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Book part
Publication date: 27 October 2015

Santi Furnari

Research has highlighted the cognitive nature of the business model intended as a cognitive representation describing a business’ value creation and value capture activities…

Abstract

Research has highlighted the cognitive nature of the business model intended as a cognitive representation describing a business’ value creation and value capture activities. Although the content of the business model has been extensively investigated from this perspective, less attention has been paid to the business model’s causal structure – that is the pattern of cause-effect relations that, in top managers’ or entrepreneurs’ understandings, link value creation and value capture activities. Building on the strategic cognition literature, this paper argues that conceptualizing and analysing business models as cognitive maps can shed light on four important properties of a business model’s causal structure: the levels of complexity, focus and clustering that characterize the causal structure and the mechanisms underlying the causal links featured in that structure. I use examples of business models drawn from the literature as illustrations to describe these four properties. Finally, I discuss the value of a cognitive mapping approach for augmenting extant theories and practices of business model design.

Details

Business Models and Modelling
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78560-462-1

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Book part
Publication date: 5 December 2017

Mauri Laukkanen

This chapter’s focus is comparative causal mapping (CCM) methods in MOC research. For a background, the chapter discusses first the conceptual (cognitive theoretic) basis in…

Abstract

This chapter’s focus is comparative causal mapping (CCM) methods in MOC research. For a background, the chapter discusses first the conceptual (cognitive theoretic) basis in typical CCM studies and its implications for understanding the target phenomena and for CCM methods. Next, it presents the CMAP3 software and describes its operating logic and main functions. Third, the chapter describes how to use CMAP3 in three prototypical cases of CCM, each characterized by different research objectives, kinds of data, and methods of data acquisition but also by potential dilemmas. The chapter concludes by speculating about the future directions of causal mapping and suggesting some ideas for developing in particular large-N CCM methods.

Details

Methodological Challenges and Advances in Managerial and Organizational Cognition
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78743-677-0

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Book part
Publication date: 10 December 2013

Cristiana Parisi

The purpose of this study is to illustrate the use of the ad hoc methodology of causal mapping to support the process of quantifying the financial returns related to…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to illustrate the use of the ad hoc methodology of causal mapping to support the process of quantifying the financial returns related to sustainability investments. The present study uses two methods to build causal maps, that is aggregate and congregate mapping, in order to capture managerial cognition and derive a model that reflects companies’ competitive advantages. The resulting causal map is a prerequisite and serves as a building block for the design of the organisation’s performance management systems for sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

This study relies on qualitative, deductive research undertaken at the leading international pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk. This chapter presents the results of a longitudinal study developed through an action research approach conducted at the Company over a four-year period.

Findings

This study illustrates how the described approach for developing causal maps can facilitate the elicitation of managerial tacit knowledge and the consequent identification of indicators to quantify the investments in sustainability.

Practical implications

This chapter proves the relevance of causal mapping as a comprehensive, articulated basis for developing and improving organisations’ strategic performance measurement systems (SPMSs).

Originality/value

This study’s main contribution is the triangulation of multiple qualitative methods to enhance the reliability of causal maps. This innovative approach supports the use of causal mapping to extract managerial tacit knowledge in order to identify indicators for the evaluation of investments in sustainability.

Article
Publication date: 16 August 2013

Mauri Laukkanen and Päivi Eriksson

The paper's first objective is to develop a new conceptual framework for categorizing and designing cognitive, specifically comparative, causal mapping (CCM) research by building…

Abstract

Purpose

The paper's first objective is to develop a new conceptual framework for categorizing and designing cognitive, specifically comparative, causal mapping (CCM) research by building upon the theory‐centred and participant‐centred perspectives. The second purpose is to enable the discerned study prototypes by introducing a new CCM software application, CMAP3.

Design/methodology/approach

Building upon the distinction between theory‐centred (etic) and participant‐centred (emic) perspectives in social research, we first construct and apply a conceptual framework for analysing and categorising extant CCM studies in terms of their objectives and basic design. Next, after noting the important role and basic tasks in computerising causal mapping studies, we present a new CCM software application.

Findings

The theory‐centred/participant‐centred perspectives define four causal mapping study prototypes, each with different goals, basic designs and methodological requirements. Noting the present lack of widely accessible software for qualitatively oriented CCM studies, we introduce CMAP3, a new non‐commercial Windows application, and summarise how it is used in related research.

