Goal For Firms Research Articles

Regional Climate Risk and Corporate Social Responsibility: Evidence from China

ABSTRACT Although firms suffer from regional climate risk in their production and operation, they are still highly expected by the public to play a leading role in addressing regional climate risk. In this paper, we study how regional climate risk affects corporate social responsibility (CSR). By constructing regional climate risk indicators and employing the OLS method to conduct empirical analyses, we find that regional climate risk can significantly promote CSR. Furthermore, regional climate risk can suppress firm’s cash flow, thereby exerting internal pressure on firms to assume CSR. Meanwhile, regional climate risk can raise higher public expectations for firms, imposing external pressure on them to assume CSR. We suggest that external pressure from the public plays a dominant role in CSR decision-making. Besides, we confirm that CSR can achieve a win-win goal for both firms and the public by mitigating the damage of regional climate risk on the firm’s long-term performance. We provide a new perspective for studying firm’s motivation to assume CSR under the influence of regional climate risk.

Strategic Upward Striving Toward $100 Million Revenue: Setting Goals to Attract External Attention

We provide evidence that in certain contexts, firms set upward-striving goals and that this upward striving yields significant performance and visibility benefits. We develop a model of variable attention in which, as firms’ performance levels approach cognitively salient round numbers, managers strategically shift their focus from easier-to-reach goals based on historical and social reference points to more challenging goals that provide external visibility and capital market benefits. As one specific yet important instance of an upward shift in attention, we document a significant increase in revenue growth rates as firms’ annual revenue approaches $100 million. Firms achieving this goal obtain discontinuous increases in analyst and media coverage, investment by new institutional investors, and executive compensation. We find no evidence of decreased investment efficiency or profitability, suggesting that managers typically build slack into their goal levels. Our theory extends to goals based on other salient round numbers, such as revenue of $10 million, $500 million, and $1 billion. This study recasts behavioral theory of firm research in an open systems perspective, highlighting the externally directed aspects of firm goal setting. Supplemental Material: The online appendices are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2021.15148 .

Understanding the dynamics of global supply chain sustainability initiatives: The role of institutional distance from the buyer's perspective

Research points to sustainable supply chain management as a core strategic goal for most global firms. However, managers continue to struggle with implementing successful sustainability initiatives both internally and throughout their globally dispersed supply chains. Using grounded theory, our findings uncover a potential explanation for how firms manage sustainability initiatives in the context of global supply chain management, from a buyer's perspective. Institutional theory of the firm is applied to help explain the challenges of developing and implementing global supply chain sustainability-related initiatives within buyer-supplier relationships. Analysis of the data from qualitative interviews show that institutional distance is an influential factor that produces mixed effects on the global buyer-supplier relationships in our sample in the context of buyer and supplier strategic orientation toward sustainability. The findings can help guide managers when approaching sustainability-related initiatives in the context of global supply chains. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed as well as areas for future research.

How does your garden grow? The interface of employee and sales growth post IPO

AbstractResearch SummaryFirms often succumb to a growth imperative, yet little is known about how congruence between various forms of growth affects firm value. We argue that the (in)congruence between net hiring rates (e.g., growth in the number of employees) and sales growth has significant implications for firm value, assessed via Tobin's Q. We further contend that R&D expenditures and industry dynamism—factors that influence a firm's ability to realize value creation—moderate the relationship between growth pattern and firm value. We use a sample of 1,181 firms that conducted their initial public offerings from 1996 to 2006 to test our conceptual model. Findings indicate that employee‐dominant growth is most strongly associated with firm value, and that high levels of R&D expenditures and industry dynamism intensify these relationships.Managerial SummaryGrowth is a goal and challenge for many firms, and navigating the various demands of growth represents a particularly promising opportunity for firms that recently went public. We study how firms can manage the growth process in a way that enhances firm value. Using a sample of 1,181 firms that conducted their initial public offerings from 1996 to 2006, we explore the interplay of employee and sales growth rates on value creation. We find that an employee‐dominant growth pattern was more strongly related to firm value than the other patterns. Our findings also suggest that managers, especially those in firms that invest in R&D and operating in dynamic industries, should avoid a strong focus on sales growth without also ensuring growth in employees.

Editorial introductions.

Editorial introductions.

