bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Co‐opetition: a source of international opportunities in Finnish SMEs
Authors: Kock Sören , Nisuls Johanna , Söderqvist Anette 
Published: March 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study international opportunities gained through co‐opetitive relations in small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as to examine the influence of different levels of co‐opetition on international opportunities.Design/methodology/approachIn order to achieve the purpose, multiple in‐depth case studies are conducted in four SMEs.FindingsThe results reveal a paradigm shift in competition in an international context. Co‐opetition has provided international opportunities for the case companies, though to varying degrees and character. Furthermore, international opportunities can be found in strong and weak cooperation‐dominated relations as well as in equal relations between competitors. However, the different levels of co‐opetition influence the characteristics of the international opportunities in terms of continuity and scope.Research limitations/implicationsThe results highlight the importance of taking co‐opetitive relations in general as well as the different levels of co‐opetition within these relations into consideration when analyzing the exploration and exploitation of international opportunities in SMEs. The results are, however, limited by the number of cases analyzed and further research on a larger scale is needed in order to draw additional conclusions.Practical implicationsThe influence of various co‐opetitive relations found on international opportunities and competitiveness brings to light the value for companies to focus on and to develop these relations as well as to maintain a variety of cooperative relations with their competitors in the internationalization process.Originality/valueThe paper increases the knowledge on a yet largely unexplored, but significant topic, which is valuable both from a practical‐ and a research‐oriented perspective.
Competitiveness and changing patterns of embeddedness in Romania
Authors: Wright Roxana 
Published: March 2010

PurposeStrategies of embedding into the local environment are considered critical for multinational companies (MNCs) operating in Central and Eastern Europe. The purpose of this paper is to analyze such strategies in Romania.Design/methodology/approachThe theoretical framework draws on social network theory to investigate the extent, structure, and features of embedding in the context of four case studies.FindingsThe results suggest a shift in how MNCs respond to a changing competitive landscape in Romania. The findings indicate that, contrasting proficient strategies of establishing numerous connections at entry, the most valuable approaches are currently aimed at building a diverse but non‐redundant network of relationships that gives the company access to information and flexibility to react quickly to changes. Direct relationships with the government are found to be potentially detrimental, even if they may have been important at market entry.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of the research relate to the subjective nature of the testimony‐based material.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that the local subsidiary management should stay connected with organizations that allow access to information about their industries, applicable legislation and future competitive pressures, while corporate headquarters need to give local management enough decision‐making freedom for the subsidiary to evolve with the environment.Originality/valueThe paper enhances knowledge of a strategic approach used extensively in transition and emerging markets, and adds to the understanding of MNCs' strategies in Romania.
Paradigm shifts in the video game industry
Authors: Zackariasson Peter , Wilson Timothy L. 
Published: March 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify, characterize, and discuss paradigm shifts that have occurred in the video game industry with some emphasis on competition and competitiveness.Design/methodology/approachBasically, the paper depends upon a review of the literature associated with video game development. Past history is taken from texts and academic papers dealing with the subject. More current observations are taken from the business and popular press. These observations are placed within a context associated with the classic papers on industry evolution, paradigms, paradigm shifts, competition, and competitiveness.FindingsIt is difficult to capture present shifts in such a fast‐growing industry, but these shifts seem clear: the original entry of video games into the arcade sector that led to the industry and the demise of pinball; the development of the home cartridge and console that made the industry a home‐based phenomenon; the entry of independent game‐publishers that made the industry a two‐tiered one; and the development of massively multiplayer online role‐playing games (MMORPGs) that changed the way games are played.Originality/valueThe video game industry is an interesting one to follow. To an extent, its development characterizes our generation – fast paced, technologically oriented, and targeted toward the young and young at heart. This paper takes the subject away from a historical or anecdotal approach and places it within the context of industry evolution, paradigms, and paradigm shifts. It thus should be of value to students of not only video games, but also the evolution of rapidly growing industries and establishment of competitive advantages.
Strategic networks for increased regional competitiveness: two Swedish cases
Authors: Lundberg Heléne 
Published: March 2010