Originality/value

The framework and the studies representing the prototypes demonstrate the versatility of CCM methods and that the proposed framework offers a new, systematic approach to categorising and designing CCM studies. Research technically, CMAP3 can support the defined CCM‐prototypes, based on a low‐structured (inductive/qualitative) or a structured (nomothetic/quantitative) methodological approach/stance, and having therefore different needs of data acquisition, processing, coding, aggregation/comparison, and analysis of the emerging aggregated cause maps’ contents or structure.

Details

Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management: An International Journal, vol. 8 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5648

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Book part
Publication date: 12 October 2016

Arch G. Woodside

This chapter applies Axelrod’s (1976) and Huff’s (Huff, A. S. (1990). Mapping strategic thought. In A. S. Huff (Ed.), Mapping strategic thought (pp. 88–115). Chichester: Wiley;…

Abstract

This chapter applies Axelrod’s (1976) and Huff’s (Huff, A. S. (1990). Mapping strategic thought. In A. S. Huff (Ed.), Mapping strategic thought (pp. 88–115). Chichester: Wiley; Jenkins & Huff, 2002) approach to mapping strategic thought (causal mapping) to (1) categorize how manufacturers of new fast moving consumer goods (FMCGs) may respond to environmental feedback to their decisions and (2) assess the effectiveness of alternative implemented decisions in assisting organizational growth. The manufacturing of new FMCGs requires timely product modifications in the assumptions of entrepreneur thinking in response to environmental responses/non-responses to decisions/actions of the manufacturing enterprise. A detailed example of causal mapping analysis is presented for a manufacturing entrepreneurial case study; the example covers processes linking events, decisions, and activities in business start-up, growth, and failure of the enterprise. The chapter closes by suggesting that causal mapping analysis is a valuable tool for advancing theory construction from case study research. The chapter provides a research plan for future reports applying causal mapping in retailing entrepreneur studies.

Details

Making Tough Decisions Well and Badly: Framing, Deciding, Implementing, Assessing
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78635-120-3

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Article
Publication date: 1 February 2018

Nicola Giuseppe Castellano and Roberto Del Gobbo

The purpose of this paper is to study how the design of a strategy map can be supported by measures expressing the customers’ perceptions about strategic factors and their related…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study how the design of a strategy map can be supported by measures expressing the customers’ perceptions about strategic factors and their related determinants. In particular, managers are provided with a fact-based test useful to revise prior knowledge and beliefs.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study is used to describe the adoption of the partial least squares path modelling (PLS-PM) approach to structural equation modelling in order to compare competing strategy maps and select the one that best fits customer perceptions. A focus group was organised to design the strategy maps, which were tested through a survey of 600 randomly selected resellers.

Findings

The empirical-based validation of a causal map by using PLS-PM may effectively stimulate a revision of managers’ collective perceptions about a phenomenon characterised by implicit knowledge, as in the case of customer needs.

Research limitations/implications

The case-study company operates in a business-to-business environment, and thus only the needs of direct customers have been included in the analysis. Final users’ needs should also be considered, even if different solutions are required for data collection.

Practical implications

The proposed approach provides a set of indicators which allow managers to identify strategic priorities, thus facilitating decision making and strategic planning.

Originality/value

In the strategic management literature, few attempts have been made to operationalise the complex and multidimensional latent constructs of a strategy map combining managers’ implicit knowledge and empirical validation in a “holistic” manner. The adoption of PLS-PM is relatively new in testing the accuracy of causal maps.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 56 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

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Article
Publication date: 12 June 2007

Arch Woodside

The purpose of this paper is to describe how to go about interpreting causal maps and provides an introduction to the literature of causal mapping.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe how to go about interpreting causal maps and provides an introduction to the literature of causal mapping.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper includes two international causal maps showing the favorable antecedent conditions of Germans towards visiting Britain and the negative antecedent conditions of Brits towards visiting Germany. The paper provides training exercise questions with a solution in interpreting causal maps.

Findings

The training helps make implicit, automatic, thinking explicit and provides clues for the marketing strategist of actions necessary to changing long‐term negative implicit associations that potential visitors retrieve regarding tourism destinations.

Research limitations/implications

This report does not include the results of applying the exercise in executive training programs. Does completing the exercise help improve decision making?

Practical implications

Executives need to experience specific training exercises to improve decision‐making skills. Obvious solutions usually only become so only following experiencing the process of making decisions; such training exercises as the one this paper presents builds on this premise.

Originality/value

This paper breaks new ground in participative learning by executives to improve their skills by solving real‐life tourism marketing problems.

