Industrial cluster involvement, organizational learning, and organizational adaptation:an exploratory study in high technology industrial districts

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 971-990 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilary Cheng ◽  
Ming-Shan Niu ◽  
Kuei-Hsien Niu
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Practical Implication ◽  
High Technology ◽  
Industrial Cluster ◽  
Organizational Adaptation ◽  
Initial Attempt ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Executives ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Reported Data

Purpose – The primary purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among a firm’s industrial cluster involvement, organizational learning and its ability to successfully adapt to external environment. Design/methodology/approach – Field survey research method was used, and data were collected from 943 high-technology companies in the USA, China, Taiwan and Sweden. Multiple regression analysis, as well as mediation test, was conducted to analyze the data. Findings – The study finds that being positioned in an industrial cluster enhances a firm’s learning and further leads to a firm’s desired adaptive outcomes. Research limitation – Using self-reported data could be a potential limitation of this study. It would be preferable to have other forms of data for a study. Further, cross-cultural comparisons are needed to enhance our understanding in this multicultural setting. Practical implication – The findings provide business executives, as well as policymakers, a new way of thinking in respect to how to develop holistic learning practices and improve inter-firm trust to appropriately adapt to the fast changing environment. Originality/value – The major contribution of this study is an initial attempt to provide a comprehensive approach in analyzing a firm’s industrial cluster involvement. Further, the study attempts to empirically examine learning and cluster involvement in relation to organizational adaptation.

The role of organizational learning in soft regulation of workplace gender equality

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 317-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Macneil ◽  
Ziheng Liu
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Significant Shift ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Large Organization ◽  
Regulatory Processes ◽  
Responsible Government ◽  
Reported Data

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explain progress, or the lack of it, in achieving workplace gender equality goals prescribed by affirmative action regulation by using concepts from soft regulation and organizational learning. Design/methodology/approach The research design is a longitudinal study (2002-2012) of a critical case, that of a single large organization in the male-dominated steel manufacturing, distribution and mining industries. The case focusses on the evidence about organizational learning to be found in that organization’s reports to government on its activities to promote workplace gender equality. Findings While other factors play a role, the apparent failure of the soft regulation to generate a significant shift in gender equality outcomes may also be attributed to ineffective organizational learning, demonstrated by the absence of systematic reflection within the organization on how to improve workplace gender equality, and the lack of firm targets and external benchmarking. Research limitations/implications Self-reported data may be overstated or incomplete. More research is needed to confirm the nature of the specific learning processes occurring within organizations. Practical implications Absent the advent of hard sanctions in workplace gender equality regulation, the responsible government agencies may find it valuable to focus on ways to encourage target organizations to develop competence in organizational learning. Social implications More effective gender equality regulation may change organizational policy and practice and improve work opportunities for women. Originality/value Rather than concluding that the only alternative, when soft regulation is unsuccessful, is hard regulation, this paper shifts the focus to ways that soft regulatory processes might be improved to strengthen their effect.

Trust, caring and organizational learning: the leader’s role

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Seashore Louis ◽  
Joseph Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Positive Psychology ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
School Size ◽  
Academic Support ◽  
Cultural Perspective ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Leadership ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Principal Trust

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether principals can have an impact on organizational learning (OL). The authors use a cultural perspective, based both in the emerging literature from positive psychology and the relatively well-developed research tradition in studying the nature and impacts of OL to address four questions: first, is principal’s cognitive trust in teachers’ professional capacities related to knowledge sharing/OL among teachers?; second, is principal’s trust in teachers’ professional capacities related to teachers’ reports of being in a caring school setting (relational trust)?; third, is principal caring related to knowledge sharing/OL among teachers?; and fourth, is principal trust particularly important in school contexts with low income students? Design/methodology/approach An existing database that includes principal and teacher surveys in 116 schools in the USA provides the basis for examining the four questions. Optimized scaling techniques were used to develop measures of principal trust in teachers professional capacities, teachers’ perception of principal caring, an indicator of academic support for students that includes a social justice of equity emphasis, and capacity for OL. The demographic characteristics of the student body and school size were used as possible moderating variables. The data were subject to both regression and path analysis. Findings Principal trust was directly related to teachers’ perceptions of principal caring, and indirectly related to OL. The measure of academic support for students had the strongest direct effect on OL. While the percentage of non-white students and school size had some relationship to OL, they do not change the overall results. The model, which supports the role that principals play in fostering both equity and OL is sustained when the authors examine student achievement. Research limitations/implications The limitations of the study stem largely from the nature of the sample and measures, which are confined to 116 schools in the USA, and a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional survey database. Because understanding the dynamics of a relationship-based/positive leadership perspective require detailed qualitative studies and longitudinal data, the results are presented as suggestive of issues that should be studied further. Originality/value Both trust and OL have been extensively studied both in education and other settings. However, few studies have simultaneously examined leadership, different types of trust and OL and none have done so in the context of positive psychology. The contribution of this analysis is thus empirical (extending the boundaries of what is known using concepts that are familiar) and theoretical (beginning the development of a theory of positive leadership that incorporates multiple factors associated with healthy and productive school environments).

