Strategic Management Theory Research Articles

Science policy implementation: strategic versus technical human resource management

AbstractScience commercialization in the context of USA research universities suggests that strategic human resources management (SHRM) theory practices should be considered cautiously. The primary reason being that the organizational and human resources strategies of many USA research universities has increasingly diverged; the secondary reason being that this will not be changing anytime soon. Using qualitative and quantitative information from a purposive sample of twenty-one university–industry research centers established by the US National Science Foundation, we present evidence that what the SHRM literature refers to as ‘technical’ human resource management (HRM) practice is perhaps more important to organizational performance than what the SHRM literature refers to as ‘strategic’ HRM practice. Relatedly, the cases suggest that university research center managers should consider leadership styles and network management approaches and established human resource (HR) practices, which may produce the results the plethora of strategic research commercialization initiatives at universities strive to achieve.

Formation of Multi-Project Approach to Realization of Target Development Programs of High-Tech Research and Production Systems and Powerful Enterprises

Based on the study of the state of Ukrainian enterprises and peculiarities of the world's leading companies growth, the main tasks for improving quality of project and multi-project management of domestic enterprises modernization (improvement) and development of their high-tech production systems were identified. A modern model (standard) of turnkey formation and implementation of innovation and investment mechanism (projects and target programs) of continuous-cyclical process of creating science-intensive competitive products with a high level of added value and systems of its high-tech production at domestic enterprises was proposed by authors. In article was considered world management standards, the latest achievements of advanced science and technology, modern theory of strategic, multi-project, corporate and innovation and production management. The basic procedures and tools for the formation, organization and management of turnkey implementation of unique innovation and investment projects and targeted programs for the development of high-tech research and production systems and powerful enterprises in Ukraine were determined. The key steps and main stages of design and program activities to improve investment, innovation and production and economic mechanisms of the enterprise have been developed. A set of practical measures for effective program-targeted and project management of continuous innovation-economic and high-tech development of domestic products and their producers, covering all phases and stages of the life cycle of relevant programs and projects were proposed. Implementation of the proposed mechanisms and procedures of multi-project management of innovation and economic development will help increase the competitiveness of Ukrainian producers, ensure their faster transition to world standards of management and development, and ultimately – increase the welfare of Ukraine.

Local Energy Projects on Islands: Assessing the Creation and Upscaling of Social Niches

Islands have great potential for renewable energy, and several pilot and experimental projects have been set up on islands globally, aiming to promote clean energy and self-sufficiency. Many of these decentralized energy initiatives oppose the established regimes of centralized electricity generation and introduce new forms of organization and management. Thus, they can be considered social niches. The aim of the present study is to explore the transition potential of renewable energy projects on three islands located in southern Europe. The analysis mobilizes literature on the strategic niche management theory (SNM) with a focus on the role of the various actors and the different management models. Through a systematic analysis of policy documents and the literature, enriched by interviews, the paper identifies different types of renewable energy projects and discusses the potential for scale up. The paper concludes that these projects are currently in the inter-local phase, and decentralization is not only an important innovation for energy production, but also a new form of energy management often dominated by different actors than the established electricity system.

The Zero Waste University Program in Mexico: A Model for Grassroots Innovations in Sustainability

Grassroots innovations for sustainability can take various forms, including novel models for comprehensive waste management. This article examines the contributions of the University Solid Waste Management Program with a Zero Waste approach, a grassroots innovation established by the community of a university campus associated with a non-governmental organization. The program was developed in Cuernavaca, Mexico, in a political and economic context marked by unsustainable and inequitable practices, but with a long history of social struggle for the construction of alternatives. In analytical terms, we study the formation and mutual influence of the sustainability niches of both organizations from the perspective of strategic niche management theory, as well as the benefits resulting from such development.

