A model of rapid knowledge development: The smaller born-global firm

Existing models of the internationalization process have not captured the important phenomenon of accelerated international growth of born-global firms, which led Johanson and Vahlne (2003) to revise their model. However, the revised network model falls short of explaining rapid internationalization of firms. While they indicate a “specific relationship development process” used by born-global managers, Johanson and Vahlne (2003) still suggest the existence of an incremental learning and “responsive” model, which is based on pre-existing relationships. We extend current theory in arguing that born-global managers can use both pre-existing and newly formed relationships, to quickly and proactively develop new knowledge for rapid commercialization of their products. Proactive, advanced relationship-building capability is based around locating partners with technological knowledge with a view to ensuring ease of sharing knowledge. We explore the development of trust and inter-firm partnerships in established and newly formed networks and how these lead to tacit knowledge, absorptive capacity and new knowledge generation. While Johanson and Vahlne (2003) emphasize “market specific experience and operation experience” we emphasize “technological experience”. The reason that knowledge sharing is able to proceed quickly is that the shared “technological knowledge” allows rapid transfer and development of new knowledge and the drive to commercialize a product before a competitor, promotes the “mutual need” (co-dependency) to act quickly, characteristic of technology-based industries, which face rapid change. As an outcome of the born-global manager's ability to locate new partners through existing networks, new international links may be quickly developed, with internationalization being an outcome, but not necessarily a driver of behaviour in smaller born-global supply chains.     

Dual sources of support for dual roles: how mentoring and work–family culture influence work–family conflict and job attitudes

This study examines the influence of mentoring support and perceptions of a supportive work–family culture on the level of work–family conflict (WFC), job satisfaction and affective commitment reported by employees in a Fortune 100 professional services organization. Main effects and interaction effects between mentoring and work–family culture were explored. Results indicate that the presence of a mentor is significantly related to affective commitment while a supportive work–family culture was associated with less WFC – both family interference with work and work interference with family – and greater job satisfaction and affective commitment. For both job satisfaction and affective commitment, there is an interaction effect that suggests a synergy between direct and contextual support. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.     

Identity Threat Assessment and Prediction

Identity theft and related threats are increasingly common occurrences. This paper is an overview of the Identity Threat Assessment and Prediction (ITAP) project. It describes our use of news stories to gather raw data about incidents of identity theft, fraud, and abuse. Through these news stories, we seek to determine the methods and resources used to carry out these crimes; the vulnerabilities exploited; and the consequences of these incidents. The ITAP model is a large and continually growing, structured repository of such information. There are currently about 5,000 incidents captured in the model. To this body of information, we apply a variety of analytical tools that enable us to show and compare threats, losses, and trends. We discover notable and sometimes surprising results. A goal of this project is to be able to predict future threats, and to provide some concrete guidance on how to avoid them.     

The institutionalization of information system project management practices

Considering that current structures are the result of choices made in specific contexts in the past, we adopt a historical perspective in order to understand how some information systems (IS) project management practices evolved and became norms. Using historical methods, we analyze sources of data spanning 52 years of IS project management (1945–2007) – interviews with IS project managers and academics, IS project management textbooks, curricula, and the scientific and professional literature – to: (1) determine whether some IS project management practices may now be considered institutionalized, and (2) understand their institutionalization processes over time. Based on this analysis, three groups of IS project management practices may now be considered institutionalized: formal control, external integration, and project risk management.     

Wilderness and cultural tour guides,place identity and sustainable tourism in remote areas

This paper is concerned with understanding the relationship between place identity and sustainable tourism in remote areas. It examines wilderness and cultural tourism guides’ place identity and how those identities are deployed in designing and delivering their activities, then evaluates how these activities engage with the goals of sustainable tourism. A mixed-method approach collected data from textual documents, participant observation and semi-structured interviews. A literature review and early document analysis identified three exemplary Yukon place identity narrative themes: (1) Masculinist Narratives, (2) Narratives of the New Sublime and (3) Narratives of Loss. A narrative framework emerged from initial findings and was refined on an on-going basis throughout the research process, and used iteratively as an analytical tool. Sustainable tourism is understood in relation to geotourism and place-based approaches. Instrumentally, the study provides insight into strategies used by guides to engage with, enhance and broaden goals for and understandings of sustainable tourism. It considers the role of infrastructure and the significance of lifestyle entrepreneurs. Authenticity is engaged to examine how it is operationalized as a crucial dimension of sustainable tourism in remote areas and is used to examine instrumental considerations, as well as a potential tool to “liberate place”.     

