Lincoln, Yvonna, and Egon Guba, "Postpositivism and the Naturalist Paradigm," pp. 14-46 in Yvonna Lincoln and Egon Guba, Naturalistic Inquiry . Beverly Hills, CA: Sage, 1985.*

What makes organizations so similar? We contend that the engine of rationalization and bureaucratization has moved from the competitive marketplace to the state and the professions. Once a set of organizations emerges as a field, a paradox arises: rational actors make their organizations increasingly similar as they try to change them. We describe three isomorphic processes-coercive, mimetic, and normative—leading to this outcome. We then specify hypotheses about the impact of resource centralization and dependency, goal ambiguity and technical uncertainty, and professionalization and structuration on isomorphic change. Finally, we suggest implications for theories of organizations and social change.

The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields (Chinese Translation)

In this innovative approach to the practice of social science, Charles Ragin explores the use of fuzzy sets to bridge the divide between quantitative and qualitative methods. Paradoxically, the fuzzy set is a powerful tool because it replaces an unwieldy, "fuzzy" instrument—the variable, which establishes only the positions of cases relative to each other, with a precise one—degree of membership in a well-defined set. Ragin argues that fuzzy sets allow a far richer dialogue between ideas and evidence in social research than previously possible. They let quantitative researchers abandon "homogenizing assumptions" about cases and causes, they extend diversity-oriented research strategies, and they provide a powerful connection between theory and data analysis. Most important, fuzzy sets can be carefully tailored to fit evolving theoretical concepts, sharpening quantitative tools with in-depth knowledge gained through qualitative, case-oriented inquiry. This book will revolutionize research methods not only in sociology, political science, and anthropology but in any field of inquiry dealing with complex patterns of causation.

Fuzzy-Set Social Science

In recent years, both the academic and practitioner-based literatures have witnessed a spate of interest in the management of supplier relationships. In particular, the movement from transaction to relational modes of buyer–supplier interaction has been highlighted as a dramatic shift. This article reexamines the nature of management of supplier relationships from the perspective of resource interfaces. We propose a categorization of four different interfaces based on how a focal customer can access its suppliers' resources. The four different interfaces serve different purposes and have various implications for static (productivity) and dynamic (innovativity) efficiency. We conclude by highlighting the costs and benefits of establishing and maintaining different supplier interfaces. The main implication stemming from our analysis is that buying firms need a variety of supplier interfaces to pursue productivity and innovativity objectives.

Managing interfaces with suppliers

El artículo tiene como objetivo evaluar el nivel de desarrollo de la capacidad de absorción realizada (RACAP) en las Pyme colombianas. Se parte de una muestra de 363 Pyme colombianas (Dane,2012), se usa una revisión de literatura con apoyo del análisis de contenido y un modelo de regresión lineal, que permiten mostrar la existencia de una correlación lineal positiva entre la adquisición y asimilación del conocimiento externo en las organizaciones objeto de estudio,. Palabras clave: Capacidades de absorción, capacidades de absorción potencial, medición de las capacidades de absorción ABSTRACT:

Measurement of potential absorption capacity in Colombia's innovative companies [Medición de la capacidad de absorción potencial en las empresas innovadoras de Colombia]

https://repositorio-aberto.up.pt/bitstream/10216/71087/2/51376.pdf

Managing interdependencies in supplier networks

Open government data and the private sector: An empirical view on business models and value creation

Cooperation and collaboration between companies represents a key issue within the conceptual framework developed by the IMP Group. However, little attention has been paid to a phenomenon which can result from such collaboration, i.e. collective action. This involves cooperative activities undertaken by a significant number of actors sharing a common aim. This research uses the concept of issue-based net to open new avenues to understand collective action in the context of innovation activities, specifically by analyzing a case study of an innovation-based net in the automotive industry. Two main objectives are addressed in this study: Related to this discussion of different development paths of collective actors, the case study analysis focuses on how issue-based nets emerge and evolve in situations of innovation, specifically, what kind of structure and process issues characterize a heterarchization development path. Furthermore, the analysis addressed how issue-based nets change the positioning of individual member firms, a well as that of the collective actor within the overall network.

/pdf/innovation-based-nets-as-collective-actors-a-3yqtb59cod.pdf

Innovation-based Nets as Collective Actors: A Heterarchization Case Study from the Automotive Industry

The commercial re-use of open government data is broadly expected to generate economic value. However, the practice and study of this trend is still in its infancy. In particular, the issue of value creation in the commercial re-use open government data remains largely unknown. This study aims to further understand how open government data is used to develop commercial products and services. Grounded in the comprehensive data obtained from a sample of 500 US firms that use open government data as part of their business model, we propose a taxonomy that encompasses three business model archetypes (enablers, facilitators, and integrators). Furthermore, we discuss the value proposition of each business model archetype, and subsequently present a framework that describes the value created in the context of the open government data ecosystem. Our framework can be used by both scholars and practitioners in the field of open government data to effectively frame the debate of the value created by the commercial re-use of open government data. Simultaneously, our work can be of benefit to entrepreneurs as it provides a systematic overview, as well as practical insights, of the growing use of open government data in the private sector.

Business models for open government data

Organisational performance tends to be highly dependent on suppliers' actions and on the way the relationships with them are managed by the buying company. Researchers have conducted extensive and valuable studies on the impact of supplier relationships in a network context. However, some important issues regarding supply management and its effects on the strategy of the buying firm have not been fully investigated. This article presents a model of supply chain networks developed on the basis of the conceptual framework of the IMP group. The aim is to contribute toward a better understanding of supply management through the integration of both relational, portfolio and network issues.

/pdf/a-model-for-understanding-supply-chain-networks-370yf3k4oe.pdf

Catarina Roseira

Papers

Managing interdependencies in supplier networks

Open government data and the private sector: An empirical view on business models and value creation

Innovation-based Nets as Collective Actors: A Heterarchization Case Study from the Automotive Industry

Business models for open government data

A Model for understanding supply chain networks