scholarly journals Design sprint for SMEs: an organizational taxonomy based on configuration theory

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (9) ◽  
pp. 1803-1817 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Magistretti ◽  
Claudio Dell'Era ◽  
Nicola Doppio
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Translation ◽  
Creative Industries ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Configuration Theory ◽  
Digital Environments ◽  
Practical Guidelines ◽  
Configurational Theory

PurposeDesign approaches to innovation are booming in both the academic and practitioner worlds. Tech giants are proposing different methodologies to develop technological innovation leveraging design principles, for example, Amazon with working backward and Google with Design Sprint. However, little is known on the role of these methodologies in managing the knowledge translation among different stakeholders. This paper aims to investigate how Design Sprint approaches can face digital challenges and foster collaborations.Design/methodology/approachThrough interviews and participatory observations of ten exploratory cases of SME adoption of the Design Sprint methodology, data were collected, organized, clustered and then validated. Furthermore, by adopting a configuration theory perspective, the data have been processed to contribute to the emergence of two Design Sprint organizational taxonomy.FindingsCompetences, type of design challenge and the process followed emerge from the cases as key drivers of different Design Sprint configurations. Moreover, the configuration theory helped in identifying two Design Sprint taxonomies named Willing and Wondering configurations. Finally, the paper provides managers with practical guidelines on how to leverage these configurations to make this approach more effective for SMEs and how this method helps the knowledge translation.Originality/valueThe value and originality of the paper are in defining Design Sprint from a theoretical point of view and offering practical guidelines on how to adapt it to the particular context of collaborative digital environments of SMEs. Moreover, it contributes to enlarging the relevance of configurational theory in the creative industries.

Monaco’s struggle to become a smart destination

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 672-684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie Fabry ◽  
Cyril Blanchet
Keyword(s):  
Smart City ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Urban Ecosystem ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Coverage Analysis ◽  
Definition Of

Purpose Monaco is a simultaneously a destination, a state and a city, which belongs to the long list of places that aims to become smart. The purpose of this paper is to present Monaco’s transformation strategy from October 2017 to May 2019. It will present Monaco’s smart urban ecosystem as a meeting point between the destination and the smart city. Design/methodology/approach The authors develop the methodology as an exploratory observation of the state transformations. The methodology relies on an understanding of smart cities policy from an insider perspective, as one of the co-authors participates in the “Matrice Smart-City Monaco” program (Season 1: Tourism), on a media coverage analysis and in a semi-directive interview with a stakeholder of the digital transformation in Monaco. Findings The paper empirically and theoretically explores the following three hypotheses: H1 – being a smart city/destination is less a status than a process; H2 – a permeable state city challenges the boundaries between the city and the smart destination; and H3 – the conceptualization of the smart city requires a broader definition of who its engaged stakeholders are. Research limitations/implications The case of Monaco helps us to understand the role of tourism in a smart city and to deepen the link between “smart city” and “smart destination” from a theoretical point of view. Monaco offers us the opportunity to reinforce our understanding of the relationship between the smart city and the smart destination. Originality/value The study concerns a micro-state that aims to become smart using a top–down strategy. However, for a city to become smart, stakeholders including citizens must be able to support the process.

Service process modularization and modular strategies

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 313-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Per Carlborg ◽  
Daniel Kindström
Keyword(s):  
Active Role ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Service Infusion ◽  
Cross Case Analysis

