University Research File: Contemporary Business Issues, MMB064

This report critically examines research into contemporary business issues, analyzing theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches. It reflects on presentations covering topics such as overcoming barriers between marketing and design in new product development (NPD), assessing Airbnb as a disruptive innovation, and a transnational perspective on knowledge sharing, using IKEA's entry into Russia, China, and Japan as a case study. The report also explores the impact of research design and reflection on the research process, highlighting key findings and limitations of the studies. The report covers the importance of interfunctional collaboration, disruptive innovation, and knowledge sharing in a global context, providing valuable insights into contemporary business challenges and opportunities. The analysis includes different methods used in the research, the impact of the research, and the learning outcomes from the articles.

Running head: - CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS
CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Reflection of Block 1: Overcoming Barriers between Marketing and Design in NPD.............2
Reflection of Block 2: Assessing Airbnb as a disruptive innovation relative to hotels.............6
Reflection of Block 3: A transnational perspective on knowledge sharing: lessons learned
from IKEA's entry into Russia, China and Japan.....................................................................10
Conclusion................................................................................................................................14
Bibliography.............................................................................................................................15

2CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS
Introduction
The report examines the work of the researches. It analyse the ways in which the
researchers perform theoretical research related to the contemporary business and the issues
related to it. The impact of the research is discussed and the different methods used in the
research is explained. The report consists of the reflections related to different research work.
It is stated that if reflection is absent than the entire situation is blindly look after. However,
reflection happens when the research or the related event has already taken place. The report
gives detailed overview about the articles and the learning outcomes from the articles. The
reflection writing mostly emphasis upon the field related to education.
Reflection of Block 1: Overcoming Barriers between Marketing and Design
in NPD
From this articles the barriers between the marketing and design related to new
product development can be easily overcome. The article gives the reader the idea about the
new product development and the factor upon which the success rate of the design depends
on. From the article the importance related to marketing and design are discussed. The
relation between the marketing and design is often fraud as different people have different
perspectives. During the research it is learned that NPD success depends on many factor
which is related to different organizational functions 1. The interaction between the NPD is
always difficult. The aim of the article was to research on the sense making and sense giving
capability so that it helps the designers and the marketers. The capability improves the overall
1 Smallbone, David, Friederike Welter, and Jovo Ateljevic. "Entrepreneurship in emerging
market economies: Contemporary issues and perspectives." International Small Business
Journal 32.2 (2014): 113-116.

3CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS
efficiency. However, it is observed that the research outcomes are improved with the help of
organized and planned steps. The research makes different contributions that is related to
both theory and practical aspects. The first contribution states that organization experience
tensions among different functions that are related to the specialization and cooperation
fields. The tension can be overcome with the help of three different mechanisms 2. The
mechanism is based upon the exposing, co-opting and repurposing. With the help of the
mechanism the employees are able to work at different environment and overcomes the
barriers among the different functional departments. During the entire process of the research
different theoretical framework is made that helps in describing the interfunctional
coordination of the entire organization. It can be observed that the research has provide less
knowledge about the NPD associates and the way in which the intergroup relation can be
improved. During the research there are certain approach that helped in drawing certain
conclusions. The research emphasis its concern related to the sensemaking capability and the
ways in which different interpretive methods are introduced to improve the communication
barrier within the business organization. In the research the researchers have proposed
different schemes so that the IFC can be increased. The framework is created in order to
overcome the different barriers related to the NPD. The research has proposed different ways
in which the barrier is overcome. The communication need to be done in such a way that all
the related barrier of communication does not exist. From the knowledge of different
researchers, it was concluded that the conflict and barriers between the marketers and the
designers is common 3. The observation of the research is stated and it gives an opinion that
2 De Vita, Glauco, and Peter Case. "‘The smell of the place’: Managerialist culture in
contemporary UK business schools." Culture and Organization 22.4 (2016): 348-364.
3 Namada, Juliana Mulaa. "Organizational learning and competitive advantage." Handbook of
Research on Knowledge Management for Contemporary Business Environments. IGI Global,

4CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS
the lack of proper IFC among the designers and the marketers effects the choice of the
different proposed research designs.
During the research process there were different methods that helped in the collection
and storage of data. It also stated the different approach associate with the designs. The first
stage is related to the data collection which is further classified into three different categories.
there were 71 interviews during the interview process. The related data was created with the
collection of the information 4. The interview gave us the knowledge about the ways in which
the new products were combined with the different methods of marketing and design. For the
interview the enterprise selected were suggested by the expertise from the field. The data
collected from the interviews help inn gathering historical background related to the
marketing and designing. The data analysis was performed during the entire data collection
time and a saturation stage was involved. It was found that the opinions of the designers and
the marketers were based on the overall assumptions. The last phase involved the checking of
the population which was done with the help of expertise 5. The collected data underwent the
sampling process and number of interpretation was done related to the data. All the data were
managed which was related to various source and was managed with the help of the QSR.
The coding was performed by different researchers. Some issue arises between the analysis
2018. 86-104.
4 Drury-Grogan, Meghann L., and Travis L. Russ. "A contemporary simulation infused in the
business communication curriculum: A case study." Business Communication Quarterly 76.3
(2013): 304-321.
5 Shaw, Eleanor, et al. "Exploring contemporary entrepreneurial philanthropy." International
Small Business Journal 31.5 (2013): 580-599.

5CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS
process which was discussed by the researchers. The result was presented in the different
categories. The result helped in analysing the interaction between the marketers and the
designers. The main objective related to the conflict between the marketers and the designers
was concluded from the research. The results were sensitive in nature and helped in
concluding the problems based on the framework. The entire framework differs for the
designers and the marketers. Different conclusion was drawn with respect to the relation with
the market and time. One of the major difference between marketers and the designers was
related to the time 6. The designers always assumed that they can change the entire
environment. From the research it was clear that the all the assumptions were not correct. It
was seen that the information gathered was not valued much.
It can be concluded that the designers and the marketers use the sense making for
improving their functions and for their purpose of communication. The sensemaking is used
to increase the performance and helps in achieving the interfunctional cooperation. From the
research work it is determined that the conflict is mostly generated due to the difference
between the framework of the marketers and the designers. It was learned that the research
consisted of certain limitations. The limitations were related to the historical potential of the
marketers and the designers. The sample size and the design was limited 7. The information
gathered mostly highlighted upon the sense making capability of both the marketers and the
6Malik, Mahfuja. "Value-enhancing capabilities of CSR: A brief review of contemporary
literature." Journal of Business Ethics127.2 (2015): 419-438.
7 Fairfield, Tasha, and Michel Jorratt De Luis. "Top Income Shares, Business Profits, and
Effective Tax Rates in Contemporary C hile." Review of Income and Wealth 62 (2016):
S120-S144.

6CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS
designers. The main focus of the research was in a generalized manner that mostly deals with
the theoretical value and evaluations. In the near future it is suggested that the research work
is done on the basis of the different functional groups having different ways to mind the
reasons between the conflict of the marketers and the designer’s. However, it is suggested
that the quantitative studies would have been of greater value in finding the outcomes related
to the new product developments and the performance related to the business 8.
Reflection of Block 2: Assessing Airbnb as a disruptive innovation relative
to hotels
From the article the knowledge related to the Airbnb is gathered. Airbnb is a service
which helps people to rent home while they are on a tour. Mostly from the experience it can
be stated that it mostly focusses upon the service provided to the tourists. The main aim of the
research was to find out the impacts of this service in the future of the hotel services. Airbnb
is mostly replacing the hotels and is used in its place. It is a service provider that provides
place to live within the budget of the tourists. The service is user friendly 9. The service
provided by the Airbnb can be trusted and it provides a unique way for the booking purpose.
The quality of service provided by the Airbnb is good and it helps in improving the
experience of its users. The Airbnb has made several efforts to promote its service. In the
recent year of 2013 it hired a founder for its company to implement different services to
8 Bozic, Nina, and Bengt Köping Olsson. "Culture for Radical Innovation: What can business
learn from creative processes of contemporary dancers?." Organizational Aesthetics 2.1
(2013): 59-83.
9 Guttentag, Daniel. "Airbnb: disruptive innovation and the rise of an informal tourism
accommodation sector." Current issues in Tourism 18.12 (2015): 1192-1217.

7CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS
maintain the quality of cleanliness, accuracy related to customer’s service. Airbnb offers
various services to its customers as it offers free smoke alarms and detectors that can detect
carbon monoxide to its hosts. The Airbnb has given a tough competition to all the hotel. The
purpose of the Airbnb is that it acts as a substitute for hotels for the tourists. Different
researchers have made research that gave results related to the impact of the external and
internal factors associated with the performance of the hotels 10. The Airbnb uses the
motivation scheme for motivating the people associated with its service. Airbnb is one of the
major area of research for the researchers as its inventions has a great impact on the business
of the hospitality industry. The Airbnb has undergone enormous loss. However, it overcome
all the loses and manage to expands its service over two dozen spots which mainly focusses
on the region related to the economic impact. It is clear from the research that it would have
been impossible to survive in such places without the service provided by the Airbnb 11.
Airbnb is one of the substitute used in the place of the provider of accommodation during the
tour. There has been research related to the study why the visitors choose one hotel over the
others. the main reason is due to the quality of the service provided and due to the expense.
The research helped in overcoming certain impacts that was related to the service provided by
the Airbnb. The disruptive potential of the Airbnb was identified with the help of the research
and certain potential was identified which was related to the cost and services. The research
10 Priporas, Constantinos-Vasilios, et al. "Unraveling the diverse nature of service quality in a
sharing economy: A social exchange theory perspective of Airbnb
accommodation." International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 29.9
(2017): 2279-2301.
11 Kaplan, Roberta A., and Michael L. Nadler. "Airbnb: A case study in occupancy regulation
and taxation." U. Chi. L. Rev. Dialogue 82 (2015): 103.

8CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS
also determined that whether the service was cheap and simple for the users to use. It was
studied that whether the service was reliable and comfortable compare to the service provided
by the hotel industries 12.
Different methods of data collection were used for the purpose of the collection of
data for the research purpose. All the visitors who visited the Airbnb in the last 12 months
were asked to do an online survey. The survey comprised of certain gifts cards and lucky
draws. The Airbnb is a new service provider and it is not popular among the crowd so it is
difficult for the Airbnb service provider to reach the population at a short span of time. In
order to clearly understand the working of the Airbnb the research is done so that the
expectation of the performance of the Airbnb is easily determined. Different expectations
were there with the Airbnb which is defined into three different parameters. The two
parameters deal with the items which can underwent experiment and the third deals with the
price 13. The idea of the disruptive innovation was overcome with the analysis done on the
behaviour of the customers and the performance related to the product that been offered. The
survey was mainly conducted upon multiple choice questions which was answered by the
tourists who used the Airbnb service. The questions in the survey mostly concentrated upon
the service provided by the Airbnb and the ways in which it can improved with respect to
12 Guttentag, Daniel A., and Stephen LJ Smith. "Assessing Airbnb as a disruptive innovation
relative to hotels: Substitution and comparative performance expectations." International
Journal of Hospitality Management 64 (2017): 1-10.
13 Zekanovic-Korona, Ljiljana, and Jurica Grzunov. "Evaluation of shared digital economy
adoption: Case of Airbnb." 2014 37th International Convention on Information and
Communication Technology, Electronics and Microelectronics (MIPRO). IEEE, 2014.

9CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS
other service providers. The survey was compared with the guest population of the Airbnb in
order to come to a generalized conclusion considering all the impacts. From the Airbnb we
can easily determine the average age of the guests is 35. The economic impact of the Airbnb
suggests and claims the media that the average stay length of the visitors is for 4.5 nights 14.
From the research we conclude that the average of the tourists uses Airbnb as a substitute for
hotels. The survey clearly indicate that the customers were happy from the service provided
by the Airbnb and also stated that due to the Airbnb their length of stay had increased in some
situations.
From the survey it was easy to study the impact and service quality related with the
Airbnb. The survey also concluded that how the Airbnb is a disruptive innovation and helps
the visitors in experiencing good time over their stay. The survey also concluded the ways in
which Airbnb was used by the tourists. Airbnb was mostly used by the tourist having mid-
range budget related to the hotel accommodation. The research and survey helped in
highlighting some of the key features and the ways in which it is used by the tourists 15. From
the experience was gathered that how the Airbnb is beneficial and certain things that need to
be changed in order to better the service provided by the Airbnb. The Airbnb need to be
reached to the maximum population so that everyone is aware of the accommodation service
14 Lalicic, Lidija, and Christian Weismayer. "The role of authenticity in Airbnb
experiences." Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2017. Springer,
Cham, 2017. 781-794.
15 Forgacs, Gabor, and Frederic Dimanche. "Revenue challenges for hotels in the sharing
economy: Facing the Airbnb menace." Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management 15.6
(2016): 509-515.

10CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS
provided by the Airbnb and experience the quality of service provided by the Airbnb.
However, a complete new approach and strategy was learned from this research and survey
that can be implemented in providing different services in the near future 16.
Reflection of Block 3: A transnational perspective on knowledge sharing:
lessons learned from IKEA's entry into Russia, China and Japan
From the article we are able to study the different strategies used by a multinational
cooperation and the way it involves its strategic planning for the involvement of different
partners. The main objective of the research is to understand the ways in which the
multinational companies are responsible and the different knowledge that is required when an
international retail organization enters the markets. It is important to understand the
international market to understand the different market strategies and the different issues that
come on the way when an organization is introduced globally. The organization comprises of
different cultural issues that is important to understand when introducing into the global
market 17. It is important to understand the organizational flow and the ways in which the
international market works. The research was important as it helps in identifying the cause
why some of the enterprise achieve success while the other faces failures. The impact and the
ways in which the implication of the retail business affects the global market need to be
studied properly. The research helps in gatheri8ng and giving us the knowledge about the
ways in which the old enterprise is experiencing the flow of the global market. When the
16 Edelman, Benjamin G., and Damien Geradin. "Efficiencies and regulatory shortcuts: How
should we regulate companies like Airbnb and Uber." Stan. Tech. L. Rev. 19 (2015): 293.
17 Andersson, Ulf, et al. "Technology, innovation and knowledge: The importance of ideas
and international connectivity." Journal of World Business 51.1 (2016): 153-162.

11CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS
ideas of the multinational cooperation are adopted as an example of transnational cooperation
all the subsidiaries becomes the related partners. The argument was done and the viewpoint
of the different expertise differ as everyone stated that the global market gable number of
opportunities to improve the business process 18. The research also discusses the different
types of knowledge flows within a multinational company. The main focus is on the
transnational company and their ideas related to the international markets. The research is
conducted in gathering knowledge mostly related to the sharing on the ground of retail
internationalisation. The researchers stated that the international market gives the
opportunities of learning and knowledge gathering. the reason that it is a place of knowledge
gathering as number of different organization belonging from different culture are present. In
order to have better understanding about the knowledge share the researchers divided the
framework into four different categories. The four different categories are related to the
measure of the international retail experience, the extent to which it offers learning, the locus
related to the learning and finally the result of the overall learning 19. The first category gave
a clear idea about the external and the internal factors that are present and can help the retail
firms in gaining knowledge from the international market. The main aim is about the
knowledge gained by the retail managers from the international market. The degree of
learning gives the clear idea about the amount of knowledge that the organization is able to
18 Barglowski, Karolina, Başak Bilecen, and Anna Amelina. "Approaching transnational
social protection: Methodological challenges and empirical applications." Population, Space
and Place 21.3 (2015): 215-226.
19 Zhang, Xi, Patricia Ordóñez De Pablos, and Qingkun Xu. "Culture effects on the
knowledge sharing in multi-national virtual classes: A mixed method." Computers in Human
Behavior 31 (2014): 491-498.

12CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS
grasp from the international market. It is seen and stated that the knowledge can be shared
among all the levels involved in the working of the business process. The outcomes of the
learning give the knowledge about the future outcomes and the ways in which the business
can be improved so that it can be expanded in the international market in a better way 20.
The research was done by gathering information which was done with different
methods. The main aim of the research was to find the answers related to how and why the
knowledge was gathered, shared and beneficial for the retail organization. A particular retail
organization was considered and a detailed study was done keeping all the internal and
external factors related to the organization. All the forward, reverse and lateral knowledge
flow among the business organization was discussed and the comparative studies between
different organization was done 21. It was seen that different countries introduced and gave
different business opportunities to the retail organization. The data related to the research was
gathered in a semi structure format. The questions were open and mostly based on the ways
in which the business can be expanded in the international market in the future. The interview
was conducted upon different organization which included the store managers, the retail
mangers and the higher authorities associated with the business. The researchers also
discussed various methods in which they were able to evaluate and analyse the collected
empirical data. A method was suggested that was followed that the transcribed interviews
20 Engh, Mari Haugaa, and Sine Agergaard. "Producing mobility through locality and
visibility: Developing a transnational perspective on sports labour migration." International
Review for the Sociology of Sport 50.8 (2015): 974-992.
21 Martin, Chris J. "The sharing economy: A pathway to sustainability or a nightmarish form
of neoliberal capitalism?." Ecological economics 121 (2016): 149-159.

13CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS
were read properly. The following research mainly focussed upon three different case studies
and the results were divided into three different sections. It was clear that both the internal
and external circumstances influenced the working of the stores and the future plan related to
its expansion. The case studies were conducted in different countries like China, Russia and
Japan. The retail store was focussed and the entire study was made. The study included the
ways in which the organization improved and its plan related to the expansion in different
ports and location 22.
It was concluded from the research that to support and make the business secure in the
international market it was important to have information regarding the strategic planning
related to the market entry in the international market. The retail company should have clear
knowledge about the ways and plans it need to implement in order to run the business
properly. It is also observed that a standard knowledge is required to improve the business in
the international market. The organization is always build to achieve development, growth
and success in the market 23. It is clear that the growth is experience only when the
organization consists of the willingness to go out of its way and work more than the
requirement. In order to ensure that multiple knowledge is flowing it is essential to check the
flexibility of the organizational structure. From the research it is evident that the local
learning outcomes and the global response gathered by a company plays an essential role in
22 Wahlström, Ninni. "A third wave of European education policy: Transnational and national
conceptions of knowledge in Swedish curricula." European Educational Research Journal15.3
(2016): 298-313.
23 Seabrooke, Leonard. "Epistemic arbitrage: Transnational professional knowledge in
action." Journal of Professions and Organization 1.1 (2014): 49-64.

14CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS
the company’s growth and development. When the knowledge is shared it is important to see
that the entire knowledge flows in a well-organized manner and the cost is low and the
knowledge flow is more informal 24.
Conclusion
From the above study we reviewed three different articles which was based on
different topic but comprise of the common objective of contemporary business. Different
methods of data collection, analysis and evaluation was used. The research helped in
gathering information and ensure the awareness related to the ways in which the global
marketplace can be achieved by the business organization. However, it gave a clear idea
about the problems that need to be overcome and the areas that requires strategic planning for
the expansion of the business.
24 Kostakis, Vasilis, et al. "Design global, manufacture local: Exploring the contours of an
emerging productive model." Futures 73 (2015): 126-135.

15CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS
Bibliography
Smallbone, David, Friederike Welter, and Jovo Ateljevic. "Entrepreneurship in emerging
market economies: Contemporary issues and perspectives." International Small Business
Journal 32.2 (2014): 113-116.
Namada, Juliana Mulaa. "Organizational learning and competitive advantage." Handbook of
Research on Knowledge Management for Contemporary Business Environments. IGI Global,
2018. 86-104.
Drury-Grogan, Meghann L., and Travis L. Russ. "A contemporary simulation infused in the
business communication curriculum: A case study." Business Communication Quarterly 76.3
(2013): 304-321.
Malik, Mahfuja. "Value-enhancing capabilities of CSR: A brief review of contemporary
literature." Journal of Business Ethics127.2 (2015): 419-438.
Shaw, Eleanor, et al. "Exploring contemporary entrepreneurial philanthropy." International
Small Business Journal 31.5 (2013): 580-599.
De Vita, Glauco, and Peter Case. "‘The smell of the place’: Managerialist culture in
contemporary UK business schools." Culture and Organization 22.4 (2016): 348-364.
Fairfield, Tasha, and Michel Jorratt De Luis. "Top Income Shares, Business Profits, and
Effective Tax Rates in Contemporary C hile." Review of Income and Wealth 62 (2016):
S120-S144.
Bozic, Nina, and Bengt Köping Olsson. "Culture for Radical Innovation: What can business
learn from creative processes of contemporary dancers?." Organizational Aesthetics 2.1
(2013): 59-83.

16CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS
Zekanovic-Korona, Ljiljana, and Jurica Grzunov. "Evaluation of shared digital economy
adoption: Case of Airbnb." 2014 37th International Convention on Information and
Communication Technology, Electronics and Microelectronics (MIPRO). IEEE, 2014.
Priporas, Constantinos-Vasilios, et al. "Unraveling the diverse nature of service quality in a
sharing economy: A social exchange theory perspective of Airbnb
accommodation." International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 29.9
(2017): 2279-2301.
Kaplan, Roberta A., and Michael L. Nadler. "Airbnb: A case study in occupancy regulation
and taxation." U. Chi. L. Rev. Dialogue 82 (2015): 103.
Guttentag, Daniel. "Airbnb: disruptive innovation and the rise of an informal tourism
accommodation sector." Current issues in Tourism 18.12 (2015): 1192-1217.
Lalicic, Lidija, and Christian Weismayer. "The role of authenticity in Airbnb
experiences." Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2017. Springer,
Cham, 2017. 781-794.
Guttentag, Daniel A., and Stephen LJ Smith. "Assessing Airbnb as a disruptive innovation
relative to hotels: Substitution and comparative performance expectations." International
Journal of Hospitality Management 64 (2017): 1-10.
Forgacs, Gabor, and Frederic Dimanche. "Revenue challenges for hotels in the sharing
economy: Facing the Airbnb menace." Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management 15.6
(2016): 509-515.
Edelman, Benjamin G., and Damien Geradin. "Efficiencies and regulatory shortcuts: How
should we regulate companies like Airbnb and Uber." Stan. Tech. L. Rev. 19 (2015): 293.

17CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS
Seabrooke, Leonard. "Epistemic arbitrage: Transnational professional knowledge in
action." Journal of Professions and Organization 1.1 (2014): 49-64.
Martin, Chris J. "The sharing economy: A pathway to sustainability or a nightmarish form of
neoliberal capitalism?." Ecological economics 121 (2016): 149-159.
Engh, Mari Haugaa, and Sine Agergaard. "Producing mobility through locality and visibility:
Developing a transnational perspective on sports labour migration." International Review for
the Sociology of Sport 50.8 (2015): 974-992.
Zhang, Xi, Patricia Ordóñez De Pablos, and Qingkun Xu. "Culture effects on the knowledge
sharing in multi-national virtual classes: A mixed method." Computers in Human
Behavior 31 (2014): 491-498.
Barglowski, Karolina, Başak Bilecen, and Anna Amelina. "Approaching transnational social
protection: Methodological challenges and empirical applications." Population, Space and
Place 21.3 (2015): 215-226.
Andersson, Ulf, et al. "Technology, innovation and knowledge: The importance of ideas and
international connectivity." Journal of World Business 51.1 (2016): 153-162.
Wahlström, Ninni. "A third wave of European education policy: Transnational and national
conceptions of knowledge in Swedish curricula." European Educational Research Journal15.3
(2016): 298-313.
Kostakis, Vasilis, et al. "Design global, manufacture local: Exploring the contours of an
emerging productive model." Futures 73 (2015): 126-135.