Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Strategic Flexibility, Agility, And Organizational Resilience: A Conceptual Framework Based On Existing Literature

In today’s economically turbulent times, it is imperative that organizations remain flexible and resilient in order to adapt themselves to an ever-changing environment. To facilitate this, organizations should rely upon pliant structures of information, whilst simultaneously continuing to incorporate more rigid infrastructures in order to allow for the collection and analysis of large amounts of both internal and external data. This juxtaposition gives rise to the need for a trade-off. While academic literature has stressed that information systems may represent a burden for organizations pursuing strategic agility, flexibility, and organizational resilience, this paper highlights the ways in which Analytical, Automatic, Adaptive, and Agile information systems - or Big Data Analytics (BDA) capable information systems - may be helpful. In particular, this paper proposes BDA capable information systems, tied with artificial intelligence capabilities, as a trade-off solution. Alongside this, it also proposes some further implications of the topic for scholars and practitioners

Social media strategies to protect brand image and corporate reputation in the digital era: a digital investigation of the Eni vs. Report case

Over the last decade digital technologies have significantly affected branding strategies and corporate reputation monitoring. Due to the diffusion of digital platforms, stakeholders and consumers have become more engaged in marketing strategies. Specifically, the “consumer decision journey” has represented a new paradigmatic shift in recent marketing literature. The advent of social networking sites has indeed caused an increase of digital touch points, which foster the connection between brand strategists and consumers. Hence, nowadays consumers may directly express their opinions about companies’ practices and products using the Internet. Because of this emerging phenomenon, modern marketing strategies are progressively focusing on preserving corporate reputations in the digital environment. In order to better understand how monitoring corporate reputations and responding to consumers to avoid the rise of negative brand perceptions, this explorative paper analyses the digital response strategy implemented by Eni, the largest Italian oil and gas company. The case explored consists of a digital investigation on Twitter, aimed at investigating how Eni’s digital counterattack strategies affected consumers’ perceptions after accusations moved by Report, a popular Italian journalism TV programme. The conclusions suggest that real-time digital counterattack strategies on social networking sites represent effective strategies to preserve corporate reputations as perceived by customers

Ambidextrous Organizations in the Big Data Era: The Role of Information Systems

Addressing the effect of big data analytics-capable information systems on organizational ambidexterity, this book investigates how these systems can be used to enhance organizational agility and flexibility, generally considered to be two key determinants of organizational ambidexterity. With a focus on the opportunities for businesses rather than the burden that big data can represent, the authors highlight the impact of big data on ambidextrous organizations and how current organizational structures can be modified in order to improve big data analytics and implement big data-capable information systems

Analyzing the main types of co-created experiences

espanolProposito La presente investigacion se propone analizar en profundidad como las marcas pueden estar de acuerdo con la co-creacion de las experiencias de los consumidores. En particular, el objetivo de la investigacion es aclarar cuales son los principales tipos de experiencias co-creadas que los consumidores pueden experimentar debido a su participacion en las comunidades de marcas de redes sociales. Diseno/metodologia/enfoque Para hacerlo, en primer lugar, se han identificado los factores que influyen en la co-creacion de las experiencias de los miembros de las comunidades de marcas. En particular, el punto de partida de esta investigacion esta representado por el papel de otros consumidores y de la marca en la co-creacion de experiencias. Con el fin de identificar los principales tipos de experiencias co-creadas, se ha utilizado una investigacion digital como el principal metodo de analisis. Dibujamos nuestra investigacion digital en el paradigma de Metodos Digitales. Hallazgos Se identificaron y conceptualizaron cuatro tipos principales de experiencias co-creadas. Originalidad/valor Los resultados enfatizan la importancia de que los estrategas de marca involucren a los miembros de las comunidades de marcas de medios sociales para estimular la co-creacion de experiencias. Especificamente, surgio como la interaccion simultanea de otros miembros de la comunidad y la marca puede afectar la co-creacion. EnglishPurpose – This paper presents an in-depth investigation on how brands may concur to the co-creation of consumers' experiences. In particular, the purpose of this paper is to clarify the main types of co-created experiences that consumers may encounter as a result of social media brand communities. Design/methodology/approach – To identify the main types of co-created experiences, a digital investigation has been used as the main method of analysis. The authors draw their digital investigation on the digital methods paradigm. Findings – Four principal types of co-created experiences have been identified and conceptualized, namely, brand's products' individual usage experiences, auto-celebrative experiences, brand's products' communal usage experiences and collective celebration experiences. Originality/value – Results stress the importance for brand strategists to involve members of social media brand communities to stimulate co-creation experiences. Specifically, it emerges that the simultaneous interaction among members of the community and the brand may directly affect co-creation experiences

Reframing agile organization: do big data analytics capabilities matter?

