Digital Commons Network^™

Leading In A Gen Y World - A Corporate Essay, Deborah S. Levine

Journal of Executive Education

The purpose of this paper is to describe the leadership challenges in a Gen Y world and propose changes needed to capitalize on the new realities of this important element of the workforce. The summary information and propositions described in this paper are based on over 140 interviews collected as part of a research project led by Deborah S. Levine at AGL Resources, a Fortune 1000 energy-based company located in Atlanta, Georgia. The interview data includes Gen Y individuals currently employed by AGL Resources, as well as students in Louisiana, Georgia and Ohio at post-secondary schools.

The Forgotten Topic: Teaching Plant Closing To Executives And Graduate Students, Kelly C. Woodford, Treena Gillespie Finney, Alan F. Chow, Nancy J. Lambe

Journal of Executive Education

Executive education programs and graduate-level business programs generally devote substantial time and resources to training professionals to open businesses, generate business growth, and manage on-going operations. Few programs, however, devote any time to a topic that many executives will one day be forced to confront: plant closings. Because relatively few managers have actually gone through the plant closing process, there are rarely “experts” available to guide a company through the practical day-to-day aspects of shutting down a facility. This paper addresses the key topics needed for an advanced level program dealing with the operational aspects of closing a facility. Such …

Cultural Strategies In M&As: Investigating Ten Case Studies, Steven H. Appelbaum, Jessie Roberts, Barabara T. Shapiro

Journal of Executive Education

This article discusses and contrasts the cultural fit, cultural potential, communication, direction, and leadership in the success and failures of mergers and acquisitions. The focus of the article is to determine independent variables that influence the success or failure of a merger or acquisition using existing empirical literature, while comparing and contrasting the information found in ten selected case studies of successful and failed M&As. According to one study cited, eighty-three percent of mergers and acquisitions fail to create their intended value. The ten case studies reveal that communication is a necessity, drastically improving the success of a merger, and …

Understanding What Motivates Donor To Give: Applying New Strategies For Cultivating Relationships With Donors, Natalie J. Fischer

MPA Capstone Projects 2006 - 2015

In 2011, ACCORD, A Center for Dispute Resolution, Inc. lost 54% of its funding which caused major organizational changes, making it difficult to implement better donor development strategies. In the 2011-2012 fiscal year, donations from individuals made up only 1% of ACCORD's revenue.

2013-September-25-Executive Briefing Featuring Joseph Grenny, University Marketing And Communications, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

No abstract provided.

Some Highly Engaging Research Stories And A Great Exercise, William P. Ferris

Organization Management Journal

No abstract provided.

A Social Exchange Model Of Psychological Contract Fulfillment: Where Do Promises, Expectations, Lmx, And Pos Fit In?, Anjali Chaudhry, Amanuel G. Tekleab

Organization Management Journal

We investigated psychological contract (PC) fulfillment using the three building blocks of the social exchange theory: content of the exchange, parties to the exchange, and the process of the exchange. Results from two studies demonstrate that PC fulfillment is related to different outcomes depending on fulfillment conceptualized in terms of promises as opposed to expectations. Expectations fulfillment is a stronger predictor of affective commitment, whereas promises fulfillment is a stronger predictor of turnover. Additionally, we tested hypotheses to examine the multisource effects of PC fulfillment. PC fulfillment by the supervisor and by the organization highlighted the relationship between PC fulfillment, …

Middle Managers Of The Leadership Classroom: Realizing The Developmental Capacity Of Teaching Assistants, Lisa Rosh, Thimothy J. Tobin

Organization Management Journal

In this phenomenological study, the authors explore exemplar teaching assistants’ experiences and perceptions of their work in supporting leadership development for undergraduate business students. Findings demonstrate that successful, effective teaching assistants whose role is to cultivate students’ leadership competencies conceptualize their roles as middle managers in the classroom, acting independently and focusing on system stability. Forming professional networks and establishing physical and psychological boundaries support their developmental roles. Based on the findings, the authors present guidelines for universities that use teaching assistants in developmental roles, strategies for individuals who serve as assistants, and implications for future research.