Production differentiation in the industrial markets for mechanical engineering: Supply factors

Amid the turbulence in the external environment, the issue of finding adaptive strategies is becoming increasingly relevant. This problem is especially acute in industrial markets. One of the most common strategies is differentiation. Numerous modern theories of differentiation rest on the distinctive features of consumer demand and often do not take into account the factors of product supply. These factors, however, serve as the basis for determining the generic development strategy of an industrial enterprise. The paper explores production differentiation and justifies the factors of supply affecting it. The theory of industrial organization, the theory of strategic management and the microeconomic approach constitute the methodological framework of the present article. General scientific methods of logic-structural analysis were used. The empirical base includes data from nine industrial markets for mechanical engineering in the Russian Federation. Having analyzed the theoretical approaches to substantiating the existence of production differentiation, we managed to identify its fundamental factors: specialization and the presence (absence) of economies of scale. To assess these factors, we propose using two indicators: the industry specialization coefficient and the indicator of absolute cost advantage. Matrixing industrial markets for mechanical engineering by the parameters “the level of industry specialization” and “economies of scale” allowed pinpointing three types of production differentiation and their corresponding generic strategies. In the presence of economies of scale and a narrow specialization, an enterprise should choose the strategy of “capturing a niche”; in the presence of economies of scale and a broad specialization, it should follow the strategy of wide differentiation. In the absence of economies of scale for broad and narrow industry differentiation, the generic strategy of a machine-building enterprise is competitive marketing. The author’s methodological approach to choosing the type of production differentiation is versatile and can be used to substantiate generic strategies of industrial enterprises.

Nanoionics - the Developing Informative System. Part. 1. Stages of Formation and Modern State of Nanoionics in Russia

The critical review of stages of formation, development, and modern state of nanoionics in Russia and in the world is presented. The nanoionics is considered as the developing information system; its history is analyzed for the first time in terms of the dynamic theory of information and strategic innovative management. The history stages of beginnings and development of an applied and theoretical nanoionics in Russia are considered in this part of the review. In the main, the results of IMT RAS where researches were carried out for expansion of the nanoionics borders in new directions are analyzed. Results of development of new directions, such as dynamic theory of fast ionic transport (FIT) at a nanoscale (structure-dynamic approach of nanoionics, SDA), and nanoionics of advanced superionic conductors (AdSICs) are presented in more detail. Potential of these directions in breakthrough technologies is discussed.

Strategic Management Theory in a Post‐Pandemic and Non‐Ergodic World

Strategic Management Theory in a Post‐Pandemic and Non‐Ergodic World

Do big data-driven HR practices improve HR service quality and innovation competency of SMEs

PurposeToday, big data (BD) is considered as a crucial investment for firms to stay competitive. However, the human resource (HR) function within small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has been slow to adopt this innovation. Drawing on the organizational learning theory (OLT), this study aims to propose that BD can improve HR functions, especially of SMEs, thereby yielding them a competitive edge.Design/methodology/approachThis study analyzed unstructured data from 41 journal papers, based on which, a conceptual framework was developed. Further, this framework was validated with responses collected from 148 SMEs in India.FindingsBibliometric analysis and results of partial least squares techniques revealed that better BD quality is needed to improve HR practices, human resource service quality (HRSQ) and innovation competency of SMEs.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper contributes to the extant literature by considering strategic management theories such as resource-based view and OLT to evaluate BDA’s effect on organizational functional practices such as HR and HRSQ.Practical implicationsIn Indian SMEs, BD quality has a substantial effect on BD HR practices and HRSQ. However, these factors influence can constructively impact SMEs, if SMEs are open to organizational change, whereby they need to develop technical skills and competencies of the HR professionals.Originality/valueThough BD research works have shown exponential growth in recent times, scholarly empirical research investigating BD’s impact upon human resource management (HRM) is scarce. The present study appraises extant literature on BD in HRM.

Constructing a Hierarchical Framework for Assessing the Application of Big Data Technology in Entrepreneurship Education.

The emergence of big data technology continues to innovate and change the world, bringing opportunities and challenges to all walks of life. Against the background of this era, traditional entrepreneurship education requires reform and innovation. This research attempts to explore the ways and practices of applying big data technology to entrepreneurship education so as to improve and perfect traditional entrepreneurship education and achieve its sustainable development. Based on classic theories, such as entrepreneurial theory, strategic management theory, and leadership theory, this paper develops a relatively systematic attribute system of entrepreneurship education under big data technology, comprehensively uses Fuzzy-DEMATEL and ISM methods to explore the relationship between different attributes and their importance, and finally constructs a hierarchical framework for the application of big data technology in entrepreneurship education. The results show that the attributes of entrepreneurship education under big data technology can be divided into four levels, each with different priorities and degrees of importance, and there are complex interactions and constraints among them. This study provides important guidance and suggestions for the development of entrepreneurship education and multiattribute decision-making management under the given resources, which is conducive to the sustainable development of entrepreneurs and new ventures.

