Executive Management Research Articles

Construction Safety and Efficiency: Integrating Building Information Modeling into Risk Management and Project Execution

Construction Safety and Efficiency: Integrating Building Information Modeling into Risk Management and Project Execution

Navigating Conflict between BOGs and C‐suite: Lessons for Dynamic Companies

Steve Lentini is founder and CEO of Positive Intelligence, an executive coaching service that helps CEOs and other C‐suite executives get the best out of their teams. In this article, he discusses how to navigate potential conflicts between boards of directors and executive management teams, who can often have opposing goals.

Integrating decision analysis into South Africa's spending review methodology

ABSTRACT In 2016, the Government Technical Advisory Centre (GTAC) delivered training on the spending review methodology. During the training, it became evident that officials were not accustomed to analysing expenditure and performance data in the manner required for a spending review. They found it difficult to translate their analysis into findings and recommendations. In 2021, GTAC introduced the concept of decision analysis into its training curriculum. The primary reason for introducing decision analysis in the methodology was to empower officials with the tools needed to synthesise expenditure and performance data, identify diverse options and formulate evidence-based recommendations. In turn, it was hoped that these recommendations would then prompt decisions and actions by the political executive or senior managers. This research note explains how decision analysis can be used to outline the range of choices available to officials based on the analysis and findings from their spending reviews. In particular, it details the South African experience in using decision trees as part of the spending review methodology to enable government officials to think through their findings, message them appropriately and craft actionable recommendations.

Leveraging organizational culture to create competitive value from environmental practices

There has been a long-standing debate in the management literature as to the performance implications of environmental practices. Drawing upon the contingent resource-based view, we hypothesize that organizational culture moderates the relationship between environmental practices and firm performance. We use the competing value framework to explore the effects of developmental, group, rational, and hierarchical culture types on three key capabilities (i.e., stakeholder integration, higher-order learning, and continuous innovation) that stem from implementing environmental practices. We test our hypotheses using data from the fourth round of the High Performance Manufacturing survey. We find that the developmental, group, and rational culture types positively moderate the relationship between external proactive environmental practices and firm performance. By contrast, hierarchical culture negatively moderates the relationship between internal proactive environmental practices and firm performance, but positively moderates the relationship between external reactive environmental practices and firm performance. As such, our study contributes to the literature by unpacking the influence of organizational culture on the capabilities through which environmental practices affect firm performance. Our results can guide operations management executives in choosing the most suitable environmental practices that will align with their organizational culture.

Gender quotas for corporate boards: do they lead to more women in senior executive management?

Purpose The European Union (EU) has recently adopted gender quotas for corporate boards (CBQ), anticipating ripple effects on women’s careers in the companies concerned, as well as throughout the economy. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether CBQ has spurred ripple effects and discuss mechanisms hindering or facilitating women’s occupancy of top executive positions. Design/methodology/approach Norway was the first country in the world to introduce CBQ in 2003, with full effect from 2008. The policy requires company boards to be composed of 40% of each gender. Drawing on original data mapping boards and executive committees in Norway’s 200 largest companies, the authors analyze the association between CBQ and the gender composition of executive management almost 15 years after the full implementation. The data include both companies covered by the CBQ and large companies not covered. Findings The investigation does not find a positive association between CBQ and more women in executive positions. Thus, the ripple effect hypothesis of CBQ is not supported. CBQ may have contributed to an increased awareness of gender imbalances, yet these findings indicate that to achieve more gender balance in executive positions, scholars and practitioners may need to focus more on gendered conditions and processes in organizations and society throughout executive careers than on the gender composition of boards. Originality/value This paper provides empirical analyses of original data 15 years after the implementation of CBQ. The authors further contribute to scholarly debate by identifying and discussing possible mechanisms that explain how requiring more women on corporate boards may – or may not – have ripple effects on executive management.

