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Unlike well-documented market or behavioral uncertainty, patent uncertainty has been significantly under-explored in the field of international entrepreneurship. Drawing on an institution-based view of strategy, this study investigated Netac, a Chinese knowledge-based international new venture (KINV), which was facing uncertainty over patents in China and the US. The aim was to address two questions: (1) how does patent uncertainty emerge in the context of KINVs? And (2) how can KINVs navigate patent hazards by interacting with national patent institutions?

A longitudinal single-case study approach was adopted as the most appropriate method for exploring novel business phenomena and dynamic processes.

Results suggested that a KINV can adopt strategies to build a unique identity and so better conform to the expectations of institutions that ultimately decide on patent validity. Strategies may involve building institutional awareness, amplifying mass media effects, and strategically managing the intellectual property and socio-emotional tensions between China and the US.

This study introduced the notion of patent uncertainty into research around international new ventures, highlighting how this type of uncertainty in the advanced technology sector can affect the end-product and patent licensing opportunities of KINVs. It also explored the institution-based view of company strategy in the internationalization process by emphasizing interactive institutional mechanisms, and the role of an organization’s identity when interacting with institutions. The study enriches the literature on institutional theory and organizational identity, and also suggests solutions for firms dealing with efforts by competitors to invalidate patents.

The purpose of this research is to develop theory, thereby attending to the existing knowledge gap regarding the impact of family firms on entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs). Reducing such a gap is both timely and relevant given the ubiquity of family firms across the globe and the lack of theoretical development at the intersection of EE and family firm literatures. By employing social capital theory in a propositional theorizing approach, this article presents unique propositions that enrich current understanding of the EE phenomenon.

Our method adopts a three-step propositional theorizing approach. The first step outlines our conceptualization, drawing on social capital theory and identifying multiple levels of analysis pertaining to EEs and family firms. The second step precisely identifies the constructs used for the theorization process, drawing upon relevant literature. The third step involves proposition building, which produces our findings.

As a result of our propositional theorizing method, we developed 10 theoretical propositions to explain interactions between family members, nonfamily entrepreneurs, family firms and new ventures in the EE, thereby focusing on the social elements of the EE and reducing its conceptual complexity while extending the explanatory power of family social capital in the EE.

Despite being increasingly relevant in research, policy and practice discourse, EEs remain under theorized. By theorizing in this context, we provide explanations of the mechanisms to explain social interactions between family members, nonfamily entrepreneurs, family firms and new ventures and how such interactions are likely to provide better access to the untapped resources in the EE. Furthermore, our theorization also identifies underexplored research areas paving the way for future scholars.

This article is relevant to practitioners and policymakers interested in creating balanced, inclusive and effective EE policies and interventions. Our theorization generates insights that complement a bottom-up approach where the state assumes a facilitating role for actors such as family firms to positively impact their EE. This research is both timely and necessary because, if unaddressed, it will lead to ineffective and potentially exclusionary policies and EE interventions.

We contribute to the literature by synthesizing the two domains and thereby advancing knowledge at the intersection of EE and family firm literatures. We strengthen the link between two burgeoning research areas through a propositional theorizing mode of theory development. Under the assumptions of a grand theory, social capital theory, we highlight the benefits that derive from social interactions in the EE between family firms and other EE actors.

The purpose of this research is to explore how an innovation organization's orientation toward the digital economy influences its position within R&D networks. By using institutional theory, the study aims to forecast market changes and understand how organizations can navigate the digital economy to secure essential resources and minimize dependencies.

This study employs a longitudinal panel dataset with 11,763 entries from 1995 to 2018, covering strategic emerging industries in China to analyze the impact of digital economy orientation on R&D networks. Utilizing advanced statistical models, it assesses the role of the legal environment as a moderator. This methodological approach facilitates a robust examination of the nexus between digital orientation and network dynamics within the context of institutional theory.

The study reveals that an organization's digital economy orientation enhances its centrality in R&D networks but reduces its control over structural holes. The legal environment negatively moderates the impact of digital economy orientation on network centrality, while positively influencing the relationship with network structural holes. These findings offer new insights into how institutional forces shape the strategic positioning of organizations in R&D collaborations.

