bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
TRANSACTION COSTS, CLANS AND CORPORATE CULTURE
Authors: Alvesson Mats , Lindkvist Lars 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTFor a long time it has been recognized that traditional bureaucratic modes of control are not very efficient in many highly uncertain, rapidly changing or otherwise troublesome situations.Inspired by transaction cost thinking different authors have suggested that clan form control or certain types of corporate cultures should do better in these circumstances. Among these, Ouchi (1980) and Wilkins and Ouchi (1983) stand clearly in the foreground and the transaction cost related clan developed by these authors is discussed at length in the article.Further we examine some empirical case studies indicating that other types of mechanisms than suggested by transaction cost reasoning seem to be involved. As a result we propose an extension of the clan concept to include three different kinds of clans: (1) the Economic‐co‐operative Clan, (2) the Social‐integrative Clan, and (3) the Blood‐kinship Clan.Next we discuss how clans or local cultures become established, including the possibilities for management to develop these kinds of patterns intentionally. Finally we set up some tentative hypotheses concerning the significance of‘economic’and ‘social’types of clans in ambiguous situations and the limits of the ideas of the transaction cost approach in explaining complex exchange issues in organizations.
TIMELY MANAGEMENT CHANGES AS AN ELEMENT OF ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGY
Authors: Schreuder H. 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThis article uses the results of empirical research into the factors determining the differential success of firms in dealing with severe conditions at the industry level. A matched pairs comparison of successful and unsuccessful firms under these conditions reveals very different patterns of strategic measures taken. One of the significant differences is that the successful firms make changes in the management area very early, while the unsuccessful firms make them very late. the results are used for a theoretical reflection focusing on the following two questions: (1) Are organizations basically inert of adaptive? and (2) What is management's role in organizational change? the central theme of the discussion is that in the literature too little attention is paid to timely management changes as an element of organizational change strategies.
MANUFACTURING REFORM AND THE CHANGING ROLE OF THE PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR: THE CASE OF THE AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY*
Authors: Lowe James 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThis research assesses current changes in the nature of the supervisory role in the automobile industry. It locates these changes in the context of a transition from mass production to lean or just‐in‐time production. the emergence of a supervisory role, with supervisors performing critical functions as effective managers of integrated work areas is explored by focusing on two lean producers, Nissan UK and Mazda's Flat Rock plant in the US. Noting the increased responsibility of the supervisor under lean production, the extent of the supervisors’enhanced status and authority are considered. However, a case study of an established vehicle producer in the UK, involving interviews with a sample of forty supervisors draws out the structural and organizational difficulties faced by existing manufacturers in their attempts to reformulate the role of the supervisor.
CHALLENGES TO THEORY DEVELOPMENT IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP RESEARCH*
Authors: Amit Raphael , Glosten Lawrence , Muller Eitan 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTWhy do some new ventures succeed while others fail? What is the essence of entrepreneurship? Who is most likely to become a successful entrepreneur and why? How do entrepreneurs make decisions? What market, regulatory, and organizational environments foster the most successful entrepreneurial activities? Entrepreneurship research is plagued by these and other fundamental unanswered questions, for which there does not exist a cohesive explanatory, predictive, or normative theory. In this article we identify major challenges for entrepreneurship theory development, and offer insights into promising directions for future research. Our conclusion suggests that it may be too ambitious to expect a complete and robust theory due to the interdisciplinary nature of entrepreneurship. However, we show that by integrating perspectives and by applying analytic, empirical and experimental tools from a range of fields, some of the fundamental questions can be answered.
KNOWLEDGE AND THE THEORY OF ORGANIZATIONS: ORGANIZATIONS AS ACTIVITY SYSTEMS AND THE REFRAMING OF MANAGEMENT*
Authors: Blackler Frank 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTRecent developments in the theory of knowing and doing contrast with conventional rational‐cognitive assumptions about management and organization. This, and the emphasis that is currently being placed on the importance of esoteric knowledge for business success, suggests that a review of the relationship between knowledge, organization and management is timely. Activity theory offers a way of synthesizing and developing relevant notions. the approach has its origins in Russian psychology which endeavoured to avoid the dichotomies between thought and action and between individuals and society which have characterized Western theory. Activity theory examines the nature of practical activities, their social origins, and the nature of the ‘activity systems’ within which people collaborate. Modifications to Engestrom's contemporary presentation of the approach are suggested, and a theory of organizations as activity systems is offered. the theory reframes management by modelling the recurrent and embedded nature of human activities, by revealing the tentative nature of knowledge and its action orientation, and by highlighting the opportunities for individual and collective development that engagement and dilemma can provide. the article concludes by reviewing implications for the management of knowledge work, organizational capabilities and organizational learning.
