Strategic Transformation in Japan’s SMEs, 1990–2008: Flexible Specialization, Industrial Restructuring, and Technological Change

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-36
Author(s):  
Robert Fitzgerald ◽  
Romano Dyerson ◽  
Tatsuya Mishimagi
Keyword(s):  
Technological Change ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Production Networks ◽  
Strategic Objectives ◽  
Flexible Specialization ◽  
Bubble Economy ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Strategic Transformation

The bursting of the “bubble economy” in 1989–1990 brought decades of challenge for Japanese Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), which had assumed the role of subcontractor within production networks dominated by large companies. This article explores the impact of a rapidly altered business environment, due to economic crisis, the decline of relational subcontracting, and technological change, on the management and organization of firms. It provides a needed historical account of Japanese SMEs striving to avoid “hollowing out,” and detailed case studies explain what gaining greater independence as a flexible specialist meant in practice. A focus on the immediate advantages of computerized tools could not bring about the intended strategic objectives, whereas the systemizing of new and existing resources in skills and equipment enabled sustainable competitive differentiation in production and products. The case studies map out the internal competence transformations of SMEs over time, and indicate the value of historical approaches to exploring strategic and organizational change.

scholarly journals The impact of the IS on the effectiveness of the sales funnel management as a part of CRM in an automotive company

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 74-92
Author(s):  
Tanja Grublješič ◽  
Nejc Čampa
Keyword(s):  
Business Environment ◽  
Customer Relationship ◽  
Case Study Analysis ◽  
Automotive Company ◽  
Mere Existence ◽  
Measures Of Effectiveness ◽  
Sales Funnel ◽  
The Impact

Sales Funnel Management (SFM) as a part of the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is of great importance in the automotive industry when the companies want to attract new customers and retain the existing ones. Due to the complex and changing business environment customers are becoming more and more demanding and less loyal to their current brands. Existing research has shown that IT/IS play a crucial role throughout the execution of the CRM activities. However, the mere existence of an IS in a company is not enough. The ability and willingness of companies to use these IS in a sufficient manner plays a key role in the success and failure of CRM activities. Therefore, the objective of the article is to show how the role of the IS impacts on the effectiveness of the SFM through conducting a case study analysis in a leading German automotive company. The results show that IS has an important impact on improvements in execution of all phases of SFM and importantly contributes to primary goals and measures of effectiveness of the SFM in the automotive company, which are the increased number of vehicles sold and the lowest possible cost per vehicle sold, as well as higher level of customer satisfaction.

scholarly journals Editorial introduction: Gender and political financing

2021 ◽  
pp. 019251212110409
Author(s):  
Rainbow Murray ◽  
Ragnhild Muriaas ◽  
Vibeke Wang
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Institutional Reform ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Women Candidates ◽  
Female Candidates ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

Contesting elections is extremely expensive. The need for money excludes many prospective candidates, resulting in the over-representation of wealth within politics. The cost of contesting elections has been underestimated as a cause of women’s under-representation. Covering seven case studies in six papers, this special issue makes theoretical and empirical contributions to understanding how political financing is gendered. We look at the impact on candidates, arguing that the personal costs of running for office can be prohibitive, and that fundraising is harder for female challengers. We also explore the role of political parties, looking at when and how parties might introduce mitigating measures to support female candidates with the costs of running. We demonstrate how political institutions shape the cost of running for office, illustrate how this is gendered and consider the potential consequences of institutional reform. We also note how societal gender norms can have financial repercussions for women candidates.

scholarly journals Children coping with COVID-19: Intersectional understandings of film and media access in a crisis

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Justine Atkinson ◽  
Firdoze Bulbulia
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Media Access ◽  
Specific Focus ◽  
Film Education ◽  
The World ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
The Impact

As a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns across the world, digital access has become paramount, as most aspects of education have moved online. Drawing together five case studies located in South Africa, Argentina, the Netherlands, India and Ethiopia, this article assesses the role of film education during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a specific focus on the impacts of digital access. We examine multimodal forms of film education, and how these were used to inform, entertain and educate children during the crisis by the varying work undertaken by the organizations. Applying theories of intersectionality, we address the need for context-specific approaches to film education, focusing upon the impact that the societal and individual contexts had on the dissemination of film education in each country.

The Role Of Social Networking Between Knowledge Donating And Productivity Among Service Sector Employees

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Sarah Khan ◽  
Dr. Nasir Mehmood
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Networking Technologies ◽  
The Impact

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the direct impact of knowledge donating behaviour on employees’ productivity and an indirect effect through social networking technologies. Social networking technologies play a vital role in the growth and learning of individuals and organizations in today’s competitive business environment. Recently, advancement in social networking technologies has brought a paradigm shift in the overall business environment and specific operational requirements. This study aimed to investigate the role of social networking (SN) between knowledge donating behaviour (KD) and employees’ productivity (EP). Methodology: For this purpose, data were gathered from targeted respondents belonged to the Universities and Banks located in the Northern Punjab region of Pakistan. Structural Equation Modelling technique using the SmartPLS was carried to statistically analyse the responses. Findings: The results showed that the hypothesized relationship between knowledge sharing behaviour (KSB) and employee’s productivity was significant and positively related, while social networking played a significant mediating role between this relationship. Implications: The findings provided useful insight to the managers and policymakers for planning effective use of social networking technologies to craft knowledge sharing behaviour among employees to create efficiencies and intended outcomes. Originality: The study has uniquely focused merging phenomenon of knowledge sharing behaviour in the service sector of Pakistan, specifically among academic and financial sector by exploring the impact of social networking technologies and provide valuable future direction for researchers to further extend the underlined idea in the wake of current Covid-19 Pandemic.

