Management of hybrid organisations: a case study in retailing

Hybrid organisations present important theoretical and managerial opportunities. We examine a large Finnish multichain retail organisation in order to identify and understand the challenges of hybrids in a retailing context. We are especially interested in how these complex firms try to maintain a balance between the centralised corporate control and the local autonomy and initiative of their retailers. The governance forms and processes identified in the case organisation are discussed with the help of a proposed conceptual framework. We believe that the identified governance problems and practices in the three different retail chains and especially our recommendations will facilitate the understanding of retail hybrid organisations and the management of hybrids in general.     

Unfolding institutional plurality in hybrid organizations through practices: The case of a cooperative bank

This paper provides a theoretically informed analysis of how institutional pluralism unfolds in hybrid organizations through practices. Building on Quattrone's (2015) procedural model, the paper studies institutional plurality in the case of an Italian cooperative bank that has experienced enduring success. By reversing the usual approach to logic, defined as a stable set of beliefs, this paper shows that this hybrid organization uses a recursive system of practices in search of social order. This hybrid organization interrogates its organizational imperatives and defines adequate ways to achieve them. This paper then observes that this system of practices is permeable to external pressures, i.e., inspections by the central bank, a reform of cooperative banks, political pressure for mergers and acquisitions, and Italy's sovereign debt crisis. While such an organization appears to be ongoingly accountable to its multiple stakeholders, external pressures undermine its community accountability system and push this hybrid organization towards compliance accountability. Based on our findings, this paper develops a process model for hybrid organizations to navigate institutional plurality and to explain the potential limitations of the accountability system.     

论一种"新"型的关税同盟:混合型关税同盟

国际经济学界流行的看法,即认为贸易转移型关税同盟既可导致贸易创造又可导致贸易转移,这是不正确的,这种所谓的贸易转移型关税同盟实际上是一种混合型关税同盟。一个混合型关税同盟包含了一个纯贸易创造型关税同盟和一个纯贸易转移型关税同盟,关税同盟的建立能否给某个加盟国带来福利的增加,取决于这两股相反作用力的相对强弱。若贸易创造大于贸易转移,则福利增加,反之亦然;若两者相当,则还能出现福利不变的情况。     

Relative accuracy and predictive ability of direct valuation methods, price to aggregate earnings method and a hybrid approach

In this paper, we assess the relative performance of the direct valuation method and industry multiplier models using 41 435 firm‐quarter Value Line observations over an 11 year (1990–2000) period. Results from both pricing‐error and return‐prediction analyses indicate that direct valuation yields lower percentage pricing errors and greater return prediction ability than the forward price to aggregated forecasted earnings multiplier model. However, a simple hybrid combination of these two methods leads to more accurate intrinsic value estimates, compared to either method used in isolation. It would appear that fundamental analysis could benefit from using one approach as a check on the other.     

Academic entrepreneurial hybrids: Accounting and accountability in the case of MegaRide

The current paper focuses on how multiple values shape accounting and accountability practices in hybrid organizations. It concentrates on the complex domain of academic spin-offs, more fully described as hybrid knowledge-intensive organizations, aiming to understand how accounting and accountability practices can be constitutive of hybrid academic entrepreneurial logics and identities and how these, in turn, favor the development of accounting and accountability practices. The study employs a theoretically informed in-depth single case study of the academic spin-off MegaRide of the University of Naples Federico II (Italy) for the period January to May 2021. The findings show how, in MegaRide, hybrid academic entrepreneurial identities emerged at both the individual and organizational levels, leading to successful technology transfer, with an undeniable impact on the local context and society.     