Creating A Healthy Workplace Culture Using An Appreciative Inquiry 4-D Cycle, Raymond Calabrese, Erik Cohen, Dustin Miller

Organization Management Journal

This study describes the second year of an ongoing partnership between an urban drug court (UDC) and a research university with very high research activity. The purpose of the second year of our study was to engage an appreciative inquiry (AI) Learning Team in all stages of the AI 4-D Cycle to discover the positive core of their work history and work relationships to create a healthy UDC workplace culture. Nine purposively selected participants were engaged in all four stages of the AI 4-D Cycle. There were four findings. Participants (a) developed a strong sense of personal and collective empowerment; …

The Internationalization Of Chinese Entrepreneurial Firms, Ilan Alon, Orly Yeheskel, Miri Lerner, Wenxian Zhang

Faculty Publications

This article uses the resource-based and internationalization theories to explain the export behavior of Chinese entrepreneurial firms. Based on multi-year data on Chinese firms from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), we show that contextualized resource-based theory can adequately explain some of the variation in export behavior among young Chinese firms. Exports by small Chinese firms are driven by the social and intellectual capital of the entrepreneur and their entrepreneurial proclivity, and the innovativeness/uniqueness of the product/offering.

The Influence Of Organizational Culture On Affinity For Knowledge Management Practices Of Registered Nurses, Gregory Allen

Faculty Publications - George Fox Digital

This study addressed the problems of hospitals’ duplicated effort and ad hoc knowledge management (KM) practices. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the focus and type of organizational culture in order to describe and predict the relationship between organizational culture and the affinity for KM of nurses working in health care organizations in Portland, Oregon. Guided by the competing values framework and social capital theory, this research study was undertaken to illuminate the possible relationship between the affinity for and probable use of KM and organizational culture in Oregon hospitals. Data were collected from 93 registered nurses …

An Affair Not To Remember? It Might Help To Change Your Name, Man Cyndi Zhang, Xiaowei Luo

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

While a growing body of research has examined how organizations respond to institutional change, less examined is how institutional change can create opportunities for organizations to manage their public image. We propose that institutional change allows firms to leverage the ambiguity around the motive for image management and thus minimize audience’s unfavorable attribution of the motive. Specifically, we focus on an organization’s name change as a means of image management. From the audience’s standpoint, an organization could change its name as a result of having responded to institutional change, or to convey new strategic directions, or to manipulate the public …

Vertical Market Strategy: The Case Of An Executive Education Startup In A Medium-Sized Business School, Shawna L. Rogers, Thomas N. Duening

Journal of Executive Education

This paper provides an account of a vertical market go-to-market strategy that has been used by an executive education startup in the College of Business at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. The executive education startup is titled the “Office of Professional & Executive Development” and has been in operation for approximately 18 months. The office was launched explicitly using a vertical market strategy. That is, public training programs were designed for vertical markets only, enabling instructors to design programs with deep, industry-specific examples, cases, and lessons.

Using Work System Theory To Link Managerial And Technical Perspectives On Bpm, Steven Alter

Business Analytics and Information Systems

Work system theory (WST) provides a bridge between managerial and technical perspectives on BPM that often seem distant from each other. In combination, the work system framework, underlying work system metamodel, and the work system life cycle model provide a number of bridges between those perspectives. In relation to managerial BPM, the work system framework treats "business process" as one of nine elements in a basic understanding of a work system. The others are participants, information, technology, products/services, customers, environment, infrastructure, and strategies. The underlying metamodel outlines a precise structure for analysis and design of work systems and for links …

Women And Leadership: An Integrative Focus On Equality, Nancy Gordon

Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought

This article explores the importance of equality in leadership practice; describes an inclusive approach to effective leadership; and summarizes examples of contemporary and inclusive leadership models. It identifies the barriers and challenges that women face in advancing into top-level leadership positions and outlines a balanced approach to leadership that embraces equality and honors both feminine and masculine leadership principles.

