Business Commons^™

Competitive Challenges, Chain Reactions, Edward Sweeney

Other Resources

No abstract provided.

Outsourcing And Its Role In The Supply Chain, Edward Sweeney, Aoife O'Riordan

Books/Book chapters

No abstract provided.

Business Plan For An Authentic Italian Restaurant: Ristorante Epifania, Ashley Maria Dyer

Whittier Scholars Program

This project is to explain a business plan for an Authentic Italian Restaurant. It is an independent service industry under the sole proprietorship of Ashley Dyer with a few private and potential investors. The mission statement of the restaurant, Epifania, is to support the cultural and culinary expectations of authentic Italian cuisine. The Epifania is based in Portland, Oregon. The primary goal at Epifania is to develop and offer a culturally genuine dining experience in an environment that reflects our mission.

The Role Of Information And Communications Technology (Ict) In The Supply Chain, Ronan Mcdonnell, John Kenny, Edward Sweeney

Books/Book chapters

No abstract provided.

The Financial Dimension Of Scm, Edward Sweeney, Des Lee

Books/Book chapters

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of Women’S Career Progression Decisions As A Significant Determinant Of The Under-Representation Of Women At Senior Management Levels In Ireland, Christine Cross

Theses

Recent decades have witnessed unprecedented changes both in the world economy and in the composition of workforces internationally, resulting in a significant rise in female economic activity rates. Women’s increased involvement in the labour force is, however, not paralleled within the management levels of organisations. The persistent nature of the dearth of women in executive roles provides the context for this study. The unique focus of this thesis is women in middle-level management positions, as managers at this level are viewed as successors to senior organisational roles. Thirty female managers were interviewed, from organisations representing a wide range of industry …

Relationship Among Supervisors' Transformational And Transactional Leadership Styles, And Teachers' Job Satisfaction In Taiwan Higher Education, Chi-Ling Sung

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

This study examined the influence of supervisors' transformational and transactional leadership styles on job satisfaction of college and university in Taiwan. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between supervisors' transformational and transactional leadership styles, and the satisfaction of Taiwan's higher education instructors. The number of teachers at the university level in Taiwan rose 36.8% from 1951 to 2004; therefore faculty job satisfaction is an important issue. Schools want to keep their faculty and reputation to maintain a competitive edge. This non-experimental, quantitative, explanatory correlation and explanatory comparative survey research explores the relationship between supervisors' transformational and …

Organizational Characteristics, Knowledge Management Strategy, Enablers And Process Capability: Knowledge Management Performance In U.S. Software Companies, Hsin-Jung Hsieh

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Currently, the effect of knowledge management has not been clearly defined or understood and a proper framework for assessing the status of knowledge management is lacking. Most studies examined the relationships among critical factors of knowledge management separately and the empirical research is based on only a few cases or small samples where generalizing the results is significantly reduced. The development of a universal model is necessary as a means to measure relevant constructs.

This correlational (explanatory) online survey research is the first to explore the relationships among organizational characteristics, knowledge management strategy, knowledge management enablers, knowledge management process capabilities, …

Organizational Justice And Workplace Deviance: The Role Of Organizational Structure, Powerlessness, And Information Salience, Jie Guo Mccardle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate both individual and structural factors in predicting workplace deviance. Deviant workplace behavior is a prevailing and costly phenomenon in organizations. It includes a wide range of negative acts conducted by employees to harm the organization and its members. In the first section, I conducted a comprehensive literature review. In the review, I first review the current state of research on the relationship between organizational justice and workplace deviance by presenting the various theoretical frameworks, as well as empirical findings. Next, I summarize existing research patterns and identify research challenges that must be …

Balanced Innovation Management, David R. King

Management Faculty Research and Publications

The Department of Defense has demonstrated success in managing innovation. The military’s approach to innovation management extends beyond traditional distinctions between internal and external innovation modes. Summarizing specific innovation strategies available to managers develops recognition of this growing reality. The article concludes with resulting lessons that can be more widely adopted by managers.

