The Digitized World
Introduction
Competing and Developing Competitive Advantage in the Digitized World, Special issue of Technology Analysis and Strategic Management; Deadine 2 Jul 2010
CALL FOR PAPERS
SPECIAL ISSUE OF TECHNOLOGY ANALYSIS AND STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
ON
COMPETING AND DEVELOPING COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN THE DIGITIZED WORLD
Submission deadline: July 2, 2010
Guest Editors:
Teck-Yong Eng, The Business School, Bournemouth University, UK (teng@bournemouth.ac.uk)
Dave I. Gilliland, College of Business, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO USA. (Dave.Gilliland@business.colostate.edu)
Paul Luff, School of Social Science & Public Policy, Management Department, King’s College London, University of London, UK (paul.luff@kcl.ac.uk)
Background
Advances in information communication technology (ICT) and technological innovation through the Internet and digital technology are changing the ways in which firms compete and develop competitive advantage. The widespread use of digital technology is bringing about rapid innovation and increased competition. Digital technology accelerates network phenomenon by enabling competition through virtual networks and reducing structural advantages based on physical barriers such as size and cost advantages. For example, virtual networks can be enacted at a relatively low cost and their presence is not constrained by geographical boundaries. Competition extends from developing structural advantages in the environment and possessing valuable resources that match market requirements to creating new sources of competitive advantage enabled by digital technology.
The digital world presents a vastly challenging competitive landscape for the analysis of strategy and competition. The growth of digital services via the Internet is radically altering strategy and sources of competitive advantage. Strategy development becomes more complicated as strategy formulation and action can occur simultaneously in real time interaction. While digital technology enables firms to be responsive, the fluid environment of digital networks is introducing multiple roles to a firm’s business strategy. Competition in the digital world engages various market participants such as competitors in co-opetition, different supply chain participants in value co-creation and Internet marketplaces in virtual markets. The prevalence of digital services and technology-enabled competitive moves challenges extant conceptualisation and operationalisation of strategic analysis models for the development of competitive advantage. For instance, there is little empirical research on integrating digital capabilities with organisational capabilities as well as mobilising network capabilities through digital networks.
Clearly, there are many other challenges enabled or posed by digital technology for strategy development and competitive advantage. This Special Issue invites conceptual and empirical papers dealing with cutting edge research on theory of strategy and competition in the digitized world. The Special Issue welcomes novel and creative ideas to examine the full impact of digital technology on strategy such as new theoretical perspectives in international strategic management, emerging methodologies and new data analysis techniques to capture digital data. This call is not limited to technology intensive industries but open to all industries including the tourism, shipping, construction, healthcare and creative industries. The essential criteria of the Special Issue are that the research examines or offers specific insights into competition, strategy formulation, resource transformation, capabilities development, competitive advantage, digital technologies and other key strategic issues in the context of digital economy. In brief, the Special Issue is concerned specifically with the contributions of strategic analysis models to theory and research in the digitized world. Some possible topics of the special issue will include, but are not limited to:
· What are the types of competition in digital networks?
· What organisational capabilities and dynamic capabilities help transformation to digitisation?
· What are the processes of strategy development in the context of real-time response and multi-lateral coordination with different actors in the digital economy or marketplace?
· What technological innovations transform value creation and innovation for global business strategy?
· What are the mechanisms and performance outcomes for coordinating and competing in digital networks?
· How do organisations cope and manage increased network complexities in the digitized world?
· How are the processes and outcomes of strategy development in the digitized world affecting competitive advantage?
· How are industry structures and resources for strategy development evolving and responding to digitisation?
· How do different actors (e.g., firms, regulators, government agencies, customers) in the business environment develop strategy to succeed in digitisation?
· What new theoretical constructs and methodological approaches that can capture competitive advantage in networks of digital strategy and competition?
Review Process
Papers submitted to the Special Issue should follow the Technology Analysis and Strategic Management guidelines for manuscript submissions at http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/journal.asp?issn=0953-7325&linktype=44 Papers must be uploaded via TASM’s manuscript submission site at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ctas The managing editor will then assign them to the guest editor, Teck-Yong Eng, to begin the review process.
The Guest Editors will initially review papers before entering the review process with a maximum of two rounds of review to arrive at acceptance or rejection. The deadline for submission of paper is July 2, 2010. The special issue will be published in 2011.
The Guest Editors are seeking reviewers for this issue and volunteers to participate in the review process. Reviewers are invited to contact the guest editor, Teck-Yong Eng, teng@bournemouth.ac.uk The review process will attempt to provide quick feedback to the authors and allows for two rounds of revisions on the manuscripts.
Important Dates
2nd July 2010 deadline to submit full papers
3rd September 2010 review reports sent to authors
29th November 2010 revised papers sent to reviewers
31st January 2011 review reports sent to authors
29th April 2011 revised papers sent to reviewers
24th June 2011 final review reports and final decision by guest editors
1st July 2011 final versions sent to TASM
19 August 2011 proofs out to guest editors
23 September 2011 special issue is published