Browsing Departments by Year Published
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Applying dialogism in social science researchOoi, Can-Seng (Frederiksberg, 2013)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Bakhtin was a literary theorist and was the widely acknowledged father of dialogism. This working paper shows how Bakhtin and dialogism can be used to capture complexity, ambivalence and ambiguity in the social world. In following the spirit of dialogism, I will refer to my own research experiences in tourism and art worlds, through which I will reveal my own inclinations – which can be read as biases – in my research knowledge production. Through the concept of genre, heteroglossia, polyphony and carnivalesque, dialogism allows social science researchers to identify and structure the forces of order and disruption in society. There are methodological consequences if one is to follow dialogism. Besides having to get deep into the empirical field, dialogism challenges by raising questions on the manner we collect data, the extent to which we can present a holistic analysis, the ways to engage alternative analytical interpretations and the approach to address a researcher’s own biases. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8672 Files in this item: 1
CLCS WP Ooi.pdf (94.05Kb) -
Kaspersen, Mia (Frederiksberg, 2013)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: The overall purpose of this thesis is to examine how and why internal processes, systems, and structures influence the construction of social and environmental reports. The three papers that are included in this thesis approach this research objective from three different but interrelated perspectives. Each of these perspectives is an essential aspect of reporting practices. By conducting case studies and including organisational members who participate in social and environmental reporting (SER) processes (Adams and Whelan, 2009; Farneti and Guthrie, 2009), this thesis strives to contribute to increased knowledge regarding organisational reporting behaviours and the construction of SER (Laine, 2009; Parker, 2007; Thomson and Bebbington, 2005; Adams, 2004; Gray, 2005; Adams and Larrinaga-González, 2007; Tilt, 2006; O'Dwyer, 2005b; Spence and Rinaldi, 2012; O'Dwyer et al., 2011; Tregidga et al., 2012b). Thus, by attempting to ‘look inside organisations’ and by emphasising the role of the organisational context, the three articles of this thesis provide insights into details regarding 1) the reporting environment and audit trail; 2) the role of stakeholder engagement in SER; and 3) why certain impacts of organisational activities are included (or excluded) in social and environmental reports. The three papers addressing these topics have been motivated by an aspiration to establish a more nuanced understanding of the current state of SER. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8667 Files in this item: 1
Mia_Kaspersen_Summary.pdf (1.332Mb) -
Ooi, Can-Seng (Frederiksberg, 2013)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Cities are becoming alike. As a result, there is a rise of “copy-cat” cities. There are many reasons for this, and this paper looks from the perspective of city branding: how does place branding lead to the homogenization of cities? Using the case of Singapore, and with references to Chinese cities, this paper highlights a number of accreditation tactics in place branding campaigns. Accreditation is necessary because the brand needs to seek credibility for the messages it sends. The types of accreditation used must also be globally understood, so as to reach out to diverse world audiences. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8677 Files in this item: 1
CLCS WP Ooi_New.pdf (891.5Kb) -
Ougaard, Morten (Frederiksberg, 2013)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This paper is about Poulantzas, historical materialism, international relations, and the current crisis. My purpose is to discuss how some Poulantzian theoretical contributions can be applied to the study of subject matters that are the focus of academic fields such as International Relations (IR), International Political Economy (IPE), International Politics, World Politics and others. I deliberately abstain from singling out any of these disciplines or fields or labels and from trying to define them precisely, because one of my arguments is that historical materialism (HM) is a research program2 that contains its own theoretical definition of the object under study. This object, with inspiration from Poulantzas’ notion of the imperialist chain and his general theory of society, I will define as the global social formation or for short, world society. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8678 Files in this item: 1
Morten_Ougaard.pdf (214.2Kb) -
A network management perspectiveSundtoft Hald, Kim; Sigurbjornsson, Tomas (Frederiksberg, 2013)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: The aim of this research is to explore the managerial role of category managers in purchasing. A network management perspective is adopted. A case based research methodology is applied, and three category managers managing a diverse set of component and service categories in a global production firm is observed while providing accounts of their progress and results in meetings. We conclude that the network management classification scheme originally developed by Harland and Knight (2001) and Knight and Harland (2005) is a valuable and fertile theoretical framework for the analysis of the role of the category manager in purchasing. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8681 Files in this item: 1