Depreciation rules and small business longevity

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Don Bruce ◽  
John Deskins ◽  
Tami Gurley-Calvez
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Recovery Period ◽  
Business Activity ◽  
Initial Attempt ◽  
Marginal Tax Rate ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Tax Rate ◽  
The Usa

Purpose – When a small business purchases a capital asset, its cost for tax purposes is spread over the useful life of the asset through the process of depreciation. It has become common in the USA for policy makers to enhance depreciation rules in an effort to increase business investment in a less-costly manner than across-the-board marginal tax rate cuts. Indeed, short-term depreciation policies are often billed by policy makers as a way to save America's small businesses. However, little is known about the actual effects of depreciation policies on small business activity. This paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – In this initial attempt to test the political claims regarding the importance of depreciation rules, the paper uses a 12-year panel of tax returns for Schedule C sole proprietors to empirically examine whether more generous depreciation policies influence small business activity at the extensive margin. Specifically, the paper estimates a series of multivariate models to explain sole proprietors’ decisions to remain in business as functions of their financial, demographic, and tax situations, including measures of the present discounted value (PDV) of a stream of tax deductions for depreciated capital under various rule structures. Findings – Throughout the analysis, the authors are unable to find evidence that favorable depreciation rules lead to greater rates of entrepreneurial longevity among Schedule C sole proprietors. Originality/value – Discrete choice results suggest that increases in the PDV of tax reductions from depreciation (e.g. depreciating the value earlier in the recovery period) might actually lead to higher probabilities of small business exit, while survival analysis finds no clear influence of depreciation on spells of small business activity.

Artificial intelligence in the workplace – A double-edged sword

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 253-265
Author(s):  
Uta Wilkens
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Machine Learning ◽  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Learning Theory ◽  
Practical Implication ◽  
Job Design ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Meso Level

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to outline how artificial intelligence (AI) can augment learning process in the workplace and where there are limitations.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is a theoretical-based outline with reference to individual and organizational learning theory, which are related to machine learning methods as they are currently in use in the workplace. Based on these theoretical insights, the paper presents a qualitative evaluation of the augmentation potential of AI to assist individual and organizational learning in the workplace.FindingsThe core outcome is that there is an augmentation potential of AI to enhance individual learning and development in the workplace, which however should not be overestimated. AI has a complementarity to individual intelligence, which can lead to an advancement, especially in quality, accuracy and precision. Moreover, AI has a potential to support individual competence development and organizational learning processes. However, a further outcome is that AI in the workplace is a double-edged sword, as it easily shows reinforcement effects in individual and organizational learning, which have a backside of unintended effects.Research limitations/implicationsThe conceptual outline makes use of examples for illustrating phenomenon but needs further empirical analysis. The research focus on the meso level of the workplace does not fully refer to macro level outcomes.Practical implicationsThe practical implication is that it is a matter of socio-technical job design to integrate AI in the workplace in a valuable manner. There is a need to keep the human-in-the-loop and to complement AI-based learning approaches with non-AI counterparts to reach augmentation.Originality/valueThe paper faces workplace learning from an interdisciplinary perspective and bridges insights from learning theory with methods from the machine learning community. It directs the social science discourse on AI, which is often on macro level to the meso level of the workplace and related issues for job design and therefore provides a complementary perspective.

scholarly journals Advances in corporate brand, corporate heritage, corporate identity and corporate marketing scholarship

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 1462-1471 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M.T. Balmer
Keyword(s):  
Practical Implication ◽  
Corporate Identity ◽  
Philosophical Approach ◽  
Corporate Brand ◽  
Corporate Marketing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Heritage ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Brand Concept ◽  
Corporate Brands

