Senior Business Research Articles

Systems Modeling Usage in Project Management among Junior and Senior Business System Developers

Unified Modeling Language (UML) is accepted as the standard for modeling software designs and is commonly used in software development Thus this paper investigated the practice of Junior and Senior Business System Developers in the use of UML and other Diagrams. Part of the study is the UML Systems modeling usage for Junior Developers by investigating the documentation used in development. This study used several methods in gathering data, interview, and questionnaire from junior and senior developers was used to come up with a result. It also investigates the possible usage of UML Diagrams in Business field which will be a basis for a future proposed content curriculum for both Business Administration and Information Technology. The result of the study shows that junior developers are not using UML Systems modeling, while senior developers increase as the experience increase in development. Most of the respondents used a diagram that is outside in the UML family. The study also shows that UML helps the managers and business people to build models and diagram that helps them to put things into perspective. It proposed that UML Diagrams should include in business Subject for both programs, the business and information technology program should unite to increase the UML usage.

What are the indicators of a successful business rescue in South Africa? Ask the business rescue practitioners

Background: Business rescue, in terms of Chapter 6 of the Companies Act No 71 of 2008, is still relatively new to the South African business environment. The need for a successful business rescue regime is beyond doubt. However, a consistent manner to measure the success of the regime has not been determined. Previous research into possible indicators of business rescue success was based on a review of international business rescue regimes that share the same underlying philosophy as the South African business rescue regime. Aim and Setting: This study extends previous research efforts by soliciting the opinions of 16 South African, senior business rescue practitioners on the indicators of business rescue success. Method: The researchers used a qualitative research approach. The Delphi research technique was used to gather qualitative and quantitative empirical data from business rescue practitioners. Results: The experts reached a high level of consensus on various indicators of a successful business rescue. Most notable are that business rescue should save as many jobs as possible and that the actual outcome should be compared to that estimated in the business rescue plan. A novel indicator of success is the business rescue points saved or rescued, when using the public interest score. Conclusion: The study makes a valuable contribution to the debate on what constitutes a successful business rescue by adding the considered opinion on indicators of success by one group of experts in the field of business rescue, namely senior business rescue practitioners.

Corporate Information Security Investment Decisions

This article describes how with information security steadily moving up on board room agendas, security programs are found to be under increasing scrutiny by practitioners. This level of attention by senior business leaders is new to many security professionals as their field has been of limited interest to non-executive directors so far. Currently, they have to regularly report on efficiency and value of their security capabilities whilst being measured against business priorities. Based on the Grounded Theory approach, the authors analysed the data gathered in a series of interviews with senior professionals in order to identify key factors in the context of information security investment decisions. The authors present detailed findings in context of a simplified framework that security practitioners can utilise for critical review or improvements of investment decisions in their own environments. Extensive details for each category as extracted through a qualitative data analysis are provided along with a category network analysis that highlights strong relationships within the framework.

Systems Modeling Usage in Project Management Among Junior and Senior Developers

UML is accepted as the standard for modeling software designs and is commonly used in software development Thus this paper investigated the practice of Junior and Senior Business System Developers in the use of UML and other Diagrams. Part of the study is the UML Systems modeling usage for Junior Developers by investigating the documentation used in development. This study used several methods in gathering data, interview, and questionnaire from junior and senior developers was used to come up with a result. It also investigates the possible usage of UML Diagrams in Business field which will be a basis for a future proposed content curriculum for both Business Administration and Information Technology. The result of the study shows that junior developers are not using UML Systems modeling, while senior developers increase as the experience increase in development. Most of the respondents used a diagram that is outside in the UML family. The study also shows that UML helps the managers and business people to build models and diagram that helps them to put things into perspective. It proposed that UML Diagrams should include in business Subject for both programs, the business and information technology program should unite to increase the UML usage.

