into the ways of acting in networks that intertwines the internationalization, opportunity and technology development with development of a high‐tech international new venture. The study follows the development process in real time, something that is quite rare in previous international entrepreneurship research.
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Ahmad Arslan, Sean Naughton, Abdollah Mohammadparast Tabas and Vesa Puhakka
This chapter conceptually addresses outward internationalisation of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) from the emerging markets (EMs) by focussing on the role of prior…
Abstract
This chapter conceptually addresses outward internationalisation of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) from the emerging markets (EMs) by focussing on the role of prior contract manufacturing relationships with a developed market multinational enterprise (DMNE). The internationalisation of SMEs originating from EMs is a rather under-researched area and the role of prior contract manufacturing experience specifically has not been addressed in prior studies. Based on a literature review, the authors identified four capabilities developed by EM SMEs during their contract manufacturing relationships with DMNE(s) that potentially help in later outward internationalisation. The authors incorporate some insights from dynamic capabilities theory, and develop propositions addressing the role of relational capital, human capital, manufacturing productivity capabilities and product innovation capabilities in this specific context. Despite being conceptual in nature, this chapter is one of the first to explicitly highlight the role of these specific capabilities developed during contract manufacturing relationship for outward internationalisation, setting bases for future studies to further empirically investigate them in different contexts.
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Elina Pernu, Tuija Mainela and Vesa Puhakka
The present study approaches multinational corporations as internal networks that are constantly newly organized on the basis of relationships, operations, activities, and tasks…
Abstract
The present study approaches multinational corporations as internal networks that are constantly newly organized on the basis of relationships, operations, activities, and tasks at hand. It combines MNCs-as-networks view with the research on supplier–customer relationship development to conceptualize the relational dynamics in the MNCs. The dynamics are seen created as the interplay of organizing within internal networks and managing of the global customer relationships. Through an empirical study on a project business MNC and analysis of the events in its global customer relationship the study defines strategies of political compromising in MNC internal networks.
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Sakari Sipola, Vesa Puhakka and Tuija Mainela
Entrepreneurial activity is currently a primary concern of many developed economies that struggle with changes in their industrial structures. Many of the traditionally strong…
Abstract
Entrepreneurial activity is currently a primary concern of many developed economies that struggle with changes in their industrial structures. Many of the traditionally strong industries are encountering strong global competition and declining markets, and national competitiveness is often said to be built on new entrepreneurial firms that are able to grow in global markets. The facilitating national systems for these firms are covered in the emerging start-up ecosystem discussion. This chapter aims to contribute to this discussion by incorporating an analysis of the variety of actors and activities needed in start-up industries that rely on competence bloc theory. Furthermore, inspired by cultural-historical activity theory, the study specifies the contextual-, temporal- and renewal-related determinants of the activity of start-up ecosystems. As a result, a framework for examining start-up ecosystems as platforms for high-growth entrepreneurship is proposed in terms of its core constituencies that influence the emergence and non-emergence of high-growth firms.
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