Collection of Abstracts
ManGeo Symposium at AJG Spring meeting (19. March 2025)
[S1] Management geography: Agenda and the purpose of the symposium
Atsushi Taira (Kagawa Univ.), Rolf Schlunze (Ritsumeikan Univ.)
Keywords: Management Geography (MG), IB, interdisciplinary research, case study research
In the fields of International Business (IB) and Economic Geography, Management Geography (MG) is attracting increasing attention from researchers studying economic activities ranging from micro to macro levels and from socio-econimc to cultural features. MG is a new branch of economic geography that focuses on the nexus of practices and decision-making of firms and related agencies in a globalizing world from a geographical perspective. The research objectives are manifold, including the analysis of the socio-economic and cognitive spatial behavior of various managerial actors.
Our symposium argues for the potential of MG. As firms have recognized the importance of creating knowledge for innovation, academics have started investigating the knowledge economy, that is, the meaning of knowledge and relationships between knowledge creation and innovation. Scholars have been tackling management issues in the context of the spatial features of firm activities. Michael Porter has argued that “geography and location must become one of the core disciplines in management” (Porter, 2000: 272). Thus, this symposium attempts to expand MG studies through international perspectives. Managerial Geography (Laulajainen, 1998) analyzes and evaluates locations, places and landscapes of management activities. The managerial subjects themselves were conceptualized as ‘hybrid’ or cultural fluent entities (Schlunze et al., 2012); managers have increasingly more freedom to make decisions with global reach. First, where and how to locate based on spatial costs- and benefit considerations; second, where and how to situate the internal.
Fig. 1. MG model: Accessing managerial dynamics in space
As seen in Figure 1 the managerial task is to achieve a differentiated understanding of location, place, landscape and the future task in order to manage and transform spatially-genuine roles of stakeholders. Managerial decision-making needs to embrace compliance, show philanthropic commitment, develop purposeful interventions exerting spatial leadership by assisting transitions and creating future prospects (Suwala and Albers, 2021).
Consequently, ManGeo research group discusses and theorizes managerial dynamics observed at the macro, meso and micro level. The range of our research spans from regional development via nurturing green service ecology, digitalization spurring the transition towards a green economy in the EU; and explores emerging industry of digital assets, delivery services and the role of social networks in East Asia. Our speakers try to provide novel evidence from case study research of MNEs, SMEs and family businesses in order to promote theoretical and methological developments in the field of Management Geography.
[S2] Digitalization and green economy transition in EU and Japan: Smart Cities and Society 5.0 within the changing geopolitical context
Peter N Popovics (Copenhagen Business School, Denmark), Patrik Ström (Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden), Richard Nakamura (University of Gothenburg, Sweden)
Keywords: Sustainability, Digitalization, Connectivity, Economy, Energy, Security, Geopolitics
Originally a vision launched by the Japanese government in 2016, the Smart cities concept or Society 5.0 has attracted attention not only in Japan, but also in the EU in connection to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the UN. This development can be seen in the light of increasing climate challenges and the debate on how society needs a broader transformation, aided by digital means, to achieve a sustainable future. The transition has different connotations through policy development and is initiated with both a bottom-up and top-down perspective. In addition, this development coincides with the complexity of technological development and the evolution of society at large and the business context. These endeavors will not develop in an isolated context, but rather through globalization in trade and investment conducted by private firms of various size and industry anchoring, bringing the economies of Japan and the EU closer together. The recent Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), the Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA), and the Green Alliance are involving issues such as climate change and connectivity. Here, multinational enterprises in both geographic areas will play a central role in developing on the green transition in an era of increasingly complex geopolitical change.
Using Japan-EU relations and digitalization of the Japanese society as the units for discussion, this paper aims at studying challenges in the economic and business contexts associated with the Smart Cities and Society 5.0 concepts. Developing sustainable society and urban formations based on information and communication technology (ICT) requires a critical assessment on what stakeholders can bring in relation to the transition towards a green economy and how the public sector and private business can contribute in such a transformation. This development relates to the issue of how policy is being developed and anchored within a society.
Smart Cities and Society 5.0 hold significant potential for fostering regional economic development but risk exacerbating regional inequalities, as stronger, more connected regions may experience disproportionate growth. To harness this potential effectively, “digitalization readiness” is essential. The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the advantages of seamless digital integration, with regions and companies adept in digital processes outperforming others and capitalizing on further market opportunities. However, Japanese companies often prioritize short-term, tailor-made digital tools that create lock-in effects, overlooking broader ICT advancements and service-in-product innovations, which policy-makers must address by leveraging the EPA to include digital services. Moreover, sustainable and secure energy systems are critical to the green economy transition and the success of Smart Cities and Society 5.0. Reliable renewable energy and smart supply systems that minimize waste through demand-responsive technologies are vital for achieving sustainable, competitive, and resilient urban areas.
