Large Corporations Research Articles

Russian-Ukrainian War, BRICS+ & Global Markets: New Management Competitive Landscapes

The Russian-Ukrainian war introduced new elements into the strategic management of large global corporations. Recently, the marketplace of international companies has found a specific growth element, defined in the so-called BRICS+, that is changing competitive horizons and developing new models of management. In global markets, the managerial economics imposes an adaptive policy of corporate social responsibility, dominated by economic sustainability and eco-responsibility, with corporate conduct that is not always truthful and effective. From the beginning of 2010s and up to these 2020 years, a fifth phase of globalization (Competitive Landscapes Globalization) produced a structural change of competitive horizons, with policies of innovation and imitation focused on oversize management, the obsessive task of cost reductions, the worldwide localization of productions based on alliances, joint ventures and accords, that have developed multi-polar network organizations.

SAFe transformation in a large financial corporation

As agile software development is increasingly adopted in the software industry, the popularity of scaling frameworks supporting adoption in large development contexts is increasing rapidly. While several such frameworks exist, the most popular one at the moment is the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe). Despite its popularity, there exists limited research on its usage and adoption. In this paper, we contribute by presenting a single case study in a large financial organization, studying the transformation reasons, transformation process, as well as the benefits, and challenges of SAFe adoption. We conducted 24 semi-structured interviews with 27 interviewees and analyzed the transcribed interviews using open and axial coding. We identified 17 reasons for SAFe adoption in this organization, of which the most salient ones were to shorten the time to market, improve collaboration, and use a well-described and comprehensive framework. An industry context-specific reason was the popularity of SAFe in the financial sector. The transformation in the case organization was top-down and proceeded step-wise. The most significant activities during the transformation were piloting, education, coaching, and the forming of agile release trains. Our case also implemented "Scrum tours" to increase the understanding of lean and agile principles. We identified 13 benefits of SAFe, of which improved collaboration, transparency, and shorter time to market were considered the most important. We identified a total of 16 challenges, with the most salient one being aligning the release trains with value streams. Failing with this led to cross-release train dependencies and coordination overhead, inhibiting agility. Further, the organization did not get rid of projects and project managers, which led to priority clashes and coordination overhead.

SMEs tax minimization as shared responsibility

Prevailing criticism of tax minimization strategies is impacting contemporary business decisions. While extant research has focused on an alleged ‘moral’ shift among large accounting firms and corporates, little is known about tax responsibilities in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Thus, we examine the following research question: How do SMEs and tax accountants perceive responsibility within the context of taxation? Our empirical investigation involves semi-structured interviews with accountants and their SME clients in Italy. Our findings point to an entanglement of legal, economic, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities enacted in mundane tax strategy work. We propose a model of ‘shared responsibility’, aiming to clarify the complementary role of SMEs, tax accountants, and state actions in the curtailment of public funding, ultimately affecting the survival of all actors involved. Our work contributes to growing scholarship on business taxation as a form of social responsibility by emphasizing the shared nature of such responsibility, as well as showing how a current reliance on reputational risks to incentivise more responsible tax behaviour is ill suited to the SME context.

The banking phenomenon of North Carolina: from origins to the present

Although not one of the largest states and ranking just ninth in the USA in terms of population, North Carolina has been a major banking hub for several decades, second only to New York. This article focuses on the early foundations of this success and the later evolution of the North Carolina banking cluster, tracing its development through statistics from the late 1970s to the present. It is shown that an important advantage in the 19th century was the lifting of the ban on bank branching, which was not typical in the USA at that time. As a result, by the early 1980s, when the gradual liberalization of the national banking system and the abolition of territorial restrictions began, quite large banking corporations already existed in North Carolina, ready for further business expansion and operations in other parts of the country. Following a long series of mergers and acquisitions in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, the state's leading bank holding companies (Bank of America Corporation and Wachovia Corporation) became among the largest and most powerful financial groups in the USA. However, it soon became clear that there was another side to this extremely rapid growth: due to its deep involvement in subprime mortgages, Wachovia collapsed during the 2008 crisis. Nevertheless, Bank of America and several other large companies overcame the crisis, ensuring North Carolina maintained a strong position in the industry. To date, North Carolina's phenomenal rise remains the most significant spatial change in the US banking system since its liberalization began more than 40 years ago.

