Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Corporate Strategy (corporate + strategy)
Selected AbstractsCorporate Strategy and Gendered Professional Identities: Reorganization and the Struggle for Recognition and PositionsGENDER, WORK & ORGANISATION, Issue 3 2001Bente Rasmussen Will decentralization of responsibilities in services give women service workers at the lower levels of the organization better and more ,professional' jobs and a recognition of their importance in the organization? This article looks at the valuation of so-called women's skills in services in reorganization processes involving dehierarchization and decentralization of responsibilities. Through four cases of reorganized private and public services in Norway it is shown that more focus on customers and decentralization of responsibilities for the services may lead to recognition of gendered skills and an improved position for women service workers at the lowest levels of the organization. When the tasks of the workers are closely linked to the core function of the organization and not dominated by the organization's ,dirty work', the women at the lowest levels may obtain a more ,professional' work role and their work be recognized as important for the organization. [source] Public policy and corporate environmental behaviour: a broader viewCORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 5 2008Runa Sarkar Abstract Corporate strategies to manage the business,ecological environment interface have evolved against the backdrop of regulatory pressures and stakeholder activism. Despite its relevance with respect to sustainable development, a well developed theory encompassing all aspects of corporate environmental behaviour, especially incorporating incentive compatible public policy measures, is yet to be developed. This paper is a step in this direction, aiming to assimilate contributions related to different aspects of corporate environmental behaviour, capturing the transition from environmental management to environmental strategy. In the process we identify areas where there is a need for further research. We find that there is plenty of scope in developing more complex models to explain a manager's rationale for adopting sustainable strategies in the backdrop of the policy regime, and in conducting more empirical (both descriptive and quantitative) work to obtain clearer insights into managerial decisions. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Corporate social responsibility and the mining industry: conflicts and constructsCORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2004Heledd Jenkins In response to widespread and increasing criticism, the mining industry has started to pay serious attention to its environmental and social impacts. This has recently manifested itself in the formulation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies and strategies and a proliferation of CSR, environmental, sustainability and community reporting. Several brief case studies are used to illustrate the issues and conflicts that arise between mining company operations and the environment and community, and how these have led to the development of corporate strategies to deal with environment and community issues. The paper then examines mining company reports, revealing the language and constructs used by the mining industry to frame its responsibility to the environment and community and role in possible conflicts. Companies need to better understand the complex nature of the communities in which they operate in order that suitably tailored strategies are developed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Divergent Hybrid Capitalisms in China: Hong Kong and Taiwanese Electronics Clusters in DongguanECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY, Issue 4 2007Chun Yang Abstract: This article explores and compares the changing dynamics and organization of cross-border production by Hong Kong and Taiwanese electronics firms in China, on the basis of more than 40 semistructured interviews with firms from April 2005 to January 2007 in various towns of Dongguan, an emergent "global factory" in south China. Despite initial resemblances, Hong Kong and Taiwanese electronics clusters have adopted different approaches to organize their cross-border production since the late 1990s. Little systemic comparative analysis has been conducted on the causes. The divergent practices can be interpreted as differences in corporate strategies of parent and branch firms, industrial policies in Hong Kong and Taiwan, linkages with global leaders, and home-host interactions in response to the challenges of globalization. To tap into the domestic market of mainland China, Hong Kong companies have tended to become "domestic firms," while Taiwanese companies have become wholly foreign owned and pursued a "pseudo-location" of suppliers of raw materials and components. The article concludes that more comparative studies are needed on divergent hybrid capitalisms that are driven by different sources of foreign direct investment in various host regions, so as to develop empirical insights into appropriate conceptual frameworks. [source] Fluctuating Rounds of Inward Investment in Peripheral Regions: Semiconductors in the North East of EnglandECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY, Issue 1 2007Stuart Dawley Abstract: This article extends economic geography research on foreign direct investment episodes by developing a historically grounded understanding of the socio-institutional relations that shape and constrain different rounds of (dis)investment by multinational enterprises (MNEs) within a host region. Sensitive to the roles of contextuality, path dependency, and contingency, it argues that the temporal and spatial dynamics of volatile MNE (dis)investment are best tackled using a conceptual framework that accords a full and active role to the agency of the firm and its interrelations with the geographically variable socioinstitutional contexts that produce, regulate, and mediate investment decisions. The framework is used to interpret the brief