Testing the Mediating Role of Open Innovation on the Relationship between Intellectual Property Rights and Organizational Performance: A Case of Science and Technology Park

The present study was conducted in Semnan Science and Technology Park and aimed to analyze the relationship among intellectual property rights, open innovation, and organizational performance of 30 New Technology Based Firms (NTBFs). Senior managers, middle managers, and business owners were considered as appropriate respondents for study. A total of 140 questionnaires were distributed among the respondents, and 126 filled questionnaires were returned. The research method used in this study is descriptive-correlation and the analysis was carried out utilizing Structural Equation Modeling. The factors analysis and the findings show that intellectual property rights have a significant positive relationship with open innovation. Further, open innovation has a significant positive relationship with organizational performance. Moreover, no significant relationship between intellectual property rights and organizational performance was established. But, intellectual property rights affect organizational performance positively, through open innovation acting as a mediator.

A Critical Discourse Analysis of Business Academia on the Role and Status of the National Language

<p><em>This qualitative case study is an exploration of the phenomenon of the ways in which Urdu as the national language is represented in discursive practices of senior business academia. The research design, built on Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) model (2009) is of dialectical-relational approach. The participant in this single case study is a senior member of the academia from a business school. Methodologically, the analysis trailed four stages and followed CDA’s transdisciplinary traditional methods of social practices in three semiotic categories: genre, discourse and style. Findings of the study indicated that despite strong emotional links with the national language, the participant recognized the utilitarian value of English in academic and in professional domains; additionally, his perspective was that Urdu was largely marginalized due to its perceived lack of utilitarian value. The participant also expressed the viewpoint that this social injustice was needed by the social order because the business school requires English for academic and professional purposes. The study recommends a more inclusive addition of Urdu courses in business studies. </em></p>

Cultural and organizational integration in cross-border M&A deals

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify key factors that influence the integration process in cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals of emerging multinational enterprises (EMNEs). The research questions are: how national and organizational culture coupled with other organizational characteristics influence M&A deals of EMNEs? Which factors influence the process of cultural and organizational integration in cross-border M&A deals, initiated by EMNEs? What is the effect and consequences that different integration factors have on cross-border M&A deals by EMNEs?Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a multiple case study research, considering cross-border deals of Chinese and Russian firms separately. Each block consists of two cases, describing M&A integration of companies operating in two sectors: high technology and finance. The authors obtained the data for case studies from companies’ official websites, annual reports, press releases, other official documents where companies were mentioned, business-media sources (newspapers and magazines), published interviews, documented speeches, letters, laws, as well as through blogs and social networks. The authors have also used the published information from articles, books, databases, and previously conducted case studies.FindingsThe authors have identified the factors influencing deals’ results of Chinese and Russian MNEs, with explanation based on case studies’ analysis. The full list of factors is presented in Table IV in the manuscript. The authors have also identified the set of elements that were derived from the case studies’ analysis only, without having any strong support in the literature, such as changes at a senior management level, educational and business exchanges, CSR policy, and the government involvement.Originality/valueThe authors have identified the key factors that influence integration of emerging market firms in cross-border M&A deal. The list of factors was adjusted and actualized in accordance with the results of four cases of cross-border M&A deals of Chinese or Russian companies. As a result, the authors founded the combination of characteristics of cultural and organizational integration process of firms from China and Russia.

Using workforce analytics to improve strategy execution

In this article, I introduce an approach to conducting workforce analytics that is designed to improve strategy execution and organizational effectiveness through the application of systems diagnostics. What differentiates the approach are two analytic steps that precede the analyses that are typical of workforce analytics today: competitive advantage analytics and enterprise analytics. Conducting these two additional steps enables the analyst to identify the critical business issues that are the biggest problems for senior business leaders, and to determine if structural issues coming from the organization design and culture are at play. First conducting those analyses best enables traditional workforce analytics to provide insights the organization's leadership views as truly valuable.

