scholarly journals Strategic planning and organizational flexibility in turbulent environments

foresight ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Vecchiato
Keyword(s):  
Business Environment ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Organizational Flexibility ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Turbulent Environments ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Strategic Foresight ◽  
Learning Schools

Purpose – The main purpose of this paper is to address a key issue in literature on management and foresight: the author explores how firms might cope with the increased turbulence of the business environment. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on a multiple case study of major firms of the energy and the mobile communication industries. Findings – The focus is on strategic foresight and organizational flexibility: the author introduces the concept of “boundary uncertainty” and investigates its managerial implications. Originality/value – The main contribution of this paper is to expand our understanding of environmental uncertainty and to reinvigorate the study of strategic decision making in turbulent industries. The author provides descriptive data on the foresight approaches that some of the world’s largest and most influential companies used throughout the 2000s for remaining aligned with their fast-paced environments, and thus informs the debate between the “planning” and the “learning” schools of strategic management.

Knowledge acquisition via internet-enabled platforms

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charmaine Glavas ◽  
Shane Mathews ◽  
Rebekah Russell-Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Acquisition ◽  
International Business ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Study Methodology ◽  
Flow Of Information

Purpose Technology has profoundly transformed the international business environment, particularly regarding the flow of information and the way in which knowledge is acquired and shared. Yet, the extent of this transformation is still underappreciated. The purpose of this paper is to examine how small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owner/founders acquire and utilize knowledge for internationalization via internet-enabled platforms. Design/methodology/approach The empirical analysis draws on multiple case study methodology to examine 13 Australian SME owner/founders and the knowledge they acquire from utilization of internet-enabled platforms. Findings The analysis reveals four differing types of internet-enabled experiences: “technical internet-enabled experiences,” “operational internet-enabled experiences,” “functional internet-enabled experiences,” and “immersive internet-enabled experiences.” The findings indicate that internet-enabled experiences can generate both explicit and tacit forms of knowledge for the pre, early and later phases of internationalization. Practical implications The findings provide a structured approach by allowing SMEs to “plot” themselves against the classification of internet-enabled experiences to denote their level of technological involvement, and for discerning the types of knowledge that can be acquired. The findings are particularly helpful for owner/founders, highlighting that internet-enabled platforms are affecting the ways in which knowledge can be acquired and applied to international businesses processes. Originality/value The findings extend the conventional notion of knowledge acquisition for international business by highlighting how information and knowledge can be acquired via internet-enabled platforms. The findings lay the necessary groundwork for building an evidence base and theoretically extending the concept of knowledge acquisition via internet-enabled platforms.

scholarly journals Competitive intelligence and strategy formulation: connecting the dots

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelo Cavallo ◽  
Silvia Sanasi ◽  
Antonio Ghezzi ◽  
Andrea Rangone
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Competitive Intelligence ◽  
Strategy Formulation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Units ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Connecting The Dots ◽  
And Diffusion

Purpose This paper aims to examine how competitive intelligence (CI) relates to the strategy formulation process of firms. Design/methodology/approach Due to the novelty of the phenomenon and to the depth of the investigation required to grasp the mechanisms and logics of CI, a multiple case study has been performed related to four companies located in Brazil that adopted CI practices within dedicated business units to inform and support strategic decision-making. Findings The authors provide detailed empirical evidence on the connection and use of CI practices throughout each stage of the strategy formulation process. Moreover, the study suggests that CI practices, despite their strategic relevance and diffusion, are still extensively adopted for tactical use. Originality/value This study sheds light on how CI practices may inform, support, and be integrated in the strategy formulation process, as few studies have done before.

