A qualitative analysis of the networks of tourism SMEs in Germany: managing business networks for knowledge transfer

Theoretically, it is said that social capital encourages individuals and entrepreneurs to engage in business networks. Social capital is the sum of the resource benefits an organisation derives from its network of relationships. These external knowledge sources are particularly relevant for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) because of their lack of internal knowledge stock. Yet, social capital theories have primarily been investigated from a structural perspective to measure benefits through centrality and position in structural holes. To understand the resource benefits, however, it is first necessary to understand what knowledge is available, second the content of the relationship, and third the context and conditions that influence these inter-organisational knowledge transfer relationships. Thus, in this thesis, a relational approach is adopted to generate knowledge on inter-firm relationships at the SME level in order to explore how tourism business networks are operated and managed in such a way that enables the knowledge transfer. This study looks into the business networks in which the SMEs of the tourism industry engage, explains the meaning they ascribe to the knowledge transfer potential among these networks, how they exploit the networks, what knowledge is made available, and the managerial as well as contextual factors that influence the network operation and management. A multi-method qualitative strategy was used to investigate naturally emerging business networks in North-East Germany’s tourism industry. A snowball network sampling procedure was applied, from which two network zones emerged, a closed coordinated small network and the members’ individually built business relationships beyond this network. The research was informed by three rounds of qualitative data generation and collection. In total, 12 first-round interviews were used to enter the field, a second-round workshop and discussion group with 31 participants was used to generate preliminary findings and facilitate access, and in the third round 38 semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted to generate data for the main empirical study. This qualitative data analysis was complemented and supported with data from informal conversations and observations, collected documents and field notes, as well as a secondary data review. The study contributes to the body of knowledge on tourism SME networks and the availability and transfer of knowledge. Its original contribution is in providing a greater knowledge and understanding of the cognitive and relational component of social capital, particularly in the formation of a network. It further adds to both literature and theory on network coordinators by unpacking and circumscribing their boundaries. The study also theorises the cult of personality in a network context. In addition, it contributes to the understanding of the role of regional tourism organisations (RTO) in that it explored how different strategies lead to a collaborative environment, effective communication and member exchange. Thus, this research contributes to the conversation of SMEs, tourism business networks, coordination, and knowledge transfer

A qualitative analysis of the networks of tourism SMEs in Germany: managing business networks for knowledge transfer

Theoretically, it is said that social capital encourages individuals and entrepreneurs to engage in business networks. Social capital is the sum of the resource benefits an organisation derives from its network of relationships. These external knowledge sources are particularly relevant for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) because of their lack of internal knowledge stock. Yet, social capital theories have primarily been investigated from a structural perspective to measure benefits through centrality and position in structural holes. To understand the resource benefits, however, it is first necessary to understand what knowledge is available, second the content of the relationship, and third the context and conditions that influence these inter-organisational knowledge transfer relationships. Thus, in this thesis, a relational approach is adopted to generate knowledge on inter-firm relationships at the SME level in order to explore how tourism business networks are operated and managed in such a way that enables the knowledge transfer. This study looks into the business networks in which the SMEs of the tourism industry engage, explains the meaning they ascribe to the knowledge transfer potential among these networks, how they exploit the networks, what knowledge is made available, and the managerial as well as contextual factors that influence the network operation and management. A multi-method qualitative strategy was used to investigate naturally emerging business networks in North-East Germany’s tourism industry. A snowball network sampling procedure was applied, from which two network zones emerged, a closed coordinated small network and the members’ individually built business relationships beyond this network. The research was informed by three rounds of qualitative data generation and collection. In total, 12 first-round interviews were used to enter the field, a second-round workshop and discussion group with 31 participants was used to generate preliminary findings and facilitate access, and in the third round 38 semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted to generate data for the main empirical study. This qualitative data analysis was complemented and supported with data from informal conversations and observations, collected documents and field notes, as well as a secondary data review. The study contributes to the body of knowledge on tourism SME networks and the availability and transfer of knowledge. Its original contribution is in providing a greater knowledge and understanding of the cognitive and relational component of social capital, particularly in the formation of a network. It further adds to both literature and theory on network coordinators by unpacking and circumscribing their boundaries. The study also theorises the cult of personality in a network context. In addition, it contributes to the understanding of the role of regional tourism organisations (RTO) in that it explored how different strategies lead to a collaborative environment, effective communication and member exchange. Thus, this research contributes to the conversation of SMEs, tourism business networks, coordination, and knowledge transfer

Culture dimensions in software development industry: The effects of mentoring

Software development is a human centric and sociotechnical activity and like all human activities is influenced by cultural factors. However, software engineering is being further affected because of the globalization in software development. As a result, cultural diversity is influencing software development and its outcomes. The software engineering industry, a very intensive industry regarding human capital, is facing a new era in which software development personnel must adapt to multicultural work environments. Today, many organizations present a multicultural workforce which needs to be managed. This paper analyzes the influence of culture on mentoring relationships within the software engineering industry. Two interesting findings can be concluded from our study: (1) cultural differences affect both formal and informal mentoring, and (2) technical competences are not improved when implementing mentoring relationships

Individual and Organizational Aspects of University-Industry Relations in Nanotechnology: The Turkish Case

Emerging nanotechnologies bring a new challenge for developing countries to improve knowledge and technology transfer between universities and firms. In developing countries, weaker ties between academia and the industry seem to be one of the main barriers to the dissemination of nanotechnology innovations. This study aims to understand individual and organizational factors affecting university-industry interactions in emerging nanotechnologies in a developing country context, namely Turkey. For this study, 181 questionnaires were collected from a sample of nano-science and nanotechnology academics who are currently employed by Turkish universities. The results provide that informal / interpersonal and research-related interactions are the most common forms of relationship between academics and firms. On the other hand, the study provides a useful insight to understand how human and social capitals of university-scientists as well as organizational resources/ capabilities influence the formation of links between universities and the industry.Nanotechnology, nanoscience, emerging technologies, technology transfer, university-industry relations, science and technology policies, probit model, disproportionate stratified sampling, emerging economies, Turkey.

