Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an interdisciplinary framework bridging service design and social entrepreneurship with transformative service research (TSR) to create greater synergetic effects to advance wellbeing and drive social impact. Design/methodology/approach This research provides an interdisciplinary review and synthesis of literature to establish a basis for a conceptual framework advancing human wellbeing and driving social impact. Findings The overarching framework created incorporates various concepts, methods and tools across the three research domains. At the core of the framework is the ultimate goal of multilevel wellbeing and social impact. The core is subsequently supported by established social entrepreneurship concepts and strategies: prosocial motivation, hybrid identity, social bricolage, entrepreneurial thinking, community engagement, business model design and innovative delivery. The implementation of these concepts could benefit from the methods and tools used in service design, such as: design probes, service blueprints, appreciative inquiry, contextual interviews, actor maps, sustainable business model canvas and service prototyping. Practical implications The paper uses the refugee crisis as an illustrative example of how the proposed framework can be put into action by service organizations. Originality/value By bridging literature in TSR, service design and social entrepreneurship, this paper provides service managers with a framework to guide scalable systemic solutions for service organizations interested in advancing human wellbeing and driving social impact.

Competitor identification, a core element of competitive dynamics, has been of long-standing interest to researchers in management and related disciplines. This broad interest has resulted in various definitions and conceptualizations of competitor identification as well as various approaches to studying it, which impairs the integration of existing knowledge aimed at answering vital questions regarding its nature, processes, and implications. To help researchers confront the complexities underlying this phenomenon, we identify, review, and organize theory and research on competitor identification across the management, marketing, and industrial organization economics disciplines. Based on our review, we organize the identified literature into four perspectives on competitor identification labeled as industry-oriented, strategic groups–oriented, manager-oriented, and customer-oriented. For each of these perspectives, we also identify major research streams and these streams’ foci and contributions. Building on our review, we propose an agenda for future management research that addresses both unresolved debates in the reviewed literature and identifies new promising connections between competitor identification and specific areas of management theory and research. We organize this future research agenda into six main themes focusing on exploring the dynamics of competitor identification, building connections to research on interorganizational relations, building a practice and process perspective, expanding micro-oriented approaches, and exploring international and entrepreneurial dimensions of competitor identification.

No abstract

PurposeDisasters drastically affect regional industries; consequently, the study of regional resilience is of much interest to organizational researchers. To that end, this study examines the role of entrepreneurial opportunity recognition, stakeholder engagement, and elements of psychological recovery in the US Gulf Coast following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010.Design/methodology/approachThrough a qualitative content analysis of 183 industry-relevant articles published during and after the disaster, this study unpacks the most significant themes at work in the recovery process, including the psychological elements of the oil spill and its aftermath, the role of various internal and external stakeholders, and emerging opportunities for entrepreneurial activity in the region for regional resilience and recovery.FindingsThe nine themes that emerged from the data were captured in three categories mapped over time. Category one, psychogical states during and after the oil spill, include denial, coping, and recovery. Category two, regional recovery efforts and the role of stakeholders, includes the themes distractions, bargains, and material support. Category three, emerging opportunities, includes financial support, new markets, and reparations.Originality/valueBy mapping these themes over distinct time periods, this study identifies and explores patterns in the recovery period and use them to draw theoretical and practical implications.

Firm performance is a major concern for all organizations and involves a multitude of antecedents. Reducing environmental uncertainty and dependency through the use of strategic actions in the resource dependency theory (RDT) framework and enhancing work practices through high performance work systems (HPWS) lead to higher levels of firm performance. We reveal the interconnectivity between RDT and HPWS and develop propositions as to how components of HPWS positively moderate the relationship between firm performance and the environmental uncertainty‐reducing strategic actions proposed by RDT such as mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, boards of directors, political action, and executive succession. Copyright © 2016 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.