Management Decision

Mark E. Haskins

2013 Management Decision

doi: 10.1108/MD-10-2012-0705

Purpose – This paper aims to present a number of important reminders and examples of oft‐overlooked managerial capabilities found to be useful in a variety of businesses. Design/methodology/approach – This paper's “reflections on practice” are prompted by observations of kids in action – youth soccer. Combining those prompts with personal experiences drawn from over 30 years of working with business managers, and from a synthesis of over 100 contemporary business articles, 11 important bits of business wisdom are surfaced, explained, championed, and storied. Findings – The paper presents 11 oft‐overlooked, under‐valued, subtle, bits of business wisdom. In addition, the usefulness of analogical thinking is demonstrated as observations from a non‐business setting spark insights and reflections applicable to business. Practical implications – The field‐based bits of business wisdom presented here are immediately, broadly, and beneficially applicable across the corporate landscape. Originality/value – Readers are provided with an engaging narrative, drawn from the youth‐soccer sidelines, that points to 11 specific business foci that can be embraced to broaden and deepen their managerial repertoires. Each of the points is embellished with numerous business examples…examples not often grabbing the business press headlines.

Esther Hormiga; Connie Hancock; Jaume Valls‐Pasola

2013 Management Decision

doi: 10.1108/MD-08-2012-0591

Purpose – The main objective of this paper is to analyze the relationship between employees' propensity to innovate and cultivate entrepreneurial aspirations whilst working within an organization. This paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of this interrelation, reflecting from a theoretical point of view on the factors that influence innovative propensity and entrepreneurial intention of the paid employee working in a public sector organization and studying the role played by the opportunity cost. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey was used to collect data from 149 employees working for a public organization. In order to verify the hypotheses proffered, two multiple regression analyses were undertaken. Findings – The authors provide evidence that an understanding of the capacity that some employees have towards innovation offers an added tier of information and affords meaningful results. Their findings suggest that there is a positive impact of innovative propensity on entrepreneurial intention, and that it is stronger when combined with lower opportunity cost. Research limitations/implications – The study contributes to the field of entrepreneurship being informative for researchers interested in the antecedents of entrepreneurial intention and can also be utilized to further research in the field of human resource management and retention practices within organizations. Originality/value – This study contributes to the growing empirical literature on entrepreneurial intention from a perspective that has been hitherto largely overlooked: the employee's perspective.

Tomohiro Machikita; Yasushi Ueki

2013 Management Decision

doi: 10.1108/MD-08-2012-0600

Purpose – In the globalized economy, it is becoming increasingly necessary for firms in emerging economies to adopt advanced knowledge and technology from external sources, both domestic and abroad. This paper aims to identify knowledge flows through domestic and international customer‐supplier relationships that cause gaps in quality assurance, cost reduction, and timely delivery among firms in emerging countries. Design/methodology/approach – The authors constructed an original dataset on production networks within manufacturing firms in Vietnam (including Hanoi and the surrounding region) and estimated statistical models for the relationship between face‐to‐face interactions within a supply chain and QCD (Quality, Cost, Delivery). Findings from in‐depth interviews with Japanese firms in emerging economies complement the quantitative analysis. Findings – The incidence of face‐to‐face interactions between two firms within a production chain via resident engineers significantly explains the variation in performance of total quality management among firms in Vietnam under controlling vertical ownership within a chain. Since the authors could find no significant correlations between transactions of goods along the supply chain and QCD, it is safe to say that transfer of intangible assets among interconnected firms may cause the difference in QCD among firms in Vietnam. Originality/value – This represents the first systematic quantitative research on the asymmetric gains from face‐to‐face interactions with downstream and upstream firms, and it offers a new development in the study of transfers of intangible assets within a supply chain in Asian emerging economies.

Daniel Palacios‐Marqués; Marta Peris‐Ortiz; José M. Merigó

2013 Management Decision

doi: 10.1108/MD-08-2012-0562

Purpose – This work aims to analyse the effect of a holistic business view, competency‐based management, continuous learning and information technology infrastructure on knowledge transfer and the subsequent effect on firm performance. Design/methodology/approach – Structural equation models and a survey of 222 firms from the Spanish biotechnology and telecommunications industries verify the mediator role of knowledge transfer. Findings – The implications of confirming these hypotheses for managers are that by emphasising the creation of a holistic business view, competency‐based management, promoting continuous learning and improving information technology infrastructure, managers will improve knowledge transfer and positively influence the creation of superior firm performance. Originality/value – It is shown that in knowledge‐intensive industries, knowledge transfer acts as a mediating variable between a holistic view of the firm, competency‐based management, continuous learning and information and communication technologies infrastructure and firm performance.