[S3] Regional development via fostering green service ecology: A case study from Skellefteå, Sweden.
Kie SANADA (Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University. and Stockholm School of Economics.)*, Patrik STRÖM (Stockholm School of Economics.), Peter POPOVICS (Copenhagen Business School.)
Keywords: Regional vitalization, service ecology, Renewable Energy, Green Transformation, Skellefteå
Since 2009, the concept of green economy and green growth has steadily gained popularity in the international policy sphere. Hand in hand with the continuous efforts of international organizations such as UN, OECD, and World Bank to advocate these concepts, the promotion of politico-economic investment in green economic development among member states proceeds, assuming a causal relationship between green transformation (GX) and economic growth (Marino-Saum, 2020; Jones and Ström, 2024). This causal relationship is formally advocated and widely recognized as a key rationale for the investment. However, the actual mechanism through which GX can result in economic development is understudied. Firstly, the literature on business administration and economic geography has investigated the mechanism, focusing on market formation, corporate business models, and the broader role of services in connecting sectors (Illeris, 1996; Bryson and Daniels, 2015). However, the existing body of work largely grasps the transition concerning the material economy. Its limited focus was criticized, given the prominence of the service-dominant economy at hand (Jones et al., 2016). On the other hand, service literature increasingly views social innovation as implementable through service design (Baron et al., 2021). Seminal work in this area has been conducted within the framework of Service-Dominant Logic (SDL), initially developed by Vargo and Lusch (2014). However, many of these existing studies remain grounded in a firm-level perspective, in contrast to the meso- and macro-oriented studies within the fields of business administration and economic geography. Given these trends in existing studies, this study argues that the actual mechanism through which GX at the firm level leads to economic development at the regional level must be investigated from a service perspective in an empirically rooted mannar. Taking the ongoing GX efforts in Skellefteå commune, a peripheral municipality in northern Sweden, as its empirical ground, this study maps the evolution of the local green service ecology, exploring how structure and agency operate through an epistemological lens of service. The key findings of this study are (1) service ecology is historically constituted and therefore locally specific; (2) the municipality’s management role is indispensable; and (3) peripheral regions should be recognized as key targets for investment in the green transition. These findings will be discussed in light of the development of the field of management geography (Suwara, Pachura and Schlunze, 2022). Finally, we argue for the potential of service ecology as a methodological tool to address the multi-dimensional and multi-scaled nature of green regional development.
Baron, S., Patterson, A., Maull, R., & Warnaby, G. (2018). Feed People First: A Service Ecosystem Perspective on Innovative Food Waste Reduction. Journal of Service Research, 21(1), 135–150.
Bryson, J. R., & Daniels, P. W. (2015). Developing the agenda for research on knowledge-intensive services: problems and opportunities. In Handbook of Service Business (pp. 417- 438). Edward Elgar Publishing.
Illeris, S. (1996). The service economy: a geographical approach. Wiley.
Jones, A., Ström, P., Hermelin, B., & Rusten, G. (2016). Services and the Green Economy. Palgrave Macmillan.
Jones, Andrew., & Ström, Patrik. (2024). Research handbook on the green economy. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Merino-Saum, A., Clement, J., Wyss, R., & Baldi, M. G. (2020). Unpacking the Green Economy concept: A quantitative analysis of 140 definitions. Journal of Cleaner Production, 242.
Suwala, L., Pachura, P., & Schlunze, R. D. (2022). Management geography-making place for space in management thought. Polish Journal of Management Studies, 25(2), 323-340.
Vargo, S. L., & Lusch, R. F. (2014). Service-dominant logic: What it is, what it is not, what it might be. In The service-dominant logic of marketing (pp. 43-56). Routledge.
