Problem shifts and market research: The role of networks in business relationships

This article discusses changes in approach to the study of business relationships, and sees the paradigm concept as constituting an inadequate basis for describing gradually evolving changes in the perception of business. The frequent references to paradigms appear to focus more on state aspects than on change aspects of theory building. The article attempts to trace some of the changes in the perception of markets preceding the emergence of network theories, and relates the presence of an interactional approach to business studies to the concept of problem shifts (Lakatos). The development of interactional approaches in marketing is seen as representing a shift away from theory building commonly found in economics and organizational theory. Changes in the approach to the study of business relationships are interpreted as theoretical or empirical problem shifts, and are thus related to the a priori and a posteriori relevance of the continual evolution of alternative business theories. The article explores some of the epistemological relevance of the network theories to the study of market relationships, and the potential impact on continual changes in approach to the study of markets.     

The use of real options valuation methodology in enhancing the understanding of the impact of climate change on companies

Climate change has in recent years gathered traction on the business, political and social agenda. From the business perspective, research has shown that climate change impacts on company value are uncertain, significant and strategically important. The challenge therefore is for the business community to apply financial valuation models that support the incorporation of the climate change impacts in strategic planning. However, the commonly used discounted cash flow techniques in capital budgeting are seen as failing to address the high levels of uncertainties inherent in climate change impacts. Real options thinking has been touted as having the potential to enhance understanding of these impacts via its direct handling of uncertainty, although not much research has been done to demonstrate this. Using an illustrative case study, this research presents an argument for introducing the real options approach, a new method for valuing options of future strategic action by companies in a setting that exhibits climate change impacts. The objective of this research is to contribute to the literature on strategic tools for addressing climate change and ultimately offer some management insights that can narrow the gap between finance theory and business practice. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

Assessing the Effects of Climate Change Regulations on the Business Community: A System Dynamic Approach

Based on the business environmental literature and system dynamics, this paper develops a simulation model for managing the business risks derived from climate change. In particular, the purpose of this paper is to transform the valuable findings from the literature regarding climate change and corporate implications into an effective business management model with a broad applicability, regardless of the size of the business or the sector in which it operates. A methodology consistent with the basic principles of the system dynamic modeling process is developed, and a case study is designed to determine the level of completeness of the simulation model and its ability to address different aspects of business performance. To do so, three different scenarios have been simulated to analyze the reactive, proactive and inactive stance of managers against climate change risks. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

Entrepreneurship research in service industries: a literature classification and trend analysis

In this paper, the influence of entrepreneurship on service management research is examined. Entrepreneurship research occupies a central place in organizational theory and strategic thinking, but its theories and models have little influence on business management. Entrepreneurship research can have a better integration with other areas of management, but there is still certain isolation. This article reviews the emerging areas in entrepreneurship research that provides complementary theoretical framework to service business models. In order to determine the areas in service management research in which entrepreneurship theories can be useful, a classification of the papers published in the last 2 years in the JCR service management journals is carried out. The study concludes that innovation is the most outstanding priority in service management research that can be enriched by entrepreneurial theories. The entrepreneurial approach to networks and institutional environment are the theoretical frameworks that better suit to introduce entrepreneurship variables as antecedents in business innovation models.     

Corporate Strategies for Managing Climate Risks

This paper focuses on organizations and their management of climate risks. Climate risks stem from continued changes in climate means and the increase in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. We ask whether companies also apply the usual process of corporate risk management to climate risks. In seeking to answer this question, we review several literature streams in order to set out an initial theoretical reflection. Based on this we conducted an exploratory case study with 11 electric utilities. Our results illustrate that these companies perceive climatic changes as a material issue for their business. However, management has restricted knowledge about such climatic changes and thus cannot precisely determine the potential negative impacts on business activities. As a consequence, the companies have implemented a climate risk management that does not differ from the usual process of managing other business risks. Our results further illustrate that there is some variation in how individual firms manage climate risks: While risk identification and risk assessment are equally important for all electric utilities, there are differences in how management determines the direction of the individual response to climate risks. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

Theoretical implications from the case of performance-based human resource management practices in Japan: management fashion,institutionalization and strategic human resource management perspectives

In Japan, a new type of human resource management (HRM) practices called ‘performance-based HRM practices’ (seika-shugi in Japanese) emerged in the 1990s, and has been adopted by many Japanese firms. In this paper, I illustrate how these type of practices emerged as a management fashion, diffused across a large number of Japanese firms, and became institutionalized in the Japanese business context; and discuss the relationship between performance-based HRM practices and firm performance. This illustration is used to develop a theoretical framework to better understand the relationship between HRM practices and firm performance by integrating theories of management fashions, institutionalization and strategic HRM. Suggestions for future research are also discussed.     