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the role of service modularity in developing and deploying efficient services, while at the same time meeting diverse customer needs. The analysis distinguishes between different service types and sets forth key issues for service modularization, identifying supporting resources (both internal and customer) and associated modular strategies for the different types. Design/methodology/approach – The study design used an exploratory case study approach, focusing on three Swedish manufacturing firms that are moving toward an increased service focus (service infusion). Data were collected through interviews and focus groups, and the collected data were analyzed independently, before being merged and synthesized in a cross-case analysis. Themes and patterns were extracted and linked to the theoretical framework following a systematic combining process. Findings – This study contributes insights to the emerging field of service modularity by investigating process modularization and modular strategies. A framework is put forward outlining modular strategies for four different service types covering both a passive and an active role for a customer. From a theoretical point of view, the role of the customer is added to the discussion to advocate for the necessity of a co-creative perspective in service modularity. Originality/value – This article contributes to the emerging research field of service modularity by providing empirical insights into how modularization and modular strategies can enable more efficient services. Depending on service type, different modular strategies are set forth. This study also highlights the need to recognize customer-specific activities, resources and competencies as pivotal parts of the modular service processes. Such insights are particularly relevant given the established view of service modules as functions of intra-firm activities.

Market orientation, performance and the mediating role of innovation in Indonesian SMEs

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare D'souza ◽  
Marthin Nanere ◽  
Malliga Marimuthu ◽  
Mokhamad Arwani ◽  
Ninh Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Market Orientation ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Customer Orientation ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Competitor Orientation

PurposeDespite the theoretical advancements of market orientation and firm performance, there is a paucity of research regarding SMEs in Indonesia. Customer and competitor orientation were examined as two distinct constructs as per the literature, as it has been questioned for its robustness. They have been used synonymously, even though customer orientation is operationalised as a component of a market orientation construct. There is support for the argument from a theoretical point of view to keep customer orientation and competitor orientation separate. The objective of this research was to empirically test market orientation concepts on firm performance and assessing customer and competitor orientation separately. Furthermore, it also tests whether innovation plays a mediating role.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 309 small and medium-sized firms was found eligible for this study. Structural Equation Modelling was used to analyze the data. A multi-industry sample of firms was used to strengthen the generalisability of the results. The sample was acquired from two databases of SMEs directory in Kudus and Pati, East Java Indonesia, participants were randomly selected.FindingsThe findings show that innovation mediates the relationship between competitor orientation and firm performance, while competitor orientation had no significant relationship with firm performance. Customer orientation was found to positively influence firm performance.Originality/valueThe role of innovation as a mediator within SMEs in a developing country opens up avenues for further research among other developing countries. By examining both the concepts of customer and competitor orientation separately and establishing relationships, we validate support for this argument both from a methodological and theoretical point of view.

Digital transformation in the economics of complexity: the role of predictive models in strategic management

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Iscaro ◽  
Laura Castaldi ◽  
Paolo Maresca ◽  
Clelia Mazzoni
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Management ◽  
Predictive Models ◽  
Domain Knowledge ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Digital Transformation ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Literature Highlight

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the role of predictive models in the learning and decision-making processes of strategic management. The rapid advancement of digitalisation has contributed to increasing the complexity of the worldwide economy and led to various new competitive dynamics.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve this purpose, a literature review has been carried out and a predictive model based on Watson, an IBM supercomputer, is presented as a qualitative process model.FindingsSpecific insights derived from a review of the literature highlight organisations' need to modify their decision- and strategy-making processes, which are increasing in speed and frequency, thus also leading to the formulation of emergent and trigger event strategies based on the identification of conditions that require the revision of all or part of the firm's strategy. Predictive models, acting as filters, transform data into informative knowledge that decision-makers can interpret based on individual domain knowledge.Originality/valueFrom a theoretical point of view, this paper contributes to the field of digital transformation by proposing the economics of complexity as a paradigm through which to observe and study the issue of predictive models in strategic management. Additionally, the authors analyse the phenomenon from a cognitive perspective, defining the new learning dynamics of digital transformation and the social learning cycle triggered by big data and predictive models. From a managerial and policy-making point of view, this suggests the need to re-shape traditional education contents and dynamics and foster skills that are multi-disciplinary, multi-domain, multi-empathic, multi-interaction and multi-communication between people and things.

scholarly journals Verbena officinalis Verbenaceae (Lamiales): a new plant model system for phyllotaxis research