Sundtoft.pdf (111.3Kb) -
An explorative study of the contracts of the Tender Electronic Daily (TED)la Cour, Lisbeth; Milhøj, Anders (Frederiksberg, 2013)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Public procurement is estimated to constitute more than 16% of GDP in the EU, see e.g. Ramsey (2006). This is one of the reasons why a lot of interest has been attached to this topic. Most of the papers in this field have been of a theoretical nature but during the last ten years also a few empirical studies have become available, see e.g. Marion, J. (2007) and Bajari et al (2008). At the EU level liberalizations have been going on since the late 80’ies (see e.g. the EU commission (1985). Here certain regulations imply that public projects of a certain size need to be subject to a public tender. Again according to Ramsey (2006) around 16% of all public procurement in the EU is subject to these rules and regulations and information on the contracts corresponding to these 16% can be found in Tenders Electronic Daily (TED) database. In general, the hypothesis is that public procurement will increase competition and ultimately lead to cheaper contracts for the authorities, see e.g. Cecchini (1988) for the economic arguments. But in practice: do the rules and regulations ensure more competition? Do they lead to more internationalization in the sense that more foreign firms become contract winners? Do the government and municipalities in the EU countries actually gain economically from the procurement? Does the choice of type of procedure matter? A lot of interesting questions immediately pops up and some of them – but only some of them - may be analyzed based on the content of this data base. Still, due to the large coverage and the international nature of the data base we believe that a thoroughly study of the possibilities of TED is of major interest and the present study is just a first step in this direction. One of the students who extracted the TED data has also used them for analysis in his master thesis, see Bundsgaard (2010). He has, however, limited his interest to analyze the choice of procedure: auction vs. negotiation and therefore our study has a broader scope when it comes to available variables. To our knowledge we are the first group of researchers who begins to analyze the content of this database using explorative statistical techniques based on a broad range of variables. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8686 Files in this item: 1
Lisbeth la Cour_SYMP_13.pdf (172.5Kb) -
Foss, Nicilai J.; Klein, Peter G.; Linder, Stefan (Frederiksberg, 2013)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Austrian economics focuses on markets, but has much to say about organizations. In particular, Austrian insights on the structure of production, the heterogeneity and subjectivity of resources, the nature of uncertainty, the role of monetary calculation, and the function of the entrepreneur provide solid foundations for a distinctly Austrian theory of organizations. We review these insights, discuss recent literature on Austrian economics and the theory of the firm, and suggest new directions for developing and extending an Austrian approach to organizations. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8692 Files in this item: 1
Foss_Klein_Linder_SMGWP2013.pdf (544.3Kb) -
Linder, Stefan; Foss, Nicolai J. (Frederiksberg, 2013)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Agency theory studies the problems and solutions linked to delegation of tasks from principals to agents in the context of conflicting interests between the parties. Beginning from clear assumptions about rationality, contracting and informational conditions, the theory addresses problems of ex ante (“hidden characteristics”) as well as ex post information asymmetry (“hidden action”), and examines conditions under which various kinds of incentive instruments and monitoring arrangements can be deployed to minimize the welfare loss. Its clear predictions and broad applicability have allowed agency theory to enjoy considerable scientific impact on social science; however, it has also attracted considerable criticism. [99 words] URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8693 Files in this item: 1
Linder_Foss_SMGWP2013_7.pdf (759.4Kb) -