Corporate Culture as a Means of Proving Mens Rea in Corporate Criminal Liability Under Malaysian Anti-Corruption Law

The fight against corruption is a national and international primary concern for lawmakers and enforcement officials. Corporate criminal liability is an aberration of imputing criminal responsibility on a corporation against a natural person, which requires a combined effect of the actus reus and mens rea. A corporation incapable of committing a crime imputes corporate mens rea through its directors, senior managers or officers that constitute executive powers. In doing so, Malaysia uses the identification doctrine to impute mens rea. This article evaluated the most effective technique of establishing mens rea in dealing with modern corporate criminal responsibility. It used a doctrinal library- based research method to review pertinent corporate criminal liability literature, cases and legislations. The journal articles, cases and legislations were collected and analysed according to the themes to achieve the research objective. It was discovered that Malaysia still uses identification doctrine to prove corporate mens rea, making it difficult and near impossible to find large and multinational corporations liable since the directing mind and will are not actively involved in the corporations’ day-to-day operations. However, intention can still be imputed on the corporation based on its corporate culture. Hence, for section 17A of the MACC Act 2009 (2018 amendment) on bribery to be effective, there is a need for a shift from the use of identification doctrine in proving mens rea to corporate culture as that would balance the discrimination and unfairness of the identification doctrine and make it easier for large and multinational corporations to be charged with corporate criminal liability.

US Republicans and the New Fusionism

AbstractUS Republicanism and conservatism were structured around ‘fusionism’ from the 1950s onwards. Disparate ideas and interests were ‘fused’ in a broad coalitional bloc that was based upon a commitment to free markets, moral or cultural traditionalism and a commitment to US national security, as well as global power projection. There have, however, been significant shifts in recent years as many Republicans have turned against the larger corporations which appear to have little loyalty to the US heartland and are, it is said, guilty of embracing ‘woke’ ideology: that ideology has become the focus of cultural conservatism, with wedge issues such as trans‐rights a constant theme. In addition, many Republicans have either embraced or acquiesced in, a conspiracist sub‐culture. If foreign policy is considered, national security has been redefined in more restricted and overtly realist terms. Consequently, there has been a repudiation of earlier neoconservative efforts to spread market democracy. All these strands of thought are tied together by an impatience of, or at times disdain for, the checks and balances that define US political processes. Political actors across almost all sections of the right, but most notably candidates for federal office, have had to restructure their platforms and subscribe to these reconfigurations of Republican thinking and the ‘new fusionism’. Although these ideas have a ‘thin’ character, they represent a significant shift away from the thinking of figures such as former House Speaker, Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney and George W. Bush, who defined conservatism and Republicanism just a few years ago. For the most part, their efforts to roll back federal government entitlement programmes such as Medicare, and create a much leaner state, have been abandoned. The article argues that the new fusionism is becoming increasingly embedded and therefore marks a long‐run shift in Republican thinking that is likely to endure, regardless of Donald Trump's political fortunes.

Fostering innovation through learning from digital business ecosystem: A dynamic capability perspective

Most research that utilizes ecosystems as subjects adopts an orchestrator perspective and focuses on large corporations. Meanwhile, studies that analyze the role of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) have been relatively scarce. This study aims to analyze how SMEs, as participants in the ecosystem, engage in learning to develop capabilities for fostering innovation. We conducted in-depth case studies using two SMEs participating in the digital business ecosystem. Employing a dynamic capabilities perspective, we build a framework explaining the capabilities required for pursuing innovation in the ecosystem: vigilant detection of change alerts, leveraging external resources, and evolutionary adaptation to market. Apart from that, we do not only identify these capabilities but also propose the path of learning for innovation: iterative learning with the digital business ecosystem, acquisition of knowledge and resources, capabilities development, and pursuing innovation. For managers, this study demonstrates the importance of a digital ecosystem for learning. Insights obtained from the ecosystem can be used to predict customer preferences and introduce product innovation. Although engaging in a digital business ecosystem offers benefits, excessive reliance on external partners may lead to unintended consequences. To what extent firms should rely on external partners from the digital ecosystem can be investigated in future research.

