Lars Engwall, Enno Aljets, Tina Hedmo and Raphaël Ramuz
Computer corpus linguistics (CCL) is a scientific innovation that has facilitated the creation and analysis of large corpora in a systematic way by means of computer technology…
Abstract
Computer corpus linguistics (CCL) is a scientific innovation that has facilitated the creation and analysis of large corpora in a systematic way by means of computer technology since the 1950s. This article provides an account of the CCL pioneers in general but particularly of those in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland. It is found that Germany and Sweden, due to more advantageous financing and weaker communities of generativists, had a faster adoption of CCL than the other two countries. A particular late adopter among the four was Switzerland, which did not take up CCL until foreign professors had been recruited.
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Emiel F.M. Wubben, Simon Düsseldorf and Maarten H. Batterink
The purpose of this paper is to discover an uncontested market space in the European fruit and vegetables industry (EFVI), and thereby assess the ex‐ante applicability of the Blue…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discover an uncontested market space in the European fruit and vegetables industry (EFVI), and thereby assess the ex‐ante applicability of the Blue Ocean Strategy of Kim and Mauborgne.
Design/methodology/approach
The search for an untapped market space made it necessary to first configure the logic of the Blue Ocean Strategy, which the authors coined the BOS‐framework. Next, the application to the EFVI required a two‐stage research strategy, namely desk research with six case studies, and a large survey.
Findings
The findings confirm that the Blue Ocean Strategy‐framework enables one to identify ex ante an untapped market space, characterized by the combination of sweeties' attributes with fresh fruit. The revolutionary untapped market space which the authors arrived at is “Youngfruit”, targeted at the new buyer group children and teenagers.
Originality/value
The research provides important insights in future key success factors to set oneself apart from competitors and change the rules of the game in the very competitive EFVI. Furthermore, this paper is (one of) the first to assess empirically the qualities and limitations of the Blue Ocean Strategy.
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Isabella Peters and Wolfgang G. Stock
Many Web 2.0 services (including Library 2.0 catalogs) make use of folksonomies. The purpose of this paper is to cut off all tags in the long tail of a document‐specific tag…
Abstract
Purpose
Many Web 2.0 services (including Library 2.0 catalogs) make use of folksonomies. The purpose of this paper is to cut off all tags in the long tail of a document‐specific tag distribution. The remaining tags at the beginning of a tag distribution are considered power tags and form a new, additional search option in information retrieval systems.
Design/methodology/approach
In a theoretical approach the paper discusses document‐specific tag distributions (power law and inverse‐logistic shape), the development of such distributions (Yule‐Simon process and shuffling theory) and introduces search tags (besides the well‐known index tags) as a possibility for generating tag distributions.
Findings
Search tags are compatible with broad and narrow folksonomies and with all knowledge organization systems (e.g. classification systems and thesauri), while index tags are only applicable in broad folksonomies. Based on these findings, the paper presents a sketch of an algorithm for mining and processing power tags in information retrieval systems.
Research limitations/implications
This conceptual approach is in need of empirical evaluation in a concrete retrieval system.
Practical implications
Power tags are a new search option for retrieval systems to limit the amount of hits.
Originality/value
The paper introduces power tags as a means for enhancing the precision of search results in information retrieval systems that apply folksonomies, e.g. catalogs in Library 2.0 environments.
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Katharina Laufs, Michael Bembom and Christian Schwens
Using arguments from the upper echelons perspective this paper aims to examine the impact of CEO characteristics on small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs’) equity foreign…
Abstract
Purpose
Using arguments from the upper echelons perspective this paper aims to examine the impact of CEO characteristics on small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs’) equity foreign market entry mode choice and how these associations are jointly moderated by geographic experience of the firm and host-country political risk.
Design/methodology/approach
The empirical analysis draws on data gathered from German SMEs testing triple-interaction effects between CEO’s age, firm tenure and international experience, geographic experience of the firm (organizational level), and host-country political risk (environmental level).
Findings
Empirical findings validate that the influence of CEO’s age and firm tenure on SME foreign market entry mode choice varies by managers’ level of managerial discretion (i.e. latitude of action) as determined by the SME’s geographic experience and the level of political risks prevailing in the foreign market.
