Business Commons^™

Port Supply Network Strategies: An Erbv Perspective, Nikolaos Valantasis Kanellos, Nigel Caldwell

Conference Papers

Increasingly supply networks are recognised as the most meaningful level of analysis in many industries. Yet few studies examine the additional capabilities and revenue options generated by such alliancing. ERBV is one perspective that addresses how these alliancing related opportunities can create competitive advantage. The ERBV perspective and notion of relational rents is used empirically to understand three distinct port supply network strategies. Whilst this study is confirmatory regarding the basic tents of ERBV, beyond studying ERBV in a new context the study contributes to theory by reporting that, paradoxically, temporary relational rents can be generated without close partnerships.

Developing Strategy From The Middle:Subsidiary Strategy And The Role Of The Subsidiary General Manager, Donal O'Brien

Conference Papers

The multinational subsidiary is a unique context to study management processes relating to strategy but so far, there has not been a coherent approach identifiable in the literature. It is recognised that subsidiaries evolve over time and through their own actions and initiatives have the potential to modify the power structures of the Multinational Enterprise (MNE) but little is known about the role of the subsidiary manager in this process. We
suggest that the tensions between the headquarters perspective and the subsidiary perspective have resulted in the application of inappropriate frameworks to the study of subsidiary managers. This proposal presents …

Developing Strategy From The Middle:Subsidiary Strategy And The Role Of The Subsidiary General Manager, Donal O'Brien, Pamela Sharkey Scott, Patrick Gibbons

Conference Papers

The multinational subsidiary is a unique context to study management processes relating to strategy but so far, there has not been a coherent approach identifiable in the literature. It is recognised that subsidiaries evolve over time and through their own actions and initiatives have the potential to modify the power structures of the Multinational Enterprise (MNE) but little is known about the role of the subsidiary manager in this process. We suggest that the tensions between the headquarters perspective and the subsidiary perspective have resulted in the application of inappropriate frameworks to the study of subsidiary managers. This proposal presents …

Strategic Activity In The Today’S Multinational Subsidiaries, Donal O'Brien, Pamela Sharkey Scott, Patrick Gibbons

Conference Papers

This working paper presents an ongoing empirical study into strategy development at the subsidiary management level of the Multinational Enterprise (MNE). The multinational subsidiary is a unique context to study management processes relating to strategy but so far, despite the emergence of the concept, there has not been a coherent approach identifiable in the literature. It is recognised that subsidiaries evolve over time and through their own actions and initiatives have the potential to modify the power structures of the Multinational Enterprise (MNE) but little is known about the role of the subsidiary manager in this process. We suggest that …

Making Sense Of Health Care Planning In Ireland; The Street Level Public Organization (Slpo)., Vivienne Byers

Conference Papers

One of the central mechanisms of the Strategic Management Initiative (SMI) (Government of Ireland 1996) is the devolution of accountability and responsibility from the centre to executive agencies. Service planning was introduced in the Irish health care sector as part of this strategic planning ethos. This paper reports on a study that examined both the intent and the consequences of implementing legislatively mandated planning in the Irish health services, in the context of significant organizational change. In an effort to draw broader lessons, a comparison is drawn with the Canadian experience of service planning.

The choice was made to study …

In Search Of Theory: Towards An Integrating Conceptual Framework For Subsidiary Research, Donal O'Brien, Pamela Sharkey Scott, Patrick Gibbons

Conference Papers

Despite the importance of the strategic choices taken by subsidiary managers to the long terms survival of their unit, little is known about the phenomenon. (Dörrenbächer & Geppert, 2009, Scott, Gibbons, & Coughlan, 2010). This paper analyses and synthesises the research streams on subsidiary management to date to provide critical conceptual insights and proposes a new theoretical approach to subsidiary analysis, applied to the critical routine of subsidiary strategy. The adoption of more global business structures by MNEs has led to additional strategic constraints on subsidiary managers (Buckley, 2009, Buckley & Ghauri, 2004, Mudambi, 2008), which we categorise as the …

Subsidiary Strategy And The Role Of The Subsidiary Manager : Integrating The Middle Manager Perspective, Donal O'Brien

Conference Papers

Subsidiary strategy is a concept which has emerged in international business literature but research has so far failed to explain how subsidiary managers develop strategy under the constraints of the paradoxical pressures they face in today’s Multinational Enterprises (MNE). On the one hand current trends suggest that (MNE) are developing into more global business structures which are reducing the power and influence of subsidiary managers (Buckley, 2009, Buckley & Ghauri, 2004, Mudambi, 2008). The result of these trends, are that the market orientated aspects of subsidiary strategy are becoming constrained and to some degree taken out of the hands of …

Renewing Health Services Management Research: Redrawing The Citizen-Client In Irish Health Care Policy, Vivienne Byers

Conference Papers

Ireland has a history of health policy which is not explicit as to its aims and objectives. In light of this fact, this paper examines the position and direction of the Irish Health Services, five years on from the advent of the setting up of the Health Services Executive (HSE) and the restructuring of the health services. The Irish health system policy is guided by the Health Strategy of 2001; in that there should be equitable distribution of health services focused on the need of the citizen-client, and also by the Primary Care Strategy (2001:7); in that there should be …

A Reconceptualisation Of Ambidexterity: How Subsidiaries Can Use Their Capabilities And Knowledge To Build Subsidiary Bargaining Power, Marty Reilly, Pamela Sharkey Scott