[S4] Sand in the gears – A case of a Japanese MNE in Poland analyzed from a management geography perspective
Dr. Schlunze, Rolf Dieter (Ritsumeikan University), Dr. hab. Dorożyński, Tomasz (University of Lodz, Poland)
Keywords: Green economy, Three level model, CSpR, Case study, Management Geography
From the perspective of Management Geography, we investigate the role of an MNE in spurring the EU economy. Managers perform as boundary spanners an important role in taking Corporate Spatial Responsibility (CSpR) and adapting to sustainable management practices. This research focuses on a heat pump manufacturer to understand the corporate and regional challenges in the transformation towards a Green Economy. We assume that Japanese management plays an important role in locational decision-making, the adaptation to sustainable manufacturing and service practices promoting the Green Economy. We wish to clarify a) how the Japanese firms’ investment decisions are impacted by the EU’s Green Deal, b) to what extent their corporate spatial responsibilities approach is helpful to sustain their investments, and c) observe individual responses at the level of expatriated managers. Our original approach builds on a Three Level Model. A single case study project with embedded units of corporate and business environment organizations (BEOs) has been conducted. Top managers were interviewed at the at the Head Office in Osaka and at the sales and manufacturing subsidiary in Poland. Officers at the City Hall of Lodz and the Lodz Special Economic Zone to confirm managerial views
Findings: Based on our Three Level Model we found 1) on the macro level that the location decision-making was impacted first of all by the EU’s Green Deal but after the investment decision was made, the management experienced changes in the EU’s policy and resistance from the lobby of the pellet and mining industry. 2) On the meso level that the initial positive direction of the plan of the organization was obscured by obstacles in governmental affairs and market barriers. The production managers need to postpone projects in purpose to adjust to the situation by savings. 3) On the micro level we found that managerial adjustments of the intercultural team enable a smooth integration not in the Green but in the local economy.
Implications: The Three Level model enabled us to conduct a contextual management appraisal not only showing the circumstances but also the manifold managerial strategies needed to succeed to overcome the liability of foreignness. The findings showed that a) the location decision-making was impacted by the EU’s Green Deal and the quality of local government units and their activity towards foreign investors, b) organizational embeddedness of the MNE might be achieved by pro-actively investing in Corporate Spatial Responsibilities (CSpR), and c) the individual managers’ networking efforts. Japanese and local managers are aware of the shortcomings of the transformation towards a Green economy but follow a long-term strategy enabling for synergy creation in the local economy. Assessing corporate strategy, organizational practices, and interactions of managerial subjects by the Three Level Model showed potential for a novel management geography approach. This single case study research carried out in respect to macro, meso and micro level of the managerial decision making has helped to understand the challenges of Japanese investors in Central Europe.
[S5] The spread of home-made meal delivery services in Beijing and the role
of social networks in it
北京市における自家製弁当宅配サービスの普及と社会的ネットワークの役割
Yasuhisa ABE (Kyushu University), Qing ZHANG (Graduate student of Kyushu University)
阿部康久（九州大）*，張 晴（九州大・院）
Keywords: Home-made meal delivery services, Social Networks, SNS, Mutual support, Beijing
キーワード：自家製弁当宅配サービス，社会的ネットワーク，SNS，互酬的支援，北京
In this study, we examined the role of SNS born social networks in the home-made meal delivery service in Beijing, and the resulting spatial expansion of the service area. As a result of the survey, it was found that the number of businesses providing this service had rapidly grown in Beijing by the time the Covid-19 pandemic had ended in 2023. The businesses providing this service had begun to use SNS to learn about the existence of potential customers and to conduct business. Since home-made meal delivery services are run from home, they require little initial investment and have low operating costs. This makes it possible to earn income with relatively low risk. For many housewives and retirees in particular, it is an attractive option for supplementary income. The following characteristics of this service were identified: (1) the existence of “reviews” on SNS is the basis for ensuring the reliability of the business operators, and (2) business operators running small-scale businesses are interacting with customers through SNS for unmonetized purposes. It was also revealed that mutual trust, unmonetized mutual good will, and information exchange are the bulwark for the continuity of the business. The spatial development of these services shows that they are particularly active in the six central districts of Beijing, where per capita disposable income is high. However, even within the six central districts, the development of these services is variable, while pockets of activity outside the central hub also exist, for which the survey suggested “chance” alignments of circumstances and agreeability.
Table 1: Overview of the Business Operators in Survey
Materials: Compiled through interview surveys.
[S6] Chinese entrepreneur’s success in Japan – Case study on cross-cultural management in relational space
WANG Xuesong（Ritsumeikan University）*
Keywords: Chinese entrepreneur, Experiential Learning Theory (ELT), cross-cultural skills, networking strategies
In today’s globalized world, the ability to cultivate and apply international skills and networking strategies across diverse cultural contexts is crucial for entrepreneurial success. Particularly in challenging environments like Japan, such achievements of migrant entrepreneurs remain relatively rare. Focusing on the case of a Chinese entrepreneur with over 30 years of business experience in Japan, this study explores how intercultural skills and networking strategies developed in cross-cultural contexts. Applying his cross-cultural skills and networking strategies, he achieved entrepreneurial success. I clarified the following questions:
- How do management skills develop through cross- cultural contexts?
