The notion of enacting change in lieu of the forces that promote institutionalization is troublesome to Institutional Theory, which generally predicts isomorphism as a condition of survival. Here, we offer borrowed legitimacy through coalitions as an explanation for how an organization might successfully deviate from social norms to enact change, yet still gain sufficient cognitive and sociopol...

This paper explores within the framework of new venture legitimation how and why international new ventures acquire external legitimacy and strive for survival in the face of critical events. Following a longitudinal multiple-case study methodology that was adopted for the purpose of theory building, the paper introduces the typology of captivity, and the four types that have emerged: captive i...

This paper attempts a normative assessment of the input and output-oriented legitimacy of the present euro-rescuing regime on the basis of policy analyses examining the causes of present crises, the available policy options, and the impact of the policies actually chosen. Concluding that the regime lacks input-oriented legitimacy and that its claim to output-oriented legitimacy is ambivalent at...

Social-ecological systems are often highly complex, making effective governance a considerable challenge. In large, heterogeneous systems, hierarchical institutional regimes may be efficient, but effective management outcomes are dependent on stakeholder support. This support is shaped by perceptions of legitimacy, which risks being undermined where resource users are not engaged in decision-ma...

The paper examines the prospects of a normative approach to institutional design for systematically introducing the concept of legitimacy to the debate on how to internationally regulate research on and possible applications of geoengineering with solar radiation management (SRM). Given the high desirability of international regulation of SRM resulting from its strong transboundary and regional...

Our study examines the evolution of offshoring of information technology services between a multinational telecommunications firm and Indian vendors. The firm’s strategy sought to access critical resources of talented software professionals at low cost and to facilitate growth in a highly competitive telecommunications sector. Legitimacy management proved critical in explaining the evolution of...

With a regression model, this paper studied the influence of acquisition experience and business relatedness on acquisition performance based on an empirical analysis of Chinese firms and found that both acquisition experience and business relatedness have significantly positive effect on acquisition performance of the acquiring firm. Moreover, this paper introduced legitimacy from the perspect...

Within organizations, there are typically limits to leaders’ authority. This paper explores how organizations are structured in the face of such constraints. Many organizational phenomena can be understood as due to leaders’ desire to bolster the “legitimacy” of their authority. Examples include: above-market-clearing wages, merger decisions, bureaucratic organization, and rejection of overqual...

Cloud computing is an emerging industry in Taiwan. Since this industry relies heavily on information communication technology (ICT) infrastructure, a telecom operator can play an important role in the establishment of cloud computing industry. In this paper, we adopt an organizational legitimacy approach to understand how a telecom company in Taiwan develop legitimacy strategy for cloud computi...