The Agile Manifesto has become the mantra for software developers seeking to create innovative software. However, recently, the principles of Agile Manifesto have also emerged as guidelines for organizations continuously seeking to develop and adopt innovations. Hence, the expression Agile Organization arose. Notwithstanding this interest, Agile Organizations' traits still have to be conceptualized. Yet, the role of Big Data Analytics capable information systems has been neglected. In this perspective, the research aims to develop a framework assessing why Big Data analytics capabilities are fundamental for organizations aiming to follow Agile Organization's principles. Implications of the potential role of such information systems on innovation development and adoption, performance and organizational flexibility are also presented

Entrepreneurial education and internationalisation of firms in transition economies: a conceptual framework from the case of Croatia

The aim of this paper is to offer an integrated perspective on internationalisation process in transition economies and the role that an entrepreneurial education can play in it. The context of a transition economy, such those countries belonging to the former Yugoslavian republic, deeply affect the entrepreneurial activities established. Internationalisation offers a viable advantage to entrepreneurs and their firms to overcome a limited internal market and hostile conditions faced in the local environment. Thanks to the results obtained by a stream of studies focused on the entrepreneurial context in Croatia, we build a framework to explore the problems faced by entrepreneurs when internationalisation is considered and possible solutions. Our main contribution is the proposition of an entrepreneurial education as facilitator of the process. Indeed, entrepreneurial education, considered as formal education and an entrepreneurial university context, can directly ameliorate the process of internationalisation. Simultaneously it can also affect the networking strategy that in literature is another prominent element tackled regarding the problem of internationalisation in transition economies. Thus, entrepreneurial education may represent a strong boost in which to invest with public policies and targeted interventions

An ambidextrous approach to practice-based innovation for social product development: lessons from a Dutch company

In the face of increasing competition, an organization’s capacity to acquire knowledge from the outside has become fundamental for new product development. Pertinent extant literature has stressed how an organization should practice social product development, allowing for the inclusion of all types of stakeholders in idea generation, selection, validation, and commercialization. This study investigates how organizations can acquire, maintain, and use different sources of knowledge via ambidextrous habits of exploitation and exploration to sustain social product development. A case study based on 27 semi-structured interviews and field observations at a leading, large-size, Dutch food-service company has been carried out. The findings illustrate the organizational processes and mechanisms that the company has adopted to address and combine practice- and research-based knowledge, as well as the main barriers limiting the accumulation and usage of this knowledge inside organizational boundaries

Achieving Strategic Flexibility in the Era of Big Data: The Importance of Knowledge Management and Ambidexterity

Purpose – This research unpacks the micro-mechanisms that exist between an organisation’s ability to conduct Big Data Analytics (BDA) and its achievement of strategic flexibility. Knowledge management capabilities and organisational ambidexterity have long been considered factors influencing the aforementioned relationship. In order to assess this, the authors build on dynamic capabilities as the main theoretical lens through which to examine. Design/methodology/approach – Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) is the main methodological approach used in this research. A structural model was developed and tested based on 215 survey responses collected from managers of organisations in continental Europe. Findings – The results indicate that BDA capabilities are a significant antecedent of an organisation’s strategic flexibility. This relationship, however, is influenced by knowledge management capabilities and ambidexterity. Practical implications – Managers wishing to properly exploit the potential of big data should invest in the elaboration of knowledge management processes across their organisation. This strategy can foster strategic flexibility. Originality/value – Previous research has explored the theoretical links between big data, knowledge management, and strategic flexibility. However, little attention has been paid to the quantitative investigation of the phenomenon