- Why and how are networking strategies developing under different cultural contexts in rational space?
To answer these questions, I applied qualitative approaches that integrate network analysis, evolutionary theory, experiential learning theory, and Gioia methodology. Kolb (1984) proposed the Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) which emphasizes learning as a cyclical process consisting of four stages: concrete experience (engaging in new experiences), reflective observation (analyzing and deriving insights from experiences), abstract conceptualization (developing theories or models based on observations), and active experimentation (applying theories to solve problems and make decisions). From the lens of ELT theory, the findings reveal the Chinese entrepreneur could achieve cultural adaptability through this process. Appropriate solutions and practical application enabled him to develop cross- cultural management skills. As is shown in Figure 1, his networking strategies rooted in mutual trust and collaboration, helped him promote business growth across borders. His intercultural abilities helped him get business resources, catch opportunities, and adjust business ways strategically as it suited the business environment. People who trusted him benefit from his intercultural skills.
Fig. 1. Networking strategies
This study provides practical insights and theoretical implications into how managerial subjects can leverage intercultural skills and build strategic partnerships to navigate in oversea business environments.
Reference
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
[S7] The cryptoasset industry in Singapore and Hong Kong
Alexander Kristiansen (Stockholm School of Economics)*
Keywords: Management geography, blockchain, industry development
Since Bitcoin’s inception in 2009, an industry has emerged comprising companies whose core business operations revolve around cryptoassets. Key actors in this industry include centralised exchanges, such as Binance and Coinbase; entities behind permissionless blockchains like Ethereum and Solana; and decentralised applications such as Aave and Uniswap. Economic geographers have increasingly focused on phenomena related to cryptoassets and their underlying distributed ledger technology (DLT), with forthcoming special issues in Finance and Space and Progress in Human Geography addressing decentralised finance (DeFi) and spatial implications of blockchain technology, respectively. However, existing research on the geography of cryptoassets has not examined these actors as members of a cohesive industry. This gap is significant because engagement in cryptoasset-related phenomena, including DeFi, Decentralised Autonomous Organisations (DAOs), and nonfungible tokens (NFTs), requires specific cryptoassets and DLT knowledge, suggesting these actors belong to a distinct epistemic community (Haas, 1992; Punstein and Glückler, 2020). The cryptoasset industry maintains multiple linkages with traditional finance (TradFi), particularly through DLT’s capacity for digital asset tokenisation, which could transform the finance industry. This relationship holds particular significance for established financial centres. Given the importance of Singapore and Hong Kong as financial centres, this research seeks to elucidate the role of geographic embeddedness in shaping the development of the cryptoasset industry. Through a comparative case study of Singapore and Hong Kong, drawing on interviews with managers in the cryptoasset industry, this study identifies and analyse spatial factors that has shaped the industry in the two cities, e.g., proximity to talents and capital. By incorporating spatial considerations, the study provides a more nuanced understanding of the development of a nascent industry. The study contributes to the ongoing debate on the geography of the firm, specifically the subfield of management geography (Schlunze et al., 2011; Suwala et al., 2022), by offering a nuanced theoretical understanding of how geographic embeddedness shapes industry development.
References
Haas, P. M. (1992). Introduction: epistemic communities and international policy coordination. International Organization, 46(1), 1–35. https://doi.org/10/cwcwv2
Punstein, A. M., and Glückler, J. (2020). In the mood for learning? How the thought collectives of designers and engineers co-create innovations. Journal of Economic Geography, 20(2), 543–570. https://doi.org/10/ggth8s
Schlunze, R. D., O Agola, N., and W Baber, W. (Eds.). (2011). Spaces of International Economy and Management. Palgrave Macmillan.