Incentives and penalties as means of influencing attendance: a study in the UK public sector

Despite being the largest single source of lost productivity in business and industry, absence from work has not featured as prominently as might have been expected in studies in human resource management. But if, as a new discipline, human resource management is to stimulate fresh insights into perennial problems this matter should be addressed. Drawing upon data from the UK public sector, this article examines various aspects of absence from work with a view to placing the research in this broader context. It is concluded that the indiscriminate application of methods to reduce absence are often ineffective and some measures may actually change employees' work attitudes and perceived equity. This may, in turn, hinder effective human resource management.     

Conditioning factors for corporate entrepreneurship: an in(ex)ternal approach

In the last years, the business creation and management literature has paid increasing attention to the entrepreneurship that occurs within organizations. Most empirical studies show a positive relationship between corporate entrepreneurship and performance. The objective of this article is to identify which internal and external factors condition corporate entrepreneurship. The study uses two different theoretical perspectives: Resource-Based Theory (for internal factors) and Institutional Economics (for external or environmental factors). Both theories have been widely used in the strategic management and entrepreneurship literature, however, very few studies in the corporate entrepreneurship field are grounded on them together. The research applies negative binomial regression and uses data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) for the period 2004–2008. Overall the sample has 339.071 observations and it provides information for 9 different European countries (Greece, Spain, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Finland). Results reinforce the importance of internal factors (knowledge, personal networks and being able to identify business opportunities) compared to external (having fear of failure, media impact and the number of procedures to create a company). Contributions of the study are both theoretical and practical. On the one hand, it contributes to the development of the literature in the corporate entrepreneurship field. On the other hand, it provides useful insights for those companies that are interested in entrepreneurship within the organizations.     

Institutional entrepreneurship and permaculture: A practice theory perspective

Permaculture is a growing but little researched phenomenon emphasising care for the environment, equity, fair treatment of people and working with—and not against—nature. It thus represents a potential alternative to business as usual, capable of addressing fundamental challenges posed by human-made climate change. The paper examines a previously ignored site of entrepreneurship by taking a practice perspective, exploring connections between the practice and growth of permaculture and institutional entrepreneurship. It assesses practice-related and institutional factors affecting the start-up and operation of permaculture enterprises in the United Kingdom. The study maps and surveys UK Permaculture Association members who have started up their own business and reports on qualitative data from personal interviews with twenty of them. Data analysis employs NVivo software and involves thematic analysis pertaining to the practice, institutional biographies and institutional portfolios of permaculture entrepreneurs. The findings show the importance of permaculture activists' institutional biographies and institutional portfolios to the start-up and operation of permaculture enterprises and for shaping permaculture-related practice. The contribution of the paper lies in how it balances attention to individual agency with subfield-specific, organisational field and macrosocial factors in understanding ‘beyond profit’ entrepreneurship.     

The scope and trajectory of strategic HR research: evidence from American and British journals

Many have argued that the field of human resource (HR) management has successfully transformed itself from the functional orientation of personnel management to a strategic orientation that is more relevant to the goals and effectiveness of business in the current competitive landscape. In this article, we assess that proposition by reviewing almost 1000 award-winning papers and articles published in leading US and British management journals since the mid-1990s. We use this data to evaluate the scope of HR research in the field, the extent to which it has changed, and whether changes in this research have kept pace with changes that organizations face in the current global economy. Consistent with the strategic HR framework, we find that the question of the link between HR and performance has, indeed, become the dominant one among both micro- and macro-organizational scholars. Contrary to expectations, however, micro-level research continues to be more prevalent than macro-organizational studies; and we find little change in the subjects and sites of research or theoretical approaches adopted. These characteristics of HR research are in sharp contrast with the dramatic changes occurring in the world of work – suggesting a mismatch between what HR scholars study and what issues and dilemmas organizations face. Finally, by assessing similarities and differences between the American and British scholarship, we are able to suggest a research agenda, more relevant to the current global economy, which builds on the strengths of each tradition.     

The influence of managers' awareness of climate change,perceived climate risk exposure and risk tolerance on the adoption of corporate responses to climate change

Uncertainties posed by climate change limit companies' ability to understand implications of global warming on business and society at large, hampering the adoption of tangible organizational responses to climate change. Understanding climate action thus requires to investigate influential factors of decision-making under uncertainty, which implies acknowledging managerial interpretations and perceptions about climate issues. Drawing insights from the literature on climate inaction and from corporate sustainability literature, the present study examines awareness of climate change and perceived exposure to climate risks as antecedents of corporate responses to climate change, drawing on a survey of managers of Italian manufacturing companies. In addition, the study tests the moderation of risk tolerance on the relation between perceived climate risk exposure and climate action, suggesting that risk attitudes are a significant factor of decision-making under climate uncertainty. The results support the hypothesis of the model and thus provide several contributions to the literature on business and climate change. Managerial implications and avenues for future research are also discussed.     

