Lazaros Goutas

The “family business brand”: an enquiry into the construction of the image of family businesses

Purpose – Family businesses (FBs) play an important role in economies across the world. FBs are consistently associated with specific attributes and expectations, which is something that points towards the notion that FBs can be regarded as a “brand” on their own. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether FBs have actually become a “brand” in the eyes of the wider population.Design/methodology/approach – The empirical investigation is based on the “Personal Construct Theory” (PCT), developed by George R. Kelly. According to this theory, human beings categorise and evaluate the world by building “personal constructs” that reflect their unconscious attitudes and value systems. To find out about the attitudes towards FBs, we used the “Nextexpertizer”® program, which exploits the PCT as a computer‐based survey instrument. Finally, these results are connected with two different brand theories: the identity‐oriented brand theory of Heribert Meffert and a sociological‐based understanding of brands. The stu...

The Translation of Shareholder Value in the German Business System: A Comparative Study of DaimlerChrysler and Volkswagen AG

This article examines the introduction of shareholder value in the German business system. Its main argument is that the idea of shareholder value has been introduced and adopted in different ways by German firms. Divergences are identified both at the discursive level and at the level of organisational structures and practices of corporate governance. They can be understood by applying translation theory to the adoption process. The main tenet of translation theory is that ideas are constantly being modified when they enter new contexts, mainly due to the diversity of actors involved in the process of translation. Translation theory therefore goes beyond traditional diffusion studies, which tend to assume a linear and homogeneous transmission of ideas. The analysis of two German firms, DaimlerChrysler and Volkswagen AG, lends support to the explanatory potency of translation theory.

The building blocks of a cloud strategy: evidence from three SaaS providers

Before looking to enter a cloud-based market, weigh industry characteristics and ones own stock of design capital.

A Critical Examination of the Causes of Failed IS Implementation: A Review of the Literature on Power and Culture

As organizational life is becoming increasingly dependent on information systems (IS), proper IS implementation has become imperative. If it is not properly implemented, it may disrupt the organizations’ daily operations and strategic decision-making, which can carry significant monetary consequences. Sometimes IS implementation is halted halfway, or at any stage of the implementation process, which may also carry significant monetary consequences to the organizations, especially when the size of the IS implementation projects is large. This paper focuses on the latter. Through our literature review, we discovered that it is the human aspect, instead of the technology aspect, that contributes to most of the failed IS implementations. To better understand how this could take place, our study highlights two possible reasons of failed IS implementation: (1) organizational culture complexity and (2) power and politics in the organization.

Engaging Consumers in Ethical Consumption: The Effect of Real-Time Environmental Information on Eco-Friendly Consumer Choice

Encouraging consumers to make environmentally sustainable consumption and behavioral choices is a major issue in the 21st century with implications for the well-being of humanity in the future. For consumers to take responsibility for the environmental impact of their consumer choices, they must be provided environmental impact information on the products they purchase. In this paper, we develop a theory of real-time environmental information and eco-friendly consumer choice. Our model emphasizes the role of information systems in providing consumers with information on the environmental and social impact of products at the time of purchase. We contend that this information will have an effect on consumer purchasing decisions by increasing their environmental impact knowledge and environmental impact saliency, which encourages eco-friendly consumer choice. This research provides insights for producers and policy-makers who endeavor to engage consumers in sustainable consumption.