Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons^™

Leadership, Collective Personality, And Performance, David A. Hofmann, Lisa Jones Christensen

Faculty Publications

By viewing behavior regularities at the individual and collective level as functionally isomorphic, a referent-shift compositional model for the Big 5 personality dimensions is developed. On the basis of this compositional model, a common measure of Big 5 personality at the individual level is applied to the collective as a whole. Within this framework, it is also hypothesized that leadership (i.e., transformational, transactional, and passive) would predict collective personality and that collective personality would be significantly related to collective performance. The results supported these hypotheses using a sample of franchised units. On the basis of recent research at the individual …

Diversification And Focus: A Bayesian Application Of The Resource-Based View, Lee T. Perry, Mark H. Hansen, C. Shane Reese, Greggory Pesci

Faculty Publications

We propose a new application of the resource-based view (RBV) that is more consistent with Penrose's (1959) original framework. We use that framework to study the relationship between diversification and refocusing strategies and economic performance. We propose that the RBV may be enhanced by the explicit recognition of Penrose's two classes of resources, administrative and productive resources. This distinction suggests a focus on the administrative decisions of managers, including the multiple decisions associated with diversification and refocusing strategies, which lead to economic performance. Second, we argue that RBV theory is a theory about extraordinary performers or outliers, not averages. Therefore, …

When And How Trustworthiness Matters: Knowledge Transfer And The Moderating Effect Of Causal Ambiguity, Robert J. Jensen, Gabriel Szulanski, Rossella Cappetta

Faculty Publications

The recognition that better use of existing internal knowledge could enhance survival chances or organizations has spawned substantial interest in the transferability of routinized, experiential learning to additional settings within the organization Previous research has established that trustworthiness of the source enhances such knowledge transfer. More recent work, however, suggests that this may not always be the case. Yet, little systematic attention has been paid to moderating conditions. The major purpose of this paper is to identify a moderator, causal ambiguity, which delineates the conditions as to when and how a recipient's perception of the trustworthiness of a source affects …

Stickiness And The Adaptation Of Organizational Practices In Cross-Border Knowledge Transfers, Robert J. Jensen, Gabriel Szulanski

Faculty Publications

The re-use of organizational practices in multiple locations is a fundamental way MNCs leverage knowledge to seek competitive advantage. Scholars approaching the issue of adaptation from both a market and an institutional perspective argue that, in order to achieve fit with the local environment, some degree of adaptation is advisable with the need for adaptation increasing as the institutional distance between source and recipient locations increases. However, arguments to date have examined the effect of adaptation primarily on a subsidiary's long term performance. A necessary precursor is to understand the effect of adaptation on the transfer process itself as transfer …

Worker Ownership In Enron's Wake - Revisiting A Community Development Tactic, Peter R. Pitegoff

Faculty Publications

Worker ownership of business enterprise has long been touted as a vehicle for community economic development. Employee stock ownership plans in leveraged buy-outs, ESOPs and broad-based stock options in going concerns, and worker cooperatives in selected sectors - the experience has varied widely in goals, method, and outcome.

This Article reflects on the continued utility of worker ownership as a component of community development and calls attention to contrasts with conventional corporate governance and goals. Rather than an end in itself or just another way of doing business, worker ownership can be a vital element of a broader job creation, …

Human Capital And Learning As A Source Of Sustainable Competitive Advantage, Nile W. Hatch, Jeffrey H. Dyer

Faculty Publications

This paper seeks to identify the sources of wide and persistent variations in learning performance in the semiconductor manufacturing industry. In the resource-based view of the firm, human capital is frequently assumed to contribute to competitive advantage due to its inimitability based on its intangible, firm-specific, and socially complex nature. Consistent with this view, we find that investments in firm-specific human capital have a significant impact on learning and firm performance. More specifically, human capital selection (education requirements and screening), development through training, and deployment significantly improve learning by doing, which in turn improves performance. However, we find that acquiring …

Contributions Of Family Leisure To Family Functioning Among Transracial Adoptive Families, Ramon B. Zabriskie, Patti Freeman

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine family leisure behavior among intact families with transracial adoptive children and make comparisons to a broad sample of families with only biological children. The sample consisted of 197 adoptive families. Data were analyzed from a parent, youth, and family perspective. The Family Leisure Activity Profile (FLAP) was used to determine family leisure involvement. FACES II was used to measure family functioning. Findings indicated that measures of family cohesion, family adaptability, and family functioning were higher among the adoptive family sample. Core, balance, and total family leisure involvement were also higher among the …

The Influences Of Family Leisure Patterns On Perceptions Of Family Functioning*, Ramon B. Zabriskie, Bryan P. Mccormick

Faculty Publications

This study conducted a preliminary test of a model of family leisure functioning by examining the relationship of core and balance family leisure patterns to family cohesion and adaptability. We hypothesized that core family leisure patterns address family needs for stability, facilitate the development of cohesive relationships, and are related to perceptions of family cohesion, whereas balance family leisure patterns address family needs for change, facilitate the development of adaptive skills, and are related to perceptions of family adaptability. Findings from 2 multiple regression analyses provided preliminary support for the model. Conclusions and implications are discussed.