基于物联网技术的“中国邮政”速递物流业务流程优化研究综述

首先对中国邮政速递物流公司的研究现状进行了研究,接着探讨了业务流程优化和重组的相关理论和方法,最后对物联网技术在业务流程优化和重组中的应用进行了研究。为基于物联网技术的"中国邮政"速递物流业务流程优化研究提供了理论和方法基础。     

A relational view of climate adaptation in the private sector: How do value chain interactions shape business perceptions of climate risk and adaptive behaviours?

Studies exploring climate change adaptation in the private sector have seldom investigated the effect of business network interactions on climate vulnerability and adaptation outcomes. This paper proposes a novel theoretical framework to explore how business–network dynamics affect risk perceptions and adaptive behaviours in business firms. The framework is empirically grounded in a comparative analysis of business–network dynamics from three agricultural value chains in Jamaica that are vulnerable to climate change impacts. The results illustrate how the exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity of value chain actors are influenced by business interdependencies and interfirm relationships. We find that the level of formality of business exchanges (contractual or noncontractual), the level of resource interdependency, and the ability to diversify access channels to critical resources can influence the propagation of climate‐related risks and influence actors' exposure and sensitivity to those risks. The study also offers evidence of the role played by bonding and bridging relational ties on adaptive capacity. The framework and findings provide a foundation for a new research agenda exploring a relational view of firm adaptation strategy in response to climate risks.     

中国工商管理案例研究现状和发展动向的计量分析

近年来学术界对工商管理的研究日益增多,案例研究方法成为工商管理研究的重要方法。通过手工搜集和借助计算机软件,本文对13种管理学研究期刊发表的1 162篇工商管理案例文章关键词的词频进行统计分析,讨论了我国工商管理案例的研究现状和发展动向。指出结合我国独特的政治、经济和社会背景与企业管理改革的实践发展,是开展我国工商管理案例研究的必由之路。应该科学地把握与理解案例研究的理论、体系与方法,以提升管理新理论与新方法。     

A project management research framework integrating multiple theoretical perspectives and influencing factors

The increasing projectification of the business world corresponds with a high diversity of theoretical perspectives used in project management research. This diversity is reflected by a variety of influencing factors, which have been the subject of empirical studies. This article aims to systemize the different streams of research on the basis of a literature review and at developing a research framework by integrating multiple theoretical perspectives and influencing factors. We elaborate on the crosslinks between the perspectives and identify fundamental elements of a project management theory. The framework consists of three dimensions: design, context, and goal. Its purpose is to support the combination of different perspectives and the development of strategies for further research.     

纵观企业理论变迁史

企业是社会经济发展到一定阶段的历史产物,随着时代的变迁和发展,对企业理论的解释也在不断演化,各学派的经济学家对企业的阐述可谓是众说纷纭。亚当·斯密、马克思、马歇尔、科斯和奈特等经济学家都对企业理论的发展起到了至关重要的作用。文章从企业理论发展的时间脉络,梳理出两百多年来出现的一些关键的企业理论,以及笔者对众多企业理论的个人观点,揭示出企业理论由抽象的理想型向现实企业逐步靠近的发展方向。     

我国工商管理探索性案例研究的发展现状及规范性评估

鉴于工商管理学科实践性与应用性强的特点,国内学界对于开展理论贡献与应用价值相融合的学术研究已达成广泛共识,探索性案例研究作为基于情境性管理实践的科学研究是关键的实现途径之一.由于舶入国内工商管理领域的时间有限,当前对该方法使用规范的准确认识与掌握仍是做出高水平案例研究的重要基础.首先系统梳理了2010—2019年十年间...     

Preserving Theoretical Divergence in Management Research: Why the Explanatory Potential of Qualitative Research Should Be Harnessed Rather than Suppressed

Despite the evident rise in the number of qualitative studies that are published in leading journals, I argue that the rich tradition and hallmark of qualitative research is under pressure. In recent years qualitative papers are increasingly being fashioned in the image of quantitative research, so much so that papers adopt ‘factor‐analytic’ styles of theorizing that have typically been the preserve of quantitative methods. This is a worrying trend as it leads to certain types of explanations dominating our field and at the expense of other viable forms of explanation. It also narrows the remit of qualitative research in general by channelling the theoretical contribution of qualitative studies in the direction of factor‐analytic propositional or variance models. In this article, I discuss the differences between the distinct types of theoretical explanations that are associated with quantitative and qualitative methods, survey the trend towards a quantitative ‘restyling’ of qualitative research, and elaborate its negative implications for our body of knowledge and for the state of management and organization theory.     

Property rights theory,transaction costs theory,and agency theory: an organizational economics approach to strategic management

Property rights theory has common antecedents with contractual theories of the firm such as transaction costs and agency theories, and is yet distinct from these theories. We illustrate fundamental theoretical principles derived from these three theories by analyzing the business case of oil field unitization. Theoretical principles and application of theory to oil field unitization are each summarized. From this, it is possible to see how property rights theory is well suited to explain business situations where inefficient economic outcomes persist. Additionally, property rights theory forges new theoretical connections with other branches of organizational economics, in particular, resource‐based theory. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.