Examines organisational learning in a lean supply arrangement between a multinational buyer and its local suppliers. Looks at how organisations learn and unlearn. Reviews…
Abstract
Examines organisational learning in a lean supply arrangement between a multinational buyer and its local suppliers. Looks at how organisations learn and unlearn. Reviews buyer‐seller relationships. Presents a lean supply model that combines the essence of learning and buyer‐seller relationship literature. Uses as a case study the buyer‐seller relationships between the Irish subsidiary Apple Computer and two of its local suppliers. Discusses how the relationships represent co‐existence of competition and co‐operation.
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Marie-Laure Djelic and Antti Ainamo
The term “fashion” triggers images of frivolous symbolic production with a particular impact on women, quite a world apart at first sight from high technology and mobile telephony…
Abstract
The term “fashion” triggers images of frivolous symbolic production with a particular impact on women, quite a world apart at first sight from high technology and mobile telephony that traditionally tend to be associated with science, rationality and masculinity. Surprisingly, we show in this paper that the field of mobile telephony has, for a number of years now, been impacted and significantly transformed by the transposition of fashion logics. We deconstruct the process of logic transposition, considering key moments and key actors, key modes and mechanisms. The comparison of multiple case studies within the mobile telephony industry also points to the limits of transposition and to varying degrees of hybridization and logic co-habitation. This process of logic transposition is, we argue, profoundly transforming the mobile telephony industry, bringing it closer, on many counts, to “cultural industries”. In the end, we draw a number of theoretical conclusions on logic transposition as an important mechanism of institutional change.
Laura Laaksonen, Antti Ainamo and Toni‐Matti Karjalainen
Entrepreneurial passion has recently begun to fascinate a growing number of researchers. While only a few systematic studies exist, Cardon et al.'s review suggests passion as a…
Abstract
Purpose
Entrepreneurial passion has recently begun to fascinate a growing number of researchers. While only a few systematic studies exist, Cardon et al.'s review suggests passion as a prevalent phenomenon among entrepreneurs. They make a call for empirical and systematic studies of entrepreneurial passion to provide insights for practice and research. This paper aims to apply the recent theoretical advances in a particular empirical setting: the heavy metal genre in the popular music industry.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a qualitative in‐depth case study approach, four ventures that are considered new ventures in the metal music business are studied.
Findings
The findings strongly imply that the grounds for a globally successful creative venture require the passion of at least one inventor entrepreneur. Also, at least one founder is needed to take the venture to the next stage, where business is formalized for ramp up and at least one developer is needed to grow the business after the other two identities and earlier stages of the venture life cycle have created the platform on which to build and develop the business. The paper also finds that these role identity‐related behaviors are essential characteristics for artists in the popular music industry.
Originality/value
The popular music industry is an excellent research site for studying entrepreneurial passion because artists start their careers and join together to form bands mainly because of their passion and love to create and perform music. While the theory of entrepreneurial passion offers a promising approach for entrepreneurial studies, few systematic studies exist that apply it.
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Jaakko Aspara, Juha‐Antti Lamberg, Arjo Laukia and Henrikki Tikkanen
This paper aims to offer a conceptualization of how and why corporate level strategic change may build on historical differentiation at business unit level.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to offer a conceptualization of how and why corporate level strategic change may build on historical differentiation at business unit level.
Design/methodology/approach
Methodologically, an historical case study of Nokia Corporation's drastic business model transformation between the years 1987 and 1995 is reported.
Findings
The conceptual and historical work results in a process model of business model change, demonstrating how central business units feed strategic alternatives and capabilities to the corporate‐level transformation process.
Practical implications
The results highlight the importance of corporate level “market mechanisms' that allow promising strategic alternatives to emerge and select out inferior options. In this process, a key mechanism is the exchange of executives and cognitive mindsets between business units and corporate headquarters (CHQ).
Originality/value
The reported research offers an original contribution by showing the dynamic interplay of cognitive and organizational change processes, and highlighting the importance of building on existing capabilities and competencies despite the pressure to demonstrate strong turnaround activities.
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This paper aims to examine when and how the main management paradigms have emerged and prevailed in Finnish management research. It seeks to offer a country‐specific case on the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine when and how the main management paradigms have emerged and prevailed in Finnish management research. It seeks to offer a country‐specific case on the diffusion of management paradigms in the field of management research.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is a historical study that uses quantitative content analysis as a methodology. The data consist of research proposals funded by eight of the largest Finnish funding agencies during the period 1937‐2007. The results obtained from these data are compared to the emergence and prevalence of the paradigms in Finnish academic management education, as depicted by course descriptions obtained from the study guides of eight main Finnish academic institutions that provide graduate level education in management.
Findings
Management research and management education do not seem to follow the same patterns of adopting different management paradigms. Management paradigms seem to experience upswings in their patterns of use, on average a decade earlier in management research than in education.
Originality/value
As the position of formal scientific management knowledge varies greatly across countries and historical periods, the study contributes to this line of research by giving a descriptive account of the paradigmatic development of management research schemes in Finland which can be compared and contrasted to the development of management research in other countries. The relevance of the study for management theory‐building is in contemplating the relationships between the actors creating, diffusing and using managerial knowledge.