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.

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

The Dynamics of Entrepreneurial Networking Logics: Evidence from United Kingdom High-Tech Start-Ups

Purpose – This study aims to explore how entrepreneurial firms’ networking logics may change under different types of perceived uncertainty. The arrival of new knowledge from the entrepreneurial firm’s network may alter the perceived technology and market uncertainty that in turn determines how the firm adopts or combines the two opposing logics of causation and effectuation. Focusing on the roles of external advisors recruited by the firms, the study probes the details of the cyclical process and the mechanism through which networking logics are altered. Design/methodology/approach – In this study the authors conducted a 3-year longitudinal multiple case study of 12 United Kingdom (UK) high-tech start-ups from prefounding to A-round funding with 54 semistructured interviews and meeting observations. Findings – The knowledge of external advisors with distinct experience often reshapes the entrepreneurial firm’s perceptions of uncertainty, leading to logics change in network development. The authors identify two types of knowledge brought by external advisors and discover how these can influence three networking logic pathways under different levels of technology and market uncertainty. Originality/value – The study is one of the first to map the paths of changing logics along with different types of uncertainty in the context of entrepreneurial network development. The study unpacks one of the key mechanisms of networking logic changes: the knowledge and expertise of those advisors recruited by the entrepreneurial firms. The process model of changing logics contributes to the effectuation literature and entrepreneurial network research

Three Traps Facing Knowledge Exploitation in Firms

The abstract is included in the text

Vaart houden in het strategisch proces

Hoe behoudt het bestuur van een grote complexe organisatie vaart in het bedenken en uitvoeren van strategische veranderingen? Dat is geen gemakkelijke opgave als er geen aanwijsbare dreigingen van buitenaf zijn en er geen duidelijke aanleiding is om algemene strategische maatregelen te nemen. De auteurs onderzoeken de inherente spanningen tussen stabiliteit en verandering. Verandering is noodzakelijk, wil men op langere termijn succes boeken, maar te veel verandering is desastreus. Volgens de auteurs zijn er verscheidene mogelijke oplossingen voor deze paradox. Een daarvan is het genereren van uiterst actieve perioden, gevolgd door relatief stabiele perioden en perioden waarin de vooruitgang gestaag verloopt. Aan de hand van de bezinningen van een bestuursvoorzitter van Unilever - die deze functie van 1984 tot 1994 uitoefende - onderzoeken de auteurs hoe men met deze spanningen omgaat en een oplossing zoekt

Maintaining strategic momentum

The question of how the CEO of a large complex organization maintain strategic momentum is addressed. This represents a great challenge when there are no obvious external threats, and no obvious reasons for having a concerted action. The inherent tensions which exist between stability and change are explored. Change is necessary to maintain success, but too much change is disastrous. It is argued that there are several possible solutions to this paradox, including that of generating periods of intense activity followed by periods of comparative stability and incremental improvement. The introspection of one of the CEOs of Unilever is used to show how these tensions were played out and resolved

From funding gaps to thin markets: UK Government support for early-stage venture capital

Research report'Hybrid' venture capital schemes backed by both private and public sector funding play an increasingly important role in the risk capital funding of early-stage firms with the potential for significant growth. We analysed the impact of investment from six UK government-backed venture capital schemes on 782 funded firms over the period 1995-2008. The six schemes that are the focus of this analysis are the Enterprise Capital Funds (ECFs), Early Growth Funds (EGFs), Regional Venture Capital Funds (RVCFs), Scottish Enterprise-backed Funds, University Challenge Funds (UCFs), and Welsh Hybrid Funds

Market Sensing, Dynamic Capability, and Competitive Dynamics

This is a research commentary to the following article: Hunt, S. D., & Madhavaram, S. (2019). Adaptive marketing capabilities, dynamic capabilities, and renewal competences: The “outside vs. inside” and “static vs. dynamic” controversies in strategy, Industrial Marketing Management, in press. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2019.07.004