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Full-Text Articles in Business

Entrepreneurs And Their Companies In A Post-Entrepreneurial World, Larry Griffith Dec 2011

Entrepreneurs And Their Companies In A Post-Entrepreneurial World, Larry Griffith

Student Scholarship

The integration of an entrepreneur into another organization is considered by many to be a difficult or even impossible task. At the same time entrepreneurs are potentially valuable resources for any organization seeking to gain competitive advantage, enter new markets, or to find effective means to resolve standing managerial issues. One method of successful integration demands smooth meshing of the entrepreneur's company and its employees into the new organization. We examine conditions for such smooth transition. Two significant findings emerge. First specific entrepreneurial skills and capabilities, which allow entrepreneurs to be successful in their new role, are similar to those …


Impact On Society Versus Impact On Knowledge: Scholarly Production And Sharing In Latin American Studies, Milagros Pereyra-Rojas Dec 2011

Impact On Society Versus Impact On Knowledge: Scholarly Production And Sharing In Latin American Studies, Milagros Pereyra-Rojas

Student Scholarship

Although home to 8% of the world's population (Guarda 2002), only 1.7% of the scholarly knowledge about Latin America is produced domestically (UNESCO 2010). The limited voice of Latin American scholars in Latin American studies constitutes a loss of a valuable and unique cultural perspective which is aggravated by the fact that the research object is Latin America itself. The failure of Latin American intellectuals to claim a prominent place on the international academic stage has not been explained and cannot be attributed simply to lack of academic knowledge exposure (Alperin, Fischman et al. 2008). To address this gap in …


Successful Alignment Of Mba Curriculum: A Product Of Attentional Change, Laurie A. Branch Dec 2011

Successful Alignment Of Mba Curriculum: A Product Of Attentional Change, Laurie A. Branch

Student Scholarship

This study examines the factors influencing business schools' decision to materially change their full-time MBA curriculum. Our qualitative study is based on 29 interviews with faculty and administrators at 14 business schools and one industry expert. We identify four domains--Constituents, Context, Constraints and Genuine Identity--which business schools consider when exploring a potential curricular change. We present a Model of Successful Curricular Change that recognizes attention to these inputs, in terms of both focus and capacity, affects the type of change the organization pursues. This model also takes into account the mediating effect of faculty tolerance for the discomfort on curricular …


Entrepreneurial Illegality: Empirical Examination Of The Effects Of Bribery And Tax Evasion On Firm Performance, Nnaoke Ufere Dec 2011

Entrepreneurial Illegality: Empirical Examination Of The Effects Of Bribery And Tax Evasion On Firm Performance, Nnaoke Ufere

Student Scholarship

We examined the nexus of entrepreneurial illegality and firm performance in an emerging market by investigating the extent to which antecedent conditions such as economic constraints, bureaucratic demands, institutional pressures and entrepreneurial agency increase the supply of illegal opportunities exploited by entrepreneurs for private gains. Using 2009 World Bank Enterprise Survey data of 2599 small and medium-sized entrepreneurial enterprises (SMEEs) in Nigeria, we demonstrate that illegal entrepreneurial behaviors in developing markets--specifically bribery and tax evasion--affect firm performance measured by sales and employment growth. Results show that illegal opportunities significantly increase with bureaucratic and regulatory intervention in entrepreneurial activities, suggesting current …


The Affect Of Organizational And Individual Learning From Disruptive Market Events On Financial Advisor Behavior, Philipp A. Hensler Dec 2011

The Affect Of Organizational And Individual Learning From Disruptive Market Events On Financial Advisor Behavior, Philipp A. Hensler

Student Scholarship

The static portfolio construction process is an efficient and rational choice to allocate clients' assets in well behaved markets. However, if markets become disruptive, like in 2008, relying on historic risk/return relationships becomes challenging and active financial advisor intervention necessary. The literature is silent about how financial advisors learn from such dislocations and how it affects their asset allocation process. Semi-structured interviews with 30 US financial advisors yielded insights into what shaped their decision making process. We identified five factors that appear to have had the strongest effect on their behavior, namely their enduring belief in recurring historic patterns, continued …


