The firm as a common. The case of accumulation and use of common resources in mutual benefit organizations

Common resources are quasi-public resources, which are rivaled but non excludable in consumption or in appropriation. While the exploitation of common resources has been widely studied in the literature originated by Elinor Ostron’s works (starting from 1990), the study of common resources inside entrepreneurial organization in not sufficiently developed to date. This paper establishes three dimensions that highlight the relevance of the communality of resources in entrepreneurial organizations: the accumulation and use of common capital resources owned by the organization; the distribution of a rivaled, but non excludable value added among the controlling patrons; and the management of common non-owned resources (for example natural resources) by the organization. The first theme is selected and developed further. Cooperative firms are introduced are instance of ownership form that appears, historically and institutionally, to be particularly keen to accumulate, use, distribute common resources.common resources; rivalry; non-excludability; entrepreneurial organizations; accumulation; cooperative firms

Institutions Under Construction: Resolving Resource Conflicts in Tanzanian Irrigation Schemes

In present-day Tanzania, the increasing market penetration, the declining predictability of water availability and the intensifying institutional pluralism make small-scale irrigation schemes interesting for studying water governance institutions under construction. By documenting how conflicts over water are solved, we focus on how power enters this process. We also show that resource conflicts are not necessarily disruptive and that institutional pluralism can contribute to the development of more sophisticated resource governance institutions. But despite the potential of such processes to improve resource governance institutions, it can also reproduce deeply entrenched gender relations and hinder inclusion of less powerful resource users as they do not always have the capability to engage in conflict resolutions in a creative fashion.irrigation, power, resource governance institutions, Africa

Process Capability Database Usage In Industry: Myth vs. Reality

Process capability data (PCD) is needed for robust design, optimal tolerance allocation, and variation simulation analysis. Process capability databases (PCDBs) have been developed in many industries and are being used by the manufacturing community to monitor quality; however, they are not being effectively utilized by design. When the PCDBs1 were developed, the intent was for design to use PCD for optimization and product cost minimization, but this ideal situation has not been realized. A survey of a variety of design and manufacturing companies was circulated to determine both the state-ofthe- art in PCDBs and the barriers preventing design from fully utilizing PCD. Two key barriers were identified for internal PCDBs: lack of a company-wide vision for PCD usage and poor communication between manufacturing and design. Supplier PCDBs have the additional barriers of lack of trust between suppliers and customers and time lag for data entry. Management support, training, database population, and common systems were identified as potential solutions to the identified barriers

Managerial Discretion: An Empirical Review and Focus on Future Research Directions

Scholars have long been interested in when and to what degree managers are able to exert control over their organizations. In this review, we examine managerial discretion, or the latitude of action available to managers. Since its introduction, scholars have attempted to explain when managers will have discretion, what discretion means for organizational outcomes, and how discretion may differentially influence organizational outcomes when it enables or constrains leaders. Our review indicates that while a significant number of studies have examined discretion, few have attempted to validate the prescriptions of the managerial discretion construct. Furthermore, studies to date have primarily focused on the industry task environment as a measure of discretion, with less attention focused on the manager’s characteristics and the internal organization. We then assess construct validity and the measurement of managerial discretion, offering recommendations to future researchers for improving the operationalization of this construct. Finally, we consider how discretion forces may interact as either complements or substitutes and how such interactions may have both organizational- and individual-level consequences

Towards a Learning-Based Theory of the Firm

This paper takes tentative steps towards a new learning-based theory of the firm. Itsobjective is to advance a separate and empirically relevant answer to the question: why do firms exist?Sometimes learning across the market will be preferred, while in other situations the firm will enjoy theadvantage. A predictive theory of the firm needs to unfold these differences between both modes oforganization. As in transaction cost economics, therefore, the strategy for deriving propositions iscomparative institutional analysis. Given a choice between the market and the firm, which is better? Thehypothesis is that learning economies will be achieved when the attributes of learning, informationexchange, and the alternative modes of organization are properly attuned to each other. On this basis,several propositions are advanced identifying factors responsible for market or firm advantage. Finally,the steps taken toward a learning-based theory of the firm are captured in three implications for economictheory and for a wider theory of performance differences between firms, which is a major concern in bothstrategic management and resource-based thinking. Some consequences of these implications arehighlighted, indicating the future research agenda