Headquarters Managers Research Articles

Co-creation of value in a cultural organizations’ ecosystem

From the perspective of Service Dominant Logic (Vargo and Lusch 2018), this research analyzes how co-creation of value develops in a Peruvian cultural ecosystem through analyzing its actor’s engagement, embeddedness, and value-in-context. The findings obtained aim to contribute to the dialogue between S-D logic and Arts Marketing, and to put light on the mechanisms that activate and restrict cultural participation in a service ecosystem. The research consists of a multiple case study which analyzes the Peruvian Puntos de Cultura Network (PPDCN) through 9 of its organizations. Participants include organizational leaders, users, and Network central headquarters’ managers. The instruments were an exploratory survey, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group. The analysis included codification, inter-rater reliability, ‘making-strange tool’ and a meta-matrix. Through the study of the co-creation of value in the PPDCN, findings revealed the following mechanisms for cultural participation: (1) Activation mechanisms: co-production between organizations and users; high leader engagement; cultural identity activities; educative, affective and entertainment-oriented activities. (2) Restriction mechanisms: different institutional logics at any level of interaction: organizations and Headquarters managers, organizations and socio-cultural environment, Headquarters managers and state actors; misalignment of platforms.

Development of a Model for the Professional Competence of Middle Managers in the Educational Administration Headquarters

Objective: This research aimed to develop a model for the professional competencies of middle managers in education, including general managers, their deputies, heads of centers, and their deputies. Methodology: The research method was qualitative and aimed at practical application. The research population included all academic experts in educational management, general managers, their deputies at the headquarters level of education, all related studies, research, and articles, as well as relevant documents and laws. A sample of 9 managers and 7 experts, 70 articles, books, or research, and 4 relevant documents and laws were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using a document review form for studies, research, articles, and regulations, as well as a semi-structured interview form. Data analysis was performed using thematic analysis and MAXQDA software. Findings: According to the findings of this research, the most important components of professional competence for middle managers in education include 10 main categories derived from 62 subcategories: Personal Skills, Interpersonal Skills, Work Competencies, Global Mindset, Aspiration for Excellence, General Managerial Ability, Professional/Advanced Management Skills, Resource Management, Specialized Knowledge, and Success Enabling. These categories were ultimately presented in the form of a model. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the model of professional competence for middle managers in the headquarters area of education is capable of examination and can be used by educational system planners.

Role of Justice Perception in Relationship Duration, Brand Equity, and Strategic Integration

ABSTRACT Purpose This study investigates the justice perception of buying group member retailers and examines whether it is an initiator of relationships and a constant driver of attitude through the lens of brand equity and relationship duration. Building upon the findings, this study offers practical implications for the managers of the buying group headquarters. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey of 241 key informants of retailers participating in eight different retail buying groups in Japan was conducted. We conducted confirmatory factor analysis to verify measurements, and structural equation modeling to test the hypotheses. Findings Distributive justice perception directly affected relationship duration and procedural justice perception had an indirect effect on relationship duration via brand equity. We also found the significant moderating effect of strategic integration. For the group with high strategic integration, distributive justice perception had a greater effect on brand equity, whereas, in the group with low strategic integration, brand equity was more affected by procedural justice perception. Furthermore, the roles of distributive justice perception and procedural justice perception were found to be complementary. Research Implications The study expands the perception of justice in an inter-organizational environment to a loosely connected channel structure while examining two endogenous variables of relationship performance (i.e. brand equity and relationship duration). This study also finds the moderating effect that justice perception has on relationship performance. By implementing strategic integration intention as a moderator, this study considers the strategic stance of member retailers in the research setting as well. Practical Implications The findings highlight that headquarter managers must understand the role of each sub-dimension of justice perception and balance their application. As the resources for building justice perception can be limited, it is important for managers to allocate resources based on prioritization. Originality This research is a pioneering study on the implementation of justice perception in the relationship between member retailers and buying groups. Additionally, it proposes and proves the conditions required for justice perception to induce a positive attitude on the part of member retailers.