A Context-Specific StudyStucchi, Tamara (Frederiksberg, 2013)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This Ph.D. dissertation investigates some International Business (IB) issues, which emerge from a specific context of research. The study takes inspiration from one of the most currently debated phenomena in IB literature, i.e. the internationalization of Emerging Market (EM) firms. The recent global emergence of these firms is substantial and particularly interesting under several points of view, especially because the IB literature has traditionally been dominated by western-centric theories, whose applicability to the case of EM firms might be questionable. The present Ph.D. thesis recommends an approach to the study of the internationalization of EM firms that can contribute to the advancement of IB literature in general. This is illustrated by the four research articles of the thesis, where a single-country EM context is used to draw general implications useful for researchers, practitioners and policy makers. More in details, the first paper “Emerging market firms’ acquisitions in advanced markets: Matching strategy with resource-, institution- and industry-based antecedents” studies the antecedents that can affect the motivations for the acquisitions that EM firms undertake in advanced markets. The second article, entitled “Time to internationalization and evolving institutions: An event history analysis of Indian firms”, analyzes domestic firms’ earlier versus later internationalization, during a period of radical institutional changes. The third paper, “The role of Overseas National Ownership in Outward FDI: A study of the Indian diaspora”, studies how the presence of overseas national shareholders can influence homeland firms' outward FDI. Finally, the last article is entitled "Business groups’ internationalization: The role of the domestic geographical scope" and analyzes one possible explanation for business groups’ internationalization, from an organizational learning perspective. The Ph.D. thesis is empirically based on a very comprehensive sample of Indian firms. The data are collected from different sources, i.e. the Prowess database, the Zephyr database, the Indian Census and the World Competitiveness Yearbook. The potential value of this singlecountry context perspective is highlighted throughout the Ph.D. thesis, and clearly emerges while I address the different issues of the four research articles. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8699 Files in this item: 1
Tamara_Stucchi.pdf (1.150Mb) -
En kortlægning af styringsmæssig kontekst, strategisk tilgang, samt anvendte redskaber og teknologier for udvalgte danske statslige styrelserFroholdt, Morten (Frederiksberg, 2013)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Siden begyndelsen af 1980erne har den offentlige sektor i Danmark, og flere andre vestlige lande, været genstand for en moderniseringsproces. En moderniseringsproces, der har ført til nye måder at tænke og bedrive offentlig administration og ledelse på, herunder anvendelsen af organisatorisk strategi i en offentlig kontekst. Formen, sådanne organisatoriske strategier antager i en offentlig kontekst, er dog i høj grad et uudforsket område, hvilket er omdrejningspunktet for nærværende afhandling og følgende fundamentale forskningsspørgsmål: Hvordan tager strategi og strategisk ledelse form i en dansk offentlig kontekst? For at besvare ovenstående forskningsspørgsmål, er der udviklet et konceptuelt framework, som tillader en analyse og kortlægning af specifikke variable med relevans for den form, strategi og strategisk ledelse antager i en offentlig kontekst. De variable, der anvendes som analytisk linse i det konceptuelle framework, vedrører en organisations styringsmæssige kontekst, strategiske tilgang samt anvendte redskaber og teknologier. Analysen og kortlægningen af den styringsmæssige kontekst trækker på en række forskningsmæssige bidrag omkring eksisterende styringsparadigmer og deres karakter. Den strategiske tilgang er analyseret og kortlagt med udgangspunkt i Whittingtons (2001) strategiske perspektiver samt yderligere forskningsmæssige bidrag vedrørende de enkelte perspektiver.... URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8700 Files in this item: 1
Morten_Froholdt.pdf (2.731Mb) -
The Role of Mentalizing for Reward Design and Managenemt in Principal-Agent RelationsFoss, Nicolai J.; Stea, Diego (Frederiksberg, 2013)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Agency theory is one of the most important foundational theories in management research, but it rests on tenuous cognitive assumptions. We combine classical agency theory with a realistic theory of the intrinsically imperfect human potential for interpersonal sensemaking. This allows us to systematically show how the principal’s ability to mentalize with the agent influences value creation in principal-agent relations, and to link this to organizational sensemaking instruments. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8624 Files in this item: 1
Foss_Stea_SMGWP2013_1.pdf (1.149Mb) -
