This qualitative, case-based study examined how managers conceptualise customer value and translate customer learning into customer value creating processes. The study considered a sample of high and low performing firms operating in non-dynamic and dynamic market environments to investigate market and firm-level effects. It was found regardless of whether a firm operates in a non-dynamic or dynamic market environment, managers approach customer value as a time dependent and tridimensionally construct. In order to operationalise customer value, managers need to constantly consider: 1. The attributes or benefits that are embedded in or customers can associate with the firm’s products and services, 2. The consequences achieved by customers when using or being provided with the firm’s products and services, and 3. The goals and purposes which are achieved by customers after they use or received the firm’s products and services. In other words, in order to create optimal levels of customer value, managers must be able to map the configuration of activities that need to be undertaken at the firm to the configuration of commercial and assurance-based benefits customers want to have delivered to them through the firm’s products and services at different points in time. They must then be able to map these activities and benefits to the combination of resources that can realise them. This includes the combination of dynamic capabilities which the firm uses to develop products and services that can help customers cope with change and have their idiosyncratic problems addressed. However, it was found that firms that operate in dynamic market environments tend to invest in and develop more structured and ordered approaches to customer learning than the firms that operate in non-dynamic market environments. They also rely more on bottom-up/top down decision-making processes to develop the firm’s customer value delivery strategy than firms that operate in non-dynamic market environments. Firms that operate in non-dynamic market environments tend to use top-down decisionmaking processes and are more likely to lever off their strategic planning processes to develop their customer value delivery strategy than firms that operate in dynamic market environments. Consistent with these findings and the RBV literature, it was found that the high performing firms were better at creating value for their target customers across three customer value dimensions. Their managers were also better at identifying when it was in everyone’s best interests to differentiate between customer groups, and integrate and link critical customer learning and decision-making processes. This includes processes that promote strategic and operational forms of customer learning, and continual customer value learning and performance tracking. In summary, the study demonstrated that heterogeneous firm performance can be explained by the way managers at different firms are able to conceptualise customer value, how they develop their customer value delivery strategies, and their differing abilities to integrate key customer value learning and decision-making processes. Moreover, it demonstrated that a firm is more likely to sustain a competitive advantage and be persistently high performing if it develops a core customer value learning and customer value delivery competency. / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Business School, 2009

This qualitative, case-based study examined how managers conceptualise customer value and translate customer learning into customer value creating processes. The study considered a sample of high and low performing firms operating in non-dynamic and dynamic market environments to investigate market and firm-level effects. It was found regardless of whether a firm operates in a non-dynamic or dynamic market environment, managers approach customer value as a time dependent and tridimensionally construct. In order to operationalise customer value, managers need to constantly consider: 1. The attributes or benefits that are embedded in or customers can associate with the firm’s products and services, 2. The consequences achieved by customers when using or being provided with the firm’s products and services, and 3. The goals and purposes which are achieved by customers after they use or received the firm’s products and services. In other words, in order to create optimal levels of customer value, managers must be able to map the configuration of activities that need to be undertaken at the firm to the configuration of commercial and assurance-based benefits customers want to have delivered to them through the firm’s products and services at different points in time. They must then be able to map these activities and benefits to the combination of resources that can realise them. This includes the combination of dynamic capabilities which the firm uses to develop products and services that can help customers cope with change and have their idiosyncratic problems addressed. However, it was found that firms that operate in dynamic market environments tend to invest in and develop more structured and ordered approaches to customer learning than the firms that operate in non-dynamic market environments. They also rely more on bottom-up/top down decision-making processes to develop the firm’s customer value delivery strategy than firms that operate in non-dynamic market environments. Firms that operate in non-dynamic market environments tend to use top-down decisionmaking processes and are more likely to lever off their strategic planning processes to develop their customer value delivery strategy than firms that operate in dynamic market environments. Consistent with these findings and the RBV literature, it was found that the high performing firms were better at creating value for their target customers across three customer value dimensions. Their managers were also better at identifying when it was in everyone’s best interests to differentiate between customer groups, and integrate and link critical customer learning and decision-making processes. This includes processes that promote strategic and operational forms of customer learning, and continual customer value learning and performance tracking. In summary, the study demonstrated that heterogeneous firm performance can be explained by the way managers at different firms are able to conceptualise customer value, how they develop their customer value delivery strategies, and their differing abilities to integrate key customer value learning and decision-making processes. Moreover, it demonstrated that a firm is more likely to sustain a competitive advantage and be persistently high performing if it develops a core customer value learning and customer value delivery competency. / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Business School, 2009