This research offers a fresh perspective on the digital economy's impact on R&D networks, particularly in the Industry-University-Research (IUR) context. It extends the discourse by integrating institutional theory to elucidate the adaptation of R&D networks in the digital era. By identifying the legal environment as a moderator, the study provides a nuanced understanding of the strategic alignment within networks influenced by digital advancements. The unique focus on China's R&D networks presents a valuable contribution to the global discussion on digital integration and innovation ecosystems, highlighting the intersection of policy, academia, and industry in shaping research and development trajectories.

The current body of research has separately examined ethics education design and evaluation, as well as the development of ethical identity in managers. However, a notable deficiency in the literature lies in the absence of a comprehensive investigation into the interconnections between these two areas. This conceptual paper aims to address this lacuna.

Building on the theoretical foundations of identity control theory, this paper presents a conceptual model that outlines the dynamics of ethics education for managers, whether outside the organization or as a human resource development (HRD) initiative. Drawing upon a diverse range of literature sources, the model places significant emphasis on the interactive nature of identity formation, taking into account both individual agency and the educational context.

The conceptual model developed based on identity control theory illuminates the functioning of ethics education and its impact. The model illustrates the multifaceted nature of the relationship between ethics education and the development and sustenance of ethical identity in managers. It underscores the iterative process of identity control, wherein managers continuously navigate their ethical identities in response to internal and external influences.

While ethics education in management and HRD studies is widely acknowledged, there is a significant gap in understanding the psychological mechanisms that explain the maintenance of self-identity and the dynamic interplay between individuals and their social environment. This gap is particularly relevant to educational programs, which not only shape the social environment for trainees but also aim to foster the development and preservation of their individual identities.

This study aims to examine member attachment in hybrid identity organizations (HIOs), assessing the distinct effects of identification with respect to two elements (normative and utilitarian) of a hybrid’s identity. Specifically, the author explored how such dual identifications influence commitment and exit/voice/loyalty.

To distinguish the effects of the two identities, the author used the mechanism of identity congruence – the gap between identity perceptions and expectations – as an analog of identification. The models of identity gap, commitment and exit/voice/loyalty were examined via a survey of agricultural cooperative members.

Both the social and economic forms of identity gap were significantly related to commitment and exit/voice/loyalty. In addition, commitment mediated the relationship between identity gap and exit/voice/loyalty.

The results demonstrate the distinctive effects of the dual identities and reinforce the importance of delineating such differences when examining identification in hybrid organizations.

Managers should recognize the duality inherent in hybrid organizational identification and understand the potential for different outcomes stemming from the separate identities.

This study represents the first quantitative examination of an integrated model of dual identification and commitment in HIOs. It is also unique in exploring the exit/voice/loyalty framework as a consequent of identification.

English is the language of global communication, worldwide mobility, job progress, and access to new information and research. Given the numerous roles that English plays in today's society, higher education institutes (HEIs) all over the world are pursuing English-medium education. For Pakistan, however, English-medium education is a colonial legacy rather than a deliberate choice. Research suggests that English-medium education is not devoid of controversy in higher education in Pakistan; nonetheless, students have to seek English-medium education in universities to compete with the world. In fact, being committed to SDG 4.7 Education for sustainable development and global citizenship, Pakistan is supposed to educate its citizens to become global citizens, for which English-medium education is essential. Given the fact that each of the five provinces of Pakistan has a distinct culture and sub-cultures, it is important to see how Pakistani students’ attitudes to English-medium education to become global citizens are different based on their cultural identities. Therefore, the present study aims to analyze undergraduates’ attitudes toward English-medium education based on their cultural identities to become global citizens.

Under the quantitative research paradigm, the present research adopted a comparative design. One hundred and fifty undergraduates participated in the study. The data were collected using a 15-item questionnaire on a 5-point Likert scale, and it was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 27.0.

The results of the study revealed that participants regardless of their cultural identities have positive attitudes towards English-medium education as they believe it to be a source of career development, and improvement of their language, communication, and interpersonal skills. The participants also did not see English-medium education posing any threat to traditional culture and local languages. The findings of the present study also revealed that there is no statistical difference across the different categories of cultural identity.