The construction of a franchise entrepreneurship decision model: The example of convenience store chains in Taiwan

AbstractOpportunity identification, opportunity development, and evaluation studies are the main contents in the entrepreneurship literature, but there lacks in‐depth research on the decision‐making process of franchise entrepreneurship. Through case interviews and literature review, this paper presents the cases of four franchise entrepreneurs of convenience store chains in Taiwan as examples to develop a new model of a franchise entrepreneurship decision‐making process. In addition to the new model of this decision‐making process, the following key observations are made based on the case comparison analysis. (1) Franchise entrepreneurs with prior knowledge of relevant industries were all affected by prior knowledge in both industrial decision and organizational type (self‐employment/franchise/merger) decision. Franchise entrepreneurs without prior knowledge of related industries were influenced by social network in both industrial decision and organizational (self‐employment/franchise/merger) decision. (2) Franchise entrepreneurs with prior knowledge of related industries were influenced by prior knowledge and potential financial reward in brand decision. Franchise entrepreneurs without prior knowledge of related industries were influenced by social network and potential financial reward in brand decision. (3) Franchise entrepreneurs with prior knowledge of related industries were influenced by prior knowledge, potential financial reward, and financial resources of the franchise headquarters in the franchise type (franchising/commissioning) decision. Franchise entrepreneurs without prior knowledge of the relevant industry were influenced by the social network, potential financial reward, and financial resources of the franchise headquarters in the franchise type (franchise/authorized chain) decision. (4) Franchise entrepreneurs were influenced by potential financial reward and franchise headquarters management knowledge in the location decision of the start‐up process, regardless of having prior knowledge of the industry or not.

Decision Support System Proposal for Medical Evacuations in Military Operations

The area of military operations is a big challenge for medical support. A particularly important factor that allows medical services to react quickly in the case of mass casualties is the ability to rapidly evacuation of wounded soldiers from a battlefield. To meet this requirement, an effective medical evacuation system is essential. The paper presented the architecture of the electronically supported decision support system for medical evacuation during military operations. The system can also be used by other services such as police or fire service. The system meets the requirements for tactical combat casualty care procedures and is composed of following elements: measurement subsystem, data transmission subsystem and analysis and inference subsystem. The system, based on the continuous monitoring of selected soldiers’ vital signs and biomedical signals, automatically proposes a medical segregation of wounded soldiers (medical triage). The information on the triage was visualized using the Headquarters Management System for medical personnel (first responders, medical officers, medical evacuation groups) and for commanders, if required. All elements of the architecture were described in the paper.

Significance of the “Coordination Headquarters for Healthcare and Medical Support” in Japan; comparison with Emergency Medical Team Coordination Cell (EMTCC)

Introduction:The Japan Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) was established in 2005. Although it had become possible to gather medical teams at an early stage in the fields of health and welfare, there had still been a lack of personnel. In 2017, the Japanese government decided to establish the Health and Medical Coordination Headquarters when we had major disasters. Not only the medical team, but also the public health nurse and the welfare team gathered at this headquarter, and activities that integrated health, medical care, and welfare started from an early stage. On the other hand, WHO indicates to establish EMTCC within the Ministry of Health, in order to manage and coordinate EMT activities and aggregate data.Method:The Japanese Headquarters and the EMTCC were compared in terms of their functions and issues.Results:In Japanese headquarters, the director of the local public health center will be the director, and the secretariat for the headquarters will be run by supporters. Participants in the headquarter meeting include leaders of public institutions involved in health risk management. Furthermore, leaders of unions such as medical, dentist, pharmacists and nurses on the side of supporters, leaders of medical, healthcare, and welfare will participate. To establish EMTCC, WHO dispatches a coordinator, information manager, and data analyst.EMTCC collects medical information by using Minimum Data Set (MDS), which is similar to Japanese Surveillance in post extreme emergencies and disasters (J-SPEED). The most significant difference is that EMTCC does not deal with health and welfare issues.Conclusion:Regarding medical care, information is summarized in a similar way at headquarters. These facts indicate the Japanese headquarters management experience is applicable to EMTCC.

More effective solutions? Senior managers and non‐routine problem solving

AbstractResearch SummarySolving non‐routine problems—problems for which current organizational, recurrent action patterns do not offer a predetermined, effective solution—can be an important source of value creation. When these problems occur in subsidiaries of multinational corporations, senior headquarters managers can potentially help solve them. However, whether their involvement is beneficial rests upon the assumptions that they know which knowledge is appropriate and that their involvement does not negatively influence the problem solving process. We challenge these assumptions and theorize that the involvement of senior headquarters managers is negatively related to solution effectiveness, unless senior subsidiary managers are also involved, and especially if problems have an external locus (i.e., primarily relate to the firm's products and services). Our robust results are consistent with our theory.Managerial SummaryCompanies are often faced with new problems, which represent an opportunity for organizational improvements. But how different types of senior managers influence problem solving effectiveness has remained unclear. Studying problems occurring in foreign subsidiaries of multinational corporations, we find that the involvement of senior headquarters managers is negatively related to problem solving effectiveness. Two reasons explain this result: senior headquarters managers often lack necessary understanding of their subsidiaries' contexts; and their involvement diminishes active participation of subsidiary employees. The negative relationship is especially strong when problems relate to products and services (as opposed to internal processes). Furthermore, we find that senior subsidiary managers can mitigate the negative consequences related to senior headquarters managers' involvement.

