Browsing by Author "Alinaghian, Leila"
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Item Open Access Advancing social procurement: an institutional work perspective(Emerald, 2023-11-06) Razmdoost, Kamran; Alinaghian, LeilaPurpose: The adoption of social procurement, the emerging practice of using a firm's spending power to generate social value, requires buying firms to navigate conflicts of institutional logics. Adopting an institutional work perspective, this study aims to investigate how buying firms change their existing procurement institutions to adopt and advance social procurement. Design/methodology/approach: The authors conducted an in-depth case study of a social procurement initiative in the UK. This case study comprised of 16 buying firms that were actively participating in the social procurement initiative at the time of data collection (2020–2021). The data were largely captured through a set of 41 semi-structured interviews. Findings: Four types of institutional work were observed: reducing institutional conflicts, crossing institutional boundaries, legitimising institutional change and spreading the new institutional logic. These different types of institutional work appeared in a sequential way. Originality/value: This study contributes to various strands of literature investigating the role of procurement in generating value and benefits within societies, adopting an institutional lens to investigate the buying firms' purposeful actions to change procurement institutions. Secondly, this study complements the existing literature investigating the conflicts of institutional logics by illustrating the ways firms address such institutional conflicts when adopting and advancing social procurement. Finally, this work contributes to the recently emerging research on institutional work that examines the creation and establishment of new institutions by considering the existing procurement institutions in the examination of institutional work.Item Open Access Analysing the impact of corporate governance on corporate sustainability at board level.(Cranfield University, 2021-06) Bolourian, Soudabeh; Angus, Andrew; Alinaghian, LeilaStakeholders are increasingly holding companies accountable for their environmental and social conduct. Organisations are engaging in, and incorporating, social and environmental issues in their business models, organisational structures and processes. The board of directors are responsible for the overall achievement and oversight of the organisation’s aims and objectives. However, there is little detail on the board’s role in monitoring and overseeing social and environmental issues in the corporate governance realm. This thesis addresses this void in several ways. First a systematic literature review provides a comprehensive synthesis of the extant literature investigating the board of director’s role as a core element of corporate governance in corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance. Critical assessment of a sample of 67 studies from 18 highly regarded scholarly journals published between 1992 and 2020 uncovers similarities and inconsistencies regarding the effects of various board attributes on CSR-performance. The review reveals these attributes do not work in isolation, but interact with each other and the context in which they are embedded in shaping CSR-performance. Second, empirical analysis of a cross-industry sample of 2891 firm-year observations from 789 FTSE350 and S&P500 listed companies during a 4-year period (2013-2016) investigates the role of the board attributes in driving CSR-performance. The influence of the board-level CSR-committee – a board attribute that despite the increased prevalence of such committees on the board is largely understudied – in driving CSR-performance is explored. This contributes to the growing literature on CSR-committees by investigating their presence, composition and interactive effects with various board attributes in driving CSR-performance. Additionally, contributing to the recent call for investigating interactions among board attributes and their impact on CSR-performance. Finally a configurational approach is used to further explore board attribute interactions and combined impacts on CSR- performance. The results of a Qualitative Comparative Analysis reveals nine board configurations leading to high CSR-performance. This contributes to the argument that “one-size” does not fit all, and different boards can achieve the same results via unique configurations of attributes.Item Open Access Continuous manufacturing and product-process archetypes: implications for supply network design in Pharma(Production and Operations Management Society, 2013-05-31) Harrington, Tomás Seosamh; Alinaghian, Leila; Singh Srai, JagjitContinuous Manufacturing has enabled the potential for significant step changes within the Pharmaceutical industry. However, adoption rates remain in the range of 5%. This research examines the challenges and implications of the shift from ‘batch’ to ‘continuous’ processing in terms of e.g. product variety and supply network design.Item Embargo Exploring the role of board-level corporate social responsibility