Firms are reliant on a suitable fit between the firm and their business environment. Simultaneously environments globally become increasingly unpredictable, jeopardizing firms’ ability to develop and implement strategic directions to achieve a suitable fit. To tackle this challenge theorists call for increased flexibility in strategic processes by increasing strategic flexibility. However, the two concepts of strategy and flexibility work as opposing forces of change and stability. This study aims to explore the complex interplay between the two detached concepts in two large Swedish companies Saab and Ericsson. This paper embraces a qualitative method with semi-structured interviews combining deductive and inductive approaches to analyze the interplay between strategy and flexibility. Earlier theorists within strategic flexibility academia primarily focused on providing a resolution of definitional differences; therefore this study provides a new theoretical framework, comprised of a strategy as a plan approach combined with acknowledging strategic decisions in various intra-firm levels. Findings from this study indicate that firms should constantly consider four different trade-offs: decentralized versus centralized control, valuing short-term versus valuing long-term strategies, relying on individual experience versus planning to manage changes and product- versus market-driven strategies to achieve a beneficial interplay between strategy and flexibility.

No / This paper examines previous approaches to the identification and measurement of strategic flexibility and concludes that the use of quantitative methods alone cannot capture the essence of such a complex and intangible subject. It is reasoned that a holistic approach to research design should be adopted when carrying out particular categories of production management research. A research design used to investigate the concept of strategic flexibility in manufacturing industry is briefly outlined as an illustration. The role of the case study within this and the contribution it was able to make to the investigation is described.

This thesis is about service provider flexibility and how provider flexibility facilitates customer value creation in contexts where customer processes and activities change. Provider flexibility is delineated as a mechanism of value creation and defined as the ability of the service provider to respond to changes or to bring about changes that support its customers’ value creation. Although provider flexibility has been implied as a relevant factor in value creation, previous studies focusing on some kind of provider flexibility would benefit from a deeper understanding of the strategic role that service provider flexibility plays in value creation. The purpose of this study is to provide a framework that explicates the strategic role of provider flexibility in value creation. The role of provider flexibility in the adjustment of the provider’s processes and activities and the development of opportunities based on insights from customer interactions are thus emphasized. Moreover, while these insights from customer interactions can offer valuable development opportunities for the service provider, these opportunities yield returns only with the transfer of the insights back to the service provider’s organization. The research process evolves along five research articles that develop the understanding of the strategic role of provider flexibility in value creation. The study builds on the empirical data from five service organizations of large industrial firms. The empirical insights from the articles are expanded and their conclusions further developed by iteratively and abductively substantiating the research model. The discussion explicates how exercising provider flexibility—in the form of organizational flexibility in the provider sphere, interaction flexibility in the joint sphere, and flexibility in use in the customer sphere—contributes to value creation. Moreover, findings show that the provider and the customer are entwined in a service system surrounding their service relationship. Provider flexibility in this aspect functions not merely as a mechanism of value creation, but also as a carrier of knowledge and information about the customer. Having this dynamics in mind, the provider continues to use provider flexibility to reinvent itself and constantly evolve the organization. This thesis contributes to the literature by providing a framework that explicates the strategic role of provider flexibility in value creation. More specifically, the contributions are: 1) an increased understanding of how provider flexibility in value creation is exercised, placing provider flexibility at the core of the encompassing process of value creation, and thus explicating the manner in which the encompassing process of value creation can unfold; and 2) an increased understanding of the strategic role of the work of part-time marketers by delineating the process of provider flexibility in value creation where different aspects of provider flexibility in value creation are linked. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Manuscript. Paper 3: Accepted. Paper 4: Manuscript.</p>

Dynamic Capabilities is a contemporary popular notion, incorporating the ability to adjust a company’s resources adequately to exploit opportunities, prevent threats and consequently retain competitive advantage. Teece et al. (1997) coined Dynamic Capabilities and triggered a wave of research on the topic. However the notion is still in its infancy through academic disputes, different viewpoints and multiple definitions. Consequently tool, measure and procedures of Dynamic Capabilities are absent. Likewise the research on a project management level is scanty and just recently caught attention amongst scholars. To further tap into this research area, this study aims to analyse how project managers in Bayer AG can, and do, reinforce Dynamic Capabilities within their strategic projects. Nevertheless this is a difficult undertaking and other theories linked to the idea of Dynamic Capabilities were utilized to substitute and support this study.   The research is based on the definition of Zollo and Winter (2002) who divides Dynamic Capabilities into three main levels. Learning (level 2) is at the core of the notion and comprises of Knowledge Management activities. Dynamic Capability (level 1) denotes the possibility and flexibility to translate knowledge into practice through the adjustment and re-location of available resources. The final outcome is the adjustment of the operations (level 0) and the modification of on-going processes. However numerous scholars, including this study, exclude level 0 as Dynamic Capabilities and merely see it as the final outcome. To substitute the gaps in theory, support available concepts and extend the view on the levels, other theories such as Knowledge Management and Risk Management are enclosed.   Analysis of theory as well as the practical investigation of project managers from Bayer AG, revealed that knowledge exchange is the predominant driver of Dynamic Capabilities. While theory stipulates that IT software should be adequate enough to provide fast and easy access to information, project managers highlight that their main focus is on a culture encouraging personal, honest and open communication. Contradicting the idea of Dynamic Capabilities, a majority of project managers highlight that projects are locked after planning, neglecting change during execution. However, budgets are spaciously calculated providing flexibility to attain further resources when required. Additionally, Bayer provides a large pool of available resources, a culture encouraging communication and freedom of choice to their project managers. Merely detailed feasibility studies, monitoring processes and control mechanism are enforced to ensure successful project completion. The ultimate source of project success is implied to be practical experience. The theory of Dynamic Capabilities has aroused curiosity encouraging for further, deeper research on the topic.

