Business Commons^™

Gender Effects On Perceptions Of Individual And Corporate Social Responsibility, Courtney Droms Hatch, Sheryl-Ann Stephen

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

There has been an increasing importance for both individuals and companies on acting in a socially responsible manner. This study demonstrates that gender plays an important role in perceptions of social responsibility, such that the effect of an individual’s social responsibility on their perceptions of a company’s social responsibility is moderated by the gender of the respondent. Specifically, we find that women have higher levels of Internalized Moral Identity than men. Moreover, we find that women believe that organizations should be more beneficial to society than men, which translates into a higher quality of corporate social responsibility. The theoretical and …

Profitable Momentum Trading Strategies For Individual Investors, Bryan Foltice, Thomas Langer

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

For nearly three decades, scientific studies have explored momentum investing strategies and observed stable excess returns in various financial markets. However, the trading strategies typically analyzed in such research are not accessible to individual investors due to short selling constraints, nor are they profitable due to high trading costs. Incorporating these constraints, we explore a simplified momentum trading strategy that only exploits excess returns from topside momentum for a small number of individual stocks. Building on US data from the New York Stock Exchange from July 1991 to December 2010, we analyze whether such a simplified momentum strategy outperforms the …

Fragmentação Do Conhecimento Científico Em Administração: Uma Análise Crítica, Jane Siegler, Cristiane Biazzin, Aline Rodrigues Fernandes

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

This study aims to rescue the discussion of science fragmentation, exploring how this phenomenon manifests itself in Management Science and Business Administration and what its implications for the advancement of scientific knowledge. As an illustrative case, we used the interface between Operations Management and Human Resources Management fields. The methodology adopted was a bibliometric research through a structured mapping of the scientific production of these two major areas. The results indicated that both evolved independently, with little synergy, given the paucity of works found in two decades of research. The study highlights some factors that can enhance the fragmentation: epistemological …

The Impact Of Attitudinal Ambivalence On Weight Loss Decisions: Consequences And Mitigating Factors, Bui My, Courtney Droms, Georgiana Cracium

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

This research takes a new look at individuals' attitudes and intentions towards losing weight. Study 1 examines the relationship among those interested in losing weight and individual self-evaluative ambivalence on attitude towards trying to achieve a weight loss goal and the intentions to achieve the weight loss goal. For Study 2, a between-subjects experimental design, where attitudinal ambivalence and prior outcome feedback were manipulated and self-efficacy was measured, is conducted to examine attitude towards eating healthier and intention to change eating behaviours. Findings across the two studies show that attitudinal ambivalence about the self and the individual's abilities and motivation …

Communication And Effectiveness In A Us Nursing Home Quality-Improvement Collaborative, Priscilla Arling, Kathleen Abrahamson, Edward J. Miech, Thomas S. Inui, Greg Arling

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

In this study, we explored the relationship between changes in resident health outcomes, practitioner communication patterns, and practitioner perceptions of group effectiveness within a quality-improvement collaborative of nursing home clinicians. Survey and interview data were collected from nursing home clinicians participating in a quality-improvement collaborative. Quality-improvement outcomes were evaluated using US Federal and State minimum dataset measures. Models were specified evaluating the relationships between resident outcomes, staff perceptions of communication patterns, and staff perceptions of collaborative effectiveness. Interview data provided deeper understanding of the quantitative findings. Reductions in fall rates were highest in facilities where respondents experienced the highest levels …

State Uses Financial Incentives To Fund Nursing Home–Initiated Quality Improvement Projects Through Competitive Bidding Process, Leading To Better Care, Valerie Cooke, Greg Arling, T. Lewis, Kathleen Abrahamson, Priscilla Arling, H. Davila, C. Mueller

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

Authorized in 2006 by the State legislature, Minnesota’s Performance-Based Incentive Program funds nursing home–initiated quality improvement projects for 1 to 3 years through increases of up to 5 percent in the operating per diem rate charged to Medicaid and private-pay residents. Funding decisions are made through a competitive bidding process administered annually by the Department of Human Services, with recommendations from a review committee. Program staff provide support to nursing homes during and after the application process. Nursing homes that do not achieve project-specific performance targets can lose up to 20 percent of the incentive payments. The program has engaged …

When Do Domestic Alliances Help Ventures Abroad? Direct And Moderating Effects From A Learning Perspective, Hana Milanov, Stephanie A. Fernhaber

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

While the importance of strategic alliances for new venture internationalization is well acknowledged, the effect of domestic partners remains less understood. Building on organizational learning theory's vicarious learning arguments, we suggest that internationally experienced domestic partners positively influence new ventures' international intensity. Moreover, acknowledging that ventures may have multiple learning sources, we argue that the effect is more pronounced when substituting for the lack of new ventures' top management teams' international experience, or when complementing the insights about foreign markets received from foreign alliance partners. The analysis of 194 publicly held new ventures largely supports our hypotheses.