The Cognitive And Affective Antecedents Of General Trust Within Cooperative Organizations, J.L. Morrow Jr., Mark H. Hansen, Allison W. Pearson

Faculty Publications

Recently, much attention has been devoted to the important role that trust may play in the management of organizations. From a theoretical perspective, scholars have considered a wide range of topics such as the distinction between trust and distrust (Lewicki et al, 1998), the initial development and evolution of trust within organizations (Jones and George, 1998; Mayer et aL, 1995) and the betrayal of trust (Elangovan and Shapiro, 1998). EmpiricaJJy, researchers have examined how trust impacts organizations at the individual (McAllister, 1995), group (Korsgaard et al, 1995) and organizational levels (Davis fl al., 2000). Despite increasing interest in the effects …

A Bayesian Operationalization Of The Resource-Based View, Mark H. Hansen, Lee T. Perry, C. Shane Reese

Faculty Publications

This paper argues that the gap between the theoretical utility and the practical utility of the resource-based view (RBV) may be narrowed by operationalizing the theory more consistently with Penrose's original framework. The operationalization proposed here is a twofold approach. First, the RBV may be enhanced by the explicit recognition of Penrose's two classes of resources, namely, administrative resources and productive resources. This distinction suggests a focus on the administrative decisions of managers that lead to economic performance. Second, we argue that the RBV is a theory about extraordinary performers or outliers—not averages. Therefore, the statistical methods used in applying …

Overcoming Stickiness: An Empirical Investigation Of The Role Of The Template In The Replication Of Organizational Routines, Gabriel Szulanski, Robert J. Jensen

Faculty Publications

Knowledge assets are fundamental sources of competitive advantage. Accordingly, the prosperity of firms is increasingly predicated on their ability to mobilize those assets so that they can be properly exploited. Yet, valuable knowledge assets are often complex, intangible, and tacit organizational attributes embedded in organizational routines and are hard to mobilize. Thus, the reality of knowledge transfer rarely lives up to expectations. A central tenet in viewing transfers of knowledge as the replication of organizational routines is the importance of the template. We hypothesize that a template, i.e. a working example, is essential in replicating knowledge assets effectively. In this …

Top Management Team Heterogeneity And Sme Export Performance: Investigating The Role Of Environmental Uncertainty, Franz T. Lohrke, Geralyn Mcclure Franklin, Vinay Kothari

Faculty Publications

Research has generally found that firms competing in high uncertainty environments gain advantages from having diverse (heterogeneous) management teams (TMTs). Employing a national survey of 70 small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the present study examined whether TM T heterogeneity in functional background, international work experience, and foreign language proficiency had a stronger relationship with export performance for firms competing in high than those competing in low uncertainty environments. Results were generally weak when market and industry factors contributing to uncertainty were examined separately; however, additional analysis showed that the hypothesized relationship did exist when uncertainty was measured employing both factors …

An Analysis Of The Readability Of The Md&As Of Small, Medium, & Large Revenue Generating Cities, Shannon Lutz, Treba Marsh, Lucille Montondon

Faculty Publications

Studies assessing the annual reports of publicly held corporations have shown mixed results in regard to the readability levels of those reports. Recently, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board adopted GASB 33, 34, and 35 in which specific guidelines are outlined for the reporting of governmental entities. Are the Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (annual reports) of the governmental entities understandable to the average user?

This study argues that the Managements Discussion and Analysis, the summary portion of the governmental annual report, is not understandable to the average reader. The sample was equally divided among small, medium, and large revenue-generating cities that …

Parent And Child Perspectives Of Family Leisure Involvement And Satisfaction With Family Life, Ramon B. Zabriskie, Bryan P. Mccormick

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between family leisure involvement and satisfaction with family life. The sample consisted of 179 families. Data were analyzed at the parent, child, and family level. Findings indicated that family leisure involvement was the strongest multivariate predictor of family satisfaction from the parent perspective, but was not a significant multivariate predictor from the child's perspective. At the family level of measurement, only the block including Core and Balance family leisure variables explained a significant portion of the variance in family satisfaction. History of divorce was a negative multivariate predictor of family …

Trust And The Decision To Outsource: Affective Responses And Cognitive Processes, Mark Hansen, J.L. Morrow Jr.

