- Finland
- Michel Foucault, Biopolitics, Entrepreneurship, Opportunity Recognition, Process Philosophy, Strategy, and 9 moreStrategic Management, Strategy As Practice, International Business, International Entrepreneurship, Qualitative methodology, Qualitative Research, Contemporary French Philosophy, Alain Badiou, and Slavoj Zizekedit
Research Interests:
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine subsidiary positioning within the dynamic business networks in the context of multinational companies (MNCs). The research question of the study is: How does the positioning of a subsidiary... more
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine subsidiary positioning within the dynamic business networks in the context of multinational companies (MNCs). The research question of the study is: How does the positioning of a subsidiary emerge through strategic practices in the dynamic business networks of an MNC? Design/methodology/approach The study relies on the IMP view on strategy with a focus on market positioning activity and the strategy-as-practice approach. Positioning is seen as a question of strategic practices in the interactive spheres of the subsidiaries. In the empirical part of the study, the authors examine the practices of a forest machine industry multinational through longitudinal interview and archival data on three of its sales subsidiaries in Sweden, Russia and the USA. Findings The study defines core tensions in subsidiary interactive spheres and the related strategic practices that shape the positioning of the subsidiaries. The study models the practice-ba...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on physicians in the four public hospitals located in the October province (Egypt) in an attempt to explore the effect of responsible leadership on physicians’ affective, continuance and... more
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on physicians in the four public hospitals located in the October province (Egypt) in an attempt to explore the effect of responsible leadership on physicians’ affective, continuance and normative commitment with and without mediating the role of organizational inclusion. Design/methodology/approach A total of 360 physicians were contacted and all of them received a set of questionnaires. After two follow-ups, a total of 240 responses were collected with a response rate of 66.67 percent. The authors used the χ2 test to determine the association between responsible leadership and organizational inclusion. Multiple regressions were employed to show how much variation in affective, continuance and normative commitment can be explained by responsible leadership and organizational inclusion. Findings The findings highlight a positive association between responsible leadership and organizational inclusion. Moreover, another positive associatio...
Research Interests:
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on physicians in the four public hospitals located in the October province of Egypt in an attempt to explore the effect of climate change on physicians’ affective, continuance and normative... more
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on physicians in the four public hospitals located in the October province of Egypt in an attempt to explore the effect of climate change on physicians’ affective, continuance and normative commitment with and without mediating the role of responsible leadership. Design/methodology/approach A total of 360 physicians were contacted and all of them received a set of questionnaires. After two follow-ups, a total of 240 responses were collected with a response rate of 66.67 percent. Multiple regressions were employed to show how much variation in affective, continuance and normative commitment can be explained by climate change with and without the mediation of responsible leadership. Findings The findings show a statistically negative effect for climate change on physicians’ three approaches of organizational commitment (affective, continuance and normative). Furthermore, the statistical analysis proved that having responsible leaders in ho...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Entrepreneurial qualities have been discussed for over twenty years, but there is no consensus about how much the personality differences vary between entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs (Gartner 1989; Delmar 2006; Busenitz & Barney 1997... more
Entrepreneurial qualities have been discussed for over twenty years, but there is no consensus about how much the personality differences vary between entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs (Gartner 1989; Delmar 2006; Busenitz & Barney 1997 see Kirzner 1997; Gaglio & Katz 2001). The entrepreneurial activities, processes, networks, events, and structural holes are widely discussed, but the problem of the mythic entrepreneur has
Research Interests:
This paper provides an analysis of a unique approach to accelerate mobile service development, testing and business activities of high-tech start-ups in Finland. Present study uses as the theoretical framework the competence block theory.... more
This paper provides an analysis of a unique approach to accelerate mobile service development, testing and business activities of high-tech start-ups in Finland. Present study uses as the theoretical framework the competence block theory. Based on the theory, companies that recognize and realize opportunities associated with mobile services, finance the development of these opportunities or their business is otherwise dependent
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The present study approaches opportunities in international entrepreneurship from a systemic perspective. Based on research on the collectiveness of opportunities in international en-trepreneurship and the concepts of activity and object... more