Minbaeva, Dana; Park, Chansoo; Vertinsky, Ilan (Frederiksberg, 2013)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This paper attempts to fill this gap in the literature by focusing on the influence of knowledge senders’ willingness to share knowledge, their disseminative capacities and the knowledge-transfer opportunities they create on the effectiveness of knowledge transfer. We develop a theoretical framework that examines the impacts of key knowledge-senders’ abilities and behaviors on the knowledge-transfer process. We test our theory using survey data collected from 199 South Korean IJVs. We find that the willingness of foreign parent firms to share knowledge is manifested in their efforts to increase their abilities to articulate and codify knowledge, and to apply those skills to the codification of knowledge relevant to their IJVs. A willingness to share knowledge also plays a role in increasing the opportunities for two-way interactions, especially face-to-face interactions between the parents and their IJVs. The impact of the abilities of foreign parent firms to articulate and codify knowledge for transfer is mediated by the efficacy of their organizational communication systems. We also find that the opportunities created for the transfer of explicit knowledge have a significant impact on such transfers. However, opportunities for transfer of tacit knowledge only have an impact when senders and receivers have similar products and technologies. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8625 Files in this item: 1
Minbaeva_Park_Vertinsky_SMGWP2013_2.pdf (991.3Kb) -
A Neoinstitutional Analysis of the Emerging Organizational Field of Renewable Energy in ChinaHøyrup Christensen, Nis (Frederiksberg, 2013)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Today, China is the world leading investor in renewable energy. At the heart of this effort lies China’s ability to shape markets through industrial policies. Through a neoinstitutional theoretical perspective this dissertation views China’s efforts within renewable energy as the emergence of a new organizational field. Despite the importance of organizational fields as a key concept in the neoinstitutional literature, there is a lack of studies on exactly how they emerge. Throughout four articles this dissertation scrutinizes therefore the emergence of the field of renewable energy in China and the mechanisms driving this emergence. Firstly, the relation between state and market is examined, and it is argued that Chinese state interventions in markets, for instance through subsidies, are based in deeply rooted historic grounds. Thus, the article explains the general context in which the Party-state handles subsidized markets, like renewable energy. Secondly, the specific development of the idea of sustainable development, and how it evolves into an institutional logic of its own, is analysed. It is around this institutional logic that renewable energy emerges as a field. The key mechanism in play is the idea work of the Party state by which sustainable development is positioned in the Partystate discourse. Thirdly, subsidization of renewable energy in China is examined as an important feature of the increasing institutionalization of the organizational field. It is shown how negotiation between companies and Party-state is the vital mechanism by which subsidies are determined.... URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8627 Files in this item: 1
Nis_Høyrup_Christensen.pdf (1.412Mb) -
The Importance of Critical Mass and the Consequences of Scarcity for Television MarketsBerg, Christian Edelvold (Frederiksberg, 2013)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This thesis “As a matter of size” demonstrates that size does indeed matter. Television markets have common characteristics across small and large markets, but the implications of these characteristics are varied due to the difference in size of economy and population. The influence of variable size is a consequence of the economic conditions of scarcity (limited resources) and thus the relative critical mass of the media market. Thus, the influence of size is an expression of the television market's inability to operate on normal market terms for provisioning particular types of services. Larger markets (measured by economy and population) have a higher potential of securing such content commercially. But all markets suffer from challenges in securing provisioning of original domestic content. Market intervention and public subsidy play an important role when it comes to securing domestic production. Political intervention can to some extent counteract the effects of the common characteristics, by changing market conditions through political regulation or subsidisation. The thesis shows that the European television markets mainly operate under conditions of oligopoly, usually in the form of different types of duopolies. The effect of size on market concentration is not as unambiguous as estimated in the literature, as the scope and extent of market intervention influence this quite intensely. Moreover, the study shows that television markets are dominated by relatively few, usually local, media companies and the multinational companies in most markets currently do not pose a real danger - but there are signs of a development which requires further research. Public service companies remain relatively strong in the markets studied, and continue to play an important role as a counterweight to national and international commercial competitors. Different markets require different policies that take into account the conditions in that specific market, in order to achieve a certain desirable merited effect. The thesis supports the view that a "one size fits all" policy across several markets when it comes to media regulation, risks not yielding the warranted results. Markets with different conditions, exposed to the same type of regulation, might have overall positive effects, but could