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Article
Publication date: 1 July 2003

Frank van der Zwan and Tracy Bhamra

There is a window of opportunity within the area of design for sustainability for services marketing academics and practitioners to offer their knowledge and experience to…

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Abstract

There is a window of opportunity within the area of design for sustainability for services marketing academics and practitioners to offer their knowledge and experience to manufacturing companies and academics. Over the last decade there has been a growing interest in services within the field of sustainable development. Services are viewed as a dematerialized alternative to existing products, with reduced environmental impact (i.e. less material and less energy use to fulfil a certain need). The services considered by academics in the field of sustainable development are those related to products or those substituting products. These services are often called “eco‐efficient services”. Academics focusing on the development of eco‐efficient services can use elements of theory and experience available within the services marketing discipline. Services marketing academics and practitioners can help in developing blueprints and processes to facilitate manufacturing companies to shift towards a more service‐intensive way of doing business. This paper calls for cross‐disciplinary collaboration.

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Journal of Services Marketing, vol. 17 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0887-6045

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Article
Publication date: 27 April 2022

Luisa Fernanda Bernat, German Lambardi and Paola Palacios

The main objective of this paper is to identify the factors associated with a successful transition through the entrepreneurial ladder for both men and women in a sample of nine…

100

Abstract

Purpose

The main objective of this paper is to identify the factors associated with a successful transition through the entrepreneurial ladder for both men and women in a sample of nine Latin American countries.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors classify individuals according to five categories of increasing entrepreneurial engagement and estimate separate generalized ordered logit models to account for possible gender differences. Compared to previous literature, this is a more efficient methodology that allows us to identify the factors that have a significant and persistent relationship across stages and those that are only significant to specific engagement levels.

Findings

The authors find that factors such as parent business ownership, access to loans and autonomy increase the probability of progressing in the entrepreneurial ladder for both men and women and through all the stages. The authors also find that span of activity and the proxy for income increase the likelihood of moving to the next stages only for men, while higher education and autonomy do so only for women.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to identify the factors promoting progress through the different stages of the entrepreneurial ladder in Latin America. Separate regressions for women and men provide insight into the differential role of each variable by gender. Results from this study suggest that the gender dimension, currently absent in most policies, should be incorporated or strengthened in the design of entrepreneurship promotion programs in Latin America.

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Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, vol. 15 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2053-4604

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Supporting and Sustaining Well-Being in the Workplace: Insights from a Developing Economy
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83982-692-4

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Article
Publication date: 13 June 2018

Frank Jan De Graaf

The purpose of this paper is to examine the history of the Dutch cooperative Rabobank to understand how the structure of an organisation determines how individual employees…

255

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the history of the Dutch cooperative Rabobank to understand how the structure of an organisation determines how individual employees validate norms within that organisation.

Design/methodology/approach

Data over an approximately 10-year period starting 25 years ago are analysed, and the value of relating a historical analysis and narrative approach to ethical and institutional theories in economics and management science is demonstrated.

Findings

Regulation in the banking sector appears to have a strong normative aspect. The choice between state and private ownership is based on ideology. The author argues that the private ownership model was based primarily on an ideology surrounding economic efficiency, but that in fact there are other logics that also promote economic development. This contributes to the understanding of the interaction between sector standards, organisational structures and the values of organisations and individual employees. The structure of an organisation enables key employees to deviate slightly from the organisation’s prevailing norms in response to pressures from the wider environment, and those individuals thereby become symbols of that organisation.

Originality/value

The perspective on management history put forward in this paper enables assessing the distinction between normative notions in institutional environments and the organisation as a whole as represented in its governance structure and narratives that key employees disseminate about the organisation. This in turn helps us to understand the interaction between sector standards, organisational characteristics and values represented by individual employees. The author reveals the strong normative impact of banking regulation in line with an older ideological model focused on economic efficiency rather than market logics and the interests of society.

