Business Commons^™

Addressing The Challenges Of Cross-Cultural And Virtual Communication In The Workplace, Sarabjit Sundar

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The move toward a more global or geographically dispersed organization, together with the technology that is being used to enable this, has dramatically changed work and the workplace in the United States and United Kingdom within the last few decades (Ouye, 2011). This is prompting leaders to communicate with teams consisting of vastly different backgrounds, languages and styles, and to essentially ‘work at the same table’ in the absence of physical cues, such as facial expressions and gestures. Leaders of such teams are challenged to create a smooth operation despite the many differences; the possibilities for misunderstandings and cultural blunders …

Understanding Leadership In Small Business From The Perspectives Of Practitioners, Daniel E, Holloway

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many small businesses fail after 5 years, having a negative impact on local and national economies. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore small-enterprise leader-operators’ experiences regarding practices that aid sustainability beyond 5 years. Twenty small enterprise leaders in the United States Midwest who were identified as having 5 years of longevity in leading organizations with fewer than 500 employees were invited to participate. These participants shared their lived experiences through semistructured interviews conducted in-person and by telephone. The dynamic theory of leadership development was used to underpin the study. In the central research question for this study, …

The Creation Of Trust - The Interplay Of Rationality, Institutions And Exchange, Martin Mathews, Peter Stokes

Martin Mathews

Relationships based on notions of trust represent a central aspect of the communitarian model of industrial districts. Examination of trust has generated a substantial literature; nevertheless, there have been relatively few studies that have empirically considered the sources of trust that operate in local ties and connections. The paper aims to redress this imbalance by investigating relationships in the Arve Valley industrial district near Geneva. It considers sources of trust by engaging the theoretical framework of Möllering’s (2006a) model of trust which is predicated on the concepts of reason, routine and reflexivity. In conjunction with this, the field research employs …

Understanding The Attitude-Behavior Gap For Renewable Energy Systems Using Behavioral Reasoning Theory, Aidan O'Driscoll, Marius Claudy, Mark Peterson

Articles

Consumer adoption of renewable energies is an important step towards less carbon-intensive and more sustainable energy systems. But despite growing ecological awareness and articulated preferences for green products, renewable energies face slow rates of diffusion in consumer markets. This has been hard to explain given consumers’ favorability to the concept of products that lower one’s impact on the natural environment. This study uses data from 254 homeowners in Ireland to investigate the psychological process of adopting a renewable energy system – solar energy panels. Applying Behavioral Reasoning Theory (BRT), this research examines a proposed model in which reasons both for …

Market Orientation, Embeddedness And The Autonomy And Performance Of Multinational Subsidiaries In An Emerging Economy, Xiaoying Li, Xiaming Liu, Howard Thomas

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This paper develops a conceptual framework for market orientation, embeddedness, autonomy and performance of multinational subsidiaries in an emerging economy. We argue that internal and external embeddedness has different performance implications for export- and local market-oriented multinational subsidiaries. Our results, based on a sample of 233 multinational subsidiaries from China, indicate that while external embeddedness has a positive impact on specialized resources of both types of subsidiary, such resources only positively affect the performance of local market-oriented subsidiaries. By contrast, internal embeddedness has a negative impact on specialized resources of both types of subsidiary. Managerial and policy implications are discussed.

Contrasting Perspectives On China's Rare Earths Policies: Reframing The Debate Through A Stakeholder Lens, Leslie Hayes-Labruto, Simon J.D. Schillebeeckx, Mark Workman, Nilay Shah

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This article critically compares China's rare earth policy with perspectives upheld in the rest of the world (ROW). We introduce rare earth elements and their importance for energy and present how China and the ROW are framing the policy debate. We find strongly dissonant views with regards to motives for foreign direct investment, China's two-tiered pricing structure and its questionable innovation potential. Using the metaphor of "China Inc.", we compare the Chinese government to a socially responsible corporation that aims to balance the needs of its internal stakeholders with the demands from a resource-dependent world. We find that China's internal …

Editorial For Dynamics Of Innovation And Competitive Strategy In Transportation Research, Janet K. Tinoco

Janet K. Tinoco

No abstract provided.

