Steven Burdon, John Chelliah and Ajay Bhalla
This paper provides insights into the evolution of the strategic alliance between Shell and Transfield Services in Sydney, Australia in the area of engineering and facilities…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper provides insights into the evolution of the strategic alliance between Shell and Transfield Services in Sydney, Australia in the area of engineering and facilities management.
Design/methodology/approach
To gain an in‐depth understanding of the distinct developmental phases in the alliance relationship, we conducted 12 interviews and a survey yielding 39 responses from the management and operations staff of both these organizations.
Findings
Initially the alliance between Shell and Transfield Services was established with fundamental building blocks of trust and flexibility. However, as the relationship progressed with subsequent contract renewals, complex value adding demands were placed on the alliance. This paper provides insights into understanding three generations of evolution in the relationship‐starting from the building of a successful relationship based on labor savings and then on to one which seeks incremental innovations to become one of the most efficient maintenance operators in the world and finally seeking additional capabilities to continue improving alliance outcomes.
Originality/value
The paper is aimed at managers who are involved in structuring and managing outsourcing arrangements. Referring to outsourcing as an alliance arrangement, the paper points out that as alliance relationships mature, managers need to progress from a fee‐for‐service model to trusted collaboration, and finally to an alliance with joint strategic objectives. Drawing from the case of Shell and Transfield, we present the best practices managers may adopt when progressing to a joint strategic engagement.
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Joseph Lampel, Aneesh Banerjee and Ajay Bhalla
New and radically different forms of temporary organisations often have to attract audiences in organisational fields that are dominated by temporary organisations that conform to…
Abstract
New and radically different forms of temporary organisations often have to attract audiences in organisational fields that are dominated by temporary organisations that conform to ‘taken-for-granted’ organising template. The authors argue that adopters of new temporary organisations must contend with the tensions that arise when audiences compare the new temporary organisational form to the temporary organisations that conform to the institutionalised organising template. The authors therefore argue that as new temporary organisations are introduced into new contexts, organisers often use legitimacy claims based on novelty in the context where the new temporary organisation emerged to counter the threat of illegitimacy. However, because the strength of legitimacy claims based on novelty declines in contexts that are further removed, organisers will modify the template of a new temporary organisation in these contexts. The authors examine this using the case of the so called ‘unconferences’: an alternative conference form that emerged within the software development community at the start of the millennium in conjunction with the Web 2.0 movement. The authors’ data comprise 228 distinct unconferences between 2004 – when the unconference was first launched, and 2015. The authors examine the influence of sector distance of unconferences from the original sector where it was first held, on the extent to which the pure unconference format is retained. The authors show that as adopters of the new form move away from the original sector, they are more likely to modify the unconference template. The authors conclude by identifying promising areas of research in new forms of temporary organising.
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The purpose of this paper is to argue that the influence of Japanese management practices has led organizations towards a “naturalized” view aiming to resolve the ontological…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to argue that the influence of Japanese management practices has led organizations towards a “naturalized” view aiming to resolve the ontological dilemmas that exist between communalism and individualism.
Design/methodology/approach
Having conducted an extensive literature review, the paper draws on literature and examples to construct the argument that for organizations to benefit from Communities of Practice they need to balance the tension between practice and process of such initiatives.
Findings
The influence of Japanese knowledge management practices on the more general phenomenon of transferring practices is twofold. On the one hand, the Japanese precedent has legitimized radical rethinking of management practices which were strongly influenced by rational views of organizations, and on the other hand it provided models which experimenters could emulate.
Practical implications
Looking to the future of KM, it is important that researchers and practitioners acquire deeper understanding of how practices are translated from one context to another. This does not only apply to transferring practices between contexts that are clearly as different as Japan and the USA, or Europe, but also between industries that may appear to operate in the same context. Second, following the Japanese economic crises in the 1990s we are witnessing the fascinating phenomenon of Japanese firms seeking to revitalize their innovative capacity by looking to Western knowledge management practices (Kodama).
Originality value
This paper explores the issue of how the management of knowledge has increasingly become “naturalized” by importing Japanese (or even Eastern) management practices to resolve the ontological dilemmas that exist between communalism and individualism.