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Journal of Management History, vol. 24 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1751-1348

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Publication date: 17 August 2020

Karlijn Massar, Annika Nübold, Robert van Doorn and Karen Schelleman-Offermans

There is an abundance of empirical evidence on the positive effects of employment – and the detrimental effects of unemployment – on individuals’ psychological and physical health…

Abstract

There is an abundance of empirical evidence on the positive effects of employment – and the detrimental effects of unemployment – on individuals’ psychological and physical health and well-being. In this chapter, the authors explore whether and how self-employment or entrepreneurship could be a solution for individuals’ (re)entry to the job market and which (psychological) variables enhance the likelihood of entrepreneurial success. Specifically, the authors first focus on unemployment and its detrimental effects for health and wellbeing, and outline the existing interventions aimed at assisting reemployment and combating the negative consequences of unemployment for individuals’ well-being. Then, the authors will explore entrepreneurship as a potential solution to unemployment and explore the psychological variables that enhance the likelihood of entrepreneurial success. One of the variables the authors highlight as particularly relevant for self-employment is the second-order construct of Psychological Capital (PsyCap; Luthans, Avolio, Avey, & Norman, 2007), as well as its individual components – hope, optimism, efficacy, and resilience. PsyCap is a malleable construct that can be successfully trained, and PsyCap interventions are inherently strength-based and have positive effects on employees’ and entrepreneurs’ performance and wellbeing. Therefore, the authors end the chapter by suggesting that a PsyCap component in existing education and training programs for entrepreneurship is likely to not only increase entrepreneurial intentions and success, but also increases participants’ well-being, self-esteem, and the general confidence they can pick up the reigns and take back control over their (professional) lives.

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Entrepreneurial and Small Business Stressors, Experienced Stress, and Well-Being
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83982-397-8

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Article
Publication date: 9 May 2016

Alexander Styhre

In the recent literature on financialization and the rise of investor capitalism, the successor of managerial capitalism, which dominated until the 1970s, suggests that the firm…

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Abstract

Purpose

In the recent literature on financialization and the rise of investor capitalism, the successor of managerial capitalism, which dominated until the 1970s, suggests that the firm is today enacted as a bundle of financial assets managed to create value for the shareholders. This paper aims to demonstrate how such views are established relatively recently by examining leadership literature published in the 1970s, representing an entirely different view of leadership work, the role of the firm and capital–labour relations.

Design/methodology/approach

Two books and one Harvard Business Review article published by the Volvo CEO Pehr G. Gyllenhammar, one of the most prominent Swedish industry leaders of the past century and one of the architects behind Volvo’s internationally renowned Kalmar and Uddevalla plants in Sweden, are examined. Based on a critical discourse analysis framework, these two volumes are treated as representatives of what Alfred Chandler speaks of as the regime managerial capitalism, today largely displaced by the regime of investor capitalism.

Findings

Gyllenhammar’s discourses stresses the role of the corporations as serving a wider social community than merely the shareholders, and regard the manufacturing industry as the legitimate site for the development of new production systems better suited to a more educated workforce demanding more qualified work assignments and greater autonomy. This argument, in favour of a view of the corporation as being socially embedded and responsive to wider social needs, can be contrasted against the contemporary view of leadership and corporate governance practice.

Originality/value

The paper addresses the shift from managerial capitalist regime of the post-Second World War period to the investor capitalism of the financialized economy and the financialized firm by contrasting leadership writing of the 1970s against today’s strong focus on shareholder enrichment and the enactment of CEOs and directors as the servants of the capital owners. A long-term perspective on the changes occurring over the past four decades may enable a better understanding how leadership, governance and industry are subject to ongoing re-interpretations and understanding in the face of novel economic, social and political conditions.

