This paper explores the design dimensions that foster identity construction, legitimation, and growth of digitally mediated platform ecosystems.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper explores the design dimensions that foster identity construction, legitimation, and growth of digitally mediated platform ecosystems.
Design/methodology/approach
A midrange theorizing approach was adopted to assimilate and induct the extant literature on ecosystems, platform business models and innovation, yielding testable propositions on ecosystem design for empirical testing.
Findings
The paper suggests that decentralized governance, partner engagement and shared context are three dimensions of criticality for designing a distinct platform ecosystem. These design dimensions nurture interactions, transactions, relationships between platform participants and external actors to make ecosystems authentic and legitimate. Decentralization is relevant for inducing flexibility and autonomy of participants on the platform. Engagement impacts the intensity of relationships the platform has with other firms in the ecosystem, while shared context is essential for creating knowledge and harnessing innovation on the platform.
Research limitations/implications
The paper identifies a set of three testable propositions on ecosystem design for further empirical analysis by ecosystem researchers.
Practical implications
To achieve future readiness, organizations must become resilient to the market environment. With that intent, traditional businesses are revising their operating models to become more collaborative, integrative and efficient. Adoption of digital initiatives for redesigning towards platform ecosystems will make traditional models more relevant as markets evolve. But as a new organization form, platform ecosystem faces the challenge of legitimacy. Author suggests that managers use the organization design lever to meet the challenge.
Originality/value
Emergence of platform-based businesses and transformation of existing models to platform ecosystems are impacting today's competitive environment. During initial phases of evolution, ecosystems aim for identity and legitimacy. The authors contribute to organizational aspects of the platform ecosystem design literature by identifying decentralization of governance, engagement and shared context as dimensions of criticality for future-ready platforms. Secondly, these dimensions are associated with identity and legitimation of platform ecosystems. Decentralization is relevant for supply-side producers of goods and services on the platform, engagement has impact on both supply and demand-side participants of platforms, and shared context is essential for knowledge creation and harnessing innovation.
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Ajay Kumar Singal and Faisal Mohammad Ahsan
Emerging economy firms seek strategic assets through cross-border acquisitions (CBAs) to upgrade their capabilities. The paper explores the relation between emerging economy…
Abstract
Purpose
Emerging economy firms seek strategic assets through cross-border acquisitions (CBAs) to upgrade their capabilities. The paper explores the relation between emerging economy firms' investments in CBAs and subsequent investments in domestic R&D. It investigates the underlying mechanism that links a firm's decision to pursue CBAs and the outcomes from the CBAs. The main idea behind the study is that firms have higher possibility of creating value from cross-border acquisitions when they simultaneously invest in domestic R&D though both investments are constrained by financial and managerial resources.
Design/methodology/approach
The hypotheses are tested on a panel data set of 296 Indian firms over a period of 13 years (2003–2015). The authors use a two-stage Heckman procedure for testing their hypotheses. In the first stage, a probit model predicts the probability of a firm being a cross-border acquirer. The second stage model is estimated by a pooled-data GLS (generalized least squares) regression technique.
Findings
The authors find a nonlinear (inverted U-shaped) relationship between firm's investments in CBAs and domestic R&D. This suggests a complementary relation between investments in CBAs and a firm's domestic R&D at lower levels of investments in CBAs. At higher levels of investments in CBAs, CBA investments begin to substitute for firm's domestic R&D investments. For firms with higher international product-market experience and those operating in the hi-tech industry, the relationship between investments in CBAs and domestic R&D is complementary even at higher levels of CBA investments.
Originality/value
The study highlights the role of an emerging market firm's investment in domestic R&D as a link between the decision to invest in CBAs and related outcomes thereof. Emerging market firms face resource constraints while pursuing simultaneous investments in CBAs and R&D, but investment in R&D is essential for realizing the acquisition objectives. The authors also establish the significance of industry context and experiential learning in deciding the allocation of resources between CBAs and internal R&D.
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Ajay Kumar Singal and Arun Kumar Jain
The purpose of this paper is to understand and map the global competitiveness of firms in emerging markets. The authors refine a framework (called the “strategic control map”, or…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand and map the global competitiveness of firms in emerging markets. The authors refine a framework (called the “strategic control map”, or SCM) that looks at market capitalization – using two parameters of book equity (size) and price to book ratio (performance) – as a key driver of the competitiveness of firms. However, the SCM has limited value in the context of smaller and largely domestic firms, as is the case in emerging markets. To develop a more comprehensive understanding, additional vital metrics such as the degree of internationalization need to be considered.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors compare top 100 Indian firms against global firms on four dimensions – i.e. market price to book ratio, book equity, scope and scale of international operations. The authors consider data for the year 2009-2010 to make comparisons.
Findings
The SCM, formulated with a developed market focus, is not suitable in the context of emerging markets as it fails to consider internationalization as essential to compete at the global level. Accordingly, the authors propose a new conceptual framework, referred to as the “strategic positioning map” (SPM).