Practical implications
Empirical findings help SME owners and managers to understand how CEO’s age and firm tenure are related with individual’s risk-taking behavior and information-processing demands and how these contingencies vary by the context in which the individual CEO is nested.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the growing body of literature focussing on SME foreign market entry mode choice by emphasizing the important role of CEOs in the decision to internationalize. More specific, this study contributes by an examination of the interactive effect of CEO’s age, firm tenure and international experience, geographic experience of the firm and host-country political risk and, therefore, emphasizes the context and boundary conditions under which the association between CEO characteristics and foreign market entry mode choice is more or less pronounced.
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Majid Eghbali-Zarch, Jennifer Marlowe and Sandy Brennan
The case builds upon the theoretical literature in strategy and decision-making under uncertain, complex and ambiguous situations inherent in nascent industries (Eggers and Moeen…
Abstract
Theoretical basis
The case builds upon the theoretical literature in strategy and decision-making under uncertain, complex and ambiguous situations inherent in nascent industries (Eggers and Moeen, 2019). It also bases its analysis of the central decision in the case, the merger between Aphria Inc. and Tilray, on the pertinent literature on mergers and acquisitions (DePamphilis, 2015). DePamphilis (2015). Mergers, acquisitions, and other restructuring activities: An integrated approach to process, tools, cases, and solutions. 8th ed. Academic press, San Diego, CA. Eggers and Moeen (2019). Entry Strategy for Nascent Industries: Introduction to a Virtual Special Issue. Strategic Management Journal. 42 (2), pp. 1–15.
Learning outcomes
Assessing/reassessing sources of competitive advantage and recognizing how changes in policy and technologies and globalization can change industry dynamics. Identifying the challenges that companies face when developing strategy in nascent and emerging industries and the related (sub)sectors. Analyzing a merger and deciding if it is warranted, financially and strategically. Applying industry analysis to understand dynamic forces impacting an industry, the attractiveness of an industry and how industry structures affect a company’s strategy.
Case overview/synopsis
The global cannabis industry emerged after Canada, selected states in the US and some other countries across the world started to legalize recreational and/or medical cannabis. Similar to any industry in its nascent stages, the industry structure was undefined, product definitions and categories were unclear and competitive landscape was evolving. It was key for decision makers such as Irwin Simon, the CEO of Aphria Inc., to devise a strategy that would enable the firm to navigate the tides of the nascent industry. Simon had a background in consumer packaged goods industry and was a proponent of gaining market power through industry consolidation moves such as mergers and acquisitions. In 2020, encounters with Tilray’s CEO presented Simon with a merger opportunity with potentials for complementarities and cost savings. The challenge for Simon was to convince the Aphria’s shareholders that the potential gains from this move outweighs its challenges.
Complexity academic level
Strategy courses (undergraduate and graduate level) • During a session on nascent industry analysis, to illustrate how companies decide whether to enter a market, how to grow and position themselves. • During a session on mergers and acquisitions, to illustrate how a company can use such strategies to gain market power and pursue consolidation. International business courses (undergraduate and graduate level) • During a session on navigating the tides of an industry that is in its nascent stage, both at the individual country level and at the global level. Cannabis industry courses (undergraduate level) • During a session on the national and global prospects of the industry from an investment, entrepreneurial or policy-making perspective. • During a session on mergers and industry consolidation strategies.
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Thomas Gulledge and Georg Simon
This paper seeks to describe the evolution of SAP implementation methodologies and tools, in particular, Value SAP, with a focus on the Accelerated SAP (ASAP) implementation…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to describe the evolution of SAP implementation methodologies and tools, in particular, Value SAP, with a focus on the Accelerated SAP (ASAP) implementation methodology and its evolution as a part of SAP's new Solution Manager tool.
Design/methodology/approach
The general approach is more focused on monitoring and managing an ongoing SAP implementation project using an enterprise solution architecture. Three options are explored.
Findings
Finds that one option supports end‐to‐end business process management – other options can be managed, but with cost and risk.
Originality/value
This paper has reviewed the latest developments in SAP implementation methodologies from a management orientation. The issues in this paper are often taken for granted by researchers, so it is hoped that the focus on these issues will elevate interests in pursuing some of the unanswered questions.
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Simon Wiersma, Tobias Just and Michael Heinrich
Germany has a polycentric city structure. This paper aims to reduce complexity of this structure and to find a reliable classification scheme of German housing markets at city…
Abstract
Purpose
Germany has a polycentric city structure. This paper aims to reduce complexity of this structure and to find a reliable classification scheme of German housing markets at city level based on 17 relevant market parameters.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses a two-step clustering algorithm combining k-means with Ward’s method to develop the classification scheme. The clustering process is preceded by a principal component analysis to merely retain the most important dimensions of the market parameters. The robustness of the results is investigated with a bootstrapping method.
