Corporate Objectives Research Articles

Instrumental and Integrative Ethics in the Context of a Knowledge Management Policy

Governance structures and Knowledge Management Systems standards such as ISO 30401 and ISO 9001 ask for policies for knowledge management but leave open, how such a policy might be detailed. Depending on the preferences of owners, management or more extensive stakeholder groups, the assumptions about what is good and can therefore be considered as ethical, vary substantially. In the German literature, two authors represent two extremes of a wide spectrum of business ethics: Peter Ulrich and his Integrative Economic Ethics (Ulrich, 2007), positioning ethical behavior above all other corporate objectives on the one (politically left) side and Karl Homann with the Instrumental Ethic (Homann, 1999) and the general idea to maximize shareholder value on the other (politically right) side. Both European continental authors are distinct from the Anglo-American tradition of “business ethics” represented by Solomon (1994), Donaldson and Dunfee (1999) or Freemann (1984), who are, in general, less focused on principles, but suggest procedures that avoid risks for organizations (or their top managers) of being framed as unethical.
 Knowledge as an intangible asset and different to tangibles such as money, goods, or infrastructure, is usually not controlled by investors, but by employees of an organization and thus affects problems of agency (Jensen, 1976) or stewardship (Donaldson, 1982) in corporate governance. Questions of ownership, modes of sharing and transferring knowledge to development of new knowledge and strategies of utilizing knowledge to create value need to be answered in a way to attract the best knowledge professionals. The answers might help formulate a formally consistent policy for knowledge management that considers either position – or come up with a more balanced approach, which could be implemented with established governance structures or ethic management systems (Wieland, 2014).
 This paper discusses two qualitative positions of Homann and Ulrich in the context of knowledge management systems and knowledge as a corporate resource with the ambition to suggest recommendations to formulate a knowledge management policy that delivers on the formal requirements of ISO 30401.

Leadership Style, Work Motivation, Work Stress, and Employee Performance: a Case Study of a Hospital

Introduction/Main Objectives: Employees are tools for achieving corporate objectives. Employees must be able to view, monitor, and comprehend the condition given the importance of leadership in the workplace. The management of human resources in medical industry is expected to enhance their job to achieve the goals, but the reality revealed their attempts fall far of what is requested for sustaining it. Background Problems: Using scientific means, the researchers attempted to answer the following research questions, namely: 1) Does leadership style have a significant impact on employee performance at the hospital industry? 2) Does work motivation have a significant impact on employee performance at the hospital industry? 3) Does job stress have a significant effect on employee performance at the hospital industry? Novelty: This research was conducted in contextual (implementation of leadership style, work motivation and work stress hospital industry). In addition, the results contribute to demonstrate how closely related the two lines of inquiry are. Research Methods: The survey consists of questionnaires, interviews, and observations of the target sample. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis and multiple regression analysis. Finding/Results: Employee success is significantly impacted by a leader's approach in medical industry. Employee success benefits positively from work drive, and job stress has a substantial effect on employee success. Overall, at same time a leadership styles, motivation and occupational stress has a favorable and impact important influence work in a hospital of hospital industry. Conclusion: Whatever leadership style a leader chooses, they must be mindful of the behavior of their work and relationships. There are several limitations to this latest study. Future researchers may therefore apply different leadership styles to different situations.

Relationship between Environmental Costs and Financial Performance of Oil and Gas Firms in Nigeria

This study explored the relationship between environmental costs and financial performance of oil and gas firms in Nigeria for the period 2010 – 2019. The dependent variable and proxies for financial performance were return on assets, return on equity and earnings per share while environment al costs is the independent variable of the study and was measured by corporate social responsibility expenses. A sample of 5 firms was selected from the 11 oil and gas firms listed on the Nigeria Stock Exchange for the period of study. Secondary data were sourced from the annual reports and accounts of the selected firms and analyzed using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation analysis. Findings from the analysis indicate that the relationship between corporate social responsibility expenses and return on a ssets was negatively weak and insignificant. It was also found that corporate social responsibility expenses of oil and gas firms has weak positive and insignificant associations with return on equity and earnings per share. In view of the findings of the study, we recommend that firm managers should avoid incessant investment in assets and invest only on those assets that will enable them achieve cardinal corporate objective of profit and wealth maximization for the firm owner. It was also recommended that firm managers should use more of equity financing in their capital structure. This will increase return on equity thereby boasting the firms’ corporate social responsibility performance. It was further recommended that the firm should repurchase some of its share floating around the Stock Exchange Market in order to increase the firms’ earnings per share and thus enhance corporate social responsibility performance of the firms.