Communicating Through Thick Boundaries: The Case Of Informing National Policy Making, Adrian Wolfberg Dec 2011

Communicating Through Thick Boundaries: The Case Of Informing National Policy Making, Adrian Wolfberg

Student Scholarship

Organizations increasingly face competitive and security threats that require better intelligence to guide action. National policy makers face an especially pressing need for intelligence\, and rely on complex\, diverse information from many sources in monitoring their environment. The primary formal information system for conveying knowledge to government leaders is the system of national intelligence briefings\, which collects data from a global network of analysts that is presented by a briefer to individual government leaders\, in a short daily session. The quantity of information created by intelligence analysts far exceeds the capacity of a policy maker to assimilate\, and the briefer …


Making Sense When It Matters Most: Leadership In Extremis, Deirdre Dixon Dec 2011

Making Sense When It Matters Most: Leadership In Extremis, Deirdre Dixon

Student Scholarship

Leading during in extremis situations when lives are in peril remains one of the least addressed areas of leadership research. In particular, although lives may depend on it, little is known about how leaders in in extremis situations make sense of their situation and communicate that sense to others. Because most of the literature on sensemaking and sensegiving in in extremis situations is theoretical, we sought empirical evidence of how it proceeds in actual practice. To address this gap in the literature, a qualitative study was conducted based on semi-structured interviews with thirty U.S. Army leaders at West Point who …


Social Responsibility, Views From Small And Medium Us Private Business Ceo/Owners, Joseph C. Thornton Dec 2011

Social Responsibility, Views From Small And Medium Us Private Business Ceo/Owners, Joseph C. Thornton

Student Scholarship

Social responsibility (SR) is a topic of considerable interest to large and multinational companies--but less is known about the extent to which it is embraced by smaller organizations which constitute 99% of US firms. Most of the scant research on social responsibility and SMEs derives from Europe and demonstrates that SMEs understand and enact social responsibility differently than large companies. To address a gap in the literature about US SMEs we conducted interviews with owners/CEOs of private manufacturing firms in four regions of the US to determine how they understand and to what extent they embrace social responsibility as a …


Managing Individual And Organizational Performance: The Critical Mediating Role Of Collaboration, Oliver L.G Bouclier Nov 2011

Managing Individual And Organizational Performance: The Critical Mediating Role Of Collaboration, Oliver L.G Bouclier

Student Scholarship

Although collaboration has often been suggested as a critical factor for improving performance, its relation to individual and organizational performance has been given little attention in management research. This paper proposes a model of collaboration including affective, cognitive and organizational antecedents, and measures its effects on individual and organizational success. Over 900 front line employees in two firms in the service industry were surveyed. Structural Equation Modeling and bootstrap analysis were used to examine its role as a mediator between three independent variables (i.e. commitment, self-efficacy, and rewards) and three dependent variables (i.e. individual success, organizational efficiency and quality) while …


Social Entrepreneurial Venture Performance: The Impact Of Behaviors And Organizing Activities, Aparna Katre Nov 2011

Social Entrepreneurial Venture Performance: The Impact Of Behaviors And Organizing Activities, Aparna Katre

Student Scholarship

Social-purpose entrepreneurs in achieving the “middle-ground” of social-mission and profits, face unique legitimacy-related challenges. Regardless of the legal structure and the specific social-mission, they need to demonstrate behaviors and undertake activities which satisfy both mission and business stakeholders. This research explores the relationships between entrepreneurial behaviors, organizing activities and early stage venture performance. Results show that entrepreneur’s proactiveness positively effects both mission and business performance. Contrary to intuition mission organizing activities dampen the effect of experimentation on mission performance particularly for entrepreneurs with prior for-profit experience. Entrepreneurs with for-profit experience may maintain caution regarding how much they do to achieve …