Better understanding of executive managers' features effect on small- and medium-sized service firms' risk-taking using multiple factors as control variables: fresh insights from emerging markets

Better understanding of executive managers' features effect on small- and medium-sized service firms' risk-taking using multiple factors as control variables: fresh insights from emerging markets

The Liability of Company Board Members: A Comparative Study on Civil, Criminal, and Disciplinary Aspects

This study emphasizes the importance of corporate governance practices in providing strategic guidance for the direction and management of a company. It highlights the need for effective oversight of executive management by the board of directors and underscores the significance of holding the board of directors accountable to both the company and its shareholders. According to general principles, board members can be held responsible if they violate the law or the company's bylaws, whether their actions result in harm to the company and its shareholders or third parties. Board members may face various forms of responsibility, including civil, criminal, and disciplinary liability, depending on the circumstances. Any clause that attempts to exempt board members from liability for their actions is considered invalid, and they can only be absolved from responsibility in cases of force majeure, the fault of the aggrieved party, or actions by third parties. Therefore, this study discusses the multifaceted responsibilities of board members, encompassing civil, criminal, and disciplinary aspects.

The motivational micromanager

Micromanagement is a well-known phenomenon in the modern workplace. However, there’s a new subtype of micromanager: the motivational micromanager. This type of manager is showing up more and more in offices around the globe, and they can be as dangerous to innovation and team motivation as traditional micromanagers. The objective of this paper is to introduce the concept of the motivational micromanager, a leader who believes that when they give advice and detailed instructions, often with a smile and great enthusiasm, they are motivating their employees to succeed. Micromanagement is seen by many as even dangerous to organizational success and employees who work for motivational micromanagers are also at risk for burnout and quiet quitting because they, too, feel the strain of following detailed instructions, respecting a rigid regime, and avoiding mistakes at all costs. We discuss how motivational managers can shake free of the delusion that they are serving their employees. They need training and support to learn how to encourage others to come up with their own solutions, to create positive work cultures where innovation flows, to give and receive feedback without fear of retaliation, and to accept that mistakes are part of the learning process. The motivational micromanager borrows from two leadership constructs of empowerment and micromanagement. On the one side leaders wish to empower others with the best intentions and a motivational approach, on the other hand however the reality of the execution indicates a new sub-form of micromanagement. The distinctive contribution of this paper is to firstly label and uncover motivational micromanagement and raise awareness that this new species of managers exists and secondly to provide practical implications for MBA students, Executive Education programs and managers to move out of the micromanagement and into a truly empowering mode of leadership.

The level of job performance of workers in the agricultural extension organization for the executive management in the central governorates of Iraq

The level of job performance of workers in the agricultural extension organization for the executive management in the central governorates of Iraq

مراجعة قوائم وتقارير الشركة المساهمة خارجياً: بين حقٍ مبينٍ وسرابٍ مستحيلٍ

The separation of ownership and management in the corporate model resulted in the need for an external party to certify the representation of the financial statements prepared by the corporation’s executive management of its financial position and the financial, cash and operational performance of its executive management. The existence of the corporation whose shares are traded in the market and stock exchanges also resulted in the emergence of a class in society, lurking for price fluctuation. Accounting has founded a concept that it is the servant of every rational decision maker. However, the concept of 'decision makers' in accounting is imaginary. Financial accounting has not been able for more than a century and until our present moment to provide a model for the financial statements and reports that the corporation is required to prepare and publish in response to their so-called needs of its financiers. The financial statements are prepared based on financial accounting standards, which represent the contemporary accounting truth. Such truth is impossible and is not a reflection of the economic reality on which the accounting entity is constructed. The external auditor’s approval of the corporate financial statements prepared by its executive management makes him its partner in preparing the financial statements and reports. What gives value to the opinion of the external party is his possession of the technical knowledge that gives him an advantage over the rest of the members of his society, and his independence from the executive management is the foundation of his work and professionalism. However, academic research in accounting and auditing casts doubt on the objectivity of the external auditor and even his ability to be independent, as their relationship is closer to cooperation than to opposition, representing the interests of the party absent from the contractual relationship between them. External auditing is the only profession whose practitioner must monitor whom he receives his fees in service to watch the interest a part that is absent in the contractual relationship. The external auditor does not provide the service of auditing the financial statements and reports of corporations as a community or voluntary service, but rather it is a service in exchange for covering his expenses and achieving a source of income. Also, work skills and dealing with the audit firm’s clients are of great importance in the audit firm, and leadership. Reliance on the one-partner model in implementing audit engagements is a source of risk. The external auditor is a product of his society. The doctrine that his society follows is his belief, and it is what affects his decisions. It is the balance of matters. Strengthening the independence of the external auditor, even in the presence of legislation, is not sufficient for the independence of the mind of the external auditor.