El capital social como enfoque teórico en Dirección Estratégica

[EN] The objective of this research paper is to investigate, from a theoretical point of view, the strategic relevance of social capital. In recent years, academic literature in this field has witnessed remarkable growth, recognizing social capital as a key element for companies, due to its contribution to the creation of competitive advantages. However, it might be said that its development is still emerging, given the number of discrepancies among researchers regarding its definition, measurement, and its positive or negative impact on other variables. For this reason, a set of empirical studies that show the social capital effect on diverse types of organizational results have been reviewed, taking as a reference the definition and dimensions proposed by Nahapiet and Ghoshal (1998). Additionally, different theoretical links between social capital and four related Strategic Management approaches are presented, such as the Intellectual Capital-Based View, the Knowledge-Based View, the Resource-Based View and the Dynamic Resource-Based View. A main conclusion drawn from this review is that social capital, being a knowledge-based resource, enables access to both internal and external resources and thus a firm’s competitive advantage and, consequently, its value creation can be generated from the combination of both areas. Going in depth and clarifying this strategic linkage are thus a challenge to address in future studies.[ES] El principal objetivo de este trabajo es mostrar la relevancia estratégica del capital social organizacional desde un punto de vista teórico. En los últimos años, la literatura académica relacionada con este concepto ha experimentado un notable crecimiento, reconociendo que el capital social es un elemento fundamental para que las empresas generen ventajas competitivas. Sin embargo, se podría afirmar que su desarrollo es todavía incipiente al existir multitud de discrepaciancias entre los investigadores acerca de su conceptuación, la medición de sus dimensiones o los efectos positivos o negativos que podría tener sobre otras variables. Por este motivo, tomando como referencia la definición y dimensiones propuestas por Nahapiet y Ghoshal (1998), se ha realizado una revisión de las investigaciones que, de manera empírica, han estudiado las relaciones entre el capital social y distintos tipos de resultados organizacionales. Igualmente, se exponen diferentes nexos teóricos encontrados entre el capital social y los principales enfoques en Dirección Estratégica como son Enfoque Basado en el Capital Intelectual, el Enfoque Basado en el Conocimiento, el Enfoque Basado en los Recursos y el Enfoque Basado en las Capacidades dinámicas. Se concluye que el capital social, como recurso basado en el conocimiento, podría permitir el acceso a otros recursos internos o externos, y que la creación de valor y la generación de ventajas competitivas de una empresa puede provenir de la combinación de ambos ámbitos. Así, futuros estudios deben encaminarse hacia la profundización y clarificación de este nexo estratégico

Social networks and performance in distributed learning communities

Social networks play an essential role in learning environments as a key channel for knowledge sharing and students' support. In distributed learning communities, knowledge sharing does not occur as spontaneously as when a working group shares the same physical space; knowledge sharing depends even more on student informal connections. In this study we analyse two distributed learning communities' social networks in order to understand how characteristics of the social structure can enhance students' success and performance. We used a monitoring system for social network data gathering. Results from correlation analyses showed that students' social network characteristics are related to their performancePostprint (published version

Knowledge Spillover Agents and Regional Development

It is widely recognised that knowledge and highly skilled individuals as "carriers" of knowledge (i.e. knowledge spillover agents) play a key role in impelling the development and growth of cities and regions. In this paper we discuss the relation between the mobility of talent and knowledge flows. In this context, several issues are examined, including the role of highly skilled labour for regional development, the features that characterise knowledge spillovers through labour mobility, the key factors for attracting and retaining talent as well as the rise of "brain gain" policies. Although the paper deals with highly skilled mobility and migration in general, a particular attention will be paid to flows of (star) scientists.Series: SRE - Discussion Paper

What makes a gatekeeper? Insights from the Finnish nano-community

In the process of transferring scientific knowledge to industry the role of individual academics has received less attention than the other actors in this process. This paper aims to identify the characteristics of these key individuals, or gatekeepers, by analysing them within the context of technology transfer in a science and technology community. The estimation results show that individuals who are able to provide firms with relevant research information and results are connected to the firms informally and formally. They have commercial motivations in their research and are more likely to act as gatekeepers in social networks. On the other hand, some of the a priori assumptions of these characteristics fail to have significant influence.Technology transfer, nanotechnology, social networks, gatekeepers

Institutional conditions and social innovations in emerging economies: insights from Mexican enterprises’ initiatives for protecting/preventing the effect of violent events

Latin-American countries are characterised by societal problems like violence, crime, corruption, the informality that influence any entrepreneurial activity developed by individuals/organisations. Social innovations literature confront “wicked problems” with strong interdependencies among different systems/actors. Yet, little is known about how firms use innovation to hedge against economic, political or societal uncertainties (i.e., violence, social movements, democratisation, pandemic). By translating social innovation and institutional theory approaches, this study analyses the influence of formal institutions (government programs and actions) and informal institutions (corruption, extortion and informal trade) on the development/implementation of enterprises’ technological initiatives for protecting/preventing of victimisation. By using data from 5525 establishments interviewed in the 2012/2014 National Victimisation Survey of the Mexican National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), our findings shows that formal conditions (government programs) and informal conditions (corruption, extortion and informal trade) are associated with an increment in the number of enterprises’ social innovations. Our findings also contribute to the debate about institutional conditions, social innovations, and the role of ecosystems’ actors in developing economies. A provoking discussion and implications for researchers, managers and policymakers emerge from this study