The Organizational Design For Pricing And Its Consequences On Relative Firm Performance, Stephan M. Liozu Aug 2011

The Organizational Design For Pricing And Its Consequences On Relative Firm Performance, Stephan M. Liozu

Student Scholarship

Despite strong evidence of substantial impact on the bottom line, most companies counter-intuitively neglect the pricing function--as do most scholars. Only 2% of all articles published in major marketing journals focus on pricing and scholars have long begged the question of how organizational and behavioral characteristics of firms affect the link between pricing practices and firm performance. To address these practical and theoretical deficits we surveyed 748 professionals involved in pricing at firms from around the world to measure the influence of five organizational factors on pricing orientation and firm performance identified in a prior qualitative phase of our research. …


Mitigating A Conflict Paradox: The Struggle Between Tenure And Charisma In Venture Backed Teams, Marty Abbott Jul 2011

Mitigating A Conflict Paradox: The Struggle Between Tenure And Charisma In Venture Backed Teams, Marty Abbott

Student Scholarship

Investors of venture backed firms, seeking to increase knowledge diversity, cognitive conflict, professionalism and charisma within their top management teams (TMTs), tend to accelerate the turnover of executives within these teams, often resulting in multiple cohorts of tenure. Paradoxically, this search for increased professionalism and beneficial cognitive conflict results in heightened affective (or role based) conflict. Past studies have identified an inverse relationship between charisma and affective conflict, on one hand, and a positive relationship between tenure diversity and affective conflict, on the other hand. This study is the first to integrate these two relationships while simultaneously seeking to identify …


Examining Mediating Role Of Attitudinal Loyalty And Nonlinear Effects In Satisfaction-Behavioral Intentions Relationship, Rakesh Kumar Niraj May 2011

Examining Mediating Role Of Attitudinal Loyalty And Nonlinear Effects In Satisfaction-Behavioral Intentions Relationship, Rakesh Kumar Niraj

Faculty Scholarship

This paper examines the mediating role of attitudinal loyalty in the relationship between satisfaction and customer behavioral intentions such as willingness to pay more and internal and external complaining responses. It also examines the nonlinear effects in the relationship between satisfaction, attitudinal loyalty and behavioral intentions.


How Do Stakeholder Pressures Drive Proactive Environmental Strategies? External Institutional Forces And Legitimacy, David Graham Hyatt May 2011

How Do Stakeholder Pressures Drive Proactive Environmental Strategies? External Institutional Forces And Legitimacy, David Graham Hyatt

Student Scholarship

Previous research indicates that stakeholder pressures can drive proactive environmental firm strategies--that is, strategies that reflect an internalized, voluntary commitment to the natural environment and typically involve dedication to environmental leadership by the firm. An institutional perspective highlights how legitimizing strategies can mediate the effect of stakeholder pressures on proactive environmental strategies. Furthermore, by distinguishing between "internal" and "external" normative pressures, this chapter theoretically accounts for the institutionally plural contexts of organizations and their environments. The findings suggest that though internal pressures directly drive environmental proactivity, external pressures drive legitimating responses and then indirectly affect environmental proactivity


Non-Financial Indicators Of Family Firm Performance: A Portfolio Model Approach, John E. Neff May 2011

Non-Financial Indicators Of Family Firm Performance: A Portfolio Model Approach, John E. Neff

Student Scholarship

This study sought to explore and understand the drivers of family firm performance from a non-financial perspective. The key research question underlying this research is whether certain organizational traits may compose a predictor of firm financial performance. This research extends the findings of an earlier inductive study on aspects of success in private family owned manufacturing firms. Organizational traits identified in the prior inductive study appeared to influence either or both the family and the business and ultimately the long term sustainability of family firms. Research findings suggest that certain organizational features combine to form an 'effective family business culture' …


The Effects Of Potential And Realized Knowledge Sharing In Bioscience Clusters, Francisco Montalvo Apr 2011