Familiness has become widely accepted as the appropriate construct representing the unique bundle of resources arising out of family involvement in business. However as yet we do not fully understand the types of familiness or the conditions that give rise to them and as such familiness remains in need of further exploration. This research explores the familiness construct and its role in perpetuating entrepreneurial activity in the family business through the development and deployment of an entrepreneurial orientation (EO) over multiple generations. The Resource-Based View (RBV) is the adopted firm level framework used to identify the unique bundle of family resources that represent familiness. These resources are then explored for their contribution to nurturing and perpetuating an EO, thereby creating a source of competitive advantage. The research also explores the association of EO to the achievement of the firm’s nonfinancial objectives. Using exploratory in-depth qualitative case studies of four multigenerational Australian family firms, data was collected via semi-structured interviews, observations, and secondary documents. NVivo assisted with the coding and analysis of data to identify common patterns and themes from both within-case and across-case analyses.Six resource dimensions were found to represent the familiness resource bundle: reputation, experience – insights and skills, learning, decision-making, relationships, and networks. These resource dimensions, identified by their prevalence across all four cases, are spread across the resource categories (human, organizational, and process) and thus confirm the widespread potential of the family’s influence in business. The resource dimensions displayed a paradoxical nature and the ability to manage these paradoxes enabled these firms to exploit their familiness advantages (f+) and simultaneously mitigate the disadvantages (f-). Managing the paradoxical nature was central to the multigenerational success of these firms. Three of the six dimensions (experience – insights and skills, decision-making, and networks) were instrumental in influencing the development of the firm’s EO while three other dimensions (reputation, learning, and relationships) were more closely aligned with a market, learning, and communication orientation. The findings also suggest that family firms are better able to address non-financial objectives when they have strong EOs that engaged them in entrepreneurial activities. All interpretations of the findings are integrated into a conceptual model for future empirical analysis.The study contributes to research by identifying six dimensions (familiness resources model) that constitute the familiness resource bundle and through which family influence is most prevalent and best examined within the business. The study suggests that the paradoxical nature of these dimensions highlights conditions that give rise to familiness advantages (f+) or disadvantages (f-) and that managing these paradoxes gives rise to sustained competitive advantage. The study also proposes that the family is most influential in driving the firm’s EO: by being exposed to internal and external experiences that heighten their ability for opportunity recognition; by balancing the process (informal or formal), speed (fast or slow), and forum (concentrated or collaborative) of decisions; and by integrating and exploiting the firm’s strong and weak network ties. Finally the study confirms a close association between a firm’s EO and its non-financial objectives. The study thus encourages family firms to pursue entrepreneurial activity, not only because it sustains their livelihood over generations, but because it also assists in meeting the family’s non-financial objectives.

Familiness has become widely accepted as the appropriate construct representing the unique bundle of resources arising out of family involvement in business. However as yet we do not fully understand the types of familiness or the conditions that give rise to them and as such familiness remains in need of further exploration. This research explores the familiness construct and its role in perpetuating entrepreneurial activity in the family business through the development and deployment of an entrepreneurial orientation (EO) over multiple generations. The Resource-Based View (RBV) is the adopted firm level framework used to identify the unique bundle of family resources that represent familiness. These resources are then explored for their contribution to nurturing and perpetuating an EO, thereby creating a source of competitive advantage. The research also explores the association of EO to the achievement of the firm’s nonfinancial objectives. Using exploratory in-depth qualitative case studies of four multigenerational Australian family firms, data was collected via semi-structured interviews, observations, and secondary documents. NVivo assisted with the coding and analysis of data to identify common patterns and themes from both within-case and across-case analyses.Six resource dimensions were found to represent the familiness resource bundle: reputation, experience – insights and skills, learning, decision-making, relationships, and networks. These resource dimensions, identified by their prevalence across all four cases, are spread across the resource categories (human, organizational, and process) and thus confirm the widespread potential of the family’s influence in business. The resource dimensions displayed a paradoxical nature and the ability to manage these paradoxes enabled these firms to exploit their familiness advantages (f+) and simultaneously mitigate the disadvantages (f-). Managing the paradoxical nature was central to the multigenerational success of these firms. Three of the six dimensions (experience – insights and skills, decision-making, and networks) were instrumental in influencing the development of the firm’s EO while three other dimensions (reputation, learning, and relationships) were more closely aligned with a market, learning, and communication orientation. The findings also suggest that family firms are better able to address non-financial objectives when they have strong EOs that engaged them in entrepreneurial activities. All interpretations of the findings are integrated into a conceptual model for future empirical analysis.The study contributes to research by identifying six dimensions (familiness resources model) that constitute the familiness resource bundle and through which family influence is most prevalent and best examined within the business. The study suggests that the paradoxical nature of these dimensions highlights conditions that give rise to familiness advantages (f+) or disadvantages (f-) and that managing these paradoxes gives rise to sustained competitive advantage. The study also proposes that the family is most influential in driving the firm’s EO: by being exposed to internal and external experiences that heighten their ability for opportunity recognition; by balancing the process (informal or formal), speed (fast or slow), and forum (concentrated or collaborative) of decisions; and by integrating and exploiting the firm’s strong and weak network ties. Finally the study confirms a close association between a firm’s EO and its non-financial objectives. The study thus encourages family firms to pursue entrepreneurial activity, not only because it sustains their livelihood over generations, but because it also assists in meeting the family’s non-financial objectives.

