- My specialism is strategy in the creative and cultural industries. Current interests are digital business models and socio-material approaches to strategising.edit
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This paper examines the design of recording studios in the management of relations within popular music recording projects. The creation of a pop song is a complex endeavor, requiring a large number of decisions involving highly... more
This paper examines the design of recording studios in the management of relations within popular music recording projects. The creation of a pop song is a complex endeavor, requiring a large number of decisions involving highly subjective and often contested and contestable judgments. Organized in a flat structure and without established lines of authority this temporary assembly of people are faced with the challenge of making a product characterized by uncertainty over how to make it and what it will sound like once it is completed. The purpose of this paper is to understand how this is achieved. The study is based on observation of the practices, and relationships operating in a recording studio and supplemented by interviews with the participants. Using a socio-material approach, the spatial organization and use of technological objects are included to produce a contextual analysis of how actions are organized and decisions taken. What emerges is an understanding of how the des...
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Modelling environmental value: an analysis of sustainable business models within the fashion industry
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This theoretical paper examines the transaction cost framework as described by its main proponent in the context of the popular recorded music industry. We take the two firm typologies within the industry, major and independent, and... more
This theoretical paper examines the transaction cost framework as described by its main proponent in the context of the popular recorded music industry. We take the two firm typologies within the industry, major and independent, and discuss whether TCE variables can identify suitable governance structures for managing the transactions between them. We argue that asset idiosyncrasies such as cultural knowledge and reputation, and the nature of the non-linear causally ambiguous creation of cultural product create a climate that militates against TCE's ability to identify the optimal governance structure.
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Digital business models are often designed for rapid growth, and some relatively young companies have indeed achieved global scale. However despite the visibility and importance of this phenomenon, analysis of scale and scalability... more
Digital business models are often designed for rapid growth, and some relatively young companies have indeed achieved global scale. However despite the visibility and importance of this phenomenon, analysis of scale and scalability remains underdeveloped in management literature. When it is addressed, analysis of this phenomenon is often over-influenced by arguments about economies of scale in production and distribution. To redress this omission, this paper draws on economic, organization and technology management literature to provide a detailed examination of the sources of scaling in digital businesses. We propose three mechanisms by which digital business models attempt to gain scale: engaging both non- paying users and paying customers; organizing customer engagement to allow self- customization; and orchestrating networked value chains, such as platforms or multi-sided business models. Scaling conditions are discussed, and propositions developed and illustrated with examples ...
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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify and discuss the idiosyncratic features of the adoption and institutionalization of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices.Design/methodology/approachThis is a conceptual paper in... more
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify and discuss the idiosyncratic features of the adoption and institutionalization of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices.Design/methodology/approachThis is a conceptual paper in which current theory on the institutionalization of practices within organizational fields is extended. This is achieved through considering how well established models of the institutionalization process accommodate the idiosyncrasies of CSR practices.FindingsEstablished models of the institutionalization process do not properly account for the patterns of CSR adoption that are identified. This is because CSR has some features that differentiates it from other organizational initiatives, including idealism, delayed discovery of instrumental benefits, public attention, and the tension between public and private logics.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a conceptual paper which now needs to be explored empirically, either at the level of the CSR ...
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Abstract A great deal of recent academic attention has been paid to the role of location and proximity on the organizing of production. This body of work has identi-fied the likely benefits to firms of co-locating, but despite this, there... more
Abstract A great deal of recent academic attention has been paid to the role of location and proximity on the organizing of production. This body of work has identi-fied the likely benefits to firms of co-locating, but despite this, there are gaps, especially in the treatment of creative clusters ...