but fluctuating history of the semiconductor fabrication industry in North Tyneside in the old industrial region of North East England. Within each investment episode, the empirical findings reveal the pivotal power and agency of the corporation in shaping and connecting processes across a variety of scales, places, and times. Contrasting corporate strategies illustrate the dynamic and contingent ways in which home and host national institutional contexts matter in mediating and regulating MNE investment decisions. [source] Geographies of Corporate Decision-Making and Control: Development, Applications, and Future Directions in Headquarters Location ResearchGEOGRAPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 4 2010Murray D. Rice This article surveys the body of investigation related to the location of headquarters and other elite corporate decision-making activities, a research field known as quaternary location studies. The discussion includes four main sections following an introduction. The first reviews the initial development of headquarters location research from the early 20th century to 1980. The second section discusses contemporary developments and criticisms of the field that have diversified the field beyond its early focus on large-firm headquarters alone to examine the geography of all activities related to corporate decision making. We posit that incorporation of rapidly growing firms in quaternary research is a key element of this diversification. The third section examines the possibilities for further headquarters location research by making a connection between decision-making location and the literature of techno-economic paradigms. The article concludes by summarizing the current state of the field, and argues that a continued diversification of research interests and perspectives is vital to the advancement of quaternary location studies as an important contributor to improved corporate strategies and more effective public policy. [source] Designing merger agreements to ease merger integrationGLOBAL BUSINESS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE, Issue 1 2008Sascha L. Schmidt Many mergers fail as a result of difficulties in the integration phase. Such problems can arise when the corporate strategy concept of the merged firm does not build in a meaningful way on the actual corporate strategies of the predecessor organizations. Primarily addressed to practitioners, this article introduces the framework of a "merger scan" that enables executives negotiating a deal to analyze whether alternative versions of the new corporate strategy strike an optimal balance between the desire for continuity and the need for strategic renewal. Applying this framework helps executives allocate sufficient time and attention to those integration aspects that involve breaking with the directions of the predecessor firms and thus require change. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Baylor University Roundtable on The Corporate Mission, CEO Pay, and Improving the Dialogue with InvestorsJOURNAL OF APPLIED CORPORATE FINANCE, Issue 1 2010John Martin A small group of academics and practitioners discusses four major controversies in the theory and practice of corporate finance: ,What is the social purpose of the public corporation? Should corporate managements aim to maximize the profitability and value of their companies, or should they instead try to balance the interests of their shareholders against those of "stakeholder" groups, such as employees, customers, and local communities? ,Should corporate executives consider ending the common practice of earnings guidance? Are there other ways of shifting the focus of the public dialogue between management and investors away from near-term earnings and toward longer-run corporate strategies, policies, and goals? And can companies influence the kinds of investors who buy their shares? ,Are U.S. CEOs overpaid? What role have equity ownership and financial incentives played in the past performance of U.S. companies? And are there ways of improving the design of U.S. executive pay? ,Can the principles of corporate governance and financial management at the core of the private equity model,notably, equity incentives, high leverage, and active participation by large investors,be used to increase the values of U.S. public companies? [source] Symbolic politics in environmental regulation: corporate strategic responsesBUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 4 2003Dirk Matten Though not entirely new in political science in general, the concept of symbolic politics (SP) currently meets a vivid reception in law and economics. Yet little attention has been paid to SP from a business perspective. Elements of SP are found in nearly all fields of environmental legislation, and the paper will focus on those empirical examples that have a particular effect on markets, the competitive situation of businesses and corporate strategies in general. The consequences of SP for companies are analysed from two different perspectives. First, business will be seen as an addressee of SP. Specific corporate consequences and reactions are discussed. Second, corporations can be regarded as users of SP, as they assume increasingly a role as political actors themselves. This results from certain developments in environmental regulation as well as from the fact that globalization increasingly weakens national governments and their political power, while at the same time corporate actors assume more influence and responsibility. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Examining the role of the forest industry in collaborative ecosystem management: implications for corporate strategyCORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2005Jennifer Dyke Abstract The North American timber industry owns or controls a substantial amount of commercial timberland, and it is within this privately held acreage that major portions of critical natural habitat and areas of biodiversity are found. Because significant ecosystem components and processes lie within the ownership of forestry operations, industry participation in collaborative ecosystem management initiatives is vital to protect the integrity of ecological units at the landscape scale. This article analyzes and identifies the role of industry in ecosystem management projects, industry's willingness to participate in collaborative ecosystem management and the motivations behind company participation. Companies indicated active involvement in collaborative ecosystem management as both project initiators and collaborators. Motivations for participating in collaborative ecosystem management initiatives include the desires to decrease governmental regulations, collect data, develop relationships and improve current practices. Many companies also feel that participation is financially beneficial because it positively impacts corporate public relations. We discuss the implications of these results for developing an effective corporate environmental strategy associated with resource-based industries. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Critical Success Factors for Radical Technological Innovation: A Five Case StudyCREATIVITY AND INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2000Pier A. Abetti We analyze the critical success factors for radical technological innovation according to four perspectives: as R&D projects, as technological innovations, as internal ventures, and as changes in corporate strategy. We apply ex-post eleven critical success factors to the pairwaise comparison of three radical innovations: GE Project EHV-UHV (success), GE non-impact printer (failure), and Xerox non-impact printer (success). We then apply ex-ante the same factors to "predict" the failure of Motorola's Iridium satellite communication system and the success of Nokia's cellular phones. [source] MONEY FLOWS LIKE MERCURY: THE GEOGRAPHY OF GLOBAL FINANCEGEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES B: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2005Gordon L Clark ABSTRACT. If the social relations and inherited configuration of production were at the core of economic geography a decade ago, these aspects of the world are increasingly taken for granted. The global scope of industry and corporate strategy has claimed increasing attention over the past decade. And while any ,new' economic geography must have something to say about the nature of human agency and the role of institutions in structuring the landscape, care must be taken not to exaggerate their significance for constructive interaction. In point of fact, the global finance industry is an essential lens through which to study contemporary capitalism from the top-down and the bottom-up. If we are to understand the economic landscape of twenty-first century capitalism, it should be understood through global financial institutions, its social formations and investment practices. This argument is developed by reference to the recent literature on the geography of finance and a metaphor , money flows like mercury , designed to explicate the spatial and temporal logic of global capital flows. Some may dispute this argument, but in doing so they lament the passing of an era rather than advancing a convincing counterclaim about how the world is and what it might become. All this means that we have to rethink the significance of geographical scale and organizational processes as opposed to an unquestioned commitment to localities. [source] Designing merger agreements to ease merger integrationGLOBAL BUSINESS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE, Issue 1 2008Sascha L. Schmidt Many mergers fail as a result of difficulties in the integration phase. Such problems can arise when the corporate strategy concept of the merged firm does not build in a meaningful way on the actual corporate strategies of the predecessor organizations. Primarily addressed to practitioners, this article introduces the framework of a "merger scan" that enables executives negotiating a deal to analyze whether alternative versions of the new corporate strategy strike an optimal balance between the desire for continuity and the need for strategic renewal. Applying this framework helps executives allocate sufficient time and attention to those integration aspects that involve breaking with the directions of the predecessor firms and thus require change. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Organizational power and culture shift at Ducati motorcyclesGLOBAL BUSINESS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE, Issue 1 2007Maktoba Omar In this research into corporate culture at Ducati Motorcycles, Spa., the qualitative approach was used based on Johnson's theory of corporate culture, relying on structured and unstructured interviews followed up by participant observation. Corporate culture was used as a strategic tool in changing the Ducati corporate mindset. The results show that the recognition and alteration of corporate culture played a large role in the successful implementation of a new corporate strategy. The Ducati strategic initiative focused on repositioning Ducati from a traditional Italian motorcycle manufacturer to a global marketing company. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Strategy and management control systems: A study of the design and use of management control systems following takeoverACCOUNTING & FINANCE, Issue 1 2002Fredrik Nilsson This paper describes and analyses the approach taken by four well-known Swedish companies to management control following takeover. The findings suggest two factors which can explain how the management control systems were designed and used after an acquisition: the corporate strategy of the acquirer and the business strategy of the acquired company. The case studies show how these forces could impose mutually inconsistent requirements on the management control system of the acquired firm, and also how these inconsistencies were resolved. [source] Work systems, corporate strategy and global markets: creative shop floors or ,a barge mentality'?INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS JOURNAL, Issue 3 2004Suzanne Konzelmann ABSTRACT In