Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine certain venture capital (VC) practices that conventional company managers might adopt to improve effectiveness when faced with increasing competition. Design/methodology/approach – Based on current VC research, the paper isolates certain...

Purpose – As companies become more aware of their role in the business network and their own value contribution hereto, the question of the companies’ sourcing strategy and use of suppliers has simultaneously come more and more into focus of their decision making. The purpose of this paper...

Purpose – This article aims to introduce the service function concept, as well as why and how it can be a useful concept for addressing service management challenges in industrial firms. Design/methodology/approach – Two in‐depth case studies of global industrial firms enabled a thorough...

Purpose – To convey the findings of an investigation into the relationship between poetry and business thinking, which began with the hypothesis that regular reading and analysis of poetry and its levels of meaning, subtle verbal and nonverbal contextual nuances, emotional content, and...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize strategizing as a playful design practice; illustrate this view by describing a process for fostering effective strategic play; outline the benefits of the process and discuss how executives can play effectively. Design/methodology/approach...

Purpose – The re‐engineering movement focused on obliterating functional silos and creating processes. As processes become more prevalent, today's challenge is to overcome process silos and synchronize them within and across companies. This paper lays out the key drivers of synchronization...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show that some of the critical questions that top executives from electronics companies ask are not unique to their industry and, in fact, are the same ones that confront executives across a variety of industries and virtually all company sizes....

Purpose – Business initiatives that improve environmental impact are increasing in number and the trend continues to accelerate. However, there is a growing consensus that transformations to protect the environment and conserve natural resources should be more pervasive and much larger steps...

Purpose – Firms are increasingly confronted with a complex and dynamic competitive environment. The purpose of this paper is to shed some light on the way firms can cope with – and succeed in – such an environment. Design/methodology/approach – The article examines major factors that are...

Purpose – This paper explores ways in which different dimensions of sustainability can be addressed at the strategic level within organizations. Design/methodology/approach – Building upon previous research, the authors provide a conceptual overview before developing a framework that...