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Purpose - This paper explores the spatial and material context of a creative production project. Taking the music recording project as an empirical setting, it explores the creation of a pop song and reveals the highly situated character... more
Purpose - This paper explores the spatial and material context of a creative production project. Taking the music recording project as an empirical setting, it explores the creation of a pop song and reveals the highly situated character of its management and organisation. Making a creative product such as a pop song is a complex endeavor, requiring a large number of decisions involving highly subjective and often contested and contestable judgments. The purpose of this paper is to understand how this is achieved. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on observation of musicians and a music producer during the creation of a pop song in a mid-sized recording studio. Interviews were also conducted with the participant musicians and 24 music producers based in the UK. The resulting qualitative data were analysed using a socio-material perspective to trace the spatial relationships and explore the material organization of the project. Findings – Producing musical product is achieved through establishing spatial and material relations in order to regulate tasks and roles and manage the challenge of making decisions within temporarily assembled teams engaged in tasks characterised by high levels of uncertainty. Originality/Value – This paper tackles a neglected aspect of creative management, the physical context in which it is carried out. Other sites within the creative industries such as design and film studios, theatre and other performance spaces can usefully be analysed using the approach and perspective of this research. Paper type - Research paper. Keywords - creative industries, popular music, space, layout, socio-materiality.
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Gander, Jonathan and Rieple, Alison (2002) A taxonomy of factors contributing to the effectiveness of hybrid organisational forms: the case of designâ s role in product innovation. In: 11th International Forum on Design Management... more
Gander, Jonathan and Rieple, Alison (2002) A taxonomy of factors contributing to the effectiveness of hybrid organisational forms: the case of designâ s role in product innovation. In: 11th International Forum on Design Management Research and Education: Strategies, Resources & Tools ...
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Companies are increasingly adopting a relational approach when designing and delivering their marketing activities (De Wulf, 2001; Nancarrow et al, 2003; Lemon et al, 2002). This trend is presented as a shift from a transactional approach... more
Companies are increasingly adopting a relational approach when designing and delivering their marketing activities (De Wulf, 2001; Nancarrow et al, 2003; Lemon et al, 2002). This trend is presented as a shift from a transactional approach where brands are built and managed through broad based communication via mass media (Aaker, 1991). Though activities associated with this relational trend to marketing were initially aimed at industrial and service markets (Gr nroos, 1994), technological advances in database design and capability enabled firms to apply relationship management principles and practices to mass consumer markets (OMalley and Tynan, 1998; Winer, 2001; Corner and Hinton, 2002). This widespread application needs to be viewed with a degree of caution, for, as OMalley and Tynan (1998) observe, there has been a tendency to approach the relationship paradigm without sufficient critical analysis. This paper discusses the suitability of relational approaches versus more transac...
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A substantial body of theory has grown up to show how organizational resources can be sources of enduring advantage. Yet almost no attention has been paid to how resources may be managed in an alliance, and for example prevented from... more
A substantial body of theory has grown up to show how organizational resources can be sources of enduring advantage. Yet almost no attention has been paid to how resources may be managed in an alliance, and for example prevented from contaminating a partner’s own resources. This paper uses acell membrane ,metaphor ,to develop ,propositions concerning ,the coordination and control
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Purpose - This paper explores the spatial and material context of a creative production project. Taking the music recording project as an empirical setting, it explores the creation of a pop song and reveals the highly situated character... more
Purpose - This paper explores the spatial and material context of a creative production project. Taking the music recording project as an empirical setting, it explores the creation of a pop song and reveals the highly situated character of its management and organisation. Making a creative product such as a pop song is a complex endeavor, requiring a large number of decisions involving highly subjective and often contested and contestable judgments. The purpose of this paper is to understand how this is achieved.
Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on observation of musicians and a music producer during the creation of a pop song in a mid-sized recording studio. Interviews were also conducted with the participant musicians and 24 music producers based in the UK. The resulting qualitative data were analysed using a socio-material perspective to trace the spatial relationships and explore the material organization of the project.
Findings – Producing musical product is achieved through establishing spatial and material relations in order to regulate tasks and roles and manage the challenge of making decisions within temporarily assembled teams engaged in tasks characterised by high levels of uncertainty.
Originality/Value – This paper tackles a neglected aspect of creative management, the physical context in which it is carried out. Other sites within the creative industries such as design and film studios, theatre and other performance spaces can usefully be analysed using the approach and perspective of this research.
Paper type - Research paper.