Employment relationships of Chinese expatriates: A multi-foci perspective of psychological contract.

Research into expatriation has made a great contribution to the understanding of issues surrounding international human resource management. However, academic discussion around the subject of expatriate management remains Western-centred, neglecting the use of expatriate staffing in multinational corporations (MNCs) from Eastern countries. By adopting a multi-foci perspective of the psychological contract, the overall objective of this research is to explore the content of Chinese expatriates' psychological contracts. This paper draws on the findings of an organisational case study and is based on semi-structured interviews with 14 expatriates. The findings provide evidence that individuals have multiple simultaneous psychological contracts, each with a different focus. The contracts held by the Chinese expatriates in this sample contain predominately balanced contract beliefs, which contrast sharply to what the other authors find to be salient beliefs (e.g., transactional contract beliefs) for expatriates based on Western samples. Importantly, the most frequently listed exchange partners by the pre-departure expatriates were line managers and department managers in headquarters; individuals appreciate the respective role of each party in shaping their aspects of work conditions whilst acknowledging the simultaneous existence of such influences. This paper has implications for expatriate management in the following ways. First, managers are encouraged to appreciate the role of multiple parties in shaping expatriates' psychological contracts. This helps to enhance management's understanding on the motives and demands of those expatriates. Second, policies of support and contact would aid feelings of integration. Finally, more attention should be paid to planning expatriate career prospects.

Examining The Role of Innovation in Enhancing Technological Capability in Organizational Performance Using Structural Equation Modeling (Case Study: Agricultural Bank of Tehran)

Objective: The aim of this research was to investigate the impact of innovation on enhancing technological capability in organizational performance. Method: This study is practical in nature as its findings can be used by the Agricultural Bank of Tehran and is cross-sectional in terms of time. The research population consisted of headquarters managers and all senior branch managers of the Agricultural Bank of Tehran, totaling 32 headquarters managers and 460 deputy and senior branch managers, with a total of 115 branches. Therefore, the total number of senior managers is estimated to be 500. Accordingly, the sample size for this research is estimated to be about 217 individuals, based on Morgan's table. The sampling method used in this research was stratified random sampling. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire with 64 questions. The validity of the questionnaire was examined in terms of content validity and construct validity, and reliability was calculated using Cronbach's alpha. The conceptual model presented by the researcher was tested using structural equation modeling and the SMART-PLS software. Results: Results showed that external stimuli have a significant positive impact on internal stimuli, open innovation, and closed innovation. Internal stimuli have a significant positive impact on closed innovation but no impact on open innovation. Also, open innovation does not affect technological capabilities. Closed innovation has a significant positive impact on technological capabilities, and technological capabilities significantly positively affect technology adoption. Ultimately, it was found that the impact of technology adoption on organizational performance is significant and positive. Conclusion: The findings of this study provide valuable insights for managers and policymakers in the banking sector, particularly those looking to leverage innovation for technological advancement and superior organizational outcomes.

An Integrative Model of Sustainable Expatriation Management

Sustainable expatriation management is an important topic in cross-cultural research as it is pertaining to finding a ‘win-win’ managerial approach for improving multinational enterprises’ (MNEs) performance and expatriates’ satisfaction. Drawing upon the ability-motivation-opportunity framework, this study proposes ability-, motivation- and opportunity-attributes as a tripod of expatriate competence-enhancing practices (EC-Ps). Via a matched survey dataset from both 150 expatriates and their headquarters (HQs) managers, we examine the influences of adopting expatriate competence-enhancing practices on MNEs’ subsidiary performance and expatriate satisfaction. We also identify a sequential mediation mechanism of cross-cultural competence and subsidiary autonomy in-between the relationships. Important contributions for theory and practice are discussed.

Managing expatriates to achieve mutual benefits: An integrative model and analysis

Embracing a mutual-benefit perspective of expatriation management, this study argues that multinational enterprises (MNEs) seeking to build a sustainable expatriation management system should address the goals of both expatriates and organisations simultaneously. To realize such a system, we propose ability-, motivation- and opportunity-attributes as a tripod of expatriate competence-enhancing practices (EC-Ps). Via a matched survey dataset from 150 expatriates and their headquarters (HQs) managers, this study (1) investigates the effects of implementing EC-Ps on both subsidiary and employee outcomes, and (2) explores a sequential mediation mechanism of cross-cultural competence and subsidiary autonomy between the relationships. The implications of the findings for theory and practice are discussed.

