Search results

Although the importance of trust in creating and maintaining interorganizational relationships has been acknowledged, little research has focused on the processes leading to the development of trust in international strategic alliances. This article addresses this shortcoming and reports the results of field research on the evolution of AMRAD Pharmaceuticals, a strategic alliance between U.S. and Australian biomedical firms. Based on this case study, a process model of trust is developed which describes how trust can be created and expanded between strategic alliance partners, and its implications for alliance performance. Propositions are developed to motivate and guide future empirical investigation.

As the new mellinum approaches, discussions of the nature and emerging rules of global competitiveness assume greater importance. These discussions are gaining more political currency because competitiveness, however measured, centers on human development, growth and improved quality of life. For a society, improved competitiveness translates into new jobs and better living conditions. For a company, competitiveness means the creation of new growth options that create value for shareholders. Wealth creation is the engine of economic growth and a mainspring of innovation.

Recently some of the most significant work in competitiveness studies has investigated the human side of economics. Concepts such as trust, fairness, and justice have emerged as important components of the healthy functioning of businesses, for both national and multinational corporations (MNCs). In fact, it may well be the case that MNCs have taken the lead in this arena. Ethical and religious issues are most clearly highlighted when cultural differences come into play. A corporate monoculture does not need to examine closely the basic propositions, which all its members share—or are assumed to share. But when a corporation must take into consideration the differing needs and expectations of many of the members of its corporate family, it can, and in fact must, begin to reconsider some of the basic premises upon which that corporation was founded or has been operating. This is manifestly a healthy situation, not only for the new “family members” when, through growth, acquisition, or merger, a national corporation becomes multinational, but also for all members of the original business.

The purpose of this paper is to consider the value of an industry ecosystem in providing context for both identifying and evaluating organisation opportunities and related entrepreneurial behaviour for future strategic growth by reference to a case study in the health-care industry. Using a validated entrepreneurship mindset audit instrument, an assessment is made of the leadership, decision-making, behaviour and awareness dimensions of professional practice health-care staff to create the internal culture that fosters an entrepreneurial orientated organisation that can deliver effective innovation for satisfied users of health-care services.

This case study examines the distinctive dimensions of entrepreneurial mindset – leadership, decision-making, behaviour and awareness – within a practice-based health-care (nursing) ecosystem and how these dimensions impact organisation performance throughout the health-care industry.

This study validates research findings that entrepreneurial leadership encourages entrepreneurial behaviour and an entrepreneurial culture supports the development of innovations. Opportunities for such cultural behaviour are best understood by measuring the staff’s and leaders’ “entrepreneurial mindset”.

Generalising results from this case study requires caution. The positive outcome from the professional practice examples, and their strong association with impactful entrepreneurial mindset values on service delivery, requires further evaluation.

Using an entrepreneurial mindset audit to assess organisation’s cultural behaviour enables management to identify factors fostering or inhibiting entrepreneurial activity and to devise interventions to improve strategic direction.

Entrepreneurial mindset is not a new concept, but adding the critical significance of spiritual awareness to creative entrepreneur behaviour, together with a visioning map, adds both value and understanding to enhance organisation performance.

This case study aims to show how a strategic intervention, using an in-house delivered university entrepreneurship education program, cultivates an entrepreneurial mindset and effective innovation culture amongst company staff. The intervention produces a measured change in staff decision making style from analytical to a more intuitive style. Also assessed is the resulting management-style change to the firm’s internal environment, strategic motivation and performance.

Through a qualitative longitudinal study of Partners and staff in the firm, the authors measure the impact of the selection, integration and performance of in-house entrepreneurship education on firm culture.

The authors identify organisation factors that inhibit staff entrepreneurial behaviour and by integrating an in-house education intervention, demonstrate unambiguously the resultant effective culture and entrepreneurial mindset.

Generalising results from this single longitudinal case study requires caution. The positive outcome from the in-house education concept can be considered for further evaluation within other organisations.

Using an entrepreneurial health-audit to assess in-firm cultural behaviour enables management to identify factors fostering/inhibiting entrepreneurial activity and devise interventions to cultivate a firm-wide entrepreneurial mindset.

In-house education is not a new concept, but a targeted focus on entrepreneurship applied strategically to a committed firm shows outstanding results. The added-value is in the demonstrated enhancement to effective innovation outcomes.

Within the “wicked” concept of ageing, this paper aims to primarily model an integrated approach to identifying and evaluating opportunities that deliver innovative outcomes in Ageing Well Practice, Health and Economic Policy and Research Actions using a collaborative and entrepreneurial mindset. The strategic focus is on a “Boomer” (user)-driven and facilitated Network – that brings together health professionals, research specialists, technologists, ageing well providers, “encore” career specialists, life-style providers, community groups, wealth creation specialists and industry innovators to streamline the progression of identified concepts to valued users and markets and enhance the economy.

