Browsing Departments by Title
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A multi-method inquiry on online communitiesKorfiatis, Nikolaos Theodoros (, 2009)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This dissertation studies the behavioral characteristics of participants engaged in information exchange in the context of online communities. Online communities are defined as collectives of individuals that use computer mediated communication to facilitate interaction over a shared purpose and/or objective. It is argued that this interaction creates externalities, for example, in the form of codified information that others can use through web search tools. These externalities assemble a virtual form of social capital, a commonly shared resource. The research objective of this thesis is to examine how the behavioral tendencies of the participants in online communities are affected by the way this common resource is formatted, administered and shared. The dissertation consists of two parts: a theoretical part where the empirical background and the object of research inquiry is highlighted, and an empirical part which consists of four empirical studies carried out in the context of three online communities, namely, Google Answers, Yahoo!Answers and Amazon Online Reviews. The empirical part of this dissertation starts with a controlled experiment emulating a well known social dilemma: the public goods game. It provides substance as to whether and when participants in online communities behave (un) cooperatively. The next two studies focus on a special case of online communities where participants ask questions and other participants post answers conditionally on social and monetary incentives. The results of these two studies confirm that community participants do care about the contributions of others and engage in incentive compatible behavior. Yahoo!Answers participants exercise effort in the community by posting answers to questions conditionally on benefits provided by other participants. The empirical findings show that contributing participants in an online community receive answers faster, while those that do not contribute much effort are sanctioned in the form of longer response-time to their questions. In Google Answers this thesis, interactions can be observed that are based on monetary rewards (rather than social rewards in the form of a reputation index as in Yahoo Answers). Participants make use of voluntarily awarded payoffs (tips) along with stated rewards, in order to motivate those that provide answers (answerers) to provide better quality in their responses. The findings of this study confirm the symmetric effect between monetary rewards and quality. However, this study also identifies cases where social norms have a significant effect on response behavior. When participants seek to get better service with less effort (in terms of total cost), a reputation index which is constructed by the history of their previous interactions supports such an attempt. In other words, reputation history influences information sharing behavior in online communities. The last chapter of the empirical part focuses on another crucial aspect of information as a shared resource: Clarity and understandability. The study examines online product reviews on Amazon.com. The results suggest that participants do care about the clarity of this codified form of experience which increases a helpfulness index accordingly. The thesis overall finds symmetric effects between participation in online communities and output of interaction, but also identifies the ability of the participants to interact strategically as they seek to minimize the effort they provide in order to find the information they seek. The results underline the importance of signaling and quality evaluation mechanisms as counter-balancing control that can enhance activity on online communities. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7797 Files in this item: 1
Nikolaos_Theodoros_Korfiatis.pdf (3.777Mb) -
Overgaard, Per Baltzer; Møllgaard, Peter (København, 2005)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: In the economics literature, various views on the likely (efficiency) effects of information exchange, communication between firms and market transparency present themselves. Often these views on information flows are highly conflicting. On the one hand, it is argued that increased information dissemination improves firm planning to the benefit of society (including customers) and/or allows potential customers to make the right decisions given their preferences. On the other hand, the literature also suggests that increased information dissemination can have significant coordinating or collusive potential to the benefit of firms but at the expense of society at large (mainly, potential customers). In this chapter, we try to make sense of these views, with the aim of presenting some simple lessons for antitrust practice. In addition, the chapter presents some cases, from both sides of the Atlantic, where informational issues have played a significant role. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7533 Files in this item: 1
wp13-2005.pdf (321.1Kb) -
How knowledge workers act as amateurs when using information at workConstantiou, Ioanna; Madsen, Sabine; Papazafeiropoulou, Anastasia (, 2011)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: The proliferation of Internet technologies in the workspace provides tremendous possibilities for knowledge workers to access vast amounts of information from a large number of sources. The information abundance offers new opportunities which empower the knowledge worker but at the same time may create information overload. This study explores academics’ information management practices, by applying a theoretical framework build on three theoretical perspectives. These involve mindfulness, sense-making, and decision-making heuristics. The theoretical framework is used to analyse diary data about three tasks: email management, communication with colleagues, and information search. Our findings show that the knowledge workers have developed their own relatively simple but seemingly suitable practices for dealing with information overload and being empowered from the abundant information available to them. The relative amateurism and professionalism of the participants are discussed and limitations of this study as well as areas for future research are delineated. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8524 Files in this item: 1
