Working across societal borders: Essays on cross-sector interactions.

摘要

This dissertation examines the intersections between the three societal sectors --- business, government and civil society -- with particular interest in the mechanisms and institutions that influence the effectiveness of these interactions. The dissertation is comprised of three essays, based in three different empirical contexts. In the first essay, I develop a theory of strategic decision-making related to the participation of social movement organizations seeking to influence government regulation of business practices. The second essay studies a cross-sector case of innovation adoption, and identifies key relationships between the entry and 'landing' points of the idea, and innovation adoption. The last essay studies adaptation of multinational managers to local labor-market institutions, and shows that institutional obstacles to subsidiary performance and productivity can be overcome by what we term flexible intermediate adaptation.;While covering a variety of analytical levels, research contexts and methodologies, the combined findings in these essays point to two themes relevant to many cross-sector interactions. First, the ability and willingness of managers to act entrepreneurially in a cross-sectoral context can be a significant driver of successful outcomes. And second, the ability to engage effectively across societal sectors can be a source of value creation and competitive advantage for a firm.