The Effect of Organizational Commitment, Employee Engagement and Training on Employee Performance of Energy Supply Chain Company

This study's goal is to investigate the effects of employee training and engagement on workers' performance, with organizational commitment acting as a bridging variable. Data for this study was gathered quantitatively from employees in one of supply chain company in Indonesia. Employing a probability sampling approach as a sample technique. Path analysis was employed as a data analysis approach in this study with the use of the analytic program SPSS. The study's findings include a significant positive relationship between employee engagement and organizational commitment, a significant positive relationship between employee engagement and training, a significant positive relationship between employee engagement and training, and a significant positive relationship between employee engagement and employee performance. Training has a very favorable impact on staff performance. Organizational commitment has an impact on employees' performance. Organizational commitment, training, and employee engagement all have an impact on employee performance. This study is anticipated to be utilized as a resource for thought, the sharing of concepts, and the introduction of alternative solutions to issues in businesses pertaining to employee engagement and training that are beneficial in enhancing It is anticipated that this will enhance worker performance and eventually aid in the accomplishment of corporate objectives.

Getting the deal done—While managing process safety risk

AbstractHistorically, chemical complexes originated from a single company that developed a large site with significant infrastructure and diverse operating units. However, as corporate objectives change, companies frequently consider alternative business models such as mergers, acquisitions, leases, and licensing agreements. These deals (referred to as mergers and acquisitions [M&A] in this paper) often result in a shift from the single owner/operator structure toward other ownership, operating, and service provider models. These models can create substantial value; however, if not properly managed, they can also increase risk. Assessing these deals to manage process safety risk is challenging; deals are often confidential, the scope is sometimes fluid, and there is limited time to complete the process safety evaluations. If significant deal risks cannot be mitigated, concerns need to be elevated to upper management so they can be addressed before the deal is signed. Contract provisions may also be needed to clarify expectations and ensure continued safe operation. This paper discusses the challenges in assessing potential M&A deals from a process safety lens and describes a work process for engaging with the M&A team, conducting preliminary screening and more detailed assessments, communicating the results, and incorporating key agreements into the contract language.

Being a game changer with happy workers: The Ziraat Bank example

Many companies have been implementing strategies in recent years to increase employee happiness, which has become one of their primary corporate objectives. Research has explored which initiatives are effective in promoting employee happiness, the extent to which happiness affects employee performance, and the importance of numerical evidence in this regard. Studies have found a positive correlation between employee happiness and organizational performance, making employee happiness rate a crucial indicator for measuring the health and sustainability of an organization.The aim of this research was to examine the connection between performance scores and happiness, drawing on Fisher's “happy-super worker” hypothesis proposed in 1980. Data analysis was conducted on seven quarters (21 months) of information from 4,277 employees, and the results confirmed that happiness and performance are positively correlated. The study revealed that happiness had a beneficial impact on performance at both low- and high-performance score levels, albeit with a gradual effect. In contrast, happiness had a more rapid impact on success at medium-performance levels. However, a positive association was found between happiness and success across all performance scores, including low, medium, and high performance.The study revealed a curvilinear relationship between happiness and performance. Furthermore, panel data modeling showed that an increase of 1 unit in individual happiness at any given time led to an average increase of 3.41 units in their performance score.

Role of Knowledge Sharing Culture and Knowledge Management on the Corporate Performance: A Theoretical Discussion

In this paper, an attempt has been made to illustrate the significance of Knowledge Sharing Culture (KSC) and Knowledge Management (KM) on the performance of a company. Besides, the various issues pertaining to KSC and KM in a corporate organisation have dieoretically been discussed in detail by reviewing some of the important case studies. The management of knowledge and developing a sound KSC assume a very significant role in die corporate structure in accomplishing numerous objectives of a firm, namely, competitive advantage, performance, profit, lower transaction cost, agency cost etc., in the post 1990s era. Developing a sound KSC dirough KM brings about lot of advantages in a company in terms of revenue, marketing and cost of production. However, the development of KSC depends largely on die organisational, technical, managerial and technical cultures/environments of a company. These cultures are to be nurtured and developed in order to improve and install a sustainable KSC for accomplishing the corporate objectives in the highly competitive world economy in the long run. The focus of die managers should be on the various components of corporate cultures and factors before embarking on in installing and improving a sound KSC to enhance the overall performance of a company.