Enhancing consumer trust in short food supply chains

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen Ji ◽  
Qin Chen ◽  
Ni Zhuo
Keyword(s):  
Social Presence ◽  
Consumer Trust ◽  
Trust Building ◽  
Social Commerce ◽  
Food Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Multiple Case

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how consumers’ trust is enhanced by e-commerce-based agribusiness companies. It also aims to shed light on the role of social commerce in improving consumers’ trust. Design/methodology/approach To achieve the research purpose, an in-depth multiple case study is performed. In this study, three cases in short food supply chain (SFSC) in China are selected, and they are all e-commerce agribusiness companies. They adopted common ways to build up, maintain and reinforce consumers’ trust. Findings It is revealed that the companies innovatively adopted social commerce, both online and offline, to overcome the trust problems usually faced by e-commerce companies. It is also shown that offline contact with potential consumers is an important first step for agribusiness e-commerce entrepreneurs to build up trust with consumers. Research limitations/implications By adopting a multiple case study method, the research has limited generalizability to other types of SFSCs. Since the findings are from Chinese agribusiness e-commerce companies, the generalization to other sectors must be done with caution. Practical implications Some managerial implications are given as follows: first, offline contact with consumers could be realized through different channels. Taking advantage of existing social network or trying to find consumers in urban communities might be effective ways. Second, trust building with consumers is not an easy task, managers need to emphasize trust building, trust maintaining, as well as trust reinforcing with consumers. In agri-food sector, managers might need to specifically address the importance of food safety and quality so as to not lose consumer trust in one night. Originality/value The study has mainly two contributions: first, it has managerial implications for agribusiness e-commerce entrepreneurs, addressing the important role of social presence in building up consumer trust. Second, it contributes to social presence and social relations literature by providing new empirical evidence from e-commerce in agri-food sector and in developing countries.

scholarly journals Dealing with defaulting suppliers using behavioral based governance methods: an agency theory perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 499-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernst-Jan Prosman ◽  
Kirstin Scholten ◽  
Damien Power
Keyword(s):  
Agency Theory ◽  
Cultural Influences ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
High Resource ◽  
Supplier Performance ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore factors influencing the effectiveness of buyer initiated behavioral-based governance methods (BBGMs). The ability of BBGMs to improve supplier performance is assessed considering power imbalances and the resource intensiveness of the BBGM. Agency Theory is used as an interpretive lens. Design/methodology/approach An explorative multiple case study approach is used to collect qualitative and quantitative data from buying companies involved in 13 BBGMs. Findings Drawing on Agency Theory several factors are identified which can explain BBGM effectiveness considering power differences and the resource intensiveness of the BBGM. The data show that even high resource intensive BBGMs can be implemented effectively if there are benefits for a powerful supplier. Cultural influences and uncertainty of the business environment also play a role. Originality/value This study develops a series of propositions indicating that Agency Theory can provide valuable guidance on how to better understand the effectiveness of BBGMs. Underlying mechanisms are identified that explain how power imbalance does not necessarily make improvement initiatives unsuccessful.

Organizational environments and adaptive response mechanisms in India

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veena Vohra
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Response ◽  
Environmental Turbulence ◽  
Adaptive Responses ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Case Study Design ◽  
Organizational Environments ◽  
Turbulent Environments ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Multiple Case

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the nature of the organizational environments of Indian business organizations and to identify the adaptive response mechanisms that organizations use to cope with their environments. This paper also examines in detail the causal texture of the organizational environments and attempts to build a conceptual model mapping adaptive responses of organizations to different types of organizational environments. Design/methodology/approach – A constructivist stance was adopted in this exploratory study to capture the perceptions of the organizational leaders through the multiple case study design to capture the features of the organizational environments and their causal texture. The multiple case study design used an embedded mixed-methods approach to collect data. Within-case analysis and cross-case analysis were conducted to draw out prominent themes across cases ordered for particular organizational environment types. The study was conducted by following construct validity, internal reliability and external validity guidelines. Findings – The study highlights and describes in detail the characteristics of the different organizational environment types in India. It is revealed that a majority of Indian organizations exist in turbulent environments. There are differences in the adaptive response mechanisms of organizations in the environment types studied. The study specially focuses on the strategies adopted by Indian organizations to adapt to turbulent environments. Practical implications – This study maps the causal texture of organizational environments in India and maps the organizational adaptive responses to the environment for greater effectiveness. This study offers various strategies to cope with turbulent organizational environments and adds to the research focus on causal texture and adaptive capacities of organizations across different types of environments. Originality/value – This study contributes to an ignored subject area of organizational environments. Managing organizations in uncertain and turbulent environments is complex, and this study provides an understanding about the various types of adaptive mechanism that are used to cope with environmental turbulence. This study also attempts to answer several questions that previous research works have raised about strategies that organizations use when they fail to cope with environmental turbulence.