When Institutional Work Backfires: Organizational Control Of Professional Work In The Pharmaceutical Industry, Jagdip Singh, Rama K. Jayanti

Business Faculty Publications

Integrating institutional and role theories, this paper develops a Logics–Roles– Action (LRA) framework for understanding how for-profit organizations structure institutional work to managerially control the work of professionals they employ. Structurally, this institutional work involves three elements: (1) internalizing pluralistic logics (logics); (2) institutionalizing distinct roles embedded in these logics (roles); and (3) scripting goal-oriented role enactment plans (action). An empirical examination of the LRA framework in the pharmaceutical industry evidences four distinct organizational strategies that script role enactments of sales professionals in their interactions with physicians. Each strategy is intended to reaffirm prevailing institutional logics, but eventually backfires by …

Business Communication Management In Etc Company, Ermira Shkodra

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Post-Acquisition Autonomy Upon Small To Medium Enterprise Integration Success, Robert Weichel Reich

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

Most theories in merger and acquisition (M&A) research use an individual or group level of analysis and address behavioral issues in M&A integration and adaptation. Relatively few studies apply a firm level analysis to investigate strategic issues pertaining to autonomy and decision-making authority. This study used neo-institutional theory to investigate the relationship between acquired firm autonomy and integration success at the firm level. It also sought to identify possible moderating impacts of an acquired firm’s pre-acquisition organizational archetype, e.g. professionally managed private, or founder owned and operated, as well as the acquired firm’s leadership experience with previous M&A integration. Furthermore, …

The Erm Process: Evidence From Interviews Of Erm Champions, Therese R. Viscelli

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

This paper investigates the processes that comprise enterprise-wide risk management (ERM) programs implemented by organizations. ERM is a holistic approach of risk management that looks at organization-level risks on a portfolio basis, unlike traditional risk management that looks at silos of individual risks within an organization. The practitioner and academic literatures provide many insights into different frameworks that could be used to implement ERM, but there is little written about the processes and activities that represent actual organizations’ ERM approaches. By looking at the way an organization accomplishes its mission through its management style and communication methods, the role corporate …

Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2012 Singapore Report, Olexander S. Chernyshenko, Marilyn A. Uy, David Gomulya, Francis L. K. Wong, Moon-Ho R. Ho, Yoke Yong Lai, Kim Yan Chan, Olwen Bedford

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Independent of the stage of economic development, entrepreneurship plays a significant role for the expansion, job creation and overall economic health within a country. As a leading international indicator of entrepreneurial activity around the world, the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) provides valuable insight into the state of entrepreneurship within and across developed and developing economies. Knowing the entrepreneurial aspirations of country’s residents is particularly relevant to Singapore’s innovation-driven economy given that the country’s prosperity depends largely on the economic activities of its citizens. We describe the key definitions and terms used in the GEM as well as the stages of …

The State Of Representation And Segregation Among African American Women At The U.S. Department Of Commerce: An Examination Of The Intersection Of Strategic Planning With Race And Gender, Sesha Joi Moon

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

The intent of this dissertation is to examine the state of representation and segregation among African American women across the workforce at the United States Department of Commerce. This study employs a triangulated research design to examine the relationship between elements of strategic planning and the employment patterns of African American women. This study's qualitative analysis includes a content analysis of 13 agency-specific strategic documents published between FY 1994 through FY 2010. This data is supplemented with a longitudinal trend analysis of personnel data for fulltime, permanent employees retrieved from the National Finance Center for the same time period. The …

Attraction, Retention And Advancement Of Women Leaders: Strategies For Organizational Sustainability, Mary L. Bennett, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Women’S Initiatives Executive Committee

Guides, Handbooks and Manuals

No abstract provided.

