Value co-destruction: Exploring the role of actors’ opportunism in the B2B context

This exploratory study investigates value co-destruction in the Business-to-Business (B2B) context and examines the impact of actors’ opportunistic behaviour on value co-creation. The research undertakes an in-depth case study based approach. It uses data triangulation, where multiple sources of evidence (interviews, conference audio recordings and documents) are collected from the case organisation (a vendor) and its service ecosystem partners in the ICT sector. The partners included in the study are distributors, channel partners, competitors, and customers. B2B alliances are driven by the motivations to maximise strategic value and minimise transaction cost. Thus, using the ecosystem lens, we find that actors’ capabilities (resources and perceived value), vendor's approach to achieving strategic benefit and the channel governance mechanism enable value co-creation. However, using the transaction cost theory lens, we report that actors’ opportunistic behaviour, technological disruptions and new business model challenges lead to value co-destruction (in the form of termination of relationship, conflict and business liquidation). Alliance partners need to evaluate the strategic benefits of collaboration, knowledge sharing, learning, trust building, market expansion and technology sharing, considering partners’ self-serving behaviour driven by transaction cost economies. All ecosystem actors are seeking to develop capabilities, exhibit knowledge differentiators, demonstrate technology leadership, reduce uncertainty and respond to new business model challenges thus causing value co-destruction. Thus, this research is more encompassing because it explores factors that lead to both value co-creation and co-destruction.     

The role of business analytics capabilities in bolstering firms’ agility and performance

Many companies invest considerable resources in developing Business Analytics (BA) capabilities to improve their performance. BA can affect performance in many different ways. This paper analyses how BA capabilities affect firms’ agility through information quality and innovative capability. Furthermore, it studies the moderating role of environmental turbulence, both technological and in the market. The proposed model was tested using statistical data from 154 firms with two respondents (CEO and CIO) from each firm. The data were analysed using Partial Least Squares (PLS)/Structured Equation Modelling (SEM). Our results indicate that BA capabilities strongly impact a firm’s agility through an increase in information quality and innovative capability. We also discuss that both market and technological turbulence moderate the influence of firms' agility on firms' performance.     

Policies,actors and sustainability transition pathways: A study of the EU’s energy policy mix

Policies and politics are crucial elements of sustainability transitions. Transition pathways unfold as a result of continuous struggles of actors over policy goals and instruments. Taking a policy mix perspective, we study policies and policy preferences of key industry actors in the ongoing energy transition at the level of the European Union. We introduce two central analytical dimensions for transition pathways: the degree of sustainability (here: renewable energy ambition) and the degree of disruption (here: whether to pursue centralized or decentralized energy system configurations). We find that the current EU energy policy mix is heterogeneous with respect to the issue of (de-)centralization, whereas most policies and actors express high or moderate ambitions for renewable energy. Our paper makes three contributions. It demonstrates how actors and policy preferences can be explicitly included in the study of policy mixes. To the literature on transition pathways, we introduce sustainability as another key dimension in addition to disruption. Lastly, we propose a novel methodology for analyzing the politics of transition pathways.     

The role of information technologies (ITs) in firms’ resource orchestration process: A case analysis of China’s “Huangshan 168”

This case analysis considers how digital disruption is reaching beyond technology to engulf traditionally considered low-tech industries and influence conventionally viewed non-digital businesses. For incumbent firms in these low-tech industries, the disruption brings not only plenty of opportunities but also numerous threats. Firms that quickly embrace the digital era by profoundly changing their incumbent strategies, systems, operational habits, and business models have great chances to outperform their competitors and succeed within this dynamic environment. One digital strategy that might be adopted by incumbent firms in the low-tech industries to seize the opportunities brought by digital disruption is to integrate their resource orchestration actions with advanced information technologies (ITs). Given the strong connection between firms’ resource orchestration actions and their competitive advantages, as well as the increasingly vital role of ITs in contemporary business operations, it is an imperative to investigate the impacts of ITs on the resource orchestration processes of modern enterprises. Additionally, for incumbent firms operating in the low-tech industries, integrating their resource management with modern ITs might help them effectively identify and accumulate unique resources, develop their capabilities, and create value through continuous reconfiguration of resources. Therefore, low-tech firms that strive to adopt modern information technologies in their resource orchestration process are more likely to achieve improved organizational performance and competitive advantages than their competitors.     