Prabhar Oil Company, and distribution challenges in the Indian lubricants industry

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Ramendra Singh ◽  
Pramod Paliwal ◽  
Sanjay Sakariya
Keyword(s):  
Success Factors ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Customer Relationship ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Integrated Marketing ◽  
Market Positioning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Critical Success

Subject area Marketing-managing customer relationship, market positioning, target marketing, product strategy, distribution, retailing and supply chain management, integrated marketing communications. Study level/applicability Undergraduate and graduate students in international marketing; business administration; strategic decision making and general management courses. Case overview The case study focuses on the current scenario within the Indian automotive lubricants industry, in order to provide an understanding of the marketing challenges, especially in retailing and distribution, faced by organisations within this highly competitive sector. The case examines the implementation of marketing strategies into practice and provides an insight into the importance of branding, market segmentation, market positioning, product and pricing strategies and customer relationship management (CRM). Expected learning outcomes The case study enables the students to understand and analyse: the current business environment and dynamics of emergence in the Indian automotive lubricants market; the critical success factors for doing business in the Indian automotive lubricants market and the associated opportunities and challenges; the importance of distribution and retailing strategies in the Indian context; Izo's growth and expansion strategy in India; and Izo's sales management and CRM systems and there importance to the success of the business. Supplementary materials Teaching note.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd.: growth strategies for the future

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Monica Singhania
Keyword(s):  
Planning Process ◽  
Emerging Economy ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Social Implications ◽  
Growth Strategies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Bcg Matrix

Subject area The case provides valuable insights on challenges faced by otherwise-protected organisations which are made to face the global onslaught. What happens to an organisation when its own collaborators become competitors overnight? What happens when market leaders refuse to share their technology or dictate their own terms? In addition, this case study looks at the strategy of diversification desired in the business portfolio and the cost of non-diversifications. The case evaluates the environment in which a capital-intensive industry has to operate. It evaluates the combination of all the variables required for undertaking a comprehensive analysis and aims at identifying the best possible level to which the business can be expanded to maximise profits under the known constraints in which the business has to operate. Study level/applicability Target audience is corporate executives, students of MBA/postgraduate programme in management in strategic management and/or workshops for understanding the concept of SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis, competitor analysis, Porter's Five Forces Model, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Matrix, business environment analysis and growth strategies for future. Case overview A combination of global competition and open access in the domestic market is putting pressure on the margins, as new players are likely to move towards gaining market share by bidding aggressively. This is threatening the competitive intensity for Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) in the long-term. Raw materials, such as steel products, that are critical to production process are subject to substantial pricing cyclicality and periodic shortages of supply in India. The margins are thus continuously being impacted by movement in raw material prices, especially steel and copper. How BHEL hopes to sustain its growth story? Whether Chinese competition will kill BHEL? These are some of the pertinent questions the authors will try to answer in this case study. Expected learning outcomes Use of SWOT analysis to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to a company and use it as a tool to strategic decision-making. Highlighting the importance of strategic tools such as Porter Model and BCG Matrix within an emerging economy backdrop; to illustrate the alternatives and difficulties/complexities involved in a strategic planning process of growth and cost cutting; and to analyse the financial statements of BHEL. Social implications Analysing public sector undertakings (PSUs)/government companies involved in infrastructure build up/projects of strategic nature in the country, their performance, challenges and efficiency in pre-liberalisation era and post-liberalisation era, and identifying how many are visible today, including the reasons for their growth/decline in generating revenues and profits, has multiple social implications especially for an emerging economy like India. A look at the performance trends of such companies over the past years too would help them in their quest by assisting them to get an idea of business and the industry profile in which BHEL is operating. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email: [email protected] to request teaching notes.

