Strategic innovations in offshore shipping: A comparative case-study of organizational strategizing processes aimed at realizing environmentally sustainable and profitable services

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to investigate how two Norwegian shipping companies servicing the offshore petroleum strategize environmentally sustainable shipping services, while maintaining a reasonable profit margin. The research question guiding the paper is how the companies proceed to realize the stated objective and in which ways their chosen strategic approaches may be seen to explain success or failure in achieving the two-fold strategic goal. The empirical contexts are case studies of how the two firms, from different points of departure, develop a strategic objective to realize environmentally sustainable and profitable offshore shipping services, but differ in how they approach strategizing their ideas. By describing and analyzing the innovations processes from the strategic idea to organizational praxis in lieu of strategic and operational activities and actions, the paper advances our knowledge about challenges related to transforming innovations into reality. The paper particularly discusses the role of firm resources and business models in strategizing the two-fold objective of environmental sustainability and profitability.