Industrial Organization Research Articles

Investigating the relationship between organizational mindset orientation and project performance of large organizations in the Ghanaian construction industry

ABSTRACT This study investigates the linkage between organizational mind-set and its effect on construction project performance by examining the underlying attributes that define organizational mind-set, predominant indicators for measuring project performance and the relationship between organizational mind-set and project performance. A quantitative research strategy embedded within a positivist paradigm and deductive reasoning was adopted. An online survey was used to collect data from 128 construction organizations in Ghana, with a total of 107 retrieved. Data was analyzed using mean score ranking, one sample t-test and correlation analysis. Findings revealed that, of the 20 assessed organizational growth mind-set attributes, only 10 were implemented within organizations. Conversely, of the 20 assessed fixed mind-set attributes, none were deemed significant. The findings also revealed significant positive relationships between: project performance and seven of the 20 growth attributes; and project performance and five of the 20 fixed attributes. These findings shed light on the significance of often overlooked factors like organizational mind-set that can propel positive project outcomes. The study recommends construction firms prioritize both growth and fixed organizational mind-set perspectives to ensure positive project outcomes. Training of employees to tune their minds toward a growth organizational mind-set is critical to ensure projects are executed seamlessly.

Methodological Approaches to Managing Long-Term Development of Organization

The article studies methodological approaches to management of the long-term development of organization proposed by the author. They are based on results of earlier investigation of regularities in changing production structure of overseas and Russian organizations of different economy sectors and the model of production structure development elaborated on their basis. A key distinguishing feature of these methodological approaches to management of the long-term development of organizations is choosing two principle types of organization production structures and the use of statistical models to identify moments of organizational transformation, i. e. altering the type of production structure as the organization grows and develops. The author puts forward a new set of tools to manage long-term development of organizations, including a model of developing production structure for organizations of respective industry, a statistical model of organization efficiency growth in the process of development and methodology of statistical forecast for the limit of organization attainable growth. The use of these tools could provide an opportunity for company top-management to conduct efficient management of organization in the log-term period due to finding regularities in organizational transformation and statistical forecasting moments of their arising.

Effect of Spatial Arrangement on Grain and Fruit Yield of Component Crops in Maize/Okra Intercrop in Kilifi County, Kenya

Maize production in Kilifi County, Kenya has been on the decline due to limitations of poor soils, unpredictable rainfall and its cultivation in small parcels of land. Okra is one of the high value crops intercropped with maize in the County. The area under okra cultivation has been on the rise due to increased demand, good export market, nutritional and medicinal value. Intercropping has considerable benefits of maximizing productivity. In Kilifi County, intercropping maize and okra is done in various mixtures, with inconsistence in plant density. Field studies were undertaken in two seasons: short rains (October 2020 - January 2021) and long rains (April - July 2021), at Industrial Crops Research Institute (ICRI) farm, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) - Mtwapa in Kilifi, Kenya. The objective was to evaluate the effect of spatial arrangement on grain and fruit yield of maize and okra respectively in maize/okra intercropping system. There were four treatments consisting of sole maize, sole okra, maize/okra intercrop in alternating rows of 1:2, and maize/okra intercrop in 2:2 spatial arrangement, replicated three times in a randomized complete block design (RCBD). Maize yield data measured included: number of cobs per plant, cob diameter, cob length, cob weight, number of grains per cob, 1000 grain weight, and total grain yield. Okra yield parameters included number of fruits per plant, fruit diameter, fruit weight, fruit length and fruit yield (t/ha). Results showed that the number of okra fruits per plant, fruit weight and fruit length were significantly affected (P ≤ 0.05) by spatial arrangement. However, spatial arrangement did not significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affect the number of cobs per plant, cob length, cob diameter, cob weight, number of grains per cob, 1000 grain weight and total maize grain yield. Moreover, okra fruit diameter, and total okra yield were not significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affected by spatial arrangement. This study recommends that farmers in Kilifi County can combine maize and okra as intercrop in the ratio 1:2 and 2:2. Intercropping maize and okra can enable them get their staple food of maize, and have okra vegetable to meet their dietary requirements, and increase land utilization.

