A configurational approach to the dynamics of firm level knowledge

Whilst there has been exponential growth in the work on the nature of organisational knowledge, relatively little progress has been made in terms of understanding the way in which knowledge specifically impacts on the firm. The aim of this paper is to further this understanding by developing a series of configurations representing some of the potential ways that knowledge is composed in organisations, with those components being tacit, explicit, architectural, component, individual and collective knowledge

Strategies for Business Turnaround and Recovery: A Review and Synthesis

Purpose - Against a backdrop of continued weak economic conditions and with many firms experiencing declining financial performance, this paper presents a synthesis of the business turnaround literature. It aims to identify which turnaround and recovery strategies have been effective historically, based on the evidence provided by previous empirical research. Design/methodology/approach - The authors review literature that includes 22 empirical studies, which investigated business turnarounds in previous recessionary environments. This literature was reviewed in its entirety, rather than as individual contributions, to synthesise the lessons available for businesses operating in today's challenging economic environment. Findings - The literature review revealed convergence in the findings of the prior studies. In total, six effective turnaround strategies were consistently identified and four of these relate to the content of the turnaround, namely: cost efficiencies, asset retrenchment, a focus on the firm's core activities and building for the future and two relate to accompanying change processes required for implementation: reinvigoration of firm leadership and culture change. Research limitations/implications - The authors highlight areas where knowledge on business turnarounds remains limited and suggest potentially fruitful directions for future research. Practical implications - The authors discuss the elements involved in each of the six effective turnaround strategies identified. The authors also provide a contemporary example to illustrate the application of these strategies in the current economic environment. Originality/value - The paper offers practitioners an evidence-based view on effective business turnaround and recovery strategies, in addition to providing researchers with an accessible review of the existing literature

Using teaching case studies for management research

Teaching case studies are widely deployed in business schools. They are contextually rich in detail, and students learn by applying and adapting theoretical concepts to specific business situations described in the case. This article proposes a new way to use teaching case studies, as research materials for academics. The article addresses three questions: (1) Can teaching cases be used as an alternative to field research? (2) When can teaching case studies be used as secondary data? and (3) How can teaching case studies be used as secondary data? The article concludes that teaching case studies are an unexploited and readily available source of research data, a source which should be considered when going into the field and gathering primary data is not possible

An exploration of the process and nature of innovation in clusters

Interest in the subject of clusters has been steadily increasing over the last few decades. One reason for this is that organisations in the cluster often out perform organisations from the same industry located outside of the cluster. One of the predominant explanations for the clusters ability to achieve this is through innovation. The cluster literature shows that clusters are a important source of innovation, and that innovation plays a key role in maintaining the competitiveness and existence of the cluster. However, although innovation is discussed in the literature, it can be thought of as a black box or fuzzy concept (Markusen, l999b). This is because although the drivers to innovation are stated, and innovation is known to be a positive outcome for the cluster, innovation is not studied as a concept, and statements concerning innovation are often made without evidence or justification. Therefore relatively little is known about the process or nature of innovation as it occurs in clusters. The research question was devised from this position, and aimed to investigate what was actually meant and understood by innovation in clusters. To this end the research question was: What is the process and nature of innovation in clusters?â I this thesis I report on empirical studies undertaken in two clusters, in which I used semi- Structured interviews. Aer a analytical review of the interview findings I discuss the results from a cross case comparison; this is complemented with data from the extant literature. The results from the comparison are used to generate a empirically derived model of the process of innovation, and a definition of the nature of innovation in clusters. The model explains that the process of innovation progresses through five steps: Ignite; Gather; Spark off; Create and Diffuse. The definition of the nature of innovation is understood via five essential characteristics; that innovation is major, undertaken continuously, is time compressed, problem solving, and survival driven. I combination the model and definition leads to a analytically generalisable view of the process and nature of innovation, which can be applied to clusters as a whole