The Effects Of Potential And Realized Knowledge Sharing In Bioscience Clusters, Francisco Montalvo

Student Scholarship

This paper examines the nature, evolution, and effects of potential and realized economic and industrial knowledge sharing through the comparison and contrast of two bioscience industrial regional clusters at different stages of development. The paper draws conclusions on research related to effects of knowledge spillover, regional innovation systems, knowledge management, and social network theory. Building on previous qualitative research, we argue that knowledge absorption and spillovers comprise a critical factor in the evolution of specialized knowledge in regional industrial clusters in biotech industries. Although bioscience industrial clusters have been widely researched in the last decade, the nature of knowledge creation …


Under The Shade Of The Plane Tree: Examining Postures And Interdependent Relationships In Highly Regulated Government-Funded Programs, Marilyn A. Hosea Apr 2011

Under The Shade Of The Plane Tree: Examining Postures And Interdependent Relationships In Highly Regulated Government-Funded Programs, Marilyn A. Hosea

Student Scholarship

As government regulations and penalties for non-compliance increase, highly regulated, government funded programs (HRGFPs) are pressed to meet regulatory compliance demands that are perceived to override agency and consumer needs. This research builds upon classic theoretical studies to reconceptualize how power dependence and resource dependence impact government-agency interactions, relations and program effectiveness. Survey results from a national sample of federally funded Head Start organizations suggest: (1) agency/government co- rather than inter-dependency; (2) compliant rather than innovative agency behavior, and (3) age, auspice and funding levels effects on agency/government relations.


The Strategic Decision-Making Process Of The Board And Its Impact On Decision Outcomes, Mark T. Engle Mar 2011

The Strategic Decision-Making Process Of The Board And Its Impact On Decision Outcomes, Mark T. Engle

Student Scholarship

If association boards of directors are to favorably impact decision outcomes for their organizations, they must make high-quality, consequential decisions. Through a quantitative study, the researchers examined how associations and their boards make high-quality strategic decisions. This paper argues that (a) boards are most fundamentally decision-making bodies, and (b) boards struggle with a challenging paradox when deliberating major issues: vigorously and properly debating differing perspectives on a consequential issue engenders tensions that can easily lead to dysfunctional interactions among decision makers. Decision-making constructs that relate to this paradox are identified and examined for their applicability to the nonprofit context. Gathering …


Why They Stay: Individual Factors Predicting Career Commitment For Woman Engineers, Kathleen R. Buse Jan 2011

Why They Stay: Individual Factors Predicting Career Commitment For Woman Engineers, Kathleen R. Buse

Student Scholarship

Women remain underrepresented in the engineering profession comprising only 10% of the employed engineers in 2009 while in that same year− according to the US Bureau of Labor statistics − women exceeded more than half of those employed in professional, managerial and related occupations. While others have studied the reasons women leave engineering careers, this study focused uniquely on women who persist in a career in engineering. A quantitative research study was conducted which surveyed 495 women ages 21 to 60 with engineering degrees to develop a model of the individual factors that lead women to commit to a career …


Managing (Detecting, Preventing, And Mitigating) The Unexpected: How Banks Managed The Financal Meltdown, Ronald W. Eastburn Jan 2011

Managing (Detecting, Preventing, And Mitigating) The Unexpected: How Banks Managed The Financal Meltdown, Ronald W. Eastburn

Student Scholarship

Managing the unexpected is relevant for all organizations and banks experienced this bitterly during the financial crisis of 2007-2009. In this study we argue that the organizational mindset driving unexpected results within the banking sector stemmed from an inability to anticipate and detect the early warning signals. The goal of this study was to gain insights into how successful banks are continuously "adaptive" in that banks with higher levels of absorptive capacity (ACAP) - the mechanisms used for sensing and experimentation of knowledge- are more likely to screen and acquire, assimilate, transform and exploit knowledge to positively influence performance. We …