Entrepreneurial Orientation And International Scope: The Differential Roles Of Innovativeness, Proactiveness, And Risk-Taking, Li Dai, Vladislav Maksimov, Brett Anitra Gilbert, Stephanie A. Fernhaber

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

This research integrates the international business and entrepreneurship literatures by examining the independent influences of innovativeness, proactiveness, and risk-taking on the ability of a firm to broaden its scope across international markets. For each dimension of entrepreneurial orientation, a cost–benefit framework is applied to highlight the trade-offs associated with different levels in the internationalization context. Based on a unique dataset of 500 SMEs spanning 10 industries, the results reflect the consequences of being “stuck in the middle” with respect to their strategic posture on innovativeness and proactiveness, but reveal a nuanced role for risk-taking behavior. The non-uniform and non-linear relationships …

Is More Always Better? Risk Trade-Offs Among Internationalizing New Ventures, Stephanie A. Fernhaber, Patricia P. Mcdougall-Covin

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

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Design/methodology/approach

Does Beating Cash Flow Benchmarks Reduce The Cost Of Debt?, Mauricio A. Melgarejo

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

This paper examines whether beating previous year cash flow values and analysts' cash flow forecasts impact the firms' cost of debt. Creditors are expected to be more concerned about firm solvency than firm profitability. Accordingly, if lenders have any reference point it may be related to cash flow numbers. This study finds that firms that beat analysts' cash flow forecasts have smaller initial bond yield spreads in the next period and a decrease in their initial bond yield spreads between consecutive periods. This effect is more pronounced at short maturities and for observations with less informative earnings. Firms with lower …

Subsidizing Non-Polluting Goods Vs. Taxing Polluting Goods For Pollution Reduction, Robert S. Main

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

Pigovian taxes on polluters are politically unpopular, but subsidies for non-polluting sources are politically attractive. This paper presents a linear demand and supply model and numerical example to explore the trade-offs between taxing polluting sources of a good versus subsidizing non-polluting sources of the same good. While the model (along with the associated numerical example) shows the optimality of Pigovian taxes, it also shows how much welfare is reduced if subsidies for nonpolluters are employed instead. Further, it shows the optimal tax, given any level of subsidy and the optimal subsidy, given any level of tax.

Responsiveness In The Supply Chain: A Possible Decision-Driver For Location Of New Subsidiaries?, Ronald Tavares, Cristiane Biazzin Villar, Jane Siegler

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

This study explores possible new drivers that may be integrated into the decision-making models for establishing the location of subsidiaries. More precisely, it seeks to answer the following research question: "Does the degree of responsiveness in the supply chain influence decisions regarding decisions the location of multinational subsidiaries?" Based on the theoretical approaches of the Uppsala School, the Eclectic and RBV, this research in the case of a large multinational agribusiness sector, aiming to explore the recent decision-drivers for the location of new subsidiaries and the influence of the current competitive market in this context.

Q&A Platforms Evaluated Using Butler University Q&A Intelligence Index, Trent Ritzenthaler, Richard Fetter, Ginger Lippert

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

A new study using the Butler University Q&A Intelligence Index measures how various mobile Q&A platforms deliver quality, accurate answers in a timely manner to a broad variety of questions. Based on the results of our analysis, ChaCha led all Q&A platforms on mobile devices.

Results of the study are based upon review of a large set of responses from each of the major Q&A platforms, coupled with a comparison of disparate Q&A platforms that serve answers in different ways. Our methodology included the creation of a new metric, termed the Butler University Q&A Intelligence Index, which measures the likelihood …

Take It Back: Dynamic Consumer Goals In Retail Customer Service Transactions, Courtney Droms

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

Product returns and exchanges are an important part of a consumer’s postpurchase decision-making process and have economic and psychological consequences. Based primarily on a participant observation research, a conceptual model is developed that portrays two distinct process paths that occur during return transactions. The analysis incorporates previous research regarding goal-directed behavior and role and script theories in understanding the complexity of a return transaction. Consumers are identified as having both economic and social goals, and the change catalysts promoting shifts in goal focus as well as the interplay between these goals are represented in the model.

M-Commerce Development In Developing Country: Users’ Perspective, Hongjiang Xu

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

M-commerce (mobile commerce) is growing increasingly popular, and China has a huge potential to develop m-commerce technology. This study focuses on users' perspectives of m-commerce development in China. The development of m-commerce was measured by the extent of m-commerce businesses adopting business intelligence. A research framework was developed for users' perceptions on m-commerce development, survey questionnaires were used to collect data, and ANOVA was used for data analysis.