The Practice Of Scenario Planning: An Analysis Of Inter- And Intra- Organizational Strategizing, Gary Bowman, Ryan Parks

Gary Bowman

Strategic activity is often punctuated through the application of strategy tools. Despite widespread use, opacity surrounds how these tools shape the strategy process. We examine the application and effect of a scenario planning process at an inter- and intra-organizational level. We use a longitudinal case study to demonstrate the importance of sensemaking in strategizing activity at the inter-organizational level. We also demonstrate the relative weakness of the scenario narrative as a boundary object capable of transferring knowledge to the intra-organizational level. Through empirical and theoretical integration we develop a model depicting the flow of knowledge in inter- and intra-organizational strategizing.

Going Beyond Research On Goal Setting: A Proposed Role For Organizational Psychological Capital Of Family Firms, Esra Memili, Dianne H.B. Welsh, Fred Luthans

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

Kotlar and De Massis found that membership assortment and the number of organizational members, as well as the imminence of succession, influence goal diversity in family firms. They also showed that goal diversity can be managed and family-centered goals can be stabilized through professional and familial social interactions, driving the formation of collective commitment to family- centered goals (CCFG). Using this research as a point of departure, we propose that CCFG may impact family firm economic and noneconomic performance. Furthermore, we introduce to the family firm literature the organizational psychological capital (OPC), consisting of hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism. We …

The Effects Of Ceo Trustworthiness On Directors' Monitoring And Resource Provision, Esther B. Del Brio, Toru Yoshikawa, Catherine E. Connelly, Wee Liang Tan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Because of the importance of board members’ resource provision and monitoring, a substantial body of research has been devoted to ascertaining how directors can be incented to perform their responsibilities. We use social exchange theory to empirically examine how board members’ resource provision and monitoring are affected by their perceptions of the CEOs’ trustworthiness. Our findings suggest that board members’ perceptions of the CEO’s ability, benevolence, and integrity have different effects on the board members’ resource provision and monitoring. Our results further suggest that board members’ governance behaviors are moderated by the board’s performance evaluation practices.

What Role Does Government Procurement Play In Manufacturing In The Uk And Internationally And How Might This Change In The Future, Barbara Morton, Gregg Paget, Carlos Mena

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report, commissioned by the Government Office for Science, has the general aim of reviewing the available evidence concerning the impact and role of public sector procurement on UK manufacturing. Specifically the report addresses the following questions:

1. What is the current framework for Government procurement in the UK?
2. How does Government procurement directly and indirectly impact on manufacturing activities?
3. How do UK procurement frameworks compare to other competitor nation procurement in terms of supporting manufacturing?
4. In what ways could co-ordinated procurement (procurement that meets multiple Government departmental goals) catalyse and support UK Manufacturing?

Previous research has shown that public procurement …

Women In The Workforce: An In-Depth Analysis Of Gender Roles And Compensation Inequity In The Modern Workplace, Rebecca L. Ziman

Honors Theses and Capstones

This paper explores the increase in participation and education of American women in the workforce with a special focus on women in business and accounting roles. The paper then goes on to discuss the wage gap between genders, how to remedy inequality in the workplace, and highlights several reasons why pursing a solution to gender inequality is beneficial for both the employee and the company.

Ethical Implications Of Friendly Takeovers: A Financial Manager’S Story, Barbara Tarasovich

WCBT Faculty Publications

Case study in which Bernadette was heading the corporate acquisitions team. It was important for Bernadette to be certain that there was no unethical behavior on the part of the project and management team responsible for the acquisition and integration of these companies. The pressures to achieve synergies can often result in people problems, cultural value, and ethical differences that impede the smooth integration of companies. For each acquisition, Bernadette needed to ensure that the newly acquired assets were secure. In addition, she had to ensure that the acquired companies were not employing inappropriate accounting practices in order to inflate …

Shoot For The Stars? Predicting The Recruitment Of Prestigious Directors At Newly Public Firms, Abhijith G. Acharya, Timothy G. Pollock