Purpose This article introduces the special symposium entitled “Advances in corporate brand, corporate heritage, corporate identity and corporate marketing scholarship” and provide a synopsis of the five articles constituting this symposium. By means of context, this article celebrates the anniversaries of four marketing milestones apropos the formal introduction of the corporate brand concept (1995), the formal introduction of the corporate heritage notion (2006), the first special edition (in this journal) devoted to corporate identity (1997) and the formal introduction of the corporate marketing philosophical approach (1998). The latter – corporate marketing – can be viewed as a revolution in marketing thought by noting that mutually beneficial company–stakeholder relationship can be based on corporate identities and corporate brands are not restricted to products and/or services. Design/methodology/approach Taking a retrospective, this paper explains the four marketing milestones detailed above and notes the revolutionary notion of corporate marketing. All of the aforementioned have meaningfully advanced marketing scholarship over the last 20 years. Findings This study provides 18 reflections of developments with the corporate brand and corporate identity fields. It also shows the seminal importance of European Journal of Marketing (EJM) special editions on the territory dating back to 1997. Practical implication This paper discusses how corporate identity, corporate branding, corporate heritage, corporate identity and corporate marketing have, increasingly, become mainstream marketing concerns. Originality/value In marking these milestones, this celebratory EJM symposium comprises cutting-edge scholarship on the aforementioned areas, penned by renowned and prominent scholars from Australia, England, Germany and the USA.

Scared enough? How terrorism threats affect US-Canadian business ties

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 20-28
Author(s):  
Yan Cimon ◽  
Andrew Papadopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Common Ground ◽  
Interesting Case ◽  
Business Leaders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Security Issues ◽  
Business Executives ◽  
The North ◽  
Creative Solutions ◽  
The Usa ◽  
American Case

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how security-related issues affect business in an integrated economic space. North America is an interesting case, as Canada and the USA have historically been highly integrated economies. Design/methodology/approach – Research that focuses on the relationship between security and business is reviewed. First, the perception of security issues by business leaders is examined. Second, the North American case is discussed. Findings – In the decade following 9-11, not all industries felt the aftermath in the same way, and business leaders from Canada and the USA did not necessarily focus on the same priorities. A thickening border is increasingly challenging for firms even though they have historically coped somewhat efficiently. Research limitations/implications – This paper has implications for integrated economies. Policymakers need to frame their response to security issues in a way that takes into account their effect on trade and firms. Practical implications – Given terrorism’s impact on industries, the differences in priority ascribed to the issue by executives and the varying responses to address the problem, ensuring the ongoing gains from transborder business activity, requires creative solutions. Originality/value – The effect of security on business is seldom studied. This paper provides a vivid example of the interplay between these two critical elements. This renewed understanding allows policymakers and business executives to find a common ground so that security issues are not dealt with at the expense of firms and cross-border trade.

The use of anti-money laundering tools to regulate Ponzi and other fraudulent investment schemes

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norman Mugarura
Keyword(s):  
Money Laundering ◽  
Practical Implication ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Advance Fee Fraud ◽  
Criminal Exploitation ◽  
Investment Opportunities ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Usa

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore dynamic issues relating to Ponzi and other fraudulent investment schemes to demonstrate how scammers convince victims of investment opportunities that turn out to be nothing but fraudulent. Specifically, it explores the nature of Ponzi, Pyramid, Advance fees scams and the mechanisms used to defraud unsuspecting victims of their money. The risks associated with Ponzi schemes can be gleaned in the fraud case of Bernie Madoff (1998) who had been running a Ponzi scheme in the USA for 20 years and reaping investors of their returns without ever discovering it until the business collapsed. The other notorious investment scams include “the Nigerian letter frauds” which combine the threat of impersonation fraud with a variation of an advance fee scheme in which a letter is mailed to offer recipients the “opportunity” to share in a percentage of millions of dollars that the author – a self-proclaimed government official – is trying to transfer out of his country. This article assesses the possibility of using anti-money laundering regulatory tools such as a “risk based approach” and “Know Your Customer” to protect victims of fraudulent investment schemes. Design/methodology/approach The paper was written by analysis of primary and secondary data and by utilising newspaper reports on different types of fraudulent investment schemes and the context in which they normally happen in practice. It has also utilized case studies and relevant examples to demonstrate different typologies of fraudulent schemes and the possibility of using anti-money laundering regulatory tools to regulate them. Findings The findings suggest that many people who fall victims of fraudulent investment schemes such as Ponzi and advance fee fraud are not gullible but lack knowledge of their sophistication and how they operate to defraud unsuspecting victims of their savings. Research limitations/implications The paper was largely a library-based research, and there were no interviews carried out to corroborate some of the data used in writing it. This minimises inherent bias in the use of secondary data sources to undertake a study. Practical implications The practical implication of the paper is to highlight the inherent risks in Ponzi and other fictitious investment schemes that are often cleverly conjured to exploit ignorance of the public and defraud them of their savings. It demonstrates that while financial institutions can use their regulatory tools such as KYC to safeguard financial markets from criminal exploitation, people should be vigilant to avoid falling victims of criminal exploitation and lose their savings. Social implications With globalisation, the market is awash with different types of investment opportunities, but people need to keep in mind that it has also created opportunities for criminal exploitation. Some opportunities that are being offered such as advance fee and other schemes are cleverly devised to exploit ignorance of the public. Therefore, this paper highlights the pitfalls which potential investors need to bear in mind when deciding on where to invest and how to invest their money. Originality/value Research on Ponzi schemes, advance fee fraud and misuse of letters of credit do not seem to have received proportionate scholarly attention as other forms of financial crimes. This paper, therefore, addresses a need in the market on many issues it relates.

