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The Ignored Legitimation Paradox of Northern Technology-based New Ventures Encountering Southern Contexts: Case Study of a French e-Books Company

Author

Listed:
  • Amira Laifi

    (Métis Lab EM Normandie - EM Normandie - École de Management de Normandie)

  • Y.O. Niamié
  • Olivier Germain

    (UQAM - Université du Québec à Montréal = University of Québec in Montréal)

Abstract

The contribution of Northern technologies to solving problems in the South is widely studied. However, the dissemination of these technologies in the South is rarely seen as a legitimacy issue. This paper aims to understand how the legitimacy of a new venture is created in an emerging field, considering the indeterminate and unstable nature of the entrepreneurial process. To explore this avenue, we conducted a qualitative study around a unique case: Cyberlibris, a young company operating in the field of e-books, an emerging field within the book industry in the early 2000s. This study suggests that the process of legitimation of a disruptive technology-based innovation carried out by a newcomer is constituted by a tangle of tests, a notion borrowed from pragmatic sociology, but tests change with respect to demands by African schools. First, we highlight three tests within the legitimacy process in the French context (revenue model, publisher conservatism and reading practice changes). These tests are experienced by adapting to the African context. We discuss the paradox between legitimacy and domination in technology appropriation processes. \textcopyright 2023 The Author(s).

Suggested Citation

  • Amira Laifi & Y.O. Niamié & Olivier Germain, 2023. "The Ignored Legitimation Paradox of Northern Technology-based New Ventures Encountering Southern Contexts: Case Study of a French e-Books Company," Post-Print hal-04435560, HAL.
  • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04435560
    DOI: 10.1177/09713557231201192
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://normandie-univ.hal.science/hal-04435560
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Delmar, Frederic & Shane, Scott, 2004. "Legitimating first: organizing activities and the survival of new ventures," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 385-410, May.
    2. Eve Chiapello & Luc Boltanski, 1999. "Le nouvel esprit du capitalisme," Post-Print hal-00680085, HAL.
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