Quantitative ABCD Analysis of In-store Customer Perception Purchase of Home Furniture

Purpose: The study's primary goal is to understand in depth some aspects of how the ABCD framework was created for studying in-store transactions and consumer perceptions of home furnishings. From a stakeholder's point of view, this study enables us to identify, assess, and comprehend determinant aspects, issues, and key attributes affecting the factors such as advantages, benefits, constraints, and disadvantages consequences, as well as to identify the main influencing factors for all in-store purchases of home furnishings products. Design: Many papers are published in this area and this is an attempt to review the published papers of ABCD methodology analysis framework from the year 2016 till 2022. The study deployed quantitative analysis thinking of various focus groups. Findings: ABCD analysis is a way for understanding and analyzing by evaluating a business method or model, idea, concept, system, product, people, location, patents, and creative thinkers of any functional or dysfunctional business organization that exists or existed in the past. According to quantitative ABCD research of in-store customer perception and furniture purchase data, the advantages of in-store goods and services have a significant impact on the achievement of corporate objectives. The findings of the ABCD analysis lend credence to the idea that a multi-product store's in-store sales and marketing procedure for home furniture is beneficial. Originality: According to the ABCD analytical framework for in-store furniture sales and services, vital constituent component elements, main impacting factors, key qualities, and impending and determinant issues are studied. Type of paper: Observational and Empirical analysis.

Sexism at Workplaces on Social Media in Contemporary China

Gender discrimination and inequality at work are fundamental problems in China. One of the leading causes of gender inequality is the absence of laws and regulations and the profit-maximizing objectives of corporations. The effects of gender discrimination on companies, workers, and human capital investment are severe and detrimental. On a more serious note, prejudice and gender disparity have evolved during the past ten years. Therefore, a more thorough examination is warranted since gender discrimination has become severe and pervasive. Open structured interview is the methodology used to examine gender inequality at work in China over the past ten years.

Strategy integration, sustainable drivers of firm internationalization performance—Moderated by environmental uncertainty and firm capabilities

The global environmental uncertainty and the need for an organization to maximize profit and satisfy the interest of wider nonmarket groups/stakeholders in the host market propel and reinforce the need for strategic integration to achieve sustainable internationalization performance. The interest of this article is to examine the relative impact of market, nonmarket strategy, and strategy integration on the performance of medium and large organizations in Portugal. Furthermore, environmental uncertainty and firm capabilities were used as moderation to evaluate the performance implication of these strategy configurations on firm market advantage in the host country. Given the need to examine the relationship between the latent and measured variables in this study, structural equation models were used to test the stated hypotheses, while confirmatory factor analyses were used to assess the fitness of our model. Our findings revealed that strategy integration provides a more sustainable competitive performance than either market or nonmarket strategy when used separately, especially in highly regulated and standardized business contexts such as Portugal. Furthermore, our findings show that organization needs to design market-oriented strategies and select the types of nonmarket practices (lobbying, campaign contributions, etc.) that best fit and align with their overall corporate objectives without neglecting the host market environmental culture. Research on market and nonmarket integrations have long been overdue given its extensive proposition to firm sustainable performance in a foreign country. Our research shed light on the importance of strategy integration to combat the ever-changing dynamism of the business environment and the negative sentiment surrounding globalization and how a firm can successfully compete in an uncertain, highly regulated, and standardized market context.

