Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons^™

Political Connections And Strategic Choices Of Emerging Market Firms: Case Study Of Russia’S Pharmaceutical Industry, Anton Klarin, Pradeep Kanta Ray

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the importance of political connections in the emerging market context.

Design/methodology/approach – A case study analysis of three Russian pharmaceutical firms is conducted to uncover how they performed through the Russian transition – the institutional upheaval of the 1990s – and the ongoing state-led industrialization.

Findings – In the early years of transition, firms heavily rely on political networking to gain legitimacy and fill institutional voids. As institutions strengthen, the need for political networking is being substituted by arm’s length networking. Strengthening of institutions also results in a more stable …

Soft Skills Needed For The 21st-Century Workforce, Susan A. Dean, Julia I. East

International Journal of Applied Management and Technology

Technical skills are no longer enough for workers to compete in this highly competitive global work environment. Soft skills are of paramount importance. A multiple-case-study design through the lens of emotional intelligence formed the basis of the research study. The focus of the research was identification of the successful soft skills training strategies in the logistics industry. Three logistics organization leaders in the counties of Burlington, Middlesex, and Somerset, New Jersey, were participants in the study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and the review of company documents Four themes emerged through data analysis of converging multiple data sources: (a) …

From Dreaming To Believing: A Review Of Consumer Engagement Behaviours With Brands’ Social Media Content Across The Holiday Travel Process, Dean Creevey, Etain Kidney, Glenn Mehta

Articles

This paper reviews social media user engagement behaviours with brands and proposes a new stage within the travel process. Specifically, the pre-trip stage is examined and investigation into a two sub-stage split is proposed; pre-purchase and post-purchase. Dubbed the Believing phase, this paper calls for research into the patterns of engagement behaviour towards hotel brands’ content at this currently under-researched stage. Current social media-focussed research examines influence on purchasing decisions of users, social media usage on-site, and post-trip evaluation. There remains a conceptual gap highlighting the behavioural patterns of users during the period between initial purchase and subsequent departure.

Researching Pure Digital Entrepreneurship – A Multimethod Insider Action Research Approach, Kisito Futonge Nzembayie, Anthony Paul Buckley, Thomas M. Cooney

Articles

Knowledge production in Pure Digital Entrepreneurship (PDE) needs to reflect the non-linear nature of a journey defined by digital artifact and platform creation. Accordingly, this paper proposes and offers practical guidance on the use of Multimethod Insider Action Research (MIAR) as a suitable research design for studying the entrepreneurial journey in this context. It argues for integrating first-person Reflective Practice, second-person Collaborative Inquiry and Design Research for third-person knowledge production that balances rigour and relevance. While calls for such forms of longitudinal process inquiry have largely gone unanswered due to identified challenges, this paper uses a case narrative to illustrate …

Spurring Tensions At The Workplace And The Moderating Role Of Psychological Resilience: A Paradox Theory Perspective, Rawia Ahmed

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Paradoxes are integral parts of our work lives. In this paper, I tested workplace triggers of four different categories of tensions: belonging, learning, organizing, and performing tensions, and I offered a theoretical framework on how these types of tensions affect employees' wellbeing negatively by examining stress. Further, I presented psychological resilience as a contingency variable that reduces the experience of stress at the workplace. I also created the organizing tensions instrument. I validated the scale and tested the model with three different samples: Sample 1 (125 MBA students), sample 2 (time 1 520 Qualtrics Panel respondents), and sample 3 (time …

Private Ordering And Improving Information Flow To The Board Of Directors: The Duty To Inform Bylaw, Jennifer O'Hare

Faculty Publications

It seems that almost every day there is another report of a corporate scandal at a public company. Whether the scandal involves sexual harassment by senior management or widespread illegal conduct by employees, the first question asked by investors and the media is usually, “Where was the board?” And the board’s response is almost always, “We didn’t know.” Directors of public companies rely on officers to provide the information the board needs to manage the corporation, but, strangely enough, officers may not even be legally required to provide information to the board. The Delaware General Corporation Law is silent on …

Business Strategy For Potential Sustainability Organizations Of The Future, Randall Duffield

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The exponential acceleration of globalization in the modern economy has resulted in the creation of new, unexpected job positions. This article explores the possibility of merging strategic business practices with a potential sustainability effort in plastic removal from the world's oceans. Though the current paradigm of political involvement relegated research to focus on a governmental position, the research and organizational methods could, and should, be applied to future private market endeavors in the same field.