A State-Sponsored Approach To Quality Improvement In Nursing Homes: Insights From Providers, Kathleen Abrahamson, Priscilla Arling, Greg Arling

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

In 2006, the Minnesota Performance-based Incentive Payment Program (PIPP) was launched to fund provider-initiated quality improvement (QI) projects addressing a wide range of persistent quality issues in nursing homes (eg, falls, pain, mobility, psychotropic medication reduction, care transitions). In this article, the authors describe the perceptions of nursing home providers who participated in a PIPP-funded QI project and completed a survey addressing a variety of QI-related concerns. Respondents noted the importance of support from top leadership, reported being challenged by resource constraints, and generally thought that their project positively impacted quality within their facility. These findings highlight the importance of …

Knowledge Sharing And Knowledge Management System Avoidance: The Role Of Knowledge Type And The Social Network In Bypassing An Organizational Knowledge Management System, Susan A. Brown, Alan R. Dennis, Diana Burley, Priscilla Arling

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

Knowledge sharing is a difficult task for most organizations, and there are many reasons for this. In this article, we propose that the nature of the knowledge shared and an individual's social network influence employees to find more value in person-to-person knowledge sharing, which could lead them to bypass the codified knowledge provided by a knowledge management system (KMS). We surveyed employees of a workman's compensation board in Canada and used social network analysis and hierarchical linear modeling to analyze the data. The results show that knowledge complexity and knowledge teachability increased the likelihood of finding value in person-to-person knowledge …

International Exposure Through Network Relationships: Implications For New Venture Internationalization, Stephanie A. Fernhaber, Dan Li

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

Drawing on the network literature and attention-based view, we examine the extent to which international exposure from key informal (geographically proximate firms) and formal (alliance partners) network relationships impacts new venture internationalization. Our findings are three-fold. First, international exposure from both types of network relationships positively influence new venture internationalization, and serve as substitutes for each other. Second, the effects differ based on the age of the venture. While older ventures benefit more from international exposure from alliance partners, younger ventures are more influenced by international exposure from geographically proximate firms. Third, our analysis confirms a three-way interactive effect of …

Untangling The Relationship Between New Venture Internationalization And Performance, Stephanie A. Fernhaber

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

To help untangle the inconsistency in prior performance studies for new venture internationalization, the dynamic capabilities perspective is revisited to consider whether the relationship is more complex than previously assumed. While internationalization requires the reconfiguration of routines and resources, survivability is argued to peak at moderate levels of internationalization where the associated resources and risk is balanced between local and foreign markets. In contrast, sales growth is suggested to peak at either low or high levels of internationalization where a singular market focus and set of capabilities is being exploited. The results confirm that the level of new venture internationalization …

The Stock Market’S Reaction To Accounting Information: The Case Of The Latin American Integrated Market Abstract, Mauricio A. Melgarejo, Eduardo Montiel, Luis Sanz

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

The purpose of this paper is to explore the stock market’s reaction to quarterly financial statements. We focus our study in two countries that are participating in the Latin American Integrated Market (MILA): Peru and Chile. We find that the cumulative abnormal returns and the absolute value of the cumulative abnormal trading are explained principally by the quarterly earnings surprises around the financial statements release date. We find that these effects are more pronounced in small firms, confirming that due to the lower level of pre disclosure information accounting numbers are the main source of information. Key words: Accounting Information, …

Beating Competitors To International Markets: The Value Of Geographically Balanced Networks For Innovation, Pankaj C. Patel, Stephanie A. Fernhaber, Patricia P. Mcdougall-Covin, Robert P. Van Der Have

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

Being able to launch new products internationally is critical for technology-based ventures to recoup the high costs of R&D and to exploit their innovations fully. Despite the widely recognized importance of networks within the innovation development process, there appear to be contrasting viewpoints as to whether local or foreign network partners contribute more in the race to internationalize. Drawing on the theoretical underpinnings of comparative advantage, we propose and empirically confirm that ventures pursuing a balance of local and foreign network connections for the development of an innovation are able to bring the product more rapidly into the international marketplace. …

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Security Analyst Monitoring Activity, And Firm Value, Sheryl-Ann Stephen, Vincent P. Apilado

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

In this study we examine the complementary monitoring activity that takes place via the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) and its effect on security analyst monitoring activity and firm value of large and small public firms. Our findings indicate that security analyst monitoring activity has decreased post-SOX while firm value has increased post-SOX for both large and small firms. We also find that the increase in firm value is more pronounced for the group of small firms. Given these results, we surmise that the complementary monitoring activity provided by SOX is effective enough to have a positive impact on firm value.