Under the spotlight: contextualizing the firm vs. industry debate through the introduction of neighborhood effects

Abstract The relative importance of firm and industry effects, contrasting resource-based and industrial organization theories, is often discussed in the strategy and international business literature. Several studies indicate that firm effects (i.e., variability in firm-specific internal resources) are the primary drivers of competitive differences between firms. Leveraging insights from several theoretical lenses such as location economics, relational strategy, and institutional theory, we argue that considering the micro-geographic locations (neighborhoods) of firms challenges two implicit but potentially unrealistic assumptions in the firm vs. industry effects academic debate: That (a) firm boundaries are clearly defined, and (b) industry effects are spatially homogenous. We argue that including a neighborhood and neighborhood-industry interaction effect is thus more appropriate to contextualize the classic firm vs. industry debate. We demonstrate that firm effects are much smaller than previously identified (e.g., dropping from 43.9 to 11.5%). Our results thus challenge conventional wisdom and established empirical findings, while adding nuance to the fundamental debate regarding the locus of competitive advantage of firms.

Parents’ Value of their Children Learning about Agriculture in School

It is commonly held that parents have a profound impact on child development. Decades of research investigated the ways parents, the community, and school staff interact to foster student learning during kindergarten through twelfth grade education. Agriculture provides for daily needs through the growth, harvest, and processing of food, fiber, fuel, and forestry products. This research sought to understand the level of importance parents place on their children learning about agriculture in school. A 26-question survey was distributed to a nationally representative sample of parents having at least one child in K-12 education within the United States. Results of this study indicate parents found it important, even very important, for students to learn about many agricultural topics in school. Factors historically associated with parent perceptions and support of student learning proved to not significantly impact this indicated level of importance. Therefore, further research is needed to understand what impacts parents’ value of their students learning about agricultural topics in school. The conclusions of this study are of primary importance to entities conducting agricultural education outreach such as Agriculture in the Classroom programs, Extension, Career and Technical Education, agricultural industry organizations, and others interested in agricultural literacy.

‘They Only Get the Feed That Grows on Our Farm’: A Survey Experiment on Government-Subsidized Greenwashing of Swiss Meat and Agricultural Policy

Increased consumer concern about environmental issues has led to a surge in green advertising, including misleading forms known as greenwashing. Definitions of greenwashing have mostly focused on companies misleading consumers about products, and existing empirical analyses of greenwashing effects have mostly used fabricated ad materials referring to fictitious products. The objective of the present paper is to use ad material from an actual ad campaign to examine joint greenwashing, by an industry organization and a national government, of consumer products and public policies. Using an actual government-subsidized video commercial for ‘Swiss meat’ as an example, the present paper examines greenwashing targeting both consumers and citizens to influence their product choices and policy opinions. Based on an online survey of an age- and gender-representative sample (n = 637), we measured aspects of consumer knowledge that would enable the consumers to put the ad’s message in perspective, perceptions of the ad, and beliefs about Swiss meat production. Furthermore, we used a two-factorial experimental design to examine how the video commercial and objective product information affected policy opinions relative to control treatments. We find that the consumers strongly overestimated the true percentage of Swiss farms that used the environmentally friendly feeding system featured in the ad. Regarding perceptions, 52% of the respondents ‘rather’ or ‘fully’ agreed with the statement ‘the ad conveys a realistic image of Swiss meat production’, and 41% ‘rather’ or ‘fully’ agreed with the statement ‘the ad shows the production of Swiss beef as it is’. Regarding beliefs, 51% of the respondents ‘partly’, ‘rather’, or ‘fully’ agreed that ‘more meat production in Switzerland is good for the environment’. The video commercial did not influence beliefs about Swiss meat but changed policy opinions in the favor of government subsidies for the advertisement of Swiss meat. The information treatment influenced policy opinions in the opposite direction but did not decrease the effect of the misleading ad. Other significant predictors of support for increased meat subsidies included frequent meat consumption, low factual knowledge, and positive product beliefs. The results of the survey indicate that the ad campaign may have unduly influenced perceptions of Swiss meat production and public opinion about agricultural policy. The findings raise concerns about the current self-regulation of the communication industry and joint private and public advertising of Swiss agricultural products and policies.