The adoption of M-government services from the user’s perspectives: Empirical evidence from the United Arab Emirates

The primary aim of this study is to examine the factors that predict end users’ intention to adopt mobile government (m-government) services in a developing country. The research is based upon a self-administered questionnaire survey of 120 current users’ in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a leader in m-government development in the Arab world. The study employs advanced statistical techniques to test an extended the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by incorporating the determinants of trust, cost, social influence, variety of services, perceived usefulness in information technology and demographic profiles. The findings revealed that trust and social influence are positively associated with end users intention to adopt m-government services in the UAE. By identifying the predictors of users’ adoption of m-government, this study provides several theoretical and practical implications related to m-government service adoption.     

Agency in regime destabilization through the selection environment: The Finnish food system’s sustainability transition

The growing urgency of environmental threats combined with the slow pace of sustainability transitions has turned attention towards a better understanding of regime destabilization. Focusing excessively on niche innovations could be incumbent regimes’ diversion and resistance strategy and could reinforce the ‘business as usual’ mindset instead of contributing to system-wide changes. Historical cases of system transition have most often been used to understand the dynamics of regime destabilization. However, these insights have limitations when the focus is on ongoing transitions. Moreover, it is argued that more attention should be paid to agency and actors. Herein, regime destabilization is understood through an internally structured selection environment, implying that agency is assumed not only in variation at the niche level but also in the selection processes: (1) the selection environment is shaped by active and strategic actors and actor networks; (2) the selection environment is shaped by diverse discursive framings; and (3) the selection environment is shaped by various actors beyond the regime and even beyond the system in question. The argument is empirically tested in the case of the Finnish food system by constructing prevailing storylines in the sustainability transition. Four contrasting but partially overlapping storylines and their associated actor networks are identified. The empirical case supports the view that actors across all levels aim to influence the selection environment’s formulation with their framing of the problem and the strategic response. Thus, more attention must be paid to the content and diversity of different discursive framings in sustainability transitions.     

Issues in the management of embedded knowledge in project-based organizations: the project actor’s role

Knowledge management (KM) in project-based organizations has received substantial attention in recent years, as knowledge processes are insufficiently supported within the organization as a whole. This study specifically focuses on the project actor’s role in managing knowledge. From an actor’s perspective, the problems raised by knowledge embeddedness are identified as a key issue to link project knowledge and organizational knowledge. A conceptual framework is developed that addresses three different aspects of knowledge embeddedness: a relational dimension, a temporal dimension and a structural dimension. Three cases are studied, covering varying forms of organizations in different areas (a consulting firm, an R&D department and an industrial business unit). The results concerning the relational dimension indicate that project actors re-build the network of relationships supporting knowledge. Regarding the temporal dimension, and specifically in their professional field, actors frame professional knowledge related to their project experience. However, actors fail to surmount the problems raised by the structural dimension of knowledge embeddedness. The resulting recommendations for KM concern both Human Resource Management practices and organizational design.     

The power of talk: Exploring the effects of streamers’ linguistic styles on sales performance in B2B livestreaming commerce

B2B livestreaming has become increasingly popular, but few studies have investigated the role of streamers in these B2B livestreaming events. In contrast to the existing studies that explored the appearance and professionalism of streamers and focused on the B2C livestreaming commerce, this study analyzes how streamers’ linguistic characteristics relate to the livestreaming sales performance in online B2B marketplaces by conducting a streamer-level analysis. By combining deep learning and econometric analysis on a livestreaming dataset consisting of 915 livestreaming events across 14 industry categories from a B2B commerce platform, this study specifically examines the impact of three speech acts (i.e., assertive, expressive, and directive speech acts) on sales performance. We first extract three speech acts by combining Word2Vec and Bi-GRU network with Attention Mechanism (WBA), then use econometric models to examine the effect of the streamer's speech acts on sales performance, and finally explore the moderating roles of product-level factors (i.e., product novelty and product category). The results show that the assertive and directive acts have a positive effect on sales performance, but the expressive acts have a negative effect on the sales performance. In addition, this study also provides strong evidence that the effects of these speech acts on sales performance are highly dependent on the novelty of the live product. This moderating effect is particularly significant for sensory products.     