committees in corporate social responsibility performance: a configurational approach(Elsevier, 2023-09-22) Bolourian, Soudabeh; Alinaghian, Leila; Angus, AndrewBoard attributes interrelate with one another and the environment in which they are embedded in forming corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance, resulting in configurations of board attributes. By embracing a configurational approach, this study aims to investigate how the CSR-committee as a board structure interacts within different configurations of director characteristics (female-directors, director’s age, tenure, and experience) and other board structures (non-executive directors, CEO-duality, board-size) in shaping CSR-performance. The results of a fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) of 789 FTSE350 and S&P500 listed companies during a 4-year period (2013–2016) reveals nine board configurations leading to high CSR-performance, six containing the CSR-committee. Three board archetypes were identified. Their formation is shaped on main differences seen amongst them, leading to distinct archetypes: committee-boards, experience-boards, and hybrid-boards. The result of the configurational approach agrees with the argument “one-size” does not fit all, and different boards can achieve the same results via unique configurations.Item Open Access How do network resources affect firms' network-oriented dynamic capabilities?(Elsevier, 2017-12-19) Alinaghian, Leila; Razmdoost, KamranWhile the extant literature investigating the dynamic capabilities that cross the boundaries of firms (i.e., network-oriented dynamic capabilities) has predominantly focused on the identification of their underlying routines or their impact on the firms' performance, the determinants of these routines have largely remained unexplored. Our study seeks to address this issue by investigating how the attributes of network resources (i.e., assets that belong to or are deployed by actors with whom a firm is connected through direct or indirect relationships) influence firms' network-oriented dynamic capabilities. A multiple-case study including 50 network resource sets embedded in 10 business units of five multinational firms spanning pharmaceutical, aircraft power system, and consumer goods' industries is conducted. The findings reveal the effects of eight network resource attributes on the three clusters of network-oriented dynamic capabilities (i.e., sensing, seizing and transforming) as follows: rarity affects the effectiveness of sensing, complementarity affects the effectiveness of seizing, accessibility and usability affect the efficiency of seizing, scalability and appropriability affect the effectiveness of transforming, and finally utility and versatility affect the efficiency of transforming.Item Embargo How do social enterprises manage business relationships? A review of the literature and directions for future research(Elsevier, 2021-08-09) Alinaghian, Leila; Razmdoost, KamranSocial enterprise–business relationships are an emerging unique form of business relationships. Whilst scholars have recently shown a growing interest in investigating the practices that social enterprises adopt to manage their relationships with businesses, the present literature lacks a synthesis of major findings and a reflection on current developments. The purpose of this paper is to critically and systematically review and assess the current status of research on practices through which social enterprise manage business relationships and to provide an organising framework for future scholarship. Adopting a systematic literature review approach, a total of 51 articles were reviewed. The results of our thematic analysis revealed that social enterprises engage in four key practices of initiation, persuasion, conflict resolution, and value creation to manage their relationships with businesses. Our review of literature also sheds light on the determinants and outcomes of these practices and offers avenues for future research.Item Open Access The impact of corporate governance on corporate social responsibility at the board-level: a critical assessment(Elsevier, 2020-12-30) Bolourian, Soudabeh; Angus, Andrew; Alinaghian, LeilaThe purpose of this research is to synthesise and critically evaluate the extant literature investigating the role of board of directors as a core element of corporate governance in corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance. Adopting a systematic review approach, a sample of 67 studies from 18 highly regarded scholarly journals published between 1992 and 2020 is examined. Distinguishing between two board attributes of director characteristics and board structures, our study uncovers similarities and inconsistencies regarding the effects of various board characteristics and board structures on CSR performance. First, our study reveals that these attributes do not work in isolation but interact with each other and the context in which they are embedded in shaping CSR performance. Additionally, our review identifies substantial variation in conceptualisations, theoretical frameworks, the use of measurements and the contexts across studies providing a basis to offer a comprehensive synthesis of dominant scholarly discourses and an organising lens for future scholarship.Item Open Access The influence of supply network structure on firm sustainability.