Strategic Talent Management: Aligning HR Practices with Organizational Objectives for Sustainable Competitive Advantage

The talent management thought, which envelops all parts of human resources by improving representatives' skills and mastery through different ways, is viewed as a foundation in human resource management studies. The financial business is investing some parcel of energy into making proficient faculty management frameworks. This study intends to lay out a connection between talent management and organizational execution as well as to feature the strategic meaning of talent management. Scientists took a gander at what staff management means for an association's general viability. The ongoing review analyzes how government foundations capability corresponding to human resource management. In a financial scene that is changing rapidly because of elements like globalization, financial backer and client requests, and the expansion of items available, government foundations are continually endeavoring to work on their presentation by reducing expenses, modernizing cycles and items, and upgrading quality to remain competitive and make due. An examination of the current review was directed utilizing a quantitative exploration technique. For this examination, an example size of 240 respondents was utilized. Except for the fifth speculation, which guaranteed that "decentralization is decidedly connected with organizational execution," the theories were all observed to be bogus. Thus, it was resolved that decentralization emphatically connected with organizational execution.

Quality and Accreditation Standards in Physical Education Colleges in Libyan Public Universities from the Point of View of Executive Management

This research aims to identify quality standards in physical education colleges in Libyan public universities, in relation with educational literature and the most important drivers of interest in implementing the quality assurance and accreditation system in universities. To achieve the research objectives, the descriptive method using the survey method was used. The sample consisted of ninety (90) individuals from the executive management in the colleges, thirty-eight (38) quality coordinators in the departments in the colleges, and fifty-two (52) department heads. In this research, a questionnaire form was applied that included four (4) axes and fifty-eight (58) statements, and statistical treatments were applied using the SPSS version 2020 software. The most important results of this study are that the college sets its goals based on its vision and mission in line with the needs of society through effective strategies announced in a public place to be a reference for evaluating progress in the college. It was also concluded that the college’s human resources (trainers and administrators) are sufficient to perform the tasks assigned to them through the work of committees and work teams and writing periodic reports on achievements, work performance, and development. The College Council also makes its decisions according to clear and specific tasks with the formation of distinguished work teams. One of the most important recommendations of the research is the college council’s approval of formulating the college’s vision and mission, the need to emphasize the presence of a quality and accreditation office in every college and unit for every department in the organizational structure of physical education colleges in Libyan public universities, and the necessity of developing a guideline for quality standards for accreditation in physical education colleges in Libyan public universities. 

The use of full-cost refinement management in enterprise economic management

This paper firstly structures the control system to ensure that the full-cost refinement management has a basis and forms a closure in the management chain. Secondly, it enhances the project system management, solidifies all the nodes, puts the communication mechanism in front, and ensures the efficient synergy and reasonable division of labor while establishing the efficient management and communication mechanism, so that it is located in the full-cost refinement management. Finally, the AHP method is used to choose the implementation method of the information system, so as to adapt the full-cost refinement management to the needs of each level and realize the application of full-cost refinement management in the economic management of the enterprise. The final simulation results show that the consistency ratio calculations of the decision-making level management organization, the executive level management organization, the basic level production department, and the other learning and growth, CR are 0.017, 0.023, 0.031, and 0.013, respectively, which are all less than 0.1, and pass the consistency test and do not need to be adjusted. It shows that the results of the calculation of the stratified weight assessment of the full-cost refined management provide an effective guarantee for the economic management of the enterprise, and can be found to be unreasonable in the process of practice, and make timely adjustments to solve the problem.