Historical and social aspirations: influence of SME key decision makers’ resilience, social skills and stress on attaining firm performance goals

PurposeThis paper examines how some specific psychological characteristics and stress levels of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) key decision-makers (founders/managers) (KDMs) influence firm goal attainment based on two firm aspiration types.Design/methodology/approachThis study hypothesizes that perceived resilience, social skills (self-promotion, ingratiation, expressiveness, social adaptability), and stress of SME KDMs will differently influence firm performance goal achievement based on firm historical versus social aspirations. IBM AMOS v27 is used to test these hypotheses on survey data of 267 Australian SME KDMs.FindingsThe study reveals that KDMs’ perceived resilience, social skills and stress differentially impact the achievement of firm performance goals when selecting firm-level historical and social aspirations. Resilience and some specific social skills can even have a detrimental effect on achieving firm goals when applying historical and social aspirations. Historical aspirations are based on the firm’s performance history, while social aspirations are based on the performance of a reference group of competitor firms. The differences in the relationship between these characteristics and the two aspiration types are also explained. Furthermore, the study reveals the important role of perceived stress levels in achieving firm performance goals, using both aspiration types.Originality/valueThis study is the first to investigate how the perceived use of some specific psychological characteristics of SME KDMs influence the ability to meet firm performance goals based on the discretionary use of historical and social aspirations and the relationship between these aspiration types. In this context, the paper explains the reasons for the differences and similarities in their use. Thus, this study provides an important empirical contribution to research on the emergent domain of micro-foundational SME goals.

Performance feedback on sales growth goal and OFDI location choices for firms in emerging economies

This study explores the influence of performance feedback relative to sales growth on emerging economy firms’ (EEFs) outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) in developed and developing economies. It takes a global value chain perspective to examine whether performance feedback motivates EEFs’ location choice for OFDI. Using listed Chinese firms’ data, we find negative performance feedback relative to sales growth motivates EEFs to increase OFDI in developing economies but reduce it in developed economies. However, positive feedback relative to sales growth reduces it in both developed and developing economies. We contribute to OFDI location choice literature by including a behavioral perspective.

An Analysis Model of Psychological Resilience of Outstanding Poor College Students Based on Network Big Data and Mobile Computing

In recent years, the research on college students’ group resilience has come into the attention of the researchers, and many researchers have shown great interest in this issue. The development of college students’ psychological management system has become an important means for college students to monitor and prevent psychological crisis. The university student management database has accumulated a lot of data, but the data processing work is just simple statistics, storage, and query. Exploring the structure and development law of mental resilience of outstanding poor college students is of reference significance to the emotional education and spiritual growth of teenagers. When coping with setbacks, the outstanding poor college students have an elastic quality in mind, a firm goal in ideals and beliefs, good at thinking and summarizing cognitively, perseverance in will, self-confidence and indomitable personality, outstanding ability, and thinking about people’s interests in dealing with others; psychological protective factors include family, school, and social support. This paper analyzes the big data algorithm and the method of psychological elasticity construction using mobile computing technology and comes to the conclusion that under the background of big data, psychological elasticity construction plays a role in excellent poor college students. This paper studies the current situation of college students’ psychological elasticity, interpersonal trust, and subjective well-being and the relationship between them, discusses the interaction between them, and hopes to make a reasonable explanation for these problems, so as to provide effective help for college students’ mental health and future development.

A Study on Temporal Effects of Different Types of Mobile Application Updates

The sustainability of market performance of mobile applications (apps) updates is a vital goal for e-commerce firms to continuously innovate for products and functions. E-commerce firms must formulate effective app update strategies and tackle the temporal uncertainties associated with different types of app updates. However, the existing literature on app updates mainly focuses on the effects of update frequency. At the same time, scant attention has been paid to clarifying the temporal effects of different types of app updates. Accordingly, based on the framework of exploration vs. exploitation, we investigate the temporal effects of different kinds of app updates on market performance in the hypercompetitive context of online travel mobile applications. We collected data on release notes and downloads of seven Chinese online travel apps available from the Android Market from April 2013 to January 2015; conducted structured content analysis to identify different types of app updates; and adopted the feasible generalized least-squares (FGLS) estimation to test our model. We found that exploitative app updates have an instant and continuous positive impact on market performance, while explorative app updates have no significant effect in the short term but will have a positive effect on market performance in the long term. Moreover, competition intensity shortens the duration of the positive effect of exploitative app updates and delays the time that explorative app updates have to take effect. By studying the different impacts that two types of app updates have on market performance from a time dimension, this study helps resolve the mixed findings on the effects of app updates and guides e-commerce firms on how to effectively formulate app update strategies in a hypercompetitive context.