The findings of the present study regarding students’ attitudes toward English-medium education will have implications for policymakers and university administration. Since cultural identity does not hinder acceptance of English-medium education, students’ positive attitudes can help policymakers promote multilingualism and English-medium education for career development. However, high-quality English language programs are crucial for maximizing the benefits. Likewise, positive attitudes of students towards English-medium education in Pakistan suggest students’ openness to intercultural dialogue. Therefore, university administration can further enhance student exchange programs for transnational research and development. Likewise, the study implies that cultural identity may not hinder English-medium education implementation in developing countries provided that practical benefits like career advancement and communication skill are emphasized.

The study is unique in the sense that it analyses undergraduates’ attitudes towards English-medium education concerning students’ cultural identities and global citizenship which have not been studied previously.

This paper aims to examine the management controls that support (and fail to support) a craft brewery’s servitization journey from start-up, through growth, to maturity. It enriches our understanding of how management controls can facilitate the discovery of a service-identity that provides the foundation for servitization.

Drawing on in-depth interviews, fieldwork and secondary data analyses, this paper reports on a longitudinal case study of a craft brewery. The authors trace the case company’s servitization journey using a service-dominant logic theoretical perspective. This perspective focuses us on how the value of a product is cocreated with customers, rather than being created by the firm and then distributed.

The study found that many management controls emerged at the craft brewery from start-up to maturity. Some management controls supported a goods logic, while others supported a service logic. The findings highlight how people and cultural controls in particular enabled the company to move toward a service logic focused on servitization. These management controls informed the evolution of offerings, structure reconfiguration and resources at the craft brewery necessary to support servitization.

Studying a craft brewery contributes an alternative type of manufacturing context and shows how service-identity features such as craftiness, collectiveness, neolocalism and innovation affect a company’s servitization journey.

The paper aims to close a literature gap by proposing a comprehensive conceptual soft skills competency framework for enhancing graduate intern employability through the cultivation of employability capital.

The study employed a theoretical inquiry and delved into the existing literature on employability, soft skills competencies and employability capital to establish a comprehensive foundation to formulate the conceptual framework. A content analysis of existing empirical studies was conducted to derive a generic list of employers’ required soft skills. A Delphi technique was employed to harness expert consensus and insights into the derived framework.

Employability capital can be cultivated in the setting of work-integrated learning programmes and synergised through emotional and social intelligence interventions to enhance soft skills competency and graduate employability.

The soft skills identified may overlook other important skills required by employers. Increasing participation in the Delphi study could yield additional valuable insights. Validation of the framework is needed in practical settings to understand its effectiveness and applicability to real-world organisational needs.

This study significantly enhances understanding of the role of employability capital in soft skills competency development and graduate employability through work-integrated learning programs and self-development. In addition, the framework has the potential to positively impact the employer-employee relationship.

The key theoretical contribution is a soft skill development framework that offers employers and graduates a means to identify and address deficiencies through WIL and self-development.

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore leader identity development experiences of emerging adults at a large Midwest university and how retrospective family storytelling (Koenig Kellas, 2018) plays a role in the sense-making of the leader identity process. Through a unique, three-phase qualitative and narrative inquiry approach, this research further explores LID sense-making through retrospective family storytelling.

Qualitative phenomenology and narrative inquiry approach. Data collection consisted of three different data sets: (a) two semi-structured interviews, (b) leader artifacts and (c) journals.

The stories told by the emerging adults described how key messages influenced their identity within the context of leader identity development and their college experiences. Furthermore, a key finding in the narratives exhibited the stories emerging adults recalled in the sense-making of their leader identity centered on persevering, overcoming hardships and interpersonal connections and relationships. Findings from this research contribute to LID literature for leadership educators, researchers and practitioners in leader development.

The research presented in this article advances LID by using a narrative approach to explore the role of family narratives in identity development. Further, it approaches qualitative work with rigorous data collection and analysis processing using a cross-case analysis to develop leader identity archetypes. This study directly impacts those who work with emerging adult college students and supports the development of college student leaders.

This study aims to explore individual leader identity development across four key dimensions: strength, integration, meaning and inclusiveness.

Around 70 semi-structured interviews with aspiring and practicing leaders were conducted to gather qualitative data.

The majority of individuals interviewed showed development or were developing in the dimensions of strength and integration. However, over half of the sample demonstrated underdevelopment in the dimensions of meaning and inclusiveness.

This study contributes to the existing literature by providing nuanced insights into the level and patterns of development across all four dimensions of leader identity within individuals. It reveals that while some symmetry of development across dimensions is possible, it is less prevalent than previously assumed.