We propose a novel literature review method in order to systematically trace and reveal the dominant narratives of a body of literature: the model‐narrative review method. We apply this method to an ...ever‐growing literature on ecosystems in business studies, as it resembles a rich knowledge base with somewhat competing, overarching stories, replete with emplotted characters, systematic puzzles and embellished scientific drama. To interpret these unfolding storylines, we both separately engage with and connect seminal work on business, entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems. Through thematic reading we map the key themes and scientific puzzles in each ecosystem type. Through enstoried reading we identify how authors construct the plot, narrative setting, emplotted characters, narrative voices and moral lessons around ecosystems. Through rhetorical reading we explicate the rhetorical devices and strategies that claim the relevance of their work. Our findings expose a number of hidden meanings and underlying assumptions, adding transparency to ecosystem rhetorics and enhancing conceptual clarity. Altogether, this method offers a systematic construction of model‐narratives to synthesize and critically reflect upon similarities and differences between related concepts and opens up space for alternative research questions.
The literature on servitization in the manufacturing context has grown rapidly. This study is the first systematic analysis of the paradigmatic assumptions of servitization research. Considering ...scientific research as a rhetorical activity, this study introduces the methododological approach to industrial marketing management research. This systematic review identifies both stylistic and structural aspects characterizing servitization research. The current review is based on a representative sample of 55 articles covering marketing, management, operations, innovation, and entrepreneurship research. The review discovered four paradigmatic assumptions that guide servitization research: 1) alignment to the Western narrative of constant development; 2) realist ontology; 3) positivist epistemology; and 4) managerialism. Following these findings, the study develops alternative directions for servitization research to challenge these paradigmatic dominances. The refined method of the model-narrative has the potential to generate insightful future research in the field of industrial marketing management. As an effective approach to analyzing research streams systematically, it facilitates critical meta-level reflection on servitization and could be widely applied beyond that topic.
•The study is the first meta-analysis to focus on paradigmatic assumptions and rhetoric elements in servitization research•It is based on a systematic review of representative sample of 55 articles using the narrative analysis method•Identifies paradigm assumptions are the Western development, realist ontology, positivist epistemology, and managerialism.•Finds six discursive strategies: polarization, authorization, invalidation, managerialization, verification and intimidation
This exploratory study investigates the relationship between an individual’s socialization into different professional and organizational cultures and their subsequent entrepreneurial intentions. ...Using age cohorts as a proxy for the duration of work-related socialization processes and changes in the business environment over time, the study proposes that the impact of work history is stronger in ‘third age’ (50—64 years) than in ‘prime age’ (20—49 years). The principal finding is that older individuals, those aged 50-plus, who have spent the majority of their career in ‘blue-collar’ industrial work are less inclined towards entrepreneurship than the working-age population in Western Finland generally. One reason is the perceived lack of support from important social contacts. Contrary to expectations, a work history in the public sector or small businesses does not seem to affect subsequent entrepreneurial intentions. Further research is required to provide a more fine-grained understanding of the impact of work history on entrepreneurial intentions.
Previous studies in the manufacturing context have highlighted the important role of maintenance work, or field technicians, in manually collected installed base information (IBI). These studies have ...brought up various challenges related to accuracy and availability of this manually gathered IBI. However, the current research has not yet managed to identify underlying cultural and contextual aspects affecting this manual data collection work. Therefore this paper proposes a research agenda focusing on gaining deeper understanding of this data collection work by ethnographic research setting opening up new theoretical and practical insights to this part of modern maintenance work.
Purpose
This paper aims to contribute to the scholarly debate on the origins and nature of industrial servitization. By resorting to contract manufacturing (CM) as an empirical case, it is posited ...that any product-service solution that a manufacturing firm is capable of delivering on a competitive basis mirrors its goals in value creation and capture, positioning within its value networks and the pool of assets and competences it holds.
Design/methodology/approach
To support this argument, a comparative case study of two CM firms that represent polar cases in the industry was conducted. The primary data were collected through participatory methodology, observations and semi-structured interviews of company representatives. The business experiences of an industry practitioner provided a distinct contribution to the content analysis and modelling.
Findings
It was concluded that servitization becomes endogenous as contract manufacturers aim for higher profitability through the insource of customer activities and hence extend their offering downstream in the supply chain. The findings suggest that the way out of the servitization trap is a shift toward original design and manufacturing business, where high value-adding modules are insourced and integrated into replicable solutions for various types of customers and market segments.
Research limitations/implications
The generalization of the conclusion is constrained by the limited focus on two cases only. More industry and company data are therefore required to further validate this argument. Particularly valuable will be the data on the intermediate business models between the two polar cases.
Originality/value
Building on contested business practices, this paper outlines the logic of competitive strategy in CM on the basis of specific characteristics and implications of the various business concepts. In this case, the principal drivers of servitization are the acquisition of supporting capabilities and insourcing of customer activities. The case study method integrates theory with academic observation and managerial experiences.