also easily have a very negative impact if the conditions in a particular market do not fit with the intent of the policy. It is therefore far from certain that a "one size fits all" regulation will have the intended uniform effect on the affected market across several markets. This is especially true for markets that are challenged by having both a small population and a small economy. In a sense it is a paradox that the interest at European level in fair competition and equal opportunity for success can lead to different conditions of competition in a domestic market, as players may be subject to various conditions (in a way it can also be regarded as a consequence of domestic policy interventions), where the domestic players can face a strong international player, and as a result of the internal market and the Audiovisual Media Services directive, can achieve a competitive advantage, for example in relation to choosing the most lenient advertising rules. The analytical work of the thesis can substantiate claims that size has a significant effect and that there are concrete policy implications depending on size of economy and population, due to scarcity of resources in the individual market. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8629 Files in this item: 1
Christian_Edelvold_Berg.pdf (3.130Mb) -
Essays on Turnover, Entrepreneurship and Location Choice in the Danish Maritime IndustryIsakson, Christine D. (Frederiksberg, 2013)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: It is critically important to understand the connection between social interaction and individual economic choice (Granovetter 2005). This thesis asks the overall question; How do social relations, specifically coworkers, in the organizational context, influence individual economic choice? The three economic outcomes being examined are turnover, entrepreneurship (the choice to start a business or firm) and location choice (the choice of where to live). These three economic choices are linked to social relations in the organizational context by examining different facets of coworker or peer influence. Common to all papers are mechanisms pertaining to communication, knowledge transfer and coworker influence. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8654 Files in this item: 1
Christine_Isakson_NEW.pdf (1.634Mb) -
Foss, Nicolai J.; Klein, Peter G. (Frederiksberg, 2013)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: We briefly survey Hayek’s work and argue for its increasing relevance for organizational scholars. Hayek’s work inspired aspects of the transaction cost approach to the firm as well as knowledge management and knowledge-based view of the firm. But Hayek is usually seen within organizational scholarship as a narrow, technical economist. We hope to change that perception here by pointing to his work on rules, evolution, entrepreneurship and other aspects of his wide-ranging oeuvre with substantive implications for organizational theory. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8655 Files in this item: 1
Foss_Klein_SMGWP2013_3.pdf (737.3Kb) -
[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This PhD thesis is an ethnographic exploration of strategy work in practice. The academic contribution of the thesis is positioned in the overlap between Critical Approaches to Strategy and Strategy as Practice. This implies a critical position that does not take strategy for granted and which emphasizes a philosophical understanding of the practice concept. Other studies have adopted a similar Critical Strategy as Practice position, but very few ethnographic studies of strategy work have been conducted from this point of departure. Thus, the thesis aims to contribute two-fold to the existing Critical Strategy as Practice literature: One, to strengthen the tradition theoretically through the development and mobilization of a conceptual braid of practice, narrative, and performativity; and two, to provide an extensive empirical analysis of strategy work from this perspective. The case for the thesis is strategy work in the Stakeholder Department of a multinational biotech corporation, which is here called Bioforte. The thesis explores the dual aspects of the title as “making strategy-work”—the specific doings of crafting strategy; and “making Strategy work”—finding ways for strategy, as a concept, to function in the context of an organization. Building on the double entendre of the title, the guiding research question for this exploration is quite simply: What does strategy work do? The answer to this question is, however, not simple, because as the ethnographic exploration demonstrates, strategy work in the Stakeholder Engagement Department at Bioforte has a range of performative effects. Through narratives of everyday practice, the thesis demonstrates how strategy work contributes to organizing the organization by shaping The Strategy Working Group, the department, the work, and the selves of the people working with strategy. The organizing force of strategy work is partly achieved through the continual collective creation and maintenance of distinctions such as strategic/operational and left brain/right brain. In this sense, the thesis argues that the organizing forces of strategy is to be found in the performative nature of strategy work. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8663 Files in this item: 1
