Search results

The aim is to demonstrate the necessity of a scenario approach to decision making where non‐experts are forced to choose between expert opinions about which they cannot possibly form their own expert opinion.

This is an opinion column.

The 2012 presidential election is almost sure to result in more of an austerity approach to the economy – and the level of that austerity may actually be greater under a re‐elected Obama than under a new President Romney.

Decision makers and strategists should be prepared for more of an austerity approach to economic policy, no matter who is elected in November.

Few people are thinking through the actual implications of this election. A scenario analysis makes it fairly clear that the range of plausible policy outcomes is far narrower than is commonly believed.

The article gives a possibly unique outlook on the 2012 presidential election.

States that discrimination and harassment in universities take two primary forms, racial and sexual discrimination. Sexual harassment is found between faculty and student and between student and student whilst racial is often in the a dmission process or from student and professor once the individual has gained a place. Discusses both issues before looking at university liability. Outlines preventative and protective measures which may help avoid expensive litigation.

To function effectively in both the near and distant future, leaders in global organizations must understand, develop and exercise trust and social capital. The competitive landscape in the new millennium necessitates that firms develop strategic flexibility. To do so, they must continuously renew their knowledge stock and produce innovations. To implement these strategies, leaders must build effective relationships among members and units in the organization. This relational capital is based on trust and eventually leads to the development of internal social capital. Leaders must also build effective relationships with external constituencies. This is often accomplished through strategic alliances. Similarly, leaders must build mutual trust among alliance partners that over time leads to the development of external social capital. When employees trust leaders, they are more likely to be committed to the organization’s goals, willing to develop firm-specific knowledge and likely to exercise creativity. Likewise, partners in trusting alliances are more likely to transfer knowledge, and contribute to a firm’s innovation. These actions are important in global organizations, but difficult to achieve.

The ability to develop and maintain an effective network is an entrepreneurial competency. There are differences in female social networks' features as well as in the way of expanding it comparing to men's. But, there is little attention to female entrepreneurs' networks. This chapter focuses on the dynamics of female entrepreneurs' networks at different stages of the business life cycle. A qualitative study was conducted on a sample of Iranian female entrepreneurs in the trade sector situated in Tehran. The results of data analysis of 10 semi-structured interviews show a considerable change in networking activity over time. Although the most important role of networking for women entrepreneurs in both early-stage and established businesses is to achieve opportunities, information, and resources. Also, the combination of female entrepreneurs' networks is most male-dominated. And the main challenge of networking in the early-stage is being female, while it becomes rather an advantage for established ones. Finally, Iranian female entrepreneurs become more aware of networking benefits over time.

In this paper, the authors will examine Welch's legacy and aftermaths, both for GE and more broadly within management practice and academic thought. As a complex character, indeed a person of many contradictions, the authors try to avoid polemics in this, instead focusing on his accomplishments and the unanswered questions about his impact.

This paper is a historical case using secondary and published materials to assess the case of Jack Welch's leadership of General Electric over the period 1981–2001.

Welch's proponents suggest he emphasized controlling corporate destiny, being open to new ideas, pursuing quality and low cost, having confidence, a vision founded on reality, a global focus and possessing energy and enthusiasm. However, his short-termist perspective undermined the long-term success of the company and his “win at any cost” mantra predisposed some employees to cutting ethical or environmental corners. As the market capitalization gains evaporated that had been used to justify the “end justifies the means” rationale, little is left of his legacy.

The paper discusses the implications of the GE case for issues associated with corporate governance, financialization and human resource management.

This is a timely reconsideration of the Jack Welch legacy two years after his death. In avoiding polemics and seeking a considered assessment of his positive and negative outcomes, the paper is an important addition to the research on Welch and American management thought.

This study aims to address the following question: when strategic flexibility can be most beneficial to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the context of emerging economies.

Drawing on dynamic capabilities perspective, this study builds a contingency model and examines it with survey data collected from 166 SMEs in China.

This study finds that the relationship between strategic flexibility and firm performance is extensively moderated by external (competitive intensity and environmental munificence), internal (resource combination activities), as well as bridging factors (managerial ties).

The findings contribute to the contingency view of strategic flexibility and firm performance research by incorporating insights from the dynamic capabilities perspective and by expanding the scope of existing research to emerging economies.

Change readiness (CR) is viewed as a multidimensional behavior that reflects the firm's competencies to do three things in response to environmental opportunities and threats in its industry: trigger identification; gearing up to take action (preparation); and the action's degree of novelty. The main purpose of this study is to propose and test an alternative conceptualization for CR.

Data were collected from 217 organizations in 14 countries. All respondents were in charge of, or involved with, their firms' strategic decisions and implementations thereof and filled out a structured questionnaire.

It was found that CR is influenced by both internal and external variables, including management orientation (entrepreneurial, centralization), environmental barriers, and technology and innovation roles in firms' business strategies. In addition, a higher degree of CR was correlated with better performance and with higher management evaluation of success in coping with environmental triggers.

The size and selection of the sample may pose limits in generalizing the study findings. Future studies may increase the number of interviews per firm, use objective assessments of performance and provide more specific information about threats and opportunities, as well as the type of industry.

The proposed CR concept is based on specific behavior rather than on attitude. CR is perceived as a strategy‐oriented construct that demonstrates the capacity of an organization to respond effectively to new developments in its environment.

This paper aims to problematize the lack of different worldviews on international management (IM), and the virtual silence in Latin America regarding this field within the context of the ongoing crisis of neoliberal policies and discourse.

This paper embraces a decolonial Latin American perspective based on developments in international relations (IR). A major reason for this dialogue is that critical debates within IR have been overlooked by both mainstream and critical literature on management, despite the intrinsic relation between decolonial arguments and IR and the increasing importance of management, and IM, within the realm of international relations to both “centers” and “peripheries”.

The interdisciplinary dialogue put forward in this paper goes beyond those borders established by the “center” and imposed on subalterns. Accordingly then, this might be taken as a particular way of putting into practice a decolonial Latin American perspective. It aims to go beyond some “universal” standpoint as the IR literature shows that the universal standpoint in relation to the “peripheries” tends to be mobilized by the “centers”. It is understood that the construction of a critical Latin American perspective is a way of creating better conditions for “cross‐cultural encounters” not only in global terms, but also within Latin America.

Rethinking IM through a critical perspective inspired by IR has implications for teaching, research and other types of practice in both IM and IR in Latin America.

The paper aims to foster a Latin American perspective rather than a general perspective. Instead of merely disengaging the “center”, the paper embraces, from a critical position inspired by IR, the current argument in US literature that the core of IM comprises a strong commitment to cross‐cultural issues, diversity, and eclecticism.

Presents over sixty abstracts summarising the 1999 Employment Research Unit annual conference held at the University of Cardiff. Explores the multiple impacts of globalization on work and employment in contemporary organizations. Covers the human resource management implications of organizational responses to globalization. Examines the theoretical, methodological, empirical and comparative issues pertaining to competitiveness and the management of human resources, the impact of organisational strategies and international production on the workplace, the organization of labour markets, human resource development, cultural change in organisations, trade union responses, and trans‐national corporations. Cites many case studies showing how globalization has brought a lot of opportunities together with much change both to the employee and the employer. Considers the threats to existing cultures, structures and systems.