Identifying the drivers of commitment to organizational sustainability in SMEs: the role of entrepreneurial orientation, organization climate and innovative workplace behavior

The adoption of sustainable practices is increasingly becoming important for organisations. Intuitively, such practices necessitate employee’s commitment to strategic goals related to the firm’s sustainable performance. However, research discussing employee commitment to organisational sustainability is mainly skewed towards large corporates, often neglecting the specifics of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Addressing this gap, the current study’s purpose is to examine the role of entrepreneurial orientation, organisational climate, and innovative workplace behaviour (IWB) on employee’s commitment to sustainability in the SMEs. The current study employs a comparative case-based approach using data collected from eight SMEs in the food processing industry in India. The study’s findings suggest that a firm’s entrepreneurial orientation and organisational climate are prerequisites for promoting and developing IWB among employees, which ultimately translates into their commitment to a firm’s sustainable performance. The research findings have implications for SME managers, operations managers, and business improvement specialists in the food processing industry.

THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN PROMOTING HEALTH PRODUCTS AMONG WOMEN: A STUDY

Social media has become a necessity to everyone’s life. Social Media is a distinguish channel in promoting health related products and marketing for individuals and large corporations as well. Among all products in the market, health products also received bombarded attentions from targeted customers. Social media such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter etc. are widely used for the promotion of products by the sellers of health products. The purpose of this article to know the effects of health related products on women. This study reveals to know the socio-personal characteristics of the respondents. This paper intends to identify the how social media plays its role in promoting health products among women. Furthermore, this paper also aims to examine the women perceptions of social media and their intension to purchase health products. To assess the role of Social Media in enhancing the effects of Health related products on women. For this study, descriptive research was adopted and the primary data is collected through a survey by using a structured interview schedule. A total of 120 respondents were selected randomly for the collection of primary data through a structured questionnaire. Data is analyzed SPSS software

‘Partly’ globalized networks and driving mechanism in resource-based state-owned enterprises: A case study of J Group

In the context of economic globalization, while multinational enterprises from developed countries occupy a high-end position in the global value chain, enterprises from developing countries are often marginalized in the world market. In China, resource-based state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are tasked with the mission of safeguarding resource security, and their internationalization development ideas and strategic deployment are significantly and fundamentally different from those of other non-state-owned enterprises and large multinational corporations. This study provides ideas for the globalization policies of enterprises in developing countries. We consider J Group in western China as a case and discuss its productive investment and global production network development from 2010 to 2019. We found that J Group was ‘partly’ globalized, and there are multiple core nodes with the characteristics of centralized and decentralized coexistence in the production network; in addition, the overall layout centre shifted to Southeast Asia and China; however, its global production was restricted by the enterprise’s investment security considerations, support and restrictions of the home country, political security risk of the host country, and sanctions from the West. These findings provide insights for future research: under the wave of anti-globalization and ‘internal circulation as the main body’, resource SOEs should consider the potential risk of investment, especially keeping the middle and downstream industrial chain in China as much as possible.

