Strategic flexibility, rigidity and barriers to the development of absorptive capacity in business markets: Themes and research perspectives

The marketing and strategy literature hail strategic flexibility as a key success factor in creating continuously customer value and generating competitive advantage. However, empirical evidence indicates that rigidity in market strategies and actions is more the rule than the exception in organizations. The focus of this special issue is on better understanding rigidity and flexibility in business markets. This lead article seeks to elaborate on why companies face rigidity and how they can create flexibility. To do this, we relate rigidity in organizations to the concepts of dominant logic, industry recipe and persistence. The case illustrations highlight barriers to the development of absorptive capacity in business organizations. Identifying such barriers is a first step in better understanding how companies can remain agile and flexible in demanding and fast changing markets. The paper then proceeds with a brief introduction to the other contributions of this special issue and concludes with a research agenda.     

Planning eco‐industrial parks: an analysis of Dutch planning methods

In theory, eco‐industrial parks can make significant improvements in the environment. In that light, this article analyses six planning methods currently in use in the Netherlands. The most salient findings are that these methods lack an explicit vision of sustainability, they do not give due consideration to symbiotic or utility‐sharing options, they do not sufficiently engage the companies involved in the development and their policy instruments have a limited environmental impact. The planning methods prove to have many shortcomings: the definition of sustainability is unclear; there are no quantitative standards; information on symbiosis and utility sharing is inadequate; the economic and organizational implications are largely ignored and the environmental impact is insufficiently monitored. However, eco‐industrial parks can only have greater environmental benefits through symbiosis and utility sharing. Therefore, location‐ and company‐specific factors have to be taken into consideration. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment     

非洲复兴带来投资机遇

世界银行关于今年全球各地区在促进创业、正规行业的就业及增长的改革力度排名中,非洲由最后一位上升到了第三位。这对于准备进入非洲市场的中国公司来说是个好消息     

Multilevel theory and the underspecification of multilevel models

This article emphasises the importance of the adequate specification of models of multilevel analysis in accordance with multilevel theories. Until recent times, multilevel theories tried only to explain the direct effect of group characteristics on an individual's characteristic. It seems to be more suited to adopt a more general theoretical approach, in which it is assumed that group characteristics affects individual processes. There a treshold effect and a process effect have to be distinguished. The propositions result in a model specification within the random coefficient model of multilevel analysis. The theory and model recommended are illustrated by means of data of Dar and Resh's (1986) study into social learning environment.     

Job Creation and Job Destruction by Small Firms: An Empirical Investigation for the Dutch Manufacturing Sector

This paper studies the differences in behaviour of small and large firms, concerning job creation and job destruction, in the Dutch manufacturing sector over the period 1978–1991. We find that both job creation and job destruction rates are higher in small firms than in large ones. In addition, we found that the persistence of jobs created in slumps are much higher for small firms than for large firms. Persistence rates of job destruction are, however, less connected to the state of the business cycle and increase with firm size. More importantly, small firms seem to reallocate their jobs in a continuous way, as job turnover moves independent of the business cycle. Large firms, on the other hand, reallocate counter-cyclically. An obvious explanation for this phenomenon is that small firms are better equipped to adjust to shifts in economic circumstances. Large firms adjust only slowly and for them reallocating jobs in a recession is more advantageous than in a boom.     

Achieving Attraction Accountability Through an Attraction Response Matrix

Whereas investments in new attractions continue to rise within the theme park industry, knowledge regarding the effects of new attractions on theme park performance and attendance remains scarce. In order to predict the impact of new attractions on the performance of European theme parks, this article presents an Attraction Response Matrix (ARM). The Attraction Response Matrix offers an integrated framework in which research into the effects of new attractions can take place in a systematic manner. The ARM attempts to transform post priori knowledge into a priori knowledge by better understanding the impact of a new attraction and its' mediating causes. The main premise of the ARM is: “in situation A, attraction B will most likely have effect C on target audience D.” By performing research into the relevant effects within certain cells of the ARM and consecutively investigating the relationship between the various cells, a better insight will be gained in the working of new attractions. ARM is based on an extensive ZMET study conducted in The Netherlands.     

Recent environmental research in the Netherlands: towards post-normal science?

Dutch environmental sciences have a tradition of multi- and interdisciplinarity and are developed in close interaction with Dutch environmental policy. Interdisciplinarity and policy relevance, two elements that are also prominent in the climate change scientific and policy debate, form highly important issues within the theory of post-normal science. The greater part of the Dutch climate research is organised in the National Research Programme (NRP), a research programme that explicitly focuses on delivering a contribution to the policy process. This paper uses four criteria for post-normal science (namely the management of uncertainty, the management of inter- and transdisciplinarity, the management of policy relevance and the management of quality) to detect a trend towards post-normal science. These criteria are useful for indicating long-term shifts but they do not (yet) provide measurable standards to assess scientific programmes like the NRP. The paper concludes that the NRP can not be typified as a post-normal research activity, but that it undoubtedly contains post-normal aspects. Especially the growing attention that is paid to the involvement of different stakeholders and divergent perspectives refers to a post-normal scientific practice.     

Spectral analysis of the structure of interest rates in the Netherlands

Spectral methods are used to examine the relationships among the rates of return on financial assets observed in the Netherlands during the period 1962–1970. It is found that both the rates on short-term loans and bonds display seasonal movements, which are related to the periodic contractions of the money supply. Furthermore, there is evidence of a four-year cycle which presumably must be attributed to the cyclical tightness of monetary conditions in the Netherlands. It is concluded that the customary distinction between the money market and the capital market, and the subdivision of the latter into a market for bonds and a stock market, is empirically meaningful.