The alignment of business and information technology (IT) strategy is an important and enduring theoretical challenge for the information systems discipline and has remained a top issue in practice for the past twenty years. The extant literature makes two implicit assumptions. One is that IT strategy is aligned with a single business strategy, either at the corporate level or within a single strategic business unit (SBU). The other is that strategies are developed at a single point in time. Therefore, multi-business organisations present a particular alignment challenge, because business strategies are developed at both the corporate level and SBU levels, and these strategies are developed over time. This dissertation contributes a dynamic, capabilities-based theory of business and IT strategy alignment. Rather than extending existing models, this study draws on theory from the resource-based view of the firm and path dependence to address business and IT alignment within and between corporate and SBU levels across the strategy cycle. A new dynamic alignment model conceptualises IT alignment as the fit between business and IT strategies within the corporate and SBU levels and the coherence between these two levels. Value is created by complementary relationships among business and IT capabilities. IT alignment (or misalignment) is embedded over the strategy cycle, with the degrees of freedom declining quickly over time. The new model is validated using pattern matching with a single critical case of strategy development in a multi-business organisation across a complete strategy cycle. The strong match between the empirically observed and theoretically predicted patterns, and the complex nature of these patterns, provides strong support for the model. The model reconceptualises the way IT alignment drives organisational performance and how IT alignment changes over time. This has implications for existing IT alignment models, providing alternative theoretical explanations of how IT alignment creates value and how IT alignment changes over time. The new model also has implications for practice across the IT investment value chain and its governance.

The relatively new concept of talent management has been recognized to have a strategic role in disruptive business environments by both researchers and practitioners. A resourced-based view proposes that organizations should focus on internal resources and foster their own unique resources, for instance human resources. These unique and valuable resources are managed to become a core competence for facilitating organizations to seclude imitators and achieve competitive advantages. The proposition that initiate the research question of this thesis aims at delving into the relationships between talent management systems (TMS) and environmental volatility. The concept of talent management and other related theoretical concepts have formerly been theoretically ambiguous and remains empirically unexplored. This thesis aims to find out how TMS are managed in times of technology advancements. In order to achieve that goal, the authors integrated theoretical knowledge from the field of talent management and further developed a resource-based integrated TMS framework accordingly. Based upon a qualitative and abductive research approach, a single case study of a Nordic company operating in financial services was conducted to answer the research question and to test the framework. By following the order and structure of the framework, the semi-structured interviews were designed and analyzed respectively. The empirical findings reveal that strategic talent management proved to be of great importance in times of technology advancements. A lightweight structured talent management system addressing on flexibility and agility is managed to adapt to environmental uncertainty. Accordingly, the resource-based integrated TMS framework is reviewed and modified for future researchers and practitioners to use and further elaborate upon.

Aim: The purpose of this research is to develop an in-depth understanding on the environmental factors that influence the internationalization of SMEs in an emerging African market environment. Methods: The study was conducted by using a qualitative research design. To fulfil the purpose of this research, the researchers adopted the use of a single case study to explain the different aspects of the topic being studied within the emerging market context. The research was supported with primary data obtained directly from the company through interviews and also with secondary data in order to support and compare the results obtained from this research. Results were analyzed using thematic analysis with the use of the NVivo software to represent data collected. Results: The main findings of this research indicate the internationalization process of financial SMEs in an African country like Ghana is heavily influenced by the socio-cultural factors in their home market environment and the technological factors in their host markets. Again, it was realized that the internal resources of the firm, particularly the competitive advantage, remained highly relevant and influential in the internationalization process on both markets. Furthermore, it was found that the internationalization process was not only influenced by the firm’s resources or the environmental factors but also by the firm’s organizational internal processes, international activities, level of foreign experiences and firm identity. Conclusions: Environmental factors have both positive and negative influence on the internationalization process of financial SMEs in an emerging economy like Ghana. Some factors have more impact on the home market than on the host market and vice versa. In addition, the internationalization process of financial SMEs in Ghana can mostly be initiated and successful when the firm has a market gap or foothold strong enough to sustain competitive advantage in the long run on both host and home markets. More importantly, this unique edge must be buttressed by ample firm resources.

