No abstract

Research on the non-equity entry mode choices of service firms is relatively limited. We use transaction cost economics and the organisational capability perspectives to examine the determinants of choosing between franchising and management contracts in the hotel industry. In our analysis of four international hotel organisations operating in New Zealand, we found that both asset specificity and imperfect imitability helped in explaining the choice between franchising and management contracts. Behavioural uncertainty and host country management capabilities explained the entry mode choice of some hotel organisations but were not applicable for others that entered New Zealand via international strategic alliances or used strata titles. Finally, environmental uncertainty and the devlopment of New Zealand's busines environemnt had limited affect on the choice between franchising and management contracts.

Purpose This paper aims to highlight the importance of developing capabilities to thrive amid global uncertainty. The study builds a framework to help managers assess uncertainty in the global business environment and develop capabilities to prosper amid uncertainty. In doing so, the paper explains three capabilities – sensing the context, driving the market and redesigning the business – providing examples to capture each capability and managerial implications. Design/methodology/approach The framework of this study is based on academic research in dynamic capabilities and the author’s scholarly study on global strategy. The paper develops managerial guidelines and illustrates those with practical examples of multinational enterprises to make the case for why managers need to develop the three core capabilities for thriving amid uncertainty to achieve competitive advantage. Findings This study identifies three core capabilities that organizations should build if they are to thrive amid global uncertainty, namely, sensing the context, driving the market and redesigning the business. The key practical guidelines to manage this process are provided, including a managerial tool with 10 steps to developing capabilities to thrive amid global uncertainty. Practical implications The framework allows for developing dynamic capabilities in a world of new uncertainties such as digital disruption and de-globalization. It offers key guidelines for the journey, thus enabling managers to steer their firms toward thriving in an uncertain global environment. Originality/value The augmented uncertainty of the global business environment presents new challenges. The value of this paper lies in the simplicity and practicality of the framework and its focus on the role of an uncertain global environment in developing dynamic capabilities.

Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen:Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden.Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen.Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte.We explore the evolution of automotive clusters in Slovakia from the emergence to growth stages of their life cycles and investigate how the clusters spill over national borders. We also analyze how clusters and their transnationality affect firm competitiveness. Our findings suggest that although the clusters have an overall positive impact on competitiveness of participating firms, it is not the transnational cluster linkages that matter most for the emerging clusters. Linkages with firms in the same group in Central Europe matter more for competitiveness than shared institutions and linkages arising from geographic proximity. Wir beforschen die Entwicklung der Automobilbranche in der Slowakei von ihrer Entstehung bis zur Wachstumsphase ihres Lebenszyklus und untersuchen wie die Cluster nationale Grenzen überschreiten. Wir analysieren zudem, wie die Cluster und ihre Transnationalität sich auf die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit der Unternehmen auswirken. Unsere Ergebnisse deuten daraufhin, dass obwohl die Cluster eine generell positive Auswirkung auf die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit der beteiligten Firmen haben, es nicht die transnationalen Verbindungen zwischen den Clustern ist, die die größte Bedeutung für die neu entstehenden Cluster haben. Verbindungen mit Firmen der gleichen Gruppe in Zentraleuropa sind bedeutsamer für die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit als gemeinsame Institutionen und Beziehungen, die auf geografischer Nähe beruhen.

Q2: Discuss the challenges that may arise when facilitating a focus group discussion in an international context. Researchers face a range of challenges in an international context. These may include, but are not limited to: translation issues such as cultural context and multiple word meanings, comparability challenges with forward and backward translation of transcripts, and the skill set of the moderator to overcome barriers to eliciting and capturing open feedback from respondents. End vitalsource End vignette box Planning the research process Research is vital to inform the evaluation and development of a comprehensive market entry strategy. Pre-market entry research is the first step to evaluate potential new markets. Failing to undertake due-diligence research can result in reduced sales, unforeseen complications and costs. This research generally begins with an analysis of primary variables for a country, including GDP, market size and growth, sociodemographics and competitor analysis. It is also important not to underestimate principal demographic factors, including per capita income, mortality rates, education attainment levels and population figures, as well as the business operating and