Enterprise Resource Planning Systems in a Global Environment

2011 ◽  
pp. 382-396
Author(s):  
Paul Hawking
Keyword(s):  
Enterprise Resource Planning ◽  
Resource Planning ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Global Environment ◽  
Strategy Development ◽  
Planning Systems ◽  
Strategic Objectives ◽  
Enterprise Resource Planning Systems ◽  
Role Of Information

Companies around the world are placing increasing emphasis on strategy development and implementation. Some argue that this increased emphasis is in response to market forces of increased competition and globalization, and the need to be flexible and adaptive to the business environment. Strategy development and implementation is a multifaceted task reliant on a number of interdependent factors. One of these is the role of information technology which in recent times has become an integral part of most companies’ strategies. This chapter discusses the role of strategy development and the importance of the alignment of business and IT strategies in a global environment. It discusses the role of enterprise resource planning systems on strategy development and how these systems underpin many strategic objectives companies strive for in a global environment.

Conclusion

2021 ◽  
pp. 213-244
Author(s):  
Leonardo R. Arriola ◽  
Martha C. Johnson ◽  
Melanie L. Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Political Participation ◽  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Financial Constraints ◽  
Future Research ◽  
National Politics ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Gendered Institutions ◽  
The Impact

The concluding chapter revisits the main hypotheses regarding women’s experiences as aspirants, candidates, and legislators. Complemented by tables summarizing key findings, the chapter identifies where and how the book’s studies of Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Uganda, and Zambia either uphold or contradict hypotheses from the existing literature. Building on this summary, the chapter presents an agenda for future research on women’s political participation in African countries focused on the importance of financial constraints for women’s candidacies, the role of violence in shaping women’s political options, and the impact women in power have on gendered institutions. The book ends on an optimistic note, arguing that despite these barriers, the case studies clearly demonstrate that women are adept at securing a place for themselves, and asserting their voice, in local and national politics.

Sustainable partnerships: the art of high-performing alliances and joint ventures

2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 558
Author(s):  
Amita Riksen ◽  
Nick Chipman
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Strategic Alliances ◽  
Joint Ventures ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Strategic Objectives ◽  
High Performing ◽  
Industry Response

In the increasingly transparent, real-time, digital business environment, the degree of collaboration required to succeed is rapidly expanding. Interdependencies created among diverse market participants, prospective partners and stakeholders is dramatically altering who actively participates in the oil and gas industry and how much influence they can yield. An industry deeply premised on technical innovation and excellence must evolve to broaden the value proposition and address the complex, expanded stakeholder groups. Traditional value drivers need to be extended to effectively leveragemulti-party joint ventures (JVs) to address the principles of license to operate and deliver the required capabilities. PwC hypothesises that risk-averse, technical, legal and quantitative biases drive joint venturing agreements to narrow obligations and sub-optimal outcomes. This is because narrow agreements ignore the behavioural, organisational and critical relationship-driven outcomes in contracting, venturing and alliance configurations. By widening the lens of JV agreements and strategic alliances, the authors look briefly at real case studies and undertake critical observations of the emerging industry behaviour, in identifying the following range of factors industry participants need to confront: the power and agility of social media driving industry response; the role of subjective, human factors in realising strategic objectives; the perceived rights of JV parties as the reality; the role of emotion in decision making and misalignments of culture/style/behaviours among stakeholders; the balance of diversity versus control requirements in governance management; the enablers for co-creating, high-performing ventures and contracting for co-operation alongside risk management; using the letter of the contract to facilitate rather than dictate behaviour; and, the power of influence to enable decision making. The shared experiences of the authors identify an attribution framework underpinning the contractual frame and extends into the effective planning and execution traits of high-performing, co-operative JVs.

Examining the impact of socialization and information sharing and the mediating effect of trust on innovation capability

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (11) ◽  
pp. 1601-1624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nisha Paul Kulangara ◽  
Sherry Avery Jackson ◽  
Edmund Prater
Keyword(s):  
Information Sharing ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Innovation Capability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the interrelationship between trust, socialization, and information sharing on the buying firm’s innovation capability in the context of the buyer-supplier relationship (BSR). A nomological model is developed that examines the mediating role of relational capital (supplier trust) on the relationship between structural capital (socialization and information sharing) and innovation capability. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted on 357 US executives. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the hypothesized relationships. Findings Information sharing and formal socialization activities increased the buying firm’s trust in its key supplier. However, formal socialization activities within the context of the business environment did not have a significant direct impact on buyer’s innovative capabilities; but when mediated by trust, it positively impacted innovation capabilities. Informal socialization within the context of the social environment directly impacted innovation capabilities but trust did not mediate the relationship. Information sharing impacted trust and innovation significantly and trust mediated the impact of information sharing on innovation capabilities. Originality/value This study defines the formal and informal aspects of socialization and investigates its impact on trust and buyer innovation capabilities. This is one of the few studies that highlights the mediating role of trust between firms to facilitate innovation capability.

Archives, Documents, and Legal Practices in the Greek Polis

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Faraguna
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Judicial Procedures ◽  
Land Transactions ◽  
The Impact

This chapter explores the importance of writing in the legal practices of the Greek poleis. After discussing writing materials and kinds of documents, illustrating the different functions documents on the same media could have and the problems in tracing ancient archives and reconstructing the role they played in the mechanisms of public administration, it concentrates on two case studies: written records concerning land transactions (in particular registers of sales) and the role of written documents in Athenian judicial procedures. It argues that the impact of written documents on the legal sphere and in establishing fair social relations within the polis was much more significant than is generally recognized.

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