(Cranfield University, 2023-03) Qiu, Jilin; Alinaghian, Leila; Razmdoost, KamranFirms are facing increased pressure from various stakeholders to incorporate social and environmental considerations into their strategies and operations. Yet, the successful realisation and achievement of social and environmental objectives extend beyond the boundaries of one single firm. Firms more and more engage in relationships with various upstream and downstream actors across their supply chains to achieve these sustainability goals. Whilst the literature has highlighted the cruciality of the broader supply networks in driving firms’ sustainability, present literatures as a whole lacks both a synthesis of major findings and a reflection of the current development of this area. Adopting a Systematic Literature Review approach, the thesis extends the understanding of the role of network in supply chain sustainability by identifying distinct network attributes that influence the sustainability performance in the supply chain. Specifically, relational and structural network attributes are distinguished and their individual and interactive effects on both environmental and social dimensions of sustainability in supply chains are examined. The study further adds contributions to the current discussion on the cruciality of broader supply networks in driving sustainability by investigating the interfirm connectivity patterns of a real-world and large-scale Automotive supply network. The findings demonstrate a positive relationship between the interconnectedness of supply networks and firms’ sustainability performance. The study also determines the moderating role of firms’ supply network structural properties in the relationship between their sustainability efforts and sustainability performance; the study shows that whereas firms’ in-degree centrality weakens the relationship between their commitment to sustainability and the extent of sustainability performance, out-degree centrality strengthens this association. The thesis further adds to the existing literature examining the role of supply network structural properties by investigating the structural properties of firms’ neighbours. Particularly, the study distinguishes between two neighbours’ structural properties: neighbours’ interconnectedness and neighbours’ centrality. Moreover, the study determines the moderating effect of firms’ bridging in sustainability controversies. In addition to the sustainability outcome, the study examines firms’ sustainability controversies as an alternative indicator of sustainability performance capturing the importance and significance of the sustainability outcomes through market sensitivities (i.e. market reactions to sustainability conflicts).Item Embargo Inter-organisational governance in megaprojects: a systematic review and an agenda for future research(British Academy of Management, 2023-09-06) Pathak, Raj; Turner, Neil; Alinaghian, LeilaThe review analysed 4,536 titles. 781 papers were selected for the title and abstract review after applying exclusion criteria and 81 papers were identified for the full review. Gioia method was applied to extract the first-order and second-order concepts and aggregate dimensions. The thematic analysis illustrates that megaprojects are delivered through multi-party settings and the governance is regarded as dynamic, processual and anchored in multiple levels. Megaproject governance mechanisms include informal and informal approaches. Committed leadership, collaboration, stakeholder management and culture are key components to enable the governance mechanisms. The main challenges in the implementation of a complex infrastructure project are not technical but are rather those related to how to govern the work in a complex inter-organisational setting that brings together a diverse set of actors who differ in their values, culture and goals.Item Open Access Multiplex value cocreation in unique service exchanges(Journal of Business Research, 2018-11-29) Razmdoost, Kamran; Alinaghian, Leila; Smyth, Hedley J.While the temporal nature of value cocreation (i.e., the interdependencies between/among past, present, and future value cocreation) is acknowledged in the literature, the processes and mechanisms through which these interdependencies are deliberately managed (i.e., multiplex value cocreation) are not examined. Our study aims to unravel the “black box” of multiplex value cocreation by investigating the processes and mechanisms through which actors manage the temporal nature of value cocreation in unique service exchanges. The research design is a multiple case study comprising four firms engaged in the definition, design, and delivery of mega-infrastructure projects. Our results showed that multiplex value cocreation involves two core processes of institutional work and resource reconfiguration that are reciprocally interrelated, driven by actor motives and conflicts and facilitated by interaction mechanisms. We further propose