Corporate acceleration process: a systems psychodynamics perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 1163-1180
Author(s):  
Piotr Wójcik ◽  
Krzysztof Obłój ◽  
Aleksandra Wąsowska ◽  
Szymon Wierciński
Keyword(s):  
Open Innovation ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Acceleration Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Third Phase ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Social Defenses ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the emotional dynamics of the corporate acceleration process, using the systems psychodynamics perspective.Design/methodology/approachThe study applies inductive multiple case study of embedded 10 cases of corporate acceleration, covering both incumbent and startup perspectives, occurring in the context of a corporate accelerator.FindingsWe find that (1) the process of corporate acceleration involves three phases, each of them is dominated by a different emotional state (hope, anxiety and acceptance), triggering different behavioral responses; (2) as a means to deal with negative emotions, entrepreneurs and corporate acceleration program's team members develop different mechanisms of dealing with contradictories in subsequent acceleration phases (defense and copying mechanisms), which are reflected in their behaviors. Coping mechanisms with goal reformulation (i.e. refocus from the officially declared “open innovation” goals toward mainly symbolic ones) is an effective strategy to manage negative emotions in third phase of the acceleration.Research limitations/implicationsOur sample is limited to two relatively similar accelerators established by telecom companies, and therefore, our theoretical and practical conclusions cannot be generalized.Practical implicationsWe supplement the studies of corporate accelerators that imply how to design them better and improve decision-making rules with recommendation that in order to improve their effectiveness in terms of learning and innovations, their managers need not only to learn how to manage structural and procedural differences but also how to overcome social defenses triggered by corporate–startups cooperation.Originality/valueBy documenting a multidimensional impact of acceleration process, and especially shedding light on psychodynamic aspects behind such liaisons, this paper contributes to richer understanding of corporate–startup relationships, typically examined through a rationalistic lens of strategy literature. The study contributes to interorganizational research and open innovation literature, by showing that corporate acceleration process is marked by phases based on the type of emotions intertwined with the nature and dynamism of its life cycle. It indicates how these emotions are managed depending on their type.

Executives’ Decision Processes at the Front End of Major Projects: The Role of Context and Experience in Value Creation

2020 ◽  
pp. 875697282097722
Author(s):  
Denise Chenger ◽  
Jaana Woiceshyn
Keyword(s):  
Value Creation ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Decision Processes ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Decision Context ◽  
Front End ◽  
Risk Approach ◽  
Multiple Case

The front end of projects is strategically important; yet, how project concepts are identified, evaluated, and selected at the pre-project stage is poorly understood. This article reports on an inductive multiple-case study of how executives made such decisions in major upstream oil and gas projects. The findings show that in such a high-risk context, often an experienced executive makes these decisions alone and he creates value by facilitating growth. We identified three value-creating decision processes that varied by the executives’ risk approach and decision context. These processes depart from the formal project management prescriptions and the strategic decision-making literature.

The role of demand management in achieving supply chain agility

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 577-591 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Gligor
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Flexible Manufacturing ◽  
Demand Management ◽  
Comprehensive Review ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Turbulent Environments ◽  
Supply Chain Agility ◽  
Managerial Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of demand management in achieving supply chain agility (SCA) through a multi-disciplinary review of the relevant research. The systematic literature review provides the basis for formulating a conceptual framework of the relationship. Design/methodology/approach – A systematic, comprehensive review of the literature on manufacturing, marketing organizational and SCA from 1991 through 2013 was conducted. The literature on demand management is also examined to identify the various elements that contribute to SCA. Findings – Most agility frameworks take a supply-side perspective and assume that demand is known. Those that do acknowledge the role of demand fall short of offering a holistic framework that acknowledges the role of both. This paper suggests that it is simply not enough to have flexible manufacturing, distribution and procurement systems to achieve SCA. Flexibility in managing demand is also needed. Furthermore, it is the premise of this paper that demand and supply integration (DSI) inside the firm is critical to achieving SCA. Research limitations/implications – This research is a systematic, integrative review of the existing literature on the concept of agility. As such, the next phase of research needed for theory building will be the operationalization of constructs and testing of the hypothesized relationships proposed by the conceptual framework. Practical implications – The paper has several managerial implications as well. It illustrates how firms can create and sustain competitive advantages in turbulent environments. Managers can use the framework developed here to assess what structures and decision-making processes they can use to increase the firm’s SCA. Practitioners can use this model as a checklist to identify candidate areas for improving agility. The section illustrating the use of knowledge management to increase DSI should be of particular interest to managers, considering that a great deal of firms experience a disconnect between demand creation and supply fulfillment. Originality/value – Through a systematic, comprehensive review of multi-disciplinary literature, the paper explores the role of demand management in achieving SCA.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document