The present study approaches opportunities in international entrepreneurship from a systemic perspective. Based on research on the collectiveness of opportunities in international en-trepreneurship and the concepts of activity and object from activity theory, we develop a systemic conceptualization of opportunity-oriented international entrepreneurship. Through an empirical study in Finland and Israel, we depict six collective opportunity beliefs, considered from the viewpoints of society, international venture, and outcome expectations. Furthermore, we induce three modalities for international opportunity as the object of collective activity and model systemic opportunity shaping as the core activity of international entrepreneurship. Executive summary Over the last couple of decades, international entrepreneurship has been conceptualized as an opportunity-focused activity (e.g., Oviatt and McDougall, 2005). Simultaneously, research has progressed in uncovering the cognitive processes of entrepreneurs in creating opportunity beliefs (e.g., Grégoire et al., 2010; Wood et al., 2014). The present study aims to develop conceptualization of this activity further by bringing forth the systemic nature of international opportunities that come about as collective opportunity beliefs. Through a review of the existing literature, we illustrate that the prior research is rather silent about the systemic nature of opportunities. Thus, we use the concepts of activity and object from activity theory to expand the international opportunity concept to the collective level and depict its systemic nature. The systemic view allows us to appreciate the historicity and the multivoicedness of international entrepreneurship as an opportunity-oriented collective activity. We selected Finland and Israel as research sites to examine how the collective opportunity beliefs that manifest in the pursuit of international entrepreneurship are generated. Through an empirical study, with extensive archival, interview, and observational data, we depict six collective opportunity beliefs existing within international entrepreneurship communities. The beliefs capture viewpoints on the opportunities related to society, international venture, and outcome. Furthermore, the data allows us to suggest that the three points of view can be collected into two logical configurations. The configurations carry modalities of international opportunities as cultural-historical phenomena. As its primary contribution, our study takes the contextual influences on opportunity beliefs further from such elements as industry conditions (e.g., Wood et al., 2014) by specifying the collective beliefs and modalities of international opportunities that carry with them societal need states and drive the activity. For practice, the study makes explicit both the power of the inherent institutionalized patterns of the activity and the rules of the game that have developed over time and define the ways of pursuing international opportunities.
Research Interests:
In this introductory article, we discuss international opportunities in international entrepreneurship as a particular phenomenon that focuses on boundary crossing. Instead of taking boundary crossing primarily as a behavior or an... more
In this introductory article, we discuss international opportunities in international entrepreneurship as a particular phenomenon that focuses on boundary crossing. Instead of taking boundary crossing primarily as a behavior or an activity that makes opportunities international, we suggest the boundary itself and being on the borderline, as such, to be of significance. Accordingly, we propose that at the borderline, opportunities that are made and found, embedded in action and interaction and involve transformative process of emergence, are constructed through questioning and formation, instrumentality generation, and expansive learning. Towards the end of the article, we introduce the papers included in this special issue.
Research Interests:
This paper provides an analysis of an attempt to accelerate mobile service development, testing and new venture creation in Finland. The Octopus programme, an open innovation, development and testing environment for mobile applications,... more
This paper provides an analysis of an attempt to accelerate mobile service development, testing and new venture creation in Finland. The Octopus programme, an open innovation, development and testing environment for mobile applications, joins together industrial, educational, and governmental
organisations to provide elements to bring new mobile services from innovation to business. The core of Octopus is a live testing environment that can be used by anyone interested in developing mobile services. The analysis points out the
importance of understanding the multi-level and multi-actor nature of high-tech entrepreneurship. The Octopus programme is an illuminating case of showing that, when failing in the process of creating interconnectedness between different economic actors, the competence block does not work properly and most importantly does not create new business ventures.
organisations to provide elements to bring new mobile services from innovation to business. The core of Octopus is a live testing environment that can be used by anyone interested in developing mobile services. The analysis points out the
importance of understanding the multi-level and multi-actor nature of high-tech entrepreneurship. The Octopus programme is an illuminating case of showing that, when failing in the process of creating interconnectedness between different economic actors, the competence block does not work properly and most importantly does not create new business ventures.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The study hypothesizes that social capital of entrepreneurs enhances their opportunity recognition process. The study investigated metal- and ICT-ventures established in 1998 in three different regions of Finland. The results showed that... more
The study hypothesizes that social capital of entrepreneurs enhances their opportunity recognition process. The study investigated metal- and ICT-ventures established in 1998 in three different regions of Finland. The results showed that entrepreneurs when recognizing opportunities have (1) active social interaction to acquire knowledge, to forecast future trends, and to evaluate information and decisions, (2) personal contacts to acquire knowledge and to analyze markets, and (3) cognitively committed relationships to evaluate and understand the information and to enact proactively future trends.