Nonprofit Performance During The Great Recession: Damned If You Do And Damned If You Don't - Mission-Defensive Paradox, Kathleen Roche Jan 2011

Nonprofit Performance During The Great Recession: Damned If You Do And Damned If You Don't - Mission-Defensive Paradox, Kathleen Roche

Student Scholarship

During the recent Great Recession and its aftermath, from 2007 - 2010, nonprofit organizations had to carry out their charitable missions to larger and needier constituencies despite endowment erosion, dwindling contributions, reduced staff, and severe funding cuts. Findings from our qualitative research guided this quantitative study, which used PLS to analyze results from 351 online surveys to discern how executive nonprofit leaders and their boards influenced organizational resiliency during this critical period, by employing protective / anticipatory measures and defensive / containment practices, as well as coping strategies. In this exploratory study, leaders' previous experience and external task focus, and …


School Leadership, Collective Mindfulness And Mathematices Achievement In Kenya, Renson Muchiri Mwangi Jan 2011

School Leadership, Collective Mindfulness And Mathematices Achievement In Kenya, Renson Muchiri Mwangi

Student Scholarship

In spite of the long instituted government initiatives to improve mathematics performance in Kenyan secondary schools, students’ performance in the subject at the secondary school level in Kenya continues to be poor. Studies on mathematics achievement in Kenya have primarily focused on teachers’ classroom practices neglecting the potential influence of school leadership. Using data collected from 273 schools involving 607 mathematics teachers we examined how school leadership could impact schools’ mathematics performance in Kenyan public secondary schools. We found school leadership behaviors – principal’s visibility, inspiration and influence – to have weak but significant indirect effect on mathematics achievement through …


Institutional Compliance Vs. Client Loyalty In The Consideration Of Ambiguous Issues: The Social Construction Of Tax Advice, David E. Jones Jan 2011

Institutional Compliance Vs. Client Loyalty In The Consideration Of Ambiguous Issues: The Social Construction Of Tax Advice, David E. Jones

Student Scholarship

Tax professionals are required to serve two masters equally: their client and the tax law. Often, serving these two masters creates conflicts that put the tax professional in a tension filled environment. We interviewed 29 tax professionals to generate a grounded theory about how tax professionals use their experiences, tools, training, judgment and decision-making processes to manage the tension they feel. Research is scant about how adherence to professional requirements and responsibilities weigh on tax professionals' advocacy attitudes and behaviors and about how tax professionals understand or define client loyalty and its relationship to regulatory and professional standards. Our data …


Nested Identities: A Concept For Improving Banker Engagement, Glen Weaver Jan 2011

Nested Identities: A Concept For Improving Banker Engagement, Glen Weaver

Student Scholarship

The financial crisis served as an interesting backdrop for this study of the impact of identification upon banker engagement. Studies have shown that leadership style influences employee engagement, but little research reflects the impact of various levels of identity (nested identity) upon engagement. A survey of 511 mid-level bankers displayed the significance of career, organizational, and industry identity upon vigor, dedication, and absorption. Further, it was determined that organizational identity mediated the relationship between leadership and engagement. This research suggests that bank leadership would be wise to enact management tactics that elevate the level of career, organizational, and industry identity …


Temporal Tribes: The Origin And Resolution Of Tenure Based Affective Conflict In Venture Backed Top Management Teams, Mary Abbott Dec 2010

Temporal Tribes: The Origin And Resolution Of Tenure Based Affective Conflict In Venture Backed Top Management Teams, Mary Abbott

Student Scholarship

Venture backed firms with both exceptionally high and relatively low growth experience a comparatively fast turnover of executives, often resulting in multiple cohorts within the top management team (TMT). These tenure cohorts often act like warring tribes, generating value destroying affective conflict. While several studies have validated the relationship between tenure diversity and affective conflict, none explain its source. To address this gap in knowledge, we conducted in-depth ethnographic interviews with 34 executives from six U.S. venture backed private companies. Our results move beyond those of previous studies on tenure based affective team conflict by revealing its source to be …