Constantiou_2011_3.pdf (112.8Kb) -
Højlund, Holger (København, 2005)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: I velfærdsstaten kommunikeres borgerne i roller, som har betydning for deres indoptagelse. Der er hægtet forventninger til rollerne, og borgerne må leve op til bestemte normer og værdier. Nogle brugergrupper forventes aktivt deltagende andre mere afventende. Ofte vil der være vidt forskellige rolleforventninger rettet mod de samme borgere. I nærværende artikel stilles skarpt på de forventninger, der møder de ældre, når de træder ind i velfærdsstaten. Det vises, at to situationer er helt afgørende. Dels er der "det forebyggende hjemmebesøg", som er de ældres første møde med ældreområdet, dels visitationen, hvor der besluttes om de ældres behov. Artiklen diskuterer modsætninger i de to situationers krav til de ældre. På den ene side forstås de ældre som aktive og ansvarliggjorte dialogparter, på den anden side som passive aftagere udsat for benhård behovsvurdering. Optikken for artiklens analyser er systemteoretisk. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/6358 Files in this item: 1
wp12-2005 (4).pdf (288.2Kb) -
Kirkeby, Ole Fogh; Sletterød, Niels Arvid (København, 2007)[More information][Less information]
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Lessons learned from testing a prototype combining talent development and leadership innovation in a Scandinavian hospital settingIngerslev, Karen; Bjørn, Kasper; Johansen, Jørgen (, 2012)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This paper addresses the potential clash between the “non-failure” culture of the hospital and the “fail-fast-forward” approach of innovation by sharing and analysing narratives from a field study of innovation processes. The case is a large university hospital in Scandinavia and the health care sector in general is outlined as context of the challenges addressed by the innovation processes. The narratives fall into three overlapping categories; the product, the process and the culture of innovation. Regarding the product of innovation, we outline the lessons learned about tensions created by ambitions of radical innovation in a public sector context, challenged by the idea of small-scale experiments and the participant’s feelings of inferiority. As for the process of innovation: we share the lessons learned about how linear and non-linear thinking affects the process of innovation. Addressing the culture of innovation, we discuss the lessons learned from working with a prototype testing approach in a system characterized by an evidence-based non-failure culture. Finally we summarize the lessons learned and share concluding perspectives. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8647 Files in this item: 1
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Final Project ReportCastellacci, Fulvio; Karpaty, Patrik; Laursen, Keld; Tingvall, Patrick G. (Oslo, 2010)[More information][Less information]
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8190 Files in this item: 1
ICONS Report-Castellaci et al-1.pdf (1.209Mb) -
A potential for local business development?Tetzschner, Helge; Herlau, Henrik (København, 2003)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Over the past few years, the tourist industry has come to be recognised as a way of providing strategic support for sustainable local business development. In this article we attempt to define an appropriate innovation concept in relation to tourism on the basis of an attractor principle. We then discuss the concept of entrepreneurship in connection with tourism, looking at its significance in its relationship with local business development, thereby positing the premise of social entrepreneurship. This frame of reference is used in five cases in the analysis. The analysis shows that it is possible to innovate and draw up plans for new attractors but that it is considerably more difficult to convert these plans into reality through social entrepreneurship. The conclusion is that we need to focus upon organisation of semi-public tourist organisations, if we want tourism to promote local business development. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/6384 Files in this item: 1
wp 49 2003 .pdf (417.3Kb) -
A Case Study of the Laundry Detergent Market in JapanFujiwara, Masatoshi (Frederiksberg, 2011)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This paper aims to describe how a commercially successful innovation occurs with the altering of the existing competitive structure in a market under environmental and competitive pressures. I study the history of the laundry detergent market in Japan and elucidate the manner in which Kao accomplished an innovation and increased their market share during the late 1980s. Kao introduced their new detergent Attack through a biotechnological innovation and dramatically changed the competitive structure to their advantage. The innovations introduced were of two kinds 1) fermentation engineering technologies to improve the cleaning performance of detergents by using alkaline cellulase, and 2) concentration of detergents to four times their earlier strength through changes in their powder processing technologies. This historical innovation that occurred in the laundry detergent market in Japan has a contemporary implication because combining firms’ activities and environmental sustainability has been one of the most crucial topics over recent years. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8440 Files in this item: 1
