Large-scale Empirical Research Research Articles

The effect of organizational learning on business sustainability – the role of distributed leadership

Purpose The paper aims to investigate the importance of leadership – distributed leadership (DL) – for the relationship between organizational learning (OL) and business sustainability (BS). Design/methodology/approach Extensive literature research was carried out to investigate the relationship among leadership, OL and BS. Two theoretical frameworks of the relationship among DL, OL and BS were formulated and tested on the basis of the empirical studies conducted in 694 Polish and Danish companies. The moderated multiple regression and mediation analysis were used. Findings In-depth, critical literature analysis has shown that the theoretical foundation of the relationship between leadership and BS is limited and not empirically verified. However, the empirical study has revealed a positive, statistically significant effect of DL on both OL and BS and the mediating role of OL on the relationship between DL and BS (a partial and complimentary mediation). Research limitations/implications It would be valuable to simultaneously consider other leadership types (beyond DL) in terms of their impact on OL and BS. Additionally, due to the nature of BS challenges and the specificity of DL, other factors influencing BS should be included for a more profound understanding of the relationships under investigation. Finally, additional contextual factors need to be taken into account. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the paper is one of the first studies that present the relationship between OL and BS with reference to factors influencing BS, i.e. leadership. The value of the paper is the development of two alternative models of the relationship among DL, OL and BS and their verification through large-scale empirical cross-country research. Furthermore, the results obtained in the course of the research open up new research directions with respect to the development of the concept of sustainable leadership and deepen the knowledge of the relationship between leadership types and OL.

Exploratory analysis on learning behaviours that favour job crafting

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to determine key behaviours to be efficient in identifying and developing employees' talent. The article aims to address the relationship between learning agility and job crafting, the influence between them, and how this relationship is built to improve performance and adaptability. For this purpose, the research has analysed which behaviours obtain the highest scores in both scales (job crafting and learning agility), designing the tool which allows Human Resources (HR) professionals an efficient identification and development behaviours to get the versatile talent that companies and professionals of the future need.Design/methodology/approachUsing the questionnaire that has integrated the learning agility scale and the Spanish job crafting scale. Data were collected from a sample of business professionals in Spain. Factor analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were used, using a classificatory variable with the 126 valid responses obtained.FindingsIn an ever-changing environment, continuous employee adaptation to his/her role within a company is a critical factor for its survival. However, there is a paucity of large-scale empirical research on which behaviours employees have to develop to increase their adaptative skills. Drawing on the outcome of extant literature, the authors identify learning agility as the construct that firms have to encourage in their employees to impact job crafting. The contribution of the paper is twofold: (1) the authors empirically explored the association and the effects of learning agility and its factor on the development of job crafting. Results demonstrated the association between the two constructs; further, higher scores in both learning agility and job crafting predict increased employability, and higher scores in job crafting are associated with higher scores in change agility; (2) this study provides a multidimensional instrument that provides HR departments with the key behaviours to recruit in order to develop talent to prepare employees to face future challenges, ensuring the right performance and sustainable impact in the environment.Research limitations/implicationsA limitation of this study is that it is done exclusively within Spanish companies, even though from different industries and with different characteristics. Therefore, future research is necessary and should be conducted in other countries in similar industries to explore the empirical findings from this study in additional contexts.Practical implicationsThis research has found a tool that might allow HR departments to measure what level of job crafting and learning agility their employees have and to identify what key behaviours they need to focus on in the recruitment or in their internal strategic HR action plan to overcome any future challenges in their organization.Social implicationsIn a scenario where artificial intelligence is modifying the professional landscape, generating uncertainty about which skills are best to develop, the results are a guide for enterprises as to where to focus plans for learning and training, as well as for business schools regarding the content provided in training programs.Originality/valueThe authors advance the literature by providing a theoretical base for understanding the relationship between job crafting and learning agility. This article offers some practical managerial recommendations that help the human resources department focus on behaviours that allow talent to be identified and recruited to ensure an effective organization.

