On the way to Ithaka[1]: Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Publication of Karl E. Weick’s The Social Psychology of Organizing

Karl E. Weick’s The Social Psychology of Organizing has been one of the most influential books in organization studies, providing the theoretical underpinnings of several research programs. Importantly, the book is widely credited with initiating the process turn in the field, leading to the ‘gerundizing’ of management and organization studies: the persistent effort to understand organizational phenomena as ongoing accomplishments. The emphasis of the book on organizing (rather than on organizations) and its links with sensemaking have made it the most influential treatise on organizational epistemology. In this introduction, we review Weick’s magnum opus, underline and assess its key themes, and suggest ways in which several of them may be taken forward.     

'Biological' revolution and strategies for innovation in pharmaceutical companies

Fundamental advances in the life sciences are exerting a profound influence on the structure of the pharmaceutical industry and the strategies of drug companies. The 'biological' revolution makes it possible to apply a scientific method to drug research. This paper argues that pharmaceutical companies can take advantage of the new method only if they encourage 'openness' of their research. We also offer a framework to explain why innovations in this industry increasingly result from networks of agents with complementary skills and resources. Greater use of scientific knowledge implies that important information for innovation can be expressed in relatively general and universal forms. This eases information exchange, and encourages specialisation and division of labour in drug R&D and marketing. Finally, the possibility of a division of labour in innovation opens new opportunities for medium-sized national pharmaceutical firms in Europe. Provided that they found their strategies on high-quality research in specialised niches, they can set up alliances with partners that possess complementary knowledge, and supply resources for clinical development and international marketing.     

Does spatial visualization ability improve after studying technical drawing?

Two studies were carried out to analyze whether learning technical drawing improves a person’s ability for spatial visualization. Visualization and inductive reasoning tests were applied at the beginning and end of a course in technical drawing in samples of first year engineering students. In both studies it was observed that a moderate percentage of students improved their Visualization test execution. The improvement was similar in men and women. There was no improvement on the inductive reasoning test. The results support the conclusion that the spatial visualization ability can be improved with training.     

Pro-competitive Price Beating Guarantees: Experimental Evidence

We report experimental results on duopoly pricing with and without price beating guarantees (PBG). In two control treatments, price beating is either imposed as an industry-wide rule or offered as a business strategy. Our major finding is that when price beating guarantees are imposed as a rule or offered as an option, effective prices are equal to or lower than those in a baseline treatment in which price beating is forbidden. Also, when price beating is treated as a business strategy, less than 50% of subjects adopted the guarantee, suggesting that, subjects realize the pro-competitive effects of the guarantee. JEL Classifications: C91, L11.This revised version was published online in April 2005 with corrections to one of the authors name and to the page numbering.     

Government policies to enhance access to credit for infrastructure-based PPPs: an approach to classification and appraisal

Governments across the world have introduced a variety of instruments to enhance private investors’ appetites for public–private partnership (PPP) projects. The use of such instruments has become a core component of development and growth policies, for example by the EU as part of the Junker Plan. This paper provides a comprehensive categorization of these instruments, the risks they target and their effects, at both the project and system level, to support policy-makers to design the most appropriate instruments to attract private capital into infrastructure development.     

Who owns the land owns the wind? Land and citizenship in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec,Mexico

Wind energy expansion across rural areas interacts with various interests at the local level, generating multiple reactions within communities. The Eólica del Sur wind farm implementation pathway in Mexico is a paragon of different positions vis-à-vis this industry after trying to install 132 wind turbines in other towns since 2006. This paper argues that there is a bias in studies of the politics of wind energy development in favour of oppositional voices, as opposed to groups that endorse wind energy expansion or that have stakes in the sector but neither support nor oppose wind projects per se. Based on fieldwork conducted over three years and semi-structured interviews with Eólica del Sur stakeholders, the paper argues that different responses to wind energy are linked to contrasting ownership claims over land in the region and competing notions of the institutions that should legitimize these claims.