Rodney McAdam and Leonard Brown
Aims to conduct an exploratory study on the organisational implications of strategic alignment within the steel stockholder supply chain by analysing the responses of a case study…
Abstract
Aims to conduct an exploratory study on the organisational implications of strategic alignment within the steel stockholder supply chain by analysing the responses of a case study organisation. Increasingly fragmented and volatile markets result in pressure on organisations to strategically align all aspects of their supply chain to ensure rapid and appropriate responsiveness. There is a paucity of research in this area in the steel stockholder supply chain. A strategic alignment model was selected which incorporated alignment from four key aspects, namely markets, strategy, culture and leadership style. The model is used as an analysis framework for a case study in the steel stockholder supply chain. Data collection included a survey of a stratified sample of customers, company archive and organisational material and semi‐structured interviews. The implications for the supply chain and the organisation’s response are discussed and evaluated.
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Charlie Yang, Ekaterina Ivanova and Maria Ivanova
Historically business education has put greater emphasis on rational analysis and the acquisition of instrumental and technical knowledge, while paying relatively scant attention…
Abstract
Historically business education has put greater emphasis on rational analysis and the acquisition of instrumental and technical knowledge, while paying relatively scant attention to developing business students’ soft skills such as self- and social awareness and emotional intelligence through contemplative learning. In light of the growing need for more open and diverse ways of knowing that are more holistic, emotional, and aesthetic in management education, the authors present a 2 × 2 framework of arts-based pedagogy which helps organize various arts-based practices currently used in management education. The authors also share their personal reflections on using artful practices, specifically focussing on two individual-level experiential learning activities (i.e. museum visits and e-portfolio projects) and one group-based participatory art project. The authors further discuss why creative thinking and innovative arts-based practices can open up a new possibility for filling the gaps in current management education, especially in regard to developing students’ self- and social awareness and environmental consciousness in a more creative manner.
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Terry Nichols Clark and Peter Achterberg
Several theories suggest transformations in citizen participation. Putnam and many others suggest a decline in participation. By adding issue specificity, we find that the arts…
Abstract
Several theories suggest transformations in citizen participation. Putnam and many others suggest a decline in participation. By adding issue specificity, we find that the arts and culture are a major exception: they are rising in many countries and contexts.
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Organizational flexible integration capability equips organizations to deal with the whole range of problems presented by dynamic environments. Adopting the language of dynamic…
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Organizational flexible integration capability equips organizations to deal with the whole range of problems presented by dynamic environments. Adopting the language of dynamic capability research we advance four components that constitute flexible integration capability. These are a dominant logic of opportunity, a wide variety of problem solving projects, the deployment of portable integration expertise, and organizational practices support the development of portable integration expertise. Of these four portable integration expertise is a purely individual level capability. Organization level flexible integration capability is founded on the development of portable integration expertise by individuals. Organizations can facilitate portable integration expertise by structuring careers, valuing long term goals and objectives, adopting knowledge management practices and being receptive to external sources of knowledge.
Rodney McAdam, Bob Mason and Josephine McCrory
The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the definition and conception of tacit knowledge in existing peer reviewed literature and to suggest how research agendas can be…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the definition and conception of tacit knowledge in existing peer reviewed literature and to suggest how research agendas can be established to clarify understanding for praxis.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology involved an in‐depth literature review of tacit knowledge as part of the knowledge management discourse.
Findings
There is considerable disagreement in the literature over the definition and role of tacit knowledge in management studies and organizations. These polemics are reflected in a lack of systematic research agendas being established. Conversely the more meta level concept of knowledge management has been the subject of an increasing amount of research. However, it is suggested that an improved understanding of tacit knowledge is needed to underpin and further develop the knowledge management discourse. From the literature the concept of tacit knowing is advanced as a means for establishing research agendas and improving understanding in praxis, within the tacit knowledge domain. This approach enables definitional differences to be further probed along with the role and purpose of tacit knowledge within organizations.
Practical implications
The paper suggests a number of ways in which tacit knowledge can be developed in organizations at organizational, group and individual levels.