Details

International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, vol. 1 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6182

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Article
Publication date: 9 January 2018

Mauri Laukkanen and Erno T. Tornikoski

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, using the case of Finnish small business advisors (SBAs), it aims to clarify a controversy in entrepreneurship policy about using…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, using the case of Finnish small business advisors (SBAs), it aims to clarify a controversy in entrepreneurship policy about using public funds to foster solo and micro entrepreneurship. The study reveals the SBAs’ belief systems to facilitate policy-relevant conclusions about their advisory competence, counseling tendencies and probable impact on nascent entrepreneurs and macro consequences like firm displacement. Second, methodologically, the study’s cognitive perspective and method enable researchers to assess the approach and its potential.

Design/methodology/approach

The SBAs’ (n=15) belief systems were elicited by interview-based causal mapping. They are summarized using aggregated causal maps and analyzed to understand the SBAs’ dominant mindset and to draw conditional inferences about their professional competence and impacts.

Findings

The SBAs have convergent belief systems about the causes and consequences of micro entrepreneurship. They are generally competent to detect and foster viable solo and small micro firms. From a policy viewpoint, however, they ignore indirect effects like firm replication and appear risk aversive, less inclined to promote their clients’ growth intentions and plans.

Originality/value

For entrepreneurship policy makers, the study clarifies a controversial issue. It finds clear grounds for public funding of SBA type services, but this may depend on policy goals and local conditions. For the SBAs, the study suggests proactive, income-generating services for improved financing and legitimacy. For entrepreneurship researchers, it demonstrates the potential and limits of the cognitive approach and causal mapping.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 24 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 May 2013

Yulia Kasperskaya and Michael Tayles

Several well‐known managerial accounting performance measurement models rely on causal assumptions. Whilst users of the models express satisfaction and link them with improved…

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Abstract

Purpose

Several well‐known managerial accounting performance measurement models rely on causal assumptions. Whilst users of the models express satisfaction and link them with improved organizational performance, academic research, of the real‐world applications, shows few reliable statistical associations. This paper seeks to provide a discussion on the “problematic” of causality in a performance measurement setting.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a conceptual study based on an analysis and synthesis of the literature from managerial accounting, organizational theory, strategic management and social scientific causal modelling.

Findings

The analysis indicates that dynamic, complex and uncertain environments may challenge any reliance upon valid causal models. Due to cognitive limitations and judgmental biases, managers may fail to trace correct cause‐and‐effect understanding of the value creation in their organizations. However, even lacking this validity, causal models can support strategic learning and perform as organizational guides if they are able to mobilize managerial action.

Research limitations/implications

Future research should highlight the characteristics necessary for elaboration of convincing and appealing causal models and the social process of their construction.

Practical implications

Managers of organizations using causal models should be clear on the purposes of their particular models and their limitations. In particular, difficulties are observed in specifying detailed cause and effect relations and their potential for communicating and directing attention. They should therefore construct their models to suit the particular purpose envisaged.

Originality/value

This paper provides an interdisciplinary and holistic view on the issue of causality in managerial accounting models.

Details

Managerial Auditing Journal, vol. 28 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-6902

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 May 2008

Martin Kunc

This paper aims to propose a method to assist organisations to develop their causal models, as well as to understand them, and to propose systems thinking as a method to achieve…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a method to assist organisations to develop their causal models, as well as to understand them, and to propose systems thinking as a method to achieve these objectives.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper starts with a review of the literature related to the concerns existing with respect to strategy maps and the interrelationships between measures. Then it explains the benefits of systems thinking and causal loop diagrams. Finally, the paper presents the results obtained from a group of 32 students who took a course in strategic control systems and used systems thinking to design a performance measurement system for their businesses.

Findings

The number of concepts included in students' causal loop diagrams averages 16, which are in line with the number of measures suggested in the Balanced Scorecard literature, but only 48 per cent of concepts were related to the four perspectives suggested in the Balanced Scorecard methodology. Few students acknowledged the existence of time delays in the interrelationships.

Research limitations/implications

While the sample is statistically significant, it represents the results of one course.

Practical implications

The use of systems thinking and causal loops diagrams simplifies the design of a Balanced Scorecard and improves the alignment of the organisation with the performance measurement system.

Originality/value

While scholars have criticised the interrelationships between measures in the Balanced Scorecard, few have suggested solutions to this issue. The paper presents the application of a well‐known tool to improve the processes of designing and understanding the interrelationships between measures in the Balanced Scorecard.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 46 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 12000