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International Journal of Organizational Analysis, vol. 24 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1934-8835

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Book part
Publication date: 31 July 1995

Abstract

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Beyond The Diamond
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84950-515-4

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Article
Publication date: 15 June 2021

Ondřej Dvouletý and Ivana Blažková

The objective of the study is to identify and explore factors affecting the productivity of companies in the Czech Republic with a focus on the role of firm size, firm age…

790

Abstract

Purpose

The objective of the study is to identify and explore factors affecting the productivity of companies in the Czech Republic with a focus on the role of firm size, firm age, indebtedness and long-term negative equity, efficiency of assets usage, liquidity, legal form, location and sector affiliation.

Design/methodology/approach

The study utilizes a large unbalanced panel dataset of 91,257 firms (548,998 observations in total) covering the period 2000–2019. The dependent variable, i.e. total factor productivity (TFP), reflecting the overall firm productivity, was estimated by ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. The main findings were obtained through the estimation of two econometric models explaining the effects of factors on firm-level TFP. First, the OLS regressions together with Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) 3 regions, year dummies and robust standard errors were estimated. Second, as a robustness check, the very same model was estimated with the random effects (RE) generalized least squares (GLS) method.

Findings

The analysis has shown a statistically significant U-shaped relationship (with the turning point of 38, resp. 36 years) between firm age and the overall TFP among the Czech enterprises. The authors provide two key findings in terms of a firm size-productivity relationship. Firms with fewer employees, often officially registered as self-employed individuals/freelancers, report higher levels of productivity. Nevertheless, when it comes to firm property (assets), the authors find a positive relationship between firm size and TFP. A high proportion of debts in the capital structure of analysed companies, or even negative equity, has been negatively associated with TFP levels.

Research limitations/implications

More research is needed in the deeper exploration of sectoral and regional determinants of firm TFP, as both regional and sectoral heterogeneity were observed in the study. The authors propose the employment of a multi-level modelling approach, including a range of continuous variables and investigation of their role in shaping firm-level productivity.

Practical implications

Concerning the results, managers should be mindful of optimal capital structure principles due to the negative impact of a high level of debts on the productivity level. High indebtedness means high-interest payments drawing earnings off, which may be, especially in the long term, a hindrance to investments. The entrepreneurship and small- and medium-sized enterprise policies may be targeted at the soft policy actions, including advisory services and counselling on business development or risk and on the provision of financial capital allowing firms to strive for growth-oriented projects.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first attempt to provide insight into the firm-level productivity determinants, based on the large dataset covering enterprises across the whole economy over the long term, representing the structure of the country's entrepreneurial activity.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 27 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

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Article
Publication date: 11 January 2021

Suhaib Riaz and Sean Buchanan

This paper aims to present a critical interpretation of unfolding events related to corporate and policymaking elites during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic crisis to serve as…

342

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present a critical interpretation of unfolding events related to corporate and policymaking elites during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic crisis to serve as a point of contrast to mainstream views.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing upon literature on elite maintenance and power, learning from recent previous crises and emerging evidence during the Covid-19 pandemic crisis, this study develops arguments to question and problematize the exercise of power by elites toward maintenance of existing systems across the pandemic.

Findings

Critical examination points attention to three related but analytically distinct strategies in the exercise of elite power: reinforcing myths, redirecting blame and reclaiming positions, all directed to maintain the system and preserve power. The potential effects of this ongoing elite maintenance are highlighted, revealing the old and new forms of power likely to emerge at the corporate, national and global levels across the pandemic crisis and endure beyond it.

Social implications

It is hoped that the critical examination here may build more awareness about the deep and complex nature of elite power and systems across the globe that preclude meaningful system change to address societal challenges. It may thereby provide more informed engagement toward system change.

Originality/value

The main originality of the paper lies in its attempt to tie together the various types of elite maintenance works and their potential effects into an overarching narrative. Making these connections and interpreting them from a critical perspective provides a rare large-canvas picture of elite power and system maintenance, particularly across a global crisis.

Details

critical perspectives on international business, vol. 17 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1742-2043

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Available. Content available
Book part
Publication date: 23 November 2020

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Abstract

Details

Change at Home, in the Labor Market, and On the Job
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83909-933-5

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