Recent theorizing has proposed that modular product and process architectures are key enablers of strategic flexibility. We formulated an integrative conceptual model encompassing antecedents, contributing factors, and outcomes of modularity. We then tested this model on data from managers in U.S. and U.K. home appliance companies using structural equations modeling. The results indicate a positive relationship between modular product architectures and performance, with product model variety as a mediating variable. The results also highlight linkages between perceptions of market context and the use of modular products architectures, and between complementary organizational capabilities and firm performance.1 Modularity is not a dichotomous variable (Ulrich and Eppinger, 1995) in that most systems can be classified along a continuum from highly modular to highly integrated. 2

This article seeks to show that brands and branding are as old as known civilisation. We derive evidence of branding, in various forms, from historical periods beginning 2250 BC in the Indus Valley, through to 300 BC in Greece. This evidence is compared with modern research directed toward developing a meaning of 'brand'. We observe a gradual transition from a more utilitarian provision of information regarding origin and quality to the addition of more complex brand image characteristics over time, including status/power, added value and finally, the development of brand personality.brand, proto-brand, ancient world, brand personality, informational, transformational,

In this article we discuss the characteristics of knowledge that lead to practical utility. We first review previous efforts at identifying the characteristics of useful knowledge. These contributions are grouped into three perspectives according to which representational mode they imply: propositional, narrative, or visual. We develop a framework for pragmatic validity that encompasses knowledge represented in all three modes. However, we also note an over-reliance on the propositional mode in academia, which contrasts with a preference for narrative and visual knowledge among practitioners. Explicit and propositional knowledge are key criteria for achieving scientific validity, but more ambiguous knowledge serves important functions in organizational life and may thus possess pragmatic validity. We highlight the role of conceptual models expressed in a visual format, a representational mode that has received little attention in the literature. We end with suggestions for further research that may extend the notion of pragmatic validity and lead to a more refined framework for the development of useful knowledge.

This article describes the emergence of change management as a service offering of major consulting firms. The authors compare change management with traditional organizational development (OD) in terms of theory and analytical framework, the role of the interventionist, and intervention strategies. They argue that change management has the potential to become a discipline that can unite the different “thought worlds” operating in the field of planned organizational change.

No abstract