Irini Voudouris

The use of flexible employment arrangements: some new evidence from Greek firms

The present study attempts an examination of the extent to which Greek firms use flexible employment arrangements, the kind of jobs in which they are used and the factors affecting their use. It concentrates on three types of flexible work: temporary workers, independent contractors and subcontractors. Drawing upon data from a sample of seventy-five companies, it identifies factors affecting: a) firms decision to use flexible forms of work or not and b) the percentage of flexible workers used. Irini Voudouris, Athens University of Economics and Business, Department of Management Science and Technology, 76 Patission str, Athens 10434, Greece (e-mail: ivoudour@aueb.gr) The main findings indicate that different types of flexible worker are used by the same firm for the accomplishment of different kinds of job and are affected by different factors. Training costs and monitoring problems appear to be the most influential factors explaining the use of temporary workers, while low frequency of specialized tasks is the main factor affecting the use of independent contractors and often the recourse to subcontractors. Results from the Greek national context would add to existing evidence on this important issue.

Entrepreneurial learning in the international new high-technology venture

We examine entrepreneurial learning in a high-technology firm that internationalized its activities from inception. Based on the small firm learning process model of Zhang et al. (2006), we seek to contribute to theory through examining the process of entrepreneurial learning as this applies to international new high-technology ventures (INHTVs). Towards this objective, we draw upon evidence from a single case study conducted over a seven-year period. The evidence suggests that entrepreneurial within an INHTV is a continuous learning process made of multiple learning epochs, which are learning loops rooted in similar learning mechanisms. We advance three research propositions associated with entrepreneurial learning in INHTVs. First, entrepreneurial learning in the INHTV is a process that starts at the individual level and progressively encompasses the whole organization and its networks. Second, the INHTV learning process is affected by the industry, technological and international learning orientations in which it operates; these, in turn, are contingent on the entrepreneurial team’s industry, technological and international learning orientations. Third, international learning orientation defines the business scope and critically affects the discovery of opportunities of the INHTV.

The Co-Evolution of Functional and Numerical Flexibility: Do Technology and Networking Matter?

This study explores the relationship between functional and numerical flexibility and the moderating effects of information and communication technology use and networking by investigating the relative predictive power of two approaches: contingency and configuration. The direction of the relationship between the two modes of flexibility depends on the type of flexible staffing arrangement used. Contractors and temporaries are shown to serve different aims and to have different opportunities for evolution.

Do Effectuation Processes Shape the Relationship Between Product Diversification and Performance in New Ventures

This study applies the lens of effectuation to product diversification and examines the moderating effects of effectuation processes on the relationship between diversification and performance in new ventures. Effectuation processes are conceptualized in terms of experimentation, affordable loss, flexibility, and pre–commitments. The findings indicate that, with the exception of affordable loss, effectuation processes exert a positive effect on the diversification–performance relationship. Theoretical and empirical implications are discussed.

The Relationship Between Innovation and Diversification in the Case of New Ventures: Unidirectional or Bidirectional?

The present study examines the relationship between innovation and product diversification as growth strategies for new ventures. Specifically, it considers whether the relationship between these growth dimensions is unidirectional, with one preceding or following the other, or bidirectional, with both dimensions developing simultaneously. To develop theoretical arguments, we draw upon the divergent assertions of two theoretical traditions: the resource-based view and sociocognitive theory (SCT). The results show strong evidence of simultaneity and endogeneity between innovation and diversification. This finding strengthens the interpretation provided by SCT, suggesting that new venture strategies are extensions of an entrepreneurs ability scripts. They point to the prominent role of an entrepreneurs self-efficacy and education-related knowledge. Implications are discussed.

New venture strategies and performance in a catching‐up economy: Identifying a strategic typology and trajectory through case studies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore both the strategy types and strategic growth trajectories of new ventures and examine the relationship between these trajectories and new venture performance.Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses evidence from six case studies of Greek high technology new ventures over a lengthy time frame. The longitudinal research design of the study allowed for the complexities of the growth phenomenon to be captured in an effective and efficient manner.Findings – Based on an integrative three‐dimensional framework of new venture strategies, four strategy types are identified. At a static level, evidence suggests that the more strategic dimensions are emphasised in a venture strategy, the more balanced the ventures strategic position and thus, the higher its performance. With respect to the ventures dynamic trajectories, among all possible alternatives, it was found that two are the most successful. The first secures growth through focusing first on a specific ...