Copenhagen Business School

About: Copenhagen Business School is a education organization based out in Copenhagen, Hovedstaden, Denmark. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Corporate governance & Entrepreneurship. The organization has 2194 authors who have published 9649 publications receiving 341898 citations.

Epistemological role of case studies in logistics: A critical realist perspective

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop the paradigmatic justification for the use of case studies in logistics research. The argument is based on a critical realist (CR) ontology and epistemology. The current logistics paradigm's flat ontology – based on regularity – is replaced by an ontology emphasising structures and mechanisms underlying actual events in the form of logistics practice and performance.Design/methodology/approach – The approach takes the form of desk research, conceptual work and theorizing.Findings – Based on this CR view of the logistics domain it is argued that the justifications for conducting case studies lie in their ability: to reach the causal depth required for revealing the real domain of logistics activities and performance: to reveal the working of mechanisms in loosely coupled structures showing open systems characteristics through a constant alternation between abstract and concrete reasoning and; to include the causal powers and effects of agents' ascribed mean...

Internal Versus External Knowledge Sourcing Of Subsidiaries - An Organizational Trade-Off

Abstract: When building up competences, a subsidiary of a multinational corporation (MNC) may rely on external knowledge sources like customers, suppliers, competitors or local science centers. Internal sourcing is also available through knowledge offered by headquarters or other affiliates. The question is whether the two kinds of sources are mutual exclusive. A dilemma or organizational trade-off is foreseeable, since the more the subsidiary adapts its knowledge creation processes to host country institutions, the less it will be able to utilize internal knowledge sources due to the institutional distance between the external and internal networks. However, newer organizational forms, like the concept of the “differentiated MNC”, imply a relatively smooth flow of knowledge inside the MNC, indicating that we should not expect an organizational trade-off between internal and external sources. The subsidiary’s ability to build on two knowledge networks depends on its scale of resources, absorptive capacity and the role it plays in the corporation. The relationship between internal and external sourcing is tested using a unique dataset that covers more than 2,000 subsidiaries located in seven different European countries (the Centre of Excellence Project). In fact, the results show that, to a certain extent, there is no dilemma between a subsidiary’s knowledge development based on both internal, and external knowledge sources. However, the results also show a bell-shaped relationship between the use of internal and external sources, where a heavily embedded use of internal sources excludes the use of external sources.

Facilitating Knowledge Sharing: A Conceptual Framework

Abstract: This paper argues that knowledge sharing can be conceptualized as different situations of exchange in which individuals relate to each other in different ways, involving different rules, norms and traditions of reciprocity regulating the exchange. The main challenge for facilitating knowledge sharing is to ensure that the exchange is seen as equitable for the parties involved, and by viewing the problems of knowledge sharing as motivational problems situated in different organizational settings, the paper explores how knowledge exchange can be conceptualized as going on in four distinct situations of exchange denominated organizational exchange yielding extrinsic rewards, organizational exchange yielding intrinsic rewards, financial exchange, and social exchange. The paper argues that each situation of exchange has distinct assumptions about individual behaviour and the intermediaries regulating the exchange, and facilitating knowledge sharing should therefore be viewed as a continuum of practices under the influence of opportunistic behaviour, obedience or organizational citizenship behaviour.