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study explores how CEOs' and outside directors' desires for the benefits of signaling and homophily intertwine with their concerns over maintaining power and preserving local status hierarchies to affect the likelihood a firm recruits prestigious outside directors to its board. Using pooled cross-sectional data on the five years following the IPOs of 210 firms that went public between 2001 and 2004, we found that prestigious CEOs and directors viewed the recruitment of prestigious new directors differently, and that these perceptions were moderated by factors that increase the salience of risk of the potential losses to the CEO and existing …

Possible Futures, Present Logics: A Neo-Institutional View Of The Scenario Planning Process, Gary Bowman, Ryan Parks

Gary Bowman

This paper integrates work on institutional logics with that of sensemaking in the context of the scenario planning process. We explore the influence of three societal-level institutional logic struggles, as manifested within the context, content and process of a large public sector organization’s scenario development exercise. We view this as a significant opportunity to employ institutional logics to enhance our understanding of the political nature of public policy development and as an opportunity to challenge the assumptions of scenario planning as a strategy tool. Conversely, we also use the sensemaking-sensegiving activities of scenario planning to identify occasions where institutional logics …

More Thoughts On Microsoft, David R. King

David King

The analysis examining “The case of Microsoft’s Surface Tablet” was developed in the Spring of 2013, but the predictive ability of SWOT analysis is borne out by current events with Steve Ballmer announcing his retirement and Microsoft’s purchase of Nokia’s mobile division. The purchase of Nokia’s mobile division was enabled by the financial assets of Microsoft highlighted by the article, and it fills two strategic needs.

Cui Bono? The Selective Revealing Of Knowledge And Its Implications For Innovative Activity, Oliver Alexy, Gerard George, Ammon J. Salter

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Current theories of how organizations harness knowledge for innovative activity cannot convincingly explain emergent practices whereby firms selectively reveal knowledge to their advantage. We conceive of selective revealing as a strategic mechanism to reshape the collaborative behavior of other actors in a firm's innovation ecosystem. We propose that selective revealing may provide an effective alternative to known collaboration mechanisms, particularly under conditions of high partner uncertainty, high coordination costs, and unwilling potential collaborators. We specify conditions when firms are more likely to reveal knowledge and highlight some boundary conditions for competitor reciprocity. We elaborate on strategies that allow firms to …

Strategic Management For Economic Development: Remaking The Singapore 'Model', Caroline Yeoh, Wilfred Pow Ngee How

Caroline Yeoh

The dynamics of international economic competition have far-reaching policy implications for both developing and developed countries. Established industrial and trade policy regimes in most countries are under tremendous strain, and this applies even to the dynamic Newly Industrialising Economies (NIEs). The outward-oriented development strategies of the Asian NIEs, which once seemed unbeatable, have run up against protectionist barriers in the developed countries, and increasingly, against competitive pressures from other up and coming developing countries. Governments in these NIEs have had to re-examine accustomed policies and strategies, and search for alternative strategies and programs, in order to re-position their economies for …

Role Of Government In Attracting And Inviting Investment From The Private Sector: Extrapolations From The Singapore Experience, Caroline Yeoh, Siang Yeung Wong, Adeline Li Feng Kwan

Caroline Yeoh

No abstract provided.

The Singapore Edge In India's Silicon Valley: New Insights?, Caroline Yeoh, David David

Caroline Yeoh

No abstract provided.

The Infected Organization: “Corpz” Exposure, Bobby G. Martin

Publications

Max Brooks’ 2006 novel, World War Z: An oral history of the zombie war presents an account of life in a post-apocalyptic world, from the perspective of those who lived through the experience. In the world [earth] of which Brooks speaks, there are people who, whether by personal preparedness, or pure chance, survived the apocalypse unscathed, and there are also those less fortunate, who were infected. The infected are in effect, reanimated corpses; referred to as Zed Heads (Zed, British for the letter Z), or, perhaps more familiar, ZOMBIES! The term zombie according to Brooks (2003) is “an animated corpse …

