Corporate social responsibility strategy, sustainable product attributes, and export performance

Abstract The current article is one of the first studies to address the role of corporate social responsibility strategy (CSRS) in the development of performance-oriented sustainable product attributes (SPA) mix in manufacturing firms. We specifically analyze whether the extent of SPA development by the firm’s CSRS matches SPA contribution in export performance or do firms need to adapt CSRS to develop a performance-oriented SPA mix. The empirical analysis uses a panel dataset of 433 manufacturing firms from the United States during 2002–2017. The findings reveal the difference between SPA’s outcome (contribution) and SPA development in firms. Further analysis of disaggregated SPA explains the reasoning behind this difference because the firm’s CSRS’ emphasis on developing distinct attributes of SPA tends to mismatch the proportionate contribution of distinct attributes of SPA in export performance. Our study contributes to SPA, CSRS, and export performance literature by establishing the differences in performance contribution and development of aggregated and disaggregated SPA in manufacturing firms

International entrepreneurship beyond individuals and firms:on the systemic nature of international opportunities

Abstract The present study approaches opportunities in international entrepreneurship from a systemic perspective. Based on research on the collectiveness of opportunities in international entrepreneurship and the concepts of activity and object from activity theory, we develop a systemic conceptualization of opportunity-oriented international entrepreneurship. Through an empirical study in Finland and Israel, we depict six collective opportunity beliefs, considered from the viewpoints of society, international venture, and outcome expectations. Furthermore, we induce three modalities for international opportunity as the object of collective activity and model systemic opportunity shaping as the core activity of international entrepreneurship

The concept of international opportunity in international entrepreneurship:a review and a research agenda

Abstract Recent research in the field of international entrepreneurship (IE) has emphasized the concept of international opportunity. The entrepreneurial behaviors focused on international opportunities have been found to be critical in IE. International opportunities, however, are often depicted in rather abstract and unspecified ways, and the research suffers from narrow theoretical discussion in relation to the concept of opportunity. To address these issues, the authors draw from entrepreneurship research and present alternative conceptualizations of opportunities as a basis for more in-depth study of international opportunities in IE. To further articulate a future research agenda, the authors review the state of knowledge on opportunities in the IE field by content-analyzing articles published between 1989 and 2012. All the analyzed articles incorporate the concept of opportunity into their studies. It is found that, although the IE research has investigated many relevant elements, it is rather limited in the articulation of the conceptual features of international opportunities and opportunity-focused behaviors. Building on these observations, the authors propose a definition of international opportunity and research questions and strategies to advance IE research on international opportunities

Living with transformations of international opportunities:drivers of business model change in global value chains

Abstract This study addresses the question of how organizations, as parts of global value chains, may respond to, and in some situations initiate, transformations of international opportunities and how that is related to the business model change. It examines the forms of international opportunities and argues that different sources of transformation affect the viability of these opportunities, thereby driving the ways in which organizations live with these transformations. These, in turn, connect to the changes in the firms’ business models through 1) transformation intensifying, 2) transformation utilizing, 3) shifting, and 4) exit activities. It suggests that patterns can be detected regarding the alignment of the present manifestation of the international opportunity, the transformation type that influences it, and the ways in which these situations are met. The chapter develops a framework that advances understanding the connectedness of opportunities, business models, and global value chains in the era of discontinuities

Resolving the start-up identity crisis:strategizing in a network context

Abstract The objective of the present study is to examine the strategizing of start-ups in a network context. The paper depicts start-up strategizing as an intertwined activity of identification and boundary-drawing. The questions of network identity and network boundaries become salient in times of disengagement by a primary customer or when there is a need for significant redirection of the business during what is referred to as a network identity crisis. The study emphasizes the viewpoint of an entrepreneur as strategist and builds on the concept of network identity to stress the socially structured individual cognition of who the organization is in light of its network connections. We study strategizing in four start-ups with different identity crises. By applying a grounded theory approach and Gioia methodology, the paper models the dynamics of restart strategizing in terms of its internal and external triggers and the choices when managing three identity-related contradictions. Furthermore, we characterize four alternative restart strategies connected to the identities and boundaries perceived by the entrepreneurs. By embracing the way start-up’s identity and its strategy evolve interdependently in relation to the network dynamics, the model contributes to our understanding of those strategizing activities whereby restart can occur

Strategic practices of subsidiary positioning in business networks

Abstract Purpose: The present study examines subsidiary positioning within the dynamic business networks in the context of multinational companies (MNCs). The research question of the study is: How does the positioning of a subsidiary emerge through strategic practices in the dynamic business networks of an MNC? Design/methodology/approach: The study relies on the IMP view on strategy with a focus on market positioning activity and the strategy-as-practice approach. Positioning is seen as a question of strategic practices in the interactive spheres of the subsidiaries. In the empirical part of the study, we examine the practices of a forest machine industry multinational through longitudinal interview and archival data on three of its sales subsidiaries in Sweden, Russia, and the USA. Findings: The study defines core tensions in subsidiary interactive spheres and the related strategic practices that shape the positioning of the subsidiaries. The study models the practice-based network positioning of MNC subsidiaries as a dynamic play of relationship tensions. Originality/value: Prior research has focused either on the internal organizing of the MNCs or embeddedness of subsidiaries in their local environment. Less attention has been paid to the practices of positioning through which the subsidiaries deal with the inevitable tensions at the intersection of the internal and external networks

One family firm, four families:developing management models of a family values-based MNC

Abstract The present study approaches the internationalisation of family MNCs through the concept of a management model to examine the enactment of family values in the practice of MNC units. The study relies on the MNCs-as-network-organisations perspective, according to which an MNC is a complex web of interdependent relationships with subsidiaries embedded in their own local networks and individuals operating within them. The management model draws attention to choices about how work gets done at the firm level. We adopt a micro-level approach in an attempt to define the practices that carry the values from the historical development path of a family firm to the management models of its subsidiaries. The empirical part of the study presents an examination of a family-owned multinational and three of its subsidiaries in Sweden, Russia and the USA. The findings illustrate the family values of the MNC as a nexus that guides the operations and sets the direction of the firm in the long term, but they take different manifestations in the management models of the subsidiaries

Professional boundaries in action:using reflective spaces for boundary work to incorporate a new healthcare role

Abstract Prior research on professional boundary work emphasises the importance of subtle interactions among affected individuals when a new role is inserted into an established professional setting, which inevitably changes the prevalent division of labour. Thus, managers may set reflective spaces for professionals to collaboratively arrange their boundaries and make room for the new professional. This ethnomethodologically oriented study examines boundary arrangements in work development meetings in a university hospital, while professionals made room for a new role, a hospitalist. Examining professionals’ naturally occurring interactions in reflective spaces, the findings depict seven categorisations for the hospitalist. Elaborating on the dynamics of these categorisations, we propose that technically based categorisations sustain stability, and context-bound categorisations allow change in work practices, whereas their combination enables transformation within the institutional context. Accordingly, the study adds to the literature on the transformative potential of reflective spaces by illuminating the intertwining of engaged professionals’ boundary talk in interaction with the consequences of configurational boundary work in relation to a new professional role