Imperatives of global digital platform management

The article critically analyses the phenomenon of global digital platforms, which have become key actors in the international movement of factors of production and studies the approaches to their management. The methodological basis of the research includes the main provisions of the emerging theory of ecosystems and digital platforms, questioning the postulates of theories of international business and strategic management. The article uses the methods of comparative, structural and system-based analysis in the context of their application for assessing digital transformation and managing global digital platforms. The study shows that universal determinants and competitive advantages of global digital platforms are the following: the ability to overcome trade barriers; providing liquidity through transactions; low marginal cost; more efficient use of assets and attraction of investments; and the ability to significantly enhance international specialization. The authors propose an approach for differentiating traditional business models and platform business models based on avoiding linear optimization of internal processes and centralized exchange of value. We establish the conceptual aspects of the expansion of global digital platforms’ business activities. This is due to the emergence of new components of the digital infrastructure that modifies the principles of international business and the administration methods of transnational corporations, which are no longer focused on location. The paper identifies the management problems and risks experienced by traditional companies when creating platforms: dependence on key platforms, increasing costs incurred in market entry, and difficulties when functioning within the lightweight asset model. The formation and development of global platforms not only affect the system of economic relations, but also stimulate changes in corporate governance models and technologies.

A Sustainable Approach for Organisational using Strategic Management

Strategic management have gained popularity in the public institutions to foster good delivery service to the public. The strategic planning enables organizations to establish a strategic match between the internal competency, resources and external environment. Majority of the successful organizations across the world use strategic management and planning as a tool that enables to optimize the operations and achieve maximum productivity with the resources. This paper reviewed on strategic management for organisations in Abu Dhabi especially for Abu Dhabi Police (ADP) force. It presents three strategic management theories which can be adopted by an organisation. This would help the organisation such as police department to reduce the increasing crime rate and mortality rate in UAE.

The model of boosting the cross-sectoral cooperation for health and wellbeing in cities

Abstract In health promotion practice, resources often are limited, and problems are complex. Cross-sectoral cooperation is a collaborative effort in which partners from different sectors pool their resources to provide joint solutions for better health promotion; however, the general framework on how to proceed the cooperation is often missing. The Interreg Baltic Sea Region project “Urban Labs for Better Health for All in the Baltic Sea Region” (Healthy Boost) aims to boost the cross-sectoral cooperation for health and wellbeing in cities and associated partners from nine countries in the Baltic Sea Region by developing and testing the Model for the cross-sectoral cooperation. The Model was developed searching the published scientific literature and considering the results of a self-assessment of cross-sectoral cooperation for health promotion in the Healthy Boost partner cities. Discussions on the Model draft were organized by using face-to-face meetings and e-tools in order to develop the Model for piloting. Theoretical frameworks of cross-sectoral collaboration, including organization theory, public administration theory, leadership and strategic management theory, were used to select the major components for the Model. The partners' self-assessment results identified the gaps in several strategic and operational domains of cooperation, such as (1) leadership, (2) communication, (3) coordination, (4) motivation, and (5) risk identification. In the first Model draft, the starting point for cross-sectoral cooperation was the stages (mapping, planning, implementation, assessment) of cooperation; however, municipalities preferred to focus on domains which were developed under the stages of cooperation process in the final Model. Both evidence-based knowledge and participation of municipalities are crucial when developing the Model cross-sectoral cooperation. The Model should guide all partners for better cooperation by using a systematic approach. Key messages The Model to promote cross sectoral cooperation is being developed for testing in health promotion practice by the cities of the Baltic Sea Region. The developed Model of cross-sectoral cooperation provides relevant guiding questions for the key domains of cooperation that should boost the municipalities for better health promotion.