Strategic Opportunities In Rental Companies And Ridesharing, Julia Baumann, Danay Kmatz, Noaa Lanotte, Zachary Murray, Jonathan Weaver

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Given the future of mobility, the increase in online shopping, and the ease of ridesharing, companies need to adapt their network to one that uniquely utilizes their resources to cater to these dramatic changes. The task in this case was to re-image Goodyear’s dealer network and find possible ways to use their excess space to help establish themselves in the future of mobility. The team conducted secondary research on three main topics: retail versus online shopping, Goodyear’s services compared to services needed by Uber and Lyft drivers, and information regarding the current and future status of ridesharing.

An Analysis Of Millennial Attitudes Towards Car Servicing, Colwell S. Shupe, Jill M. Synek, Erin M. Chips, Eric A. Van Meter

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

When our team originally began our project, we initially held the assumption that millennials do not care about car ownership or driving. As our secondary research progressed, we found that millennials do indeed care about automobiles, but limited research existed as to any underlying issues regarding car maintenance and service. We addressed this issue in our primary research and found that millennials experience anxiety as they do not know much about car maintenance. Our recommendations were targeted towards easing both the surface anxiety and addressing the underlying issues as well as helping prepare Goodyear for future trends that may arise.

Ownership Conversion As A Solution For Ex Post Agency Problems: The Case Of Franchising, Erik Tristan Markin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the strategic decision of franchising firms to convert company-owned outlets to franchise contracts in response to persistent agency problems. Moreover, this study investigates how franchisor-level, market-level, and outlet-level characteristics interact with this relationship. Using a longitudinal sample of company-owned fast-food restaurants, I find that increased agency problems at focal restaurants increases the likelihood of being converted to a franchise and that this relationship is moderated by both franchisor- and outlet-level characteristics but not market-level characteristics. Limitations and future research opportunities are discussed.

Goodyear As-A-Service Project Report, Julie Mullet

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of the Project Report is to explain our secondary and primary research findings, our analyses of these, and our solutions and recommendations as well as next steps for Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in the “as-a-service” industry. The report begins with our secondary research finding, then moves into our primary research methods, statistical testing and data results, findings, and limitations of our primary research. We will then suggest our solutions and recommendations for the company based on our research. Last, we will detail our expected financial results for the company, as well as the action steps and future …

Strategic Recommendations For Sherwin Williams, Alysha Blanchard, Cara Crookston, Jacob Kaut, Lucas Colantoni, Lillyanne Sweitzer

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Our project objective was to provide Sherwin Williams with a comprehensive and well researched recommendation to aid recruitment efforts for their Management Trainee Program, as well as increase employee retention. Our team’s primary research was centered around benchmarking Sherwin Williams’ business related practices with those of similar retail companies and employees. Specifically, the research was focused on company culture, training and support, employee referrals, and treatment of part-time employees of the different organizations. To complete the benchmarking effectively, our team created two variations of a survey design to capture the necessary feedback and data. After analyzing our primary research and …

The Effect Of Behavioral Traits And Background On Engineering Students’ Decision-Making Process Compared To Business Students, Joe Scott

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This paper looks to narrow down the reasons that students undertake new credentials, specifically in sales fields. With a focus on character traits and upbringing, the goal is to ensure that there is a better understanding of the reasons that people undertake these credentials. The different benefits of credentials will be analyzed to determine the most influential reason that people would be willing to move forward. The combination of these factors will be used to provide recommendations of the best way to reach and influence the decision of the engineering students.