Developing Woodlands for Tourism: Concepts,Connections and Challenges

Driven by potential economic benefits for rural communities, tourism has become an increasingly central focus of sustainable woodland management in Great Britain. Knowledge of the values and uses of woodlands for tourism, and the impacts of woodland management on tourism is, however, limited. This paper outlines qualitative research in three study areas which used in-depth interviews and discussion groups to engage with tourism providers to explore these issues. It argues that woodlands are an important constituent of ‘countryside capital’, with woodlands” imagery and accessibility, and their natural and man-made resources used directly and indirectly by tourism enterprises. A landscape-scale approach to tourism planning and development is advocated to ensure a more holistic use of woodlands for tourism. Critical issues are identified as being strategy and integration, local engagement, sharing of information, resources, costs and benefits between stakeholders, and policies and practices to stimulate innovation and growth.     

Antecedents and Consequences of Consumers' Response to Health Information Complexity

This study develops and empirically tests a model for understanding food consumers' health information seeking behaviour. Data were collected from 504 food consumers using a nationally representative consumer panel. The obtained Lisrel results suggest that consumers' product-specific health information seeking is positively affected by general food involvement and by usability of product-specific health information. Moreover, product-specific health information seeking and product-specific health information complexity are both positively related to post-purchase health-related dissonance. This link between information complexity and post-purchase dissonance has implications for marketers of food products since our results suggest that consumers might avoid purchasing the same food item again if post-purchase dissonance is experienced.     

Changes and trends in alcohol consumption patterns in Europe

Consumer behaviourists and consumer policy-makers are interested in the degree to which global convergence is occurring for various consumer behaviour dimensions, the extent to which the consumption patterns in different parts of the world are becoming similar and the extent to which these trends may be influenced and/or influence consumer policy. With increasing internationalization and cultural cross-fertilization, the industrialized societies of the world are converging in many ways. Shifts in alcohol consumption patterns in Europe over the past 50 years represent a case in point. As traditional cultural boundaries become blurred, consumer preferences for alcoholic beverages appear to be driven less by long-standing local and regional traditions and more by growing acceptance of a wider choice. The disparity in total alcohol consumption among the 15 countries studied has also decreased. Other powerful forces are likely to accelerate the pace of convergence in the future.     

CFAR: A NEW TOOL FOR PREDICTING CREDIT QUALITY

Because of the limitations of traditional analytical ratios based on book leverage and coverage ratios, Fitch IBCA established a credit rating methodology that gives primacy to cash flow measurements. Its approach focuses on the "cash flow adequacy ratio," or CFAR. CFAR is based on the premise that companies generating strong cash flow from operations relative to maturing debt have better credit profiles than those forced to rely on outside sources of capital. CFAR serves as proxy for company's financial flexibility; the higher the CFAR, the more financial stress the company can withstand.
To assess the effectiveness of CFAR as a credit tool, Fitch IBCA surveyed 47 U.S. industrial companies with a Bloomberg composite rating of 'A' from 1990–1995. Based on its cash flow analysis, the rating agency ranked the companies and predicted that many were likely to be upgraded or downgraded. In a three-year period, 30% of the ratings in the sample group changed. Of the 14 ratings changes, Fitch IBCA forecast 10 correctly, which translates into a predictive score of over 70%.     

Effects of Economic Shocks on Children's Employment and Schooling in Brazil

This paper uses longitudinal employment survey data to analyze the impact of household economic shocks on the schooling and employment transitions of young people in metropolitan Brazil. The paper uses data on over 100,000 children ages 10-16 from Brazil's Monthly Employment Survey (PME) from 1982 to 1999. Taking advantage of the rotating panels in the PME, we compare households in which the male household head becomes unemployed during a four-month period with households in which the head is continuously employed. Probit regressions indicate that an unemployment shock significantly increases the probability that a child enters the labor force, drops out of school, and fails to advance in school. The effects can be large, implying increases of as much as 50% in the probability of entering employment for 16-year-old girls. In contrast, shocks occurring after the school year do not have significant effects, suggesting that these results are not due to unobserved characteristics of households that experience unemployment shocks. The results suggest that some households are not able to absorb short-run economic shocks, with negative consequences for children.