Keywords - creative industries, popular music, space, layout, socio-materiality.
Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on observation of musicians and a music producer during the creation of a pop song in a mid-sized recording studio. Interviews were also conducted with the participant musicians and 24 music producers based in the UK. The resulting qualitative data were analysed using a socio-material perspective to trace the spatial relationships and explore the material organization of the project.
Findings – Producing musical product is achieved through establishing spatial and material relations in order to regulate tasks and roles and manage the challenge of making decisions within temporarily assembled teams engaged in tasks characterised by high levels of uncertainty.
Originality/Value – This paper tackles a neglected aspect of creative management, the physical context in which it is carried out. Other sites within the creative industries such as design and film studios, theatre and other performance spaces can usefully be analysed using the approach and perspective of this research.
Paper type - Research paper.
Keywords - creative industries, popular music, space, layout, socio-materiality.
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Abstract Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify and discuss the idiosyncratic features of the adoption and institutionalization of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices. Design/methodology/approach This is a... more
Abstract Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify and discuss the idiosyncratic features of the adoption and institutionalization of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual paper in which current theory on ...
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Abstract A great deal of recent academic attention has been paid to the role of location and proximity on the organizing of production. This body of work has identi-fied the likely benefits to firms of co-locating, but despite this, there... more
Abstract A great deal of recent academic attention has been paid to the role of location and proximity on the organizing of production. This body of work has identi-fied the likely benefits to firms of co-locating, but despite this, there are gaps, especially in the treatment of creative clusters ...
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This paper deals with the problem of resource contamination in alliances, where incompatible resources may be transferred into or accessed by partner firms, thereby devaluing their own resources. Theory explains how collaborations between... more
This paper deals with the problem of resource contamination in alliances, where incompatible resources may be transferred into or accessed by partner firms, thereby devaluing their own resources. Theory explains how collaborations between organizations can allow mutually beneficial resource combinations through the transfer of, or access to, the assets and/or capabilities of each partner. Research has focused on how to facilitate intended resource transfer while limiting unplanned appropriation of other resources. Here, we address how organizations can protect themselves from contamination by their partners. Resource inimicality arises from idiosyncratic path-dependent processes that create organizations with very different skills, assets and institutions. Thus, a paradox emerges where resources that are complementary may nonetheless be hostile if brought together in one firm: the exposure of one partner to another may erode the distinctive properties that make the partnership valuable. This paper explores this resource contamination perspective using interview data from managers of one Major music company and several smaller Independent partners. In this industry it is common for collaborations to occur between organizations whose resources are focused on the identification and creation of new artistic products, and partners whose resources exploit such products. These resources are complementary but also potentially hostile. We discuss the role of institutional structures and boundary spanners, individuals who mediate resource transfer across the organizations' boundaries, in resolving this paradox and inhibiting contamination. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Abstract A substantial body of theory has grown up to show how organizational resources can be sources of enduring advantage. Yet almost no attention has been paid to how resources may be managed in an alliance, and for example prevented... more
Abstract A substantial body of theory has grown up to show how organizational resources can be sources of enduring advantage. Yet almost no attention has been paid to how resources may be managed in an alliance, and for example prevented from contaminating a partner’s own resources. This paper uses acell membrane ,metaphor ,to develop ,propositions concerning ,the coordination and control
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This paper applies the transaction cost framework to the organisation of product sourcing and development (PS&D) activities within the popular music industry. Two firm types characterise the industry and this particular set of activities;... more
This paper applies the transaction cost framework to the organisation of product sourcing and development (PS&D) activities within the popular music industry. Two firm types characterise the industry and this particular set of activities; large multinational firms (`majors') and smaller regionally bound companies (`independents'). We find that the Transaction CostEconomies framework of Oliver Williamson (1985, 1999) provides only a partial explanation for the observed hybrid organisational structures established by the two firm types. A more sensitive model can be achieved by including a number of moderating variables drawn from the socially constructed and situationally dependent idiosyncrasies of the assets involved in the PS&D activities under consideration.