Using the unit of analysis for innovation, i.e. the “added-value” as perceived by the user and not simply a product or a technology, the identified “opportunity-outcome” will embed a new service concept or intervention, which embraces and promotes ageing well, independent living or resident-centred care in the community and delivers direct and indirect economic benefits.

The authors model a point of differentiation in facilitating existing ageing well policies in the community, through a focus on an integrated and multi-dimensional collaborative framework that can deliver user value and contributes to community and economic benefits.

Generalising results without a commercial business case from this single strategic viewpoint requires caution. The positive outcomes from this innovation collaborative concept can be used to guide further policy development and business investment in ageing well needs.

Such an integrated innovation collaborative structure provides the capacity to identify ageing well opportunities, to contract enterprises, both SMEs’ and larger companies, for development of the opportunities into user-valued outcomes, to network venture resources and deliver these outcomes to a sustainable market of ageing well citizens.

The Ageing Well Innovation collaborative framework identifies practical ways to integrate new concepts of ageing participation to be realised by the increasing number of “Boomers”. It provides a self-managing process for linking individuals, public and private parties to maximise information and ideas flow, and engagement of the skilled resources in the Boomer group.

The innovation collaborative structure proposed is not simply novel but is a targeted focus on entrepreneurship and innovation applied strategically to the needs of ageing boomers and community needs. The added-value is in the demonstrated enhancement to effective innovation outcomes in community ageing and the economy.

The present study predicts attitude towards entrepreneurship among the students of Thailand through the entrepreneurial attitude orientation (EAO) model.

A quantitative approach is used, based on cross-sectional data from public sector universities of Thailand. The respondents are bachelor's and master's students who are acquiring entrepreneurship education. A random sampling technique was used to approach students to participate in the survey. A total of 392 useable questionnaires were returned, providing data for analysis.

Using structural equation modeling, the results show a positive and significant impact of achievement, personal control and innovation on attitudes towards entrepreneurship. Self-esteem, however, has a non-significant impact on attitudes towards entrepreneurship.

This study may be helpful for university policymakers wishing to know more about students' entrepreneurial attitudes, as there is a strong need to divert more students towards entrepreneurship. This study may contribute to the entrepreneurship literature and the EAO scale, particularly in developing and Asian contexts.

This study offers evidence of the development of entrepreneurial attitudes among the students of Thailand, which ensures the further validation of the EAO scale in a developing country.

The purpose of this paper is to present findings from longitudinal case studies of small firm mentoring relationships in Ireland. The rationale is to explore the gaps between the theory and practice of small firm mentoring.

The paper uses a comparative case study design involving interviews, observation and secondary sources of evidence including business plans.

In contrast to the literature the paper extends the role of mentors in the small firm context as offering direct and indirect support, which reduces uncertainty in order to increase legitimacy of the business entity.

The cases highlight a conflict between the broad theoretical scope of the mentor process vs a narrow role assumed by best practice.

The research presents an opportunity to enhance the pragmatic vs paternalistic perspective of small firm mentoring. The authors argue that for mentoring theory to be useful then a mentor’s role-set in small firms may be wider and should be more direct than mentors in large corporations.

The emergent theoretical framework combines organisational learning and decision-making theories. The paper contributes to the theoretical development of mentoring by extending the range and defining the role of mentors in the context of small firms.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate significant impact of partner similarity on the success of horizontal alliances in logistics service providers (LSPs) from China.

Primary data were collected via questionnaire distribution to 380 Chief Executive Officers and Managing Directors in 262 small and medium logistics enterprises in China. There are 316 valid questionnaires for further analysis with 83 percent accuracy in response rate. Structural equation modeling was used to test the impact of partner similarity on alliance management capability, stability and performance.

Partner similarity and logistics alliance management capability (LAMC) are positively correlated to alliance stability and performance in horizontal alliances among Chinese LSPs, especially competence similarity and cultural similarity. Moreover, alliance stability mediates the impact of partner similarity and LAMC on alliance performance.

The basic limitation of this research is to collect data just from small and medium logistics enterprises that operate in China with sample size (n=316). This research could further be extended to other regions in China or other countries.

This research verifies the positive relationship between partner fit and management capability. Besides, based on research findings, the research proposes guidelines for LSPs pursuing horizontal alliances

This research proposes an experimental model for Chinese LSPs to cooperate successfully and build horizontal alliances in order to increase their effective customer response capability.

Controversy has always surrounded business schools: they are almost regarded as a necessary evil. Their credentials have been impugned from within academia, and from the outside business community. Periodically committees are formed and reports written on how to overcome the perceived deficiencies. From contemporary literature themes emerge, and the opportunity is taken to both look back and to look forward. Globalisation, partly mediated through the Internet, presents even greater challenges, as do the rise of corporate and virtual universities, heightened competition among schools, finding and nurturing appropriate staff, achieving critical mass and serving the entire economy, working with relevant partners inside and outside the university setting, maintaining quality, and undertaking research meeting the needs of various constituencies. Schools cannot be all things to all people, and need to prioritise their mission objectives in the light of those stakeholders for whom they will decide to dedicate most of their energies.