Opening the black box of privatisation: an institutional framework to study the process of privatisation

Springdal, Kent (2002) Opening the black box of privatisation: an institutional framework to study the process of privatisation. In: British Academy of Management (BAM) Conference 2002: Fast-Tracking Performance Through Partnerships; 9-11 Sep 2002, London, U.K..

Abstract

The argument put forward in this research is that in so far as ownership and competition are important, they impact on performance through an internal adjustment process. In other words, they affect the performance of a privatised firm through a number of mediating factors. It is further argued that each of these factors is the outcome of a gradual process of development which is conditioned by the particular situation of the firm in question, i.e. its product market, its labour market, its managerial labour market and its credit market. This study further shows that an organisation which has functioned as a de facto or de jure government or municipal agency (even if financed by fees) for a long period of time has, as a rule, developed characteristics and behavioural patterns - that which we call the institutional identity of the organisation - which must undergo a fundamental change if the organisation is to function as a successful company. The mediating factors mentioned before, are the instruments for transforming the old institutional identity to a new one. A specific sector of the Swedish economy, information technology (IT) sector, was selected for the purpose of this research.

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