Teaching entrepreneurship traditionally focuses on transferring a set of predetermined skills to students and providing them with practical experiences about entrepreneurship. This paper proposes ...that developing the students' business ideas in a dialectic space, without pre-set ideas about the skills needed for entrepreneurial action, might be more appropriate for students that have not yet taken any cognitive steps towards entrepreneurship. The approach developed in this paper is referred to as semiotic structuration, which is a combination of Giddens' (1984) structuration theory and the ideas of signification and social semiotics. The social structuration approach is illustrated with a teaching experiment. This pedagogic approach appears promising as a practical tool for developing student business ideas in the early, pre-entrepreneurial stages of the entrepreneurial process. In particular, the process can potentially transform initial sketches of fairly traditional business ideas into potential opportunities by introducing new ways of thinking about the business idea. PUBLICATION ABSTRACT
Background Simple and safe strategies for the prevention of viral respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are needed. Objective We hypothesized that early prebiotic or probiotic supplementation would ...reduce the risk of virus-associated RTIs during the first year of life in a cohort of preterm infants. Methods In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial ( ClinicalTrials.gov no. NCT00167700 ), 94 preterm infants (gestational age, ≥32 + 0 and ≤36 + 6 weeks; birth weight, >1500 g) treated at Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland, were allocated to receive oral prebiotics (galacto-oligosaccharide and polydextrose mixture, 1:1), a probiotic ( Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, ATCC 53103), or placebo (microcrystalline cellulose) between days 3 and 60 of life. The primary outcome was the incidence of clinically defined virus-associated RTI episodes confirmed from nasal swabs by using nucleic acid testing. Secondary outcomes were the severity and duration of RTIs. Results A significantly lower incidence of RTIs was detected in infants receiving prebiotics (rate ratio RR, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.12-0.49; P < .001) or probiotics (RR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.28-0.90; P = .022) compared with those receiving placebo. Also, the incidence of rhinovirus-induced episodes, which comprised 80% of all RTI episodes, was found to be significantly lower in the prebiotic (RR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.14-0.66; P = .003) and probiotic (RR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.24-1.00; P = .051) groups compared with the placebo group. No differences emerged among the study groups in rhinovirus RNA load during infections, duration of rhinovirus RNA shedding, duration or severity of rhinovirus infections, or occurrence of rhinovirus RNA in asymptomatic infants. Conclusions Gut microbiota modification with specific prebiotics and probiotics might offer a novel and cost-effective means to reduce the risk of rhinovirus infections.
Interaction with colonizing intestinal bacteria is essential for healthy intestinal and immunological development in infancy. Advances in understanding early host-microbe interactions indicate that ...this early microbial programming begins in utero and is substantially modulated by mode of birth, perinatal antibiotics and breastfeeding. Furthermore, it has become evident that this stepwise microbial colonization process, as well as immune and metabolic programming by the microbiota, might have a long-lasting influence on the risk of not only gastrointestinal disease, but also allergic, autoimmune and metabolic disease, in later life. Modulating early host-microbe interaction by maternal probiotic intervention during pregnancy and breastfeeding offers a promising novel tool to reduce the risk of disease. In this Review, we describe the current body of knowledge regarding perinatal microbial contact, initial intestinal colonization and its association with human disease, as well as means of modulating early host-microbe interaction to reduce the risk of disease in the child.
Objective To evaluate the impact of early prebiotic and probiotic intervention on preterm infants' well-being, crying, growth, and microbiological programming. Study design Ninety-four preterm ...infants (gestational age 32-36 weeks and birth weight >1500 g) randomized to receive prebiotics (mixture of galacto-oligosaccharide and polydextrose 1:1), probiotics ( Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG), or placebo during the first 2 months of life were followed up for 1 year. Infants were categorized based on the extent of crying and irritability during the first 2 months of life, and their gut microbiota was investigated by fluorescence in situ hybridization (n = 66) and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (n = 63). Results A total of 27 of 94 infants (29%) infants were classified as excessive criers, significantly less frequently in the prebiotic and the probiotic groups than in the placebo group (19% vs 19% vs 47%, respectively; P = .02). The placebo group had a higher percentage of Clostridium histolyticum group bacteria in their stools than did the probiotic group (13.9% vs 8.9%, respectively; P = .05). There were no adverse events related to either supplementation. Conclusions Early prebiotic and probiotic supplementation may alleviate symptoms associated with crying and fussing in preterm infants. This original finding may offer new therapeutic and preventive measures for this common disturbance in early life.
Objectives:
In thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) of the ascending aorta (AA), AA is progressively dilating due to the weakening of the aortic wall. Predicting and preventing aortic dissections and ...ruptures in TAA continues to be challenging, and more accurate assessment of the AA dilatation, identification of high-risk patients, and timing of repair surgery are required. We investigated whether wall shear stress (WSS) predicts pathological and biomechanical changes in the aortic wall in TAA.
Methods:
The study included 12 patients with bicuspid (BAV) and 20 patients with the tricuspid aortic valve (TAV). 4D flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed a day before aortic replacement surgery. Biomechanical and histological parameters, including assessing of wall strength, media degeneration, elastin, and cell content were analyzed from the resected AA samples.
Results:
WSSs were greater in the outer curves of the AA compared to the inner curves in all TAA patients. WSSs correlated with media degeneration of the aortic wall (
ρ =
-0.48,
p
< 0.01), elastin content (
ρ
= 0.47,
p
< 0.01), and aortic wall strength (
ρ =
-0.49,
p =
0.029). Subsequently, the media of the outer curves was thinner, more rigid, and tolerated lower failure strains. Failure values were shown to correlate with smooth muscle cell (SMC) density (
ρ
= -0.45,
p
< 0.02), and indicated the more MYH10
+
SMCs the lower the strength of the aortic wall structure. More macrophages were detected in patients with severe media degeneration and the areas with lower WSSs.
Conclusion:
The findings indicate that MRI-derived WSS predicts pathological and biomechanical changes in the aortic wall in patients with TAA and could be used for identification of high-risk patients.
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