Masatoshi_Fujiwara_CDP_2011-37.pdf (268.8Kb) -
The Case of the Executive Master of Public Governance Program in Copenhagen, Denmark: A co-operation between University of Copenhagen and Copenhagen Business SchoolGreve, Carsten (Frederiksberg, 2011)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This paper gives an introduction to the Executive Master of Public Governance degree program in Copenhagen, Denmark – a joint effort by University of Copenhagen and Copenhagen Business School aided by Aalborg University. The degree program itself began its first intake of executive students in August 2009. The average age of participants is 45 years. By the summer of 2011, the Copenhagen MPG program had enrolled 500+ public managers from Denmark as executive master students. In order to understand the context of the program, the paper gives an introduction to the background of the establishment of the program which was a result of a government reform – the Quality Reform – agreed and also funded partly by the Danish Parliament in 2008. The second part of the paper describes the organization and purpose of the program. The third part presents the content of the degree program. The paper ends by pointing to some preliminary lessons learned and future directions for the program. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8571 Files in this item: 1
Greve_2011_a.pdf (170.8Kb) -
A Reconstruction of Corporate Social ResponsibilityBoxenbaum, Eva; Battilana, Julie (København, 2004)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: The notion of institutional entrepreneur (DiMaggio, 1988) has given rise to a controversy in neo-institutional theory around the ability of actors to distance themselves from institutional pressures, envision alternative institutional patterns, and act strategically to change institutions in which they are embedded. This paper empirically examines the ability of embedded actors to envision alternative institutional patterns, that is, their innovative capacity. We analyze the role that an individual played in the development of a new institutional logic of corporate social responsibility in Denmark between 2001 and 2002. Based on our empirical findings on the innovative capacity of this individual, we propose a new definition of institutional entrepreneurs that is more compatible with the premises of neo-institutional theory than the one proposed by DiMaggio (1988). We propose that institutional entrepreneurs are institutionally bounded agents who a) transpose an institutional logic across fields and introduce it as a deliberate alternative to the institutional logic in the focal field, or b) deliberately seek to diffuse an alternative logic within a field. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/6719 Files in this item: 1
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a study of the dynamics inherent in the relationship between innovation and diversityLamdahl Justesen, Susanne (København, 2001)[More information][Less information]
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Strand, Robert Gavin (Frederiksberg, 2012)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: In this dissertation I examine the establishment of corporate social responsibility (CSR) bureaucracies at corporations and I come to consider the CSR bureaucracy as a space for reflection within the corporation. In the face of charges that bureaucracies are inherently unethical and devoid of consideration for humanistic concerns, I argue that within the large bureaucracy that is the corporation, the CSR bureaucracy can create a space in which tensions that arise from conflicting values and purposes can be identified, negotiated, and actions coordinated. I position this dissertation within the field of CSR, to which I introduce the Weberian distinction between formal and substantive rationality as means through which to identify and describe tensions that become apparent with the CSR agenda. This dissertation contains four articles, two of which draw from the engaged scholarship approach. One includes findings from a study I conducted as an action/intervention researcher with a U.S. corporation during the period in which a CSR bureaucracy was established. The other includes findings from a study of CSR focused MBA courses I instruct in which reflection is a primary learning objective. The other two articles include findings from studies I conducted to explore the establishment of a CSR position to the top management teams of U.S. and Scandinavian corporations. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8462 Files in this item: 1
Robert_Strand.pdf (3.503Mb) -
An Empirical Investigation of the Credit Rationing HypothesisHobdari, Bersant (København, 2007)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: We analyze the impact of corporate governance structures on access to capital using a unique and rich panel data for a large and representative sample of Estonian firms over the period 1993 through 1999. We distinguish among five different governance structures and provide estimates on the impact of each of them on capital constraints. Our results indicate that: (i) separate regimes exist in investment behavior; (ii) the likelihood of being financially constrained is higher in firms that are recently privatized, small and where ownership is concentrated in the hands of insiders; (iii) soft budget constraints lower the probability of a firm being financially constrained; (iv) the actual probabilities of operating in the financially constrained regime are calculated to be quite high and essentially stable during 1993-1999: 0.52-0.57 for state owned firms, 0.40-0.46 for domestic owned firms and 0.53-0.57 for employee owned firms. Corporate Investment, Corporate Governance, Liquidity Constraints, GMM Estimates, Switching Regression. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/6555 Files in this item: 1