How the emoji use in apology messages influences customers’ responses in online service recoveries: The moderating role of communication style

This research investigates the impact of using emojis (i.e., the pleading-face emoji) on customer forgiveness in relation to handling complaints on social media. Specifically, this research proposes that perceived firm sincerity and perceived firm empathy play mediating roles in the relationship between emoji use and customer forgiveness. In addition, the research identifies the moderating role of communication style in the proposed relationship. Results of three experimental studies indicated that the presence of the emoji in online complaint handling leads to an increase in perceived firm sincerity, which in turn increases perceived firm empathy and, subsequently, leads to customer forgiveness. The serial mediation effects (use of emojis → perceived firm sincerity → perceived firm empathy → customer forgiveness) were moderated by the service provider’s communication style. Specifically, the serial mediation effect occurs when an informal communication style, but not a formal communication style, is used. Furthermore, no difference exists in the research findings across different service types (hedonic vs. utilitarian).     

Investigating factors influencing the physicians’ adoption of electronic health record (EHR) in healthcare system of Bangladesh: An empirical study

Electronic Health Record (EHR) can promote awareness or knowledge about healthcare among patients and healthcare professionals to improve collaboration between different governmental bodies, and enhance healthcare quality. The aim of the study is to identify the critical farctors affecting the physicians’ adoption of EHR in healthcare system of Bangladesh by extending the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to include Personal Innovativeness in Information Technology and Resistance to Change. A cross-sectional survey questionnaire was used to collect data from 300 participants in different private and public hospitals in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. The study used partial least square (PLS) method, a statistical analysis technique based on the structural equation modeling (SEM), to analyze the collected data. The results of the study determined that Social Influence (β = 0.19, P < 0.05), Facilitating Conditions (β = 0.19, P < 0.05), and Personal Innovativeness in Information Technology (β = 0.19, P < 0.05) had a significant influence on physicians’ Behavioral Intention to adopt the EHR system, whereas Performance Expectancy (β = 0.08, P > 0.05), Effort Expectancy (β = -0.02, P > 0.05), and Resistance to Change (β = 0.03, P > 0.05) had no significant influence. The findings suggest that policymakers should increase the adoption of the EHR system by developing social strategies to encourage physicians to stimulate each other to use the EHR system and ensuring technical sufficiency, training to facilitate the use of the EHR system. In addition, the policymakers should identify physicians who possess a propensity to experiment with new information technologies as well as reduce existing challenges and barriers such as computers crush, poor infrastructure with erratic power supply etc. Moreover, we identify future research areas that provide scholars opportunities to push theoretical and empirical boundaries and offer further insights into the study of the EHR system.     

Blind in the right eye? The practice of awarding honorary memberships by German and Austrian dental societies (1949–1993) to Nazi dentists: A study on the role of National Socialism in post-war dentistry

According to ongoing public discourse, the dental profession in Germany and Austria has found it rather difficult to come to terms with the National Socialist past. Against this background, this study focuses on the practice of awarding honorary memberships by German and Austrian dental societies in the years 1949–1993. In particular, it examines how previous memberships in the Nazi party or other Nazi organisations were handled. We identified a total of 86 honourees, 47 of whom (55 %) were members of the NSDAP during the Third Reich, whereas only two were of Jewish origin. This leads to two conclusions: (1) Previous involvement with Nazi organisations was obviously not a limiting factor in the selection of honourees, and (2) after 1945, the Jewish colleagues were marginalised for a second time—now by being largely overlooked. The reasons of both findings are analysed and contextualised.     

Extending lead user theory to users’ innovation-related knowledge sharing in the online user community: The mediating roles of social capital and perceived behavioral control

The research on users as a source of innovation has been coming into blossom and the studies about the effect of users’ lead userness on their innovation-related activities are drawing more and more attention from both academic and business circles. However, there have been few empirical studies exploring the relationship between users’ lead userness and their innovation-related knowledge sharing behavior in the context of online user community and the mediating effects of users’ social capital and their perceived behavioral control on this relationship. By empirically analyzing the 140 data collected from an online user community that is used as an important source of innovation for a company with the structural equation modeling analysis through the partial least squares method, this study reveals that users’ lead userness has a positive relationship with their innovation-related knowledge sharing in the online user community and users’ social capital and perceived behavioral control jointly and fully mediate this positive relationship. Based on the new findings, this study is expected to provide useful implications which can contribute to widening and deepening the research stream about the effect of users’ lead userness on their innovation-related knowledge sharing in the online user community.