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT Opportunity discovery process is one of the main topics of interest in entrepreneurship research. However, the effects of opportunity discovery strategies of entrepreneurs on performance of new ventures have been neglected. The... more
ABSTRACT Opportunity discovery process is one of the main topics of interest in entrepreneurship research. However, the effects of opportunity discovery strategies of entrepreneurs on performance of new ventures have been neglected. The reason for this appears to be the claim that opportunity discovery as behaviour of entrepreneurs takes place before the venture is established and, thus, should not be connected to the later phases of the entrepreneurial process. This is not an established consideration as it inherently holds the idea that research should study how entrepreneurs create value which should not be connected to the value they have created. The present study examined how opportunity discovery strategies of entrepreneurs affect performance of the ventures established. The results illustrate that the performance of new ventures is strongly influenced by opportunity discovery strategies used by entrepreneurs. More specifically, growth of new ventures showed significant increase by proactive opportunity discovery strategy. In addition, the opportunity discovery strategies of proactive searching, competitive scanning and collective action increased the newness value of the ventures. These results suggest that the strategies entrepreneurs use to discover opportunities have much impact on creating high performance levels of new ventures.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Abstract This paper provides an analysis of a unique approach to accelerate mobile service development, testing and business activities of high-tech start-ups in Finland. Present study uses as the theoretical framework the competence... more
Abstract This paper provides an analysis of a unique approach to accelerate mobile service development, testing and business activities of high-tech start-ups in Finland. Present study uses as the theoretical framework the competence block theory. Based on the theory, ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: FRONTIERS and Social Ties
This conceptual study approaches the creation process of new businesses from the perspective of organisational creativity and imagination in entrepreneurial opportunity process. Currently, organisational creativity and imagination have... more
This conceptual study approaches the creation process of new businesses from the perspective of organisational creativity and imagination in entrepreneurial opportunity process. Currently, organisational creativity and imagination have been linked to the creative view or creation theory in the entrepreneurial opportunity process field of research. We argue that our theoretical illustration concerning the dialectical creation process of entrepreneurial opportunities describes an early phase of the creation of new businesses. According to our theoretical illustration, entrepreneurs create new unknown effects from the given means or tools (the logic of effectuation) in the creative space (called in-between). In this manner, the creative space including subject, object and community (i.e., neutral opportunities) is empty at the beginning of the entrepreneurial opportunity process, and it is completed by elements of business environment (i.e., intension-driven entrepreneurial opportunities) such as rules, tools, signs and division of labour.
Research Interests:
Purpose – The purpose of this research is to analyze the development of high-tech international new ventures as an acting process by individuals in relationship networks. Design/methodology/approach – The study cross-fertilizes research... more
Purpose – The purpose of this research is to analyze the development of high-tech international new ventures as an acting process by individuals in relationship networks. Design/methodology/approach – The study cross-fertilizes research on internationalization of international new ventures, opportunity development of entrepreneurs and innovation development in technology-based firms. A longitudinal case study on the development process of an international new
Research Interests:
Research on entrepreneurship has suggested entrepreneurial phenomena to take place in a wide variety of contexts that deal with new venture emergence. Opportunity discovery and effectuation are seen as the essence of entrepreneurship. The... more
Research on entrepreneurship has suggested entrepreneurial phenomena to take place in a wide variety of contexts that deal with new venture emergence. Opportunity discovery and effectuation are seen as the essence of entrepreneurship. The present study examines entrepreneurial behaviour in the organising of an international joint venture (IJV) in Polish transition markets. The paper aims to answer the following question: How is an international joint venture organised in turbulent context through opportunity-discovery and effectuation behaviours? Based on theoretical analysis and a longitudinal case study, we illustrate the organising of an international joint venture in transition markets through specific behaviours of opportunity discovery and effectuation. We show especially the relationship-based nature of all the behaviours. The study advances international entrepreneurship research by emphasising the intertwinedness of the entrepreneurial behaviours with the drastic developments in the transition markets and the evolution of the IJV partnership.