A informação vem sendo apontada como a base da competitividade. A maior parte das pesquisas, no entanto, têm focado em estudar o impacto dos recursos eminentemente tecnológicos. Com as transformações no fluxo informacional, desenvolver novas capacidades é apontado como um imperativo competitivo para as organizações. Mais do que a análise dos recursos isoladamente, a análise das capacidades enquanto um conjunto de habilidades para ganhar, integrar e gerir recursos vem ganhando um papel importante na área de SI. As capacidades são particularmente úteis para as organizações em ambientes que mudam rapidamente. Considerando essa oportunidade de pesquisa, avaliou-se relevante analisar, nesse trabalho, a influência da Capacidade de Gestão da Informação (CGI) na Vantagem Competitiva da firma. Nesse sentido, estendeu-se o conceito de CGI para o conjunto de habilidades da firma para acessar dados e informações dos ambientes interno e externo, assim como mapear e distribuir essas informações para que possam ser processadas, permitindo o ajuste organizacional para responder às necessidades e direções do mercado. Para que CGI possa se configurar em uma importante fonte de vantagem competitiva para as organizações no atual contexto informacional, a literatura indica que é necessária uma complexa articulação com outras capacidades organizacionais. Valendo-se da perspectiva teórica das Capacidades Dinâmicas (CD), esse trabalho propôs modelo pelo qual a CGI articula-se com outras capacidades (nomeadamente Capacidade de Integração de SI, Flexibilidade, Capacidade de Reconfiguração e Agilidade) que intermediam o impacto da CGI enquanto fonte de VCS. Esse modelo, baseado na literatura existente, foi avaliado em uma perspectiva de Métodos Mistos, preliminarmente - em uma etapa qualitativa exploratória -, por quatro CIOs de companhias identificadas pelo uso extensivo de informação em suas operações e reconhecidas pela excelência na gestão desse uso. Após esse refinamento, a pesquisa foi realizada por meio de dois métodos. A análise das relações entre as variáveis propostas na pesquisa foi realizada, primeiramente, a partir de um estudo de casos múltiplos de natureza explanatória, realizado em três organizações líderes nacionais em seus segmentos de mercado (uma cooperativa de crédito, uma rede de varejo de moda e uma indústria de móveis planejados). A essa etapa, seguiu-se uma Survey com 180 gestores de TI e não-TI, pela qual foi possível quantificar a influência do caminho proposto da CGI até a VCS. A etapa quantitativa foi efetuada utilizando-se da análise de modelagem de equações estruturais baseada em Partial Least Square-Path Modeling (PLS-SEM). Os resultados foram analisados separadamente em cada etapa (Estudos de Casos Múltiplos e levantamento Survey), e a discussão, realizada por abordagem conjunta de métodos mistos com propósito de corroboração e confirmação integrada. Os resultados demonstram que a CGI influencia a VCS principalmente de forma indireta, mediada por outras capacidades organizacionais. Mais especificamente, a análise aponta para dois caminhos partindo da complementaridade da CGI com as capacidades de integração de SI. No mais consistente deles, o caminho que se origina na CGI é mediado pela Capacidade de Integração Interna de SI, Flexibilidade e Agilidade para influenciar positivamente a VCS. O caminho mediado pela integração externa vale-se da Capacidade de Reconfiguração ao invés da Flexibilidade. Dentre as implicações acadêmicas a pesquisa estão a extensão do conceito de CGI a partir das pesquisas estratégicas e a evidenciação da influência dessa capacidade na variável dependente natural das capacidades, a VCS. Como implicação gerencial, apresentou-se dois caminhos pelo qual o desenvolvimento de habilidade para o gerenciamento da informação pode levar a VCS. A indicação desses caminhos atende a uma lacuna do mercado que estima que 85% das organizações ainda não foram capazes de extrair diferenciação estratégica dos novos dados disponíveis. / Information has been indicated as the basis of competitiveness. Most research, however, has focused on studying the impact of eminently technological resources. With transformations in informational flow, developing new capabilities is indicated as a competitive imperative for organizations. More so than the isolated analyses of resources, analysis of capabilities as a set of abilities to gain, integrate, and manage resources has been acquiring an important role in the area of IS. Capabilities are particularly useful for organizations in environments that change rapidly. Considering this research opportunity, it was deemed relevant to analyze, in this work, the influence of Information Management Capability (IMC) on the firm’s Sustained Competitive Advantage (SCA). In this sense, the concept of IMC was extended to the firm’s set of abilities to access data and information from internal and external environments as well as to map and distribute this information for processing, thereby permitting organizational adjustment to respond to market needs and directions. For IMC to configure into an important source of competitive advantage for organizations in the current informational context, the literature recommends that a complex articulation with other organizational capabilities is necessary. With the theoretical perspective of Dynamic Capabilities (DC), this work proposes a model in which IMC articulates with other capabilities (namely IS Integration Capability, Flexibility, Reconfiguration Capability, and Agility), which intermediates the impact of IMC as a source of SCA. This model, based on the existing literature, was evaluated by a Mix Methods approach, preliminarily – in an exploratory qualitative stage – by four CIOs from companies identified by their extensive use of information in their operations and recognized for excellence in the management of this use. After this refinement, research was conducted through two methods. Analysis of the relations among the proposed variables in the research was made, firstly, from a multiple-case study of an explanatory nature, at three organizations, national leaders in their market segments (a credit union, a fashion retail chain, and an industry of custom furniture). In this stage, a survey of 180 IT and non-IT managers was conducted, from which it was possible to quantify the influence of the proposed path of IMC to SCA. The quantitative stage was executed by utilizing structural equation modeling analysis based on Partial Least Square-Path Modeling. The results were analyzed separately in each stage (Multiple-Case Study and Survey), and the discussion was made through a joint approach of mixed methods with the purpose of integrated corroboration and confirmation. The results demonstrate that IMC influence SCA mainly in an indirect way, mediated by other organizational capabilities. More specifically, the analysis points to two paths coming from the complementarity of IMC with IS integration capabilities. In the more consistent of the two, the path that originates from IMC is mediated by IS Internal Integration Capability, Flexibility, and Agility to positively influence SCA. The path mediated by external integration makes use of the Reconfiguration Capability instead of Flexibility.

