China has been heavily investing in new energy. With the Chinese government encouragement as well as huge demand from domestic, a lot of MNCs set up subsidiaries in China to enter Chinese market. The new energy industry in China is under rapid and prosperous development. This study adopts qualitative approach, through interviewing with three new energy companies as well as secondary data collection to understand in such changing environment, how MNC¡¦s subsidiary in China can manage the dynamics and build up capability to achieve initiative is the objective this study attempt to understand. The findings show that under different strategies, exploitation and exploration, of developing dynamic capability in China, there will be corresponding HR, R&D, and marketing practices in subsidiary. And these practices will lead to different result of subsidiary initiatives - local and global initiative.

High globalization of economy has led companies into a business environment in which the changes are increasingly complex and faster. In order to survive even succeed over the long term, the modern enterprises must confront reality in real time and predict possibility. In the 1990s, the theory of dynamic capability arose for responding the rapid changes in market conditions. Many scholars¡¦ researches found that the learning of organization, management models and organizational ambidexterity are the factors to affect the dynamic capability of enterprise. And the organizational ambidexterity can enhance organizational strength of controlling new knowledge and informational diversity. The purpose of this research is to explore the relationships among self-directed learning, organizational ambidexterity and dynamic capability of enterprise. Research is conducted using survey data collection. Samples are from engineers, administrators, specialists, first-line and midlevel managers in enterprises. Via electronic and paper questionnaires, the numbers of distributed questionnaire is 557, effective questionnaire is 230, and the rate of effective questionnaire is 41.3%. The analysis results show that there are significantly parallel relationships among self-directed learning, organizational ambidexterity and dynamic capability of enterprise. For enterprise management, strengthening employees¡¦ self-directed learning and building up a high organizational ambidexterity are useful to enhance the dynamic capability of enterprise.

Over the past decade, the rapid developments and growth of information and communication technology (ICT) have triggered a new wave of financial innovation¡Ðelectronic banking (e-banking). This study utilizes a hypercube model with secondary data analysis to analyze the differences in technological knowledge and business model aspects used in e-banking versus bricks-and-mortar banking, so as to explore the core capabilities in these two dimensions of e-banking innovation. The results indicate that the nature of e-banking innovation is disruptive, leading to drastic changes in both technological knowledge and business model for customers and incumbent banks. However, the innovation is modular for provider and architectural for regulators. We further identify nine core technical and eleven core business capabilities that are necessary for the stakeholders to cope with the change, each appearing to address either technical or business aspects of e-banking transformation. The findings have the potential to contribute to the understanding of impacts occurring in the change associated with e-banking and offer rich insights for the stakeholders to exploit e-banking opportunities.

This research elaborates the concept of Resource Recombination in firms from a Dynamic Capability perspective. With the investigation of the role of Dynamic Capabilities in the process of Resource Recombination, this research addresses some existing shortcomings in the Dynamic Capability literature, where there is a crucial need to better understand the interrelationship between Dynamic Capabilities, the firm`s resource base, and innovation in form of Resource Recombinations. Examining the effect of a specific set of Dynamic Capabilities - namely the firm`s Sensing Capacity, Learning Capacity, Integrating Capacity and Coordinating Capacity - on Resource Recombination in firms, this research sheds light on what it is that explains the competitive heterogeneity and variance in resource value creation across firms. Addressing this issue, this research contributes to the resource and competence based research by presenting and empirically testing a conceptual model of factors influencing Resource Recombination in firms. The conceptual model is developed based on a thorough literature review, before being further tested, refined and validated using a mixed method research approach, entailing both qualitative and quantitative research steps. Hereto, empirical data from 208 target respondents is analysed applying structural equation