Search Results (4)

The relational perspective is a fundamental theoretical approach to understanding the actions of humans and organizations as they interact with others to survive. The concept of relational capital is used in management and strategic literature to highlight the importance of agents’ interdependence. This paper aims to identify the dimensions of relational capital and their variables within the intraorganizational context, analyzing the importance of organizational management. This is qualitative research. Participant observation, 27 face-to-face semi-structured interviews, and principles of grounded theory were used to collect and analyze qualitative data. By breaking down RC into a more comprehensive concept, this study offers clear evidence of the identification and definition of two-dimensional, multivariable relational capital. Although these two dimensions and their variables are analytically separate, in this research, it is recognized that, in fact, they are highly interrelated. The research can be beneficial for those interested in the improvement of our organizations and society through the development and maintenance of mutual gain relationships over time. Full article

A claim management office (CMO) is a new intra-organisation fit based on an organisational project management (OPM) approach and deals specifically with improving claim performance. However, CMOs are either misunderstood or often overlooked in construction companies, mainly due to ignorance of the OPM context but further exacerbated by a lack of real case study research on how to adopt CMOs in these organisations. To address this knowledge gap, this present study integrates organisational ambidexterity with X-inefficiency theory (due to organisation intra-firm irrational decisions when managing such claims) to generate a reference framework for the CMO by probing its implementation within an international construction firm. A multi-method approach, including a single case study (a firm which adopted a CMO) and internal and external expert panels, was used for sampling, data collection, analysis and validation of the framework. The reference framework provides new perspectives on how construction-related companies and practitioners can adopt a CMO structure, which enables them to improve claims performance by planning in three interrelated activities, viz. function-, process- and performance-based. Theoretically, findings also contribute to the X-inefficiency and organisational ambidexterity theories, specifically, how different influences among the reference framework’s elements lead to better organisational claim performance as a plausible roadmap for future work. Full article

Recently, literature on urban network research from the perspective of firm networks has been increasing. Focusing on firms’ multi-location distribution, existing studies use mainly the internal organization structural information of firms to portray one-type industry or all-industry networks, and there are deficiencies in reflecting the authenticity of networks and comparing the differences across industries. In contrast to studies applying intra-firm networks, this study collects real investment data of all listed firms in Jiangsu Province and studies urban networks through quantifying inter-firm linkages. Based on inter-firm investment linkages, this study provides fresh insights on inter-city connections in China. The results show that Nanjing, Suzhou, Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen are the constant network centers across different industries. Particularly, Shenzhen has been favored by more investment inflows far beyond its GDP. In China’s unique institutional context, state power, geographical location, market and other factors jointly affect the flow of investment, and the role of state power deserves special attention. Since real economic connections are used to describe urban networks, the findings might contribute to ongoing debates regarding economic centers in China and bring further implications for policy making in investment environment improvement. It enriches the research of urban networks based on real inter-firm connections, and provides ideas for the wider regional study and the combination of econometric techniques and social network analysis. Full article

Extant research pays little attention to unorganized migrant workers’ skill accumulation/upgrading from the perspective of the labor supply. This paper takes China as an example to explore the factors influencing the skill accumulation of rural–urban migrant workers (RUMWs), with the purpose of discovering how to sustain or reshape regional competitive advantages by improving RUMWs’ skill accumulation. Structured questionnaire surveys were adopted for data collection in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province and Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province located in the Yangtze River Delta in eastern China. In total, 700 questionnaires were issued and 491 effective questionnaires were recovered. It takes the perspective of individual laborers, with special regard to the effects of localization on the laborers’ skill accumulation within the context of globalization. It adopts a broad viewpoint including intra-firm skill-biased strategy (as a response to intense competition), inter-firm relationships, and the accessibility of local non-firm organizations. The findings indicate that firms’ skill preference, which impacts employees’ skills and innovation ability and stimulates them to learn with initiative, have a significant influence on RUMWs’ skill accumulation. In terms of collective efficiency based on the co-competitive relationship between local firms, the more intensive interactions are, the more opportunities RUMWs are afforded for skill accumulation. The accessibility of local institutions and favorable policies also benefit RUMWs’ skill accumulation. In addition, the place itself, as a synthesized space of a firm’s internal labor-management relations and inter-organizational relations, also exerts an influence on and causes regional differences in RUMWs’ skill accumulation. Full article