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beata Zagórska-Marek ◽  
Magdalena Turzańska ◽  
Klaudia Chmiel
Keyword(s):  
Vascular System ◽  
Cumulative Effect ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
Inflorescence Axis ◽  
Organ Identity ◽  
Lateral Organ ◽  
Complex Relationships ◽  
Secondary Transitions

AbstractPhyllotactic diversity and developmental transitions between phyllotactic patterns are not fully understood. The plants studied so far, such as Magnolia, Torreya or Abies, are not suitable for experimental work, and the most popular model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, does not show sufficient phyllotactic variability. It has been found that in common verbena (Verbena officinalis L.), a perennial, cosmopolitan plant, phyllotaxis differs not only between growth phases in primary transitions but also along the indeterminate inflorescence axis in a series of multiple secondary transitions. The latter are no longer associated with the change in lateral organ identity, and the sequence of phyllotactic patterns is puzzling from a theoretical point of view. Data from the experiments in silico, confronted with empirical observations, suggest that secondary transitions might be triggered by the cumulative effect of fluctuations in the continuously decreasing bract primordia size. The most important finding is that the changes in the primary vascular system, associated with phyllotactic transitions, precede those taking place at the apical meristem. This raises the question of the role of the vascular system in determining primordia initiation sites, and possibly challenges the autonomy of the apex. The results of this study highlight the complex relationships between various systems that have to coordinate their growth and differentiation in the developing plant shoot. Common verbena emerges from this research as a plant that may become a new model suitable for further studies on the causes of phyllotactic transitions.

scholarly journals Difficulty in implementing continuous improvement – Rasch measurement analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 1228-1250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lidia Sanchez-Ruiz ◽  
Beatriz Blanco ◽  
Emma Diaz
Keyword(s):  
Continuous Improvement ◽  
Measurement Theory ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Rasch Measurement ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Level Of Difficulty ◽  
New Perspective

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to define a general and common construct in order to measure the level of difficulty companies experience when they implement continuous improvement (CI). Additionally, a rank of barriers is obtained together with a rank of companies. Design/methodology/approach In order to achieve the objective, first, a literature review is carried out to specify the domain of the construct; second, a sample of items is selected; third a survey is carried out in companies that have already implemented CI initiatives, the results being thus limited to this population; fourth, measures are purified by analysing the reliability and validity of the measurements, and finally results are obtained. The Rasch measurement theory will be used to provide a new perspective on a mature research topic. Findings It can be concluded that a new valid construct has been defined together with a rank of CI barriers, being lack of time the main barrier. A rank of companies is also obtained which is a first step in the development of future research studies. Practical implications Managers are provided with a better understanding of the barriers that can obstruct CI implementation. Thus, the rank of CI barriers guides managers through the most common and important obstacles so that they will be able to plan better CI strategies. In addition, the rank of companies allows each company to undertake a benchmarking exercise. Originality/value This work proposes a new way of analysing the difficulty in implementing CI as a continuum, rather than as independent barriers. From a theoretical point of view, it defines a new construct and offers a rank of CI barriers together with a rank of companies based on their level of difficulty when implementing CI initiatives. This is something new, as previous studies were mainly focussed on the items side. From a practical point of view, this study offers the surveyed companies the opportunity to see how they are positioned with respect to the other companies. Moreover, this rank of companies is the foundation on which to develop further studies with a practical orientation in the future.

scholarly journals The female characters in Branislav Nušić's and Stefan Kostov's selected comedies

Bastina ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 95-109
Author(s):  
Đurđina Isić
Keyword(s):  
Small Town ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
Female Characters ◽  
Modern Age ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Bereaved Family