the US, corporate restructuring of financial and physical assets as well as work systems has been widespread. Our study examines the inter-relationship between ,creative' work systems and ,destructive' markets, using a sample of US manufacturing firms in the metalworking, jet engine production and steel processing industries. [source] A performance measurement paradigm for integrating strategy formulation: A review of systems and frameworksINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT REVIEWS, Issue 1 2005Kit Fai Pun Measuring organizational performance plays a very important part in translating corporate strategy into results. Various emerging (non-traditional) performance systems have recently been devised to aid firms in selecting and implementing measures. This paper discusses the strategy/measurement initiatives and compares ten emerging performance measurement systems with respect to a list of performance dimensions, the characteristics of performance measures, and the requirements of development process. Although these systems have constraints borne with their own application domains, they stand by themselves empirically and/or theoretically, and provide guidance about what to measure and how to design performance measures that could be linked to the corporate strategy and objectives of an organization. This paper concludes that there is a need to develop a paradigm for integrating strategy formulation and performance measurement in organizations. [source] The Contributions of Stewart Myers to the Theory and Practice of Corporate Finance,JOURNAL OF APPLIED CORPORATE FINANCE, Issue 4 2008Franklin Allen In a 40-plus year career notable for path-breaking work on capital structure and innovations in capital budgeting and valuation, MIT finance professor Stewart Myers has had a remarkable influence on both the theory and practice of corporate finance. In this article, two of his former students, a colleague, and a co-author offer a brief survey of Professor Myers's accomplishments, along with an assessment of their relevance for the current financial environment. These contributions are seen as falling into three main categories: ,Work on "debt overhang" and the financial "pecking order" that not only provided plausible explanations for much corporate financing behavior, but can also be used to shed light on recent developments, including the reluctance of highly leveraged U.S. financial institutions to raise equity and the recent "mandatory" infusions of capital by the U.S. Treasury. ,Contributions to capital budgeting that complement and reinforce his research on capital structure. By providing a simple and intuitive way to capture the tax benefits of debt when capital structure changes over time, his adjusted present value (or APV) approach has not only become the standard in LBO and venture capital firms, but accomplishes in practice what theorists like M&M had urged finance practitioners to do some 30 years earlier: separate the real operating profitability of a company or project from the "second-order" effects of financing. And his real options valuation method, by recognizing the "option-like" character of many corporate assets, has provided not only a new way of valuing "growth" assets, but a method and, indeed, a language for bringing together the disciplines of corporate strategy and finance. ,Starting with work on estimating fair rates of return for public utilities, he has gone on to develop a cost-of-capital and capital allocation framework for insurance companies, as well as a persuasive explanation for why the rate-setting process for railroads in the U.S. and U.K. has created problems for those industries. [source] A Knowledge Accessing Theory of Strategic AlliancesJOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, Issue 1 2004Robert M. Grant ABSTRACT The emerging knowledge-based view of the firm offers new insight into the causes and management of interfirm alliances. However, the development of an effective knowledge-based theory of alliance formation has been inhibited by a simplistic view of alliances as vehicles for organizational learning in which strategic alliances have presumed to be motivated by firms' desire to acquire knowledge from one another. We argue that the primary advantage of alliances over both firms and markets is in accessing rather than acquiring knowledge. Building upon the distinction between the knowledge generation (,exploration') and knowledge application (,exploitation'), we show that alliances contribute to the efficiency in the application of knowledge; first, by improving the efficiency with which knowledge is integrated into the production of complex goods and services, and second, by increasing the efficiency with which knowledge is utilized. These static efficiency advantages of alliances are enhanced where there is uncertainty over future knowledge requirements and where new products offer early-mover advantages. Compared with alternative learning-based approaches to alliance formation, our proposed knowledge-accessing theory of alliances offers the advantages of greater theoretical rigour and consistency with general trends in alliance activity and corporate strategy. [source] Network Parenting in International Service DevelopmentBRITISH JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2004Michael Lewis This paper explores theoretical and practical aspects (i.e. resources allocated, activities undertaken, actors/decisions involved) of corporate ,parenting' in the development of international service networks. A review of the relevant corporate strategy, supply-chain, networks and services management literature underpins a preliminary content (capability; market orientation) and process (top-down; bottom-up) typology of network parenting. This provides the structure for discussion of two telecommunications-sector case studies. Analysis of the data acknowledges the influence of generic network mechanisms (e.g. weak and strong social ties) but the parenting typology also highlights other mechanisms, the effectiveness of which appears contingent on specific parenting roles. The