PROBLEM‐SOLUTIONS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS EXPERTISE
Authors: Scarbrough Harry 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThis article uses evidence on the management of Information Systems (IS) expertise to critique conventional understandings of the management of expert groups. These tend to focus on problems of ‘integration’ or ‘control’ at the point of production. But this neglects the interplay between organizations and the wider structure of IS expertise; the latter being shaped by the evolving computer technology regime and the IS occupation's ability to colonize technological knowledge. In this context, the management of expertise is better viewed as an evolving series of ‘problem‐solutions’. ‘Hybrid managers’ and ‘strategic information systems’ are cited as instances of such problem‐solutions.
ENACTMENT IN MANAGERIAL JOBS: A ROLE ANALYSIS*
Authors: Fondas Nanette , Stewart Rosemary 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTResearch into managerial jobs and behaviour has been appropriately criticized for being acontextual and atheoretical. Hales (1986) suggested that role theory could provide one suitable theoretical framework. This article assesses the merit of that suggestion and then develops it by proposing a theoretical model of the antecedents of a manager's impact on the expectations held by others that partially define the job. the analysis integrates research from the fields of managerial behaviour, leadership dyads, symbolic interactionism, and idiosyncratic jobs to produce a more comprehensive model of the determinants of ‘expectation enactment’in managerial jobs. It brings an enactment or ‘emergence’perspective to the field of managerial jobs and behaviour that is consistent with recent developments in other parts of the organizations and management studies literature. Implications for future research are discussed.
TEAMS BETWEEN HIERARCHY AND COMMITMENT: CHANGE STRATEGIES AND THE ‘INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT’*
Authors: Mueller Frank 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThe main objective of the article is to put forward a broader resource‐based view, outlining the influence exercised by the ‘internal environment’on the conception and implementation of teamworking strategies in two multinational automobile companies. While the influence of various external contingent factors — industry, product, technological environment — is often considered in the literature, the role of a firm's internal resources is mostly neglected. the publicity of greenfield‐site teamwork arrangements and the concurrent lack of ‘grounded’research has nurtured the idea that within the same industry environment, a best model of teamwork can be identified.One implication of the resource‐based view presented here is that a best model of teamwork may have little relevance for many established companies, where the choice to embrace such a model does not exist. the article analyses companies’approaches to accommodating business policy objectives within their existing structural and historical constraints, including traditional modes of control, management style, and company culture. the article thus identifies firm‐specific rather than nation‐specific variations within the same industry environment.
EXPLORING THE LINK BETWEEN ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGY AND THE EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP: THE ROLE OF HUMAN RESOURCES POLICIES*
Authors: Peck Sharon R. 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTLinks between organizational strategy, human resources (HR) policies, and the employment relationship are investigated through surveys of US executives and HR managers. Human resources policies are measured as both an overall philosophy (an internal to an external focus) and a series of items. the items factor into four dimensions: retention, staffing, performance and compensation. Results indicate that staffing policies are associated with organizational strategy. Retention policies are related to the employment relationship. However, the overall HR philosophy is not related to either organizational strategy or the employment relationship. the findings indicate that relationships between organizational strategy, HR and the employment relationship are more complex than previous models had indicated.
Informal Supervisory Social Control Strategies*
Authors: Fortado Bruce 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThe informal strategies that are employed by supervisors outside the formal discipline and control systems are explored via a literature review and an analysis of eight case studies from the United States. A comparison with the literature on formal controls reveals that these informal strategies violate virtually all the conventional prescriptive wisdom. the descriptive sociological and anthropological research on negotiated orders, status degradation, labelling and stigmatization is found to be applicable. However, even here, important distinctions must be drawn between this study which develops workplace controllers'strategies and the majority of the prior studies which have focused on deviants' reactions to control measures in non‐work settings.
THE TRANSFER OF JAPANESE MANAGEMENT STYLES IN TWO US TRANSPLANT INDUSTRIES: AUTOS AND ELECTRONICS
Authors: Kennly Martin , Florida Richard 
Published: May 2007

Japanese industry is characterized by a unique set of industrial relations and management styles. the ability to transfer these relations overseas has been the object of much scholarly and popular debate. This paper examines this transfer to the United States in the automobile and electronics industries.It was found that Japanese automobile manufacturers had been able to transfer most of the central features of the system with some adaptation. the most successful firms were using teams, quality control activities, rotation and quite egalitarian management styles. On the other hand, most of the electronics transplants examined had not transferred Japanese style industrial relations. the electronics firms seemed to be content to accept many of the prevailing US practices.It is concluded that the transfer of Japanese style relations is possible, but that this occurs only where Japanese managers make a considered and sustained effort to implant their system. In many electronics operations it appears as though Japanese managers never seriously attempted to implement the Japanese system. Thus, the record of transfer is mixed at the moment.