PurposeClusters and networks have become cornerstones of regional development efforts. This paper discusses the ability of regional strategic networks (RSN) to bring about cluster effects and how structural factors will affect performance of RSNs.Design/methodology/approachThe paper compares structural aspects of prosperous clusters, as identified in cluster theory, with characteristics of RSNs. A theoretical discussion is supplemented with a study of two Swedish cases with structurally different settings.FindingsIt is found that membership in a RSN may increase the competitiveness of individual firms and thereby also have a positive impact on regional competitiveness. However, a RSN cannot fully reproduce or create cluster conditions. The main outcome in the cases concerned visibility aspects of firm membership.Practical implicationsNetwork initiators and coordinators will benefit from awareness of implications for outcomes caused by the member composition of RSNs.Originality/valueBy analyzing and comparing cluster characteristics with characteristics of RSNs, this paper develops these concepts and analyzes the influence of member composition on expected membership outcomes in RSNs.
Services‐led industrial policy for inclusive growth and competitiveness
Authors: Hafeez Siddiqui Sulaman , Mujtaba Nawaz Saleem Hassan 
Published: March 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to extend the theory of services‐led industrial policy in services dominated but industrially lagging developing Asian economies and discuss its implications for employment, competitiveness, and diversification.Design/methodology/approachAn inductive approach using qualitative methodology is adopted reviewing the available literature and evidence from Pakistan. The critical synthesis of the history of economic growth and industrial policy has followed Kuhn's paradigm approach.FindingsFocusing on Pakistan, the paper synthesizes the history of industrial policy to identify the major paradigm shifts, especially the structural reforms era of the 1990s. The evidence suggests that the reforms under the structural adjustment program (SAP) have proved to be the necessary but not sufficient conditions for inclusive growth and industrial competitiveness in services dominated economies. Services‐led growth without an integrated and competitive industrial sector can lead to severe external accounts deficits and unemployment. The traditional role of services as “driver of demand/growth” is extended as “driver of productivity/competitiveness” through forward linkages with other sectors of the economy. The services sector's enabling role as the “software” of the economy and its impact on total factor productivity growth, diversification, and inclusive growth is postulated.Research limitations/implicationsA quantification of forward and backward linkages is needed to identify the potential of services sub‐sectors in driving growth and productivity, respectively.Originality/valueThe paper identifies the need to match the existing industrial policy regimes with the economic structures in services‐dominated developing economies. The role of forward linkages in the productivity growth has implications for measurement of services output in national accounts in order to fully capture the contribution of this sector.
A new research paradigm to analyze the threats against fair competition in the global marketplace
Authors: Hultén Peter , Vanyushyn Vladimir 
Published: March 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a new research paradigm that can assist in preventing unethical behavior from strengthening its grip on the global economy.Design/methodology/approachThe paper discusses examples of corrupt acts, which affect companies' competitive positions in the global economy. The examples draw upon media reports of unethical behavior in Swedish companies and observations made when conducting field studies in Russia and the Ukraine.FindingsThis paper identifies what is to be observed and analyzed at close range in companies with regard to corrupt acts. Furthermore, this paper highlights unethical behavior manifested in reward cultures and earnings manipulation in Western companies, which are problems that threaten fair competition.Originality/valueThe paper highlights critical areas of investigation with regard to studies of corruption and other forms of unethical behavior which have a detrimental effect on the development of the global market.
Co‐opetition dynamics – an outline for further inquiry
Authors: Bengtsson Maria , Eriksson Jessica , Wincent Joakim 
Published: March 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to conceptually develop the understanding of co‐opetition dynamics and to enhance the conceptual clarity of co‐opetition by developing a definition based on previous research efforts.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual paper integrates various approaches to the concept co‐opetition into a definition that holds for co‐opetitive interactions across multiple levels. Different co‐opetitive interactions and the resulting dynamics are discussed by drawing upon competition and cooperation theories. The paper concludes with an agenda for further research on co‐opetition dynamics.FindingsThe paper outlines how different types of co‐opetitive interactions result in archetypical situations where the dynamics of co‐opetition are present as well as where the dynamics of co‐opetition are missing due to a lack of balance between cooperation and competition. It notes four co‐opetitive forces: over‐embedding, distancing, confronting, and colluding. These four forces drive development towards situations without dynamics.Originality/valueThis paper provides a conceptual understanding of co‐opetition dynamics and will reveal that in order to adequately account for co‐opetition dynamics, a definition of co‐opetition must analytically separate the cooperative and the competitive interaction inherent in co‐opetition.
A discourse analytical approach to qualitative marketing research
Authors: Skålén Per 
Published: March 2010