Findings
It is found that German residential markets can best be segmented into four groups. Geographic contiguity plays a specific role, but is not a main factor. Our bootstrapping analysis identifies the majority of pairwise city relations (88.5%) to be non-random.
Research limitations/implications
A deeper discussion concerning the most relevant market parameters is required. The stability of the clusters is to be re-investigated in the future, as the bootstrapping analysis indicates that some clusters are more homogeneous than others.
Practical implications
The developed classification scheme provides insights into opportunities and risks associated with specific city groups. The findings of this study can be used in portfolio management to reduce unsystematic investment risks and to formulate investment strategies.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to offer insights into the German housing markets which applies principal component, cluster and bootstrapping analyses in a sole integrated approach.
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Andreas Bühler, Carl Marcus Wallenburg and Andreas Wieland
This paper aims to investigate the role of upper management in designing performance measurement systems (PMS) that account for external turbulence of the organization and to show…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the role of upper management in designing performance measurement systems (PMS) that account for external turbulence of the organization and to show how this PMS design for turbulence impacts organizational resilience and distribution service performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Hypotheses are developed by integrating management accounting and strategic management perspectives into supply chain management and subsequently tested based on data from 431 logistics organizations (i.e. both logistics companies and internal logistics departments of manufacturing and retailing companies).
Findings
Attention focusing usage type of the PMS by the upper management fosters incorporating the element of risk into the PMS of the company. Further, PMS design for turbulence enhances organizational resilience, and, indirectly, this also leads to improved distribution service performance.
Originality/value
This paper is the first to introduce the concept of PMS design for turbulence to the literature and to show that it is relevant for supply chain risk management by fostering the capabilities and the performance of logistics organizations. Further, it is shown that a seemingly detached issue such as the general PMS use focus of the upper management impacts supply chain risk management.
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Fabian Hänle, Stefanie Weil and Bart Cambré
Nested within institutional theory and the political economy perspective, this study aims to examine Chinese outward foreign direct investments (OFDI)-supporting organizations and…
Abstract
Purpose
Nested within institutional theory and the political economy perspective, this study aims to examine Chinese outward foreign direct investments (OFDI)-supporting organizations and fostering mechanisms for its SMEs in Europe’s largest economy, Germany.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conduct a multiple-case study to present rich insights from elite interviews with representatives of Chinese and German governmental organizations, intermediary parties and specialized OFDI consultants. In addition, the authors analyze secondary data such as presentations, websites, brochures, social media and recent Chinese OFDI policies for SMEs. The findings are triangulated by interviewing business owners and senior executives of seven Chinese SMEs that have invested in Germany.
Findings
Cooperating with Germany’s federal government, China’s ministries implemented an effective OFDI support network in Germany, which connects and benefits both economies. This includes Chinese governmental organizations, privately-held national champions, German–Chinese business associations and linked intermediary parties. These organizations support SMEs through four main mechanisms: networking and information, mutually beneficial knowledge transfer between innovation partners, lobbying for potential cooperation and an objective picture of Chinese OFDI and facilitating investment services.
Originality/value
This study advances OFDI theory and contributes to the growing discussion on the internationalization of Chinese SMEs by shedding light on China’s OFDI support organizations and mechanisms in the German market. The study also offers practical contributions. Understanding better how governments can spur internationalization is vital, as it determines the effectiveness of policymaking and fosters international mutual understanding, cultural exchange and firm growth and innovation (Ahlstrom, 2010), and hence ultimately contributes positively to society. Moreover, knowing the specific OFDI support organizations and measures China is currently adopting can serve as a helpful orientation for Chinese entrepreneurs who plan to invest in Germany.
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Nobody concerned with political economy can neglect the history of economic doctrines. Structural changes in the economy and society influence economic thinking and, conversely…
Abstract
Nobody concerned with political economy can neglect the history of economic doctrines. Structural changes in the economy and society influence economic thinking and, conversely, innovative thought structures and attitudes have almost always forced economic institutions and modes of behaviour to adjust. We learn from the history of economic doctrines how a particular theory emerged and whether, and in which environment, it could take root. We can see how a school evolves out of a common methodological perception and similar techniques of analysis, and how it has to establish itself. The interaction between unresolved problems on the one hand, and the search for better solutions or explanations on the other, leads to a change in paradigma and to the formation of new lines of reasoning. As long as the real world is subject to progress and change scientific search for explanation must out of necessity continue.