Proceedings of the 12th European Conference on Knowledge ...

Evangelia Siachou, S<strong>of</strong>ia Daskou and Peter Yannopoulos
<strong>the</strong>y also investigate information concerning prices and technologies <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> competition and product
innovations available to prospect customers. All this learning drives many <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir subsequent
managerial decision and practices in addition to <strong>the</strong>ir vision about <strong>the</strong> future plans <strong>of</strong> enterprise
development. This learning filters <strong>the</strong>ir decisions and determines many, but not most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir
commercial practices. The CMN entrepreneurs tend to later share some <strong>of</strong> this learning with o<strong>the</strong>r
members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> construction materials network and 43% <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> sample shares <strong>the</strong>ir learning with
members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir families (who are commercially involved with <strong>the</strong> firms) and or some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r
members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> firm. Overall, <strong>the</strong> CMN entrepreneurs are more extrovert than <strong>the</strong> members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
FBN.
Thus, <strong>the</strong> MMs adopted filter <strong>the</strong>ir thinking <strong>of</strong> assessing <strong>the</strong> value and utility <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> external
information and when that knowledge reaffirms <strong>the</strong>ir crystallized views <strong>the</strong>y experience dissonance.
When <strong>the</strong> information is new or unexpected, <strong>the</strong> lessons learned are assimilated to develop tasks that
drive strategy, specifically in terms <strong>of</strong> planning for exporting or business growth outside <strong>the</strong>
boundaries <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> county or local region.
5.2 Food and Beverages Network (FBN)
The sample <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> FBN members, at its majority indicates that <strong>the</strong>ir managerial thinking is generally
less complex than that that <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> CMN members. The cognitive structures adopted by <strong>the</strong>se
entrepreneurs do not function based on a syn<strong>the</strong>sis <strong>of</strong> combinations <strong>of</strong> competitor and customer
centered issues, but ra<strong>the</strong>r develop independently on issues concerning <strong>the</strong> traditional organizational
issues <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> firm and some basic information that regards competitive activity. Only 24% <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> FBN
entrepreneurs, factor customer and competition relevant information in <strong>the</strong>ir planning for new
business growth, although 72% <strong>of</strong> that sample claim that <strong>the</strong>y collect market relevant information. This
finding suggests that <strong>the</strong>se entrepreneurs do not seem to absorb or assimilate valuable learning that
streams inwards <strong>the</strong> firm.
The thinking <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> majority <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> FBN entrepreneurs tends to focus more on operational issues <strong>of</strong>
<strong>the</strong> organizations, such as cost cutting and sales promotions that may lead to pr<strong>of</strong>it maximization and
some estimations <strong>of</strong> product demand. These issues tend to be <strong>the</strong> learning ground on which <strong>the</strong> FBN
entrepreneurs base <strong>the</strong>ir planning for growth. However, 67% <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se entrepreneurs don’t take into
account competitive practices and 66% don’t even develop product, price or positioning information
when <strong>the</strong>y make plans for <strong>the</strong> future. When <strong>the</strong>se entrepreneurs make business growth plans in <strong>the</strong>
region, nationally or internationally <strong>the</strong>y simply consider some product relevant information (in terms
<strong>of</strong> packaging and pricing) and some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> competitive prices and publicity. Only 33% <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> sample
on occasion explores customer needs but <strong>the</strong>re is no evidence to suggest that <strong>the</strong>y actually
operationalize any <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> information <strong>the</strong>y acquire. Generally <strong>the</strong> FBN entrepreneurs designate that
<strong>the</strong>y generally adopt self centered or even sometimes competition centered MMs that act as foci <strong>of</strong>
<strong>the</strong>ir thinking. None <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> FBN sample seem to take in information and learning <strong>the</strong>y
have access to ei<strong>the</strong>r from <strong>the</strong>ir formal network or from <strong>the</strong> broader external environment, simply
because <strong>the</strong>y don’t seem to be able to recognize its value for <strong>the</strong>ir firms. Some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> responses
referred to <strong>the</strong> fact that <strong>the</strong> relationships that develop between network members may <strong>of</strong>fer <strong>the</strong>m <strong>the</strong>
possibility <strong>of</strong> developing learning that may aid <strong>the</strong>m improve <strong>the</strong>ir distribution systems.
Finally, <strong>the</strong> limited knowledge that <strong>the</strong> FBN members acquire that may inform <strong>the</strong>ir managerial
decisions making is sourced after shared with some family members (that are pr<strong>of</strong>essionally involved
with <strong>the</strong> firms), with associated and personnel in <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>se firms. About 37% <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> sample shares <strong>the</strong>
possessed knowledge with no one. Based on <strong>the</strong> later data we note that although most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m resist
new knowledge that is externally derived, <strong>the</strong>y tend to better assimilate some <strong>of</strong> it than many <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
CMN members do.
6. Inferences and concerns.
The submitted data indicate that <strong>the</strong> MMs <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> sample seem to relate to <strong>the</strong> ability <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
entrepreneur to appreciate and assimilate incoming knowledge. Thus, <strong>the</strong> first and second
considerations <strong>of</strong> absorptive capacity seem to be influenced by MMs. Yet, given <strong>the</strong> composition <strong>of</strong>
<strong>the</strong> sample and <strong>the</strong> adopted method <strong>of</strong> investigation, any conclusion we could draw from this study,
can only be tentative to <strong>the</strong> sample, and to <strong>the</strong> region. In fact, <strong>the</strong> results <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> study encourage us to
develop a hypo<strong>the</strong>sis that merits investigative attention, ra<strong>the</strong>r than drawing prescriptive conclusions.
What merits investigative attention is <strong>the</strong> exploration <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> potential distinct upshots <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> types <strong>of</strong>
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