STRATEGY, STRUCTURE AND CULTURE: CADBURY, DIVISIONALIZATION AND MERGER IN THE 1960S*
Authors: Rowlinson Michael 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThis case study re‐examines the history of Cadbury, the British‐based chocolate confectionery manufacturer, to give an insight into the relationship between strategies of diversification, adoption of a multidivisional structure, and culture in relation to labour management. During the 1960s Cadbury undertook diversification, divisionalization and merger, all of which were affected by, and had an effect upon the Cadbury culture developed at the Bournville factory in Birmingham, England. Contemporaneous documentary evidence, especially the Cadbury board minutes, are used to question the prevalent view, mostly based on retrospective interviews with managers, that cultural change was the outcome of intended management strategies. Instead it is argued that the dilution of the Cadbury culture was the unintended consequence of diversification and divisionalization rather than a conscious abandonment on the part of a new generation of Cadbury directors or the influence of Schweppes after the merger with Cadbury.
LINKING COMPETITIVE STRATEGY AND MANUFACTURING PROCESS TECHNOLOGY
Authors: Schroeder Dean M. , Congden Steven W. , Gopinath C. 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThis paper presents an empirically grounded study of the linkages between competitive strategy and manufacturing technology for 20 small manufacturers. It identifies the nature of strategy‐technology linkages, the process by which the two align, the market and customer forces driving this alignment, and the consequences of failing to adopt appropriate new technologies. the paper proposes five propositions which are developed into a dynamic strategy‐technology linkage model.
DE‐ESCALATION IN DECISION MAKING: A CASE OF A DISASTROUS PARTNERSHIP*
Authors: Drummond Helga 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTDecisions to persist with losing courses of action known as escalation have been widely studied, albeit mainly in an experimental context. Comparatively little is known about the conditions under which de‐escalation occurs. Utilizing a model of de‐escalation derived from the literature the present study examines, by means of a case study, a decision to withdraw from a losing predicament. It is concluded that while de‐escalation is likely to occur where the opposite conditions thought to be conducive to persistence apply, existing models under‐emphasize the importance of power. Accordingly a modified version of Bowen's two‐factor model is proposed.
Beyond Self‐Regulation: Towards A Critique of Self‐Regulation As A Control Strategy For Hazardous Activities*
Authors: Smith Denis , Tombs Steve 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTAfter highlighting some of the key issues and positions in the debate around appropriate preventive regulation, the paper presents a number of observations directed at the proponents of greater self‐regulation. These observations confront directly a number of familiar, but often unchallenged, arguments for self‐regulation. More centrally we address claims concerning, the extent to which the chemicals industries have a good and improving ‘safety’ record; and whether the sector consists of companies both motivated and capable in the context of effective crisis and disaster management. Lastly, the paper sets out some ‘new directions’ for the nature and role of regulation in the effective prevention of crises. Thus the paper indicates a number of regulatory developments which are distinct from any shift towards greater self‐regulation, but which would result in more effective crisis and disaster prevention in the UK chemicals industries and, indeed, beyond that specific sector.
CONTINUITIES IN HUMAN RESOURCE PROCESSES IN INTERNATIONALIZATION AND DOMESTIC BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
Authors: Hendry Chris 
Published: May 2007

Internationalization is often seen as posing distinctive human resource problems that are difficult to overcome. This paper takes an alternative approach by considering the processes by which firms, large and small, internationalize and the way they sustain overseas activity at different stages of their internationalization. It does so by reference to six challenges faced by firms in the course of internationalization. the result is to highlight continuities and regularities between international human resource management and the creation of an effective domestic organization, along with common underlying processes and skills centred on networking, teams and organizational learning.It is argued that this shifts attention from the specific tasks of the human resources function to more broadly defined human resource activities and processes which affect the growth of firms internationally. Secondly, it helps firms to think more positively about becoming international and to address relevant skills. Thirdly, it identifies appropriate activities, tasks and situations that business schools need to provide as part of an international management education.However, the paper also recognizes that internationalization involves specific differences between domestic and international business management. A number of these are rooted in country‐specific institutional factors which human resource management, the function, has to address. While processes may be common, knowledge is context‐bound.
