Business Management Research Research Articles

Making actors, paradigms and ideologies visible in governance for sustainability

AbstractResearch and teaching activities in economics and business management are specific not only in scientific terms but also in ideological terms. This political aspect has to be discussed openly. As an example, our interpretations of sustainable development (SD) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) are closely related to our ideological orientations.In considering more radical changes towards SD, the three levels of theory of science, paradigms in economics and ideological orientation have to be involved. Positivism, neoclassical economics and neo‐liberalism support the present institutional framework and globalization trend. Alternative perspectives at all three levels may open the door for a different set of institutions.While all these perspectives are essential, paradigms in economics appear to play a central role. Alternatives to economic man, profit‐maximizing firms and markets understood in terms of supply and demand are proposed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Beyond Rigour and Relevance: The Underlying Nature of Both Business Schools and Management Research

This paper aims to develop further the common distinction that is made between rigour and relevance in management research. The debates around this issue have also been closely linked with the critique of Business Schools and in particular the nature of both their students and their teaching. A more critical look at not only the history of these issues but also the institutional nature of the Schools suggests that the underlying tensions are both more complex and also more intractable. The range of challenges to management research not only in terms of relevance, but also in terms of interdisciplinarity and the nature of disciplinary rigour combine with additional issues about the nature of managerial knowledge and expertise and a wide range of stakeholders to produce a complex environment in which neither market forces nor institutional incentives will necessarily produce the desired outcomes. However, a wider appreciation of the importance of overall engagement with the range of stakeholder groups and the continued importance of codification and teaching if combined with less of an overall focus on any single set of incentives and objectives is much more likely to aid the further development of management research.

Revisiting hospitality's marginal worker thesis: A mono-occupational perspective

This article re-examines the literature on workplace deviance in the context of employment relations in the hospitality industry and presents data from a qualitative study. Intertwining various manifestations of deviance apparent in business management research, sociological literature and that reported in hospitality industry studies, this paper further applies these contexts to investigate the professional experiences of a sample of chefs from Australia. In summary, the findings suggest that while deviance, in its various forms, is an intrinsic occupational idiosyncrasy, and that deviant practices indeed are commonplace in the hospitality industry, workers within the industry are conscious of the negative effects these images have on occupational image. Structural shortcomings including organisational, occupational and industry regulation appear, at least partially, responsible for a cycle of deviance. These findings might assist researchers and practitioners in their endeavours given the efforts of industry leaders and hospitality educators to enhance and professionalise the industry's image.

‘I/we focus on…’: A cross-cultural analysis of self-mentions in business management research articles

Although research articles (RAs) have been frequently characterised by impersonal language, which entails the use of nominalisations and passive sentences, self-mentions, that is, explicit references to the RA author(s), are found to intermingle with those impersonal constructions. These self-references can be considered a rhetorical strategy that scholars may use to present themselves as authorial selves, promoting themselves and outlining their specific, novel contribution to their discipline. This paper aims at quantitatively and qualitatively analysing the use and distribution of self-mentions—realised by self-references (i.e., first person singular and plural pronouns and possessive adjectives) and self-citations—in a comparable corpus of business management RAs written in English for an international readership by scholars based at North American universities and RAs written in Spanish for a national readership by scholars based at Spanish universities. The former were found to make greater use of self-mentions than the latter. Significant differences were also found in the distribution of self-mentions and the rhetorical functions both groups of scholars most commonly perform through the use of exclusive we. The different results in both sub-corpora suggest that the use of self-mentions in RAs is not only conditioned by the discipline to which the authors belong but also by the specific cultural context in which RAs are produced and distributed.

La investigación sobre gestión medioambiental en la empresa en España (1993–2003)

The objective of this paper is to analyze the evolution and the main characteristics of the environmental business management research in Spain over the years 1993–2003. In order to gain an insight into existing Spanish environmental business management research this paper profiles the literature on environmental business management from leading Spanish management journals and the papers of Spanish authors in the leading international journals. So, this paper shows a review of the literature to help new researchers in this topic and/or to identify new research lines.

Five attributes of a successful manager in a research organization

Little in the education, training or background of scientists prepares them for management. Good managers tend to be good with people; they look at the larger picture, are good at motivating their team, adapt to unanticipated business events, are comfortable working to budgets and are able to assess and respond to risk. In contrast, researchers at the bench spend most of their time focusing on narrow scientific questions, designing experiments and budgeting resources needed for those experiments. One would think that these two professions—business management and scientific research—were mutually exclusive, and in the vast majority of cases, one would be right. But a talented few have been successful in making the transition from the bench to the boardroom. I asked several of these individuals to identify the key attributes to their success and the factors that influenced their transition from academia into management (Box 1).