Does brand equity matter in small retailers' horizontal strategic alliances?

Drawing on brand equity literature and transaction cost economics, this study investigates the impact of member-retailers' strategic behaviors on the retail buying group's brand equity and how such behaviors are associated with their financial performance in the context of horizontal strategic alliances. The hypotheses were tested using survey data collected from 241 small- and medium-sized supermarket retailers joining retail buying groups in Japan. The study offers evidence that relationship-specific investment directly improves the buying group's brand equity as well as strengthens the brand equity's positive effect on financial performance. Additionally, while contract-based passive opportunism weakens the positive effect of the buying group's brand equity, response-based passive opportunism directly depreciates such brand equity. Our results generate implications for headquarter managers to design and govern retail buying groups.

Headquarters Resource Allocation within Multinational Corporations: Antecedents, Consequences, and Related Methodological Issues

The allocation of HQ resources to entrepreneurial initiatives in subsidiaries is crucial to their realization. However, such allocation does not always follow rational decision making, and corporations potentially forego important opportunities while financing unpromising ones. I investigate biases of senior headquarters managers in the allocation of financial resources to subsidiary initiatives, as well as consequences of organizational and human resource allocation on the operational management practices of MNC subsidiaries. My doctoral research further entails important methodological findings regarding survey methods used in my dissertation and their implications for practitioners and academics relying on the insights published in the top IB journals.

When does the global mindset affect headquarters–subsidiary relationships?

Drawing on the dynamic managerial capabilities perspective, we examine the effects of the global mindset of subsidiary managers on headquarters–subsidiary relationships and the moderating effects of their cognitive flexibility, overseas study experience, and exchanges with headquarters managers on the relationship. The analysis of dyadic survey data collected from managers at the headquarters and subsidiaries of 312 Chinese multinational enterprises reveals that the subsidiary managers’ global mindset is positively associated with the quality of headquarters–subsidiary relationships. This association is stronger when the subsidiary managers exhibit higher cognitive personality flexibility and more overseas study experience but weaker when exchanges with the headquarters managers become more frequent.

The relationship between managers' ideal intelligence as a hybrid model and employees' organizational commitment: a case study in Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

High ideal hybrid intelligence of managers is among the factors that can improve employees’ organizational commitment. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the relationship between managers’ ideal hybrid intelligence and employees’ organizational commitment in the Vice Chancellors’ Headquarters of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. This was a descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study conducted in 2017 - 2018. The research sample size consisted of 86 senior and middle-level managers selected through census method, as well as 181 employees, selected using the Kerjecie and Morgan table. The research tool was an ideal hybrid intelligence questionnaire consisting of 102 questions on cultural, moral and spiritual intelligence, and also Meyer and Allens’ organizational commitment questionnaire including 24 questions. Face validity and reliability of each questionnaire were confirmed by an expert panel and Chronbach’s alpha method. The data were analyzed by SPSS software, and descriptive results were shown through mean and standard deviation, and analytical results by inferential tests. The results showed that the ideal hybrid intelligence of the Vice Chancellors’ Headquarters managers and employees’ organizational commitment were at a desirable level. Also, there was a significant correlation between cultural, moral and spiritual intelligence as constituents of the ideal hybrid intelligence of managers and employees’ organizational commitment. We found that ideal hybrid intelligence may affect employees’ organizational commitment, but it should be mentioned that other forms of intelligence may also affect organizational commitment.

Rapid Assessment of COVID-19 Screening Program for Travelers in Iran: A Qualitative Study.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) screening stations set up by Iranian Red Crescent Society have been available for 17 d with the aim of identifying and treating people with coronavirus, reducing road trips, and sensitizing people to the problem. This study aims to investigate the challenges of the procedure. A qualitative study was used to find the challenges of the COVID-19 screening centers. Volunteers, branch managers, and headquarter managers of the Iranian Red Crescent Society participated in this study applying snowball sampling. Data were collected by means of in-depth semi-structured telephone interviews in April 2020 after completion of the fever screening plan. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, always with prior permission of interviewees. The interviews with 20 participants in the plan indicated 6 relevant challenges, including logistics, lack of planning, lack of coordination, legal challenges, mental health, and ethical challenges. The results indicated that, although establishing fever detection centers in Iran was a rapid response to COVID-19, it had significant flaws in the structure and adversely affected volunteers' and staff's health and financial resources. Therefore, well-structured protocols are required for similar responses in the future.