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Temporary organisations are time-limited organisations that are created with a deliberate termination point. Temporary organisations can increase flexibility, allow for innovative…
Abstract
Temporary organisations are time-limited organisations that are created with a deliberate termination point. Temporary organisations can increase flexibility, allow for innovative and transformative activities with less resource commitment, and reflect a ‘Zeitgeist’ of acceleration and time limitation in society. They also give rise to tensions and paradoxes that require new adaptive and coordinative practices. Research on temporary organisations has moved from primarily exploring the distinction between temporary and permanent organisations to using temporary organisations to study a range of phenomena such as temporality, acceleration, identity, and attachment–detachment dilemmas. This volume reflects this new orientation. We map empirical phenomena along the lines of events, projects and networks, and explore three conceptual themes that run through the nine chapters that comprise this volume: (1) temporality in temporary organisations; (2) the interaction between temporary and permanent organisations; and (3) the strategies and practices that temporary organisation develop in response to tensions and paradoxes.
The purpose of this study is to explore digital financial services experience, investigate the antecedents to digital financial services experience and examine familiarity as a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore digital financial services experience, investigate the antecedents to digital financial services experience and examine familiarity as a moderator.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses dual methods: qualitative and quantitative. Multiple case studies are applied as a qualitative method to explore and capture recent development in rapidly changing digital finance. An empirical, survey-based approach is used to collect data from 258 respondents about their experiences with digital financial services experience using constructs, such as perceived ease of use, timeliness, lifestyle and digital financial element. The study used structural equation modeling using smart-PLS.
Findings
Using word count, hierarchy chart, items clustered by similarity and qualitative analysis by applying NVivo 12, the study validates the constructs and captures recent developments. Using smart PLS, the structural equation model reveals that the digital functional element positively affects the digital financial services experience. It is observed that lifestyle mediated between perceived ease of use and timeliness with digital financial services experience. Further, familiarity moderates the relationship between the digital financial element and digital financial services experience. Moreover, while this research analyzed the relationship regarding financial services customers, we suggest a comparative study between different entities.
Originality/value
The study can be considered one of its kind using qualitative and quantitative research methods. It integrates theory from both the information system and marketing domain. As the increased number of digital channels and interfaces has increased, companies need to understand how to improve the digital financial services experience.
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The learning objectives of this case study are based on Bloom’s taxonomy. Upon completion of the case study discussion and exercises, successful students will be able to design a…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
The learning objectives of this case study are based on Bloom’s taxonomy. Upon completion of the case study discussion and exercises, successful students will be able to design a leadership transition and succession plan for non-profit organisations; identify and evaluate critical skills and competencies required in leadership positions; and frame expectations and responsibilities for new and departing executives.
Case overview/synopsis
Apar Gupta co-founded Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), a digital rights organisation born out of SaveTheInternet – Net Neutrality movement of 2015, credited for urging the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India to uphold net neutrality in India. And ban zero-cost internet services that promoted data discrimination in the country. After working on and winning the net neutrality movement, Gupta identified many areas in technology where democratic rights had not been identified or were yet to be clearly defined (like in the case of net neutrality). There was also a service gap between the existing internet volunteer groups and digital rights organisations, which could IFF fill. This was to provide objective clarity, stakeholder identification, handle policy discussions and, most importantly, arrange resources to support movements over the long term. This prompted him to co-found IFF in 2017, which he later joined as a full-time executive director in 2018. IFF worked at the intersection of technology, democratic rights and government policies and was comparable to some global organisations, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation in the USA and the Open Rights Group in the UK. Still, none existed in India at the time. After four years as a full-time executive director in 2022, he was convinced that it was finally time for him to act on the pre-defined strategic departure plan and work towards succession for the executive director position. While there were visible gaps in the system, Gupta’s leadership design and plans had helped IFF overcome existential challenges in the past. Also, while digital rights were still at a nascent stage in emerging economies, under Gupta’s leadership, IFF had delivered unmatched value to its beneficiaries in the world’s biggest digital consumer market. However, constant changes in regulations and continuing financial constraints made him nervous about the outcomes of the succession and the overall sustainability of IFF. Gupta wanted to ensure that this phased transition from executive director after two years and then trustee manager after the next four years are carefully communicated to reduce the likelihood of attrition and loss of trust.
Being the co-founder and the first and only executive director IFF had seen, the organisation would also require significant skill and competency mapping to identify the new executive leadership. But with no clear internal successor in sight, the non-profit trust would also need a successor who not only was competent but also would share a passion for the type of work done by IFF, its unique delivery mode, and also would openly inherit its position in society. The other alternative strategic routes present were to look for dual leadership or interim leadership, but then there could be concerns about Gupta’s influence overshadowing any such alternative.