Barrier option pricing: a hybrid method approach

This paper adapts the hybrid method, a combination of the Laplace transformation and the finite-difference approach, to the pricing of barrier-style options. The hybrid method eliminates the time steps and provides a highly accurate and precise numerical solution that can be rapidly obtained. This method is superior to lattice methods when trying to solve barrier-style options. Previous studies have tried to solve barrier-style options; however, there have continually been several disadvantages. Very small time steps and stock node spaces are needed to avoid undesirable numerically induced oscillations in the solution of barrier option. In addition, all the intermediate option prices must be computed at each time step, even though one may be only interested in the terminal price of barrier-style complex options. The hybrid method may also solve more complex problems concerning barrier-style options with various boundary constraints such as options with a time-varying rebate. In order to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed scheme, we compare our algorithm with several well-known pricing formulas of barrier-type options. The numerical results show that the hybrid method is robust, and provides a highly accurate solution and fast convergence, regardless of whether or not the initial asset prices are close to the barrier.     

在位企业非连续性技术变革的技术代际桥研究

非连续性技术变革给在位企业带来巨大挑战,要求在位企业克服新技术研发困难和自身潜在惰性进行积极响应,在与新进入企业市场竞争中获取持续竞争优势,化解熊彼特提出的破坏性创新威胁。整合社会网络理论、知识管理理论及创新管理理论,以65家汽车综合型整车在位制造企业为样本,通过搭建发明家桥、合作研发桥、混合技术桥等3个维度的技术代际桥,探讨在位企业如何在维持两代技术阶段性平衡的前提下提高新技术创新绩效。结果发现：发明家桥与企业新技术创新绩效呈倒U型关系;合作研发桥和混合技术桥对企业新技术创新绩效具有显著促进作用;旧技术创新绩效负向调节发明家桥与新技术创新绩效的倒U型关系。研究旨在为在位企业应对非连续性技术变革,提高新技术创新绩效提供相应的对策建议。     

Crafting Internal Hybrids: Complementarities,Common Change Initiatives,and the Team-Based Organization

Hybrid governance forms that seek to meld the virtues of both market control and traditional hierarchical control are alluring. Comparatively little research, outside of the M-form literature, has examined internal hybrids - hierarchical forms infused with elements of market control. This paper contends that common change initiatives, such as TQM, re-engineering, autonomous work teams, and group-based rewards, are appropriately viewed as attempts to craft internal hybrids by selectively infusing elements of market control within hierarchy. However, these change initiatives are often implemented in isolation and, as a consequence, violate patterns of complementarity that sustain traditional hierarchy or support the stable infusion of market control.The paper argues that these violations of complementarity often spiral hierarchies toward fundamental transformation. The clear trajectory of these transformations is to quite radically disaggregated organizations structured around teams. The paper presents both theory and evidence supporting the existence of complementarities among these common change initiatives.     

Electronic and in-person service quality of hybrid services

The service industries have experienced dramatic changes in service delivery format because of fast-paced innovation in information technology. Hybrid services involve service deliveries through conventional and technology-enabled environments, each of which is complementary and non-interchangeable. However, limited research has examined consumer behavior in response to a series of relevant service episodes in different channels at different points in time. In other words, how customers perceive service quality at each service encounter and how the cumulative effect of these perceptions influences customers’ overall service value assessment and satisfaction remain unclear. This study addresses this research gap by investigating the sequential influence of e-service quality on in-person service quality in a hybrid service format in which interpersonal and computer-mediated services coexist but at different points in time. Empirical analysis shows that e-service quality directly and positively affects in-person service quality, which fully mediates the effects of e-service quality on perceived value and customer satisfaction. The sequence of service encounters matters because in-person service quality perception has a stronger effect than e-service quality on customer metrics. Cumulative quality perceptions significantly influence perceived value and overall customer satisfaction. Theoretical and managerial implications are presented in the discussion.     

Stochastic optimization of sustainable hybrid generation bioethanol supply chains

This paper focuses on designing a hybrid generation bioethanol supply chain (HGBSC) that will account for economic, environmental and social aspects of sustainability under various uncertainties. A stochastic mixed integer linear programming model is proposed to design an optimal HGBSC. A case study set in the state of North Dakota in the United States is used as an application of the proposed model. The results suggest that the designs of optimal HGBSC change when different sustainability standards are applied. In addition, sensitivity analysis is conducted to provide deeper understanding of the proposed model.