THE AMBIVALENT PORTRAYAL OF THE ECOFEMINIST MOVEMENT IN TANAH IBU KAMI (2020)

Tanah Ibu Kami (2020), a documentary film produced by The Gecko Project and Mongabay, published on YouTube, follows the travels of journalist Febriana Firdaus to four rural areas in Indonesia where she meets Sukinah from Kendeng, Central Java; Lodia Oematan and Aleta Baun from Mollo, East Nusa Tenggara; Eva Bande from Banggai, Central Sulawesi; and Farwiza from Banda Aceh, Aceh. The film portrays these women leading socio-ecological movements that fight for their rights along with their land rights, as they face the risks of violence, imprisonment, and judgment from large corporations and patriarchal customs and beliefs. Placing the documentary within the ecofeminist framework, exemplified by Warren (2000) and Shiva and Mies (2018), I would like to show how the documentary portrays the state and the cultural institutions having control over women and nature. In its narrative method, the film tends to look at the environmentalism done by women as something to be highlighted not because of its substantial aspects but more as a valorized act because of its masculine attributes. Thus, while the film glorifies women as empowered environmentalists with the ability to exert agency, the structure of and behind the film is based on patriarchal assumptions.

Psychological Factors of Vaccination Intent among Healthcare Providers, Parents, and Laypeople.

The interrelatedness of social-structural aspects and psychological features with vaccination intention provides the context to explore personal psychological features related to vaccination. Specifically, we focused on general decision making and vaccine-related dispositions, and their contribution to the intention to vaccinate, within post-pandemic circumstances, after the imposed possibility of choosing a vaccine brand. Our study aimed to map the function (promotive, protective, risk, vulnerability) of a set of personal psychological aspects in the intention to vaccinate among people holding different social roles regarding the vaccination. We surveyed three samples of people: healthcare providers (HPs), parents, and laypeople, within the post-pandemic context. Negative vaccine attitudes lower intention to vaccinate in all regression models (all βs ranging from -0.128 to -0.983, all ps < 0.01). The main results indicate that, regardless of the sample/social role, there is a shared attitudinal core for positive vaccination intention. This core consists of [high] trust in large corporations, government, and healthcare systems, as well as perceived consensus on vaccine safety/efficacy and experience of freedom (protective factors), and [low] vaccination conspiracy beliefs, trust in social media, and choice overload (risk and vulnerability factors, respectively). There are no common promotive factors of intention to vaccinate: for parents, perceived consensus on vaccines, and trust in corporations and the healthcare system, play such roles; for HPs, the experience of freedom is obtained as a unique promotive factor. In contrast, for laypeople, no unique promotive factors were found. Our findings provide insights into the function of psychological factors of vaccination intention across different social roles, particularly healthcare providers, parents, and laypeople, and emphasize the need for tailored immunization interventions in the post-pandemic landscape.

Application of digital twin technology in Russia: Development opportunities and constraints

Aim. To identify trends in the development of the digital twin concept in Russia.Objectives. To analyze the experience of applying such an innovative tool as a digital twin at Russian enterprises and consider the benefits of its implementation; to characterize the aspects of regulation and state support in the field of digital twin application in Russia; to reveal the main problems hindering the development of digital twin technology, as well as to propose posible solutions to the identified problems.Methods. The authors used empirical methods, in particular, the analysis and generalization of data from scientific and methodological literature; methods of observation and comparison. The article also reflects the results of scientific research of Russian and foreign scientists.Results. It is established that today the method of digital twins in the economy is becoming more and more popular. Thanks to the introduction of digital twin technology, companies manage to speed up production processes, increase their transparency, reduce costs, improve the quality of manufactured products and, in general, achieve greater efficiency, competitiveness and investment attractiveness. The main constraints to development include insufficient funds required to implement digital transformation, lack of necessary experience and highly qualified specialists, low level of legal framework in the field of digital twins and high level of risks associated with data security. For successful implementation of digital transformation, it is advisable to study and generalize successful examples of digital twins implementation both in foreign and domestic companies, to create a unified management system for this area, to develop a motivation system for companies applying digital twin technology, to increase the level of information security.Conclusions. In Russia, innovative technologies are a priority for ensuring technological leadership and entry of domestic companies into international markets. Despite lagging behind some foreign countries, Russia has great potential for the formation of a national market and the introduction of digital twin technology, especially among large corporations and high-tech enterprises. But for this purpose it is necessary to eliminate the factors that hinder the development of the digital twin method, such as high risks associated with cybersecurity, insufficient funding in the use of technology, the lack of specificity in some cases in the field of legal regulation and a number of others.