modelling (SEM) principles, including structural path analysis and hypothesis testing, model re-specification, as well as mediation and moderation analyses. In line with the resource based view (RBV), empirical findings confirm that the firm`s resource endowments explain - in part - value creation in firms. But moreover this study found that the effectiveness of those resource endowments to provide productive performance outcomes depends on the extent to which firms possess specific Dynamic Capabilities: Sensing and Learning capacities are important for building the potential value of resources for Resource Recombination, while Integrating and Coordinating capacities are necessary for realising the value creation potential of those resources by developing new Resource Recombinations. Accordingly, regarding their role and effects towards Resource Recombination, two different types of Dynamic Capabilities can be distinguished: Potential Building Dynamic Capabilities and Value Realizing Dynamic Capabilities, whereby both capacity modes have complementary roles and are critical to the achievement of superior performance. Moreover, empirical evidence is given that the firm`s Entrepreneurial Orientation and Networking Orientation are important antecedents for the development of Dynamic Capabilities, and consequently Resource Recombinations. The principal aim of this research was to bring clarity to the notion of Dynamic Capabilities, their role and effects towards building Resource Recombinations in firms. With the Dynamic Capability framework and conceptual model presented, this research offers a more precise definition of the firm`s Dynamic Capabilities, shedding light on their role and effects towards developing new Resource Recombinations and separating them from their antecedents and consequences. Therewith, this research not only contributes towards opening up the black box of Resource Recombination in firms, but moreover helps to establish Dynamic Capabilities as a theoretically, well-founded and useful construct for strategic management. By explicitly embedding the Dynamic Capability perspective in resource based explanations for value creation, this research extends the traditional focus of the RBV, working towards a more dynamic interpretation of the RBV. It thereby tries to overcome the identified limitations of past research in this field.

Crafting Alliances Between A Mexican Agribusiness And The Base Of The Pyramid: An Action Research Into Strategizing By Sergio Quinones-Romandia May 2016 Committee Chair: Lars Mathiassen Major Academic Unit: J. Mack Robinson College of Business More than 4 billion people in the world face hunger every day. In addition to this imperative shortcoming, the world’s poor confront other side effects of poverty as well, including violence, forced mobility, lack of access to education and early death. In a globalized world where capitalism has become the prevailing economic ideology, alleviating poverty can no longer be the exclusive responsibility of governments, richer nations, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Today, the private sector must also “take the torch” and contribute to easing the suffering of more than half the world’s population. The Base of the Pyramid (BOP) strategy is an important opportunity for the world’s private sector to create new business opportunities while at the same time helping address and alleviate poverty. However, while the literature describes several study cases, we still have limited knowledge about the process through which managers engage in BOP strategizing. Against this backdrop, this dissertation provides a detailed account of how a Mexican agribusiness: Agroservicios Nacionales, SAPI de CV (ANSA) developed and implemented a BOP strategy to co-create value with its distributors and poor corn farmers. Our Georgia State University (GSU) research team combined Dynamic Capability Theory (DCT) and Option-Driven Strategizing (ODS) and adopted action research to establish close collaboration among the firm’s top directors, a select group of its managers, designated local distributors, and our researcher team members. This dissertation presents a detailed account of the strategizing process, how AgroEstacion was conceived, how it was implemented, and the outcomes and experiences of the overall process. I also discuss the challenges our team faced, how they were resolved, and the opportunities that emerged from the strategizing process. Finally, I describe an Integrated Model that firms can use to strategize BOP opportunities in a way that benefits both their business and the surrounding society. This dissertation also represents the challenges of utilizing DCT in a practical case, following the suggestions of several authors as Teece, Pisano, Shuen, Zollo, Winters and others, from major works of writing that encourage researchers to take this theory into a more aggregate system and apply it in a practical case.

