Sustainable supply chain management in “Base of the Pyramid” food projects—A path to triple bottom line approaches for multinationals?

Conducting business operations at the Base of the Pyramid (BoP) have necessitated the need for multinational corporations (MNCs) to involve poor communities in production processes including management of critical supply chains. However, current research on the interface between supply chain management and BoP business operation is lacking. In analyzing three cases of BoP projects in the food industry this study addresses the question of how sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) applied to BoP projects can help MNCs to achieve their sustainability goals. Findings indicate that applying SSCM to BoP projects can complement economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainability. In particular, the BoP projects analyzed show viable paths for integrating the social domain of sustainability with general SSCM theory and practice. From the perspective of international business research, the findings help to link sustainability activities to MNC operations at the BoP. Accordingly, further research is needed to advance integration of these two research streams.     

经管类专业运筹学课程教学模式的探索

运筹学是高等院校经济管理类专业一门实践性很强的专业基础课,本文在阐述运筹学教学重要意义的基础上,分析了我校经管类专业运筹学教学过程中存在的主要问题,并从培养学生应用能力的角度出发,根据作者多年的教学经验,结合经管类学生的特点,探讨了通过课堂教学、实践教学和课外学习三个方面的改革,来改善运筹学的教学效果,使学生能够更好的掌握运筹学的思想,提高使用运筹学解决实际管理决策问题的能力.     

The effects of industry cluster knowledge management on innovation performance

Research on industrial clusters mostly focuses on the effects of the competitive advantage they generate. This study takes a different approach, conducting empirical research on three types of Taiwanese parks (export processing zones, industrial zones, and science parks), in which economic development is particularly prominent, and which have industry cluster characteristics. The study explores the effects of special resources and relationships among cluster firms on innovation performance, and focuses on knowledge management as the mediator for investigation. A survey, regression analysis, and correlation analysis probe into the effects of the special resources and relationships among industrial clusters on corporate knowledge management and innovation performance. Knowledge management emerges as the mediator of industry clusters in terms of corporate innovation performance, thus providing support for the research hypotheses. The findings of this study are valuable for further research and strategic thinking on the sustainability of corporate operations.     

韩国在华企业国际化经营中人力资源管理的实证分析

企业国际化经营中的人力资源管理问题一直是业界管理者讨论的一个热点问题,也是学术界研究的重要课题。跨国公司能否成功地对当地员工进行管理,对其经营成果有着重要的影响。本文以韩国企业在华开展国际化经营中的人力资源管理方面遇到的问题为引子,采用了问卷调查与实际考察相结合的方法,建立了研究模型,提出并验证了假设,最后在理论与实践相结合的基础上揭示了中国员工的劳动价值观及其本质,向在华韩国企业提出了制定和推行有效人力资源管理方案的科学依据及进行跨文化管理的方法。     

Channel Power

For over decades, channel power frameworks have been grounded in the allied constructs of "power bases" and "dependency." Although this research orientation has generated much insight, it is important to recognize the conceptual boundaries of this perspective on channel management. In an effort to stimulate more interaction among heretofore separate streams of channels research, this article discusses some core assumptions and limitations of the power bases perspective and proposes and initial "ecological control" framework for considering a broader range of product, market, and buyer factors that affect chennel relations. Illustrative research propositions are advanced as well as some implications of this broadened perspective on channel power for both theorists and pracitioners.     

The effectiveness of strategic planning: competitiveness in the Brazilian supermarket sector

This paper considers the relative impact of management strategic planning practices and economic changes on company performance. The paper focuses on the Brazilian supermarket sector during the period 1988–1999. This was a period marked by significant changes in economic and competitive conditions. Using sales figures as indicators of company performance, ANOVA tests were applied. The results derived suggest that variables representing changes in economic conditions and strategic planning were both statistically significant when they were used to explain performance differences among Brazilian supermarket operations. Differences in company management practices were found to play a more important role than changes in the environment. However, the results clearly suggest that management by itself was unable to take advantage of the upward and downward movements in the economy to modify the relative competitive positions of companies operating within the market. This finding challenges the existing literature on strategic planning.     

Ebola and Global Airline Business: An Integrated Framework of Companies’ Responses to Adverse Environmental Shock

In spite of a growing body of literature on risk management, our understanding of how companies respond to unforeseen disruptions such as pandemics or outbreaks remains limited. This study advances tourism management, operations strategy, and risk management research by examining how airlines have responded to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Using archival records, the study uncovered three unique stages in airlines’ responses to the outbreak. The study provides insights and rationale behind strategic persistence and downscaling approaches adopted by different airlines. The implications for risk management and public policy are examined. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Exploring the Selective Use of Ad Blockers and Testing Banner Appeals to Reduce Ad Blocking

Ad blocker proliferation threatens the revenue streams of many websites and raises fears about the viability of digital advertising as a whole. Although industry initiatives have increasingly aimed to mitigate ad blocking, surprisingly little research addresses the problem. It remains largely unknown which factors drive ad blocking or help unblocking or “whitelisting” of select websites. This article presents an exploratory survey study of 1,634 ad blocker users and uncovers the main factors driving ad blocking and conditions for unblocking select websites. The conditions suggest changes to online advertising in line with current industry initiatives, as well as opportunities for direct appeals to ad blocker users. A field experiment with 294,331 users tests whether banner appeals can reduce ad blocking. The results show that these appeals reduce ad blocking among 1% of the ad blocker users, and among frequent visitors who encounter repeated banner appeals, this percentage increases to 2%. However, repeated banners also lead to fewer website visits of users not conforming to the appeal, which suggests a trade-off between reducing ad blocking among some users and further increasing avoidance behaviors among others.     