PurposeThis paper aims to introduce to marketing a discourse analytical framework on which future qualitative marketing research can draw.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology is to utilize Michel Foucault's works and the discourse theory of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe.FindingsA discourse analytical framework for qualitative marketing research consisting of six central concepts – turning points, problematizations, articulations, nodal points, hegemony and deconstruction – is outlined.Originality/valueThe discourse analytical framework outlined can be used in future qualitative marketing research. It is mainly of value to marketing researchers.
Visitor narratives: researching and illuminating actual destination experience
Authors: Guthrie Cathy , Anderson Alistair 
Published: March 2010

PurposeThis paper aims to argue that, while destination benchmarking and visitor surveys seek to measure the visitor experience, they privilege the destination manager or researcher rather than taking the visitor's viewpoint. It seeks to suggest that capturing and analysing visitor stories while in the destination can facilitate understanding of how destination image changes with actual experience, and what factors or attributes are important, thereby offering a deeper insight into the process through which destination experience is transformed (sense making) and transmitted (sense giving) via those stories, that all important word of mouth publicity.Design/methodology/approachUnstructured interviews were recorded with visitors in Edinburgh and Greenwich. An interpretive approach was employed in analysing the interview data to uncover facets of visitor experience affecting the image conveyed through the narrative.FindingsThe research reveals three elements involved in the sense making and sense giving process and sets out the three categories of visitor consumption characteristics which are implicated in the process.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the outcomes of the sense making and sense giving process are mediated by the incidents, interactions and characteristics of the individual visitor, the process itself is common to all visitors. Analysing visitor narratives to uncover the mediating factors illuminates the visitor's actual destination experience and its impact on their understanding or image of a destination. Narratives proved to be a useful research tool.Practical implicationsThe interview and analysis techniques used could be readily adapted for use alongside existing standardised visitor survey tools to provide destination managers and marketers a greater understanding of the impact of customer care and visitor management programmes and how narrative may be useful in tailoring destination marketing to meet the requirements of specific visitor groups.Originality/valueThe paper demonstrates the utility of capturing and analysing visitor narratives at the point of destination consumption for understanding actual destination experience and the way in which it is transmitted as word of mouth information to others.
Wal‐Mart is coming to Guelph: hedonic to utilitarian shoppers' perceptions
Authors: Teed Moira , Norman Christopher , Aung May , Adlam Doug , Goswami Sameer , Surgeoner Brae , Zhu BiChen 
Published: March 2010

PurposeTo date few research studies exist on consumers' responses to the adoption of Wal‐Mart into towns and cities. This paper seeks to examine the expected impact of a Wal‐Mart store in a community before its arrival.Design/methodology/approachMedia reviews, participant observations and in‐depth interviews were applied. Positive and negative articles relating to Wal‐Mart as exhibited in the newspapers – theGuelph Tribuneand theGuelph Mercury– were reviewed. Participant observations were conducted in three different shopping areas of Guelph: the Downtown area, the Stone Road mall area and the Willow West mall area. A total of 13 participants from these shopping areas were interviewed.FindingsOverall, this study found that the participants were receptive to the notion of Wal‐Mart coming to Guelph despite the negative publicity and strong opposition Wal‐Mart had faced in the media. Additionally, this study offered insights for this marketplace based on the consumption context of hedonic and utilitarian shoppers. The intensity of these shoppers' perceptions and beliefs were found to be different for different contexts such as retail shopping, businesses and social.Research limitations/implicationsThis study demonstrates the importance of wider contextual comprehension when trying to understand what values consumers hold for retailers in the marketplace. However, these findings are restricted by the limited range of opinions captured. A fully holistic view is only possible when taking into account the perspectives of local business owners, future Wal‐Mart employees and managers, activists, or politicians – all of whom have an impact on the situation of Wal‐Mart in Guelph.Practical implicationsInsights from this study can assist management personnel for their future expansion plans.Originality/valueThis study extends the application of consumers' value dimensions by focusing not only on consumers' hedonic and utilitarian values but also by incorporating the community context. Furthermore, it offers a multi‐method qualitative market research approach for discovering insights that would not have emerged from utilizing just one method of data collection. This is also the first study to assess consumer responses before a store's construction.
An examination of consumer browsing behaviors
Authors: Xia Lan 
Published: March 2010