Research In Strategy, Economics, and Michael Porter*
Authors: Foss Nicolai J. 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThis article links up with recent discussions of the strategy/economics nexus. In contrast to most of the proponents and opponents of economics in strategy thinking, a balanced pluralist perspective is adopted. According to this, a discipline should strike a balance between the generation of new theoretical alternatives and the selection among them. Applying this general idea, I argue that the strategy field is too pluralistic, and that the unfortunate consequences of excessive pluralism and eclecticism may be remedied by economics playing a larger role in the conversation of strategy researchers. This does not necessarily mean standard neoclassical economics or new industrial organization economics; evolutionary economics, for example, is a serious contender, too. the evolution of Michael Porter's thinking is used as a case for demonstrating some of the advantages and some of the dangers of economics in the strategy field, and for illustrating points about eclecticism and pluralism.
Early Career Outcomes of Graduate Employees: the Effect of Mentoring and Ingratiation*
Authors: Aryee Samuel , Wyatt Thomas , Stone Raymond 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTUnderpinned by the growing recognition of influence processes or a careerist orientation in the determination of career success, this study examined the effect of career‐oriented mentoring, ingratiation and their interaction term on the career success measures of salary, number of promotions received and career satisfaction. Data were obtained through structured questionnaires from graduate employees (N= 432) working full‐time in Hong Kong. Results of the ordinary least‐squares regression analyses revealed a non‐significant effect of career‐oriented mentoring, ingratiation and their interaction term on salary. Career‐oriented mentoring was, however, significantly positively related to number of promotions received and career satisfaction. Although the results reinforced the dominance of the traditional determinants of career success, the significant effect of career‐oriented mentoring on two of the career success measures may help to paint a more realistic picture of the process of career success in organizations. Limitations of the study, directions for future research and implications of the findings are discussed.
The Role of Networks In the Diffusion of Technological Innovation*
Authors: Robertson Maxine , Swan Jacky , Newell Sue 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThis research considers the diffusion of computer‐aided production management (CAPM) technology in the UK manufacturing sector during the mid to late 1980s, focusing on the role of inter‐organizational networks in the diffusion process. Research on innovation diffusion has tended to adopt a ‘pro‐innovation bias’ such that adoption of prescribed best practice technologies is always considered to be the best policy. In the UK, one particular form of CAPM (MRP/MRPII) has been heavily promoted by technology suppliers as best practice. However, the notion of ‘best practice’ de‐emphasizes the importance of decisions about technology design when users attempt to develop firm‐specific solutions. Crucial to these decisions are the inter‐organizational networks through which potential adopters learn about relevant technologies. Using three case companies, where the introduction of CAPM occurred at approximately the same time, decisions regarding adoption, design and subsequent implementation, are explored in order to establish the influence of inter‐organizational networks on the diffusion and subsequent appropriation of CAPM technologies. These cases revealed that potential adopters engaged in a range of inter‐organizational networks through which they learned about new technologies. However, the knowledge diffused through many of these networks was shaped by technology suppliers who were promoting similar ideas about best practice. Thus, while involvement in inter‐organizational networks gave potential adopters access to information about new technology, this information tended to reinforce supplier images of best practice and did not always lead these firms to develop appropriate technological solutions. Problematic relationships between the suppliers of the technology and the users was seen here to limit the redesign and further diffusion of CAPM.
Employee Shareholders Or Institutional Investors? When Corporate Managers Replace Their Stockholders*
Authors: Useem Michael , Gager Constance 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTDuring the past decade, the shares of publicly traded companies moved increasingly into the hands of institutional investors. As large investors pressed companies to restructure, companies were observed in turn to restructure their shareholder base. Drawing on a 1989 survey of 761 US publicly traded companies, firms facing a hostile takeover environment or with large institutional holdings are found to seek greater employee stockholding. Large firms and those that had adopted takeover defences are more likely when threatened with takeovers or short‐term pressures to seek more employee and less institutional stockholding. Though managers are employed by owners, investor efforts to discipline their managers can lead the latter to replace the former.
Multinational Management Strategy and Human Resource Decision Making In the Single European Market*
Authors: Walsh Janet 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThere has been considerable academic interest in the consequences of European integration for multinational companies and their subsidiaries, and the co‐ordination and control of human resource decision making. Against the backdrop of this debate, this paper examines the impact of European integration on management organization and human resource decision making in 13 British multinational companies. Although there were partial moves towards the development of European managers, a European‐wide approach to human resource matters was not yet a conspicuous feature of this sample of multinationals. the global preoccupations of the companies, as well as the persistence of national variations in consumer markets and modes of product regulation, were clearly major constraints on the emergence of European forms of corporate organization and underpinned the lack of enthusiasm for distinctively European approaches to employee management.