Lessons of the Cold War

Lessons of the Cold War

A systematic review of innovation in family firms and future research agenda

PurposeIn this paper, the authors have used a systematic literature review methodology of 147 journal articles published in peer-reviewed journals. The analysis includes studies based on country of origin, the periodic proliferation of studies and the methodological design of the studies. As an outcome of the review, the studies are classified on the innovation in family firms under four broad categories – innovation input, family governance mechanisms, innovation output and the external environment. Some fruitful avenues of research are outlined in this domain.Design/methodology/approachThe literature on innovation in family firms – the most dominant and ubiquitous form of organization across the world – is gaining pace. The influence of family by way controlling ownership, management and governance on, and in interaction with business acts as a complex proposition that shapes the strategic decision-making in the family firm including innovation. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to advance the understanding of innovation in family firms and provide a list of future research questions of theoretical and practical value.FindingsBased on this review, the authors provide future research directions pertaining to innovation in emerging economy family firms, effect of the institutional environment of family firm innovation as well family firms' innovativeness in the wake of pro-market reforms, different classes of ownership in family firms and innovation, family firm goal heterogeneity and innovation, and family firm dynamic capabilities and innovation.Originality/valueThe review provides a comprehensive understanding, trends and future research directions in the domain of innovation in family firms.

Multi-level feature fusion for fruit bearing branch keypoint detection

Automated orchard operation has been a firm goal of fruit farmers for a long time. Deep learning-based approaches have been widely used to improve the performance of fruit detection, branch pruning, production estimating and other agricultural operations. This paper proposes a novel method to detect keypoint on the branch, which enables branch pruning during fruit picking. Specifically, a top-down framework for bearing branch keypoint detection is developed. First, a candidate area is generated according to the fruit-growing position and the fruit stem keypoint detection, which provides an attention region for further keypoint detection. Second, a multi-level feature fusion network which combines features in the same spatial sizes (intra-level) and from different spatial sizes (inter-level) is proposed to detect keypoint within the candidate area. The network can learn the spatial and semantic information and model the relationship among bearing branch keypoints. In addition, this paper constructs a citrus bearing branch dataset, which contributes to comprehensively evaluating the proposed method. Evaluation metrics on the dataset indicate the proposed method reaches an AP of 77.4% and an accuracy score of 84.7% with smaller model size and lower computing power consumption, which significantly outperforms several state-of-the-art keypoint detection methods. This study provides the possibility and foundation for performing automatic branch pruning during fruit harvesting.

Hospitality business models, customer well-being and trust: the mediating role of competitive service advantage

Purpose This study aims to examine how hospitality consumers of different generations appraise competitive service advantage (CSA) of service providers, based on providers’ business models and value propositions, particularly, how these perceptions influence consumers’ purchase intention, subjective well-being and trust in service provider. Design/methodology/approach This study used a 3 × 4 between-within online scenario-based experimental design (business models: traditional, collaborative, shared; value propositions: innovation, marketing, service production, recovery) using equal and randomized assignment to experimental conditions. Following equal quota-based randomized sampling, three generations were examined (n = 180): baby boomers, Generation Xers and millennials. Multivariate analysis of variance and PROCESS macro were used to analyze the data. Findings Hospitality consumers perceived value propositions from providers with different business models inversely based on their perceptions of firms’ CSA, subjective well-being and trust. CSA amplified the outcomes and served a mediating role for purchase intention, subjective well-being and trust. Different outcomes were based on generational cohorts. Practical implications Customer perceptions of firm’s unique competitive position should be managed holistically by combining business models, value propositions and generational cohorts to ensure customers’ purchase intention, trust and subjective well-being. CSA should be communicated to customers differently based on generational membership. Originality/value This study deepens knowledge of CSA, specifically from the consumer level of analysis. The key contribution is the role of CSA as a mediator for hospitality business models and customer-related outcomes of purchase intention, subjective well-being and trust. This study brings forward consumer subjective well-being as a potential goal for hospitality firms.

Data visualization for Industry 4.0: A stepping-stone toward a digital future, bridging the gap between academia and industry

Here, we analyze the potential of advanced data-visualization dashboards as an enabling technology for Industry 4.0. High-dimensional, real-time visualization allows the graphical expression of complex process variables at a fraction of the cost of full-scale digitalization. It is therefore a more achievable goal for smaller firms looking to transition to digital manufacturing and poses a realistic stepping-stone approach for Industry 4.0.

Desegregation GIS with rainfall-runoff modeling of turning point: An concluded view

Precipitation, flow and the grease condition table of contents, are extraordinary touching the well nonexistence of multifariousness curiously in the natural forest earth science area. This business firm goal to account the implementation of Earth science Aggregation System of rules (GIS) in the models. The scientific subject area activity of duodecimal creating from raw materials device with GIS prominent de-escalate the notification and internecine internal representation of the tremendous amount product from numeric models. Rain -overspill models are attribute investigating instrument which proposition elaborated signal.

