Upgrade strategies in the Thai silk industry: balancing value promotion and cultural heritage

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Preeya Patichol ◽  
Winai Wongsurawat ◽  
Lalit M. Johri
Keyword(s):  
Study Data ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Silk Industry ◽  
Production And Distribution ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Multiple Case Studies ◽  
Upgrading Strategies ◽  
Balancing Efficiency

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to substantiate Porter's ideas through multiple case studies of firms in one of Thailand's potential niches – Thai silk. Design/methodology/approach – This study examined upgrading strategies adopted by six companies involved in the production and distribution of silk and silk products in Thailand. Information was gathered from company documents and interview statements given by company executives and government policy makers. Standard approaches to organizing and analyzing qualitative case study data, including description, pattern identification, concept categorization and generalization were utilized. Findings – The companies have implemented upgrading strategies in the following four main areas: first, balancing efficiency and old customs in production; second, innovating new products while preserving unique traditional features; third, developing modern marketing and distribution techniques with a cultural flare; and fourth, building linkages and clusters. Practical implications – Stakeholders of traditional- or cultural-related industries may increase their chances of successfully renewing their businesses’ competitive advantage by carefully balancing the needs to both preserve and modernize key processes in their industries’ value chains. Originality/value – The paper's findings and recommendations may to be useful to other traditional industries that share similar challenges both in Thailand and in other Southeast Asian countries.

Territorial capital as a company intangible

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 148-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariachiara Barzotto ◽  
Giancarlo Corò ◽  
Mario Volpe
Keyword(s):  
Great Difficulty ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Capital Growth ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
A Company

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, to explore to what extent being located in a territory is value-relevant for a company. Second, to understand if a company is aware of, and how it can sustain, the territorial tangible and intangible assets present in the economic area in which it is located. Design/methodology/approach – The study presents an empirical multiple case-study, investigating ten mid-/large-sized Italian companies in manufacturing sectors. Findings – The results indicate that the sampled manufacturing companies are intertwined with the environment in which they are embedded, both in their home country and in host ones. The domestic territorial capital has provided, and still provides, enterprises with workers endowed with the necessary technical skills that they can have great difficulty in finding in other places. In turn, companies support territorial capital generation through their activities. Research limitations/implications – To increase the generalisability of the results, future research should expand the sample and examine firms based in different countries and sectors. Practical implications – Implications for policy makers: developing effective initiatives to support and guide a sustainable territorial capital growth. Implications for managers and investors: improving managerial and investors’ decisions by disclosing a complete picture of the enterprise, also outside the firm boundaries. Originality/value – The study contributes to intangibles/intellectual capital literature by shedding light on the importance of including territorial capital in a company’s report to improve the definition of the firm’s value. Accounting of the territorial capital would increase the awareness of the socio-economic environment value in which companies are located and its use.

Value co-creation in the B2B context: a diagnosis of knowledge management based on multiple case studies

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrei Bonamigo ◽  
Camila Guimarães Frech ◽  
Ana Carolina Custódio Lopes
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Multiple Case Studies ◽  
Knowledge Asymmetry ◽  
Business To Business ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to empirically investigate how organizations delivering services in business-to-business relations deal with the boundary paradox and knowledge asymmetry in value co-creation. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a qualitative multiple case study strategy. Datas were gathered through 13 semi-structured interviews that were then analyzed through the content analysis. Findings The authors identified three mechanisms that organizations use to deal with the boundary paradox and two strategies to handle the knowledge asymmetry. Research limitations/implications First, no opportunities were afforded to involve more participants. Second, owning to confidentiality reasons, not all organizations provided us documents to be analyzed. Practical implications The findings guide managers in balancing the use of contracts and trust in inter-firm collaborations and fostering the learning of customers. Also, insights to protect knowledge based on the paradox of openness in value co-creation. Originality/value This study’s findings address the gap in value co-creation literature concerning the lack of empirical studies.

Competitive advantage and processor demand for local and imported food ingredients: analysis from an urban dairy market in West Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Vroegindewey ◽  
Robert B. Richardson ◽  
Kimberly Chung ◽  
Veronique Theriault ◽  
David L. Ortega
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Powdered Milk ◽  
Food Ingredients ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fresh Milk ◽  
Production And Distribution ◽  
Imported Food ◽  
Dairy Development

PurposeIn Mali, dairy processors mostly use imported powdered milk rather than local fresh milk, constraining the development of a domestic milk sector. We investigate factors motivating a firm's choice of milk input, to identify measures that can encourage demand for fresh milk.Design/methodology/approachWe utilize case study data from nine firms that use fresh and powdered milk to varying degrees, and which are representative of dairy processing in Bamako. To model firm motivations, we assess how each input contributes to or detracts from firm competitive advantage, through its influence on cost and differentiation.FindingsFirms using fresh milk pay a higher input price, incur higher transaction costs and face additional challenges in production and distribution. Firms distinguish themselves from competitors through four potential sources of differentiation: novel product types, quality enhancements, quality-signaling and unique packaging. However, fresh milk firms are less likely to exploit each source of differentiation.Research limitations/implicationsCompetitive advantage is a useful framework for understanding firm behavior in developing markets and can be applied in other contexts to strengthen external validity.Originality/valueThe extant economics literature on African dairy development has been surprisingly silent on the threat of import competition. This research is one of the first to investigate this issue in the under-studied middle segment of food value chains.