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A sociomaterial study of development processes in the Danish film industryStrandvad, Sara Malou (Frederiksberg, 2009)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: The empirical question, which the thesis addresses in the different papers, is how the process of development is organized in Danish film production. Development in film production characterizes the initial phase where an idea is constructed and transformed into a realizable film project. In practice, this creation consists in writing a synopsis and, later on, a manuscript for the film, because such drafts of the product are institutionalized as necessary devices for achieving funding to make the actual film. Hence, the focus area of the thesis is the process of manuscript writing in film production; an organizing process of developing projects. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7793 Files in this item: 1
Sara_Malou_Strandvad.pdf (1.916Mb) -
Pedersen, Ove K. (København, 2008)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: In recent years, the concept of international competitiveness has (re)emerged as a paradigm in public discourse. In this paper I introduce the concept of institutional competitiveness to show how the concept of international competition has been reformulated as part of a political project for initiating economic globalization. It is my intention to show how the concept of institutional competitiveness (CIC) has raised to become important in the last 25 years, moving from a simple conversation among academics into a political discussion with real-world effects. The purpose of the paper is to describe the rise and movement into the realm of practice. The purpose is also to show how the voyage has come to include institutional change as an important policy instrument and the use of institutional analysis as a key utensil for policy makers. It is my claim that discourses and institutions are used with the intention to enhance the competitiveness of nations and enterprises; why discourses and institutions have become a political phenomenon of interest and salience for policy makers and decision takers. It is also my claim that knowledge of institutions is applied to explain economic growth and to assess the potential relevance of institutional reforms; why interpretations of institutions has been become a policy tool for the implementation of globalisation. It is this dual role of discourses and institutions I describe in the following. The whole debate on the CIC will be looked upon as an example of how institutions (as a political phenomenon) and institutional analysis (as a policy tool) have become part of a policy approach. Two caveats are necessary. It is not my ambition to describe the conflicts of interests and the accidents of history involved in moving the process from dawn to mid-day. Neither is it my ambition to explain why the travel has happened in the first place. Even if the process is engulfed in conflicts – at several levels and including multiple interests – I will NOT identify these, nor describe them. The purpose of the paper is only to describe not to explain. The paper will be organised as follows. First, I describe how the concept of national and institutional competitiveness is discussed. In order to describe how the concept of competitiveness has been redefined over the past 20-25 years I include literature from economic theory and business analysis (Aiginger 2006b; Siggel 2006). It is in this context that the concept of Institutional Competitiveness is introduced. Second, I trace the institutionalization of the discussion into expert systems. Two examples will be emphasized. One is the development of "The post-Washington consensus” another is The Open Method of Coordination within the EU. The presentation is based on a reading of policy papers, reports and other primary sources from international organizations and national governments. Third, I point to how the institutionalization has included a number of welfare reforms and ignited a process towards the transformation of national welfare states. I draw on primary and secondary literature in presenting the concept of competition state (Cerny 1990, 2007; Stopford et al 1991; Jessop 1994, 2003; Hirsch 1995; but also Rosecranze 1999; Bobbit 2002; Weiss 2003). Fourth, and finally, I emphasize how state-society relations have been changed. The concept of competitive corporatism (Rhodes 1998; Molina & Rhodes 2002) is employed. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7356 Files in this item: 1
wp cbp 2008-47.pdf (174.2Kb) -
Lund, Anker Brink (København, 2005)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This inaugural address is a welcome opportunity to call your attention to a new area of research that the International Center for Business and Politics has chosen as one of five areas of special interest. By referring to this area of focus as"institutional competition in the media market" we also signal an approach that will be free of much of the traditional dogma in Danish media research: First of all, we will consider the media as a market for opinion, goods and services – not primarily as a cultural discourse with a singular focus on public service. Secondly, we consider media activity from a social science / leadership perspective – not from the perspective of a journalist or from the ideologically critical perspective of the license payer. Thirdly, we consider competition in the media market as an institutional phenomenon that is not solely conditioned by economic considerations. We aim to find a third way between economic determinism and the optimism of political regulation. The media enterprise as institutionalized practice is, from our perspective, placed at the intersection of the marketplace and politics. We recognize that the daily press, radio and television in Denmark have emerged from a tradition based upon ideals of freedom of expression, democracy and the enlightenment of the general public. At the same time we stress the fact that the media worldwide is Big Business – and that this reality has an increasing effect on Danish competitiveness and business development in general. Not only as a channel for opinion, but as a political actor and a potential business locomotive in the so-called culture- and experience-economy. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7345 Files in this item: 1
