Users' contributions to radical innovation: evidence from four cases in the field of medical equipment technology

This paper focuses on contributions of users in early phases of radical innovation projects. In a multiple case study analysis in the field of medical equipment technology, we identify characteristics of users who contribute substantially to the development of radical innovations by being their inventors and (co)-developers. These innovative users have high motivation to seek new solutions, possess a diverse set of competencies, and are embedded in a supportive environment. We furthermore observe that they play an entrepreneurial role as they establish and organize the required innovation networks. These innovation networks are needed to transform the users' radically new concepts into first physical prototypes and marketable products. The study highlights how manufacturing firms can benefit from innovative and entrepreneurial users in the early phases of radical innovation projects.     

Cross-Sector Partnerships: City Regeneration and Social Justice

In recent years, firms have greatly increased the amount of resources allocated to activities classified as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). While an increase in CSR expenditure may be consistent with firm value maximization if it is a response to changes in stakeholders’ preferences, we argue that a firm’s insiders (managers and large blockholders) may seek to over- invest in CSR for their private benefit to the extent that doing so improves their reputations as good global citizens and has a “warm-glow” effect. We test this hypothesis by investigating the relation between firms’ CSR ratings and their ownership and capital structures. Employing a unique data set that categorizes the largest 3000 U.S. corporations as either socially responsible (SR) or socially irresponsible (SI), we find that on average, insiders’ ownership and leverage are negatively related to the firm’s social rating, while institutional ownership is uncorrelated with it. Assuming that higher CSR ratings is associated with higher CSR expenditure level, these results support our hypothesis that insiders induce firms to over-invest in CSR when they bear little of the cost of doing so.     

Exploring equality,diversity, and inclusion in multiethnic settings: A context-sensitive approach

Organisations, worldwide, have introduced human resource management (HRM) and equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) policies to address the inherent disadvantages experienced by employees with diverse social identities in different national contexts. In this study, we draw on McCall's comparative intersectional framework and Chadwick's narrative methodologies on materiality and voice, to investigate employees' experiences of EDI policies in a multiethnic setting. Vignette and interview data were obtained from employees in two banks, in the ethnically extremely diverse country of Nigeria, and analysed. Our findings suggest that EDI policies require a universal, widely acknowledged, core alongside specificities reflecting the context in which the EDI is to be enacted. Furthermore, we integrate and build on intersectionality, materiality, and voice to nuance and challenge EDI approaches and mutually supportive HRM policies in the Global South that may, in turn, have implications for the Global North and, particularly, multinational companies.     

The liberalisation of air transport: Lessons from the USA

The planned liberalisation of European air transport has run up against the problem that there is little scope for further expansion of airport infrastructure. If liberalisation is to be a success, the available infrastructure will have to be used more intensively. This means introducing efficient procedures for awarding take-off and landing slots in Europe. The policy pursued hitherto in Germany and the EC and lessons from the USA do not nurture hopes that the liberalisation of European air transport will be a huge success.     

“My God is Not Your God”: Applying Relationship Management Theory to Managing Ethnoreligious Crises in Sub-Saharan Africa

Historically, the world’s geopolitical landscape has been replete with conflicts, from those of Ancient Mesopotamia to those in today’s Middle East and Africa. As in other world regions, parts of sub-Saharan Africa have, for decades, been trapped in a vicious cycle of conflicts and violence—in ethnopolitical and ethnoreligious contexts, even as foreign direct investment on the continent has increased 50% since 2005 and as the gross national product has increased significantly in countries such as Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Rwanda, all of which are attracting international investors. This article examines the nation-building role of public relations by applying the general theory of relationship management, which is based on Grunig-Hunt two-way symmetrical model of public relations, to Sudan and Nigeria as a two-nation case study. It offers theory-informed guidelines that African states can use in managing conflicts and in developing communication strategies that engage stakeholders of disparate theological leanings at the individual level. The goal is to use communication strategies that emphasize mutually respectful Muslim-Christian dialogue on intractable, sensitive issues that have morphed into a bane of the economically burgeoning sub-Saharan African region, particularly.     

Managerial applicability of graphical formats to support positioning decisions

Issues of segmentation and positioning have always been at the heart of marketing management. In recent years, much methodological progress has been made in order to carry out these two tasks simultaneously, that is, to combine certain types of clustering algorithms with appropriate multidimensional scaling or unfolding procedures. When trying to provide managers with a tool to support marketing decision-making in segmentation and positioning, the ease of use and the visual quality of results must be emphasized. This paper provides a state-of-the-art review of alternative graphical formats designed to assist strategic management. It focuses on three aspects, namely, (I) representing competitive market structures, (II) illustrating preferences for product attributes, and (III) describing customer heterogeneity at the individual as well as segment-specific levels; this paper also explores the interrelations among these aspects. The benefits and limitations of different approaches are discussed, and graphical examples are provided. Advances in academic research are contrasted with the information requirements of marketing managers. Finally, recommendations on the applicability of these alternatives for practical use are offered, and issues for further research are specified.     

How storefront displays influence retail store image

The image of retail stores offers an important means for differentiation in highly competitive retail markets. Storefront displays generally function to increase attention to the store or generate unplanned store visits, whereas their impact on store image remains unknown. This study therefore investigates perceived image differences between commonly used types of storefront displays and tests whether an image transfer takes place from the display to the retail store. The results show that more innovative displays achieve better image valuations and that store image benefits from the presence of a storefront display. Spillover effects from the display to the store even occur in the face of some resistance, such as in familiar stores and among consumers who have negative attitudes toward such displays.     

European telecommunications markets

Today, the telecoms sector is not only one of the fastest growing sectors in the world but also one of the most rapidly changing sectors. In Western Europe different strategies under different regulatory frameworks are being pursued in the effort to meet the challenges posed by this. In Central and Eastern Europe, telecommunications networks are still extremely underdeveloped. What lessons can the transforming economies draw from the experiences of Western European countries?