Social Network of the Executive Managers and the Performance of Iranian Start-Up Businesses; Evidence based on the Findings of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM)

Social Network of the Executive Managers and the Performance of Iranian Start-Up Businesses; Evidence based on the Findings of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM)

Comprehensive Assessment of Risk-Based Quality Management Adoption in Clinical Trials

BackgroundRisk-based monitoring (RBM) and risk-based quality management (RBQM) offer a compelling approach to increase efficiency, speed and quality in clinical trials by prioritizing and mitigating risks related to essential safety and efficacy data. Since 2013, the FDA and EMA have encouraged the use of RBM/RBQM, however adoption has been slow with limited understanding of the barriers to adoption.MethodsThe Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development conducted an online survey among pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and contract research organizations and gathered 206 responses on 32 distinct RBQM practices.ResultsOn average, companies implemented RBQM in 57% of their clinical trials. Lower levels of adoption were observed among companies conducting fewer than 25 trials annually (48%) compared to those conducting more than 100 trials annually (63%). Primary barriers to adoption include lack of organizational knowledge and awareness, mixed perceptions of the value proposition of RBQM, and poor change management planning and execution. Insights into improving the level of adoption are discussed.

The role of the community café in addressing food security: Perceptions of managers and directors

In the United States, the pay-what-you-can restaurant model (community cafes) is an increasingly popular approach to addressing food insecurity in local communities. We conducted semi-structured interviews (n = 13) with community café executive managers and directors to assess their perceptions of the role that their cafes play in addressing food security (FS). Analysis of interviews revealed two major areas of emphasis by participants. Filling an unoccupied space in the food security landscape. Interviewees regularly cited the goal of making meals available through a dependable schedule, convenient location, and welcoming atmosphere for guests to promote regular visits to the café, and they did so with an awareness of how their practices were shaped by perceived shortcomings in comparable services. In addition, guest agency and social aspects of the café as components of utilization, was another major area. Interviewees often regarded the opportunity of the food insecure guest to choose healthy options (i.e., nutritionally dense) over less healthful ones (i.e., calorically dense) from the menu as a critical component of their service. The social component of the café (e.g., community atmosphere, ‘dining-out’ experience) was another aspect of the café’s function that promoted dignity for the guest which can lead to greater likelihood of return visits. Perceptions shared by participants of the café’s role in addressing food security suggest that rather than simply adding to the available options of hunger relief services, the café model attempts to address many areas of concern, such as structural and cultural barriers, found in the traditional forms of charitable food provision.

The curious case of Hotel King’s Cross

Learning outcomes The learning outcomes of this study are to recall the fundamental concept of revenue management in the hotel industry (remembering); explain the various performance measures used to evaluate room revenue in hotels (understanding); use revenue management strategies to improve room revenue in hotel operations (applying); and examine and evaluate the optimal solution for revenue enhancement, considering factors such as capacity management, duration control and differential pricing (analyzing). Case overview/synopsis This case study delves into the challenges faced by Hotel King’s Cross, a business hotel located in Pune, Maharashtra, in the year 2022. A week before Christmas Eve, Soham Dande, the hotel’s revenue manager, sought a meeting with Rohan Chopra, the director of sales and marketing, to discuss “revenue optimization for the hotel.” During their meeting, Dande mentioned that the hotel had fallen behind its budgeted room sales targets for 2022 across various metrics, such as room booking nights, occupancy percentage, average room rate and revenue per available room. Furthermore, the hotel was trailing behind its competitors. The situation was compounded by the management’s decision to raise the targets for 2023 by 5%–7%, factoring in upcoming events, competitive performance and pandemic-related losses over the past two years. Chopra faced the dilemma of formulating an action plan to achieve the ambitious 2023 targets and establish Hotel King’s Cross as a market leader. Complexity academic level Students undertaking executive development programs and graduate-level courses in non-profit hospitality and tourism management, as well as revenue management courses in the executive MBA, management development and graduate MBA programs, may all benefit from this case study. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS12: Tourism and hospitality.