that emerged institutions and existing previous similar service exchanges may eliminate the need for multiplex value cocreation in routine service exchanges.Item Open Access A relational embeddedness perspective on dynamic capabilities: a grounded investigation of buyer-supplier routines(Elsevier, 2019-10-21) Alinaghian, Leila; Kim, Yusoon; Srai, Jagjit SinghOur study extends the emerging inter-firm-level theorization of dynamic capabilities by articulating how firms can develop and adapt their resource bases through supplier relations. Specifically, we aim to explore how different embedded relational aspects function together or separately to induce various inter-firm routines that presumably underpin the buying firm’s dynamic capabilities. The research design is a multiple case study involving 34 buyer-supplier dyad-level innovation events across six product groups of three multinational buying firms in the Pharmaceuticals, Aerospace, and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods sectors. Our inductive analysis suggests that the social, cognitive, and physical aspects of relational embeddedness play roles, in a cumulatively sequential fashion, in inducing three distinctive routine types—unilateral, quasi-unilateral, and bilateral—in the buyer-supplier dyads that underpin the three clusters of dynamic capabilities—sensing, seizing, and transforming, respectively. Furthermore, our study identifies two contingencies that explain variances in the observations and inferences. We therefore investigate the ‘black box’ of dynamic capabilities in inter-firm contexts, elucidating the roles and association of relational embeddedness and patterned activities (routines) in these relationships.Item Open Access The role of cognitive capital in supply chain resilience: an investigation during the COVID-19 pandemic(Emerald, 2022-06-22) Daghar, Anis; Alinaghian, Leila; Turner, NeilPurpose: Research on the “black box” of cognitive capital remains limited in supply chain resilience (SCRES) literature. Drawing from an in-depth single case study of a major consumer electronics multinational facing the COVID-19 disruption, this paper aims to develop a clearer picture of cognitive capital’s elements while contextualizing how they interact with SCRES temporal capabilities to prepare, respond, recover and learn. Design/methodology/approach: Consisting of 40 in-depth interviews collected during a four-month period, this single case revolves around the buyer’s view across 36 multiregional buyer–supplier dyads, spanning 17 product and service categories. Data were processed during the pandemic, while findings discuss pre- and intra-crisis events based on two scenarios: the impact of disruption on category demand, comparing sudden pandemic-driven product and service demand fluctuations (i.e. increase, decrease); and the geographical proximity of the supplier relative to the buying firm. Findings: The case unveils different elements of cognitive capital (e.g. shared goals, assumptions, values, kinesics language, multilingualism, virtual negotiation, prior disruption experience, shared process capabilities) during a major global disruption, suggesting that different cognitive capital elements influence positively and differently SCRES’ temporal capabilities. Overall, buying firms are urged to build on cognitive capital to improve SCRES preparation, response, recovery and learning. Originality/value: This paper extends the understanding of cognitive capital in buyer–supplier relationships by identifying its elements and offering a theoretical articulation of how they enable episodically the four SCRES temporal capabilities under contingencies of increased and decreased demands, and suppliers’ geographical proximity.Item Open Access The role of collaborative interorganizational relationships in supply chain risks: a systematic review using a social capital perspective(Emerald, 2020-12-07) Daghar, Anis; Alinaghian, Leila; Turner, NeilPurpose The purpose of this paper is systematically review, synthesize and critically evaluate the current research status on the role of collaborative interorganizational relationships (CIRs) in supply chain risks (SCRs) from a social capital perspective and provide an organizing lens for future scholarship in this area. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a systematic literature review approach to investigate 126 articles from 27 peer-reviewed journals between 1995 and 2020. Findings This paper investigates supply chain CIRs using a social capital perspective to explain the role of structural, relational and cognitive capital that resides in these relationships in various SCRs (i.e. environmental, supply, manufacturing, demand, information, financial and transportation). The review reveals that the three social capital dimensions uniquely and both positively and negatively affect different SCRs. The findings further suggest that the perceived SCRs can influence the structural and relational capital. Practical implications This study calls for practitioners to consider the cognitive alignment with their supply network partners, their relational investments, as well as the interorganizational processes