Challenges of BIM Software Implementation in Quantity Surveying Consultancy Firms: The Difference Between Large Firms and Small-and-Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

Inefficiencies and ineffectiveness in delivering construction projects had negatively impacted the industry for decades. However, the emergence of building information modeling (BIM) technology had influenced the construction process with its many benefits toward project success. BIM benefits included reduced project time and cost, improved team collaboration and communication, and improved project quality and performance. Consequently, BIM applications were claimed to provide more reliable working practices for quantity surveyors (QS), especially in establishing their cost estimates. Despite the well-known benefits that spurred BIM employment around the world, the usage of BIM software in Malaysia was still in its infancy, requiring greater deployment by the QS. Furthermore, the literature was scarce in comparing the use of BIM software by large organizations and Small-and-Medium Enterprises (SMEs). As a result, the primary goal of this study was to identify the numerous challenges associated with the adoption of BIM software in both large and SME quantity surveying consultancy firms. Apart from that, this paper identified the availability of BIM software in the construction sector as well as the use of BIM software in those consultancy businesses. A quantitative technique was used, with 393 questionnaire survey forms issued to Malaysian QUANTITY SURVEYING consultant businesses. The data was then analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) to generate a reliable and valid result. According to the findings, Cubicost software was the most popular software used by QS specialists. Notably, the results revealed that SMEs face greater challenges than large organizations, particularly those connected to professional help, finance, and time, as well as technical issues. Because large corporations and SMEs differed in nature, this study could provide new insights to policymakers in aiding companies of various sizes in their BIM transformation process. The findings called for more policymakers to work together to improve practitioners' understanding of BIM-based technology. The difficulties of SMEs must be recognized, and policymakers must bridge the gap between large and SMEs to bring Malaysia's construction industry one step closer to a new era of digitalization.

Управління венчурними структурами в умовах невизначеності

The study examines the problem of managing venture structures in conditions of uncer-tainty, where modern companies face unprecedented change and risk. The relevance of the re-search is due to global transformations, geopolitical conflicts, technological innovations and un-expected market changes. The article discusses strategies for managing venture structures in conditions of uncertainty, including adaptation to changes, portfolio diversification, and in-volvement of experts. The role of technological innovations in venture management is also con-sidered, including their impact on opportunity identification and process automation. Adaptive leadership is a crucial aspect of managing enterprises under conditions of uncertainty. This in-volves being flexible and responsive to the business's changing environment and challenges. The study's general conclusions indicate the need for flexible management strategies, the use of modern technologies and the development of new investment models to succeed in conditions of constant uncertainty and change. It is noted that the effective management of venture struc-tures is essential for the country's post-war recovery because it can become a catalyst for rapid economic recovery and stimulation of innovation. Venture capital contributes to the financing and development of innovative enterprises and technologies that can revolutionize various areas of the economy. This includes the development of new products, services and technologies that help solve social and economic problems. Creating a favorable ecosystem for venture capital can lead to the growth of innovative entrepreneurship and the attraction of important invest-ments in promising industries. This, in turn, contributes to the creation of new jobs, the devel-opment of new technological industries and the restoration of economic potential after a period of conflict and war. An important advantage is also the ability of venture capital to attract for-eign investments and contribute to the support of national innovative projects. This approach contributes to economic recovery and has a positive effect on the further development of the country. Prospects for further research include the analysis of the impact of global crises, regu-latory aspects and psychological factors on venture management and the expansion of coopera-tion between large corporations and startups in this context.