M. José Rodríguez; Carmen Guzmán

2013 Management Decision

doi: 10.1108/MD-08-2012-0538

Purpose – This study aims to examine whether the determinant factors of innovations broadly accepted for traditional firms – the personal traits of the entrepreneurs, the features of the firms and the environment – also influence innovation in social economy companies. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a sample carried out between small cooperatives and worker‐owned companies – which are the most representative legal forms in the Spanish social economy collective – the authors develop an empirical study using a logistic regression model. Findings – The results show that, on the whole, innovation in these kinds of firm seems to be determined by the same set of variables as in the case of traditional firms. In addition to this, the present research reveals that the influence of these variables on entrepreneurial innovations depends on the kind of innovation. Finally, the findings also give evidence about the existence of an inter‐dependence among the different types of innovation in social economy firms. Research limitations/implications – The study is limited to small firms within the Spanish industrial and service sectors, but provides future researchers with further replication opportunities. Originality/value – Taking into account the relevant contribution of social economy companies to the Spanish economy, and having noted the scarce number of studies about innovation in the social economy sector, this research offers a significant contribution by specifying the innovative behavior of social economy firms in Spain.

Joaquín Loras; José Vizcaíno

2013 Management Decision

doi: 10.1108/MD-09-2012-0685

Purpose – Entrepreneurial initiative has come to be recognised the world over as a driver of economic and social development. However, there is still a long way to go in terms of understanding the acquisition of capabilities related to entrepreneurship. In today's society, it is clear that human capital determines the rate at which quality of life improves or declines, as well as the competitiveness of productive systems. Conceptually, engineers might be regarded as vital enablers of change. This paper seeks to address these issues. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was passed to the students of civil engineering, which contained questions on the desirability of new venture creation or the intention to start up a new business. The questionnaire also asked respondents about the perception of the feasibility of creating a new venture, and the perceived image and economic and social evaluation of the business owner, as well as the prestige and recognition of the figure of the entrepreneur in comparison with other professions. Maintaining this structure enabled the authors to compare the results of this survey with other studies carried out in different fields and moments in time. Findings – Engineers perceive creativity and innovation as having characteristics that are inherent in the qualities associated with their profession, in the sense that the engineer is someone who uses inventiveness to achieve or carry out objectives. In short, it is a profession that involves the application of ingenuity. However, engineering graduates rarely consider starting up a business as one of their career options upon completing their studies, and will invariably look to work for established firms. Research limitations/implications – Technical training appears to be an enabler of creativity and an obstacle to business initiative. It would be interesting to analyse this implication over time. Practical implications – The results of this study indicate a clear demand to complete the entrepreneurial training of civil engineering students. When asked about the possibility or opportunity of complementing their studies with business‐related training, a large part of the sample (43 per cent) were in total agreement, and 29 per cent were generally in favour. Social implications – It can be concluded that the introduction of subjects that promote business creation in a technical degree course, such as engineering, is both necessary and desirable. Originality/value – With a view to identifying the attitudes and beliefs amongst engineers towards business creation, this paper analyses the desirability, feasibility and intention to create a new firm, as well as the image and perception of the figure of the business owner, and the personal characteristics of civil engineering students as entrepreneurs.

Marianna Sigala

2013 Management Decision

doi: 10.1108/MD-11-2012-0800

Purpose – The study aims to adopt a multi‐stakeholder and inter‐organizational information systems (IOIS) approach for investigating the factors affecting the adoption of destination management systems (DMS) by various tourism stakeholders in Greece. Design/methodology/approach – A literature review and focus groups were used for identifying and contextualizing the factors affecting the tourism stakeholders' decision to adopt DMS. In addition, a nationwide survey was conducted measuring the perceptions of various stakeholders in Greece about the factors influencing their DMS adoption. Findings – The findings demonstrate that inter‐organizational and collaboration issues, secondary intra‐organizational and technological factors affect stakeholders' decision to adopt DMS. Significant different perceptions about the role and effectiveness of DMS were found between private and public tourism organizations, which highlight the need to manage the different (and sometimes conflicting) stakeholders' perceptions and interests. Research limitations/implications – Research can be conducted in different sectors to refine and test the findings about the factors influencing IOIS adoption in various social and environmental contexts. Future studies could also refine the findings by investigating not only the factors affecting the adoption of DMS but also the factors influencing their implementation and operations. Practical implications – The findings reveal important factors that need to be considered for influencing the stakeholders' decision to adopt IOIS and DMS in tourism. Specifically, the study highlights the need to address the adoption of DMS as a socio‐technical project that primarily emphasizes the management of stakeholders' relations, perceptions and interests. The findings also reveal the organizational and behavioural changes that are required in order to transform the management and increase the effectiveness of public DMS, which in turn can significantly increase the DMS adoption. Originality/value – The findings contribute to the tourism field by examining DMS from a multi‐stakeholder and IOIS approach. The study also contributes to the IOIS literature by contextualizing and providing evidence of IOIS results from the tourism industry, since contextualization is considered crucial for refining and enhancing the transferability of IOIS research. The study also further advances IOIS research by including and investigating the perceived importance of items about the social context of IOIS (i.e. interorganizational and collaboration issues) as explanatory factors of IOIS adoption.