Professional Gender Segregation in Scientific Discourse: Trends and Contradiction

Introduction. The article examines current ideas about professional gender segregation in Russian and foreign scientific discourses. Comparative analysis of various approaches to understanding gender issues allows us to identify new potentials for their study, as well as to pay attention to the development of the optics of Russian science in considering gender differences. Gender issues in the field of information technology require the closest attention and study, since this area is at the forefront of scientific, technological and social development.Methodology and sources. The theoretical and methodological basis for interpreting the results of the study was the main provisions of sociological and economic theories: the theory of social representations (S. Moscovici), the concept of habitus (P. Bourdieu), role theory (R. Linton), and rational choice theory. To work with empirical data, we used the methods of comparative text analysis, analysis of documents and research reports (The Gender Inequality Index, The Global Gender Gap Index, Global Gender Gap Report, “Women and Men of Russia-2022”), and discourse analysis.Results and discussion. In foreign studies, with the long-established vision and acceptance of gender problems, there is an understanding that past steps to achieve gender parity in the labor market lead to a new configuration of gender differences, which requires new efforts to eliminate them. In Russian scientific literature, the main emphasis is on monitoring the current situation of women in the professional environment, analyzing statistics and searching for hidden mechanisms of professional gender segregation.Conclusion. The results of the analysis show that in the presence of demonstrative statistics and large-scale empirical research, there is no theoretical consensus in the scientific discourse about the professional gender situation. There is a clear dissonance between the statement of problems by theorists and the lack of a request to find their solution on the part of practice, where gender “neutrality” or “indifference” reigns in some professional contexts. Conclusions are drawn about the nature of the Russian scientific gender discourse, which needs to develop a thesaurus of nonbinarity and develop an effective way of reasoning about gender issues.

Comparative Study of the Two Sets of Chinese Textbooks in Singaporean Secondary Schools

In the ethnically heterogeneous and linguistically hybrid Singapore, its bilingualism education is characterised by the mandatory mother tongue policy for its three main ethnic groups. For Chinese students’ language acquisition, this is practised in a way that Chinese language instruction in Singapore has been differentiated into four streams according to their individual differences in language proficiency. This study reports the findings obtained from a public funded large-scale empirical research project with a focus on the Mother Tongue Language curriculum in Singapore secondary schools. The questionnaire survey consists of 4811 students from 24 Singaporean secondary schools categorised on the basis of three key family language backgrounds, namely: Chinese-dominant, Chinese-English mixed, and English dominant. Using a comparative study methodology, the study seeks to juxtapose the perceptions of Secondary 2 and 3 students regarding their current language textbooks (developed in 2011) against the textbooks published in 2002. The survey revealed two key findings which highlight the diverse learning needs of students from varying backgrounds, thus indicating a greater and more complex challenge surrounding the revision of upcoming Mother Tongue Language instructional materials. It is our hope that the details of main findings manifested in this study can shed some light on the future endeavours in innovating Chinese education in other parts of the world with the similar sociolinguistic context.

Can Consumer-Posted Photos Serve as a Leading Indicator of Restaurant Survival? Evidence from Yelp

Despite the substantial economic impact of the restaurant industry, large-scale empirical research on restaurant survival has been sparse. We investigate whether consumer-posted photos can serve as a leading indicator of restaurant survival above and beyond reviews, firm characteristics, competitive landscape, and macroconditions. We employ machine learning techniques to extract features from 755,758 photos and 1,121,069 reviews posted on Yelp between 2004 and 2015 for 17,719 U.S. restaurants. We also collect data on restaurant characteristics (e.g., cuisine type, price level) and competitive landscape as well as entry and exit (if applicable) time from each restaurant’s Yelp/Facebook page, own website, or Google search engine. Using a predictive XGBoost algorithm, we find that consumer-posted photos are strong predictors of restaurant survival. Interestingly, the informativeness of photos (e.g., the proportion of food photos) relates more to restaurant survival than do photographic attributes (e.g., composition, brightness). Additionally, photos carry more predictive power for independent, young or mid-aged, and medium-priced restaurants. Assuming that restaurant owners possess no knowledge about future photos and reviews, photos can predict restaurant survival for up to three years, whereas reviews are only predictive for one year. We further employ causal forests to facilitate the interpretation of our predictive results. Among photo content variables, the proportion of food photos has the largest positive association with restaurant survival, followed by proportions of outside and interior photos. Among others, the proportion of photos with helpful votes also positively relates to restaurant survival. This paper was accepted by Juanjuan Zhang, marketing. Funding: The authors thankNvidia and Clarifai for supporting this research. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4359 .