PurposeBrowsing is a common consumer behavior, but it has not been researched extensively. The aim of this paper is to fill some of the gaps in the research.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on literature from different areas, consumers' browsing experiences, browsing patterns, and factors influencing browsing activities are empirically examined. A combination of interviews and shopping trips with informants to examine the issues are used.FindingsThe results show that browsing serves both functional and recreational purposes. Consumers vary by the degree to which they browse functionally or recreationally. Browsing behaviors are influenced by both consumer characteristics and the retail environment. Browsing is a powerful consumer information acquisition activity and has both desired and undesired consequences for consumer purchases. Consumers use various strategies to cope with the undesired consequences.Practical implicationsExploration of browsing patterns and factors influencing these patterns suggests important managerial implications for enhancing desirable browsing and reducing unnecessary browsing.Originality/valueThe conceptualization and findings of this research contribute to two areas of research: consumer information search and consumer shopping behaviors in retail environments. An examination of the role of browsing offers an empirical extension to the information acquisition framework.
Consumer retirement planning: an exploratory study of gender differences
Authors: Grace Debra , Weaven Scott , Ross Mitchell 
Published: March 2010

PurposeAlthough superannuation planning has been examined within the context of individual choice, life course and cumulative advantage perspectives, little research has been contained within the theories of consumer behavior. This paper, therefore, aims to examine this important issue by delving into the perceptions of retirement planning from the perspectives of both male and female consumers.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative research design was adopted to gather in‐depth information within a real‐life context in order to build theory. In total, 21 exploratory semi‐structured interviews, to assist in identifying and describing the variety of thoughts and feelings that female and male consumers hold towards financial retirement planning, were conducted.FindingsThe findings from the in‐depth interviews indicate that males and females adopt different perspectives when it comes to retirement planning. Males tend to adopt an individual choice perspective, whereby it is assumed that retirement will be another stage in life which will provide for a lifestyle conducive with their current standard of living. Women, on the other hand, adopt very much a life course perspective, which makes no assumptions or predictions about future life stages, but one that views outcomes as contingent on the circumstances of one's life.Originality/valueThe value of this research lies in its methodology and analysis. Perceptions of males and females in relation to retirement planning have not before been mapped and, as such, the perpetual maps developed in the paper contribute new knowledge in relation to attitudes and behavior towards retirement financial planning.
Modeling in branding: a critical ethnography approach
Authors: El‐Amir Ayman , Burt Steve 
Published: March 2010

PurposeThis paper aims to shed light on the potential of ethnography to provide a dialectical approach to modeling the process of branding as its focus widens from managerial to social.Design/methodology/approachA critical approach to ethnography is adopted and implemented in light of the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu's ethnographic modeling technique of “participant objectification”.FindingsThe paper demonstrates from the customer standpoint, of a case of a grocery retailer, the ability of critical ethnography to dialectically model the branding process as an organic cultural whole, which envelops an intricate set of different, yet interdependent, social and managerial systems, functioning in a coherent and complementary manner.Research limitations/implicationsThe empirical evidence is limited to the area of grocery retailing. Thus, widening the application of the technique in other areas would be desirable.Practical implicationsThe dialectical nature of the critical approach to modeling yields a rich multi‐faceted view of the branding process that could help remedy the problem of detachment from complex reality, which has often been a criticism of traditional approaches to modeling in marketing.Originality/valueThe suggested dialectical approach to modeling expands the potential use of ethnography within the critical orientation to theory building in marketing generally, and branding in particular through elaborating the process of cultural construction from textual via participant observation to dialectical via participant objectification.
Methodology applied for maintenance technical audit in urban transport fleets
Authors: Macián V. , Tormos B. , Salavert J.M. , Ballester S. 
Published: March 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a methodology for audit maintenance strategies and processes focused in urban transport fleets.Design/methodology/approachIn response to this purpose, the main objective is to identify the strengths and the weaknesses of the maintenance system in order to establish actions that minimize the weaknesses and maximise the strengths. To audit properly, a well‐structured methodology is required, in which analyses will be performed, from general to more specific plans and procedures.FindingsIt was found that the evaluation of other related aspects is also necessary. Aspects such as: facilities, personnel, computerised information systems and the accurate management of the information derived from the proper maintenance activities.Practical implicationsUsing the methodology described in this paper will make it easier for the company to evaluate real maintenance performance and possible improvements.Originality/valueBy using this methodology, a detailed situation of the fleet's maintenance is illustrated, and consequently different operations can be taken into account to achieve the established improvement objectives