Symmetric and asymmetric leadership cultures: A comparative study of leadership and organizational culture at Hyundai and Toyota

This study compares national cultures, leadership strategies, and work environments in two successful global automobile companies, Hyundai Motor Group and Toyota Motor Corporation. Despite competing head-on in the same market, it was found that these companies use very different leadership strategies as a basis for both global competition and local operations. Based on the results of a comparative case study, structured interviews, and related media and empirical data, it was found that Toyota competes both strategically and managerially by emphasizing planning and work systems to mitigate the impact of any turbulence in the external environment (stability is key), while Hyundai competes by accepting environmental uncertainty and risk as a part of normal daily operations (flexibility is key). We refer to these approaches as symmetric and asymmetric leadership and organizational cultures. As a result of these differences, Hyundai is able to change course more quickly than its larger competitor as new opportunities and technologies emerge. While national cultures played a role in differentiating between the two firms, leadership differences had a more pronounced effect on organizational behaviors and subsequent performance. Results are consistent with previous research and reinforce the conclusion that top management leaders’ behavior can have a significant influence on emergent organizational cultures and performance.     

An analysis of the ethical environment of the international accounting profession

This paper analyses the ethical cultures of the international accounting profession by using the concept of 'mainstreaming' to describe the commitment of an organisation to the ethical function in its operations. The objective of the research on which the paper is based was to rate the efforts of 62 respondent national associations of professional accountants worldwide to incorporate the ethics function into the core operations of their organisations. Sixteen environmental factors were used in the analysis. They were set up as a group of criteria to assess the ethics procedures and systems of the accounting associations, and were divided into two categories. The first group was code based and contained items on code of ethics development and functions which would indicate whether ethically-friendly management attitudes and systems were in place as a central focus of operations. Some of these elements were capable of fostering a 'proprietary interest' attitude on the part of members towards their codes of ethics, which in turn encourages code compliance. With the second group, other key operational aspects were examined to provide a balanced set of criteria. Interrelated elements among factors important to an ethical environment are included in the findings. The study concludes that on average the international accounting profession has attitudinal and systemic approaches that are 'mainstream'. In general addressees were involved in code authorship and the public had adequate access to codes. However, increased use could be made of ethics professionals in the development of codes, of professional development courses to further the ethics skills of members, and of communication channels to foster a unifying approach to ethics. The study provides criteria for individual associations to assess their mainstreaming status against the international findings.     

THE ROLE OF PURCHASING IN CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: A STRUCTURAL EQUATION ANALYSIS

Researchers in the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR) have examined a broad array of activities including environmental management, ethical issues, the advancement of a diverse workplace, safety, human rights, philanthropic donations, and community involvement. Yet despite over 30 years of inquiry in this field, there has been no holistic, empirical investigation of the particular dimensions or sets of activities that are encompassed by CSR and the relationship between ethics and CSR. In the purchasing and supply management literature, similar sets of activities have been investigated, but generally as separate, standalone streams of research with little recognition of their potential inter‐relatedness. The current study empirically identified the dimensions of purchasing's involvement in CSR and applied the label purchasing social responsibility (PSR).     

Top management team turnover, CEO succession type, and strategic change

While previous research suggests that CEO turnover correlates with strategic changes in firm's operations such as discontinuation of operations, we demonstrate that such findings apply only to specific types of CEO turnover, and only if non-CEO members of the top management team also exit the firm. Our analysis examines cases of contender, follower, and outsider succession and reinforces the key role of non-CEO departures in strategic change at a firm. The results support an integration of the upper echelons perspective and the power circulation theory view of top management team turnover.     

THE APPLICATION OF EMPIRICAL STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT RESEARCH TO SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

Researchers in supply chain management (SCM) have traditionally relied most heavily on the core disciplines of logistics, marketing, and operations; most are less familiar with empirical literature in strategic management. However, with the evolution of logistics into the more interdisciplinary SCM along with increasing attention within strategic management to supply chain issues, recent empirical research in strategy has much to offer. This study reviews and categorizes more than one hundred articles relevant to SCM drawn primarily from top strategic management journals.     