A inter-relação entre estratégias, recursos e performance das firmas é o foco central de investigação deste trabalho. Através da abordagem denominada como Visão da Firma Baseada em Recursos, estudou-se o caso do Cluster Vitivinícola da Região da Serra Gaúcha, visando à análise de sua competitividade. Como contribuição teórica à área de estratégia, foi proposto e detalhado um esquema de classificação de recursos em clusters, introduzindo-se os conceitos de Recursos Sistêmicos, Recursos de Acesso Restrito e Recursos Singulares. A investigação baseou-se em dados coletados através de entrevistas estruturadas realizadas com executivos e especialistas de 54 empresas produtoras de vinhos finos. O objetivo principal foi o estudo da influência exercida pelos recursos estratégicos sobre a performance das firmas. Complementarmente, foi investigado qual o papel das estratégias das firmas sobre o acesso a estes recursos. Os resultados evidenciaram uma influência positiva dos recursos e das estratégias sobre a performance, auxiliando na compreensão das assimetrias competitivas entre as firmas do cluster. / The interrelationships of strategy, resources and performance of the firms is the main subject of this work. Through the lens of the Resource Based View of the Firm, we studied the case of the South Brazilian Wine Cluster, analyzing its competitiveness. As a theoretical contribution to the strategy field, we proposed and detailed a classification scheme of resources in clusters, introducing the concepts of Systemic Resources, Singular Resources and Constrained Access Resources. The study was based on data collected trought in-depth and structured interviews with experts and executives of 54 fine wine produccing firms. The results were analysed by qualitative and quantitative techniques. The main goal was the identification of the influence of resources on the firms’ performance. In addition, we studied the role of firm’s operational strategies on access to these resources. The results evidenced a positive effect of resources and strategies on performance, improving the understanding of competitive assimetries between firms in the cluster.

A internacionalização das empresas as coloca em frente a desafios e situações de adaptação e de intensa competitividade. As estratégias e os recursos organizacionais são afetados pelo processo de internacionalização, trazendo um efeito deste movimento internacional sobre a organização e seus recursos, promovendo uma desacomodação no dia a dia das empresas, exigindo uma readequação e consequente busca por retorno à estabilidade produtiva. A presente pesquisa propõe um framework para identificar e analisar as modificações nos recursos estratégicos resultantes do processo de internacionalização de uma empresa, ao longo do tempo, objetivando contribuir para o entendimento destes fatores que fundamentam a internacionalização a luz da teoria da Visão Baseada em Recursos. A análise dos diferentes modelos e teorias contemporâneos, juntamente com os resultados obtidos na pesquisa empírica, permite concluir que nas empresas estudadas, os recursos estratégicos sofreram modificações alterando suas características de valor, raridade, difícil imitação e difícil substituição durante o seu processo de internacionalização. Estas modificações foram promovidas por decisões históricas e pela entrada de novos conhecimentos, portanto, para que a empresa tenha êxito, seus recursos estratégicos devem ser trabalhados, por um lado o aprendizado, instrumentalizado pela capacidade absortiva e, por outro lado, os eventos históricos, que podem reforçar ou retirar o caráter estratégico dos recursos. Embora não seja possível generalizar as análises e considerações a partir do estudo de casos, estas poderão fornecer subsídios para empresas que estão ou pretendem entrar num processo de internacionalização. / The process of globalization and the internationalization of companies place them ahead of new challenges and of situations of adaptation of intense competitiveness. Organizational strategies and resources are affected by the internationalization process, affecting the organization path and its resources; creating a discomfort on daily basis for these companies and forcing a re-arrangement and a constant search for productive stability. The present research proposes a framework which identifies and analyzes the modifications in the strategic resources resulting from the process of internationalization of a company that, throughout time, look to contribute for the understanding of these factors which are studied through the Resourcebased View theory. The analysis of the different contemporary models and theories, together with the results obtained in the empirical research, allows concluding that in the studied companies, the strategic resources have suffered modifications, altering their value characteristics, rarity, difficult imitation and difficult substitution during their process of internationalization. These modifications had been promoted by historical decisions and by the entrance of new knowledge but, to enhance any success of the companies, their strategic resources they must be worked out, on one hand, through learning, instrumented by an out-in absorptive capacity and, on the other hand, by historical events, that can strengthen or weaken the strategic character of the resources. Although it is not possible to generalize the analysis and the considerations from the cases, they will be able to furnish insights for companies who are or intend to enter in an internationalization process.