Originality/value
In this paper, the authors argue that “international intensity” and “market capitalization” can be two important dimensions to map the relative paths of growth for firms from emerging markets.
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Arun Kumar Jain and Ajay Kumar Singal
This paper aims to look at corporate vulnerability – a concept unexplored in literature. It analyzes how firms develop vulnerability as a result of past strategic decisions and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to look at corporate vulnerability – a concept unexplored in literature. It analyzes how firms develop vulnerability as a result of past strategic decisions and business practices like global sourcing, outsourcing, business models, manufacturing practices, diversification, etc.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper relies on cross-disciplinary theories from natural hazard management and strategy literature to put forth a definition of strategic vulnerability and its dimensions.
Findings
Strategic vulnerability is seen as a multidimensional construct having at least three attributes: Tangible resources that capture the physical assets dimension; Capabilities are the skills, learning and knowledge part; and Fitness that represents the collective ability of an organization to cope with external and internal challenges. Further, vulnerabilities remain inherent in the firm, and may not be visible until organizations face some external stress or adverse scenario.
Research limitations/implications
The framework needs further empirical testing through case studies or other methodologies to bring forth managerial reflections on the three dimensions identified in the paper.
Originality/value
Strategic vulnerability framework helps managers to analyze the dimensions that make strategic position of firms vulnerable to existing or emerging competition. Based on the vulnerability analysis, managers can initiate actions to improve competitive positioning of their firms.
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Ajay Singal and Arun Kumar Jain
The purpose of this paper is to understand the int4ernationalization path(s) of emerging multinational corporations (MNCs) from India applying the existing theories. Later on, the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand the int4ernationalization path(s) of emerging multinational corporations (MNCs) from India applying the existing theories. Later on, the paper aims to check for newer explanations using fresh concepts, if required.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper relies upon information from published sources and company annual reports. The authors took CNX100 firms operating in three sectors: viz. automotive, pharmaceuticals and information services, and studied their path of internationalization to draw conclusions.
Findings
Existing theories do not fully explain the internationalization process of emerging MNCs from India. The paper develops a fresh capability‐based model based on the trends that Indian firms build strategic capability before going for asset accumulation to compete at global levels. For this they use various approaches including strategic alliances, joint ventures, and technology acquisition.
Research limitations/implications
The conceptual framework has not been empirically tested.
Originality/value
The paper suggests a fresh conceptual framework “capabilities‐then‐size” that defines the strategic path firms from emerging economies can take to internationalize and compete at global level.
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Similar to Western countries, the early origins of special education in India started with Christian missionaries and nongovernmental agencies which stressed a charity model of…
Abstract
Similar to Western countries, the early origins of special education in India started with Christian missionaries and nongovernmental agencies which stressed a charity model of serving populations such as the visually, hearing, and cognitively impaired. However after its independence from Great Britain in 1947, the Indian government became more involved in providing educational, rehabilitation, and social services. Thus over the past four decades, India has moved gradually toward an inclusive education model. This chapter discusses the implementation of such a model related to the prevalence and incidence rates of disability in India as well as working within family environments that often involve three to four generations. Also included are challenges that an inclusive education system faces in India, namely, a high level of poverty, appropriate teacher preparation of special education teachers, a lack of binding national laws concerned with inclusive education, a dual governmental administration for special education services, and citizen’s and special education professionals strong concern about whether inclusive education practices can be carried out.
Charmant Sengabira Ndereyimana, Antonio K.W. Lau, Dana-Nicoleta Lascu and Ajay K. Manrai
Heeding the call for insights into the Sub-Saharan African international marketing context, this study aims to empirically examine consumers' desires and motivations for buying…
Abstract
Purpose
Heeding the call for insights into the Sub-Saharan African international marketing context, this study aims to empirically examine consumers' desires and motivations for buying counterfeit luxury goods. It examines influences on consumers' attitudes and purchase intentions related to counterfeit luxury goods in Rwanda, one of Sub-Saharan Africa's fastest-growing economies and growing luxury markets, developing and testing a model examining the effect of social context on personal attributes, providing evidence on economic and social-status factors as drivers for counterfeiting.
Design/methodology/approach
The data were collected using an online survey administered in Rwanda to consumers who had previously purchased luxury goods and counterfeits. A total of 312 valid responses were analyzed using structural equation modeling.
Findings
This study found that normative and informational influences had a positive effect on Rwandan consumers' attitude toward purchasing counterfeit luxury products, with attitude influencing purchase intentions directly and indirectly, through mediating variable desire for status or through value consciousness and desire for status.
Originality/value
The study contributes to academic research − one of the first empirical studies to examine consumers' desires and motivations for buying counterfeit luxury goods in Sub-Saharan Africa, providing insights that benefit scholars and practitioners seeking to better understand a market where more than half of the world's fastest economies are located.