On research efficiency: A micro-analysis of Dutch university research in Economics and Business Management

We argue that efficiency assessments of academic research should focus on micro-units of research production rather than on conventionally employed (aggregated) macro-units, and show that such a detailed analysis of research performance provides interesting insights. In addition, we propose a non-parametric methodology that is specially tailored for analyzing the productive efficiency of research: it starts from a specification of the managerial objectives of research activities while imposing minimal structure on the (typically unknown) production technology. We illustrate our points by assessing the productive efficiency of research in Economics and Business Management Faculties of Dutch universities. Next to measuring productive efficiency, we look for specific patterns in efficiency distributions over universities, years and areas of specialization. In addition, we investigate the impact of external funding and the size of research programs on academic research efficiency. We argue that our analysis has some interesting policy implications. Most notably, our results show that a micro-analysis of research efficiency may yield a more effective allocation of the limited financial resources that are available.

The nordic forest industry in retrospect: An introduction1

This essay introduces the central starting points and issues of this Special Edition, which focuses on the evolutionary and historical processes in the forest industries in the 20th and early 21st centuries, especially in the Nordic context. Our basic argument is that by analyzing a particular industry we will be able to move towards more interdisciplinary cooperation between business historians and organization theorists. This article reviews the current literature and proposes several options for such cooperation, outlines the basic characteristics of the Nordic forest industry, and discusses the theoretical and methodological advances of the Special Issue. Finally, we propose that different co-evolutionary frameworks can bridge business history and management research in future studies, and that business history can help integrate the cognitions of organisational actors into this interdisciplinary cooperation.

Succession and Nonsuccession Concerns of Family Firms and Agency Relationship with Nonfamily Managers

This article consists of two parts. The first part reports findings from a survey of the issues facing top executives in 272 Canadian family firms. Results show that succession is their No. 1 concern, thus supporting the predominant focus of family business researchers on succession issues. Results also show that concern about relationships with nonfamily managers is a close second in importance. The second part of the article uses Agency Theory to explain why relationships with nonfamily managers are so important. Empirical results show that both the extent and the criticality of a firm's dependence on nonfamily managers are statistically significant determinants of the importance. This study implies that relationships with nonfamily managers is a neglected research topic and points to a new direction for research in family business management.

Centers of excellence in multinational corporations

AbstractThis paper seeks to understand the conditions under which ‘centers of excellence’ emerge in foreign subsidiaries of multinational firms. We define a center of excellence as an organizational unit that embodies a set of capabilities that has been explicitly recognized by the firm as an important source of value creation, with the intention that these capabilities be leveraged by and/or disseminated to other parts of the firm. Drawing on overlapping research in international business and strategic management, we argue that the formation of centers of excellence is shaped by conditions in the subsidiary's local environment as well as by various aspects of the subsidiary's relationship with other parts of the multinational firm. Based on a survey of 99 foreign units in Canada, our results highlight the fundamental role played by parent firm investment as well as the role of internal and external organizations in the development of subsidiary capabilities. Performance implications of the center of excellence phenomenon are also explored. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Sustainability Issues for Start-up Entrepreneurs

The concept of entrepreneurship covers many types of organisational and individual activities but it takes its most obvious form in the decision by an entrepreneur to start a new business. In recent years, researchers from different perspectives have focused more attention on the entrepreneurial activity involved in starting one’s own business. Sociologists, psychologists and economists have all tried to give answers to questions such as: ‘What conditions support business start-ups?’; ‘Why do individuals decide to become entrepreneurs?’; ‘What impacts do start-ups have on the economy?’. Environmental business management research has not yet concentrated on start-ups, although this early stage of a business enterprise’s life might be a sensible starting point for environmental management. This paper is a report of an empirical study into start-up processes, designed to discover whether there are opportunities for implementing more sustainable business practices from the very beginning of new business ventures. Start-up entrepreneurs as well as start-up business advisers were interviewed in order to identify the points where environmental management could be incorporated into the startup process. In the group of entrepreneurs interviewed, conventional as well as ecologically oriented entrepreneurs were represented. The different orientations made it possible to compare their respective approaches to the adoption of more sustainable business practices. It was found that starting a new business venture is a very complex process. Start-up entrepreneurs have to comply with a variety of external demands. Business advisers and banks as well as market conditions often interfere with the pursuit of ecological business practices. Information on how to start an ecologically oriented business venture is notably not provided by institutions that support start-ups. The comparison of ecologically oriented start-ups with conventional start-ups showed that the most crucial factor for environmental considerations in the start-up process is the entrepreneur himor herself. ● Start-up

