Johan Aurik, Martin Fabel and Gillis Jonk
The methodology for developing transformational strategy in a dynamic business environment described in this article is based on three principles: 1. Draw inspiration from the…
Abstract
Purpose
The methodology for developing transformational strategy in a dynamic business environment described in this article is based on three principles: 1. Draw inspiration from the future. 2. Be organizationally inclusive. 3. Take a portfolio approach.
Design/methodology/approach
The article guides leaders through the five steps required to implement the transition from a sequential and top-down strategy process to a continual and organizationally inclusive one.
Findings
Making a portfolio of competitive opportunities part of program management and reporting requires more than a new approach to solving strategic puzzles. It requires new ways of managing strategy and new ways of working – not once but on a continual basis.
Practical implications
Rather than thinking of strategy as a single perfect plan with a multi-year deployment cycle, think of it as a portfolio of competitive opportunities with each one managed throughout its life cycle.
Originality/value
This article lays out in detail the process of shifting strategy development from focusing on research, analyses and extrapolations of current issues to looking to the future for strategic inspiration and purpose.
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The goal of this work is to include the new economic-based approaches related to entrepreneurship that have been published in the literature. Based on the neoclassical and…
Abstract
The goal of this work is to include the new economic-based approaches related to entrepreneurship that have been published in the literature. Based on the neoclassical and Austrian schools, some sociological, psychological and economic theories about entrepreneurship. In this work, some unknown economic-based approaches related to entrepreneurship will be summarized, as they are included in the work of Saiz-Alvarez and García-Vaquero (2017). These approaches are: (1) The Jack-of-all-trades Theory, (2) The Mezzanine Theory, (3) The O-Ring Theory, (4) The Theory of Resources and Capabilities, (5) Entrepreneurial Bricolage, (6) The Processes’ School, (7) The Feedback Loop Theory, (8) The Theory of Effectuation, and (9) The Theory of the Optimal Triangle. All these theories will be summarized in this chapter.
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The connotations, associations, custom and usages of a name often give to it an importance that far outweighs its etymological significance. Even with personal surnames or the…
Abstract
The connotations, associations, custom and usages of a name often give to it an importance that far outweighs its etymological significance. Even with personal surnames or the name of a business. A man may use his own name but not if by so doing it inflicts injury on the interests and business of another person of the same name. After a long period of indecision, it is now generally accepted that in “passing off”, there is no difference between the use of a man's own name and any other descriptive word. The Courts will only intervene, however, when a personal name has become so much identified with a well‐known business as to be necessarily deceptive when used without qualification by anyone else in the same trade; i.e., only in rare cases. In the early years, the genesis of goods and trade protection, fraud was a necessary ingredient of “passing off”, an intent to deceive, but with the merging off Equity with the Common Law, the equitable rule that interference with “property” did not require fraudulent intent was practised in the Courts. First applying to trade marks, it was extended to trade names, business signs and symbols and business generally. Now it is unnecessary to prove any intent to deceive, merely that deception was probable, or that the plaintiff had suffered actual damage. The equitable principle was not established without a struggle, however, and the case of “Singer” Sewing Machines (1877) unified the two streams of law but not before it reached the House of Lords. On the way up, judical opinions differed; in the Court of Appeal, fraud was considered necessary—the defendant had removed any conception of fraud by expressingly declaring in advertisements that his “Singer” machines were manufactured by himself—so the Court found for him, but the House of Lords considered the name “Singer” was in itself a trade mark and there was no more need to prove fraud in the case of a trade name than a trade mark; Hence, the birth of the doctrine that fraud need not be proved, but their Lordships showed some hesitation in accepting property rights for trade names. If the name used is merely descriptive of goods, there can be no cause for action, but if it connotes goods manufactured by one firm or prepared from a formula or compsitional requirements prescribed by and invented by a firm or is the produce of a region, then others have no right to use it. It is a question of fact whether the name is the one or other. The burden of proof that a name or term in common use has become associated with an individual product is a heavy one; much heavier in proving an infringement of a trade mark.
Zoltán Kárpáti, Adrienn Ferincz and Balázs Felsmann
The purpose of this paper is to identify different types of resource and capability configurations among Hungarian family and nonfamily firms and explore which compositions can be…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify different types of resource and capability configurations among Hungarian family and nonfamily firms and explore which compositions can be considered competitive. In a rivalrous, dynamic world, understanding which sets of resources and capabilities lead to a higher level of competitiveness is vital.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based on a quantitative competitiveness survey carried out between November 2018 and July 2019 in Hungary. The authors used the Firm Competitiveness Index (FCI) to measure competitiveness and the resource-based view (RBV) approach to understand which configurations of resources and capabilities are responsible for a higher level of competitiveness based on 32 variables. An exploratory factor and cluster analysis were conducted to analyze the ownership's effect on firm competitiveness. The final sample size contained 111 companies, of which 53 were identified as family and 58 as nonfamily firms.
Findings
Factor analysis reveals five factors determining resources and capabilities: “operational,” “leadership,” “knowledge management,” “transformation” and “networking.” Based on these factors, the cluster analysis identified five groups in terms of types of family and nonfamily firms: “Lagging capabilities,” “Knowledge-based leadership,” “Innovativeness and transformation-oriented management,” “Relationship-oriented management” and “Business operation-oriented management.” Results show that nonfamily businesses focus on operational and leadership capabilities, reaching a higher FCI than family businesses, which are likely to invest more in their networking, transformation and knowledge management capabilities.