M. Rosario Perello‐Marin; Juan A. Marin‐Garcia; Javier Marcos‐Cuevas

2013 Management Decision

doi: 10.1108/MD-08-2012-0605

Purpose – Scholars in social sciences tend to use the term of path dependence without explaining exactly what they mean by it. Path dependence is a useful approach to understand the success or otherwise of the implementation of management innovation. The aim of this paper is to identify under which conditions it makes sense to talk about path dependence, and the relevance of using path dependence to the analysis of management innovation. Design/methodology/approach – The path dependence literature in different contexts and knowledge areas within social science is reviewed using a narrative approach. Findings – The concept of path dependence can be used to study management innovation, particularly when analyzing the introduction of new management practices. The authors argue that the order in which management practices are introduced has a profound effect on the outcomes for the organization. When the appropriate practices are introduced first, these create enhanced capabilities for the implementation of subsequent practices. If inappropriate practices are rolled out, they may severely impede management innovation and thus evolution and change of the firm. Research limitations/implications – This work highlights the need to conduct further research to understand the interaction between existing practices and the new ones. This study can be extended with an empirical work to corroborate the results presented here. Originality/value – By reviewing the different definitions of path dependence that exist in the literature, this paper will stimulate a debate on the necessary and sufficient conditions of path dependence and encourage a greater level of clarity in the management innovation area.

Hung‐Wen Lee

2013 Management Decision

doi: 10.1108/MD-11-2012-0814

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to investigate factors that influence employees' organizational identification. Focusing on the banking industry in Taiwan, this study aims to examine how locus of control and organizational socialization affect employees' organizational identification. Design/methodology/approach – The author borrows and modifies scales from the literature on locus of control, organizational socialization, and organizational identification to create a questionnaire that was translated into Chinese and distributed to bankers in Taiwan. The author analyzes reliability of the scales and performs regression analysis on hypothesized model relationships. Findings – Significant positive relationships are found between locus of control and organizational socialization, locus of control and organizational identification, and organizational socialization and organizational identification. Organizational socialization has mediating influences on locus of control and organizational identification. Research limitations/implications – This research is a starting point in developing theory related to the relationships among locus of control, organizational socialization, and organizational identification. The research is based on data from Taiwan banking employees only and the sample was small (even though results were significant). Originality/value – The research empirically demonstrates that locus of control influences organizational socialization and identification.

Ching‐Hsun Chang; Yu‐Shan Chen

2013 Management Decision

doi: 10.1108/MD-09-2011-0314

Purpose – The authors aim to apply an “interpretive context – organizational action – outcome” framework to explore the positive effect of green organizational identity on green innovation performance. Besides, they would like to verify that both environmental commitment and environmental organizational legitimacy mediate between green organizational identity and green innovation performance. Design/methodology/approach – The authors utilize a hybrid research method that includes both questionnaire data and public data to test the hypotheses to satisfy the triangulation in methodology. In addition, structural equation modeling (SEM) is used to perform the empirical research. Findings – The results show that green organizational identity would positively affect green innovation performance. Moreover, green organizational identity could positively influence green innovation performance indirectly via environmental commitment and environmental organizational legitimacy. Firms should increase their green organizational identity, environmental commitment, and environmental organizational legitimacy to enhance their green innovation performance. Furthermore, the authors find out that green organizational identity, environmental commitment, environmental organizational legitimacy, and green innovation performance of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) are lower than those of large enterprises in Taiwan. Originality/value – The authors develop a research framework to explore the positive effect of green organizational identity on green innovation and explore the mediation effects of environmental commitment and environmental organizational legitimacy.