Strategic Direction

Suzuki, Kazunori; Tochimoto, Katsuyuki; Isomura, Kazuhito

2017 Strategic Direction

doi: 10.1108/SD-03-2017-0050

PurposeThis paper aims to clarify how to start up and establish a new business by developing, combining and utilizing strategic resources and capabilities.Design/methodology/approachThe paper studies the case of Park24 by examining how it created a market, changed the way to compete in the market and utilized its business model effectively to enter a new business.FindingsThe paper finds that Park24 has become a leading company in its core business by developing its new development staff, its parking sites nationwide, its brand and its IT system, and that it has built a profitable business model and successfully entered the car sharing business by making good use of that business model.Originality/valueThe case study suggests that Park24 started and developed its core business by accumulating strategic resources and capabilities and establishing a profitable business model, and that it utilized this business model effectively to dominate the market shortly after entering.

2017 Strategic Direction

doi: 10.1108/SD-04-2017-0071

PurposeThis paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsCompared to large organizations, most small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) lack the resources to compete in overseas markets. The challenges are compounded for those originating in the transitional economies of Central and Eastern Europe, where the business environment remains unpredictable. Such SMEs are reluctant to invest in the breakthrough technologies needed to succeed internationally. Commitment becomes likelier when the background of the firm’s CEO is in output functions like marketing and research and development (R&D). Having experience of the foreign market and personal networks there likewise helps enormously. The knowledge and trust enabled by the CEO’s human and social capital can make the company more confident about investing in technological innovations.Practical implicationsThe paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

2017 Strategic Direction

doi: 10.1108/SD-04-2017-0069

PurposeThis paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsThere is a person in every office of any organization you could mention − let us call her Doris − who is the go-to manager for almost any query or problem that arises. Doris is a very good manager − she is on top of her work, is approachable and helpful and has some good ideas about how the organization should be run. Doris has also been there longer than any other middle manager and has also worked in a number of different areas of the business. Currently, Doris is in charge of customer services and, as such, has an overview of bill payments, contracts and outputs from the firm. In short, Doris is a huge asset to the company.Practical implicationsThe paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

2017 Strategic Direction

doi: 10.1108/SD-04-2017-0063

PurposeThis paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsThe findings suggest a partial fit of the existing strategic agility framework for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Two of the proposed meta-capabilities (leadership unity and resource fluidity) seem inherent to SMEs because they apply easily to this context, although they need to be downscaled. One meta-capability (strategic sensitivity) is less natural and therefore more critical for an SME. An additional meta-capability (resourcefulness) arises as very important for SMEs to be able to overcome some of their size-caused limitations.Practical implicationsThe paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

2017 Strategic Direction

doi: 10.1108/SD-04-2017-0068

PurposeThis paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsThe findings demonstrate a low rate of engagement among the users of wine brand Facebook pages. Majority of Facebook fans rarely engage with the brands. The results demonstrate that user engagement varies depending on the day of the week and hour of the day of the brand post.Practical implicationsThe paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

2017 Strategic Direction

doi: 10.1108/SD-04-2017-0074

PurposeThis paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsWhilst Eastern philosophy, and in particular, Taoism, offers rich depths for academic study, it rarely figures in the world of business in the West. Yet the work of Fish and Wood (2017) suggests that much can be learned from Taoism and adopted into Western business practices in the pursuit of balance and harmony. Current Western practices revolve around strong key leadership teams that seek competitive advantage to the detriment of their corporate social responsibility. With the focus forever on winning to the disadvantage of the competition, there are increasing instances where a lose/lose eventuality has arisen where it could have been avoided. In recent cases, the lose/lose outcome has financially hurt companies, as well as instigating legal and criminal investigations. Yet there is reason to believe that the principles of Taoism could help mediate situations, allowing a win/win outcome to be achieved.Practical implicationsThe paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

2017 Strategic Direction

doi: 10.1108/SD-04-2017-0072

PurposeThis paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsThe cost to the environment that our current way of life is extracting is hard to calculate exactly, but few now deny that it is not unsustainable and potentially fatal. Our awareness of climate change and the impact consumerism has on our lives is becoming a constant concern, particularly in those countries that consume the most resources. While people individually, and at a government level, are concerned and acting with more environmental awareness, some of the most damaging behavior is occurring in consumer-driven private sector. Yet as many businesses continue with the attitude of profit before principle, some are now seeking ways to reduce their impact on the environment, both through their own production processes, as well as through their behavior or their customers. These companies, studied by Bocken (2017), have been able to reduce the consumption of both themselves and their customers, without harming their profits, and improving growth. Through careful business strategy innovation, similar practices should be possible in all sizes of companies and across all types of industry.Practical implicationsThe paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

2017 Strategic Direction

doi: 10.1108/SD-04-2017-0067

PurposeThis paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsThe results show that knowledge sharing capability is positively related to innovation, and organizational learning capability fully mediates the effects of knowledge sharing on innovation. Moreover, COLL is found to significantly and positively moderate the effects of knowledge sharing on both organizational learning and innovation. The results indicate that organizational learning serves as the mechanism that transforms knowledge into innovation, but this effect is contingent on COLL of information technology service providers (ITSPs).Practical implicationsThe paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

2017 Strategic Direction

doi: 10.1108/SD-04-2017-0075

PurposeThis paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsOne of the less-discussed and analyzed phenomena in the wake of the global financial crisis (GFC) in 2008 was just how resilient, and even successful, some businesses had become. In the same way that in Western films the undertakers profited, when a new sheriff came to town to crack down on the bad guys, there is strong school of thought that certain types of firms and industries will benefit when all around them are failing.Practical implicationsThe paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

2017 Strategic Direction

doi: 10.1108/SD-04-2017-0073

PurposeThis paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsThe relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and strategy is a complex one. Full understanding of strategic decision-making in this context is unlikely when the issue is considered from a single perspective. Therefore, it is more appropriate to adopt an approach using different paradigms that overlap in certain respects. This can enable additional insights into the processes involved that would otherwise not be perceptible without multiple paradigms being used. Such an approach helps increase awareness of the challenges facing managers responsible for CSR of the charitable foundations of leading English soccer clubs.Practical implicationsThe paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

2017 Strategic Direction

doi: 10.1108/SD-04-2017-0066

PurposeThis paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsThe authors build a process model of becoming that maps the following processes: destabilizing incumbent practices, sources of resistance and enablers of change, acceptance of upheaval and trying on a new state of being. A research agenda for future research in this area is also formulated.Practical implicationsThe paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

2017 Strategic Direction

doi: 10.1108/SD-04-2017-0076

PurposeThis paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsStrategies are often seen as something enacted by a particular firm upon others, often with the goal of “winning”. Yet the global and connected nature of business at present means that such selfish pursuits often undermine the ability of a firm to survive and profit in the long term. As such, strategy can be viewed as something that exists within a business network, one built up of business relationships. Firms can work together to achieve individual goals but without harming each other. Rarely can firms act alone in the global market, often relying on others to provide resources. Because of this, there is a strong argument for considering business relationships as another, perhaps the most important, resource that a firm has. Strategy tools can be used within a firm to boost the nature of these business relationships, ultimately improving and securing a network of firms who all profit from each other’s success.Practical implicationsThe paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

2017 Strategic Direction

doi: 10.1108/SD-04-2017-0070