Management of Change and its Impact on Productivity: A Case in Point

Today change has turned out to be an essential element of everyone’s lives and for business existence as well. Most of the organizations with the necessity of change in their day-to-day operations have different ideas on change. The main focus of the paper is to understand the effect of change and its management in the achievement of business goals. Moreover, the study aims to throw light on the prime concepts & various applications of change management with the help of the various change models on employee’s productivity. The effort to bring about change may face retaliations so businesses should incorporate means to curtail the resistance level and promote an even shift of change. Top level management have huge role to play in executing the change and they serve as a role model to successfully handle the change. With respect to implement an unbeaten change initiative, management and businesses must make sure that any prior plan for change must be associated with the company’s objectives as witnessed by many literatures in this current study certifying the relationship between change, change management and the accomplishment of corporate objectives. This present paper has been designed to analyze and to assess the effect of change management on worker’s productivity and the adverse effect of resistance to change by examining the case study of Nokia. It also explores the range of models that the management could pertain to minimize resistance towards change. In the present case study of Nokia McKinsey’s 7s framework model fits well.

A bibliometric analysis of team autonomy research

Organisations all around the globe are beginning to promote autonomy rather than imposing restrictions. Thus, the use of teams with certain levels of autonomy as an organisational structure has increased in recent years to achieve corporate objectives. The article aims to review the records in the team autonomy research domain. Given the number of possibly interchangeable terms connected to the teams with certain levels of autonomy (self-managing, self-organizing, self-regulating, self-directed or semi-autonomous), a bibliometric analysis was used to obtain data from the Web of Science and Scopus databases. According to annual scientific production and coverage of the terms over time in both databases, bibliometric analysis has shown that the Scopus covers more significantly the total number of records and the time span. The most used term in both databases was “self-managing team”. Further, the article provides specific occurrences and frequencies of the terms and descriptions of the records associated with its first occurrences. This article provides the first review of records using bibliometric methods in the team autonomy research domain. It helps to describe the development of the research domain and proposes several bases for future research opportunities.

Organizational Politics: Scarcity of Resources, Employee’s Personality & Employee’s Diversity

Employees of different backgrounds are employed to help achieve corporate objectives. The complexities that exist among these employees are expected to be effectively managed through proper organizational political practices. As such, this study examines the relationship between organizational politics and employee’s diversity in Akwa Ibom State Local Government Service Commission. Using a survey research design, 118 employees of the commission were examined and the findings revealed that scarcity of resources has positive and significant relationship with employees’ diversity in Akwa Ibom State Local Government Service Commission (r = 0.614, p<0.000); and employee’s Personality has positive and significant relationship with employees’ diversity in Akwa Ibom State Local Government Service Commission (r = 0.662, p<0.000). It was concluded that organizational politics has positive and significant relationship with employees’ diversity in Akwa Ibom State Local Government Service Commission. It was recommended that top level managers in the commission should encourage fair and equitable practices in the organization as this would help to lessen high political practices among the employees.

Internal Communication Practices Impact on the Institutional Brand During Institutional Transition

Progressive higher education institutions, in a competitive environment, evaluate brand positioning to navigate through communication, economic and globalization challenges. Literature in Sub-Saharan Africa hardly interrogates how public universities manage institutional brand for competitive advantage (Sulkowski, Wozniak, & Seliga, 2019) from an internal communication perspective. In Kenya, rapid university expansion and funding reduction enhanced competition. In a complex and dynamic context, vibrant institutions align corporate strategy to internal communication and position institutional brand. Thus, this study interrogates how the internal communication practices of an emerging university in Kenya impact institutional brand during transformation. A total of 153 Questionnaires were administered and 18 in-depth interviews were undertaken. Data as collected from 18 middle-level management who were purposively selected and the 153 self-administered questionnaires using stratified random sampling were administered on MMU faculty and administrative staff. The findings suggest that effective communication be through employee participation in decision-making (90%), conflict management (73%), brand management (mean 3.3), and corporate storytelling for institutional memory. However, management communication practices did not effectively communicate corporate objectives, marketing and branding strategy during university transition which negatively influenced image building and employee trust. The study recognized the importance of an internal communication policy, during transition, to provide a systematic and structured process which incorporates employee participation and empowerment. Employee participation strategy that integrates induction, interpersonal activities and interactive channels such as social media to communicate institutional strategic elements and enhance relationship management. Empowerment contributes to institutional brand management through mid-manager training, information inclusion, diversity management through internal stakeholder sessions, the use of mediated communication embracing social media, intranet and website to sensitize institutional management and employees. Upcoming public universities, like organisations, are expected to survive and thrive, through strong corporate branding to counter progressive forces arising from global, curricular, policy, technological and generational transformations. The study recommends an internal communication policy and management practice for effective communication of institutional messages to enhance employee participation and empowerment to improve brand positioning during institutional transformation.