Muitas práticas organizacionais antes inexistentes estão sendo implementadas e, ainda, construídas pelas empresas a fim de garantir uma atuação marcada pela geração de resultados positivos para o meio ambiente, a sociedade e viáveis financeiramente. A sustentabilidade tem que estar integrada na estratégia de negócio da empresa e, por isso, há a necessidade de adotar práticas que visem o desenvolvimento de capacidades e competências sustentáveis de modo contínuo. Neste contexto, usa-se o conceito de resiliência que significa a capacidade de uma empresa em lidar com um ambiente complexo e dinâmico. A resiliência é uma capacidade dinâmica e sua principal característica é a geração de competências. Desse modo, a perspectiva da resiliência pode ajudar no desenvolvimento de práticas sustentáveis capazes de gerar novas capacidades para lidar com as demandas da sustentabilidade num ambiente de alta complexidade para sistemas dinâmicos. O presente estudo teve como questão de pesquisa: \"como a resiliência contribui para a sustentabilidade das organizações?\". Dois métodos de coleta foram utilizados para responder a esta pergunta: entrevistas semiestruturadas com gestores de empresas da área de meio ambiente ou sustentabilidade e grupo focal com especialistas das áreas de resiliência e sustentabilidade. Após a análise dos dados, encontrou-se os procedimentos para desenvolver a resiliência na sustentabilidade organizacional tanto na teoria como na prática - planos de longo prazo, reuniões periódicas, benchmarking, comunicação entre áreas e hierarquias distintas, parcerias e ações eco eficientes - e práticas de valorização dos aspectos humanos como o comportamento dos líderes e a cultura compartilhada entre os membros da organização. Os especialistas compreendem a resiliência como um conjunto de práticas que consideram os aspectos procedimentais e humanos para o alcance da sustentabilidade validando, assim, a teoria e os achados do primeiro método - entrevistas com gestores de empresas do setor industrial. / Many organizational practices did not exist before are being implemented, and also built by companies in order to ensure a performance marked by generating positive results for the environment, society and financially viable. Sustainability has to be integrated in the company\'s business strategy and therefore there is a need to adopt practices aimed at capacity building and sustainable skills continuously. In this context, we use the concept of resilience which means the ability of a company to deal with a complex and dynamic environment. Resilience is a dynamic capability and its main feature is the generation of skills. Thus, the perspective of resilience can help in the development of sustainable practices that generate new capabilities to cope with the demands of sustainability in a highly complex environment for dynamic systems. This study was the research question: \"how resilience contributes to the sustainability of organizations?\". Two collection methods were used to answer this question: semi-structured interviews with the environmental area of company managers or sustainability and focus groups with experts in the areas of resilience and sustainability. After analyzing the data, the procedures met to develop resilience in organizational sustainability both in theory and in practice - long-term plans, regular meetings, benchmarking, communication between areas and distinct hierarchies, partnerships and eco-efficient actions - and practices valuation of human aspects such as the behavior of leaders and shared culture among members of the organization. Experts understand resilience as a set of practices that consider the procedural and human aspects for achieving sustainability validating thus the theory and the findings of the first method - interviews with managers of industrial companies.

This study investigates how the subsidiaries of multinational enterprises (MNEs) reconfigure their resource bases to respond to an altered strategic positioning. In particular, the focus is on the subsidiaries of multinational enterprises from emerging economies (EMNEs), which undertake transformation from export-orientation to host market-orientation in an emerging economy being host country. Two Taiwanese MNEs with subsidiaries in China extensively operated the host market are selected as case studies. This research is grounded in a preliminary conceptualisation covering three main areas: subsidiary organisations, external actors in the host country and headquarters’ functions. It provides insights into (1) how the subsidiaries align their historical resources with newly-developed capabilities; (2) how the subsidiaries govern inter-firm relations with external actors in the host environment; and (3) whether and how complementary resources are to a limited extent transferred from headquarters to subsidiaries so as to support the operations in the host market. With regards to the organisational initiatives undertaken by the case subsidiaries, it is found that the historical resources are leveraged to support the host market business, whilst at the same time developing required marketing capabilities. In addition, the concept of organisational ambidexterity is adopted to refer to way in which existing (export-oriented) and new (host market-oriented) businesses that are operating simultaneously. As to the inter-firm relations, the case subsidiaries have been mainly governing their relations with distributors by performance-based mechanisms aiming to secure stable profits. By contrast, the relation-based trust was not commonly observed among the cooperation ties. With growing brand strengths and increased direct contact with consumers, they held higher authority over the interfirm relations with distributors than during the initial stages of operating in the Chinese market. In addition, with regards to the cross-border resource transfers, two distinct modes of headquarters-subsidiary relationships emerged: a traditional one, in which