scholarly journals Returnee entrepreneurs and the institutional environment: case study insights from China

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 207-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Henrik Gruenhagen
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Human And Social Capital ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the phenomenon of returnee entrepreneurs, their venturing efforts and the impact of the institutional environment they operate in, and thereby to propose a conceptual model depicting how returnee entrepreneurs create and operate new ventures and interact with the institutional environment. Design/methodology/approach This study followed a multiple case study approach based on data collected from in-depth inquiries into 11 returnee entrepreneurs and their ventures in China which was analysed inductively. Findings Analysis of case study data resulted in a conceptual model of returnee entrepreneurs illustrating micro-level characteristics of the phenomenon and the interplay with the institutional environment of an emerging economy. Insights from the case study are discussed in terms of implications for entrepreneurial motivations, human and social capital, estrangement from the home country, internationalisation behaviour and objectives of returnee-owned ventures. Originality/value Previous research on the phenomenon of returnee entrepreneurs is highly fragmented and has largely focussed on specific and isolated outcomes. This study offers a holistic inquiry contributing to a better understanding of the phenomenon as a whole and presenting key properties of the phenomenon.

scholarly journals Big Data as a Tool to Monitor and Deter Environmental Offenders in the Global South: A Multiple Case Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 10436
Author(s):  
Nir Kshetri ◽  
Diana Carolina Rojas Torres ◽  
Hany Besada ◽  
Maria Andreina Moros Ochoa
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Satellite Imagery ◽  
Global South ◽  
Convincing Evidence ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Aggregated Data ◽  
Environmental Destruction ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Multiple Case Studies

While prior research has looked at big data’s role in strengthening the environmental justice movement, scholars rarely examine the contexts, mechanisms and processes associated with the use of big data in monitoring and deterring environmental offenders, especially in the Global South. As such, this research aims to substitute for this academic gap through the use of multiple case studies of environmental offenders’ engagement in illegal deforestation, as well as legal deforestation followed by fire. Specifically, we have chosen four cases from three economies in the Global South: Indonesia, Peru and Brazil. We demonstrate how the data utilized by environmental activists in these four cases qualify as true forms of big data, as they have searched and aggregated data from various sources and employed them to achieve their goals. The article shows how big data from various sources, mainly from satellite imagery, can help discern the true extent of environmental destruction caused by various offenders and present convincing evidence. The article also discusses how a rich satellite imagery archive is suitable for analyzing chronological events in order to establish a cause-effect chain. In all of the cases studied, such evidentiary provisions have been used by environmental activists to oblige policy makers to take necessary actions to counter environmental offenses.

Value creation in SME private equity buy-outs

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander D.F. Lahmann ◽  
Wiebke Stranz ◽  
Vivek K. Velamuri
Keyword(s):  
Value Creation ◽  
Private Equity ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Abnormal Returns ◽  
Single Case Study ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Common Value ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Multiple Case Studies

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze specific levers of value creation in small and mid-size private equity deals. Private equity firms add value through various types of value creation measures in their portfolio firms to achieve abnormal returns. Established literature has shown that value creation measures differ across portfolio firms due to the different development stages of the firm and different buy-out types. Despite the fact that the majority of deals belongs to the small and mid-size segment, prior studies mostly analyzed large private equity buy-outs or mixed samples. Design/methodology/approach To explore value generation measures in small and mid-size buy-outs, a single case study format was applied studying the carve-out of QUNDIS from Siemens Building Technologie by CAPCELLENCE as an exceptional successfully private equity deal within this segment. Findings The analysis shows that operational and governance improvements are common value creation measures in all buy-outs. The results suggest a lower leverage for smaller private equity deals indicating that financial engineering is less important. Furthermore, in small and mid-size deals, the strategic focus is growth contrary to downsizing and refocusing in large buy-outs. Research limitations/implications Results of a single case study should be generalized cautiously, as they are perceived as less robust compared to empirical methods or multiple case studies. However, this method is appropriate for explorative studies. Originality/value The paper is original in exploring certain value creation measures applied by private equity firms in their portfolio companies in the small and mid-size segment.