The Socio-Cognitive Dynamics Of Entrepreneurial Ideation, Robert M. Gemmell Dec 2010

The Socio-Cognitive Dynamics Of Entrepreneurial Ideation, Robert M. Gemmell

Student Scholarship

Entrepreneurs need creative ideas to develop innovative new products. We interviewed 32 technology entrepreneurs to generate a grounded theory about how technology entrepreneurs use social behaviors, techniques and cognitive processes to attain, develop, refine, validate and filter (for usefulness) creative ideas for successful new products, processes or services. The results reveal a complex, cyclical and recursive multi-level social process with emphasis on active and social experimentation. Greatest ideational productivity occurs when strong social ties interactively solve problems in an environment of trust -- in particular, when 'Trusted Partners' exchange and refine ideas through a form of shared cognition. Findings will …


Toward An Understanding Of Entrepreneurship Environment: The Case Of Puerto Rico, Moraima De Hoyos-Ruperto Dec 2010

Toward An Understanding Of Entrepreneurship Environment: The Case Of Puerto Rico, Moraima De Hoyos-Ruperto

Student Scholarship

This study aims to address the unexplained stagnant entrepreneurial environment in Puerto Rico despite average or above average entrepreneurial potential, capabilities, and intentions compared to other high-income countries. Analysis of interviews with public, private and civic sector leaders and both successful and less successful entrepreneurs suggest a pervasive lack of support for entrepreneurs from formal organizations charged with entrepreneurship development and a failure of entrepreneurs themselves to develop networks to support venture startup and sustainment.


Pricing Orientation In Industrial Markets: The Organizational Transformation To Value-Based Pricing, Stephan M. Liozu Dec 2010

Pricing Orientation In Industrial Markets: The Organizational Transformation To Value-Based Pricing, Stephan M. Liozu

Student Scholarship

Of three main orientations to pricing in industrial markets cost-based, competition-based and customer value-based most marketing and pricing scholars consider the latter superior but few firms use it. The literature is silent about how organizational and behavioral characteristics of industrial firms may affect pricing orientation and, more specifically, value-based pricing. Semi-structured interviews with 44 managers of small to medium size U.S. industrial firms yielded insights into firm pricing orientations, processes and decision making patterns. We identified five organizational characteristics common to firms implementing value-based pricing: ability to effect deep transformational change, presence of a champion, skill in diffusing organizational capabilities, …


Roadmap For The Survival Of Nascent Social Entrepreneurial Ventures, Aparna Katre Dec 2010

Roadmap For The Survival Of Nascent Social Entrepreneurial Ventures, Aparna Katre

Student Scholarship

Facing issues of survivability, social-purpose entrepreneurs are reinventing to better balance market and mission goals. Addressing the deficit of empirical data about how they do it and, in particular, a gap in knowledge about the crucial start up phase of the social entrepreneurial process we conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with 31 North American founder/CEO's at various points in early stage social venture creation. The data revealed a four-stage early venture developmental continuum featuring progressive critical success factors on which we mapped successful, struggling and failed ventures in our sample. While effective execution of each factor helps secure incremental legitimacy with …


Boardroom Climate: Understanding How It Impacts Board Level Strategic Decision Making, Bernard C. Bailey Dec 2010

Boardroom Climate: Understanding How It Impacts Board Level Strategic Decision Making, Bernard C. Bailey

Student Scholarship

This study seeks to better understand board effectiveness by opening the "black box" associated with board dynamics and behaviors. Drawing on the process oriented perspective of board level strategic decision making from Forbes and Milliken (1999) as well as the group engagement model by Tyler and Blader (2000; 2003), we analyzed surveys from 151 board directors representing 119 U. S. publicly traded companies. Our findings show that the creation of a climate of respect within the boardroom, as well as board member and top management team (TMT) collaboration are positively related to "effort norms" and "cognitive conflict" processes. TMT and …