Research rigor and the gap between academic journals and business practitioners

PurposeThis paper examines the engagement of business practitioners with academic business research. The purpose of this paper is to assess whether there is a gap between academic research and business people, and, if so, how to bridge this gap.Design/methodology/approachOver 150 senior business practitioners were interviewed, in order to capture their views on the usefulness of academic research to them in their roles as practicing managers. Survey questions covered both their current access and reading of business-related publications and what the ideal academic business journal should be, in terms of access and contents.FindingsAcademic journals are not very well known among business professionals. If these professionals could choose, they would like academic journals to be written by experienced business people, to contain business cases and to be accessible on line. Existing academic business journal “repositories,” such as Google Scholar, are not mentioned in the survey results.Practical implicationsThe findings indicate that potential solutions to bridge the gap between academic journals and business practitioners should not be complicated to implement, and would greatly help bring these two communities closer, with mutually enriching results.Originality/valueThis paper takes a very pragmatic view of the gap between academic journals and business practitioners, and seeks to assess this gap in terms of how it can be bridged on an everyday basis, rather than take a theoretical approach. It begs for the definition of actionable next steps.

The nature and potential of corporate governance in developing countries

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide detailed findings regarding the perceived role of corporate governance in Zambia. There have been no detailed studies of opinions in a setting such as Zambia, i.e. a nation which has experienced relative political calm and which has an abundance of natural resources – but where corporate governance failures have been blamed directly for economic difficulties.Design/methodology/approachThe study reports the results of a series of 24 in-depth interviews with Zambians, including politicians, regulators, senior business executives, transnational organisation representatives, academics and governance consultants. The discussions were conducted face-to-face and recorded in all cases.FindingsUnderstanding of corporate governance is at an embryonic stage in Zambia, but embedded corruption is likely to require addressing before any meaningful change is likely. A range of isomorphic forces appear to be prevalent and the study argues that root and branch change in structures and attitudes is a necessity if improvements are to be forthcoming. The paper concludes with a call for unity in purpose and recognition of current malignancies.Originality/valueDespite Zambia’s idiosyncrasies, the evidence suggests that a pan-African picture is emerging, with growing awareness of the potential benefits of improved corporate behaviour – but deep cynicism exists about the likelihood of these arising given corruption in reward structures. Such is the extent of embeddedness in power amongst those who benefit from current arrangements that both mimetic and coercive forces are argued to be ranged against any shift in extant systems and processes.

Fostering creativity through critical thinking: The case of business start‐up simulations

Research suggests a positive link between critical thinking and creativity. However, this relationship has not been measured in an empirical study. This study aims to explore whether critical thinking can serve to enhance creativity and whether creativity positively mediates the relationship between critical thinking and business performance. In this study, we analyse these relationships within the entrepreneurial context of a web‐based business start‐up simulation. We examined data from 26 teams of three to four senior business students and found partial support for our hypotheses. Critical thinking positively influenced creativity, measured as the total number of unique product designs. Creativity (unique product designs) also positively mediated the link between critical thinking and performance. This effect, however, did not exist when creativity was assessed through advertisement designs. This research contributes to entrepreneurship and innovation management by demonstrating the importance of critical thinking as a basis for creativity and testing this relationship in a business start‐up simulation context.

How to think about Australia's relationship with China

Each year, Australia and China conduct something called the ‘High-Level Dialogue’, bringing together a cross section of senior officials, business people and civil society leaders. At the 2016 meet...

CSR and turnover intentions: examining the underlying psychological mechanisms

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of employees’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) perceptions on their turnover intentions. It strives to understand the underlying psychological mechanisms by proposing and testing mediation and moderation hypotheses. Specifically, employee engagement was examined as mediator and gender, belief in the importance of CSR and CSR awareness were examined as moderators of the proposed relationship between CSR and turnover intentions.Design/methodology/approachThe target population for the study consisted of junior, middle and senior business professionals from both public and private sector manufacturing and service firms operating in India. The data were collected with the help of self-administered questionnaires via both personal visits to the organizations and internet-based questionnaire. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the study hypotheses.FindingsThe study results suggest a significant influence of employees’ CSR perceptions on their turnover intentions. Additionally, the study delineates the role of employee engagement in understanding the potential of a firm’s involvement in CSR activities in influencing employee attitudes and behaviour at work. Interestingly, significant gender variations were observed in the proposed set of relationships. Belief in the importance of CSR and CSR awareness were also found to significantly moderate the relationship between CSR and turnover intentions.Practical implicationsBy providing persuasive evidence on tangible business benefits of CSR initiatives, this study addresses the concerns of corporate managers to prove the business potential and value engendered by their CSR efforts.Originality/valueThe study makes a novel contribution by not only examining the direct association between the CSR and turnover intentions, but also by going a step ahead to unfurl the underlying psychological mechanisms for better understanding of the relationships.