Moulding The Nascent Corporate Social Responsibility Agenda In Singapore: Of Pragmatism, Soft Regulation, And The Economic Imperative, Eugene K. B. Tan

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This paper seeks to examine the putative growth of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Singapore. A key impetus for the nascent CSR movement in twenty-first century Singapore is the economic imperative. As a trade-dependent industrializing economy, the economic development drive coupled with the need for international expansion has made it necessary for Singapore businesses to be cognizant of the growing CSR movement in the western, industrialized world. The government supports the CSR endeavour with an instrumental bent, where CSR ideas and concepts are adapted, incorporated, and promoted in various sectors of the economy. This paper assesses the state’s active encouragement …

A Full Issue Including Two First Person Research Articles From Australia, William P. Ferris

Organization Management Journal

No abstract provided.

Building Bridges: What We Can Learn From Combining Otherwise Separated Debates, Kees Boersma

Organization Management Journal

No abstract provided.

The Emotions Of Change: A Case Study, Kerri S. Kearny, Kayla D. Siegman

Organization Management Journal

The purpose of this article is to report on a specific team intervention, a rapidly constructed response to a request for help with a situation that was believed by the chief executive officer (CEO) to have reached a crisis stage. The effort was, of necessity, “on the fly,” and the roles of consultant, participant, researcher, and collaborator were blurred and evolving as answers to the immediate problem were sought. This article presents and reflects on four tools used as a part of the intensive work with the emotional aspects of the team’s experiences of revolutionary organizational change. In extended follow-up …

From Initiate To Insider: Renegotiating Workplace Roles And Relations Using Staged Humorous Events, Kirrilly Thompson

Organization Management Journal

Like anthropologists entering the field as “outsiders,” initiates to organizations need to learn new cultures as they transition to “insiders” or veterans. Organizational research has identified the role that spontaneous humor plays in this transition. However, there has been little research into “staged” humorous events. At the same time, anthropological practice has identified various ethnographic research techniques designed to expedite entrée to a social group or organization. However, there has been no research on the implications of a colleague delivering an ethnography of a group back to itself. In this article, I detail a strategy that combined humor and the …

Carving A Wheel Or Assembling A Widget? Insights Into The Management Of Advanced Analytics, Michael Mccrary

Journal of Applied Marketing Theory

Medieval guilds and assembly plants are unlikely metaphors in an information-based economy. My experience with advanced analytics suggests that such descriptions are nevertheless apt. This paper explores two distinct situations within a single firm. In one department, predictive models were generated through adopting a craft style approach. In another department, a production type of approach was deployed. The reasons for their adoption are explored, followed by their consequences for job satisfaction, performance, staffing, change-management, and more. Craft and production approaches have implications not just for modeling analysts and their managers but also for senior leaders, business partners, and human resources …

The Effectiveness Of Total Quality Management Principles In The Printing Industry, Paige Cornelison

Graphic Communication

The purpose of this study was to determine the history and implications of the term “Total Quality Management”, to define the core principles of the concept, and to test their prevalence and effectiveness within the printing industry.

The research consisted of an in-depth survey, which was distributed to employees of printing companies across the country. The survey aimed to collect data that was predominately qualitative in nature. It inquired upon the utilization of quality management systems within the participant’s companies, the core objectives and direct effects of these systems, as well as upon the knowledge and usage of Total Quality …

Social Media Assimilation In Firms: Investigating The Roles Of Absorptive Capacity And Institutional Pressures, Pratyush Bharati, Chen Zhang, Abhijit Chaudhury

Management Science and Information Systems Faculty Publication Series

Firms are increasingly employing social media to manage relationships with partner organizations, yet the role of institutional pressures in social media assimilation has not been studied. We investigate social media assimilation in firms using a model that combines the two theoretical streams of IT adoption: organizational innovation and institutional theory. The study uses a composite view of absorptive capacity that includes both previous experience with similar technology and the general ability to learn and exploit new technologies. We find that institutional pressures are an important antecedent to absorptive capacity, an important measure of organizational learning capability. The paper augments theory …