In the case scenario, IFF is planning for succession while navigating the organisation through financial constraints and constant regulatory changes to ensure long- and short-term sustainability.
Complexity academic level
The case study has been written to gain insights into departure-defined successive planning in non-profit organisations. The case study can also be used to gain insights into innovative start-ups and innovative non-profit start-ups, as digital rights are still at nascent stages in emerging markets. The case study will be valuable for courses such as human resource management, strategic human resource management, social entrepreneurial leadership, leadership development, start-up environment, innovation and entrepreneurship, public policy, development studies, cyber security and information technology. The case study also allows students and young professionals to take the perspective of an innovative start-up founder and design a departure-defined succession plan. The case study can also be useful for senior students wanting to undertake an entrepreneurial career by starting or joining a non-profit organisation. While the case study is suitable for postgraduate- and executive-level courses, it can also be used for conducting entrepreneurial workshops and skill training.
Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available for educators only.
Subject code
CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.
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Srinath Jagannathan, Patturaja Selvaraj and Jerome Joseph
This paper aims to show that the experience of workers on the margins of international business is akin to the funeralesque. The funeralesque is understood as the appropriation of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to show that the experience of workers on the margins of international business is akin to the funeralesque. The funeralesque is understood as the appropriation of the value generated by workers across the production networks of international business.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing from the engagement with crematorium workers, the narratives of workers are articulated, describing the insecurities and injustices experienced by them. The authors draw from six-month-long qualitative engagement with seven workers in a crematorium in Ahmedabad, India.
Findings
The experience of marginal subjects provides important insights into how international business, in conjunction with states, structures inequality for marginal subjects. Precariousness, social exclusion, low wages and subjectivities of humiliation are the experiences of marginal subjects. The reproduction of marginality in globalising cities is an important element of the funeralesque through which extraction and re-distribution of value across international networks is legitimised.
Practical implications
In understanding international business as the funeralesque, the authors demystify the power relations constituted by it. The authors provide a metaphor for dethroning the legitimacy of international business and indicate that its modern practices are similar to the practices of value appropriation that occur in a funeral.
Originality/value
The authors develop the metaphor of the funeralesque to gain insights into the experiences of workers on the margins of international business. The authors are, thus, able to theorise the underbelly of globalising cities in a poetic, subversive way.
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This paper furthers the analysis of patterns regulating capitalist accumulation based on a historical anthropology of economic activities revolving around and within the Mauritian…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper furthers the analysis of patterns regulating capitalist accumulation based on a historical anthropology of economic activities revolving around and within the Mauritian Export Processing Zone (EPZ).
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses fieldwork in Mauritius to interrogate and critique two important concepts in contemporary social theory – “embeddedness” and “the informal economy.” These are viewed in the wider frame of social anthropology’s engagement with (neoliberal) capitalism.
Findings
A process-oriented revision of Polanyi’s work on embeddedness and the “double movement” is proposed to help us situate EPZs within ongoing power struggles found throughout the history of capitalism. This helps us to challenge the notion of economic informality as supplied by Hart and others.
Social implications
Scholars and policymakers have tended to see economic informality as a force from below, able to disrupt the legal-rational nature of capitalism as practiced from on high. Similarly, there is a view that a precapitalist embeddedness, a “human economy,” has many good things to offer. However, this paper shows that the practices of the state and multinational capitalism, in EPZs and elsewhere, exactly match the practices that are envisioned as the cure to the pitfalls of capitalism.
Value of the paper
Setting aside the formal-informal distinction in favor of a process-oriented analysis of embeddedness allows us better to understand the shifting struggles among the state, capital, and labor.
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KBS Kumar and Indu Perepu
The learning outcomes are as follows: determine the conditions founders encounter when their company is not on the right track; examine the importance of ethics in…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes are as follows: determine the conditions founders encounter when their company is not on the right track; examine the importance of ethics in entrepreneurship; draw up a broad framework to understand the degree of trouble an organization is in and how far it has gone since the early warning signs of trouble; and formulate a comprehensive solution for entrepreneurial founders to extricate their ventures from a crisis.
Case overview/synopsis
India-based Edtech company Byju’s was facing a slew of challenges as of mid-2023. Its founder and CEO Byju Raveendran needed to steer the company out of trouble.
Complexity academic level
Post Graduate/Executive Education.
Supplementary material
Teaching notes are available for educators only.
Subject code
CSS3: Entrepreneurship.