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Denmark and the United StatesCampbell, John L.; Pedersen, Ove K. (København, 2005)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Despite high taxes, a large state budget and welfare state, much economic regulation, and a very open economy, Denmark continues to compete successfully against the other advanced capitalist economies. Hence, Denmark presents a paradox for neoliberalism, which predicts that these policies will hurt national competitiveness under conditions of economic globalization. Following the varieties of capitalism literature, this paper argues that Denmark’s success has been based in large part on its institutional competitiveness–its capacity to achieve socioeconomic success as a result of the competitive advantages that firms derive from operating within a particular set of political and economic institutions. The institutional basis for successfully coordinating labor markets, vocational training and skill formation programs, and industrial policy are examined for Denmark and the United States—two countries that are very different institutionally. The analysis shows that there is no one best way to achieve success in today’s global economy, except perhaps for reducing socioeconomic inequality; that the type of capitalism known as coordinated market economies are oversimplified in the literature; and that high taxes, state spending, and economic regulation can actually enhance socioeconomic performance. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7329 Files in this item: 1
institutional_comp_21.pdf (251.6Kb) -
Ionaşcu, Delia; Meyer, Klaus; Estrin, Saul (København, 2004)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: The concept of ‘distance’ has been used by international business scholars to explain variations in international business strategies and operations across countries. The more distant a host country is from the organizational centre of a multinational enterprise (MNE), the more it has to manage cultural, regulatory and cognitive differences, and to develop appropriate entry strategies, organizational forms, and internal procedures to accommodate these differences. Scholarly research has focused on the concept of psychic distance, which has been narrowed down in empirical work to indices based on Hofstede’s work on culture. However, these measures capture only very partially the dimensions of distance of concern to international business. In this paper, we show how the broader theoretical concept of institutional distance, which incorporates normative, regulatory and cognitive aspects, affects entry strategies. Specifically, our theoretical arguments suggest that the impact of distance varies with different aspects of the concept of institutional distance, and that this impact interacts with both the investor’s experience and with the relative importance of the pertinent operation for the investing MNE. Using a unique dataset of foreign direct investment in emerging economies that incorporates multi-host as well as multi-home countries, we find empirical support for our propositions, and provide an explanation for apparently inconsistent results in the previous literature. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/6620 Files in this item: 1
working paper 2004-51.pdf (550.9Kb) -
Lessond from East AsiaGammeltoft, Peter (København, 2003)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: While still short of being entirely mainstream there does appear to be a growing recognition in both policy circles and academia that economic development is not brought about by autonomous profitmaximising agents interacting anonymously through equilibrium markets.1 Rather, economic development is an inherently disequilibric process involving interactive and institutionally embedded processes in broader systems of firms, governments, research centres, universities, consultants, and other entities. These systems can tap into stocks of global knowledge and technologies, assimilate and adapt it to local circumstances, and create new knowledge or technologies. Such broader production systems are conceptualised in several different ways in the literature, e.g. Lundvall et al.’s ‘national innovation systems’, Richard Whitley’s ‘business systems’, and Sanjaya Lall’s concept of ‘industrial technology development’. This paper identifies and outlines four different systemic approaches to economic development. All four approaches have primarily been developed to address nationally based institutional systems in advanced economies. Both the ontological premises and the policy implications of these systemic approaches depart distinctly from the conventional orthodoxy on economic development as articulated in the ‘Washington Consensus’ and its later derivatives. The article goes on to explore which policy implications the adoption of such a systemic view might have for the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/6982 Files in this item: 1
pga+nepad+wp.pdf (324.2Kb)