headquarters allocate resources within MNEs and a novel one in which headquarters’ functions were gradually replaced by the powerful subsidiary, termed in this thesis as “migrating headquarters”. On the basis of these findings, we put forward a set of propositions that present the interrelations between the resource circumstances of case subsidiaries, the institutional environments and the organisational initiatives undertaken by the case subsidiaries. Theoretically, the contributions of this study are threefold. Firstly, it advances the research on subsidiary development by holistically exploring the: resource reconfiguration of subsidiaries, inter-firm relations with external actors and headquarters-subsidiary relationships. In particular, the resource deficiency which the EMNEs’ subsidiaries encountered and the characteristics of the required capabilities for the host market-oriented transformation, i.e. local marketing competences, were investigated. Secondly, through probing the governance mechanisms adopted regarding interfirm relations between the case subsidiaries and local distributors, this study not only addresses the question of how MNEs acquire this location-bound resource, but also advances the extant research by the aspect of network positions. That is, this study indicates that the first-tier distributors hold more relations-based interactions with the case subsidiaries than the lower-tier ones did. Moreover, unlike the reliance on informal relations suggested by extant literature on doing business in emerging economies, it is found that the economic governance mechanisms based on distributor performance have been predominantly adopted by the case subsidiaries. Thirdly, by investigating how the complementary resources are transferred to the subsidiaries, this work discovers EMNEs’ weakness at responding to the host market-oriented subsidiary transformation in terms of resource deployment within MNEs, in particular those resources that have been mostly controlled by headquarters. In addition, the term “migrating headquarters”, which represents an extreme outcome of subsidiary development, provides novel knowledge to the extant literature on the relocation of MNE headquarters by the perspective of resource circumstances. Moreover, the five components comprising dynamic capabilities in the context of subsidiary transformation are identified through the two case studies as being: capability upgrading, capability leverage, capability building, coordination capability and cooperative capability.

Despite potentially increased sales and operational efficiencies, a surprising number of firms have not adopted e-business. Annual surveys of e-business use in Canada and other Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries reveal significant differences in adoption rates between sectors. The surveys identify product characteristics as a key rationale for not adopting online selling. There are examples, however, of firms in all sectors that have discovered how to use online selling (i.e., through direct retailing, portals, online auctions - or other models). This research identifies the key internal capabilities that let firms implement online selling tools and reconfigure their way of doing business, by innovating their business model, to take advantage of e-business. Wheeler’s (2002) Net-Enabled Business Innovation Cycle (NEBIC) model is a theoretical framework for studying the process of implementing e-business tools as technology innovations for business growth where “net-enablement” refers to a firm’s innovative use of networks connected via information technologies. The NEBIC model suggests four sets of capabilities a firm needs to create value for its customers by utilizing technology: choosing enabling technologies, matching technology benefits with economic opportunities, executing business innovation for growth, and assessing customer value. The model is grounded in dynamic capability and absorptive capacity theories, offering an integrated way to adopt an e-business application, such as online selling, using internal capabilities that management can develop through planning, knowledge acquisition, training, and recruitment. This research is the first to operationalize the constructs in the NEBIC model and increase the understanding of the firm capabilities required to implement online selling as a technology innovation for business growth. The study also extends the NEBIC model by developing a construct to measure the innovation in business models firms need as they implement online selling tools. Data gathered from a national sample of Canadian firms are analyzed to test four hypotheses. These concern net-enablement capabilities, and the selection and implementation of online selling, together with the associated outcome of such innovation in terms of business model innovation. The overarching hypothesis is that firms that successfully select and implement online selling have better developed net-enablement capabilities. Further, those firms will innovate their business model. The research to test these hypotheses proceeded in two stages. First, exploratory research accessed both current literature and feedback from academic and professional experts to identify and develop scales and measurements for the net-enablement constructs of the research model. In the second empirical stage, these scales were used to measure capability development and business model innovation in a cross-section sample of Canadian firms. Responses to an online survey were analyzed to test the statistical properties of the scales, and structural equation modeling (SEM) assessed the hypothesized relationships between net-enablement capability for online selling and actual business model innovation. The research contributes to the literature on e-business adoption, and the application of dynamic capability and absorptive capability theories for technology adoption. In particular, it provides empirical support for Wheeler’s