Silver coin chemical composition two-parameter control system: measuring instruments selection for mass fraction of components

The article considers general requirements for quality control of precious metal products. It presents an algorithm for developing a quality control system for silver coins and features of its application in monitoring the chemical composition of coins with a silver content of 79.7% to 92.8% (the balance is copper). An algorithm has been developed for making decisions based on the two-parameter control results, including mathematical models for calculating the indicators of control reliability (the probability of types I and II errors). The calculation of the errors in measuring mass fractions of silver and copper (standard deviation) was performed with the required reliability (the probability of type I errors is 0.10). The article describes the dependence of the probability of type I errors on the error (standard deviation) of mass fraction of alloy components in silver coins measurement result, which can be used to justify the requirements for the indicators of measurement accuracy. Based on the criteria “Analyzed elements”, “Measurement range”, “Error”, X-ray fl uorescence spectrometers were proposed for use in the control system. The described algorithm for developing a controlsystem and its implementation in monitoring the chemical composition of silver coins will be useful to employees involved in precious metals and jewelry in specialized institutes and organizations in the manufacturing industry, banks, jewelry stores, pawnshops.

Organizational Development and Corporate Law Excellence: A Perspective of Human Resource Development and Behavioral Training

The research paper sought to throw light on the significance of organizational development as an approach to achieve corporate excellence. Besides, organizational learning, behavioral training and human resource development (HRD) have been viewed as the determinants of organizational development. Regarding the interventions in organizational development, training is an effective source which is practically used in many world corporations. In Pakistan’s corporate industry law excellence and organizations development depend on employees’ recruitment and training which can improve human resource development and behavioral training. In conclusion, optimal development of the organization can be possible through corporate law excellence, and it can improve employee’s performance with the help of behavioral training and development as well.

"Small Data": Inference with Occasionally Observed States

We study the estimation of dynamic economic models for which some of the state variables are observed only occasionally by the econometrician—a common problem in many fields, ranging from industrial organization to marketing to finance. If such occasional state observations are serially correlated, the likelihood function of the model becomes a potentially high-dimensional integral over a nonstandard domain. We propose a method that generalizes the recursive likelihood function integration procedure (RLI; Reich, 2018) to numerically approximate this integral, and demonstrate its statistical efficiency in several well-understood examples from finance and industrial organization. In extensive Monte Carlo studies, we compare the performance of our approach to a recently suggested method of simulated moments. In all our demonstrations, we consistently and efficiently identify all model parameters, and we find that the additional variance of our estimator when going from full to occasional state observations is small for the parameters of interest.

The role of corporate parenting strategy: Managing complexity and fostering performance in the multi-business unit

This literature review explores the integrated propulsion strategy, a comprehensive corporate parenting model that reconciles industrial organization (IO) theory, resource-based view (RBV), and dynamic capabilities (DCs) in strategic management. The framework, encapsulated through positioning, picking, and propulsion, seamlessly integrates external threats, internal resource combinations, and perpetual capability renewal. It accentuates the strategic significance of resource redeployment, primarily through mergers and acquisitions (M&As), as a dynamic response mechanism to external pressures, contributing to sustained competitive advantage (CA). The study advocates for supra-dynamic managerial capabilities in the post-pandemic landscape, surpassing traditional skills vital for navigating perpetual change, fostering stakeholder engagement, and driving innovation. Within the multi-business unit paradigm, the research proposes a framework elucidating the intricate relationships between business units and business models, providing insights for effective complexity management. The research integrates performance management metrics, encompassing sales growth, product quality, innovativeness, environmental, financial considerations, and practical guidance for corporations to formulate adaptive corporate parenting strategies, ensuring sustained growth in the dynamic business environment. The research seeks to provide a holistic corporate parenting strategy development to assist organizations in navigating complexity, responding to external pressures, and enhancing performance across their diverse business units, thereby contributing to the broader discourse on strategic management.

РАЗРАБОТКА СИСТЕМЫ ОЦЕНКИ ЭФФЕКТИВНОСТИ ФИНАНСОВО-ХОЗЯЙСТВЕННОЙ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ ДЛЯ КОММЕРЧЕСКОЙ ОРГАНИЗАЦИИ

This article examines the importance of commercial organizations for the Russian economy, on the basis of which it is concluded that it is necessary to assess the effectiveness of financial and economic activities of private sector organizations. A model for evaluating the effectiveness of financial and economic activities has been developed directly for organizations in the printing industry, but the evaluation model is practically universal and can be applied to any commercial organization with minimal amendments.

