Materializing the Societal Effect: Organizational Forms and Changing Patterns of Dominance in the Paper Industry

2005 ◽  
Vol 26 (12) ◽  
pp. 1809-1830 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juha-Antti Lamberg ◽  
Juha Laurila
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Study ◽  
Paper Industry ◽  
Organizational Forms ◽  
Business Systems ◽  
Research Designs ◽  
Dominant Firms ◽  
Changing Patterns ◽  
National Business Systems ◽  
National Business

This paper reports an empirical study on the co-evolution of competitive conditions dominating firms and organizational forms in the paper industry1. It has two main theoretical implications. First, with respect to research on national business systems and the societal effect, we suggest that the country of origin imprints firms especially by allowing them to develop distinctive organizational forms. Second, we show that the competitive conditions, dominant forms and dominant firms remain in constant flux even in mature industries. There is, therefore, a need for co-evolutionary research to continue to combine long-term perspectives and intensive research designs in the study of specific industries.

National Business Systems and Industry-Specific Competitiveness

2002 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 711-736 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven Haake
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
The United States ◽  
Business Systems ◽  
Specific Knowledge ◽  
Industrial Specialization ◽  
National Business Systems ◽  
Industrial Task ◽  
National Business ◽  
Task Environments

Countries have been shown to be competitive in specific industries. This paper contends that this industrial specialization can be understood in terms of an affinity between national `models of capitalism' and the characteristics of industrial task environments. Put differently, industry-specific competitiveness is conceived to arise out of a fit between patterns of national business systems and patterns of industrial task environments. Specifically, the paper will propose a relationship between the communitarian or individualistic nature of national business systems and the organization-specificity of knowledge in an industry. More communitarian business systems are thought to enjoy a competitive advantage in industries with a high organization-specificity of knowledge, i.e. in industries that rely more on the long-term accumulation of organization-specific knowledge within tightly-knit corporate communities. More individualistic business systems, on the other hand, are thought to enjoy a competitive advantage in industries with a low organization-specificity of knowledge, i.e. in industries that thrive more on the speedy dissemination or reallocation of company-unspecific knowledge through a constant reconfiguration of social relationships. The paper will offer some illustrations of these proposed relationships in terms of the competitive profiles of the United States, Japan, Germany and Britain.

Changing National Business Systems: Corporate Governance and Financing in the Netherlands, 1945–2005

2010 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 773-798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abe de Jong ◽  
Ailsa Röell ◽  
Gerarda Westerhuis
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Corporate Governance ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Market Economy ◽  
Shareholder Rights ◽  
Business Systems ◽  
Foreign Investors ◽  
Corporate System ◽  
National Business Systems ◽  
National Business

This study traces the evolution of corporate governance and financing structures in the Netherlands during the second half of the twentieth century. A description of Dutch shareholder rights, fi nancing structures, and networks of directors reveals the changes that have occurred in many aspects of the Dutch corporate system over the course of six decades. The case of Royal Ahold illustrates some of the developments that have taken place. Most indicate a transition from a coordinated market economy to a more liberal system. The internationalization of the Dutch economy, which has played an important role in the transition of the system, is reflected in the expansion of Dutch firms beyond the national borders and in the growing number of foreign investors in Dutch fi rms.

Two-country study of engagement, supervisors and performance appraisal

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 342-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine Farndale
Keyword(s):  
Performance Appraisal ◽  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Multinational Enterprises ◽  
Supervisor Support ◽  
Business Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Perceived Performance ◽  
National Business Systems ◽  
National Business

Purpose Multinational enterprises are increasingly interested in improving employee engagement across diverse geographies, signifying the importance of understanding antecedents of engagement across different national business systems. This study aims to explore the relationship between an important job resource, perceived performance appraisal fairness and employee engagement in two countries: the UK and India. Critically, the mediating role of perceived supervisor support in these contrasting cultural contexts is investigated, as well as differentiating between two types of engagement: work and organization. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on a UK-based multinational enterprise operating in its home country and in India, survey data from 249 employees are analyzed. Findings The survey results indicate that there are positive relationships between elements of perceived performance appraisal fairness and engagement in both countries, and that supervisor support plays an important mediating role. There are, however, important differences between the two countries’ results. Research limitations/implications Cross-sectional data from a single firm are a limitation of this study, as well as using national culture as an explanatory variable although this is not measured. Future research should attempt to measure culture, especially in India, where cultural heterogeneity is high. Practical implications The study demonstrates the importance of ensuring appropriate mechanisms in different overseas operations to achieve engagement when implementing performance appraisal. Originality/value This study expands significantly our knowledge surrounding the engagement construct by including both work and organization engagement, measured simultaneously in two contrasting national contexts. Furthermore, it highlights the value of national business systems cultural theorizing to explain differences in employee workplace experiences.

Multilevel power dynamics shaping employer anti-sexual harassment efforts in Lebanon

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Karam ◽  
May Ghanem
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Harassment ◽  
Power Dynamics ◽  
Business Systems ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Multi Stakeholder ◽  
National Business Systems ◽  
Simultaneous Influence ◽  
National Business

Purpose The #MeToo movement against sexual harassment (SH) has sparked a sense of familiarity, and collective anger among women, highlighting it as a pervasive and common experience across the globe. The purpose of this paper is to argue that despite shared experiences and such transnational movements, the ways in which SH is actually understood and combated are likely to be different in disparate National Business Systems (NBS). Through the analysis, the authors unpack these differences by paying specific attention to the multilevel power dynamics shaping how employers and their key stakeholders understand and respond to SH in Lebanon. Design/methodology/approach Against the backdrop of the complex and inefficient Lebanese NBS, the authors adopt a cross-cultural feminist analytic framework and engage in an iterative qualitative analysis of over 208 pages of transcriptions from relevant multisector, multi-stakeholder interactive sessions. Based on the analysis, the authors propose a series of first- and second-order concepts and themes that help us to trace how power shapes local SH understandings and related efforts. Findings The findings highlight the simultaneous influence of power through geopolitical forces external to Lebanon (i.e. power over through North-centricism and othering; power to through comparative perspectives and SDG regulations), combined with local forces embedded within the specific NBS (i.e. power over through negative attitudes and NBS specificities; power to through positive business efforts and local multistakeholder mobilizing). Originality/value The findings demonstrate the importance of paying attention to the interaction between power, contextual embeddedness and geopolitical considerations in attempts to advance SH theorization.

Introduction: Changing Business Systems in the Netherlands in the Twentieth Century

2010 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 737-750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keetie Sluyterman
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Open Economy ◽  
Small Open Economy ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Business Systems ◽  
Business System ◽  
National Business Systems ◽  
National Business ◽  
Over Time

The organization of economic activities differs among countries and over time. Differences between nations have been highlighted in academic discussions about national business systems and the varieties of capitalism. This group of articles about the Dutch business system contributes to these debates by offering new empirical research from the perspective of a small, open economy and highlighting changes that have occurred during the second half of the twentieth century. While they discuss developments in the Netherlands, the articles also explore general themes, including corporate governance, cartels, and the organization of multinational companies. While the articles show that business systems are in constant flux, comparisons between the Dutch and U.S. systems seem to suggest that each moves at a different pace. A particularly striking aspect of the Dutch stories is the large impact of developments abroad.

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