The School-Based Family: Teachers As Parental Figures For Orphans And Vulnerable Children In Ugandan Schools, Stacy Taniguchi, Angela Warren, Steve Hite, Mark Widmer, Ramon B. Zabriskie, Yusef Nsubuga, Christopher Mugimu

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the possible formation of surrogate families within Ugandan schools, especially among orphans who lack positive development opportunities typically provided by parents. This qualitative study sample of 66 Ugandan secondary school students were selected from eight schools in the Mukono district of Uganda. Findings suggest a potentially widespread family formation pattern between students and their teachers. More than 75% of students interviewed self-identified their teacher as family. Some teachers were able to offer orphans and vulnerable children positive developmental assets and were, therefore, identified as family.

Strategies To Minimize Perishable Food Loss In The Retail Grocery Business, Thankgod Chukwumeka Aleruchi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Supply chain managers in the retail grocery industry face significant challenges in reducing the wastage of perishable food. Perishable food spoilage and deterioration in the retail grocery industry result in a significant loss of profitability and consumer satisfaction. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies that supply chain managers in the retail grocery business used to minimize perishable food loss. The perishable inventory theory was used as the conceptual framework. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 6 Pennsylvania retail grocery supply chain managers who implemented strategies to minimize perishable food loss and from organizational …

Reporting Quantitative Methods And Findings: Best Practices Fidelity In The Leisure Science Literature, Mat D. Duerden, Eric Keith Layland, Andrew Lacanienta, Camilla Hodge, Michael Goates, Michael B. Edwards

Faculty Publications

This article identified best practices for quantitative methods and results reporting and then evaluated leisure science articles’ adherence to them. A two-stage stratified sampling method identified 112 articles. A codebook was developed, and 26 universal codes addressing abstract, methods, and results were applied to each article to generate best practices scores (BPS). BPS ranged from 6 to 21 (M¼14.89, SD¼2.95). Articles were more likely to use best practices for abstract, sample selection, recruitment, statistics, and data analysis, and less likely for participant characteristics, instrumentation, and data collection procedures. Comparisons of BPS across journals identified significant differences.

Texas Sport Leadership Consultants, Llc: A Case Of Cases, Emily S. Sparvero, Randall J. Griffiths, Jacob K. Tingle

School of Business Faculty Research

This immersive, multi-case experience consists of four distinct cases and one meta-case that require students to engage with several organizational behavior topics. First, the meta-case takes the form of Texas Sport Leadership Consultants (TSLC), a fictitious company which consults with local sport management professionals in a variety of contexts. Students participate as temporary members of the company to analyze the issues and challenges associated with working as a member of TSLC. TSLC work groups are hired by four different clients, each of whom has a unique organizational behavior challenge. These clients include: (1) a combat-oriented sport company; (2) a company …

Self-Leadership To Servant Leadership: A Metatheoretical Antecedent To Positive Social, Allen Lloyd Carn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A majority of current leadership programs are failing to deliver a comprehensive approach to leadership development by not providing middle and frontline managers the skills to enhance their potential to develop others. In failing to generate a comprehensive system, animosity towards all types of leadership has been festering for over 40 years as first identified by Greenleaf in 1977. The purpose of the study was to establish a link between the theoretical paradigms of servant leadership and self-leadership using the lens of emotional intelligence to generate an integral leadership development framework. The conceptual framework used Goleman et al.'s version of …

Capital Financing Strategies Of Small-Scale Contractors In Nigeria, Tony Emeka Anamege

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small-scale contractors in Nigeria, as small business owners, face challenges accessing external sources of capital financing. Inadequate sources of working capital is one of the major reasons for poor business performance and failure. A multiple case study approach was used in this study to explore how small-scale contractors obtained capital financing to grow their businesses. The study population included small-scale contractors in the construction industry in Nigeria. Credit rationing model was chosen as the conceptual framework for the study. Semistructured interviews were used to collect data from 5 participants. Data analysis included thematic coding of the data using qualitative data …

Effective Manufacturers' Strategies For Service Innovations, Zebulon Fox

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, more than 50% of managers offering services in the manufacturing industry report failed service initiatives. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that manufacturing managers used to sustain their business for longer than 5 years. The population consisted of 3 manufacturing organization managers offering business services to support petroleum and coal companies who have sustained their business operations in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States for longer than 5 years. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and organization documents were analyzed through the perspective of the strategic service innovation theory conceptual …