Suchergebnisse

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the models which are used to analyse organisations as evolutionary adaptations to their environment.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses empirical data on the survival of business organisations in the Canakkkale region of Turkey to investigate the probability that they will cease to exist in any period of their operation.FindingsThere are indications of the effects predicted by both approaches; companies face heightened risk of death in three stages of their life.Research limitations/implicationsThe number of companies in the study is small, and consequently the results have to be viewed with caution.Originality/valueThis study shows how information about actual organisations can be used effectively.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop and empirically test model depicting the relationships among perceived environmental uncertainty, domestic and foreign networking, and export performance.Design/methodology/approachA sample of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) from Finland, Sweden and Norway serve as the study setting. Data were collected via mail surveys from random samples of SME owners/managers. Usable responses were 75 from Finland, 111 from Sweden and 71 from Norway.FindingsOf the four dimensions of uncertainty, only uncertainty about supplier markets emerged as a significant driver of domestic networking activities of SMEs. While domestic networking did not have a significant influence, foreign networking showed a significant positive impact on SMEs' export performance. Firm size was found to have positive impacts on foreign networking and export performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was limited to manufacturing SMEs in a particular region. Replications in other industries and regions are needed to validate the current findings. People from Finland, Norway and Sweden share similar cultural values and they are low on uncertainty‐avoidance. Hence, they are not threatened by environmental uncertainties and, consequently, may not feel compelled to engage in networking to reduce uncertainty.Practical implicationsThe positive linkage between foreign networking and export performance suggests that public officials in these countries should encourage SMEs to strengthen their existing foreign networks and facilitate formation of new ones via trade missions in other countries.Originality/valueUnderstanding the role of networking, as a potential buffer between environmental uncertainty and export performance, should be of interest to both researchers and practitioners.

PurposeTo provide evidence about that the process calledknowledge managementcan happen in work teams, but only if they have the necessary characteristics to be considered communities of practice.Design/methodology/approachFirst, the paper identifies the characteristics of the work team that favor knowledge management from a revision of existing literature about communities of practice. Second, by means of an empirical study of 363 individuals working in permanent teams, the paper obtains confirmation that those characteristics exercise a favorable influence on knowledge management. The empirical study is carried out by means of statistical analysis: exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach'sαanalyses were carried out to check the validity and reliability of scales; conducted correlation analyses were also conducted to test the six hypotheses regarding direct relationships and multiple regression analyses to assess the relative importance of each of the characteristics of the work team in knowledge management.FindingsEmpirical evidence is obtained that knowledge management is favored in work teams that possess certain characteristics: self‐management, leadership, individual autonomy, climate of trust, common understanding, and the members' heterogeneous and complementary skills. The paper also provides a detailed examination of that relationship. Evidence is obtained about what characteristics of work teams favor the knowledge management process in its different phases (i.e. creation of knowledge, and transfer and integration of knowledge).Research limitations/implicationsOn the one hand, the group rather than the individual would have been a more suitable unit of analysis. So, it should be noted that our findings are to be interpreted as individual perceptions. On the other hand, our scales represent new measures. So, they must be interpreted cautiously.Practical implicationsThe paper provides evidence that will help companies to understand the value of knowledge to their success and to obtain maximum performance through the organization of their human resources into teams with the appropriate characteristics to become communities of practice.Originality/valueThis paper fills an empirical gap in the literature around communities of practice and knowledge management.

This paper assesses the emergence of a new proactive model to achieve gender equality, and compares it with the more established complaints-led model based on individual rights. While transcending many of the weaknesses of the individual complaints model, the proactive model remains ambiguous in many crucial respects, particularly as to its objectives, its use of participation, and how compliance is to be achieved. The paper aims to shed more light on these key aspects by drawing on the experiences of such models in Canada, Northern Ireland, Britain, and the EU itself. This demonstrates that the location of proactive strategies on the borderline between law and politics makes them highly dependent on political will. The key challenge is therefore to ensure that proactive strategies are based on a recognition that equality is a fundamental right, not a discretion, without reverting to individualised complaints mechanisms with all their inbuilt weaknesses. I conclude by considering how we might achieve a fundamental and non-derogable core of rights within a proactive model.

What does EU sex equality law mean for the new 'post-socialist' Member States of the EU? Against the context of the legacy of 'socialist emancipation', and the backlash which followed the 1989/90 revolutions, this article analyses the contributions made by EU sex equality law to the legal position of women in the new Member States, and the potential for EU sex equality law to improve the position of women in those Member States. Using the case study of Hungary, it analyses the measures taken by one such Member State to comply with the acquis communautaire on sex equality. The conclusions are that EU sex equality law brings much of value to women in the new Member States, but that the future challenge is to instrumentalize and embed the EU sex equality acquis so that its promise becomes a practical reality for those women.

PurposeStrategic alliances are often described as risky, dangerous, and instable. When firms adopt these strategies, they are confronted with a relational risk. Nevertheless, little empirical work has been down on relational risk in alliances. For this reason, this research is founded and constructed on two principal questions: what is relational risk? And how is this risk to be managed?Design/methodology/approachFrom a methodological point of view, neither one paradigm nor the other concerning previous research was favoured. The process of the empirical research is based on an inductive non‐demonstrative step. It was carried out in two phases. Firstly, exploratory research was aimed at complementing previous research and formulating hypotheses. These hypotheses were tested with survey data on 87 partnerships of French biotechnology firms.FindingsThe results demonstrate the multidimensional character of relational risk and the duality of relational control. Relational control includes autonomous control and informal control.Research limitations/implicationsNevertheless, this research adopts a static perspective. It is known that alliances evolve, and develop. Consequently, future research should include the interactive process to understand how these two forms of management – autonomous and informal – evolve and in what cases they complement themselves.Practical implicationsFrom a managerial point of view, the results emphasize the need to be aware of existing dynamics between systems of control and relational risk perceptions.Originality/valueThis research proposes an empirical study of risk management model in alliance relationships and demonstrates the importance to adopt a multidimensional view of relational risk.