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This study investigates the impact of corporate environmentalism on corporate environmental reputation. Corporate environmentalism comprises both environmental performance and environmental policy, thus distinguishing a firm's actual environmental performance from the intent of its environmental policy. The moderating effect of advertising is also investigated.

The study derives four hypotheses from the literature and tests these by means of a Tobit model and a unique combination of databases.

Results show a link between environmental policy and corporate environmental reputation, but not between environmental performance and corporate environmental reputation. Additionally, results reveal the moderating effect of advertising to be negative, suggesting that advertising contributes only marginally toward improving corporate environmental reputation.

This study is one of the first to investigate the complementary effect of environmental management, environmental policy and advertising on corporate reputation.

Examines attitude changes occurring in companies since the mid‐1980s through job disruptions and redundancies, and suggests leaders do not realize that companies are not running as efficiently as they should. Wilson Learning has studied group emphasis since 1985 and suggests that creating a sense of collaboration (or post‐heroic leadership) is a necessity for organizations to survive. Lists capacities required for people to meet this challenge and concludes managers must shift away from traditional top down hierarchical structuring.

In 1984–85, Reference Services Review published a series of review articles on field guides for wildflowers (Potts), birds (Klaas), trees (Kinch), and insects (Chiang). A glance at Books in Print indicates the number of new field guides appearing since that time. Rather than evaluate a new crop of highly focused field guides, the present essay examines a related kind of nature guide, the nature‐study manual. For the purposes of this essay, the nature‐study manual is defined as a guide that encourages investigation of the natural world, rather than offering facts and identifications. To be a nature‐study manual, a book must offer tools and techniques for identification (often through field guides), observation, recordkeeping, and often collection of specimens and experimentation. Books of narrative natural history and essays on a particular observer's experiences are thus excluded. The nature‐study manual's unique role is to instruct readers in how to observe and study nature for themselves, whether close to home or in far‐flung regions.

Recognizes the inherent conflict between multinationals’ (MNEs’) need to respond to local markets while using global integration to achieve economies of scale; and outlines relevant research from the fields of both economic and organizational theory. Criticizes the process approach based on normative theory and suggests that loose coupling theory is a more practical way of looking at MNEs. Discusses the application of these ideas to their management and identifies seven behavioural characteristics of loosely coupled systems (Weick). Links these to Doz and Prahalad’s (1991) criteria for assessing the applicability of organizational theory to MNEs. Considers the research implications and believes that MNE organization will eventually be seen, not as a special case, but as a general model.

This paper studies the strategies of “E” award winning exporters engaged in manufacturing and demonstrates that there are multiple strategies for achieving success. Cluster analysis is applied to fifty‐seven items that comprise the population of business activities for award‐winning U.S. exporters to Latin America. Four strategies emerge from the cluster analysis and are validated with multiple methods. In addition, the clusters are shown to be consistent with an emerging business strategy typology that until now has ignored exporting. The results offer both a geographical and a conceptual extension of prior work in international business.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the European Regions for Innovative Productivity project that established Innovative Productivity Centres (IPCs) to assist SMEs in the North Sea Region of Europe to develop a process improvement capability. A conceptual framework explains how a process improvement methodology developed for large firms was adapted and shaped to meet the needs of SMEs.

A comparative case study of 23 SMEs within six European countries. A protocol was developed to collect financial and operational data. This was supplemented by observations, secondary data and field notes. An established research model was used to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of the process improvement interventions.

The intervention context and structure of the IPCs varied by country which shaped process improvement interventions at two levels: the country and the firm. During diffusion three process improvement variants emerged that were tailored to fit the local context. Developing a process improvement capability depended upon the availability of company resources, establishing KPIs and change agent support.

The research contributes to knowledge and theory on diffusion and institutionalization by examining how SMEs responded to institutional pressures by implementing process improvement practices in different ways. Heterogeneity of both the IPCs and the external change agents were the drivers in shaping the improvement practices.

R&D has been studied for a long time within different contexts, economies, and environmental demands throughout the years. The transition from early days’ booming markets and economic growth in the 1950s to today’s highly competitive and global market place is reflected in the way R&D has been managed. Early success stories such as the industrial research laboratories Bell Labs, Xerox Park and Lockheed Martin Skunkworks have been replaced by companies like the more market‐focused 3M, the rapid introductions of new product ranges from Japanese manufacturers like Toyota and Sony, and R&D collaborations like Ericsson’s network of companies around the “Bluetooth” technology and standard. The perspective on R&D processes has been different throughout the years, since the structure and prerequisites of the economy have changed and so has the presumption of best practice. One attempt at describing the last 50 years of evolution within the R&D field is introduced below according to many researchers.