The Effectiveness Of Insider Trading Regulation: International Evidence, Art Durnev, Amrita S. Nain

Finance Faculty Publications

There is a long standing debate in the finance and law literatures about the need for insider trading regulation. Some scholars and practitioners argue that insider trading restrictions should be revoked because insider trading allows private information to be quickly incorporated into stock prices, thereby leading to more informationally efficient stock prices (Carlton and Fischel (1983); Dye (1984)). For example, Milton Friedman, laureate of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics, said: “You want more insider trading, not less. You want to give the people most likely to have knowledge about deficiencies of the company an incentive to make the public …

Isolating Institution Based Personal And Contextual Determinants Of Entrepreneurial Intentions Among Kenyan College Graduates, Rosemary Kamau-Maina

Student Scholarship

Kenya has a population of approximately 34 million with those aged 35 years and below making up over 75% of the population. In 2003 and 2005, when the national unemployment stood at 40%, the youth accounted for about 78% and 67% of the national unemployment in the two years respectively. This encompasses all youth including recent college and university graduates. Taking into account that these numbers include recent university and college graduates, the resulting waste of resources is enormous. It therefore makes economic sense to have more youth engage in entrepreneurship to combat unemployment and stem the resource waste. For …

Explaining The Lack Of Strategic Planning In Smes: The Importance Of Owner Motivation, Calvin Wang, Elizabeth Walker, Janice Redmond

Research outputs pre 2011

Considerable evidence shows that strategic planning leads to increased firm performance. Yet, the majority of SMEs do not plan and the reasons why are not well understood. This article questions the common approach to understanding this problem based on identifying business barriers to planning. For the majority of SME owner operators, business performance often ranks far behind intangible goals such as autonomy, personal satisfaction and lifestyle. Strategic planning may therefore have little value to owner-operators driven by such motivators. This article presents an alternative perspective to the issue by arguing that owner aspirations are integral to whether or not SMEs …

Always The Optimist?, Eric Kordt, Craig Standing

Research outputs pre 2011

The purpose of this research is to determine the attributional style (optimistic or pessimistic) of Information Technology support workers and executive managers using attribution theory, This research suggests that support workers are likely to exhibit an optimistic attributional style whilst executive managers are likely to exhibit a pessimistic attributional style, The differences in attributional style reflected in aspects such as the strength to participate (support workers) or avoid (executive managers) projects destined for failure, The research suggests that managers can positively influence the causal dimensions of attributional style by increasing support worker involvement, supporting executive managers, empowering employees and supporting …

Delivering The Business Value Of Information Technology: Evaluation Practices Of Construction Sme's, P Love, Craig Standing

Research outputs pre 2011

With cal/sfrom the govemmentfor the construction industry to improve its peiformance and openly embrace information technology (IT), this research sought to examine the practices that organisations use to evaluate and justify their investments in IT. It was considered that this would enable those areas for improving the evaluation process to be identified and the business value of IT was maximised. A questionnaire survey was used to obtain information about the evaluation practices of 126 construction organisations. The analysis of their responses identified three key findings. First, different organisation types significantly differ in the amount they investment in IT and firm …

What Stakeholder Theory Is Not, Robert A. Phillips, R. Edward Freeman, Andrew C. Wicks

Management Faculty Publications

The term "stakeholder" is a powerful one. this is due, to a significant degree, to its conceptual breadth. The term means many different things to many different people and hence evokes praise or scorn for a wide variety of scholars and practitioners of myriad academic disciplines and backgrounds. Such breadth of interpretation, though one of stakeholder theory's greatest strengths, is also one of its most prominent theoretical liabilities as a topic of reasoned discourse. Much of the power of stakeholder theory is a direct result of the fact that, when used unreflectively, its managerial prescriptions and implications are nearly limitless. …

Image Norms: A Model Of Formation And Operation, Amy E. Hurley-Hanson, Cristina M. Giannantonio

Business Faculty Articles and Research

This paper presents a model describing the formation and operation of image norms. Image norms are discussed from both the individual and the organizational perspective. This is followed by a discussion of the implications of image norms for individuals’ career choice decisions. The implications of image norms for organizations are also presented. Suggestions for future research on image norms are provided.