Marie_Mathiesen.pdf (5.342Mb) -
Shollo, Arisa (Frederiksberg, 2013)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This Ph.D. thesis is concerned with the role of the business intelligence (BI) output in organizational decision-making processes. The primary focus of this thesis is to investigate how this BI output is employed and deployed by decision-makers to shape collective judgement and to reach organizational decisions. Concerning the role of the BI output in decision-making the BI literature is characterized by normative ideas of how the BI output should be used in decision-making and how it can enable people to make better decisions. Most previous work has concerned methods and technologies to collect, store and analyze BI. It has also, assumed a rational approach to decision making where data from information systems are used to inform decisions either by reducing uncertainty, ambiguity or complexity. This study attempts to establish knowledge about the role of the BI output in the IT project prioritization process of the Group IT of the Danske Bank Group. Hence, the starting point of this thesis is a 16-month long interpretive study from March 2010 till July 2011 during which I observed the prioritization process and collected various forms of data. I use a rich dataset built from this longitudinal study of the IT project prioritization process in Group IT where thematic analysis is used to analyze the data. Overall, the study operates under the interpretive paradigm, which assumes that the world and knowledge are socially constructed. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8664 Files in this item: 1
Arisa_Shollo.pdf (4.175Mb) -
Circulating References and Matters of ConcernYu, Lichen Alex (Frederiksberg, 2013)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: The main finding of this thesis is that when actors are fabricating the S&OP process, local actors create emergent, ongoing and multiple matters of concern around the S&OP process. The group demand chain, the actor who is responsible for guiding the implementation of the process, delegates the attempts to close these matters of concern to local actors located in separate times and spaces. As a result, constituents of the S&OP process are dispersed in diverse local times and spaces rather than being coordinated in a single time and space by the group demand chain. When local actors are closing these matters of concern, they create new properties on the S&OP process and new management possibilities in relation to integration. These new management possibilities may include, for instance, generating different primary keys of forecasting in different divisions, mobilising different inscriptions in different settings, using mean error to evaluate forecasting accuracy, connecting different visualisations such as ABC analysis and items with high growth rate and value to collaborators’ intelligence, creating new potentials for more consistent decision making and more proactive customer serving, creating new actions to help the under-estimated sales forecast, and transforming the minimal configurations of the S&OP process. Consequently, integration on the demand chain becomes uncertain because actors are always creating new possibilities to move towards integration but will never arrive at the destination of integration. To integrate is, thus, to postpone integration because there are always emergent matters of concern around the technology to foster integration. Because constituents of the S&OP process are separated in diverse times and spaces, to integrate is also to separate constituents of integration. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8719 Files in this item: 1
Lichen_Alex_Yu.pdf (3.639Mb) -
An Inquiry into the Making of Market DevicesPallesen, Trine (Frederiksberg, 2013)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This project studies the making of a market for wind power in France. Markets for wind power, as well as markets for other renewable energies, are often referred to as ‘political markets: On the one hand, wind power has the potential to reduce CO2-emissions and thus stall the effects of electricity generation on climate change; and on the other hand, as an economic good, wind power is said to suffer from ‘disabilities’, such as high costs, fluctuating and unpredictable generation, etc. Therefore, because of its performance as a good, it is argued that the survival of wind power in the market is premised on different instruments, some of which I will refer to as ‘prosthetic devices’. This thesis inquires into two such prosthetic devices: The feed-in tariff and the wind power development zones (ZDE) as they are negotiated and practiced in France, and the ways in which they affect the making of markets for wind power. In this thesis, it is argued that while the two devices frame the price of wind power and the location of turbines, they also affect and address questions of costs, profitability, and efficiency; and as such, they may be investigated as market devices. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8718 Files in this item: 1
Trine_Pallesen.pdf (3.787Mb)