Esta tese de doutorado trata de como processos inovativos podem ser viabilizados e estimulados a partir da externalização de capabilities antes realizadas internamente à empresa. Para atingir o objetivo proposto foi escolhido o setor farmacêutico, cujo processo inovativo é constante e permeia, em diferentes graus, todas as etapas da cadeia, além da organização da sua cadeia ser propícia à desverticalização. A unidade de análise utilizada é a capability, neste caso as atividades relacionadas a pesquisa e desenvolvimento e manufatura. A partir da consulta de uma base de dados estrangeira, foi selecionado um conjunto de artigos técnicos que incluiu o tema e o setor alvo da tese. A sistematização dos dados permitiu identificar o tipo de atividade externalizada, a situação em que isso ocorria, suas principais motivações e resultados, bem como os detalhes das empresas envolvidas. A análise da externalização de atividades de pesquisa mostra quatro formas de aceleração da inovação: (1) aquela alcançada a partir do acesso a tecnologias que não seriam acessíveis de outra maneira, acelerando a fase clínica do desenvolvimento; (2) a que agrega etapas permitindo acelerar a fase clínica do desenvolvimento; (3) a da etapa de formulação que possibilitou acelerar o estágio de desenvolvimento, e (4) a relacionada a estágios da química de descoberta permitindo acelerar a própria fase, além da conseguinte. A análise da externalização de atividades de manufatura mostra um movimento de inclusão de etapas a jusante da cadeia, no caso aquelas de desenvolvimento, constantes nos dados analisados beneficia a manufatura além do produto final, mas também em termos de inovação de processo. A aceleração da inovação ocorre principalmente por possibilitar ter o produto mais rápido para ser lançado ao mercado. Os dados são convergentes com o argumento central de que ao permitir acesso a capabilities fora das fronteiras da firma, o outsourcing é ferramenta que viabiliza a inovação. A conclusão é de que as decisões tomadas não seguem uma norma pré-determinada, uma prescrição. Não há mais o referencial seguro da integração vertical, nem de uma best practice. Cada empresa deve decidir, a partir de parâmetros que ela mesma pode determinar, a melhor forma de resolver os desafios competitivos que lhe são propostos de maneira irrecusável e incontornável. / Innovation has become a central element of the economic system. This thesis focuses on how outsourcing capabilities can foster innovation process. It does so by analyzing the pharmaceutical sector, an innovative industry which value chain can be easily disaggregated in several stages that embrace different industrial actors. The analysis unit is the capability, in this case the capabilities related to research and manufacturing activities. By means of a database searching, a system with a range of technical articles treating the central subject of the thesis was build up. The information has been classified in order to identify outsourced activities, in which situations outsourcing happens, as well as main reasons and outcomes of the outsourcing process. It also allowed knowing better what kind of companies were involved in the strategy. Outsourcing research pharmaceutical capabilities provides four main routes to nurture innovation: (1) by accessing new technologies, (2) by aggregating research phases, (3) by means of outsourced formulation activity and (4) outsourced drug discovery chemistry. In the case of manufacturing capabilities, outsourcing has incorporated upstream phases of the value chain, mainly the ones related to development activities. Eventually, innovation is boosted as products can reach the market in a faster way. The analysis demonstrates the core argument herein developed: by connecting distributed capabilities, outsourcing is a useful tool that accelerates innovation.