Suwala, L., Pachura, P., and Schlunze, R. D. (2022). Management Geography – Making Place for Space in Management Thought. Polish Journal of Management Studies, 25(2), 323–340. https://doi.org/10/g75wxh
[S8] In search of organizational structures of spaces: theoretical discussion and empirical verification
Piotr PACHURA (Czestochowa University of Technology)
Keywords: organization, philosophy of space, ontology and dimensions of space, managers
Space is considered a central subject of interest in geography or physics or astronomy, while in other fields of scholarship it is sometimes treated only as a certain economic variable, or a general and usually metaphorical category of the humanities. The most classical approach to the issue of space in the field of organizational or management sciences distinguishes between the internal space of an organization and the external space. Today, other dimensions of space are becoming increasingly important not only for individual organizations, but for the entire civilization of today’s world. The importance and multidimensionality of space are increasingly manifested through the intertwining of physicality and virtuality. And innovations or business models are based on cyberspace. Cyberspace is not only a place of interaction, but – perhaps more significantly – a space for the emergence of social and entrepreneurial behavior. The nexus of different spaces calls for research to be addressed on a broader, more comprehensive and universal conceptualization of organizational space and beyond the existing classical interpretations of it. Learning and discovering the meaning of space, or modeling and shaping it, requires continuous research. The dynamically increasing importance of mobile technology applications and virtuality due to the strategies of rapid transfer to cyberspace and the use of physical-cybernetic systems requires new spatial conceptualizations. New phenomena will shape our Being-in-Space. New spatial phenomena may challenge many of the paradigms associated with theories of collaboration, co-presence and the social nature of knowledge and the diffusion of innovation. Is our intersubjectivity of perception of institutional and organizational space changing? Today’s observed processes related to the development of societies and organizations, the challenges of the often uncontrolled development of technology, the various intensification of the globalization – deglobalization processes, or the relocation of cooperation and inter-organizational and social relations to cyberspace require constant reflection and research in many areas of knowledge. The purpose of this presentation is to report the theoretical and empirical research on the formulation of proposals for a new conceptualization of organization space based on empirical verification of the a priori theoretical model. The considerations and research are based on the foundations of Western European and Japanese philosophy of spaces. The empirical research was conducted with a large sample of managers and developed with quantitative techniques. In addition, in-depth interviews were conducted as a quantitative method. Model theory based on fractal geometry was also employed. The result of the research is the proposal of a model of the theory of the space of organizations called Tri Spaces model based on the geometry of the Sierpinski triangle.
[S9] Beyond Management Geography? Corporate place leadership – international case studies with a focus on Japan (Montbell Group)
Lech SUWALA (Technical University Berlin)
Keywords: management geography, corporate place leadership, mission-oriented policies, Japan/Europe
By combining the emerging discourses on place leadership (Gibney et al. 2009, Beer and Clower 2014, Sotarauta et al. 2017), corporate spatial responsibility (Albers 2011, Albers and Suwala 2021a), management geography (Suwala and Oinas 2012, Jones 2018, Suwala et al. 2022) and mission-oriented (innovation) policies (Mazzucato 2018, Wanzenböck et al. 2020, Brown 2021) the study develops a – what we call – framework on (corporate) transformational, responsible and mission-oriented place-leadership. Empirically, the study builds on three case studies from Germany, Poland and Japan that are derived from recent research projects, practical experiences, and consulting work and that really portray place-based leadership activities beyond simple CSR, ESG measures, or voluntary engagement. On top of that, the case studies show corporate engagement beyond management geography towards a leadership geography – we do focus on the Japanese case here. Methodologically, we have closely monitored the (regional) developments within the case studies at stake by on-site visits, mapping activities, participating in regional economic events, conducting personal in-depth interviews with almost all (place-)based leaders (we have still excellent contacts for further inquiries) and adjacent stakeholders from enterprises, politics, academia, and citizenry. The three case studies from Germany, Poland and Japan bring all place-based leadership in laggard cities/regions to the fore, but rest on various institutional accounts (corporative group, corporation/ their non-profit liability company, corporate-backed up publicly funded regional agency), spatial scales (local, regional, national through local) and economic fields of action (implementing locally driven measures across the country, revitalizing mid-size towns, transforming lagging regions). What ties them is a post-cluster, cross-sectional and post-competition-oriented approach that builds on mission-oriented change agency and place-based leadership through enthusiastic (networks of) individuals. Results can be summarized as follows. Although place-based leadership in all case studies is based on long-term visions and strategies often combined with missions (eg. SDGs, Chand Challenges) extending national or (European) funding periods and election cycles, resting on manifold pillars and local roots, the question remains if the change agency is strongly dependent on specific personalities, its specific institutional settings, and pertinent locales and is therefore transferable or not. Moreover, the (indirectly) corporate-led initiatives, despite the integration of manifold stakeholders (academia, politics, citizenry) raise critics among the altruist character of these efforts.
