Global collaboration in knowledge intensive firms: The role of activity configurations

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 519-535
Author(s):  
Katja Maria Hydle ◽  
David M Brock

AbstractThis paper discusses how transnational knowledge intensive firms manage complexity across multiple locations, integrating various functional specializations and catering to multifaceted customer demands. Practice theory is used to help us understand collaboration among experts across national borders. By exploring what experts do and analyzing their practices transnationally, different configurations to provide services were found. In total, six configuration types are identified: bilateral, trilateral, chain, star, network and co-location. These configurations differently relate to three interdependent axes: coordinated actions, interaction modes and spatial dimensions. The configurations expose the relevant integrative and responsive settings. The paper contributes to the international organization literature by extending, elaborating and providing examples of transnationality; and to practice theory by exposing shapes and qualitative complexity of transnational collaboration and service provision.

2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (12) ◽  
pp. 1948-1972 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katja Maria Hydle ◽  
Nick Hopwood

How do professionals at different locations within a firm collaborate to provide services across borders? This article addresses how knowledge-intensive service provisions are coordinated across borders, time zones and expertise. Empirical material from two engineering firms providing services to a global customer base are analysed, comprising over 100 interviews and over 20 days of observation. Concepts from practice theory are used, locating questions of knowledge in the realm of practical action. Findings describe how transnational services are enacted through prefigured and emergent practices. The problem of coordinating transnational practices is considered as a matter of balanced acting between these contrasting forms of work. This is explored in terms of the forms of knowledge that are in play – nuancing practical understanding into specific notions of know-how, know-what, know-who, know-why and know-where/when. Connecting this array of knowledge forms with balanced acting between prefigured and emergent practices extends theorizations of transnational knowledge-intensive firms, and casts new light on how the widespread problem of coordination can be addressed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pham Van Loi

Vietnam - Laos has more than 2,000 km of common national borders. The coherent relationship between the two nations and the inhabitants of the two countries has been formed and fostered in history and especially developed over the past 7 decades. The Thai ethnic group in Vietnam has over one million people, residing permanently, concentrated in the Northwest region, the region consists of 8 provinces, of which 4 provinces have the Vietnam-Laos border crossing. This paper focuses on clarifying the practical basis for the Thai people to play a role in the traditional Vietnam-Laos friendship and propose some solutions to promote the role of Thai in maintaining, developing the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Laos, now and in the future.


Author(s):  
Jeffrey L Dunoff ◽  
Mark A Pollack

This chapter discusses the inner working of ICs, such as the drafting of judicial opinions; practices concerning separate opinions; the role of language and translation; and the roles of third parties. It also presents a preliminary effort to identify and examine the everyday practices of international judges. In undertaking this task, the authors draw selectively upon a large literature on ‘practice theory’ that has only rarely been applied to international law in general or to international courts in particular. A typology and synoptic overview of practices is presented.


2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 436-455
Author(s):  
Marta Esperti

The Central Mediterranean is the most deadly body of water in the Mediterranean Sea with at least 15,062 fatalities recorded by International Organization of Migration between 2014 and 2018. This article aims at highlighting the rise of a variety of new civil society actors engaged in the rescue of people undertaking dangerous journeys across the sea in the attempt of reaching the southern European shores. The peculiarity of the humanitarian space at sea and its political relevance are pointed out to illustrate the unfolding of the maritime border management on the Central Mediterranean route and its relation with the activity of the civil society rescue vessels. The theoretical aspiration of the article is to question the role of a proactive civil humanitarianism at sea, discussing the emergence of different political and social meanings around humanitarianism at the EU’s southern maritime border. In recent years, the increasing presence of new citizens-based organizations at sea challenges the nexus between humanitarian and emergency approaches adopted to implement security-oriented policies. This essay draws on the findings of a broader comparative work on a variety of civil society actors engaged in the search and rescue operations on the maritime route between Libya and Europe, focusing in particular on Italy as country of first arrival. The fieldwork covers a period of time going between 2016 and 2018. The research methodology is built on a multisited ethnography, the conduct of semidirective and informal interviews with both state and nonstate actors, and the analysis of various reports unraveling the social and political tensions around rescue at sea on the Central Mediterranean route.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3.5) ◽  
pp. 65
Author(s):  
Krovopuskov P ◽  
Kantaryuk E ◽  
Chernyshova M

The paper deals with the coastal tourism in Iran and the United Arab Emirates by identifying the impact of tourist attractions on the development of coastal tourism in both countries, and the role of coastal tourism (beach, landscape, etc.) in attracting tourists in the two countries. In the present study, we investigated the environmental-ecological, socio-cultural, historical-political, economic, institutional-managerial and physical-spatial dimensions of the study area. The topicality of this work is the industrial tourism development. It will allow to enhance the economic potential of the regions, increase the flow of "domestic tourists» and improve the competitiveness of enterprises in the Region. It has been studied the prospects of industrial tourism development for students of universities in Russia and directly in the Lipetsk region at the present stage of development of the machine- and lathe-building industry.  


2020 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angeliki Papachroni ◽  
Loizos Heracleous

Following the turn to practice in organization theory and the emerging interest in the microfoundations of ambidexterity, understanding the role of individuals in realizing ambidexterity approaches becomes crucial. Drawing insights from Greek philosophy on paradoxes, and practice theory on paradoxes and ambidexterity, we propose a view of individual ambidexterity grounded in paradoxical practices. Existing conceptualizations of ambidexterity are largely based on separation strategies. Contrary to this perspective, we argue that individual ambidexterity can be accomplished via paradoxical practices that renegotiate or transcend boundaries of exploration and exploitation. We identify three such paradoxical practices at the individual level that can advance understanding of ambidexterity: engaging in “hybrid tasks,” capitalizing cumulatively on previous learning, and adopting a mindset of seeking synergies between the competing demands of exploration and exploitation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8441
Author(s):  
Michal Hrivnák ◽  
Peter Moritz ◽  
Marcela Chreneková

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed new aspects of sustainable entrepreneurship and the resilience of SMEs in the conditions of individual countries. This empirical study contributes to entrepreneurship sustainability literature and business resilience literature by estimating the impact of various utilized internal crisis management tools and state compensation measures on retaining the pre-crisis levels of employment after two waves of the pandemic on the conditions of a V4 country. The study adopts an econometric approach towards assessing the influence of key factors of mitigating the problems caused by the pandemic, and the results suggest a crucial role of digitalization, internal policies optimizing variable costs, and utilization of direct governmental supportive measures to compensate for restrictions in force for employment retention in knowledge-intensive SMEs. According to the results, knowledge-intensive SMEs appears to have increased resilience towards economic shocks due to the capability to swiftly change the management of ventures to adapt to a crisis.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document