Background:Strategic flexibility and supply chain agility are integral for textile companies in developing countries to achieve success and competitive benefits. Technology is continuously being adopted in the supply chain process. However, some developing companies are lagging due to a lack of investment, poor infrastructure, lack of skilled workers, and other challenges. Developing countries face significant barriers to competing in the market. For instance, there is advancement in the supply chain for textile manufacturing that cannot be adopted by developing countries because of their conventional and rigid business model. Evaluating the relationship between strategic flexibility and supply chain agility in developing countries is imperative. Aim:This research aimed to discover the impact of different factors of strategic flexibility in the supply chain agility of textile companies in developing countries. Methodology:The research adopted a qualitative research method, utilizing semi-structured interviews with managers and employees of the supply chain process. We have employed two case studies i.e.Lucky Textile and Rainbow Textile, located in Pakistan. We used a thematic analysis technique to analyze data. Findings:The research identified three factors that influenced textile companies' strategic flexibility and supply chain agility. The factors include uncertainties in the environment, technology enablers, and organizational relationships. The technology enablers have been found more effective; however, the selected textile companies faced a lack of investment in technology adoption and usage of technology. Moreover, trust in partners, the commitment of partners, and shared vision between partners are three major factors involved to achieve supply chain agility and strategic flexibility. Conclusion:The adoption of technology can improve strategic flexibility and supply chain agility in textile companies in developing countries. Nevertheless, there is a need to adopt some useful steps like investing in technology, training and educating workers, building trust, and doing more research to enhance supply chain performance and satisfaction. Further research is required to discover the contribution of technology enablers to achieve strategic flexibility and supply and chain agility in other developing countries.

While there is an abundance of research that shows a direct and positive relationship betweenentrepreneurial orientation (EO) and organizational performance the relationship is far from simpleand clear. Research suggest that the relationship is complex and is contingent on internal andexternal variables that affect this relationship. This study examines the effect of EO and itsdimensions on organizational performance in SMEs in Jordan. Further, the study examines themediating effect of internal and external contingency factors such as: market orientation, strategicflexibility and environment hostility on the EO-performance relationship. Using questionnairesurvey the study collected 137 usable questionnaires and utilized PLS to analyze the data. Thestudy found that EO significantly affects performance directly and positively. The study also founda mediating effect of environmental hostility on the relationship between EO and organizationalperformance. No evidence was found to support that MO and strategic flexibility have a mediatingeffect on the EO-performance relationship. With regards to the effect and mediation effect of EOdimensions; the study found that both innovativeness and proactiveness have a significant positivedirect effect on performance. While risk taking has a significant negative direct effect onperformance. With regards to the mediation effect of market orientation, strategic flexibility andenvironmental hostility on the relationships between EO dimensions (innovativeness,proactiveness and risk taking) the study found that only EH has a mediation effect while marketorientation and strategic flexibility have no mediation effect.Specifically, the study also found that EH mediates the relationship between innovativeness andperformance. The mediation is a full mediation since there are both direct and indirect effects ofinnovativeness on performance. The study found a partial mediation effect of EH on theproactiveness-performance relationship since the direct effect becomes insignificant when themediator is added. The study also found a partial mediation effect of EH on the risk takingperformance relationship since the direct effect becomes insignificant when the mediator is added.