Purpose and research question: The purpose of this research is to explore how dynamic marketing capabilities in international e-tail companies are influenced by organizational culture. Furthermore, the aim is to contribute to the theoretical field of marketing capabilities, as well as providing practical implications to managers in international e-tail companies.How does organisational culture influence dynamic marketing capabilities in international e-tail companies? Method: The study is conducted with a qualitative method and an abductive approach, using a single case study design. The empirical data consist of eight semi-structured interviews with people at the company Scandinavian Design Center, in addition to secondary data and observations on site. Findings: The results of the study indicate that characteristics from four types of organisational cultures, including entrepreneurial, team, hierarchical and rational can influence DMCs positively and negatively on two levels: incremental and renewing. Team culture influences DMCs positively on both levels, while entrepreneurial culture has both positive and negative influence on different levels. Hierarchical and rational culture negatively influence DMCs on both levels, except when it comes to formal roles and articulated goals, which positively influence both incremental and renewing DMCs.

Abstract For a small and medium size firm (SME), expansion into new foreign markets is a remarkable milestone, requiring specific resources and capabilities. The purpose of this study is to explore how management in internationalizing small and medium-size firms allocate their limited resources between key functions, in particular, between marketing and R&D. This thesis builds on a resource-based view of the firm, a dynamic capabilities perspective, and the SME internationalization literature, and therefore assumes that a firm’s success in foreign markets is closely related to its internal resource and capability configurations. The findings of this study suggest that SMEs need a capability portfolio in which the relative importance of key capabilities varies as international expansion proceeds. It appears that throughout the international expansion process, investments in developing R&D capabilities do not notably decrease, not even at the time when SMEs need to begin to develop other activities, such as marketing. Closer examination reveals that investments in the capabilities’ underlying microfoundations, rather than the resource allocation between the key functions per se, determine the nature of the resulting competitive advantage. Cross-border mergers are specific situations that reveal the strong influence of function-specific microfoundations on functional capabilities and thus, on an SME’s dynamic capabilities. The results of this study show that in merger deals, each firm comes with distinctive cross-functional structures, processes, routines, and skills. Synergies might not be capitalized if management is not able to effectively align merging firms’ underlying microfoundations. The results in this thesis underline the invaluable role of SMEs’ management. The findings show that even if the different phases of international expansion require diverse managerial capabilities, unanimity among the top management team executives is needed (surprisingly) only when these SMEs are making substantial resource commitments. Such adoption to changing conditions is an illustration of dynamic managerial capabilities that partly determines success in international markets. / Tiivistelmä Pienelle yritykselle kansainvälistyminen on merkittävä virstanpylväs, joka edellyttää erityisiä resursseja ja kyvykkyyksiä. Tässä työssä on tarkoitus tutkia, kuinka pienen kansainvälistyvän yrityksen johto kohdentaa yrityksen rajallisia resursseja tuotekehitys- ja markkinointifunktioihin. Väitöskirjassa oletetaan, että pienten ja keskisuurten yritysten menestyminen kansainvälisillä markkinoilla liittyy olennaisesti yritysten käytössä oleviin resursseihin ja kyvykkyyksiin, ja tästä johtuen väitöskirjan teoreettinen osa rakennetaan resurssiteorian, dynaamisten kyvykkyyksien teorian sekä pienten yritysten kansainvälistymistä koskevien tutkimuksien yhdistelmänä. Työn tulokset osoittavat, että pienet yritykset tarvitsevat erityisen kyvykkyysportfolion, jossa eri kyvykkyyksien suhteellinen osuus muuttuu yrityksen kansainvälistymisen edetessä. Näyttäisi siltä, että yritysten investoinnit tuotekehitykseen eivät juuri pienene silloinkaan, kun yritykset aloittavat markkinointiin panostamisen. Lähempi tarkastelu kuitenkin osoittaa, että investoinnit eri funktioihin eivät sinänsä määrää syntyvää kilpailuetua, vaan edun luonne määräytyy sen mukaan, kuinka resurssit kohdennetaan taustalla oleviin kyvykkyyksien (mikro)rakenteisiin. Kansainväliset yrityskaupat ovat erityisiä tapahtumia jotka paljastavat funktiokohtaisten mikrorakenteiden merkittävän vaikutuksen. Työn tulokset osoittavat, että kussakin yksittäisessä fuusioituvassa yrityksessä on omanlaisensa, ajan myötä funktioiden välille muotoutuneet rakenteet, prosessit ja käytänteet. Yrityskauppojen hyödyt voivat jäädä saavuttamatta ellei näitä fuusioituvien yritysten funktioiden välisiä mikrorakenteita saada sujuvasti sulautettua yhteen. Tutkimustulokset korostavat pienen yrityksen johdon merkitystä. Kasvu kansainvälisillä markkinoilla vaatii johdolta erityistä kyvykkyyttä, mutta hieman yllättäen tulokset osoittavat, että johtoryhmän jäsenten yksimielisyys on tärkeää vain niissä kasvun vaiheissa, jotka edellyttävät erityisen merkittäviä sitoumuksia. Tällainen muuttuviin olosuhteisiin sopeutuminen on hyvä osoitus johdon dynaamisista kyvykkyyksistä, jotka osaltaan määräävät yrityksen menestymisen kansainvälisillä markkinoilla.