Originality/value
By defining the different configurations family and nonfamily firms rely on to reach competitiveness, the paper applies an essential element to the Hungarian and Middle Eastern European contexts of family business research. The findings contribute to developing family business literature and point out specific resources and capabilities family firms should focus on to shift toward reaching a higher level of professionalization and competitiveness. The characterization of different types of competitiveness comparing family and nonfamily firms enables the firms to assess customized implications.
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To describe how decision-making in the selection processes of managerial successors in business families is influenced by the use of cutting-edge technologies such as AI.
Abstract
Purpose
To describe how decision-making in the selection processes of managerial successors in business families is influenced by the use of cutting-edge technologies such as AI.
Design/methodology/approach
Systematic literature review of 65 articles indexed in Scopus and in the main specialized journals on family businesses.
Findings
The integration of AI and algorithms, specifically in selection procedures, raises major questions and faces legal and ethical issues that affect employee performance, moral commitment and fairness in the processes. These aspects are important to ensure transparency, fairness and accountability as they provide insight into the practices of business families and how succession challenges such as the possibility of using signaling games and addressing gender biases and information asymmetries that have been reported in past research could be complemented by these actions.
Research limitations/implications
The limitations of this research are mainly attributed to the exclusive use of a single database (Scopus), which could limit access to relevant literature; Furthermore, the exclusion of certain articles, despite focusing on prestigious journals on business families, may have overlooked relevant contributions; Furthermore, the 20-year scope of the literature review that ended in February and August 2024 omits subsequent publications that could have enriched the findings of this study.
Originality/value
To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is the first of its kind to conduct a bibliometric analysis covering the line of successor selection and the process leveraged by new practices such as AI, an aspect that has been little addressed in the literature. In addition, this work traces aspects of decision-making that may affect selection. The research is of great value since it allows to illustrate in a consistent way the relationship between the selection of executive successors and how it is affected by the different decision-making processes in families, which allows to identify research gaps and make strategic decisions regarding the management of successions in BFs. Furthermore, this research provides a framework for future research in this area.
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Nicky Dries and Roland Pepermans
The purpose of this empirical study is to make a contribution to career theory in general, and to the literature on high‐potential careers in particular, by examining the careers…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this empirical study is to make a contribution to career theory in general, and to the literature on high‐potential careers in particular, by examining the careers of real high potentials, taking place in the twenty‐first century world of work, from the perspectives of the high potentials themselves as well as those of their organizations.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 34 interviews were conducted within three study samples: high potentials (n=14), organisational representatives employed by the same organisations that provided the high‐potential participants (n=8), and organisational representatives employed by organisations that did not allow for interviewing of their high potentials (n=12).
Findings
The current study suggests that high potentials still have organisational‐traditional careers. High upward mobility, low inter‐organisational mobility and career self‐management emerged as key features of real high‐potential careers.
Practical implications
Implications are spelled out with respect to the “streaming” of different types of employees in the workforce and the importance of expectations management.
Originality/value
Not only are the viewpoints of individuals largely absent in the literature on high‐potential careers, the majority of publications on the subject‐matter are also non‐empirical and take a rather normative stance. The interview study presented in this paper looks into the assumptions of real high‐potential careers from the perspectives of the high potentials themselves as well as those of their organizations, providing empirical data that are interpretive and descriptive rather than normative.
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Zhuming Bi, Chaomin Luo, Zhonghua Miao, Bing Zhang and Chris W.J. Zhang
Since the market penetrations of service robots are only successful to a limited types of services, the purpose of the paper is to look into the reasons why the market…
Abstract
Purpose
Since the market penetrations of service robots are only successful to a limited types of services, the purpose of the paper is to look into the reasons why the market penetrations are lagged from both technical and nontechnical perspectives. Automatic robotic recharging services, especially robotic refueling systems, are used as the case study for the investigation.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper surveyed the relevant technologies and products and conducted the feasibility study and risk management for new development of automated robotic refueling systems. This paper developed a cost model for the evaluation of robotic refueling systems.
Findings
There are no major technical barriers that exist for the development of robotic refueling systems, but two main risks of developing new robotic refueling systems are interference of existing patents and the extreme effort to further reduce the development cost of automated refueling systems. The recommendations have been made to new developers of service robots.
Research limitations/implications
The suggestions are made for further development on service robots, in general; however, this paper does not cover the physical development of service robots.
Practical implications
This study was actually conducted for a client company who has a strong interest in developing new products for automatic robotic refueling systems. The reported work has great significance for new comers in this area to understand the state of the art, technological challenges and some potential risks in the field.
Originality/value
To the best of authors’ knowledge, it will be the first academic paper to summarize the research and development effort on automatic recharging business. The targeted field is very typical in promoting robots in services. Even robotic refueling was proposed at very early stage of robotic application, the market penetration of refueling robots the market penetration is very limited, not because the technology readiness but some other factors. This work has its significance to identify technical and nontechnical challenges to promote robots in services.