Conference Papers

The literature on subsidiaries to date has focused largely on analysing autonomy, knowledge flows and firm specific advantages (Argote and Ingram 2000; Harzing and Noorderhaven 2006; Meyer, Wright and Pruthi 2009). An emerging stream of literature recognises the potential complexity of intra-organisational power within the MNC as warranting further investigation (Andersson, Forsgren and Holm, 2007; Bouquet and Birkinshaw, 2008; Mudambi and Navarra, 2004). It is held that as subsidiaries develop dynamic tacit capabilities which can be leveraged, their scope to exert influence and exercise subsidiary bargaining power increases concurrently. This raises some important questions for subsidiary managers, firstly can subsidiaries …

Middle Managers' Searching For Knowledge: The Repository-Interpersonal Dilemma, Esther Tippmann, Pamela Sharkey Scott, Vincent Mangematin

Conference Papers

Drawing on the organizational memory and strategy for managing knowledge literatures to develop a theoretical framework, we empirically examined the organizational memory contexts – interpersonal and repository logic - that set the broader conditions for middle managers’ knowledge searching. Contrary to most studies which examine knowledge storage processes, with the help of multiple case studies, we examined middle managers’ actual activities. Our findings reveal that in the interpersonal logic middle managers more actively engage in knowledge circulation and knowledge co-creation processes. In the repository logic instead, middle managers’ potential seemed to become confined because of cognitive inertia, leading to a …

Dynamic Capabilities, Absorptive Capacity And Knowledge Sharing: A Research Agenda Into Explicating The Antecedent Factors Conducive To Subsidiary Bargaining Power, Marty Reilly, Pamela Sharkey Scott

Conference Papers

This research explores the relationship between relative absorptive capacity – a firm‟s proficiency at acquiring, assimilating, transforming and ultimately exploiting knowledge – and subsidiary bargaining power. In building upon the existing dynamic capabilities framework it is advanced that absorptive capacity, as a mediator, serves not only as a valid dynamic capability but also as an enabling mechanism and a vehicle by which subsidiary bargaining power can be achieved. The antecedent factors conducive to building relative absorptive capacity are critically evaluated and built upon in a subsidiary specific context. The contribution of these new factors provides insight into the enabling constructs …

Revitalisation, Rigour And Relevance: The Citizen-Client And Planning In The Health Services., Vivienne Byers

Conference Papers

Whereas, in many OECD countries strategic planning in health care has been in evidence since the 1970s, in Ireland the emergence of strategic management processes in health care planning didn’t occur until the 1990s.

This paper reports on part of a comparative study of health services planning in Ireland and in Canada. How can the strategic management of the Irish health services in the form of service planning be implemented? The focus of this paper is the identification of two key stumbling blocks to success in this endeavour. These include the limitations of the control mechanism, the legislation, underpinning service …

Strategic Change In The Irish Health Services: Comparative Case Studies In Planning, Vivienne Byers

Conference Papers

This paper reports on a study of the implementation of service planning in the Irish health services in the context of significant organisational change. One of the central mechanisms of the Strategic Management Initiative (SMI) is the devolution of accountability and responsibility from the centre to executive agencies. Service planning in the Irish health care sector is seen as part of this strategic planning ethos.

This study in examining the function and implementation of the service plan in the Irish health care system drew comparisons with the Canadian experience. A multiple case study design was utilised. Key research questions were …

The Role Of The Middle Manager In The Strategy Development Process Of The Multinational Subsidiary, Donal O'Brien, Pamela Sharkey Scott

Conference Papers

As multinational corporations (MNC) strive for long term competitiveness in complex business environments the Strategic Development Process has emerged as a potential source of competitive advantage (Grant, 2003). Despite this recognition there is limited knowledge of the strategy development process and the contributors to strategy development at the subsidiary level of the MNC. The essence of strategy development is contributing to competitive advantage through management activities (Papadakis et al, 1998), but much of the focus of research up to this point has been on the strategic relationship between subsidiary top management and corporate headquarters with little attention being paid to …

Subsidiaries, Competencies And The Implementation Of Dynamic Capabilities, Marty Reilly, Pamela Sharkey Scott

Conference Papers

Practitioners are increasingly urged by popular press and academia to add value and develop their business units by building dynamic capabilities; but both the academic theory and press fail to give a comprehensive definition as to what constitutes a dynamic capability and how they can be developed. The purpose of this paper is to explore and ultimately build upon the current literature in addressing this need, thereby contributing to managerial and academic thinking on dynamic capabilities and then to discuss the potential managerial implications in a subsidiary context. This is in response to identifying the gap both theoretically and empirically …

Don’T Store It, Search For It: How Organizations Can Encourage Middle Managers To Search For Distributed Knowledge, Esther Tippmann, Pamela Sharkey Scott, Vincent Mangematin

Conference Papers

This qualitative study examined how middle managers, at the micro-level, search for distributed knowledge to resolve non-routine problems, and how the organizational context, at the macro-level, influences the knowledge search effectiveness. We find that middle managers proactively search organization wide knowledge resources, thus highlighting the significance of middle managers in integrating distributed knowledge. Further, our findings show the importance of the organization to provide supporting structures. In particular, we offer evidence that effective knowledge search does not rely on repositories but that organizational design aspects and a strategy for managing knowledge that emphasizes interaction opportunities, informality, and openness can promote …

Reconciling External Legitimacy And Organisational Implementation: The Case Of Service Planning In The Irish Health Services, Vivienne Byers

Conference Papers

Whereas, in many OECD countries strategic planning in health care has been in evidence since the 1970s, in Ireland the emergence of strategic management processes in health care planning didn’t occur until the 1990s. The Strategic Management Initiative (SMI), as outlined in Delivering Better Government (1996), gives Government commitment to ‘the reform of our institutions at national and local level to provide service, accountability and transparency’ and forms the backdrop to the Irish public service reforms. One of the central mechanisms of the SMI is the devolution of accountability and responsibility from the centre to executive agencies. Service planning in …