Matching the static to the dynamic - managing specificity in turbulent environments

My project comprises a stay as a visiting Ph.D student at the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration (NHH), Bergen, which would form an important part of my dissertation project. My dissertation presents specificity as central to the co mpetitiveness of organizations. The notion of asset specificty draws on Transaction Cost Economics and strategic management research and highlights the explanatory power this concept has compared to others. My core contribution to this area of work is to show the dynamic side of specificity. Contemporary research relies on specificity as a rather static variable. Emphasizing strategic management, however, I suggest that specificity evolves and changes over time as markets and institutional environments sh ift. By matching these challenges, managing specificity is reflected in actual (de-) specification strategies over time. As my work lies at the intersection of Transaction Cost Economics, Austrian Econoics and resource-based approaches the proposed stay at NHH offers me a great opportunity to work with renowned experts in these fields. The work of Professor Lasse Lien and Professor Peter Klein from the University of Missouri-Columbia who holds a visiting appointment at NHH is integral to my own disserta tion. I have recently had direct contact with Professor Klein who not only suggested a research visit to NHH but also commented that direct collaboration with him would be more likely given his status as adjunct professor at NHH. Having the opportunity to visit NHH would greatly improve my chances of collaboration with both Professors Klein and Lien, as well as with other colleagues in the department who follow similar research approaches. Such opportunities would therefore highly contribute to the qualit y of my theoretical and empirical outcomes.