Exploring the U.S. Coast Guard's stance agility on Twitter during Hurricane Harvey

AbstractDrawing on the contingency theory of strategic conflict management, this study examines how the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) used Twitter to communicate during Hurricane Harvey. A content analysis was conducted on tweets (N = 273) by using stances along the contingency's continuum, finding that the USCG frequently adopted stances on both sides of the continuum's spectrum throughout the disaster event. The analysis of USCG tweets provides a real‐world case study of how Twitter is used by organizations to strategically communicate with the public during a disaster event. Like many disaster aid organizations, the USCG must balance competing goals of assisting the impacted population, while continuing to secure funding from the U.S. government. The current study contributes to contingency theory of strategic conflict management literature by applying the theory to a disaster, providing tangible evidence that disaster communication research should consider incorporating different stances across the continuum, sometimes simultaneously, that could help guide strategies, ultimately helping the organization and public being affected during a disaster.

Advances in management research: a bibliometric overview of the Review of Managerial Science

The Review of Managerial Science (RMS) is a leading international journal that publishes major advances related to business administration and management. The journal was launched in April 2007 and publishes eight issues per year (from 2021 onwards). The scope of RMS encompasses, but is not limited to, the functional areas of operations (such as production, operations management, and marketing), management (such as human resources management, strategic management, and organizational theory), information systems and their interrelations with capital markets (such as accounting, auditing, finance, and taxation), as well as questions of business strategy, entrepreneurship, innovation, and corporate governance. This study offers a bibliometric overview of the publication and citation structure of RMS from its inception in 2007 until 2020 in terms of topics, authors, institutions, and countries, thereby offering a comprehensive overview of the history of the journal so far. All the data for the study are from the Web of Science Core Collection database. To complement this analysis, VOSviewer software provides graphical analysis. The analysis is based on several bibliometric techniques such as co-citation analysis and bibliographic coupling.

ORGANIZATIONAL TOUGHNESS FACING NEW ECONOMIC CRISIS

<p>Organizations are increasingly facing great changes in their external environment, like is the case of current pandemic. Theoretical reflection and scientific literature review led us to develop a new concept – organizational toughness - and a new model that may help explaining the variables underlying an effective response to environmental changes, contributing to the organization's survival. This model also includes the concepts of organizational plasticity and organizational strength as crucial factors to face new market threats and opportunities. Other second order latent variables – staff preparation and structure adapted to change – and manifest variables, such as the quality level of competencies, motivation, flexibility, strategic planning processes, leadership behaviours, organizational learning market oriented, the amount of resources holt by an organization, and external access to these resources are also presented, as well as clues for future research. This paper aims at contributing to the development of strategic management theory in relation to market changes even when not expected.</p><p> </p><p><strong>JEL:</strong> D20; D23; M11</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0666/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Rethinking the Top-Down Approach to HRM Practices Implementation: The Case of Chronic Ill Employees

Although the literature acknowledges the importance of exploring the dynamic and complex nature of HRM practices implementation, our understanding of this process is still limited. Further, research has mainly focused on the “what” of implementation, with a minimal focus on the “how”. Drawing from strategic management theory and focusing on work adjustment practices for chronically ill employees, we examine the implementation of HRM practices as a situated process, looking at the continuous interplay among elements of the context and actors in shaping this process. We use a qualitative case study and adopt multiple perspectives, looking at the perceptions of all the actors directly or indirectly involved in the implementation of HRM practices. The findings demonstrate that there is not a unique way of implementing a practice but a variety of situations which result in different experiences of the same practice. This variation in how HRM practices are implemented and experienced across the organization depends on a process of collective enactment that unfolds at the local level, where multiple stakeholders intentionally and unintentionally contribute to the emergence of a shared meaning of the practice. Additionally, our findings show that diversity prevails when it comes to exactly who is involved in HRM implementation and how the actors' involvement takes shape, suggesting the existence of different models of HRM practices implementation and the emergence of interactions that go beyond the dyadic level. Implications for research and practices are discussed.