Bridging organisational discourse and practice change: exploring sustainable procurement portfolios for Australian beef

PurposePrivate retail and brand-driven sustainable procurement standards are influencing global agri-food markets, shifting trade and export priorities and reshaping food supply chains. Using the case of Australian beef, the authors construct and evaluate three procurement activity “portfolios” and evaluate how these activity sets pull towards or against diverse organisational goals and/or science-based sustainability objectives.Design/methodology/approachA review of the academic and practitioner literature identified three key pillars for sustainable Australian beef procurement: animal welfare, environmental management and climate change (i.e. emissions). A subset of sustainable beef production activities (n = 100) was identified through this review plus semi-structured interviews with Australian beef retailers and industry bodies. This activity set was filtered (n = 40) and scored by a panel of science experts via a series of workshops and an additional survey. Using these data, the authors use a k-means cluster analysis (k = 3) to consider the strong or weak contributions of each activity portfolio towards typical sustainable beef goals.FindingsA portfolio-based view of sustainable procurement puts the trade-offs between activities and the need for clear sustainability prioritisation into sharp focus. The authors find that individual strategies may be singularly more or less impactful, complex or popular, but when combined as a suite of activities enacted towards a particular goal or set of goals, essential for success. The authors find that obtaining balance across sustainable beef pillars versus within specific pillars can narrow the optimal set of activities that can succeed against multiple sustainability goals.Practical implicationsFor procurement managers, the balance between clear focus and multidimensional progress is a difficult challenge. It requires the bold identification and articulation of an organisation’s interlocking corporate, industry or environmental objectives and flexibility on the strategies, tools and resources required. The authors posit that shifting away from a focus on rigid metrics may be useful in breaking the impasse on meaningful action.Social implicationsUsing a set of known activities and strategies that a procurement manager might draw from in operationalising sustainability goals, the authors cluster activities into three discrete activity portfolios. Each portfolio requires differing levels of effort, implementation complexity and potential for within-pillar and cross-pillar impact (i.e. co-benefits). Assessing the evidence and potential for cross-pillar impacts of individual strategies is a complex undertaking, indicative of the systems and tangled interactions that characterise sustainability science more broadly.Originality/valueBy assessing how the procurement function can be leveraged and operationalised towards sustainability goals through a lens of optimal portfolio management, the authors provide a way forward for the procurement managers working within large retailers and agri-food businesses to progress towards multiple sustainability pillars simultaneously.

Addressing Agency Problem in Employee Training: The Role of Goal Congruence

Individualized learning plans and corresponding training programs are maintained and organized in most organizations. Employees may be averse to training if they do not see how it contributes to their professional advancement. This is an example of conflict between management and employee interests in a business. The misalignment between management’s offerings and employees’ desires is a significant factor contributing to such a situation. Our research focused on how companies and individuals put training resources to use from a perspective of divergent goals. It provides insights into making employee training more effective. We investigate the relationship between organizational, individual, and training efficacy using the principal–agent theory and the concept of bounded rationality. We attempted to validate three a priori conditions relating to goal congruence, training motivation, and decision-making through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. As per participant inputs, career aspirations drive employees’ training preferences. The significance of goal congruence in achieving corporate objectives is often neglected in the academic literature. Although goal congruence can be a useful tool in assisting organizations in achieving their stated objectives, enhanced communication and discussion between managers and employees are required in order to improve and align employee goals with the company’s, for the sake of the individual’s and organization’s development. Furthermore, firms should invest in technology-enabled learning that ensures better access to learning, in order to achieve the kind of productivity and profit margins that would benefit everyone involved. We have also proposed a training value transaction model that accommodates the diverse interests. The model depicts the role of goal congruence in enhanced value fulfilment of the principals as well as agents.