SCALa: A blueprint for computational models of language acquisition in social context

Theories and data on language acquisition suggest a range of cues are used, ranging from information on structure found in the linguistic signal itself, to information gleaned from the environmental context or through social interaction. We propose a blueprint for computational models of the early language learner (SCALa, for Socio-Computational Architecture of Language Acquisition) that makes explicit the connection between the kinds of information available to the social learner and the computational mechanisms required to extract language-relevant information and learn from it. SCALa integrates a range of views on language acquisition, further allowing us to make precise recommendations for future large-scale empirical research.

Math coaches, specialists, and student achievement: Learning from the data

To support continuous professional development model in the teaching and learning of mathematics, many districts and schools have begun hiring elementary mathematics coaches and/or specialists (MCSs). However, limited large-scale empirical research exists that determines how the use of MCSs affect student learning and achievement. Kristin E. Harbour and Evthokia Stephanie Saclarides begin to fill in this gap by using data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress to explore the relationship between the presence and responsibilities of elementary MCSs and 4th-grade student achievement in mathematics. Based on their findings, they share practical implications for districts and administrators to consider.

Antecedents and consequences of business model innovation in the IT industry

Business model innovation has gained increasing attention from scholars in the last few years. However, there is a lack of large-scale empirical research on business model innovation and fewer attempts have been made to study whether and how various factors can affect innovation in business models. As a consequence, this study aims to investigate the impact of knowledge absorptive capacity, organizational agility, and top management mindfulness on business model innovation as these factors contribute to organizational changes in business models. Data were collected from IT firms operating in Pakistan. The results indicate that business model innovation is significantly dependent on the knowledge absorptive capacity, agility, and mindfulness of the top management. Furthermore, business model innovation was established as a mediator in the relationship between these factors and business performance. From a managerial perspective, the findings are significant as organizations need to focus on the antecedents to make the necessary change to their business models to improve their competitive advantage and firm performance.

Identifying territory-linked family business groups: a methodological proposal

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to design a methodology to identify territory-linked family business groups (TLFBGs) in order to overcome the methodological challenges and ease studies about family business groups' (FBGs) impact on territories.Design/methodology/approachThe paper applied an algorithm to a data set of firms located in Gipuzkoa that were registered in the SABI database in 2018.FindingsThe paper defined a new construct, TLFBGs, and proposed a methodology that automatized the identification of TLFBGs by a seven-stage algorithm that was intended to be applicable to any firm-level economic and financial data set, including all registered firms and not only listed firms.Practical implicationsTLFBGs unveil the real relevance that family businesses have in the territorial development, encouraging the political support to family business. Additionally, the methodology provided allows understanding growth processes of family business.Originality/valueThe paper defines a new construct, TLFBGs, that highlights both the underexplored links existing between family and territory and between family and business groups, providing the process and criteria to capture it. The paper opens up large-scale empirical research on the social (and economic) influence of TLFBGs in territorial development.

Reaching for the Stars: How Firms Organize to Radically Renew their Business Models

Business model innovation as a phenomenon lies at the intersection of strategy and entrepreneurship fields of study. Faced with the threat of nimble new entrants with powerful new business models, managers of established firms need to find ways to renew their own business models whilst their existing business model is still in place. However, how can they achieve this? In particular, how should they organize to ensure a high degree of novelty in the new business model? This question is of high practical as well as theoretical relevance. Drawing on theories of ambidexterity and corporate entrepreneurship we develop and test a model that explains how the degree of novelty in the resulting new business model depends on the alignment among an initiative’s differentiation from the core business, its social integration with the core business, and relevant control mechanisms at the initiative level. We test our model using data from a unique hand-collected set of 141 business model innovation initiatives in large established firms. The study represents one of the rare large-scale empirical research efforts on business model innovation in established firms. Its main theoretical contribution is to explain how organizational control choices on the initiative level can serve as a crucial mechanism to unlock the power of combining differentiation with social integration – two seemingly opposing forces – in business model innovation initiatives.