How to effectively manage knowledge in the construction industry

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 57-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Bigliardi ◽  
Francesco Galati ◽  
Alberto Petroni
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Multiple Case Studies ◽  
Tools And Techniques

Purpose – The aim of this paper is twofold: to understand if it is possible to find similarities and dissimilarities among the construction companies in terms of knowledge management (KM) process, identifying the main tools and techniques adopted by the same companies within this process; second, to emphasize and study more in depth the best KM techniques that emerged from the cases in the context of the Italian construction industry. Design/methodology/approach – On the basis of available studies on KM within the industry investigated, multiple case studies were developed to reach the aforementioned objective, involving 14 Italian construction companies. Findings – The outcomes obtained from the case studies allow drawing some conclusions on the KM process adopted by the companies investigated, as well as on the type of tools and techniques adopted by the same companies in the KM process. Research limitations/implications – The case study is based on 14 single cases and, therefore, we must keep in mind that there may be significant differences between industries, companies, departments and individuals regarding how management tools and technological systems are used in practice. Originality/value – Very few papers are available on the KM process within the Italian construction landscape. This study is expected to encourage future studies in this field.

Sustainable responsible conduct beyond the boundaries of compliance

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (5) ◽  
pp. 1035-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simona Fiandrino ◽  
Donatella Busso ◽  
Demetris Vrontis
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Responsible Conduct ◽  
Sustainability Disclosure ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Degree Of Maturity

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether Italian listed companies within the food and beverage (F&B) industry adopt sustainable responsible conduct beyond the boundaries of compliance and which industry-specific matters the companies address as core to their business within a regulatory setting of sustainability disclosure. Design/methodology/approach This study develops a multiple case study of the five Italian listed companies in the F&B industry and employs a content analysis on their sustainability reports. Findings This study reveals a policies–practices decoupling along with a means–ends decoupling that jeopardises the commitment to sustainability. The results show a reasonable level of compliance, but companies are at an early stage of coherent and practical application. Practical implications This study offers practical avenues for companies, regulators and policy makers. Companies in the F&B industry are guided towards the learning process to shape sustainable, responsible practices at the core of their business, as this study provides a replicable assessment of F&B sustainability issues. Regulators and policy makers are called to monitor the concrete implementation of sustainability issues and improve the understanding of the sustainability agenda to overcome the misalignments that companies are currently facing. Originality/value This study provides fertile ground for assessing the degree of maturity in favour of sustainable responsible conduct within the F&B industry and shows the obstacles to this commitment in the mandatory setting of sustainability disclosure.

Analyzing the agricultural value chain financing: approaches and tools in India

2016 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vighneswara Swamy ◽  
Dharani M
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Financial Institution ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Multiple Case Studies

Purpose – The global demand for food is expected to increase by 60 percent by 2050 when the world’s population reaches 9.1 billion. To meet this challenge significant investment in the agricultural sector is required to embrace innovative financing mechanisms that can benefit sustainable agricultural development, food security and nutrition. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the agricultural value chain (AVC) financing approaches and tools in India. It presents a proper understanding of the different case studies of Indian AVC financing models and related instruments. It also offers some useful recommendations to improve their efficiency. Design/methodology/approach – The authors employ the multiple case studies approach to research which allows for a purposive sample and the potential for generalizability of findings. This provides a more rigorous and inclusive approach than a single case study research due to the triangulation of evidence. Subsequently, the authors offer an explicit description of AVC financing models. In the next phase, a thorough assessment of these models is made. Finally, the authors formulate some useful policy recommendations based on the findings of the analysis. Findings – There is a need to review the value chain models that exist in the context of – lead actors, business model and sustainability strategy. Determining actual and critical points of finance such as the current flows of funds and their sources of financing, what is needed and in what point in time is significant to enhance the effectiveness of the models. Further, there is a need to analyze and compare financing options such as their relative strengths, risks and costs of financing for each level of participant in the chain. The authors observe that rather than investing in one component of the chain, the financial institution can grow expertise in the chain, share this knowledge and provide financing to support services. This not only benefits clients, but also expands lending opportunities while lowering the risks. Research limitations/implications – The study primarily focusses on AVC financing approaches and tools in India and attempts to analyze the inadequacies in the value chain models. The case study approach is adopted as the accurate data on value chain financing are not available for the analysis. Practical implications – The study has come out with the following policy recommendations: the governments (union government as well as state governments) – in partnership with the private sector need to spearhead and develop measures aimed at making the operation of the value chain efficient, fair, profitable and sustainable; governments have to focus on creating an enabling policy and regulatory environment and, providing the necessary support services in order to attract more investments. These will lower the transaction costs, facilitate the smooth flow of finance along the chain and ultimately increase value-added; financing for processing and marketing is particularly crucial for growth and expansion of the chain; bank finance should not be limited to short-term production loans, but also include big-ticket loans with longer maturities to finance investments in farming equipment and machinery, transportation, storage, mills and other processing/post-harvest facilities. Originality/value – This study is the first of its kind as it is based on a multiple case studies approach in understanding and analyzing the efficiency and effectiveness of AVC financing models in India by evaluating eight of such models. Besides, it offers quite useful policy recommendations to improve their efficiency.

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.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document