International Strategic Management
The following extract is taken from an essay produced on the topic of International Strategic Management
One of the core functions that helps sustain the companies’ survivability within international markets is the degree of synergy with which procedures are coordinated and managed (Vida and Fairhurst, 1998). DeChatel and Hunt (2003) argue that the flow of information channelled from within the different parts of an organisation constitutes knowledge, which in turn represents important intangible resource. The plurality of practices adopted, and the experience accumulated within the different parts of an organisation, are context–specific (Krafft and Mantrala, 2006). Lincoln and Thomassen (2008) argue that making use of such knowledge becomes a valuable resource because accounts of best practice can be channelled across different departments with the result of improving methods of production or the quality of delivering a service. At present, the study of organisational learning between international retail firms remains an ill-explored phenomenon. As Palmer (2006) argues “….although learning has played an important role in shaping the way retail companies behave in practice, comparatively few studies actually address international retail learning.” (p.24) The study of learning is argued to become an important area of study because of the dispersed functions as well as the exposure to consumers’ experiences that a firm has accessed to (Palmer, 2005). Information can be drawn about the consumers’ perceptions of products and services that can be channelled back to informing the corporate strategy forming or design of products. According to Palmer (2005) the coordination of learning practices becomes an important process because it helps indicate how the different parts of an organization are dealing with common challenges/opportunities/threats that could be equally experienced elsewhere in the firm.
According to Ander and Stem (2004) the study of organisational learning, and the transfer of knowledge, are subject to understanding how individuals share information and act upon it for making decisions. The degree, to which individuals see the transfer of learning as a positive quality, depends on the individual’s decision making, but also on the firm’s culture that may encourage or hinder the development of such practices (Bennison, 2004a, 2004b). Argyris (1976) Argyris and Schön (1978) argue that practices of organisational learning are situated in hard and soft procedures that help create policies where individuals are encouraged to share their experiences