Family-led learning through parenting in family business

This paper aims to conceptualize a family business parenting approach called family-led learning to break the third-generational curse in family business. This means that family business can hardly surpass the third generation. Family enterprises is expected to represent approximately 40 percent of the world’s largest corporations by 2025, but this will not come to realization if parenting approach is not learned by the leaders of the family and experienced by the next generations. In Indonesia, family business composes around 95 percent of all the businesses and contributes about 80 percent to the country’s economy. Since it is crucial to sustain the family business in Indonesia, theorizing the parenting approach for succession is vital. Applying grounded theory, this inquiry constructed the “Parenting to Equip” category in Parenting–Harmonizing–Collaborating (PHC) theory by interviewing 28 participants from four family conglomerates that are public-listed companies and are planning beyond the third generation. Next, this study integrated the Community of Inquiry (CoI) theory to the “Parenting to Equip” component to create a deep and meaningful learning experience. This results in the Family-Led Learning in Family Business (FLL-FB) concept that enable effective parenting to equip the next generations. This novel insight denotes parents of family businesses must incorporate entrepreneurial training into their parenting practices through nonformal learning experiences in informal learning environments to equip the next generations become potential successors.

Exploring Social Credit for Fairness in Cloud Computing Networks

Cloud-based computing networks have taken over the digital landscape. From small non-profits to large multinational corporations, more and more entities have been offloading computing effort to the cloud in order to take advantage of the increased cost-efficiency and scalability of cloud computing. One of the new types of cloud that have emerged is P2P cloud, which disengages from a traditional datacenter setup by allowing users to instead share their own computing hardware into a cloud to reap the benefits of cloud computing's advantages at an even lower cost. However, this new paradigm comes with a slew of challenges: (i) security, when operating with the devices of strangers and (ii) fairness when not operating in a market-based system. This paper aims to address these two issues by proposing an algorithm based on social credits for a P2P cloud system that uses a social network to establish its security measures. We implement our new Social Credit algorithm along with two other task-migration-based load-balancing algorithms adapted for a P2P social cloud in “Cloudsim Plus”, and the relative gains are shown in terms of fairness and other related metrics.

Intervention of large shareholders and corporate fraud – evidence from vertical interlock in corporate pyramids in an emerging economy

AbstractThrough using 17,995 firm‐year observations of all the Chinese A‐share listed firms from 2008 to 2016 as a sample, we document that firms with vertical interlock have a lower likelihood of committing corporate fraud. We further test the underlying mechanisms, and we find that the effect of vertical interlock on the occurrence of corporate fraud is more pronounced when firms operate in a region with poor legal protection; with the legal environment being enhanced in China, the effect of vertical interlock has become less significant; and the effect of vertical interlock is also more pronounced when firms exhibit poor information environment at the firm level. Our results in this paper imply that the role of large shareholders and legal protection are substitutes in an emerging economy, and even with rapid economic and legal development in China, large shareholders keep playing a positive role in controlling fraudulent behaviours in Chinese listed firms.

Navigating the Complexities of Large Corporations Acquiring Smaller Healthcare Practices

The rising trend of corporations acquiring smaller practices in the healthcare field has complex implications for patients, communities, and the healthcare system as a whole. Navigating these implications is crucial for comprehending the overall impact on people across the nation. By critically assessing these complexities and implementing appropriate strategies, healthcare professionals, and communities can navigate corporate healthcare buyouts to ensure that the healthcare system remains patient-centered, accessible, affordable, and high in quality for future health advancements.

Debt restructurings, debt grifting and the limits of contractualism

AbstractThis article critically examines corporate restructuring plans and schemes in the United Kingdom and United States and third‐party releases in the context of such corporate restructurings. So far, the practice has been more extensively examined in the United States rather than the United Kingdom and the practice has been castigated as ‘debt grifting’, that is, third parties getting the benefit of a bankruptcy discharge without going through the formal bankruptcy process. This article acknowledges some of these criticisms. It also suggests that, if third‐party releases become more widespread in the United Kingdom, this is likely to militate against the success of the United Kingdom as an international corporate restructuring venue. This is particularly the case if the underlying debt is disputed or gives rise to social or political controversy. The article is divided into five parts. After the first introductory part, the second part will examine how debts are restructured in the large corporate context in the United Kingdom and how third‐party releases are important for this endeavour. The third part will examine the equivalent position in the United States. The fourth part explores how the restructuring solutions currently on the table push up against the limits of contractually derived solutions. The final part concludes.