Organizational Alignment And Performance: Past, Present And Future, Ravi Kathuria, Maheshkumar P. Joshi, Stephen J. Porth

Business Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to identify and define the types of organizational alignment – vertical and horizontal; to examine the evidence for the alignment‐performance relationship, and propose research questions and practical implications to advance the theory and practice of managing alignment.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study is a conceptual examination based on a thorough review of both theoretical and empirical research.

Findings

– The paper finds that vertical alignment has received considerably more attention in the literature. Studies of horizontal alignment within organizations are less common. When horizontal alignment is studied, the focus tends to be dyadic …

An Analysis Of Lean Management Procedures In The Irish Audi And Volkswagen Dealer Network, Clive Atkinson

Theses

This study provides an analysis of lean management procedures within Irish motor retailers from the perspective of senior managers working in franchised Audi and Volkswagen dealerships. Richardson (2007) suggests the danger for some organisations operating in good economic conditions is the ability of poor performers to earn healthy profits through little effort, thereby creating a lack of urgency to improve processes within the business. This may be applicable to motor dealerships in Ireland since the advent of the “Celtic Tiger”. Advocates of lean management contend the implementation of lean techniques can increase efficiency within an organisation and create a sustainable …

Radical Change Accidentally: The Emergence And Amplification Of Small Change, Donde Ashmos Plowman, Lakami T. Baker, Tammy E. Beck, Mukta Kulkarni, Stephanie Thomas Solansky, Deandra Villarreal Travis

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

A decision to offer breakfast to homeless people led to radical change in a church and its environment. Existing theories of change do not fully explain observations from our qualitative study; however, complexity theory constructs suggest how and why such change emerged. We offer four key findings. First, the radical change was unintended, emergent, and slow. Second, destabilizing conditions helped small changes to emerge and become radical. Third, subsequent actions amplified an initial small change and, though not intended to do so, promoted radical change. Finally, the dynamic interaction of amplifying actions, contextual conditions, and small changes led to continuous …

Is Support For Top Managers' Dynamic Capabilities, Environmental Dynamism, And Firm Performance: An Empirical Investigation, Michael J. Zhang

WCBT Faculty Publications

Despite a continual interest in developing information systems (IS) to support the work of top managers, assessing the impact of IS support for top managers and their capabilities on the bottom-line performance of firms has received little attention in existing literature. Drawing upon the resource based view of competitive advantage, this paper argues that firms that provide IS support for their top managers’ dynamic capabilities may enjoy competitive advantage and superior firm performance. The performance impact of IS support for two key dynamic capabilities of top managers (fast response and mental model building) under different (dynamic vs. stable) external environments …

Assessing The Performance Impacts Of Information Systems From The Resource-Based Perspective: An Empirical Test Of The Indirect Effect Of The Is, Michael J. Zhang

WCBT Faculty Publications

Research into the strategic impacts of information systems (IS) from the resource-based view of competitive advantage has increasingly embraced the indirect effect of IS on firm performance; that is, IS interact with other complementary organizational resources in influencing firm performance. Using both survey and archival data, this study set out to test the indirect effect of IS and determine the complementary organizational resources contributing to IS impacts on firm performance. The results provide additional evidence in support of the indirect performance effect of IS. Specifically, the study found that the performance impacts of IS arose from their interactions with firm-specific …

The Dynamics Of Social Responsibility: Processes, Positions, And Paths In The Oil And Gas Industry, Paul C. Godfrey

Faculty Publications

I use corporate strategy concepts and tools to focus on the dynamics of firm social initiatives and actions over time. I examine the different paths and positions taken by firms, and the processes that may underlie such paths and positions. My sample comprises 19 firms in the oil and gas industry, and covers the decade from 1991-2000. I use an exploratory approach that mixes qualitative and quantitative cluster analysis as the primary tools to examine this industry, and to isolate and examine distinct social responsibility positions and paths taken by these firms. I also provide evidence about which theoretical processes …

