Barriers to the growth of micro tailoring businesses in Nigeria: assessing socio-economic and socio-cultural environments

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 397-414
Author(s):  
Ajogwu Akoh
Keyword(s):  
Participant Observation ◽  
Religious Practice ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Bottom Of The Pyramid ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
Cultural Conditions ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Qualitative Nature

Purpose The purpose of this study is to uncover ways to enhance the growth of micro tailoring businesses by assessing the socio-economic and socio-cultural environments at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP). Design/methodology/approach The study used a qualitative research design involving a multiple case study with data from semi-structured interview and non-participant observation. Findings The study reveals how micro tailoring businesses modify tailoring practices to cope with the religious practice of seclusion and use entrepreneurial actions to deal with unstable electricity, inadequate finance and conditions of extreme poverty that limit the growth of micro tailoring businesses at the BOP. Research limitations/implications The qualitative nature of this study with a focus on micro tailoring businesses in BOP context could limit the generalization of findings. However, replication of the study can be done in other contexts to validate the findings. Practical implications The study shows the need for entrepreneurial leadership which continually modifies tailoring practices in ways that sustain tailoring businesses and circumvent the possibility of failure in adverse socio-economic and socio-cultural conditions. Originality/value This study is the first to unravel the experiences of micro tailoring businesses at the BOP. Past studies have assessed barriers to the growth of small and medium scale enterprises in general, but this study uncovers the distinct aspects of tailoring business in a largely under-researched context.

Short-distance corporate relocation: the employee experience

Facilities ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 38-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peggie Rothe ◽  
Anna-Liisa Sarasoja ◽  
Christopher Heywood
Keyword(s):  
Short Distance ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Workplace Change ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Ways Of Working ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Qualitative Nature ◽  
Employee Experience

Purpose – This paper aims to examine short-distance firm relocations, the most frequent form of relocation, to better understand how employees as individuals experience those relocations. Design/methodology/approach – This study was a multiple-case study with five organisations that had relocated within the same metropolitan area during the previous 18 months. To understand why and how the relocation was carried out, 15 semi-structured interviews were conducted with company representatives who were actively involved in making decisions and executing the relocation of their organisation. Subsequently, to study the employees’ experience and perception of the process, 17 employees who did not have an assigned role in the process were also interviewed. Findings – The findings show that even within the same organization, people experience relocation differently; therefore, the employees should not be treated as one object of change but as several individuals who experience change. Further, it was identified that relocation included both location and workplace change aspects. Research limitations/implications – The study is of qualitative nature and, therefore, the findings should not be generalized to individuals outside of the context of study. Instead, the value lies in the description and the themes developed in the specific context. The findings show that emphasis needs to be put on how the relocation process is managed, and that relocation change management efforts should include both location and workplace changes. Originality/value – This study provides new insight on how individual employees experience the relocation process and augments the previous body of knowledge on employee experiences and satisfaction with various elements in the work environment and/or with new ways of working, and the previous studies on relocation that focus on comparing employees’ experiences of the old office with the new one.

Mega-event flagships in transformation: learning from Expo 2010 Shanghai China

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 440-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Deng ◽  
Sun Wah Poon
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Urban Renewal ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transformation Learning ◽  
Qualitative Nature ◽  
The Right ◽  
Mega Event

Purpose – This paper aims to seek a greater understanding of the conceptualization of mega-event flagship (MEF) development as a point of departure to forge the much-needed organizational capacities in these regions. An MEF constitutes a temporarily themed venue for a mega-event and a transforming force on corresponding urban renewal. The unfailing demand for MEFs from emerging hosts after historical failures in the West draws attention to a glaring weakness of extant literature in wanting of evidence-based case studies. Design/methodology/approach – Due to the explorative nature of research and the context-dependent complexities, the case study method is used for studying the case of Theme Pavilion – one of the four key flagships led by Expo 2010 to catalyze an ambitious urban renewal in Shanghai, China. The focus is on its conceptualization process (2004-2007) where different copying strategies were tested and consolidated to facilitate the post-event transformation. Data were collected mainly through participant observation in that duration. Findings – For future Expo hosts, exhibition center developers and the event industry, the study concludes with eight constructive lessons, namely, clustering strategy, different integration, pre-post orientation, diversification for adaptation, development by stage, flexible mindset, the end crowns the work and building local capacity. Research limitations/implications – Given the qualitative nature of the study, some results may not be fully generalizable. While showing the possibility of sustaining MEF development given the right coping strategy, it also reveals implementation difficulties and emphasizes the importance of continued case studies. Originality/value – The study will contribute fresh insights into forging better strategies to cope with transformation difficulties of MEF development and building greater capacity to accomplish affiliated renewals and other significantly comparable urban projects in emerging economies.

scholarly journals The Effect of Transported Education on School: A Case Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-118
Author(s):  
Pınar YENGİN SARPKAYA ◽  
Sinem DAL
Keyword(s):  
Participant Observation ◽  
Extreme Case ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
School Buses ◽  
School Activities ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Multiple Case Studies ◽  
Strengthening Families ◽  
Case Design

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the improvement of the application by revealing the difficulties of transported education application in a secondary school. In this study, single holistic case design was followed. Data was collected through semi-structured interview and semi-structured observation forms. 11 participants, determined by the maximal variation sampling, were interviewed and 14 weeks of participant observation was made. Data were analyzed by content analysis. Findings revealed that most important difficulties of transported education; for students, coming to school early and without having breakfast, waste of time and sleeplessness; for administrators, heavy workload. For educational programs, most serious difficulty for students is not to participate in out of school activities. Besides, it was determined that of the school-families cooperation was not of the desired quality. It was proposed to develop a new working order for school buses, to carry out an action research aimed at strengthening families' commitment to school, and to conduct multiple case studies in schools to be determined by extreme case sampling.