Tentar entender porque algumas empresas têm melhor desempenho que outras é uma questão que pode auxiliar na compreensão do potencial existente em determinado setor. Um importante arcabouço teórico da estratégia que subsidia condições para este tipo de análise é a Teoria Baseada em Recursos ou da Visão Baseada em Recursos - VBR. Ela propõe o entendimento dos fatores-chave de sucesso que levam as organizações a adquirir vantagens competitivas pelo conjunto de habilidades e rotinas essenciais e pela coerência entre habilidades e know-how de propriedade única. Nesse contexto o objetivo da pesquisa foi de levantar e analisar, a partir da teoria da Visão Baseada em Recursos, quais são os recursos estratégicos e a sua influência no desempenho das propriedades rurais no setor leiteiro. Para alcançar esse objetivo foi realizada uma etapa de entrevista com especialistas no setor leiteiro no Brasil e na França onde foram levantados os recursos considerados estratégicos pelos especialistas e discutidas informações importantes sobre medidas de desempenho em propriedades leiteiras. Posteriormente foram realizadas entrevistas com 199 produtores de leite na bacia leiteira do estado de Pernambuco. A partir desses dados foram realizadas as análises: Fatorial, de Cluster e Regressão Múltipla. Observou-se que no caso das propriedades produtoras de leite os recursos mais importantes foram os Recursos Organizacionais, Humanos e Físicos, respectivamente. Esse resultado difere das empresas urbano industriais ao invés do destaque nos recursos físicos é observado o recurso tecnológico. O destaque fica com os Recursos Organizacionais e Humanos que além de muito relacionados são destaque no sucesso dos empreendimentos agropecuários de produção leiteira. Os indicadores mais importantes foram os indicadores de gestão do rebanho, gestão de custos, produtividade dos animais, produtividade da terra, formação, abertura a novidades (via treinamentos e viagens), mostrando fazer a diferença entre os grupos com melhor rendimento e os com pior. Contudo, um elemento considerado essencial: a reserva alimentar se relacionou negativamente com a renda, provavelmente porque a reserva é mal planejada e insuficiente para dar conta dos períodos de estiagem, bem como pode gerar certa acomodação por parte dos produtores em não investir em outros aspectos alimentares que garantam os ganhos em todos os períodos, inclusive os de estiagem. Desta forma os resultados elucidam aspectos interessantes e emergem novas proposições de pesquisa com diferentes níveis de aprofundamento para o entendimento dessas questões mais qualitativas e possível investigação em diferentes cadeias produtivas. / In trying to understand why some companies have better performance than others is a question that can help understand the potential existing in a given sector. An important theoretical framework of the strategy subsidizing conditions for this kind of analysis is the Resource-Based Theory or Resource-Based View – RBV. It proposes the understanding of success key-factors that lead organizations to gain competitive advantages by the set of skills, essential routines and consistency between skills and individual know-how. The aim of this study was to search and analyze, from the Resource-Based View theory, the strategic resources and their influence on the performance of farms in the dairy sector. In order to reach this goal, were carried out interviews with experts of the dairy sector in Brazil and France in which the resources considered strategic by the experts were surveyed and important situations on performance evaluation in dairy properties were discussed. Then, interviews with 199 milk producers in the dairy region of Pernambuco state were conducted. From these data, the Factorial, Cluster and Multiple Regression Analyses were done. It was observed that, in the case of dairy properties, the organizational, human and physical resources, respectively, were the most important ones. This result differs from the urban industrial companies; instead of highlighting the physical resources, the technological are considered. The organizational and human resources are highlighted, which, besides being related, are important for the success of farming enterprises of milk production. The herd and cost management, animals and land productivity, training and opening to new aspects (via training and travel) were the most important indicators, showing that they make the difference between the groups with the best and the worst performance. However, an essential element, the food reserve, was negatively correlated with income, probably because the reserve is poorly planned and insufficient to account for the periods of droughts, as well as it can generate some accommodation of farmers in not investing in other food aspects which may ensure gains in all periods, including drought. Thus, the results elucidate interesting aspects, giving rise to new research proposals with different levels of depth for the understanding of those more qualitative questions and a possible investigation in different production chains.