Browsing by Author "Larimo, Jorma"
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- A state-of-the-art review on international strategic alliances: do we really know what we are researching?Publication . Silva, Susana C.; Elo, Maria; Larimo, Jorma; Vlačić, Božidar; Meneses, RaquelThis review explores recent literature on international strategic alliances (ISAs). Management of alliances requires a better understanding of different dimensions and components of ISAs and of their role. This review provides a state-of-the-art understanding of the concept using content analysis of 85 ISA articles. There is limited research on the concept of ISA and the components that affect the alliances’ formation, post-formation and outcome. We found notable inconsistencies in the ISA literature on the concept. This highlights the need for further structuration of the concept and the need to provide characterisation that is more coherent. This review presents implications for the definition and future research avenues for the concept, especially regarding the theory, context and the scope of ISA research. Finally, this study provides a state-of-the-art discussion that proposes critical viewpoints for future development of the concept of ISAs, their influential components and their application in research and international management.
- Understanding the influencing factors on firms’ social media marketing strategies development: a cross-country investigationPublication . Li, Fangfang; Silva, Susana C.; Larimo, JormaPurpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors influencing the development of social media marketing strategy in an international context. We specifically look at the potential drivers and barriers throughout the social media marketing strategy development process and how cultural differences shape social media marketing strategy decision-making among firms in international markets. Design/methodology/approach: The study is conducted with an inductive research approach involving in-depth interviews with 32 firms from Finland, China and Brazil. Using inductive data analysis, we identify both internal and external factors that drive and hinder the development of firms’ social media marketing strategies. Moreover, we explore the essential elements in social media marketing strategy development based on the key practices observed among these firms, which enables us to conduct a comparative analysis of how cultural values influence the development of social media marketing strategies. Findings: Our findings underscore the importance of both internal (i.e. resources and capabilities) and external (i.e. market-level and country-level) factors that influence the development of social media marketing strategy. Our analysis also unveiled four key practices throughout the social media marketing strategy development process: social selling, content marketing, risk management and relationship management. Additionally, we identified three distinct mindsets regarding firms’ social media selling objectives across companies in the three countries. Originality/value: The comparative approach provides novel insight into firms' international social media marketing strategy. Our proposed conceptual model shows the development process of social media marketing strategy in the international context. The research propositions highlight the role of cultural values and open up new avenues for future research.