The Correlation between Supply Chain Performance and Information Technology

Supply Chain Performance is regarded as a crucial organizational performance indicators. Much effort has been made to enhance it. So, effective and efficient supply chains are recognized as a crucial strategic aspect for achieving several essential corporate objectives, such as improved customer service, enhanced efficiency, and enhanced competitiveness. Therefore, the objective of this study is to analyze the role of information technology on supply chain performance with information technology support as a mediator. The study has been designed based on a descriptive approach using a survey to collect data by questionnaire from Saudi logistics professionals. The potential respondents were members of Hyper Panda's top level of management and executive personnel who were familiar with the company's operations and supply chain procedures. There are 83 valid responses. The research result has several findings and outcomes that will inform future research. The study findings will shed light on choosing the most effective information technology with a significant influence on supply chain performance.

A Well-Rounded Business: Improving the Circular Economy Strategy Using RESTARTer

Climate change effects rapidly impact the life of the people and all environment. As part of society, companies are the problem solver of reducing the environmental impact of human activities. Many companies through The Paris Agreement are committed to achieve the long term goal to reduce carbon emissions to limit the global temperature rise below 1.5°C. Decathlon Indonesia as part of the subsidiary of Decathlon United is also part of the commitment to reduce its carbon footprint by implementing sustainable strategies on different business operations. In its retail activities, Decathlon Indonesia implements circular economy strategies. This research focuses on one of CE strategies named Second Life which under-performs compared to the company’s ambition This research uses the Business Model RESTARTer to explore the current situation and propose the recommendation using the RESTART Framework. Recognize and Rethink are phases where authors analyze the current business model, its externalities, identify the urgency to change the business model according to the customer needs, technological and societal trends that might Decathlon. Reinvent and Reorganize phase helps companies plan new ambitions, value propositions to be tested and finally RESTART the new sustainable business model that is good for the society and profitable for the company. The result of this research identifies that key factors of the growth of sustainable sales are alignment of corporate objectives with department objectives, integration circular economy with value proposed to customer align with commercial strategy, importance of collaboration with key partners and strategic communication to increase customer awareness and at last accessibility for customer to be connected to the CE Strategy. This research shows the importance of restarting the business model of a company to be more responsible and aware about their externalities and how they can be more impactful to global issues such as climate change.

Measuring cultural readiness for innovation: six essential questions

PurposeThis paper aims to present a framework that includes six essential factors and four strategic intervention points that provide the necessary context to sustain and support innovation.Design/methodology/approachBased on our academic and consulting experience, this article summarizes our knowledge of what it takes to be a top innovator and how organizations should best pursue innovation agendas. The model presented is supported by our research which considers assessments from 3,642 employee responses assessing the innovation cultures of organizations.FindingsWe find that companies need to ask six questions to assess their innovation cultures. These questions relate to creativity, incentives, processes, leadership, knowledge management and resources. Our framework presents four intervention points to support implementing and sustaining an innovation culture including objectives, behaviors and actions, context and management for execution.Research limitations/implicationsOur framework is effective, but we acknowledge that there are other means to creating and sustaining an innovation culture.Practical implicationsWe present six questions that companies need to ask themselves to assess their innovation culture and offer strategies to enhance it.Social implicationsGiven the contribution of innovation culture to competitiveness and performance, our recommendations will allow managers to set themselves apart from their competition and further their financial and nonfinancial corporate objectives.Originality/valueEveryone likes the idea of change, but it is the process of change that is difficult. We offer strategies that put such intentions to work.

Audit Committee Attributes and Firm Performance

"The audit committee provides considerable support when achieving corporate goals and objectives through practicing good governance in a firm. Although the audit committee is a critical element of corporate governance there is a dearth of studies relating to the audit committee. Thus, this research examined the impact of audit committee attributes on firm performance based on the Stewardship theory. The population for the study includes the listed companies in the Colombo Stock Exchange and the top 100 companies which have the highest market capitalization. The data collection study is an archival strategy based on the annual reports of the sample companies for the two years. The goals of this study are met with the help of EViews software and descriptive statistics and panel regression. The research findings of the study suggested that there is a positive relationship between Audit committee size, interlock of directors on the audit committee, and risk management committee with the firm's performance. The Interlock of directors on both the audit committee and nomination committee as well as the audit committee and remuneration committee have a negative relationship with the firm performance. Additionally, this study found that audit committee independence, financial expertise, audit committee diversification, and meeting frequency have no significant relationship with the firm performance. The findings of this study suggest that there should be audit committee compliance requirements that result in an increase in stewardship and improve performance which added new knowledge to Stakeholder theory."