Opting out of workers’ compensation: Non-subscription in Texas and its effects

Texas is the only state that does not mandate that employers carry workers’ compensation (WC) insurance coverage. In place of traditional WC, companies can choose to offer alternative “non-subscription” disability plans to workers. Little large-scale empirical research has studied the consequences of switching from traditional WC to non-subscription plans. We use a difference-in-differences estimator along with a novel machine learning approach to compare effects of switching to non-subscription plans for employees in Texas versus contemporaneously measured non-Texas-based employees for 25 large companies. Our results indicate that total medical payments dropped by roughly 40% from switching to non-subscription plans, consisting of reductions in hospital spending, physician spending, and other medical spending. Similarly, indemnity payments dropped by 70% and number of reported lost days dropped by 80%. Accumulating all sources of spending, we find that total expense associated with workplace injury fell by approximately 46% after switching to the non-subscription program.

Стратегические ориентиры государственной коммуникационной политики в информационном обществе

The purpose of this article is to critically analyze the Strategy for the Development of the Information Society in the Russian Federation for 2017–2030. The theoretical basic of the analysis are the theory of information society and communicative theory of power. Having a rich explanatory potential and based on the large-scale empirical research, these theories comprehensively characterize the main elements of the existing socio-economic system in their relationship with political action. Thus they contribute to the development of practical recommendations for public authorities. Methodologically, this study is based on the structural and contextual analysis of the text, carried out with the help of MAXQDA (n=225) and allows to reveal the importance of key parameters of communication policy in the information society and their relations with each other. The results of the study show that the Strategy reflects all the key parameters of communication policy in the information society, like: the digitalization of individual, organizational and spatial development; the formation of legal and institutional foundations of the knowledge society at the international level; the introduction of artificial intelligence and big data based decision making in science, industry, business, and in governance; the transformations in administration and management and the formation of new competences in the information society’s stakeholders. However, the Strategy makes a very strong emphasis on security issues. This refers to the extensive elements of the development of communication policy of public authorities. Contemporary studies research shows, that the restrictive development is a critical element that prevents the formation of an effective communication policy of public authorities in the information society. The article substantiates the conclusion that it is expedient to change the connotation of the security concept, and to understand it in terms of sustainable development. Sustainable development should serve as a strategic reference point for the state communication policy in order to develop the information society in contemporary Russia.

An empirical survey on the early adoption of DNS certification authority authorization

ABSTRACTA new certification authority authorization (CAA) resource record for the domain name system (DNS) was standardized in 2013. Motivated by the later 2017 decision to enforce mandatory CAA checking for most certificate authorities, this paper surveys the early adoption of CAA by using an empirical sample collected from the Alexa’s top-million domains. According to the results, (i) the adoption of CAA is still at a modest level; only a little below two percent of the popular domains sampled have adopted CAA. Among the domains that have adopted CAA, (ii) authorizations dealing with wildcard certificates are rare compared to conventional certificates. Interestingly, (iii) the results only partially reflect the market structure of the global certificate business. With these timely results, the paper contributes to the ongoing large-scale empirical research on the use of encryption technologies.

Does Cross-Sector Collaboration Lead to Higher Nonprofit Capacity?

Cross-sector social partnership (CSSP) case-based theory and research have long argued that nonprofits that engage in more integrative and enduring cross-sector partnerships should increase their organizational capacity. By increasing their capacity, nonprofits increase their ability to contribute to systemic change. The current research investigates this claim in a large-scale empirical research study. In particular, this study examines whether nonprofits that have a greater number of integrated cross-sector partnerships have greater capacities for financial management, strategic planning, external communication, board leadership, mission orientation, and staff management than nonprofits that have other types of interorganizational relationships. Moreover, it examines whether the length of these partnerships is associated with better capacity. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis drawn from surveys of 452 nonprofit organizations suggests that cross-sector collaboration is not systematically related to increased capacity. However, the results suggest that more enduring relationships between government and nonprofit organizations that extend beyond funder–recipient relationships are related to greater strategic planning capacity. Implications for CSSP research are drawn from the results, especially those concerned with the outcomes of CSSPs.