Originality/value
The paper shows how the concept of tacit knowing can help in understanding the dichotomies within the tacit knowledge literature and in advancing understanding of the subject.
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Stephen W. Brown, Raymond P. Fisk and Mary Jo Bitner
Offers the personal interpretations of authors as participant‐observerstogether with a data‐based analysis of the evolution of the servicesmarketing literature. Bibliographic…
Abstract
Offers the personal interpretations of authors as participant‐observers together with a data‐based analysis of the evolution of the services marketing literature. Bibliographic analysis of more than 1,000 English language, general services marketing publications, spanning four decades, provides an additional resource. Using an evolutionary metaphor as the framework, traces the literature through three stages: Crawling Out (1953‐79): Scurrying About (1980‐85); and Walking Erect (1986‐present). Shows how the literature has evolved from the early services‐marketing‐is‐different debate to the maturation of specific topics (e.g. service quality, service encounters) and the legitimization of the services marketing literature by major journals. Presents a classification and summary of publications and authors. Closes with discussion and speculation on the future of the services marketing literature.
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The purpose of this paper is to contribute further to the understanding of why and how employees resist workplace change. Building on previous studies exploring the link between…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to contribute further to the understanding of why and how employees resist workplace change. Building on previous studies exploring the link between worker subjectivity and workplace change, the paper highlights both the spatial and temporal dimensions of tactics of resistance.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws on case study evidence from an Australian credit union that had implemented significant changes to its service strategy, and identifies employee responses to these changes.
Findings
The case study identifies the way in which tradition and place can be discursive resources with which employees resist changes to work practices and roles which threaten to disrupt workplace and gender identities.
Originality/value
To date, the literature has focused on tactics of resistance that draw on temporal and spatial narratives from inside the organization. This paper extends the understanding by showing how individuals also draw on narratives from outside the organization to resist workplace change.
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Nageswaran Vaidyanathan and Stefan Henningsson
To deliver superior customer experiences, retailers are increasingly turning to augmented reality (AR) technologies for new digital services that can enhance their customer…
Abstract
Purpose
To deliver superior customer experiences, retailers are increasingly turning to augmented reality (AR) technologies for new digital services that can enhance their customer interactions. The potential of AR has been validated in lab experiments, but when implemented in real-world contexts, its commercial impact has been limited. Therefore, this paper investigates how to design AR-based services (AR services) that enhance customer experiences in retail.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses a conceptual research approach to integrate research on AR in the context of retail, combining customer, retailer, and technical perspectives with the design thinking method to demonstrate how the challenge of AR service design can be addressed through design thinking.
Findings
The paper develops propositions that explain how a design thinking method is useful in the design of effective AR services. The paper also articulates principles for how to implement the design thinking method in the specific context of AR for enhanced customer experiences.
Practical implications
The study documents critical practices for retailers seeking to be competitive with superior customer experiences under the increasing digitalization of retailer-customer interactions.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the service design literature by answering the call to develop moderately abstracted explanations of how different digital technologies can be used to provision new services in different application domains, with the focus here being the design of AR services in the context of retail.
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Within the legal mobilization framework, sociolegal scholars identify elite support as a key indirect benefit of litigation. Court-centered strategies generate support from…
Abstract
Within the legal mobilization framework, sociolegal scholars identify elite support as a key indirect benefit of litigation. Court-centered strategies generate support from influential state and private actors, and this support helps a movement to achieve its goals. Instead of assuming elite support to be a decidedly positive step in a movement’s trajectory, a more contextual analysis situates elite support as a complex, dynamic factor that movement advocates attempt to manage. Such support may at times create political and legal risks that jeopardize a movement's progress. My analysis of the marriage equality movement suggests a tentative typology with which to approach elite support: Elite support appears generally productive for a movement when it leads to action consistent with the movement's strategy. On the other hand, elite support may pose significant risk when it prompts action inconsistent with the movement's strategic plan, even if it is consistent with the movement's substantive positions.