The Chinese Health Care System: An Analysis Of The Current And Emerging Health Care Needs, Karen Giuliano, Courtney Droms

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

This paper presents an overview of the health care system, current and anticipated health care challenges, and the potential for medical technology to address the health care needs of the People’s Republic of China. The implications of these topics for the modification of current strategies or development of new technologies to address the current and emerging health care needs in China will be reviewed in order to assess the industry’s current plans for expansion of their operations to the health care market in the People’s Republic of China.

Organization’S Top Management And Other System Users’ Perceptions Towards Data Quality Performance And Expectations, Hongjiang Xu

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

Across all levels in an organization, from CEO, executives, middle management to day-to-day operators, everyone relies on high quality information for decision making. This paper proposes frameworks for testing the alignment of organization's top management and other system users' perceptions towards and data quality for for ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of data quality management. The frameworks not only have contributions to the theory but also have implications for organization's top management and practitioners in the fields.

Does Self-Efficacy Influence The Application Of Evidence-Based Practice?, Kathleen Abrahamson, Priscilla Arling, Jenna Gillette

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

Background: Implementation of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) is complex and consequently, even within organizations that have made efforts to promote EBP use, EBP is often underutilized by individual clinicians.

Purpose: The aim of our study was to better understand the relationship between self-efficacy and EBP implementation in clinical environments that have undergone efforts to increase EBP utilization. We suggest that EBP is a set of behaviors that result from individuals acquiring, applying, and sharing new knowledge with others in the organization. We hypothesize, based upon a social cognitive theoretical approach, that these behaviors are influenced by clinician perception of self-efficacy.

Methods: …

Internships And The Assessment Of Student Learning, William K. Templeton, Karel A. Updyke, Robert B. Bennett

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

The use of internships is a powerful learning tool that allow business students to make connections between their classroom experience and the world of work. If designed appropriately and positioned correctly in the curriculum, they can also be an ideal opportunity to conduct assurance of learning activities related to business school accreditation. This study reports on survey results relating to business schools’ use of internships in their assurance of learning efforts and describes one school’s successful attempt to use internships as the key platform for its well-developed assurance of learning program.

Education And Ecotourism: A Framework And Analysis Of Education In Ecolodges In Costa Rica And Panama, Gregory E. Osland, Robert D. Mackoy

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

Education of tourists at nature-based lodges is an important but under-researched component of ecotourism. This paper proposes a framework that identifies and develops a typology of possible educational goals and activities in an ecotourism context. Using data from interviews and participant observation at fourteen leading ecolodges in Costa Rica and Panama, the paper describes, classifies and compares educational efforts directed toward ecolodge guests, with a particular emphasis on the role of nature guides in the educational process. Relationships among several educational goals, tourists' satisfaction, and views of the performance of nature guides are uncovered and explicated. Multiple managerial implications and …

How Do Young Firms Manage Product Portfolio Complexity? The Role Of Absorptive Capacity And Ambidexterity, Stephanie A. Fernhaber, Pankaj C. Patel

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

Building a complex portfolio of products can be beneficial for young firms due to increased sales growth and competitiveness. Yet, the benefits from product portfolio complexity (PPC) are often outweighed by rising costs, leading to an inverted U-shaped relationship between PPC and performance. Recent research has called for an increased understanding of how firms are able to better manage higher levels of PPC. We suggest that absorptive capacity and ambidexterity are vital to enhancing the benefits and mitigating the costs of increasing PPC. Using a sample of 215 young high technology firms, we find support for positive moderating effects of …

Beating Market Expectations, Analysts’ Forecasts Dispersion And The Pricing Of Credit Default Swaps, Mauricio A. Melgarejo

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of beating analysts’ forecasts and the impact of analysts’ forecast dispersion on the pricing of firms’ credit default swaps (CDSs). CDS premium is the compensation required by investors for bearing firms’ credit default risk. Sell-side analysts collect market, industry and firm information and provide important information in the form of stock recommendations, stock price targets and accounting number forecasts. For that reason, the information contained in their forecasts may provide additional information to investors to price CDSs. My results show that firms that beat analysts’ earnings and revenue forecasts, and …

The Impact Of The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (Sox) On The Cost Of Equity Capital Of S&P Firms, Sheryl-Ann Stephen, Pieter J. De Jong

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

This study examines the impact of SOX on the cost of equity capital for small and large S&P firms. The provisions of SOX aim to improve internal control systems and reduce information asymmetry by improving corporate governance systems and increasing transparency. Using a fixed-effects regression model, our findings suggest that the cost of equity capital has decreased post-SOX for the overall sample of firms, but more specifically for the small firms, which are usually associated with poor internal control systems and high information asymmetry. Collectively, our results provide evidence that SOX has had a positive impact on firms.