Knowledge Sharing Model Based on Collaborative Learning Organization in Vocational Education and Industry

Knowledge Sharing Model Based on Collaborative Learning Organization in Vocational Education and Industry

EXAMINING THE INFLUENCE OF VARIOUS BIG DATA CAPABILITIES ON TOURISM FIRMS IN SAUDI ARABIA

Purpose: This current paper investigates how important big data capabilities influence Business Performance (PF) in the Saudi tourism sector, in line with Saudi Vision 2030's digital transformation evolution efforts and initiatives. Objectives: The key-objective is thus to analyze/examine the impact of Data-Driven Culture (DDC), Technology Capabilities (TECH), Technical Skills (TSKL), and Managerial Skills (MSKL) on firm performance and identifying among them is the most impactful. Theoretical Framework: The study draws on Resource-Based Theory (RBT) and Social Materialism Theories to explore /scrutinize the strategic role of big data analytics capabilities in boosting competitiveness and driving growth within a rapidly evolving industry. Method: The methodology involved a self-administered questionnaire with variable measurements derived from previously published studies. A total of 695 responses were collected, out of which 471 were valid after accounting for 220 incomplete and four outlier responses. Results and Discussion: Analysis indicates that Technical Skills (TSKL), Managerial Skills (MSKL), and Data-Driven Culture (DDC) have a statistically significant positive impact on firm performance. Conversely, Data-Driven and Technology Capabilities did not directly enhance performance, possibly due to issues related to maturity levels or implementation quality. Hypotheses (H3), (H4), and (H5) are accepted, confirming the positive impact of (TSKL), (MSKL), and (DDC). Hypotheses (H1) and (H2) related to (DD) and (TECH) are rejected. Research Implications: The findings highlight the necessity for organizations in the Saudi tourism industry to implement a maturity model that fosters gradual development and integration of analytics capabilities to fully leverage their potential. Originality/Value: This study fills a gap in the existing literature by providing real valuable empirical evidence on the impact of big data analytics capabilities on firm performance in Saudi Arabia's tourism sector. It underscores the importance of contextual factors like organizational culture and analytics maturity, which could influence the efficacy of these capabilities.

PROJECT PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF TURKISH UNIVERSITIES BY LOPCOW-CRADIS METHODS

The encouraging regulations put forward by the countries in the fields of science and technology make quite positive contributions to the efforts of the relevant stakeholders. The effort to benefit from these financial supports, which has a motivational role for scientists and industrial organizations focusing on research and development activities, has become a competitive issue and performance indicator today. In this study, the performance of 200 state and foundation universities operating in Turkiye is examined in terms of project submission and execution capacities within the scope of Research Support Programs Directorate (ARDEB). In order to weight the evaluation criteria, the LOgarithmic Percentage Change-driven Objective Weighting (LOPCOW) method was used and the criterion "Number of Project Submissions" is determined as the prominent one. The performance order of the universities is determined by the Compromise Ranking of Alternatives from Distance to Ideal Solution (CRADIS) method where Middle East Technical University, Ege University, Istanbul Technical University, Hacettepe University, Ankara University, Istanbul University, Koç University, İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University, İzmir Technology Institute and Erciyes University are determined in the first ten order. It has also been determined that especially the universities established in recent are far from a competitive position.

Development of a new holistic process safety management system model based on business continuity and organizational resilience standards

In this study, it was aimed to develop a new holistic process safety management system model based on business continuity and organizational resilience standards. Existing processes and functions were evaluated in terms of business continuity and organizational resilience, potential risks to which the organization was exposed were identified and effective strategies were developed against these risks. The model design, determined by combining organizational resilience and process safety strategies through business continuity, was included in a holistic management system model. Business continuity, on the other hand, combines organizational resilience and process safety strategies and incorporates the model design into a holistic management system model. The relationship between the Safety Management System (SMS) components related to process safety and the features of organizational resilience and business continuity management systems standards was analyzed using Quality Function Deployment (QFD). Through the analysis, the importance ranking of the requirements of both standards was determined and their integration with the criteria of the existing SMS elements was ensured. With the model, it will be possible to determine the main objectives of the organization, to understand the expectations of internal and external stakeholders and to combine business continuity, resilience and safety strategies in accordance with these expectations. In addition, it is foreseen that the resilience of industrial organizations against process accidents will be increased and organizations will gain more effective preparation and recovery capability.