Influence of eWOM information on consumers’ behavioral intentions in mobile social networks

PurposeToday, consumers play an active role in creating, generating and distributing the electronic word of mouth (eWOM) independent of marketers. Customer acquisition through referrals and word of mouth (WOM) has thus become an important goal for firms. In addition, mobile social networks have created valuable opportunities for eWOM. People are now able to discuss products and services of brands with their friends and acquaintances. The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of eWOM information on consumers’ behavioral intentions in mobile social networks.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed the information adoption model (IAM), theory of reasoned action and social exchange theory to investigate the influence of eWOM information on consumers’ behavioral intentions in mobile social networks. The study used 394 respondents to evaluate the proposed model using SmartPLS software.FindingsResults show that the quality and credibility of eWOM information has a positive direct effect on perceived information usefulness. Attitude toward eWOM information mediates the influence of perceived information usefulness on information adoption. Also, attitude toward eWOM information has a significant positive influence on behavioral intentions, such as purchase intention and forwarding of eWOM information. However, information adoption does not have any significant relationship with the forwarding of eWOM information.Research limitations/implicationsThis study seeks to address the dearth of research in the field of mobile social networks, especially regarding eWOM information. The study proposes a new model and empirically validates the hypothesized relationships. This research can serve as a stepping-stone for future research in this field.Practical implicationsThis research is one of the first studies focusing on the influence of eWOM information, especially in mobile social networks. The research offers comprehensive and empirically validated factors pertaining to eWOM information in mobile social networks. The results of this study may be useful also for practitioners and managers of online companies.Originality/valueA new eWOM IAM in mobile social networks is proposed based on information characteristics and consumer behavior. The model is validated afterward.

Innovation for and from emerging countries: a closer look at the antecedents of trickle-down and reverse innovation

International new product launch speed is a crucial goal for firms, as it has major implications for their performance. The authors examine whether and how (1) the price and number of attributes of a new product, (2) the number of developed (emerging) countries in which it has been launched, and (3) the nature of the firm that originally launched it (i.e., multinational versus not) affect the new product’s speed of launch from developed countries to emerging ones (i.e., trickle-down) or vice versa (i.e., reverse innovation). In order to test the hypotheses, the authors use data on new product launches in the global packaged food industry in 2001–2014. The results indicate that a lower price accelerates trickle-down, while a higher price and more attributes accelerate reverse innovation. Further, having been launched in more countries and having been launched by a multinational firm both accelerate trickle-down and reverse innovation.

Decolonizing Community Psychology by Supporting Indigenous Knowledge, Projects, and Students: Lessons from Aotearoa New Zealand and Canada.

Community psychology has long stood as a social justice agitator that encouraged reformation both within and outside of the academy, while keeping a firm goal of building greater well-being for people in communities. However, community psychology's historically Euro-centric orientation and applied, interventionist focus may inadvertently promote colonial agendas. In this paper, we focus on the example of Indigenous Pacific peoples, drawing upon experience working among Indigenous iTaukei Fijian communities and with Indigenous frameworks for promoting student success in Aotearoa New Zealand and Canada. We outline how community psychology curricula can strive toward decolonization by (a) teaching students to respectfully navigate complexities of Indigenous knowledge and traditions that contest colonial ways of being and doing, (b) act as facilitators who build toward collaborative community projects and model this research practice to students, and (c) boost Indigenous student success by fostering relationships with instructors and fellow students that are embedded within the relational model of self that is often absent in individualistic-oriented Western academic settings.

Reflections on family firm goals and the assessment of performance

Assessments of family firm effectiveness depend critically on how goals and performance outputs are measured. Similarly, assessments of family firm efficiency depend critically on how performance outputs and resource inputs are measured. We illustrate this by showing that the assessment of performance is affected by how different family firm goal systems are specified. Gaining a better understanding of these fundamental concepts gives family business scholars the rare opportunity to set the rules of the game about how the performance of family firms, and other organizations that pursue the non-financial goals of a dominant stakeholder, should be assessed.

EARNINGS FRAUD AND FINANCIAL STABILITY

Earnings can be the goal for firms which desire to commit financial fraud. This study is propounded to show fraudulent earnings reporting and its relationship with the company’s financial stability. The samples used in this study are manufacturing firms listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange during the period of 2010-2013. The data consisting of financial statements are processed using descriptive statistics, and the hypotheses are tested using logistic regression. The results of this study reveal that 22 financial statements are indicated earnings fraud. Of all the financial statements, 68 percent suffers from financial distress. This study shows that the firms with the improved financial stability tend to restrain themselves from committing earnings fraud. This study also finds that the firms which experience financial distress have a greater incentive to commit the fraud.