Business Commons^™

How Multinational Companies Gain A Competitive Advantage Through The Effective Use Of Knowledge Management, Alan Hamlin, Greg Powell

Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Technology

During the past two decades, domestic American business has undergone massive changes in the way commerce is both planned and conducted. Intense competition; the advent of high technology and its commercial applications; the reduction of global trade barriers; the effects of changing worker demographics; concern for environmental and employee welfare; and the resulting downsizing, reengineering and other efforts at cost-containment have all combined to make the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge within corporations paramount as firms struggle to find their way in a setting of ever-increasing uncertainty.

The management of corporate knowledge, including intellectual capital, R&D efforts, and management and …

So, You Want To Write A Textbook: One Author's Experience, David A. Rees

Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Technology

Almost from the time I began teaching I wanted to write a textbook. I always held back, though, because I didn't know how to proceed, and because I thought I would fail--after all I really did not think I had the ability to write a textbook. Now, I have signed a contract to write an Intermediate Accounting textbook for South-Western Publishing Company and I was surprised at how easy preparing the proposal and selling the idea to South-Western really was. This paper is written for the purpose of acquainting aspiring textbook authors of the opportunities and the process of authoring …

Organizational Culture: Relationship To Uncertainty, Sensemaking And Organizational Effectiveness, Rolf D. Dixon

Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Technology

Organizational culture is examined as a response to environmental uncertainty and organizational effectiveness is examined in terms of that uncertainty. The dysfunctional effects of uncertainty on an organization are examined. Organizational culture is then developed as an approach by which management may proactively deal with these effects in a manner designed to bring about a higher level of organizational effectiveness. Several propositions are offered as descriptions of how this process can unfold and be managed.

Electronic Commerce Viability By Industry Group, William S. Remington, Zane Swanson, C. Bryan Foltz, Trevor Moores

Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Technology

Use of the internet is growing at a phenomenal rate. For instance, it took 38 years for radio to reach 50 million users, but it just took 5 years for the internet to do the same (Press, et. al, 1998). Currently, the fastest-growing use of the internet is shopping online (Donthu and Garcia, 1999). Electronic Commerce (EC) is defined as "any transaction completed over a computer-mediated network that involves the transfer of ownership or rights to use goods or services" (Parker and Grove, 2000). By 2001, EC Electronic Commerce (EC) is expected to exceed $70 billion in Europe alone (Micossi, …

Virtual Teams In The Classroom: A Case Study, Nancy E. Landrum, Lori D. Paris

Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Technology

With the increase in technology and globalization, virtual teams are to the new century what self-managed work teams were to the past. Virtual teams are "cross-functional teams that operate across space, time, and organizational boundaries with members whocommunicate mainly through electronic technologies" (McShane & Von Glinow, 2000, p. 271). A virtual team is a tool that the organizations can employ to make quick decisions in a complex environment, especially, in an environment where employees are spreadacross the globe (Duarte & Snyder, 1999; Manz & Sims, 1987; McShane & Von Glinow, 2000).

Both traditional and self-managed work teams have long been …

A Manager's Guide To Diagnosing Conflict: The 3-D Approach, Suresh Gopalan, David Summers

Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Technology

Conflict is a natural part of organizational life (e.g., Caudron, 1998; Guttman, 1999; Jameson, 1999; Lippitt, 1982)). Managers struggle daily to effectively manage or resolve conflict (e.g., Cottringer, 1997; Robbins, 1974). As management educators and consultants we found ourselves constantly responding to requests by students and practicing managers for suggestions on how to more effectively deal with conflict. As a response to the many requests, we have developed the 3-D Approach to conflict management and/or resolution. The 3-D approach is based on a framework that enables mangers and students to systematically:

• diagnose the source, scope and type of conflict
• describe …

The Use Of Collaborative Learning As A Tool For Skill Integration: The Problem Of Group Self-Selection, Mark Linville

Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Technology

This study examines whether instructor intervention in group formation is necessary to achieve diversity. Consistent with prior studies, diverse groups are found to out-perform groups without diversity. Yet, without instructor intervention, groups are unlikely to achieve diversity in terms of ability and ethnic composition.

The Use And Value Of Data Warehousing In Higher Education, Robert P. Weber, James E. Weber

Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Technology

Industry is experiencing a dramatic increase in the use of data warehousing techniques, but higher education has been slow to follow suit. This paper illustrates some common uses of data warehousing in industry, provides higher education analogues and suggests the potential value of data warehousing techniques to colleges and universities.