ТЕХНОЛОГИЯ РАЗРАБОТКИ БРЕНДА РАБОТОДАТЕЛЯ ФАРМАЦЕВТИЧЕСКОЙ КОМПАНИИ

This study is devoted to the urgent problem of developing and using an employer’s brand to attract and retain staff. The article provides up-to-date statistical information on the current socio-economic situation on the labor market in the Russian Federation. A theoretical analysis of research on working with the organization’s HR brand has been carried out, and key areas have been identified that organizations currently need to focus on if they want to maintain the attractiveness of the company for job seekers and employees of the company. The results of a practical study of candidates’ preferences are presented, and the perception of the employer’s EVP value proposition among pharmaceutical companies is analyzed. Based on the diagnosis, the technology of developing the employer’s brand is proposed, through a step-by-step algorithm consisting of four stages: conducting a survey and analyzing the perception of the HR brand of the organization and competitors in the pharmaceutical industry, developing an EVP, testing the HR brand concept, creating a creative communication strategy. The objectives of the study included interviewing job seekers, analyzing competitors and conducting focus groups to assess the attractiveness of the employer’s brand. The novelty of the work lies in obtaining practical up-to-date data on the pharmaceutical labor market and offering an algorithm for developing an organization’s HR brand.

THE ROLE OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT IN THE EFFECTIVENESS OF BUSINESS PROJECTS IN THE CONTEXT OF DIGITALIZATION

Financial management plays an integral role in stimulating business growth. Effective financial management can help companies make strategic decisions regarding expansion plans, acquisitions, and investments in new projects or technologies. This allows businesses to allocate resources wisely and capitalize on opportunities that can drive their growth trajectory. Over the past 5 years, in the context of the emergence of stable competition in the market, companies have been looking for new ways and directions to increase the efficiency of their existence in the market for their own development. The business processes of companies in the context of modern development are influenced by many different factors, including digitalization. In the context of continual changes in regulatory requirements and norms inherent to the local economy, the necessity for consistent management, particularly in effectively planning the entire construction cycle, underscores the importance of organizing and overseeing execution. Consequently, there's a growing inclination within company management to adopt a process-oriented approach. Addressing this challenge necessitates a clear understanding of business processes, analysis, and optimization. In the medium term, advancing the Republic of Kazakhstan's economic development and enhancing the populace's quality of life through the integration of digital technologies stand as primary objectives of the state policy, as outlined in the "Digital Kazakhstan" state program. Practically all sectors of the economy are being actively digitized in the country, which will lead to an increase in labor productivity and an increase in capitalization. The analysis showed that theoretical and practical developments in the field of improving the modeling of business processes of a company in the context of digitalization are not enough. In this regard, there is a problem of developing and ensuring effective technology and company strategy based on business process modeling, which will be versatile and systematic for use in organizations of the construction industry.

Improving control systems for a baby diaper converting machine: a multi-agent heterarchical approach

Industrial organizations have been enhancing their processes through digital transformation by identifying and solving existing problems. Addressing this opportunity, this paper proposes a novel approach to characterize the diaper-converting machine as an intelligent resource within the context of Industry 4.0., using an architecture based on Fuzzy Logic control and a multiagent system. This feature enables the control system to perform various activities collaboratively and precisely optimizing the use of raw materials and improving the Overall Equipment Effectiveness. The proposed solution of this paper offers a pathway for the baby diaper industry to transition from traditional Industry 3.0 to Industry 4.0 through digital transformation. Coloured Petri Net tools are used to simulate and validate the operation of the baby diaper production system.

Prospects for the Application of Blockchain Technology in the Financial Sector and Regulatory Challenges

This paper discusses the application prospects and regulatory challenges of blockchain technology in the financial field. It describes the advantages of blockchain technology's application in supply chain finance, trade finance, cross-border payment, securities trading and insurance, including promoting the flow of funds, reducing financial risks and improving transaction efficiency. At the same time, it points out the regulatory challenges it faces, such as the unclear domestic regulatory framework, the lack of universal rules for the technology, the contradiction between the protection of customer privacy and the application of data, and the "two-sidedness" of the application by commercial banks. Finally, it is proposed that joint efforts should be made at the levels of policy regulation, industry organisations and practitioners to achieve the safe, stable and sustainable development of blockchain technology in the financial sector.

Technical service system in the agro-industrial complex

The article considers the issues of modern technical service and its organizational system in the system of engineering and technical support of the agro-industrial complex. The efficiency of agricultural production is mainly influenced by the level of organization in the technical service industry.