Mobilizing crisis management networks — Entrepreneurial behavior in turbulent contexts

Severe socio-economic issues that threaten peace, life or wellbeing of humans in specific regions of the world cannot be solved by any single actor. Wide networks of political, business, governmental, non-profit and humanitarian organizations are to be involved to change existing practices. Despite conflicting interests and competing behavior, involved organizations need to act collectively to initiate the change of commonly accepted practices, i.e. institutions. This is the space in the present study for examining network mobilization as a collective means to change institutions. Our aim is to answer the question: How are networks mobilized in crisis management to initiate institutional change processes in socio-economically turbulent contexts? We provide a framework of network mobilization for institutional change built on the IMP rooted network mobilization research and institutional entrepreneurship discussion. The framework is reflected upon by means of insights from an interview-based case study with representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations involved in worldwide humanitarian peace-building. We identify, firstly, incentivizing, reticent and adaptational behaviors of network mobilizers to utilize legitimacy and relationship sediments as mobilization enablers. Secondly, these behaviors help network mobilizers to overcome actor visibility and unpredictability as mobilization obstacles in turbulent contexts.     

Conceptualizing and validating organizational networking as a second-order formative construct

Based on an existing conceptualization in the literature, this study operationalizes the construct of organizational networking, through a rigorous two-stage scale construction and validation process. Organizational networking refers to firm behaviors, i.e. the activities/routines/practices, which enable an organization to make sense of and capitalize on their networks of direct and indirect business relationships. We conceptualize the measurement model as a second-order formative construct with four first-order reflective constructs based on a four-dimensional view of organizational networking comprising information acquisition, opportunity enabling, strong-tie resource mobilization and weak-tie resource mobilization. The scale validation was undertaken at the first- and second-order levels. The result confirms the four distinct first-order measurement models. At the second-order level, a MIMIC (multiple indicators and multiple causes) model was employed to assess the validity of the formative measurement model. The results suggest that all four components significantly contribute to the overarching construct of organizational networking, with strong-tie resource mobilization being the most important contributor. Thus, our operationalization confirms the uniqueness of the different dimensions of organizational networking that should be configured as a strategy of sensing and seizing opportunities in the network. The organizational networking scale will provide future research with a basis to explore different strategic patterns of networking behaviors in varying contexts, and its role in relation to other organizational behaviors and outcome variables, such as firm performance.     

Managerial perceptions of service-infused IORs in China & India: A discursive view of value co-creation

This paper explores the managerial challenges facing firms seeking to build relationships with other network actors while doing business in foreign markets. By taking a critical perspective on an area of increasing importance in both manufacturing and service sectors, that of value co-creation, the paper explores how managers in different cultural contexts make sense of the notion of ‘value’ in inter-organizational B2B relationships between New Zealand service and service-infused supplier firms and buyers in China and India. From an analysis of the interview-based accounts on both sides of the buyer–seller dyad marked differences emerge regarding value-creation within managers' discourse around partnerships, collaboration and cooperation. Our findings suggest that the Indian manager's discursive use of ‘partnership’ draws on service-dominant logic in viewing this type of interaction as a means for co-creating value; they and their New Zealand suppliers are jointly involved in co-creating value within a service system, creating value-in-use. In contrast, the predominant perspective seen in the discourse of Chinese managers is the use of cooperation as a means of making transactions more cost-effective, or to fill gaps in their supply chains, resulting in the creation of transaction-based, co-production of value, which suggests a value-in-exchange orientation. In both cases, there is repeated reference to more peripheral actors whose efforts result in what we interpret as network value creation, based on their interactions with actors within the buyer–seller dyad.     

The Structure of Municipal Water Supply Costs: Application to a Panel of French Local Communities

Network losses and returns are importantissues for water resource management, that are addressed in thispaper by modeling the structure of production for municipal waterutilities with two outputs: water sold to final customers andwater network losses. We propose a measure of economies of scopeto assess the benefit associated with joint production of waterfor final customers and water losses, and several measures ofreturns to evaluate potential gains in exploiting technologicalflexibility of water networks. We estimate the cost structureof water utilities using a GMM procedure with a Translog costfunction and panel data. Estimation results reveal a positivedegree of economies of scope, and short-run returns to productiondensity and returns to customer density that are not significantlydifferent from 1. Significant economies of scale indicate thatlocal communities may benefit from merging into water districts.     

影响我国电子商务产业结构的原因分析

从艾瑞咨询各年度的电子商务产业调研报告可以发现,自主型B2C电子零售产业的集中度要远低于平台型B2B和C2C电子商务产业,经过分析发现网络外部性、沉没成本、转换成本和价格或成本优势是导致集中度存在差异的主要因素,这些因素有可能对产业竞争带来长期伤害,本文试图寻找克服这些因素的方法。     

“四阶段法”中运量分配的路网断面剖切技术研究

针对"四阶段法"的运量分配过程中存在对路网动态变化的适应性反应迟钝、相关径路双向交流产生的大量回流量重复计算、通道交流量缺乏总量控制调节关键环节等问题,提出采用路网断面动态剖切技术,给出具体操作步骤和基本算法,并与传统运量分配方法进行优劣分析。通过宝中线运量预测的实例计算分析,说明断面剖切技术的实际应用。     

基于知识管理的网络课程设计

分析网络课程的现状、特点及不足，借助知识管理的基本理论，提出基于知识管理的网络课程的设计原则、设计策略和设计过程，为网络课程的开发建设提供了一个新视角、新思路，从而提高网络课程的质量，进而培养学生的知识管理能力。     

基于V5的用户接入系统ISDN接入模块的设计与实现

介绍Ｖ５接入网用户接入系统的ＩＳＤＮ接入模块硬件和软件设计方案。这个方案具有系统配置灵活的特点。另外，此方案主要采用西门子公司的芯片组。     

论消费者对网络银行安全问题的防范

现今网络银行已走进我们的生活,消费者在购物的同时也能享受到它所带来的方便。但随着网银业务的不断发展,也带来了不少安全问题,病毒、黑客等不安全因素正威胁着消费者的账户安全。本文以网上交易为例,从消费者的权益出发,重点论述了对网络银行账户安全可能造成威胁的几个因素,并列举了如今作为消费者能够采取的多种防范措施,和所能享受到的多种安全保障服务。     

浅析如何有效发挥网络媒体在国家形象传播中的作用

国家形象是一个国家软实力的重要组成部分,树立良好的国家形象已经成为全球化时代的重要生存之道。同时,随着信息化时代的不断发展,世界各国已经强烈地意识到,利用网络媒体进行国家形象传播已经成为一条方便、快捷、效率高的现实新途径。