Politics, Political Ideology, and Organizations

Research at the intersection of strategic management and organizational theory has shown renewed interest in exploring the implications of politics and political ideologies for organizations. This symposium aims to extend this conversation by including five empirical studies focusing on 1) the political ideologies of corporate actors in and around organizations; 2) how political (mis)alignment influences organizational outcomes, as well as field-level changes in practices; and 3) encouraging cross-over of ideas between literatures in corporate political activity, field-level identity formation, social movement sociology, and organizational implications of political ideologies. Profiting from Protest: A Contingency Model of the Effects of Anti-Corporate Activism Presenter: Mary-Hunter McDonnell; The Wharton School, U. of Pennsylvania Presenter: Samantha Darnell; The Wharton School, U. of Pennsylvania Investor Reactions to Corporate Sociopolitical Activism Following Discourse Triggering Events Presenter: Matt C. Hersel; College of Business, Clemson U. Presenter: M. K. Chin; Indiana U. Bloomington Presenter: Zeki Simsek; Clemson U. A Grounded Model of Politics in Field-Identity Formation Presenter: Ina Toegel; International Institute for Management Development Presenter: Shubha Patvardhan; U. of Delaware Out of Character: CEO Political Ideology and Diffusion of CSR Executive Position Presenter: Abhinav Gupta; U. of Washington, Seattle Presenter: Anna Fung; American U., Kogod School of Business Presenter: Chad Benjamin Murphy; Oregon State U. Effects of CEO Political Ideology: Building a Politically Homogenous TMT Presenter: Andrew Franklin Johnson; Texas A&M U., Corpus Christi Presenter: Katherine Roberto; Texas A&M U., Corpus Christi Presenter: Bruce C. Rudy; U. of Texas At San Antonio

The Non-Normality of Firm Performance and the Consequences for Strategic Management Theory

Firm performance represents an integral outcome for most strategic management scholarship and corresponding theoretical frameworks (e.g., agency theory, RBV, competitive dynamics, and many more). Despite the inherent idea across strategy research that firm performance is heterogeneous, we have little knowledge about just how heterogeneous it is across samples of firms and how this might impact empirical tests of theories used by strategy scholars. We investigate performance heterogeneity by examining the distributions of firm performance measures (e.g., ROA, ROS, EPS, etc.). We find that extreme levels of both skewness and kurtosis vary substantively across different measures, samples, transformations, and years. We create simulations to mimic these distributions and find that such non-normality negatively impacts the efficiency of OLS, robust regression, and OLS with winsorized values. In contrast, we illustrate that quantile regression is more appropriate for modeling dependent variables following these types of extremely non-normal distributions and represents an attractive approach for researchers examining firm performance. The primary implication of our research is that the extreme non-normality of performance measures makes it difficult for researchers to find support for theoretical frameworks when using models that focus on average relationships (e.g., OLS, multilevel models, etc.). Instead, we suggest strategy theories could benefit from re-examining theorized relationships using the types of non-parametric techniques that are more appropriate for the non-normal distributions of firm performance.

Heterogeneity of Resources and Performance in the Hotel Industry

Resource heterogeneity is a key aspect of one of the most important theories of strategic management: the resource-based view of the firm. This theory suggests that the performance effects of a firm’s strategy depend on the firm’s individual resources and capabilities and the setting within which it is operating. In this article, we argue that the current methods for measuring hotel performance and its determinants may be inconsistent with this theory. To measure efficiency, hotels should be viewed as heterogeneous firms, and the relationships between determinants and performance must be assessed for each individual hotel rather than as an average across hotels. Accordingly, we use a random-effect Bayesian stochastic frontier model to estimate the profit frontier and the effect function of the inefficiency for each hotel. The results indicate that hotels tend to choose strategies based on the heterogeneous resources that maximize their performance in their individual statuses.

Shifting gears on sustainable transport transitions: Stakeholder perspectives on e-bikes in Toronto, Canada

Car-centric transportation systems are widely regarded as unsustainable. E-bikes are an emerging technology with potential to strengthen sustainability transitions. Little is known about the role of governance stakeholders in shaping e-bike technology uptake/rejection. This qualitative study draws upon theories of socio-technical transitions, disruptive technology and strategic niche management to interrogate transportation governance stakeholders’ perceptions towards e-bikes and related prospects or barriers to enhancing sustainability in Canada’s most populated, congested city. E-bikes possess niche benefits that help encourage socio-technical shift away from cars. Yet their greatest potential in strengthening transition pathways may be their ability to enhance seamless, multi-modal transportation through incorporation into transit hubs and shared mobility systems. E-bikes also pose negative disruptions that undermine their uptake. The range of models on the market warrant greater regulatory distinction according to unique characteristics and hazards. E-bike governance requires further coordination, and decision-makers need more data on usage patterns and modal displacement.