Various academic disciplines have attempted to explain the factors underpinning superior economic performance. Generally they neglect the realities of small states. The literature fails to clearly define a small state . Mainstream theories associate smallness with sub-optimality . Small states studies tend to be conditioned by a vulnerability complex. Yet, a good number of small states have an economic track record which is the envy of much larger states. This thesis adopts an interdisciplinary approach to investigate the theoretical explanations of superior economic performance, at both the state and firm level. Resource-advantage theory, which claims to be a general theory of competition, offers valuable insights in understanding the superior economic performance of small states. The field research follows Porter (1998) in studying the performance of particular industries to understand the competitiveness of nations. A qualitative, case study approach, involving both primary and secondary investigation, explores the performance of the pharmaceutical industry in Malta following the country s decision to join the EU. This work perceives a small state as an organisation with well-defined, but permeable, boundaries. This open system is characterised by both a lack of market power and a small population. Through the secondary field research a small number of higher-order resources, competencies and dynamic capabilities (RCDCs) are identified. The field research s findings affirm the relevance of these arch-RCDCs in creating competitive advantage for the pharmaceutical industry in Malta. It also elucidates the key role played by an external catalyst, foreign direct investment, to circumvent domestic limitations. The study finds that it is still relevant to study small states and that achieving a strategic fit between the resource base and international market opportunities is essential if small states are to enhance their market power and achieve a superior economic performance.

La planification par scénarios est devenue un outil organisationnel extrêmement populaire. Elle stimule la réflexion stratégique et contribue à surmonter la pensée limitée à travers l’imagination de futurs multiples. Son objectif est de comprendre l’environnement mais encore évaluer les options stratégiques en dépit des scénarios proposés. Malgré cette popularité, force est de constater que très peu de travaux ont traité ses bienfaits sur l’organisation. L’objectif de cette recherche est, donc, l’étude de son impact sur le développement de la flexibilité et l’orientation entrepreneuriale. Notre recherche s’appuie sur une étude quantitative menée auprès de 133 cadres évoluant dans le secteur social et médico-social en France. Les résultats font apparaître une relation positive entre la planification par scénarios, la flexibilité stratégique et l’orientation entrepreneuriale. / Scenario planning has become an extremely popular organizational tool. It stimulates strategic thinking and helps overcome the limited thinking across the imagination of multiple futures. Its aim is to understand the environment but also to evaluate strategic options in spite of the proposed scenarios. Despite this popularity, there is inadequate research and theory to support its benefits to the organization. The objective of this research is to study its impact on the development of flexibility and entrepreneurial orientation. Our research is based on quantitative survey of 133 executives of French companies in the social and medico-social sector. The results confirm the expected relationships and reveal scenario planning to be an important determinant of strategic flexibility and entrepreneurial orientation.

В выпускной квалификационной работе рассматриваются теоретические аспекты повышения стратегической гибкости производственных предприятий, проанализирован и оценен уровень стратегической гибкостина российских предприятиях, по результатам исследования разрабатывается методический подход для повышения стратегической гибкости производственных предприятий. В рамках исследования предлагается проект по внедрениюавторской интеграционной модели, включающую в себя основные аспекты, имеющие значение для увеличения стратегической гибкости. / In the final qualifying work, the theoretical aspects of increasing the strategic flexibility of manufacturing enterprises are considered, the level of strategic flexibility at Russian enterprises is analyzed and evaluated, according to the results of the study, a methodological approach is developed to increase the strategic flexibility of manufacturing enterprises. Within the framework of the study, a project is proposed to introduce the author's integration model, which includes the main aspects that are important for increasing strategic flexibility.