paper details these roles (labelled: governing; training; curating; facilitating) and makes some preliminary comments on the role trajectories (e.g. governing , training) observed. The paper concludes with a discussion of possible directions for future work. [source] Strategic Integration and Devolvement of Human Resource Management in the UK Manufacturing SectorBRITISH JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2000Pawan S. Budhwar This paper analyses the practices of ,integration' of HRM into the corporate strategy and ,devolvement' of responsibility for HRM to line managers in six British manufacturing industries. The findings are based on a questionnaire survey, in-depth interviews and cognitive mapping methodologies. The results show that over 50% of the firms under study practise a high level of strategic integration. On the other hand, over 61% of the sample firms practise a low level of devolvement practices. Interestingly, both the practices of integration of HRM into the corporate strategy and devolvement of HRM to line managers are more determined by a number of organizational policies than traditional contingent variables. The adoption of the mixed methodology has been useful. The findings contribute to strategic HRM literature, and also have some key messages for policy-makers in the field. The cognitive maps developed in the paper could be used to give feedback and training to managers. [source] Environmental strategy and low waste operations: exploring complementaritiesBUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 2 2010Dayna Simpson Abstract Organizations require guidance on the most effective functional areas in which to invest in order to improve and sustain environmental performance. As managerial practices progress from concerns with compliance towards practices seeking competitive advantage, more theory is needed regarding the manner in which corporate strategy and operational practices influence environmental performance. This research considers the potential for previously under-researched complementarities between strategy and operations and the bridging role of environmentally specific practices such as the use of environmental experts as determinants of environmental performance. Using a sample of manufacturing firms, this study explores the relative contribution to environmental performance of strategic intentions, core operational practices such as data and quality management and environmentally specific practices that link strategy to operations. The most significant influence on environmental performance was found to be environmental expertise , which creates a bridge between strategy and operations , and information-intensive practices such as quality and data management. Strategic intentions or core operational practices in isolation were not considered sufficient support to successfully maintain or improve environmental performance. This research provides a contribution to our understanding of interactions between those functions that have the greatest influence on environmental performance management in manufacturing firms. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Innovation and competitive advantages from the integration of strategic aspects with social and environmental management in European firmsBUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 5 2009Marcus Wagner Abstract This paper analyses the nature and details of the association that the integration of social and environmental considerations with corporate strategy has for different competitive advantages and innovation activities at the firm level. Its objective is to answer the question as to whether a positive link exists between integration and the effects of environmental and social performance on these different dimensions of economic performance. The question of the specific form of this relationship is also raised. These questions are analysed using cluster analysis and regression models. Results are presented for four different dimensions of competitive advantage, and for two types of innovation activity. These raise the possibility that the process of integration is more important for bringing about a positive link than a resulting integration type. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Choosing strategic responses to address emerging environmental regulations: size, perceived influence and uncertaintyBUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 8 2008Bruce Clemens Abstract How companies respond to impending regulations is a significant aspect of corporate strategy. Regulations, especially environmental regulations, are expanding quickly and increasingly important to firm success. The threat of impending environmental regulation forces companies to choose levels of strategic responses on a continuum from passive to active. Using practitioner oriented research and existing theoretical models of corporate response, this study finds that the type of strategic response is negatively related to size, positively related to state uncertainty and negatively related to effect/response uncertainty. Based on existing literature and the results of this study, the paper suggests that simplifying the uncertainty construct could lead to more definitive findings in future research. The study results also suggest that a curvilinear relationship may exist between managerial perception of influence and level of strategic response. Most importantly, the findings could have a significant impact on firm decision making regarding environmental investments. For example, it is hoped that firms will be able to use the findings of this study to further understand and anticipate their competitors' decisions. Practitioners may also benefit from the conclusions on uncertainty in that they may be able to more cleanly parse the types of uncertainty immersed in impending environmental regulations. Finally, firms may be better able to understand decisions by their own managers and their competitors' managers in terms of their perceived influence over the regulatory process. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||