Business Network Literature Review: A Mini-Review Approach (original) (raw)
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Typology of business network models: a proposal based on a systematic literature review
Zeszyty Naukowe, 2023
Purpose: to develop a proprietary typology of a business network based on a systematic literature review. Design/methodology/approach: the typology method facilitates the analysis and understanding of the essence of business networks by identifying and characterizing their different types. The systematic literature review (SLR) methodology was used to develop the typology, enriched with the snowball method. Findings: analysis of the content of publications selected during the SLR procedure made it possible to indicate various criteria for the division and types of business networks from widely quoted literature. On this basis, a typology of business networks was proposed, divided into four main types: networks originating from industrial districts, strategic networks, cooperation networks, and global business networks. Practical implications: the possibility of using the proposed concept in assessing various business network models will enable the formulation of diagnostic findings and comparative and dynamic research. Originality/value: at the current stage of scientific reflection, the developed typology enriches the theory of organizational networks by systematizing and comprehensively addressing business network models, which may lead to identifying trends in their development. It is addressed to both researchers dealing with network issues and practitioners.
2004
Business networks – and the world around them - have changed significantly since the first notions concerning networks ini ndustrial marketing management were noted and developed in the early eighties. In the present era globalisation and the so-called “new economy” is said to be characterised of continuous change and the increasing use of ICT-technologies and complex relationships between firms. If this really is the case there should be a need to have a closer look at how networks are constituted and their present role. This paper tries to give perspectives on how to conduct case-based research in order to grasp these network tendencies in contemporary business markets. First a presentation of pros and cons of the case study approach in context is presented. Second, a research strategy stemming from basic research questions is made which ends with a discussion about how to conduct practical research within a multi-country research setting. Thereafter the data gathering aspects are highlighted together with a tentative questionnaire in order to conduct comparative international case studies. In the final section a critical review with implications for research is made. The complexities, access problems and comparative elements as well as temporal dimensions are put forth as being problematic in conducting case-studies in business network research."
Firms' ability to manage in business networks: a review of concepts
18th IMP Conference, Perth, …, 2002
Several concepts have been suggested in the past to describe an actor's ability to manage in business relationships and industrial networks. These concepts pose two questions. Firstly, networks are loosely coupled systems and thus, the question arises as to which extent are industrial networks manageable? Secondly, these contributions vary in their level of analysis and thus, can results from different studies be compared? This paper addresses these two questions by reviewing the discussion on the management of networks and the contributions to managerial abilities in networks. The results of the reviews lead to a set of propositions describing the state of the art in this field of research.
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Business networks are formed by organisations with common interests. Inter-firm relations can bring to the companies involved an important contribution in the innovation processes: stimulating the division and sharing of scientific and technical information. This union between companies seems to be an appropriate alternative to promote the organisation's effectiveness. Considering the relevance of inter-organisation networks, their consolidation and the need to understand their essence as a mechanism of competitive advantage, this study is a theoretical reflection on the development of business networks and their proliferation. Using multiple perspectives, the paper discusses the classic authors, as well as contemporary references. It also analyzes the concept of networks and their importance, from a system's perspective. The systemic analysis emphasizes a holistic interpretation, considers the environment, the interdependence of the parts and the business inter-organisation actions. More than a theory, the systemic view can be understood as a model of empirical analysis, used to better understand complex phenomena. Considering inter-organisational relations, the systemic approach consists of the mechanism to understand the dynamics of business networks, their interface, especially considering their role in gaining a competitive advantage. The results discussed in this paper can bring a rich understanding of the role of networks for companies that participate in this initiative.
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Conceptual Approach for Research of Organizational Networks
The research settings, where project teams consisting of researchers from different scientific fields, and working together to provide solutions to the issues of networked partner organizations, are challenging in terms of communicating and accumulating research knowledge. Although the focus of the research is shared, difficulties emerge beacuse it is explored from different scientific perspectives, relying on theories and methods that do not match with others. This observation was made during research work conducted at the University of Lapland in projects that concentrated on business networks in the manufacturing and tourism industries. The organizations in these commercial environments typically seek benefits from information technology to intensify the network-wide business relationships and to improve knowledge-intensive operations and management. The main problem is that new projects cannot easily benefit from the results of past projects because the collected research materials, analyses and models are not easily found and they are difficult to align with the objectives of new projects. In this work, to resolve theses issues, conceptual models and related approaches have been analyzed and elaborated to support crossdisciplinary research on business networks, and at the same time enable the re-use and sharing of research knowledge. The solution presented in this Master's thesis has been developed by relying on conceptual modeling approaches to analyze business networks. As a result, general concept model of inter-organizational environments has been built that focuses on the integrative relationships in them. Further, accompanying research process that enables the conceptualization and annotating of the project research outcomes has been constructed. This helps in organizing and sharing research information between researchers and stakeholders. Additionally, metadata descriptions and controlled vocabularies based on semantic web technologies are defined to align research constructs originating from different projects and to support research knowledge management.