This thesis aims to explore how trust, communication and innovation is potentially interconnected in the context of e-entrepreneurial startups. Trust seems to be an important component to success, but the virtual environment makes the traditional formation of trust difficult. An inductive strategy using qualitative interviews was employed to explore this relatively under researched subject. The findings indicate the most important aspects of trust in this context. Further, the findings imply that some of the constructs for trust present in virtual and temporary teams are also present in this context. Furthermore, there seems to be connections between communication and trust in a startup, both ways. The same seems true for the aspects of the firm's innovation capabilities and trust. Finally, theoretical implications of this research are presented and several interesting topics for future research are suggested. / Denna uppsats ämnar utforska den potentiella relationen mellan tillit, kommunikation och innovation i kontexten av e-entreprenöriella start-ups. Tillit verkar vara en viktig del för att nå framgång, men den virtuella kontexten gör en traditionell tillitsutveckling svår. En induktiv strategi med kvalitativa intervjuer användes för att utforska detta, som är ett relativt underforskat ämne. Resultaten antyder på de viktigaste elementen av tillit i denna kontext. Vidare pekar även studien på att vissa av de konstruktioner för tillit som återfinns i virtuella och tillfälliga teams även återfinns i denna kontext. Det tycks även finnas en tvåvägs koppling mellan kommunikation och tillit samt för beståndsdelarna av innovation capabilities och tillit. Slutligen presenteras implikationer för det teoretiska fältet och flera intressanta ämnen för framtida forskning föreslås.

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With technological advancements rendering customer expectations ever more sophisticated, firms must compete with increasingly complex service offerings to secure their position in the market. For firms in the hospitality industry, innovating their service offerings to cater to these changing customer demands has therefore become a prerequisite to survive. This paper takes a dynamic capability perspective to examine how family firms fare in this rapidly changing environment by examining the role of family influence on their capabilities to engage in service innovation.  The purpose of the study was to describe and explain how family influence impacts dynamic capabilities for service innovation in a family firm within the hospitality industry. The aim of the study was to derive insights on how family influence impacts family firms’ innovation capacity and to stimulate future work in the field of research.  This study is based on an in-depth single case study approach. Empirical data was gathered through semi-structured interviews. Based on a qualitative explorative study using an abductive approach, we were able to develop new combinations of established theoretical models and concepts with findings from our theory and empirical data.  Five attributes of family influence were identified that impact family firms’ capabilities for service innovation - both positively and negatively. The results indicate that family influence can positively impact dynamic sensing capabilitites for service innovation, while the impact of family influence on dynamic seizing and dynamic transforming capabilities for service innovation can be ambiguous. The findings call for continued exploration of the role of family influence on dynamic capabilities for service innovation and family firms’ innovation capacity in general.

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Digital advancements are creating increasingly strong external triggers on multiple industries for organizations to achieve strategic renewal through digital transformation. At the heart of this digital transformation lies the capabilities which the organization possesses. The digital dynamic capabilities highlight what capabilities organizations require for said change. This qualitative study examines how digital dynamic capabilities affect digital transformation processes in small and medium sized enterprises (SME) across multiple industries. The thesis accomplishes this by utilizing the digital dynamic capabilities framework and applying it to six different SMEs from different industries. The results show a connection between the digital dynamic capabilities and successful strategic renewal. Furthermore, our findings confirm that digital dynamic capabilities are a process-model, meaning it must be built or used in linear fashion over time for strategic renewal. The thesis also contributes practically by showing how digital dynamic capabilities can be used by managers as a practical tool to evaluate, oversee, and implement digital dynamic capabilities to enhance digital transformation processes in SMEs. Lastly, our empirical findings reveal an additional fourth internal barrier of contentment in the theoretical framework.

No description available.