Impact of IT governance mechanisms on IT-enabled dynamic capabilities to achieve firm performance: role of moderators

PurposeAlthough information technology (IT) governance and IT capability have been extensively examined, the impact of IT governance mechanisms on IT-enabled dynamic capability (ITDC) with moderators has received less attention. This study investigates how the impact of IT governance mechanisms on firm performance is achieved through an ITDC through the moderating role of IT governance decentralization and a turbulent environment.Design/methodology/approachThis study extends from the traditional view of IT capabilities and integrates dynamic capability theory to propose that IT governance is vital for the ITDC. Path analysis, hierarchical regression analysis and moderation analysis were performed using partial least squares (Smart PLS 3.0) as the data analysis methods. This study empirically tests the proposed mediated moderation model by using data collected from 254 firms in China to test the hypotheses.FindingsSignificant and impactful relationships are found in the model that includes turbulent environment moderating effects. Contrary to expectations, IT governance decentralization is also significant but not very strong.Research limitations/implicationsThis study’s findings have implications for investigating IT governance, IT-enabled capabilities and moderators. Accordingly, this study has implications for board and executive management to capitalize on dynamic IT capability, to keep pace with the challenges and turbulent conditions associated with business needs and for the productivity paradox in the context of Chinese firms.Originality/valueThis country-specific research study theoretically contributes to the IT governance, dynamic capabilities and turbulent environment in the information systems literature and proposes many practical guides to the board and executive management of companies in the Chinese context.

Assessing the influence of technological innovations and community-based facilities management on the safety and security of universities. A case study of an open campus

PurposeSafety and security (S&S) are critical concerns in South Africa, especially in Cape Town, one of the country’s most crime-ridden cities. The University of Cape Town (UCT), situated on a large, open campus, has experienced increased malefaction. Facilities management (FM) services at universities bear the primary responsibility for providing S&S to their communities. To comprehensively understand and address the community’s demands regarding S&S, the current study was conducted to investigate the challenges specific to open universities. This study aims to determine whether implementing community-based FM (CbFM) principles and using technological innovations could offer a more effective and sustainable solution.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted interpretivist overarching case study methodology, which is ontologically based. A mixed-method approach was used to incorporate the strengths and limitations of the weaknesses of both methods. The data collection took the form of an online survey of the university community and semi-structured interviews with university executive management to obtain data from the single case study of UCT. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the quantitative data, and thematic analysis was used to identify emergent themes from the qualitative data.FindingsThe study presents an overall view of the provision of S&S at UCT, the unique challenges faced by management and the main S&S issues affecting the community. Moreover, the study reveals that UCT has implemented community participation processes in the past with limited success. This is because the strategies implemented constitute a narrow perspective of community participation. Therefore, a much smarter and more inclusive perspective using technological innovation is required for successful community participation to occur and to be successfully used in providing S&S toward achieving future-proofing facilities.Originality/valueThis research has demonstrated the influence of CbFM and innovative technologies on the S&S of the open campus. Hence, future-proof facilities can be achieved when FM actively engages university communities in managing campuses through technological innovation.

Exploring Cost Variability and Risk Management Optimization in Natural Disaster Prevention Projects

The purpose of this study is to analyze the causes of cost variation in natural disaster prevention projects (NDPPs) in Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea, and develop tailored cost and risk management strategies. Utilizing a binary logistic regression model, this research uniquely focuses on the Gyeongsangbuk-do region, gathering data from 244 stakeholders through an online survey. The study identifies critical variables influencing cost deviation, including project management risk (PMR), project costing and execution risk (PCER), project execution strategy risk (PESR), construction project risk (CPR), project cost and schedule risk (PCSR), project management challenges (PMCs), and construction project subcontractor and safety management (CPSSM). Significant findings revealed PMR (OR = 3.744, 95% C.I. [1.657, 8.457]), PCER (OR = 5.068, 95% C.I. [2.236, 11.484]), and PESR (OR = 3.447, 95% C.I. [1.853, 6.413]) as the primary causes of cost deviation, alongside the notable impacts of other factors such as CPSSM. The developed predictive model is instrumental for NDPP stakeholders in Gyeongsangbuk-do, providing advanced risk management capabilities and aiding in effective preventive measures. This study not only corroborates theoretical hypotheses from previous research but also offers new insights into cost deviation causes in NDPPs, thereby enhancing strategic decision-making and advancing risk management perspectives.