Management Review

Vol. 41 No. 4, Oct. 2022

Robin K. Chou　Editor’s Note (excerpt)

This issue of Management Review contains three academic articles.

The first article, “A Grounded-Theory Study on the Process of Business Model Innovation Based on Activity-based Interdependence Perspective: Illustration by Google 1996–2008” is co-written by Ming-Hone Tsai, Yu-De Lin, Yea-Huey Su, and Wen-Shiung Lian. The objective of this research is to propose an adjusted grounded theory regarding business model innovation research that is appropriate for an activity-based interdependence perspective. The authors identified the process of evolution regarding the four phases of Google’s path dependent development, and for each phase, they used leverage factors to balance two types of innovation activities—exploitation and exploration. As Google’s business model evolved, these leverage factors gradually formed the core of Google’s business model. These research findings can help to stimulate the business model design thinking of new industry businesses, and also provide operational value to the findings of business model innovation research so that they can be applied to business fields as sources of inspiration or for actual implementation.

The second article, “Exploring the Influence of Metaperception on Referral Reward Programs Using Social Network Graphs” is co-written by Cheng-Hsi Fang, Tzu-Yu Su, and Tom M. Y. Lin. This research illustrates how two social media constructing methods (an interest graph versus a social graph) may affect consumers’ metaperception and their willingness to participate referral reward programs (RRPs). The results show the influence of social network graphs on consumers’ willingness to participate RRPs is mediated by consumers’ metaperceptions. Individuals in interest graph communities have lower metaperceptions and higher recommendation intentions, but the effect of meatperceptions on recommendation intentions is moderated by identity-signaling product.

The third article, “Face It, Accept It, Deal with It, and Let It Go: How Does Taiwan’s Society Respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic?” is co-written by Shih-Chang Hung, Shu-Chen Chang, and Ting-Yun Huang. Drawing on the framing perspective, this study explores how the Taiwanese people perceive and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data collected from Dcard, authors employ topic modeling, supplemented by qualitative procedures, to examine the phenomenon under study. During the early stage of the pandemic, the Taiwanese people tended to adopt active, defensive tactics to frame the crisis. After the outbreak in May 2021, the frame response significantly shifted to passive accommodation.