Buenas Diaz – status quo or pivot!

Synopsis The family matriarch dies without a written succession plan, leaving her children to determine how to cope with the continuity of the family’s expanding food empire. This becomes increasingly difficult when one of the siblings wants to incur expensive, yet required, renovations to the family’s original restaurant. The situation is further complicated by the fact that the two older siblings are focused on corporate expansion efforts, while the youngest is trying to demonstrate her competence in running the family’s historical restaurant. A central focus of the case is to understand and identify effective strategies that should guide the firm-related choices each sibling makes. Research methodology This case, which was developed from field interviews and personal experience, highlights the array of competing financial and personal objectives and tensions involved in a family business. An interactive tool allows users to conduct multiple scenario analyses to determine if the company’s manufacturing expansion goals can be achieved while simultaneously honoring the family’s restaurant roots. Relevant courses and levels This case was designed specifically for the undergraduate junior or senior business or economics student who has already taken basic finance, economics, strategy, entrepreneurship, or psychology courses. Typically, by the third or fourth year of study in a traditional undergraduate program, virtually all of the core themes, concepts, theses, and theories associated with the case have been addressed in previous business or economics coursework. Theoretical bases The case provides an intentional opportunity for students to demonstrate their emerging financial analysis competencies, while concurrently synthesizing the so-called “soft” skills associated with rational decision making, organizational behavior analysis, business strategy, entrepreneurship, and negotiations.

Service And The Millennial Business Student: The Motivating Influence Of An E-Book Class Project

A commitment to voluntary service that benefits others was reinforced for students who authored an e-book on service as a class project in a senior business course. The immersive experience of writing short essays that focused on service shifted students’ motivations toward service and solidified their intentions to continue with service after graduation. The article reviews millennials’ characteristics and their activities related to volunteering services. The concerns of generations covering the past 100 years illustrate the shift from physical hardship and a rudimentary standard of living in earlier times toward present-day issues of millennials, namely economic security, technology change, globalization and meaningfulness in life and careers. A 4-stage model shows how student engagement in creating the e-book influenced commitment to service. The stages include (a) salience (being tasked with the assignment), (b) reflection (thinking about service), (c) internalization (deciding about service in their own lives), (d) commitment-action (resolve to actively integrate service into future life). Examination of millennials’ values and work styles indicated the e-book as a class project matched their preferences. Each of 5 teams was tasked to complete deliverables, which the students produced operating under a “leaderless classroom” structure. Corporations that encourage employees to offer pro bono services have recognized benefits to their employees, reinforcing the need for business education programs to include service-related experiences.

Exploring Correlates of Business Undergraduates’ Closed Versus Open Grading Assessment Learning Perceptions

Motivated by a lack of scales for measuring business undergraduates’ grading assessment learning perceptions (GALP), this research created two three-item GALP scales, closed and open. Two separate samples of senior business undergraduates (fall, 2015, n = 220 and spring, 2016, n = 690) were used. Closed GALP and open GALP were identified via exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Subsequent stepwise regression analyses consistently showed that satisfaction/reputation had a positive impact and accounted for the most variance in these two GALP scales across both samples. Research limitations and future research issues are discussed.

Net Loss? Agrochemicals and Insecticide Resistance in the Fight against Malaria.

Net Loss? Agrochemicals and Insecticide Resistance in the Fight against Malaria.