THE INDICATORS OF LOCUS OF CONTROL IN THE SMALL BUSINESS CONTEXT

There have been divergent opinions as to the suitability of the various indicators of locus of control in business management research. This study examines how the indicators of internal locus and strategic locus of control function in the small business context. The study examines first the interrelations between these indicators and then relation between each of the indicators and the firm's strategic factors. The indicators of locus of control differed from each other in their relation to external control. The indicator of strategic locus of control correlated with the firm's targets, strategic decision-making and success. On the other hand the indicator of internal locus of control is useful in research on entrepreneurship and the birth of new firms.

Clinical Advisory Statement. Importance of systolic blood pressure in older Americans.

This clinical advisory statement from the Coordinating Committee of the National High Blood Pressure Education Program is intended to advance and clarify the recommendations of the Sixth Report of the Joint National Committee on the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC VI, 1997).1 The advisory addresses several interrelated issues about blood pressure (BP) that affect people approaching the later decades of life. On the basis of the wealth of currently available evidence, the committee now recommends a major paradigm shift in urging that systolic BP become the major criterion for diagnosis, staging, and therapeutic management of hypertension, particularly in middle-aged and older Americans. Several lines of strong evidence support the initiative to emphasize systolic BP. Pathophysiologically, there are strong associations among aging, increased stiffness of large arteries, increased systolic BP, increased pulse pressure, and the prevalence of cardiac and vascular disease. Epidemiologically, isolated systolic hypertension is the most common form of hypertension and is present in approximately two thirds of hypertensive individuals >60 years of age. Diagnostically, classification and staging of hypertension are more precise when systolic rather than diastolic BP is used as the principal criterion. Risk stratification for major complications of hypertension (stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and kidney failure) is actually confounded by the use of diastolic BP; in older people with systolic hypertension, diastolic BP is inversely related to cardiovascular risk. Clinical benefits of treatment of isolated systolic hypertension include reductions in stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure, kidney failure, and overall cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. Currently, only 1 in 4 Americans with hypertension falls below JNC VI–recommended values of 140/90 mm Hg in uncomplicated hypertension or 130/85 mm Hg in individuals with kidney disease or diabetes. Hypertension control rates are poorest in older people, primarily as a result of inadequate …

Policy Making and Administration in State Agencies: Strategic Management Approaches

The concept of strategy has been employed by business policy and management researchers for more than two decades. ' Common usage of the term captures a variety of images, including adaptation, learning, evolution, and coalignment.I 2 In this extensive literature, strategic management is seen to encompass strategic planning, direction setting for the organization as a whole, and the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of specific organizational strategies.3 Organizational strategies reflect the actual pattern of choices and actions made in guiding the organization through time. Although the strategy literature has largely focused on business organizations, public agencies also engage in strategic management, as reflected in a variety of policy-making and administrative activities. Agencies regularly engage in cycles of planning and goal setting, adopt and implement new policies, develop new programs or change the relative emphasis within a portfolio of programs, reorganize their internal structure, alter their service delivery systems, and seek new sources of funding and external support. Building on evidence of important differences as well as similarities between public and private organizations,4 scholars have begun to develop a literature specifically concerned with the distinctive nature and characteristics of strategy and strategic management in public organizations.5 This paper extends that emerging literature by reporting the results of field studies of strategic management in four Ohio agencies and providing a preliminary classification of public organization strategies.

Strategies and Methodologies in International Business and Comparative Management Research, Hans Schollhammer, Associate Professor, University of California, Los Angles. Abstract from International Management Review, 6/1973, p. 17

Strategies and Methodologies in International Business and Comparative Management Research, Hans Schollhammer, Associate Professor, University of California, Los Angles. Abstract from International Management Review, 6/1973, p. 17

Comprehensive Planning: A New Field of Study

Abstract Many professional fields are now involved directly in different applications of planning: architecture, economics, engineering, geography, business and governmental management, mathematics and operations research, military and physical planning, sociology. Such recent intellectual advances as information and decision theory, game and communication theory, symbolic logic, mathematical and other simulation, queueing theory, linear programming, or the psychology of groups are being applied successfully to planning problems. From a synthesis of these professional and intellectual activities, a theory, principles, and methodology of comprehensive planning are likely to develop. This substantive body of knowledge will become an important field of study.