The paper presents the results of research that included comparative study of the place and role of female characters in selected and representative comedies by Serbian comedigrapher Branislav Nušić (eng. MP, Suspicious person, Mrs Minister, Bereaved family, Dr, Deceased; srb. Narodni poslanik, Sumnjivo lice, Ožalošćena porodica, Dr, Pokojnik, Vlast) and Bulgarian comedigrapher Stefan Kostov (eng. Gold mine, Golemanov, Grasshoppers, Nameless comedy; blg. Zlamnama mina, Golemanov, Skakalci, Komediâ bez ime) in order to find similarities and differences in the process of comedigraphic shaping of female characters in the work of these two authors. The subject of the research was viewed primarily from a literary-theoretical point of view, and the dominant methods of study were comparative and analytical-synthetic. During the research, there was a differentiation of female characters in accordance with their motivational structures, psychological assemblies and the nature of the place and the role they play in the social environment in which they are located. Therefore, we can distinguish female characters who live in the province and who are fully representative of the small-town spirit, female characters who live in the capital and are a symbol of the modern age and female characters who dwell in the capital, but in fact, deeply down still carry a small-town view of the world. The structure of this paper is in line with this distinction. Conclusions made at the end of the study show that the representation of female characters in analyzed comedies of both comedigaphers is highly similar in its nature.

The Role of Business Schools in Marketing Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 42-56
Author(s):  
Andre Vilares Morgado
Keyword(s):  
Business Schools ◽  
Marketing Research ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
Marketing Theory ◽  
Marketing Education ◽  
Inductive Approach

Business schools play a key role in training marketing professionals. However, there is a strong divide between the expectations held by marketing professionals and those held in academia. This article considers this phenomenon from a theoretical point of view and explores its causes. The author argues that business schools are able to play a key role in bridging theory and practice in marketing. The article closes by offering several suggestions for how business schools might increase the relevance of marketing research while reducing the gap between marketing theory and practice. In particular, the article suggests the adoption of an inductive approach to research and offers a set of policies that business schools can implement in order to close this gap.

The changing role of the salesperson: how should salespeople act today?

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 8-11
Author(s):  
Sandra Castro-González ◽  
Belén Bande
Keyword(s):  
Sales Force ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Paper Briefly ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Context ◽  
Organizational Role ◽  
Key Points ◽  
Changing Role ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight the nature and the organizational role of salespeople and, in particular, underscore the change in salespeople’s management in the current business context. Design/methodology/approach The paper briefly explains the role of salespeople in an organization and how salespeople are gaining prominence in customer management. From this point of view, the paper suggests steps to achieve the sale. Findings It is evident that salespeople must change the way they achieve sales goals within the organization. Currently, they need to adopt a more customer-centric approach, and the paper suggests how to do this. Practical implications The paper aims to provide key points for understanding and managing the sales force within the organization. Findings are relevant for those who must manage these workers or those who simply want to know more about the characteristics of the sales force. Originality/value The paper highlights the importance of salespeople in organizations and describes how they should be managed. In addition, in some ways, the paper helps improve readers’ perception of the sales position.

scholarly journals ROLE OF GENERALIZED COSMIC CHAPLYGIN GAS IN ACCELERATING UNIVERSE: A FIELD THEORETICAL PRESCRIPTION

2013 ◽  
Vol 28 (22) ◽  
pp. 1350102 ◽  
Author(s):  
PRABIR RUDRA
Keyword(s):  
Dark Energy ◽  
Chaplygin Gas ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Accelerating Universe ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
Modified Chaplygin Gas ◽  
Statefinder Parameters ◽  
Generalized Cosmic Chaplygin Gas ◽  
The Given

In this paper, we investigate the role played by dark energy (DE) in the form of Generalized cosmic Chaplygin gas in an accelerating universe described by FRW cosmology. We have tried to describe the model from the theoretical point of view of a field, by introducing a scalar field ϕ and a self-interacting potential V(ϕ). The corresponding expressions for the field are obtained for the given model. Statefinder parameters have been used to characterize the dark energy model. Plots have been generated for characterizing different phases of universe diagrammatically and a comparative study is performed with the Modified Chaplygin gas model. As an outcome of the study, Generalized cosmic Chaplygin gas is identified as a much less constrained form of dark energy as compared to modified Chaplygin gas.

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