Path-dependency is an unfortunate behavior (Choi, 2011). Although researchers acknowledge the omnipresent nature of path-dependent behavior (Gruber, 2010), especially in innovation processes and organizational developments (Mishina et al., 2012; Thrane et al., 2010), little research on understanding path-dependency in the context of entrepreneurial and managerial decision-making was carried out so far. Therefore, understanding antecedents and environmental conditions is the main focus of our research. This paper studies path-dependent behavior when selecting and combining means to solve entrepreneurial and managerial problems under different conditions. We focus on entrepreneurial self-efficacy (McGee et al., 2009) as its subdimensions can be utilized to distinguish entrepreneurs from managers (Chen et al., 1998). To account for several environmental conditions, we designed a unique experimental questionnaire inducing four specific scenarios in temporal order. We hypothesize that path-dependency can be burst in specific situations.
Many studies have shown a positive relationship between a strong brand and overall financial performance. Experiences of marketing specialists and initial scientific findings demonstrate that in all industries but especially in the service sector, personal communication by a firm's own employees in direct interaction with the customer plays - beside impersonal communication through mass media campaigns - a decisive role in achieving sustainable brand strength. More and more firms have discovered the potential of so-called behavioral branding as an effective way to differentiate themselves from their competition. In this article we argue that leadership within organizations is an essential instrument to foster and control behavioural branding.
In a 2015 study, policy measures to promote electric mobility were examined with regard to their acceptance by consumers in 20 countries on five continents. Results of a choice-based conjoint Analysis showed that people appreciate monetary incentives; however, the application of the Kano method to detect dissatisfaction with missing features revealed that charging networks are absolute must-haves. In the same 20 countries, the present article examines the actual effects of three kinds of policy measures: monetary incentives, traffic regulations in favour of electric vehicles (EVs), and Investments in charging infrastructure. The outcome variable was the percentage of new registered EVs in 2016. All policy measures had positive direct effects; however, the number of existing charging stations as a moderator increased the effect of monetary measures over proportionately. The widespread uptake of EVs has been challenged by the problem that people do not accept EVs as long as the number of charging stations is insufficient, and the low number of EVs has not stimulated sufficient demand for charging stations yet. The results demonstrate how this ‘chicken or the egg’ Dilemma will be resolved over time as soon as a sufficient number of charging stations are available. Because the effects of monetary measures and charging stations reinforce each other and the number of charging stations is accumulative, governments will be able to offer fewer and fewer monetary incentives to produce the same promoting effects.
Viele Unternehmen stehen derzeit vor der Herausforderung, ihre Geschäftsmodelle radikal zu überdenken. Marken kommt dabei eine Doppelrolle zu: Visionär Impulse setzen und gleichzeitig die Essenz des Unternehmens bewahren. Die BMW Group hat in Kooperation mit der Universität St. Gallen ein Erfolgsrezept für die Transformation entwickelt: die "Markenkultivierung".
The present research deals with the influence of managers’ construal level on evaluations of customers and employee’s ideas in innovation contexts. While prior research found one’s situational construal level associated with creativity and feasibility ratings of ideas, we provide theory and evidence to suggest that the true hierarchy level of managers can alter evaluations of ideas from different sources. We conducted an experiment with 113 German-speaking managers to reveal that top-managers, processing information on higher construal levels, tend to distinct creativity ratings of an idea, depending on its source (customer’s vs. employee’s ideas). Lower-level managers showed no difference in their creativity evaluations, but differentiated their feasibility rating in respect to the source of ideas (customer vs. employee) whereas top-managers did not. In addition, post hoc analysis showed that especially the evaluation of customers’ ideas benefit from this rating biases of top and lower level management. Our findings contribute to existing managerial decision making and construal level research. Furthermore, relevant practical implications, especially for marketing and innovation management, can be deduced.
