Journal of Management Studies

Sudharshan, D.; Thomas, Howard; Fiegenbaum, Avi

doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6486.1991.tb00762.xpmid: N/A

ABSTRACT The Mobility Barriers Paradigm (Caves and Porter, 1977) has strongly influenced research in strategic management, particularly in the areas of competitive analysis and strategic groups. In this article we develop a procedure called MOBIUS, based on ‘match ratios’(MRs), in order to identify those competitive variables which act as mobility barriers in a particular industry. We also attempt to classify mobility barriers in terms of the degree of observed mobility around key strategic variables and the extent to which change is desired on these variables. the MOBIUS procedure is illustrated briefly in the context of the pharmaceutical industry.

Covin, Jeffrey G.

doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6486.1991.tb00763.xpmid: N/A

ABSTRACT This article describes a study of the business strategies and performance levels of firms with entrepreneurial and conservative strategic postures. Data were collected from the senior executives of 111 small manufacturing firms. Results indicate that entrepreneurial firms differ from conservative firms in terms of their growth rates as well as several financial, operating, and marketing‐related variables. the data suggest that the patterns of strategic behaviour associated with high performance are different for entrepreneurial and conservative firms.

Cowan, David A.

doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6486.1991.tb00764.xpmid: N/A

ABSTRACT This study investigated the sensitivity of executives' descriptions of the problem‐formulation process to decision styles, to the decision functions that comprise decision styles, and to executive experience. to refine previous research in this area, four types of organizational problem were included for comparison: strategic, operating, human relations, and technical. In addition, the study included executive experience with each problem type, rather than general management experience. the results indicated that decision functions explained more of the variation in problem descriptions for all four of the problem types than did either decision styles or experience. Particularly, the sensing perceptual function related to problem descriptions of the illstructured problem types, strategic and human‐relations, and the thinking judgemental function related to problem descriptions of the well‐structured problem types, operating and technical. Though this offered support for the premise suggested by Ramaprasad and Mitroff (1984) regarding the usefulness of decision functions, it also raised concern about the available technology for measuring executives' experience in particular contexts.

Haley, Usha C. V.

doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6486.1991.tb00765.xpmid: N/A

ABSTRACT Researchers have argued that corporate contributions serve as necessitated investments, social currency, or social responsibility efforts. This article integrates and extends these perspectives to develop a view of corporate contributions as managerial masques. It argues that managers use corporate contributions to influence various stakeholders including stockholders, consumers, employees, investors, publics and societal institutions. A strategic framework is used to explore how managers promote managerial and corporate interests through corporate contributions. the societal implications of managers' discretionary uses of corporate contributions are also discussed.

Stewart, R.

doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6486.1991.tb00766.xpmid: N/A

ABSTRACT This longitudinal study of the relations between 20 general managers and their chairmen in the UK National Health Service has wider implications despite its distinctive setting. It showed that the two roles are very dependent upon each other, and occupy overlapping domains, so that what each can do is considerably affected by the other's behaviour. the chairman has more power to determine their relative domains so that studies of individual chief executives should take account of this relationship. the ways in which both chairmen and general managers played their roles differed widely. One reason for the differences in the chairmen's roles was the wide variation in the time that they gave to the job. Different types of relationship are described. the most common was that of partners where the two complemented each other. the study crosses different literatures: corporate management, leadership, role theory and managerial work and behaviour. Its main concern is with managerial work and behaviour but it also has some implications for corporate management.

Datta, Deepak K.; Rajagopalan, Nandini; Rasheed, Abdul M. A.

doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6486.1991.tb00767.xpmid: N/A

ABSTRACT This article uses an integrative theoretical framework to review existing empirical research on the diversification‐performance relationship along the three different research streams which have studied this relationship. the article highlights the considerable diversity in the findings across studies in each stream and identifies certain key theoretical and methodological issues which might help to explain the observed diversity. Also discussed is a contingency‐based perspective and several useful directions for future research.

Reed, M.

doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6486.1991.tb00768.xpmid: N/A