International business negotiations in Brazil

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 591-605 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony Fang ◽  
Josephine Schaumburg ◽  
Daniella Fjellström
Keyword(s):  
International Business ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Negotiation Process ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Innovative Strategy ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Business Negotiations ◽  
Qualitative Nature

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore an innovative strategy for studying the Brazilian negotiator’s unique and paradoxical characteristics from a cultural point of view to acquire a better understanding of the nature of international business negotiations in Brazil. Design/methodology/approach The study is of a qualitative nature, using a multiple-case study design at three levels (small-, medium- and large-scale negotiations). Interviews were conducted with Brazilian and German managers to capture the emic–etic view of the Brazilian negotiator. The Strategic Trinity Model was developed to assess the behavior of the Brazilian negotiator in agreement with three metaphors: “African Capoeirista”, “Portuguese Bureaucrat” and “Indigenous Warrior”. Findings The three roles “African Capoeirista”, “Portuguese Bureaucrat” and “Indigenous Warrior” comprised similar as well as contradicting characteristics. The Brazilian negotiator chose naturally and even paradoxically from these role features, effectively negotiating any given situation, context and time. During the pre- and post-negotiation phases, traits of the “African Capoeirista” and “Indigenous Warrior” were the most salient. During the formal negotiation phase, however, the characteristics of the “African Capoeirista” and “Portuguese Bureaucrat” dominated. Research limitations/implications International business negotiations in Brazil call for an in-depth comprehension of the paradoxical roles that local negotiators take on to achieve better negotiation outcomes. Originality/value The present study unveiled the contradicting Brazilian negotiating style in international business negotiations, thus acquiring a better understanding of the negotiation process in the Brazilian market.

Technology forecast: a case study in Daiken company

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-217
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Vinicius Sartori ◽  
Dalcio Roberto dos Reis ◽  
Marcia Bronzeri ◽  
Adriana Queiroz Silva
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Descriptive Approach ◽  
Technology Forecast

Purpose This paper aims to describe how the technology forecast process occurs at a technology-based company named Daiken, a Brazilian electronics industry, located in the state of Parana. The study helps to clarify the context that tech-companies in Brazil face when trying to forecast new technologies. Design/methodology/approach The paper opted for a case study, in a qualitative and descriptive approach. Primary data were collected through a semi-structured interview and non-participant observation. Secondary data were generated through documentary research. Findings Outcomes indicate that, for the studied case, technology forecast practices are adopted in an informal and unsystematic way, best aligned to the nature of competitive intelligence. Research limitations/implications Because of the chosen research approach, the results may lack generalizability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the propositions further. Practical implications The paper includes implications for the adjustment of technology forecast tools to the reality seen in emergent nations like Brazil. Originality/value This paper fulfills an identified need to study how to conduct the technology forecast processes in small and mid-tech-companies in Brazil.

Higher education teachers' perception and use of Content Representations in lesson study

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Hervas ◽  
José Luis Medina
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Lesson Study ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Senior Faculty ◽  
Lesson Design ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Teachers Training

Purpose“Content Representations” (CoRes) is an instrument that links content with aspects about its teaching and is recognized for its utility designing lessons and elucidating teachers' knowledge. Lesson study (LS) is a practice through which teachers collaborate to plan, teach and reflect on a lesson. Both have been acknowledged separately as being valuable for teachers' training; however, there is little research addressing the consequences of combining them. This study filled in that gap by examining how higher education (HE) teachers used the CoRes and perceived its integration within LS.Design/methodology/approachThe authors performed a multiple case study with features of ethnomethodology and conducted an inductive content analysis of the data gathered through document analysis, in-depth semi-structured interviews and participant observation. The research was approved by the ethics committee of the host university, and participants were faculty members from different health sciences disciplines.FindingsThe authors found that participants considered that the use of the CoRes during LS allowed them to organize their ideas, consider more details for lesson design, address new topics and engage in greater reflection. However, participants (specially senior faculty) showed a superficial dedication to filling in the CoRes and considered the instrument bothersome, urging caution when engaging in the combined practice of CoRes and LS.Originality/valueThis is the first research in the international literature approaching the integration of the CoRes and LS with HE teachers. Its results fill a research gap and can help LS practitioners make an informed decision about whether to incorporate CoRes into it.

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.

scholarly journals Manufacturing Pre-Decisions: A Comparative Analysis of Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Reviews in Brazil and Portugal

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 3235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Fan Rocha ◽  
Tomás B. Ramos ◽  
Alberto Fonseca
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Review Process ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Environmental Impact Statements ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Study Methodology ◽  
Environment Agency ◽  
Review Reports

The review of environmental impact statements (EIS), despite its relevance to impact assessment effectiveness, has received scarce scholarly attention. Few studies have gone beyond the realm of regulatory evaluations to understand the managerial meanders of the review process. This study evaluated the responsibilities, procedures, information inputs, and scope of EIS reviews within two environmental authorities: APA (Portuguese Environment Agency), in Portugal, and SEMAD (State Secretariat for Environment and Sustainable Development), in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Based on a qualitative multiple-case study methodology informed by participant observation, unstructured interviews, and content analysis of 12 EIS review reports, the study provided what is arguably one of the most detailed characterizations of EIS review to date. While following similar institutional arrangements and broad procedural steps, the EIS review has important differences in APA and SEMAD. Overall, the Portuguese agency was found to have a more structured, participative, interdisciplinary, detailed, and grounded review, thus meeting some of the good practices often cited in the literature. The EIS review reports prepared by APA reviewers were also found to provide a profoundly more complete and transparent account of the review process. The details of the review process revealed in the article can affect perceptions around the legitimacy and reliability of reviewers’ recommendations.

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.

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