Unsticking the status quo

PurposeManagerial mindset and cognitive bias can be barriers to any transformation strategy. In the case of telework, most employees express willingness to telework, yet, few firms formally enable it during regular business hours. The status quo is a daily commute to the traditional workplace. The purpose of this paper is to test framing interventions designed to harness cognitive biases through choice architecture.Design/methodology/approachDrawing upon behavioral strategy and prospect theory, this paper presents two studies: quasi-experiments with 146 senior business students and experiments in the field (replication using random assignment and extension) with 84 senior decision makers. Both studies use a one-way between-subjects design and chi-square analysis.FindingsFindings support the proposition that, although cognitive biases can act as barriers to transformation, they can be re-framed through strategic interventions. Specifically, in both studies, there was a drastic increase in adoption simply by changing the way the choice was presented. Findings in the lab were cross-validated in the field. Observed shifts in preferences provide evidence that embedding the right reference point within communications can frame a decision choice more favorably. Findings also support that a bias for an implicitly perceived status quo can be overruled through an explicitly stated reference point.Research limitations/implicationsIt is an assumption of behavioral strategy that most individuals simply respond to the gains/loss framing without being influenced by other psychological or contextual factors, and though these effects dissipate through aggregation, it is a limitation nonetheless. Indeed, using an individual construct to explain an organizational phenomenon is a well-debated topic in the field of strategy, with proponents on both sides. The distinguishing factor, here, is that behavioral strategists are only interested in results at the aggregated level.Practical implicationsPractitioners attempting to roll out telework adoption, or any transformation, now have proven strategies for designing frames of reference that intervene against and harness the power of loss aversion and the status quo.Social implicationsThis paper measures micro processes that have an effect at the macro level. It explains systematic aversion to adoption as an aggregation of decision-making behavior that is seemingly subconscious. In doing so, it highlights the impact of bounded rationality perpetuated through social systems, while measuring effective interventions designed to make systematic behavior more predictable.Originality/valueA novel contribution is made in designing/testing a new frame for systematic resistance to change that frames the status quo as the losing prospect. In this frame, the perceived loss is in the choice not to change, and loss aversion proves to be an effective tool for facilitating systematic change.

Collaborative approach to mentoring in the tourism sector: Embracing new partners to enhance an industry programme

This study considers the impact of a new mentoring scheme within the UK tourism sector. To broaden the portfolio of expertise within this programme, launched by the trade’s professional newspaper the Travel Trade Gazette, an academic was selected as a mentor alongside senior travel professionals and business leaders. The key findings show that embracing specialists who work indirectly within the field can add depth and a new focus to mentoring within the tourism business. Therefore, it is hoped when developing future mentoring schemes including practitioners, who are linked to the sector, but not directly involved, can be a valid option to those working in the business.

The transition to general management in South Africa

Orientation: Understanding the nature and challenges of making the transition from a functional role to a general management role in South African organisations.Research purpose: The objective of this study was to gain insight into the obstacles that affect the transition from functional to general management and identify steps that may be taken to overcome these challenges.Motivation for the study: One of the most difficult crossroads for a manager is making the shift from being a functional specialist to becoming a general manager. New competencies and behaviours are required, as well as a more strategic mind set. If the transition is not made successfully, the manager and the organisation suffer.Research design, approach and method: A qualitative design was used consisting of in-depth, semi-structured interviews, with 19 senior business leaders who had successfully made the transition. The interviews were used to gather insights into the challenges they faced during their transitions, and how these were overcome.Main findings: To make the transition successfully, functional managers need to gain relevant experience to prepare them for the broader scope of a general management role. They need to develop appropriate skills, attitudes and personal characteristics. Mentoring is an effective development process. Newly appointed general managers need to learn to let go of control while maintaining ownership, build relationships and strike the right balance between strategic thinking and execution. There are unique aspects of being a general manager in South Africa, such as dealing with Black Economic Empowerment and challenges of race and identity, given the country’s history.Practical and managerial implications: Specific interventions are suggested which are directed at both aspiring general managers and organisations seeking to assist middle managers to make the transition to general managers.Contribution: This study contributes to knowledge concerning the skills and attributes required by potential general managers, and the practical steps to be taken by South African organisations to facilitate the development of general managers.