Faculty Publications

Many of the various forms of cooperative strategy that firms are pursuing in today’s economy entail the placing of important business functions in the hands of a partner. This paper examines the role of trust in the decision by a producer to place the marketing function in the hands of another entity, namely a cooperative. Although others have studied the effect of what may be termed general trust on inter-organizational relationships, few have examined the antecedents of that trust. We propose a model in which affective responses and cognitive processes are precursors to a sense of general trust, which, in …

The Role Of Outdoor Recreation In Family Enrichment, Patti A. Freeman, Ramon B. Zabriskie

Faculty Publications

The family is the fundamental unit in society and perhaps the oldest and most important of all human institutions. Several studies have indicated a positive correlation between strong, successful families and family participation in outdoor recreational activities. This paper addresses the role of structured outdoor recreation programming in family enrichment. Findings from two studies based in the United States are presented: one on the effect of a one–day family outdoor adventure program on parental and child perceptions of family functioning and the other from a qualitative inquiry into the meaning of family residential camping experiences. The first study collected both …

Research Summary 6: Analytical Procedures And Audit Planning Decisions, Steven M. Glover, James Jiambalvo, Jane Kennedy

Faculty Publications

Auditors perform analytical procedures in planning the nature, timing and extent of testing. Significant fluctuations between the current year’s unaudited data and expected results signal an increased risk of material error and help auditors focus their planned tests on high-risk areas. This study examined auditors’ decisions to revise preliminary audit plans after analytical procedures performed during planning revealed significant, unexpected fluctuations. Specifically we examined whether the extent of corroboration for management’s explanation for the fluctuation and the presence of an explicit incentive for management to misstate the financial statements influenced auditors’ decisions to revise their audit plans.

If It’S Wrong, It’S Wrong; And More Talk Won’T Make It Right, David J. Cherrington, Owen J. Cherrington

Faculty Publications

We find the moral relativism underlying postmodernism quite disturbing when it comes to discussions of truth and honesty. The following experience illustrates the benefit of a clear, universal standard regarding cheating.

The Teenage Mind - Part 1, David J. Cherrington, Owen J. Cherrington

Faculty Publications

When we see teenagers do things that are seriously wrong or illegal we often ask, “Why did they do such a stupid thing?” “What in the world were they thinking?” In fact, teenagers do many stupid things and sometimes it appears they were not really thinking. But when we examine what goes through their minds it is easier to understand why they sometimes act dishonestly. We also learn that the excuses teenagers make for being dishonest are not much different than the rationalizations used by adults.

Accreditation And Academic Quality: A Comparison With Healthcare Accreditation, Ramon B. Zabriskie, Bryan P. Mccormick

Faculty Publications

The origins of accreditation in higher education began at the turn of this century, resulting from the rapid growth in number and variety of educational institutions. One of the key concerns of accreditation has been to address quality in educational experiences. Specialized accreditation of higher education programs in recreation, park resources, and leisure services has evolved over the past 20 years; however; concerns can be raised regarding the ability of the current process to adequately measure quality. Comparisons are made with trends identified in the evolution of accreditation in healthcare and their implication to the future of accreditation. Recommendations are …

Predicting Turnover And Retention In Nursing Home Administrators: Management And Policy Implications, Douglas A. Singh, Robert C. Schwab

Faculty Publications

Administrator turnover and its impact on the quality of patient care are important concerns in the nursing home industry. This study evaluates a model to determine which factors, attitudes, and personal characteristics can predict tenure. Responses to a survey from 290 nursing home administrators (NHAs) who furnished data on their previous positions were analyzed using logistic regression methods. The extracted model correlates tenure with the administrator's past patterns of stability, community attachment, organizational commitment, and facility performance. The model is particularly effective (85% accuracy) in flagging NHAs who are likely to depart within their first 3 years of employment. Implications …

Top Management International Orientation And Small Business Exporting Performance: The Moderating Roles Of Export Market & Industry Factors, Franz T. Lohrke, Geralyn Mcclure Franklin, Vinay Kothari

Faculty Publications

This study examined the relationship between top management team international orientation and small business export performance. Results generally supported the hypotheses that market and industry factors moderate this relationship. Employing a sample of U.S. small business exporters, the study found that top management team international orientation had a greater positive relationship with export performance for firms exporting to countries culturally different and geographically distant from their home country than those exporting to countries culturally similar and geographically proximate to their home countries. In addition, international orientation had a greater positive relationship with export performance for firms competing in multidomestic industries …