and systems in managing and alleviating SCRs. Originality/value This review offers a theoretical articulation of how various aspects of CIRs affect SCRs. Specifically, this study extends the existing understanding of the role of social capital in SCRs through offering a synthesis of dominant findings and discourses, and avenues for future researchItem Open Access The role of collaborative interorganizational relationships in supply chain risks: a systematic review using a social capital perspective(Emerald, 2020-12-07) Daghar, Anis; Alinaghian, Leila; Turner, NeilPurpose The purpose of this paper is systematically review, synthesize and critically evaluate the current research status on the role of collaborative interorganizational relationships (CIRs) in supply chain risks (SCRs) from a social capital perspective and provide an organizing lens for future scholarship in this area. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a systematic literature review approach to investigate 126 articles from 27 peer-reviewed journals between 1995 and 2020. Findings This paper investigates supply chain CIRs using a social capital perspective to explain the role of structural, relational and cognitive capital that resides in these relationships in various SCRs (i.e. environmental, supply, manufacturing, demand, information, financial and transportation). The review reveals that the three social capital dimensions uniquely and both positively and negatively affect different SCRs. The findings further suggest that the perceived SCRs can influence the structural and relational capital. Practical implications This study calls for practitioners to consider the cognitive alignment with their supply network partners, their relational investments, as well as the interorganizational processes and systems in managing and alleviating SCRs. Originality/value This review offers a theoretical articulation of how various aspects of CIRs affect SCRs. Specifically, this study extends the existing understanding of the role of social capital in SCRs through offering a synthesis of dominant findings and discourses, and avenues for future researchItem Open Access The role of network structural properties in supply chain sustainability: a systematic literature review and agenda for future research(Emerald, 2020-10-26) Alinaghian, Leila; Qiu, Jilin; Razmdoost, KamranPurpose The purpose of this paper is to systematically review and assess the current status of research on supply chain sustainability from a network structural perspective and provide an organising framework for future scholarship in this area. Design/methodology/approach By adopting an evidence-based approach, this study conducts a systematic review of 73 articles from 18 peer-reviewed journals published between 2000 and 2020. Findings Adopting a social network analysis approach, the review identifies specific node-level (i.e. degree centrality, closeness centrality and betweenness centrality) and network-level (i.e. network density, network sub-groups and network diversity) structural properties that play a role in supply chain sustainability. The results reveal that structural properties determine the extent of perception of sustainability risks, the diffusion of sustainability targets, introduction of sustainable innovations, development of sustainability capabilities, adoption of sustainability initiatives and the monitoring of sustainability performance throughout the supply chain. Originality/value By distinguishing between supply network and sustainable supply network types, this study extends the existing understandings of the role of network connectivity patterns in supply chain sustainability through synthesising and evaluating the extant literature. This study further clarifies the role of these network structural properties in supply chain sustainability by describing their impact on a set of sustainable supply chain management practices through which firms achieve sustainability goals across their supply chains. KeywordsItem Open Access Service ecosystem boundary and boundary work(Elsevier, 2022-11-29) Razmdoost, Kamran; Alinaghian, Leila; Chandler, Jennifer D.; Mele, CristinaWe aim to explain service ecosystem change at the intersection of focal service ecosystems through the concepts of boundary and boundary work. We define a service ecosystem boundary as a set of symbolic or social boundaries that enable the functioning of an ecosystem by identifying and authorizing actors and recognizing, legitimizing, and protecting resources. We further introduce boundary work and conceptualize the three types through which it manifests in service ecosystems: competitive, collaborative, and configurational. We further illustrate this typology by applying these types of boundary work in an analysis of the evolution of the music service ecosystem. Our paper has implications for the definition of actors and resources in service ecosystems in addition to the processes that include or exclude these actors and resources. Furthermore, our conceptualization contributes to the literature by providing a lens for investigating boundary changes in service ecosystems and explaining their fluidity or stability.