Ethics, Csr, And Sustainability Education In The Financial Times Top 50 Global Business Schools: Baseline Data And Future Research Directions, Lisa Jones Christensen, Ellen Peirce, Laura P. Hartman, W. Michael Hoffman, Jamie Carrier

Faculty Publications

This paper investigates how deans and directors at the top 50 global MBA programs (as rated by the Financial Times in their 2006 Global MBA rankings) respond to questions about the inclusion and coverage of the topics of ethics, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability at their respective institutions. This work purposely investigates each of the three topics separately. Our findings reveal that: (1) a majority of the schools require that one or more of these topics be covered in their MBA curriculum and one-third of the schools require coverage of all three topics as part of the MBA curriculum, (2) …

Praying, Playing, And Successful Families: An Examination Of Family Religiosity, Family Leisure, And Family Functioning, Sarah Taylor Agate, Ramon B. Zabriskie, Dennis L. Eggett

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between family religiosity, family leisure, and family functioning. The sample consisted of 121 parents and 99 youth from various religious groups. Results indicated a positive relationship between family religiosity and family leisure. Both family religiosity and family leisure had a significant relationship with family functioning in this sample. Data collected from both parents and youth provided insight into the influence of family religiosity and family leisure on family functioning. Family religiosity was the strongest predictor of family functioning for parents. For youth, both family leisure and family religiosity were significant …

Perspectives On Leisure Of Lds Women Who Are Stay-At-Home Mothers, Patti A. Freeman, Alexis A. Palmer, Birgitta L. Baker

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to explore the meanings of leisure for women who belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, lived in Utah, and were stay-at-home mothers. Particular attention was given to the religious, cultural, and role-determined forces that shaped their lives and leisure. A phenomenological approach was used. Thirteen women were identified through a criteria-based snowball sampling technique. Emerging theory indicated that cultural beliefs and values can contribute to feelings of entitlement to leisure because of the support for leisure and life roles given by one’s faith, family, and community.

Conflict Avoidance In Cooperative And Competitive Relationships : A Cross-Cultural Study Between Chinese Subordinates And Western Superiors, Chun Yan Peng

Lingnan Theses

Many international companies have entered China because of its expanding opportunities. However, for expatriate managers to innovate and implement their strategic plans in order to exploit these opportunities, they must know and work with their Chinese subordinates. But conflict is inevitable within organizations, especially when people with different cultural backgrounds work together. Culture not only affects people’s preferred ways of doing things but also influences their styles to deal with conflicts. Compared with Westerners, Chinese people have been found to employ indirect ways and prefer to avoid conflict. To facilitate effective communication, it is imperative for Western managers to understand …

Family Deepening: A Qualitative Inquiry Into The Experience Of Families Who Participate In Service Expeditions, Alexis A. Palmer, Patti A. Freeman, Ramon B. Zabriskie

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to explore the familial impact of participating in a family service expedition. Grounded theory methodology was used. Five families were identified through a criteria-based snowball sampling technique. Based on the data analyses, a core category emerged that encapsulated the meaning and impact of the family service expedition. It was given the description of "family deepening." Emerging theory indicated that experiences that were unique; shared, interactive; purposive; challenging; and required sacrifice contributed to the process of family deepening. The process encompassed and surpassed what was previously captured by the concepts of family strengths, purposive leisure, …

The Sox-Rfid Connection, Porcher L. Taylor Iii, Nezih Altay

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

Companies expect to gain many benefits from implementing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. Perhaps the one cited most often is lower supply chain costs, which result from the improved inventory visibility that the technology affords. But there's another often overlooked advantage that supply chain managers should know about: RFlD technology can help them fulfill the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) if implemented and integrated properly. Conversely, RFID can complicate the already complex and costly internal mandates of SOX if the implementation is not approached the right way.

Outsourcing Impact On Manufacturing Firms’ Value: Evidence From Japan, James Belohlav

College of Business Faculty and Staff Works

No abstract provided.