Sales to centre stage! Determinants of the division in strategic sales decisions within the MNE

Extant international business (IB) literature on Headquarter (HQ)-subsidiary relationships has established that where decision-making occurs, it influences a firm’s performance. Existing studies propose that the degree of autonomy in decision-making at subsidiary level is not the same for all value chain activities, paying more attention to upstream activities. This paper contributes by exploring decision-making autonomy in downstream strategic sales activities. Sales has rarely been centre stage in IB investigations and we therefore lack thorough understanding of its role and importance within the MNE decision-making processes. Conducting a mixed methods exploratory study in the fast-moving consumer goods sector in Germany, we test for antecedents and outcomes of subsidiaries’ strategic sales decision-making autonomy. Results confirm external and internal embeddedness as antecedents, and the dominant role played by the local context, but provide insights into potential risks of internal embeddedness. Results challenge existing theory inasmuch as subsidiary importance is not a significant driver. A critical implication of this finding is that, compared to upstream activities, the HQ may not have the option of mandating a subsidiary to transfer sales strategy skills and knowledge across the network. Our results show that, in an era of globalisation of sales, and internationalisation of retailers, HQ managers must pay heed to directly interacting with subsidiaries and to sharing strategic sales decision-making across the network to consolidate the MNE’s global sales strategy.

Biases in Financial Resource Allocation to Subsidiary Projects: The Role of Psychic Distance

This paper investigates biases of senior managers in the financial resource allocation process. In particular, we analyze the role that perceived psychic distance plays in headquarters (HQ) managers’ decisions to fund entrepreneurial initiatives stemming from their subsidiaries. We used an experimental vignette approach with 109 managers from 35 countries. We find that psychic distance to a subsidiary country is negatively related to resource allocation of HQ managers only when proposals were submitted by expatriates. A potential explanation is that expatriates are perceived to lack relevant contextual knowledge for such initiatives to be valuable. This result is particularly striking because the payoff functions of our experimental design were clearly not dependent on these characteristics. We contribute to the literature on psychic distance, biases and resource allocation within multinational corporations (MNCs).

The evolution of MNCs' R&D foreign units: the case of Swedish MNCs in India

PurposeThe article aims to explain how the drivers of subsidiary evolution influence a multinational company's (MNC) research and development (R&D) subsidiary's evolution over time.Design/methodology/approachThe article draws on insights from a longitudinal comparative case study of three Swedish MNCs' Indian R&D units.FindingsThe study shows that the evolution of R&D units is a triangular showdown among headquarter assignments, local market constraints, and opportunities, and that subsidiary choice is an important driver of both mandated extension and stagnation. We summarize our findings in various propositions that emphasize different drivers over time and that highlight the strong impact of a subsidiary's understanding of the corporate immune system on the evolution of that subsidiary's R&D mandate.Research limitations/implicationsDrawing on the common limitations of a case study approach, further research is needed to test the suggested propositions with larger samples, ideally with subsidiaries in other emerging and developed markets.Practical implicationsThe study illustrates the risks involved for subsidiary managers when pushing an R&D mandate-related initiative too far and provoking the corporate immune system. For headquarters management, the study highlights the importance of understanding that the development of R&D competence and capability at a subsidiary cannot be guided solely by headquarter assignments and local market characteristics; rather, the subsidiary's initiatives also need to be considered.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the literature on R&D internationalization by showing how the drivers of subsidiary evolution influence a subsidiary's R&D mandates over time and that subsidiary choice is an important driver of both mandated extension and stagnation.

Holding On While Letting Go: Neocolonialism as Organizational Identity Work in a Multinational Corporation

This paper develops the idea of neocolonialism as organizational identity work in multinational corporations (MNCs). We argue that neocolonialism – the ethos and practice of colonialism and western superiority in contemporary society – is a means through which identity is worked on at MNC headquarters (HQ). In contrast to extant neocolonial studies of western MNCs, which focus on the subsidiaries (the colonized) and how their identities are shaped by the HQ (the colonizer), we analyse how the HQ is shaped by the subsidiaries. We elucidate two versions of neocolonialism at play: a traditional neocolonial ethos, which prevails at HQ, and a more contemporary version, which is silenced. Our findings show that nurturing a shared and enduring organizational identity across all units of an MNC is a quixotic task. Nevertheless, HQ managers in western MNCs keep attempting to do this, suggesting that neocolonial ethos and practice continue to be relevant in these organizations.