NEBIC model for e-business tools selection and implementation. The data confirm that firms with better-developed net-enablement capabilities are more likely to select and implement online selling tools successfully. The data also substantiate the view that online sellers have indeed innovated their business models to incorporate the practical tools of online selling. Practitioners considering extending their market through online sales are advised to assess their net-enablement capability first. The scales developed through this research provide a tool for identifying these important capabilities and routines within organizations. It is particularly important that firms looking to incorporate online selling should evaluate (and develop as necessary) their ability to access new technology; evaluate their strategic options and match them with the benefits of the proposed technology; handle, manage, and implement the project; and reconfigure elements of their business model, i.e., make changes to their product or service and its payment methods. Successful online sellers do not depend on a single factor; rather they develop “net-enablement” capability, a continuous and multi-faceted process of related capability sets that involve all parts of the organization.

Despite potentially increased sales and operational efficiencies, a surprising number of firms have not adopted e-business. Annual surveys of e-business use in Canada and other Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries reveal significant differences in adoption rates between sectors. The surveys identify product characteristics as a key rationale for not adopting online selling. There are examples, however, of firms in all sectors that have discovered how to use online selling (i.e., through direct retailing, portals, online auctions - or other models). This research identifies the key internal capabilities that let firms implement online selling tools and reconfigure their way of doing business, by innovating their business model, to take advantage of e-business. Wheeler’s (2002) Net-Enabled Business Innovation Cycle (NEBIC) model is a theoretical framework for studying the process of implementing e-business tools as technology innovations for business growth where “net-enablement” refers to a firm’s innovative use of networks connected via information technologies. The NEBIC model suggests four sets of capabilities a firm needs to create value for its customers by utilizing technology: choosing enabling technologies, matching technology benefits with economic opportunities, executing business innovation for growth, and assessing customer value. The model is grounded in dynamic capability and absorptive capacity theories, offering an integrated way to adopt an e-business application, such as online selling, using internal capabilities that management can develop through planning, knowledge acquisition, training, and recruitment. This research is the first to operationalize the constructs in the NEBIC model and increase the understanding of the firm capabilities required to implement online selling as a technology innovation for business growth. The study also extends the NEBIC model by developing a construct to measure the innovation in business models firms need as they implement online selling tools. Data gathered from a national sample of Canadian firms are analyzed to test four hypotheses. These concern net-enablement capabilities, and the selection and implementation of online selling, together with the associated outcome of such innovation in terms of business model innovation. The overarching hypothesis is that firms that successfully select and implement online selling have better developed net-enablement capabilities. Further, those firms will innovate their business model. The research to test these hypotheses proceeded in two stages. First, exploratory research accessed both current literature and feedback from academic and professional experts to identify and develop scales and measurements for the net-enablement constructs of the research model. In the second empirical stage, these scales were used to measure capability development and business model innovation in a cross-section sample of Canadian firms. Responses to an online survey were analyzed to test the statistical properties of the scales, and structural equation modeling (SEM) assessed the hypothesized relationships between net-enablement capability for online selling and actual business model innovation. The research contributes to the literature on e-business adoption, and the application of dynamic capability and absorptive capability theories for technology adoption. In particular, it provides empirical support for Wheeler’s NEBIC model for e-business tools selection and implementation. The data confirm that firms with better-developed net-enablement capabilities are more likely to select and implement online selling tools successfully. The data also substantiate the view that online sellers have indeed innovated their business models to incorporate the practical tools of online selling. Practitioners considering extending their market through online sales are advised to assess their net-enablement capability first. The scales developed through this research provide a tool for identifying these important capabilities and routines within organizations. It is particularly important that firms looking to incorporate online selling should evaluate (and develop as necessary) their ability to access new technology; evaluate their strategic options and match them with the benefits of the proposed technology; handle, manage, and implement the project; and reconfigure elements of their business model, i.e., make changes to their product or service and its payment methods. Successful online sellers do not depend on a single factor; rather they develop “net-enablement” capability, a continuous and multi-faceted process of related capability sets that involve all parts of the organization.