Innovation And Learning Through Knowledge Gatekeepers:A Critical Examination Of The Relationship Betweentrust, Openness, And The Use Of Gatekeepers, Deogratias Harorimana Dr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

The term ‘gatekeeper’ is widely used to represent a class of those who collect information, knowledge and contextualise this before they can share with the rest of the members of the organisation knowledge networks-both formal and informal organisations. In this study, it was found:

1 that there is a strong relationship between the openness of a given firm, as regards its knowledge sharing culture and level trust, and that firm’s use of knowledge gatekeepers

2 that the stage of a given firm’s growth corresponds to its strategic use of different types of gatekeeping.

In early and decline (renewal) stages, for …

Anticipating, Preventing, And Surviving Secondary Boycotts, Judith Schrempf-Stirling, Douglas A. Bosse, Jeffrey S. Harrison

Management Faculty Publications

Even the best stakeholder-managed firms can suffer when they become the targets of a secondary boycott, as recent headlines attest. A secondary boycott is a group’s refusal to engage a target firm with which the group has no direct dispute in an attempt to sway public opinion, draw attention to an issue, or influence the actions of a disputant. This article provides a new perspective and tools for both scholars and managers concerned with this phenomenon. Building on a stakeholder theory foundation, we examine possible actions managers can take to avoid being surprised by a secondary boycott, propose conditions that …

Research On Development Strategy Of Shipping Company B In The Shipping Industry Recession, Yunxuan Li

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

What Do Accelerators Do? Insights From Incubators And Angels, Susan L. Cohen

Management Faculty Publications

What do accelerators do? Broadly speaking, they help ventures define and build their initial products, identify promising customer segments, and secure resources, including capital and employees. More specifically, accelerator programs are programs of limited-duration—lasting about three months—that help cohorts of startups with the new venture process. They usually provide a small amount of seed capital, plus working space. They also offer a plethora of networking opportunities, with both peer ventures and mentors, who might be successful entrepreneurs, program graduates, venture capitalists, angel investors, or even corporate executives. Finally, most programs end with a grand event, a “demo day” where ventures …

Using Metaphors In Strategy Formulation, Naveed Yazdani, Ayesha Gulzar

Business Review

This theoretical paper focuses on brain as a metaphor for studying the process of strategy formulation. The paper argues that when individuals within organizations use brain to self-reflect the uncertainty in the environment, the organization are in better position to meet the competitive advantage.

How Capital Structure Influences Diversification Performance: A Transaction Cost Perspective, Jonathan O'Brien, Parthiban David, Toru Yoshikawa, Andrew Delios

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Extant theories agree that debt should inhibit diversification, but predict opposing performance consequences. While agency theory predicts that debt should lead to higher performance for diversifying firms, transaction cost economics (TCE) predicts that more debt will lead to lower performance for firms expanding into new markets. Our empirical tests on a large sample of Japanese firms support TCE by showing that firms accrue higher returns from leveraging their resources and capabilities into new markets when managers are shielded from the rigors of the market governance of debt, particularly bond debt. Furthermore, we find that the detrimental effects of debt are …

Exploring Family Features In Non-Family Organizations: The Family Metaphor And Its Behavioral Manifestations, Nava Michael-Tsabari, Wee Liang Tan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In this study, we explore the possibility of reproducing family business characteristics in the professional context of a non-family organization and analyze the behavioral manifestations of this application. Drawing upon discussions in the family therapy, organizational behavior and family business literatures, we identify cohesion and flexibility as the two primary dimensions of the family metaphor. We build on illustrative cases of three sports teams to explore these dimensions in a non-family business setting. Our exploratory analysis of these cases reveals the existence of family features and extends our understanding of these features beyond family businesses.

Corporate Elite Networks And Their Effects On Board Performance, Daniel Braun, Jana Oehmichen, Michael Wolff, Toru Yoshikawa

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

No abstract provided.

Firm Culture And Performance: Intensity's Effects And Limits., Patrick Murphy, Robert Cooke, Yvette Lopez

Patrick J. Murphy

No abstract provided.