Can User Generated Content Predict Restaurant Survival: Deep Learning of Yelp Photos and Reviews

Despite the substantial economic impact of the restaurant industry, large-scale empirical research on restaurant survival has been sparse. We investigate whether consumer-posted photos can serve as a leading indicator of restaurant survival above and beyond reviews, firm characteristics, competitive landscape, and macro conditions. We employ machine learning techniques to extract features from 755,758 photos and 1,121,069 reviews posted on Yelp between 2004 and 2015 for 17,719 U.S. restaurants. We also collect data on restaurant characteristics (e.g., cuisine type; price level), competitive landscape, as well as entry and exit (if applicable) time from each restaurant’s Yelp/Facebook page, own website, or Google search engine. Using a predictive XGBoost algorithm, we find that consumer-posted photos are strong predictors of restaurant survival. Interestingly, the informativeness of photos (e.g., the proportion of food photos; the proportion of photos with helpful votes) relates more to restaurant survival than do photographic attributes (e.g., composition; brightness). Additionally, photos carry more predictive power for independent, young or mid-aged, and medium-priced restaurants. Assuming that restaurant owners possess no knowledge about future photos and reviews, photos predict restaurant survival for up to three years, while reviews are only predictive for one year. We further employ causal forests to facilitate the interpretation of our predictive results. Among photo content variables, the proportion of food photos has the largest positive association with restaurant survival, followed by proportions of outside and interior photos. Among others, the proportion of photos with helpful votes also positively relates to restaurant survival.

The motivational drivers underlying for-profit venture creation: Comparing social and commercial entrepreneurs

Despite the increase in scholarship on social entrepreneurship over the years, there is a lack of large-scale empirical research from which generalizations about social entrepreneurs can be made. A...

Findings from a Large-Scale Empirical Research on Substance Abuse Prevention in Greece

Research indicates that combined psychosocial interventions aiming at reducing or postponing substance use and abuse in schools can be effective. Confronted with a rising number of both young and adult drug users successive geek governments have established an extensive network of prevention centers all over the country end especially in Attica where most citizens live. Our own empirical study –the first of its kind in Greece and with such a large number of both providers and receivers who participated in the research project- has taken a detailed look at both the inner workings of those centers and the actual effects of the psychosocial interventions that aim to reduce substance problems in youth as perceived by both implementers and receivers at school level. Our findings suggest that the majority of the students who participated in the psychosocial interventions expressed the views that they have been taught new coping mechanisms and have enjoyed the whole experience. Proposals are made for the role of policy makers and those involved in planning, implementing and evaluating prevention programs along with the need for more systematic research into methodological issues in the performance stages of substance prevention programs in Greece.

AGILE TRANSFORMATION: A MULTI-DIMENSIONAL PROCESS

Software companies are widely interested to use Agile methodologies instead of traditional methods, mainly because of achieving the values offered by Agile approach. However, literature review implies that the alteration process is subject to various serious challenges that make Agile transformation more difficult than expected. Most of the companies are facing these challenges mainly because of the lack of knowledge and understanding of the transformation process. We have conducted a large-scale empirical research study discover various aspects of Agile transformation. Applying a Grounded Theory study identified the general outline of Agile transformation Process. The main aim of this paper is to illustrate the most important concepts that need to be considered when adopting Agile methodologies. This study showed that Agile transformation comprises many concepts, activities, and steps including transformation prerequisites, facilitators, framework, assessment, coaching, and so on. Software companies and organizations need to be familiar with these concepts before inception of Agile transformation process.

An empirically-developed framework for Agile transition and adoption: A Grounded Theory approach

To date, few Agile transition and adoption frameworks have been proposed in the software industry. However, using them is not easy in practice and primarily requires a huge organizational overhead because of their complex and non-flexible structure. These drawbacks make such frameworks difficult to apply in small and medium-sized companies. We have conducted a large-scale empirical research study using Grounded Theory approach with the participation of 49 Agile experts from 13 different countries. This study inductively developed a substantive Agile transition and adoption framework which appears to be simple and flexible. The main aim of this paper is to present the developed framework. The primary characteristics of this framework, including iterative, gradual, continuous, and value-based are in line with the Agile approach and show promise of being useful in software companies and organizations, regardless of size. This paper also describes how various steps of this framework could help software companies to achieve Agile transformation.

On the right track? Islamic schools in the Netherlands after an era of turmoil

The Netherlands currently has 43 Islamic primary schools. Each is fully subsidised by the government. Yet since the first school was established in 1988 Islamic schools have been confronted with obstacles by the Ministry of Education, bad press and increasingly strict state supervision. Under pressure to improve their image, since 2008 Dutch Islamic primary schools have turned their attention away from expanding their numbers and instead focussed on improving school quality. In this article we describe the various developments and draw upon large scale empirical research to demonstrate the present state of affairs both in terms of cognitive and non-cognitive pupil achievements. We argue that the present results offer reasons to be cautiously optimistic.