Where Do Resources Come From? A Model Of Resource Generation, Paul C. Godfrey, Hal B. Gregersen

Faculty Publications

Although the Resource-Based View of the firm (RBV) continues to gain centrality in the conversation of strategic management, several unanswered questions remain within the emerging paradigm. This article focuses on one of those questions. We propose a causal model of resource generation built around three central constructs: entrepreneurial ability, market context, and organizational context. Entrepreneurial ability generates new asset combinations that are valuable and unique, while market and organizational contexts preserve the value in these new asset combinations by providing barriers to imitation. We build a model and then consider three separate paths for generating idiosyncratic resources within a firm. …

Service-Learning And Management Education A Call To Action, Paul C. Godfrey

Faculty Publications

The private sector of United States society (private corporations) currently enjoys the moral authority to set the national agenda. Business schools, because they train future managers, can play a vital role in helping the private sector sustain that moral authority. Specifically, I argue that service-learning pedagogies offer management educators a way to incorporate citizenship skills and moral training into the traditional management curriculum. This article describes the concept of service-learning, reviews the current state of service-learning in management, and argues that service-learning can enhance both the technical capability and moral capability of students. Key issues for faculty members involved in …

A Rejoinder To Kenworthy-U'Ren Enlarging The Tent Of Service-Learning, Paul C. Godfrey

Faculty Publications

The Old Testament prophet/poet Isaiah speaks of the eventual redemption of the children of Abraham and uses a powerful metaphor to invite his followers to action: "Enlarge thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes" (Isaiah 54:2, King James Version). In the spirit of enlarging the tent and strengthening the stakes of the service-learning movement, Kenworthy-U'Ren's (1999, this issue) commentary to my article, "Service-Learning and Management Education: A Call to Action" (1999, this issue), proves a valuable and wonderful contribution. The strength of her commentary comes from …

Estimating Tourism's Economic Impact In Nebraska Counties, Brian J. Hill

Faculty Publications

Every community interested in developing tourism to enhance or diversify their economy wants to know how much good tourism can do for them. While tourism is not the answer to every community's economic challenges, it can provide economic benefits in many cases. These economic benefits must then be compared to the social, cultural and environmental changes that tourism might bring in order to judge its acceptability in community economic development efforts.

Politicians, planners and citizens want to know just how important tourism is to their communities. While some economic benefits and costs are very difficult to calculate, total economic impacts …

Nebraska’S Lodging Tax, Brian J. Hill

Faculty Publications

Like many states, Nebraska charges a tax on overnight lodging accommodations. Sometimes called a bed tax or occupancy tax, this levy is available on a county by county basis as desired by county commissioners or supervisors. As of 1996, 45 Nebraska counties opted to impose a lodging tax on their guests. That same year, total government revenues from the lodging tax were over $6 million. The funds gathered in this manner provide the funding for the Nebraska Division of Travel and Tourism and for county marketing efforts.

Price And Non-Price Influences On Water Conservation: An Econometric Model Of Aggregate Demand Under Nonlinear Budget Constraints, Leonardo Corral, Anthony C. Fisher, Nile W. Hatch

Faculty Publications

This paper develops a model of residential water demand under a nonlinear budget constraint. The theoretical model for an individual consumer is adapted to yield an aggregate model that preserves the structure of the individual demand function, and that can be used with aggregate (water district level) data. The model is used to study the influence of pricing and non-price conservation programs on consumption and conservation behavior in three water districts in the San Francisco Bay Area, over a 10-year period that includes both drought and normal years. Empirical results show that pricing can be effective in reducing water consumption, …

Efficacy Of A Tr Self-Esteem Program For Emotionally Disturbed Adolescents In A Treatment Setting, Ramon B. Zabriskie

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a modularized therapeutic recreation self-esteem program (that included outdoor adventure based components) provided for adolescents in a residential treatment center. Data were also collected on demographic variables including age, gender, and ethnicity. Subjects consisted of 112 adolescent patients ranging from ages 12 to 17, with an average length of stay of nine months to one year.

Bureaucracy In The Postmodern World: Problems And Solutions, Paul C. Godfrey, Grant C. Madsen

Faculty Publications

This paper considers the problems presented by modern bureaucratic organizations within the framework of postmodern philosophy. Bureaucracy represents the logical outcome of the rational tradition in western philosophy. Because of their efficiency properties, individuals are both the beneficiaries and victims of bureaucratic behavior. We suggest that a solution to these problems will not be found by using existing philosophical frameworks. The French philosopher Jean-Francois Lyotard presents a model of postmodern relationships based on language games. We explore the concept of language games within bureaucratic settings.