The Visible Hand of corporate entrepreneurship in state-owned enterprises: a longitudinal study of the Spanish National Postal Operator

This study explores how the corporate entrepreneurship (CE) of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) evolves under varying conditions of state ownership and control, laws and norms, and competence in the market. For this purpose, we present a longitudinal case study focused on the Spanish postal operator Correos using qualitative archival data and interviews. Our results indicate that the willingness and capacity of an SOE to act entrepreneurially depends critically on its degree of autonomy from the state and on the extent to which its legal and market environments increase its dynamism, complexity, and hostility. We also show that the development of CE in an SOE may lead to improved service quality, operational efficiency, and business specialization; facilitate its market positioning; and foster its sustainability through the exploration and exploitation of strategic alliances that can increase its business scope.

     

How to identify the canaries that might save the organizations: Mapping the most curiosity-oriented in Brazil

This study explores the effectiveness of international instruments for identifying the curious and alerts us to the relative ineffectiveness of foreign instruments to map the curious in Brazil. We used indirect questions to better map the most curious collaborators at Brazilian organizations. We believe our instrument eludes the Brazilian bias for impression management. Our sample covered 384 respondents in Brazil and identified that there are more curious professionals in small and medium-sized enterprises than in large and multinational companies, and that team members are more curious than those in managerial positions. Furthermore, our study reveals that the most curious perceive to be penalized when offering their perceptions regarding weak signals. This study points the need to invest in developing and protecting a more curiosity-oriented staff. In addition to contributing to the literature on curiosity at work, this study provides insights for companies that want to develop their teams to perceive business weak signals.     

The demise of the American hegemony in international business research has been greatly exaggerated

The drivers for the internationalization of business teaching and research were multinational corporations, the Cold War, and the relative price advantage of non-America business schools. Yet, the internationalization largely failed to reflect local contexts. The consequent paucity of original local business thought, international or not, exposes non-American business schools to the raid of American-based massive open online courses which will prune off the mainstay courses at emerging market business schools. Deprived of a substantial share of their fee-paying students, the remaining docents at those schools will be less likely to publish altogether, including in fields that might sustain independent thought. Therefore, American-like international business research is likely to have a longer life, more narrowly focused on English-speaking countries and Europe, with even less of a contribution from emerging markets.     

Identification with cartoon characters across cultures suggests better fit for appointments at subsidiaries

The cross-cultural analysis is largely bounded to countries, as organizational culture analysis is to corporations. This exploratory analysis brings the two together to signal what leadership styles might fit best in which markets. Populations tending to selflessness and obedience might respond more poorly to typical MBA-trained business leaders.     

The maturity-lengthening role of national development banks

We analyze why national development banks (NDBs) may provide longer-term loans to firms than private commercial banks (PCBs). If NDB bonds have higher collateral value than PCB bonds, then NDBs may lend longer-term than PCBs. NDBs may enjoy higher recapitalization willingness and capacity by the state and hence greater collateral value than PCBs. Moreover, NDBs may have advantages over state-owned commercial banks if NDB bonds enjoy higher market liquidity. However, NDBs may suffer from poor monitoring quality owing to undue political intervention, thus undermining collateral value. Our study implies that NDBs are not substitutes for but complements to PCBs.