Global Contests in the Production of Business Knowledge :

Drawing on institutional theory, the global production of business research is analysed by examining the system of written outputs using one of the largest databases of journal papers ever assembled, covering over 65,000 articles produced by more than 54,000 authors from over 8,000 different institutions across the period 1992-2005. We begin by pointing out how the US business schools pioneered the modern institutional system of undertaking and disseminating research that involves the intertwining of and university business schools and journals. While Wharton and Harvard are still the leading universities globally, their crowns are slipping, together with the position of the US generally. We observe the greatest challenges to the existing order as coming from European and Asian institutions that have either copied, or been inspired to innovate by adapting, the US system. London Business School, Erasmus, INSEAD and Tilburg are threatening to topple leading US universities in the undertaking of research, and other European and Asian institutions are close behind.

Technological Knowledge Base, R&D Organization Structure and Alliance Formation: Evidence from the Biopharmaceutical Industry

We explore how an incumbent firm's internal knowledge and organization structure influences its strategic alliance formation. We propose that the firm's knowledge breadth and the centrality of its R&D organization structure positively influence its absorptive capacity, and consequently, its propensity to form strategic alliances. We also argue that the centrality of the R&D organization structure may be a substitute for the breadth of the knowledge base. We validate our ideas using data on 2647 strategic alliances formed over the period of 1993–2002 by 43 major biopharmaceutical firms in the U.S. and Europe. Our discussion focuses on the application of the knowledge-based view of the firm to strategic alliance research. The implications for public policy in the biopharmaceutical industry are also emphasized.

The unsteady aerodynamics of static and oscillating simple automotive bodies

A wind tunnel based investigation into the effects of unsteady yaw angles on the aerodynamics of a simple automotive body has been carried out to increase the understanding of the effects of unsteady onset conditions similar to those experienced in normal driving conditions. Detailed flow field measurements have been made using surface pressure tappings and PIV around a simple automotive model in steady state conditions and these have been compared to measurements made whilst the model was oscillating in the yaw plane. The oscillating motion was created by a motored crank which was used to produce consistent and repeated motion which produced a reduced frequency that indicated that a quasi-static response should be expected. The PIV data are used to compare the wake flow structures and the surface pressures are used to infer aerodynamic loads and investigate the development of the flow structures across the surfaces of the model. This includes a comprehensive comparison of the surface pressures on the sides of the model during a transient and quasi-static yaw angel oscillation. These results show differences between the two test conditions with the oscillating model results containing hysteresis and the greatest differences in the flow field occurring on the leeside of the model. Two configurations of the same model with different rear pillar geometries were used to isolate model specific effects. Square rear pillars create strong and stable trailing vortices which are less affected by the model motion whereas radiused rear pillars created weaker and less steady vortices that mixed with the quasi-2D wake behind the model base and were affected to a greater extent by the model motion. The unsteadiness in the trailing vortex separation feeds upstream into the A-pillar vortex demonstrating that small geometry changes at the rear can affect the entire flow field around the model

Business models: A challenging agenda

Most research on business models lies in the literature on strategy and competitive advantage and focuses on their role as descriptors of actual phenomenon, often by reference to taxonomic categories. In this article, we explore how business models can be seen as a set of cognitive configurations that can be manipulable in the minds of managers (and academics). By proposing a typology of business models that emphasizes the connecting of traditional value chain descriptors with how customers are identified and satisfied, and how the firm monetizes its value, we explore how business model configurations can extend current work on cognitive categorization and open up new possibilities for organization research

Business Models and Technological Innovation

Business models are fundamentally linked with technological innovation, yet the business model construct is essentially separable from technology. We define the business model as a system that solves the problem of identifying who is (or are) the customer(s), engaging with their needs, delivering satisfaction, and monetizing the value. The framework depicts the business model system as a model containing cause and effect relationships, and it provides a basis for classification. We formulate the business model relationship with technology in a two-way manner. First, business models mediate the link between technology and firm performance. Secondly, developing the right technology is a matter of a business model decision regarding openness and user engagement. We suggest research questions both for technology management and innovation, as well as strategy

Business Models and Modelling

International audienceThe business model topic has generated a lot of discussion since the phrase first gained currency in academic articles the late 1990s (Zott, Amit & Massa, 2011). This growing attention culminated in the 2010 Long Range Planning Special Issue that brought the field’s leading scholars together to answer questions about what the business model was and what was its purpose. A key point that emerged was that a business model is more than a statement of how “value is created and captured”; it is a ‘model’ - and, like many other kinds of models - can appear in many guises and serve many purposes. These include being a ‘manipulable device’ that can be used to help academics or managers understand the linkages between value creation and value capture more clearly; as well as being an artefact that can be used to convey knowledge about a business and its status to others (see for instance, Morgan and Morrison, 1999; Teece, 2010, Baden-Fuller & Morgan, 2010)

Global Contests in the Production of Business Knowledge :: Regional Centres and Individual Business Schools

International audienceDrawing on institutional theory, the global production of business research is analysed by examining the system of written outputs using one of the largest databases of journal papers ever assembled, covering over 65,000 articles produced by more than 54,000 authors from over 8,000 different institutions across the period 1992-2005. We begin by pointing out how the US business schools pioneered the modern institutional system of undertaking and disseminating research that involves the intertwining of and university business schools and journals. While Wharton and Harvard are still the leading universities globally, their crowns are slipping, together with the position of the US generally. We observe the greatest challenges to the existing order as coming from European and Asian institutions that have either copied, or been inspired to innovate by adapting, the US system. London Business School, Erasmus, INSEAD and Tilburg are threatening to topple leading US universities in the undertaking of research, and other European and Asian institutions are close behind

Re-applying beliefs: an analysis of change in the oil industry

Beliefs and values are hard to alter; yet they strongly influence employees' attitudes towards strategic changes. Using a longitudinal case study in the oil industry, we show how to distinguish between ideological beliefs (justified by ethical values) and mundane beliefs (substantiated by knowledge structures). We explain that the willingness of workers to participate in change was promoted by a dynamic interaction between these interdependent belief sets. More critically, we show that acceptance of change did not require a change in values, but rather a change in the way that values were applied. We develop propositions that move theory forward and point to future directions for research