Muitas práticas organizacionais antes inexistentes estão sendo implementadas e, ainda, construídas pelas empresas a fim de garantir uma atuação marcada pela geração de resultados positivos para o meio ambiente, a sociedade e viáveis financeiramente. A sustentabilidade tem que estar integrada na estratégia de negócio da empresa e, por isso, há a necessidade de adotar práticas que visem o desenvolvimento de capacidades e competências sustentáveis de modo contínuo. Neste contexto, usa-se o conceito de resiliência que significa a capacidade de uma empresa em lidar com um ambiente complexo e dinâmico. A resiliência é uma capacidade dinâmica e sua principal característica é a geração de competências. Desse modo, a perspectiva da resiliência pode ajudar no desenvolvimento de práticas sustentáveis capazes de gerar novas capacidades para lidar com as demandas da sustentabilidade num ambiente de alta complexidade para sistemas dinâmicos. O presente estudo teve como questão de pesquisa: \"como a resiliência contribui para a sustentabilidade das organizações?\". Dois métodos de coleta foram utilizados para responder a esta pergunta: entrevistas semiestruturadas com gestores de empresas da área de meio ambiente ou sustentabilidade e grupo focal com especialistas das áreas de resiliência e sustentabilidade. Após a análise dos dados, encontrou-se os procedimentos para desenvolver a resiliência na sustentabilidade organizacional tanto na teoria como na prática - planos de longo prazo, reuniões periódicas, benchmarking, comunicação entre áreas e hierarquias distintas, parcerias e ações eco eficientes - e práticas de valorização dos aspectos humanos como o comportamento dos líderes e a cultura compartilhada entre os membros da organização. Os especialistas compreendem a resiliência como um conjunto de práticas que consideram os aspectos procedimentais e humanos para o alcance da sustentabilidade validando, assim, a teoria e os achados do primeiro método - entrevistas com gestores de empresas do setor industrial. / Many organizational practices did not exist before are being implemented, and also built by companies in order to ensure a performance marked by generating positive results for the environment, society and financially viable. Sustainability has to be integrated in the company\'s business strategy and therefore there is a need to adopt practices aimed at capacity building and sustainable skills continuously. In this context, we use the concept of resilience which means the ability of a company to deal with a complex and dynamic environment. Resilience is a dynamic capability and its main feature is the generation of skills. Thus, the perspective of resilience can help in the development of sustainable practices that generate new capabilities to cope with the demands of sustainability in a highly complex environment for dynamic systems. This study was the research question: \"how resilience contributes to the sustainability of organizations?\". Two collection methods were used to answer this question: semi-structured interviews with the environmental area of company managers or sustainability and focus groups with experts in the areas of resilience and sustainability. After analyzing the data, the procedures met to develop resilience in organizational sustainability both in theory and in practice - long-term plans, regular meetings, benchmarking, communication between areas and distinct hierarchies, partnerships and eco-efficient actions - and practices valuation of human aspects such as the behavior of leaders and shared culture among members of the organization. Experts understand resilience as a set of practices that consider the procedural and human aspects for achieving sustainability validating thus the theory and the findings of the first method - interviews with managers of industrial companies.