Business ethics research at the world's leading universities and business schools

This paper explores the role of the leading universities and best-ranked business schools in the evolution of the academic field of business ethics. An advanced bibliometric methodology is applied to publications in business ethics from the major universities of the Shanghai ARWU ranking and from the FT-ranked business schools. The comprehensive bibliometric study encompasses multiple indicators and examines the evolution of business ethics publications over time. Business ethics research is built on two complementary interdisciplinary streams of research, philosophy, and management. The study indicates that it were not the top universities that contributed most to research advancements in the field of business ethics but second and third tier universities. This finding suggests that academic research in new subfields constitutes a niche strategy for universities and business schools to differentiate themselves. The study furthermore highlights the prominent role of the product champion or ‘idea champion’ in management research at universities. The diffusion of business ethics research illustrates the possibilities for lower ranked business schools with lower budget to excel in specialised subfields and interdisciplinary subthemes.     

跨国公司子公司研究的演进和未来的发展方向

本文通过对国内外有关跨国公司子公司研究的回顾,详细论述了跨国公司子公司研究的四大流派——战略—结构流派、母子公司关系流派、子公司角色流派和子公司发展流派的演进过程,分析了近几年跨国公司子公司的研究动态,总结了跨国公司子公司研究演进的变化规律,进而探讨了跨国公司子公司研究未来的发展方向。     

Untangling the relationships between consumer characteristics,shopping values,and behavioral intention in online group buying

This study examines the link among consumer characteristics (price-sensitive behavior, variety-seeking behavior, and compulsive buying behavior), shopping values (utilitarian and hedonic shopping values), and behavioral intention in online group buying (OGB). This study tests usable responses collected by means of mall-intercept systematic sampling from consumers who previously participated in OGB. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze data and test the hypothesized relationships. Findings suggest that price-sensitive and variety-seeking behaviors are significantly related to utilitarian shopping value, whereas price-sensitive, variety-seeking, and compulsive buying behaviors are significantly related to hedonic shopping value. Both utilitarian and hedonic shopping values significantly influence consumers’ OGB intentions. For a successful OGB strategy, Internet marketers and site operators should emphasize the utilitarian shopping value of price saving and selection and introduce the hedonic shopping values of promotions and sensory experiences. This study provides a link between two streams of prior research – that is, consumer characteristics and shopping values. Furthermore, it validates an empirical model whose results can help business practitioners make better-informed marketing management decisions for OGB and help academics and consumers better understand OGB behavior.     

Critical success factors determining performance of cross‐border acquisition: Evidence from the African telecom market

This study investigates the factors affecting Bharti Airtel's cross‐border postacquisition performance in an African market. This study describes the relationships among various factors such as technical capability, affiliated firm's absorptive capacity, and organizational learning capabilities, which determine the successful operations of the Zain acquisition deal in South Africa. This paper adopts a qualitative approach to identify factors that influence the postacquisition performance. Seven factors are identified based on the literature. Consequently, it has become a necessity to encapsulate these factors in suitable proportions. In this study, we have developed a total interpretive structural modeling (TISM) to analyze the postacquisition performance of Bharti Airtel in South Africa. Our research has highlighted six dynamic factors (organizational learning capability, knowledge management, technology capability, technology relatedness, acquirer's absorptive capacity, and national culture difference) that affect the firm's postacquisition performance. The interpretive structural model (ISM) and total interpretive structural model for postacquisition performance are built‐up. The developed TISM will support academics and practitioners to develop their understanding of acquisition performance of parent companies in the context of telecom business in the South African market.     

A cross-national study on the impact of management teams on the rapid internationalization of small firms

While the importance of top management teams in the formation and development of new ventures is well recognised, their impact on the rapid internationalization of such firms remains relatively under-researched. This article presents the findings of a cross-national study conducted in Australia, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand that demonstrate the significant impact that such teams have in creating the core internal capabilities and leveraging the external resources required for rapid and dedicated internationalization. The need to augment the management team in order to address key resource or knowledge gaps and/or to expand international networks is also evident among many firms, as is the impact of changes in team structures on business strategy and internationalization. Directions for future research and implications for public policy in support of rapidly internationalizing small firms are presented and discussed.     

The Domains of Undergraduate International Business and International Management Courses in Accredited Schools of Business

ABSTRACT

This study compared undergraduate international business and international management course syllabi from 190 management departments at accredited U.S. business schools. Comparisons revealed considerable overlap in topic areas in the two courses. The findings indicate the need for greater domain clarity and differentiation in objectives, topic areas covered, and textbooks used. Domain clarification could lead to more truthful representation of the two courses, better training and disciplinary grounding of course instructors, more appropriate hosting of the courses in business school departments, and enhanced skill-sets among students in these courses. Finally, clear domain definitions are necessary for reliability and validity in international business research.     

Strategic capabilities and the emergence of the global factory: Omron in China

Omron Shanghai provides a detailed case study of a multinational subsidiary's long-term evolution. The study assesses three streams of international business literature that emphasize the seemingly competing roles of parent firm strategy, national institutions or local management in the development of subsidiaries. It looks at each business function separately to reveal which capabilities were effectively transferred from Japan to China. In tracing Omron Shanghai's development from international joint venture into wholly owned enterprise and then global factory, it is the strategic intent of the parent multinational corporations that emerges as the consistent formative influence on management practices and capabilities.