由於競爭環境的變化，使得供應鏈中製造廠商與供應廠商雙方的交易關係(supplier-manufacturer relationship)有了重大的改變，由過去競爭的對立關係，轉變為合作的夥伴關係；中心廠與諸多零配件的供應商形成了一個合作的群聚，來共同滿足買方客戶的需求。台灣中小企業組成的綿密產業網絡便是一個相當好的例證，台灣產業網絡的「彈性」和「速度」特質，使台灣企業能夠在市場急速變化、壓力陡增的情況下，及時進行靈活調適，並整合體系內各種可用的資源，創造特有的競爭優勢。 本研究以個案研究的方式，選擇具動態合作網絡特性的營造業作為母體，來瞭解台灣的營造廠如何建立與維繫一個動態性合作網絡？如何進行網絡成員的分工與連結管理？本研究透過兩個實務個案分析，來瞭解動態合作網絡的分工與連結管理的前因與後果，建立觀念性架構與命題，以作為企業經營業者的參考。 營造廠的「價值活動調整」的取決會受到「環境系絡」、「技術系絡」的影響，當營造廠決定其價值活動涵蓋範疇後，將會面臨價值活動劃分的問題，要在諸多的承包商中選擇合適的對象來負責各式專業工項的執行工作，也就是要進行其「委外對象選擇」的安排，接下來最後就是依據承包商的類型的不同，於此稱之為「網絡關係管理類型」，進行分類管理，最後導致不同的「利潤模式」的選擇。 整體而言，個案公司多年來能在環境景氣循環與競爭壓力的衝擊下，不斷地成長茁壯，核心的概念在於其價值活動涵蓋範疇的動態調整彈性，方能擁有足夠的利潤，持續地追求公司的成長。當環境競爭態勢激烈的時候，就擴大價值活動的涵蓋範圍，將工程進行細部的切割，一方面可以跨過大包商直接發包給小包商，自己進行溝通協調的工作，以降低成本，一方面則可以將專業工項的設計規劃、採購活動等納入公司內部執行，減少外包佔比，提升工程利潤；當環境景氣好，訂單旺的時候，就降低價值活動的涵蓋範圍，發大包給承包商來執行，辛苦費時的整合者利潤讓給承包商，雖然單一工程的整合者利潤降低，但是由於可以承接的工程數目變多了，所以在仲介者利潤的擴大下，獲得利潤的成長。 營造廠的策略彈性，來自於其自身的價值活動調整彈性與承包商網絡的建立與維繫。該價值活動調整的彈性來自於自身能力的強弱與完備性，能力越強越完備的廠商，其價值活動調整的彈性越高；營造廠的能力可以分為整合能力與操作能力兩類，整合能力佳的廠商在價值活動細切給小包商的時候，或者在跨專業工項的承包商間的溝通協調上，會有比較好的績效，如期完成工程，減少成本支出；操作能力好的營造商，除了可以選擇性地決定是否要將專業工項相關的價值活動內製外，增加議價能力外，還可以掌握該相關工項的成本結構，控制成本支出。在承包商網絡的建立與維繫上，多元化承包商網絡的存在，除了可以讓營造廠能夠視工程需要找到合適的承包商外，還可以透過創造群與群間的承包商的相互競爭性，來降低對於單一承包商的依賴程度，也增加了承包商間的選擇彈性。 由於工程設計的差異，工程技術的變遷，營造商必需不斷地透過工程案件的執行，向具夥伴關係的廠商學習特定工項的操作知識與技能，提昇自身的能力，也將該操作知識與技能傳授給具團隊關係的廠商，也帶動整體承包商網絡能力的增長。因而，讓營造廠得以在環境競爭與技術變遷的衝擊下，獲得不斷成長的機會，也創造了與承包商網絡同步成長的機會，而得以避免整體策略彈性喪失的可能性。 最後，不同的網絡關係類型的管理代表著不同的利潤模式的創造思維，營造廠對於會員關係類型的承包商將採取採購成本最小化的模式，之於團隊關係類型的承包商將採取交易成本最小化的模式，夥伴關係類型的承包商則採最大化綜效的模式。 / Duing to the changing of the competitive environment, make the relationship between the manufacturing firm and their suppliers from competitive to cooperative. The manufacturing firm and its suppliers form a cooperative cluster to satisfy the buyer’s requirement. The cooperative network manufacturing firms build become one of the important sources of competitive advantage, therefore it’s a significant issue to the management of the cooperative network. From the practical view, the intensive industrial network organizes by the small and medium size enterprise is the important source of the Taiwan’s manufacturing advantage. The nature of flexibility and speed of Taiwan’s industrial network makes the firms could deal with the fast changing environment, and integrate the available resources of the network to create the unique competitive advantages. The industrial network also play a major role for hundred billion of the foreign exchange reserves in Taiwan, no matter what the traditional industry, such as tailoring, shoes, and machine tool industries or high-tech industry as computer, integrated circuit and electronic industries, the specialization and cooperation between industries is more significant in Taiwan than in other Asia countries, such as in Japan and Korea. Therefore, it’s an important issue to know the manufacturing firms how to build up and maintain their dynamic cooperative network and how to do the job assign and the leakage management among members of network. From the theatrical view, the early researches in the intra-organizational cooperative relationships is focus on the dyadic relationship to explain how the power and trust influence the cooperation, maybe how to gain the competitive advantage based on the relationship further. As we know manufacturing firms will exchange their resources with many suppliers, they always make the strategic decision from the holistic view of the network, not the dyadic view. Miles and Snow (1984) argue that the traditional organization will be disaggregated vertically, the way of integrating all the functions in a single organization will be instead of dividing into many independent firms to execute coordinately. They said that a successful company should integrate and coordinate their network members dynamically to achieve the customer’s need. Recently Bovet and Martha (2000) emphasize the important of building the value creating system to support the customer’s need agilely, the network of value system is different from the production line relationship of traditional supply chain, it start by the customer’s need, the manufacturing firms which interconnected with their suppliers, strategic partners, customers, exchange with the network member to acquire the resources they need, such as economic assets, knowledge, intangible benefits, to satisfy the need of customer (Allee, 2000). This study tries to figure out how the manufacturing firm build up and maintain their network dynamically, how they do the job assignment and linkage management, by case study. The two cases selected from construction industry are suitable to present the dynamic network management, by cooperating the two cases, this study establish the conceptual framework and propositions for the reference of managers.