scholarly journals Swearing at work: the mixed outcomes of profanity

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yehuda Baruch ◽  
Rea Prouska ◽  
Ariane Ollier-Malaterre ◽  
Jennifer Bunk
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Medical Doctors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Executives ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the use and misuse of swearing in the workplace. Design/methodology/approach Using a qualitative methodology, the authors interviewed 52 lawyers, medical doctors and business executives in the UK, France and the USA. Findings In contrast to much of the incivility and social norms literatures, the authors find that male and female business executives, lawyers and doctors of all ages admit to swearing. Further, swearing can lead to positive outcomes at the individual, interpersonal and group levels, including stress-relief, communication-enrichment and socialization-enhancement. Research limitations/implications An implication for future scholarship is that “thinking out of the box” when exploring emotion-related issues can lead to new insights. Practical implications Practical implications include reconsidering and tolerating incivility under certain conditions. Originality/value The authors identified a case in which a negative phenomenon reveals counter-intuitive yet insightful results.

Knowledge discovery in research on policing strategies: an overview of the past fifty years

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcio Pereira Basilio ◽  
Valdecy Pereira ◽  
Max William Coelho Moreira de Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Fear Of Crime ◽  
Latent Dirichlet Allocation ◽  
Practical Implication ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Research Subjects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Usa

Purpose The insecurity generated, today in various parts of the planet, by the various conflicts that arise in the violence in large cities, has motivated the academy to research the solutions and strategies adopted by local governments in the fight against crime. The volume of data generated by several universities over the past 50 years has increased exponentially. Consequently, researchers struggle to process essential data in today’s competitive world. The aim of this study is to explore and provide an overview of the studies carried out in the field of action to combat crime in different countries. Design/methodology/approach The Web of Science and Scopus databases were searched for publications from January 1945 to September 3, 2020 on the topic of policing strategies in titles, abstracts and keywords. References were analyzed using the R bibliometrix package, and abstracts were analyzed using latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) with collapsed Gibbs sampling for topics related to policing and related subjects. Findings As a result of the research, this paper can assert that in the last 50 years, 3,361 authors have produced 2,085 documents on the theme of policing strategy and related subjects in 58 countries. Scientific production in this area grows at a rate of 5.10 per year. The USA is the leading country in publications with 42.58%, followed by the UK with 8.39% and Canada with 4.07%. As for journals, the highlight is Policing, Policing and Society and Police Quarterly, which account for more than 15.44% of all indexed literature. Regarding the authors, the highlight is Weisburd and Braga. As a result, the LDA grouped the latent words in the articles analyzed by themes studied and presented the list of articles by themes. The thematic map identifies the following themes as basic research subjects: community policing, problem-oriented policing, predictive policing, fear of crime and social control. Practical implications As the main implication between the combination of the bibliometric analysis method with the probabilistic topic modelling, is the emergence of a primordial step in the systematic literature review process, as this method allows to explore and group a large volume of data. Another practical implication that is intended is to provide the beginning researcher or any other reader with a panoramic view of the main authors who study the themes that impact police activity in any city in the world, which are the countries and reference centers of the study on the subject and, finally, the evolution of the main themes researched in the police area. Originality/value The value of these studies is summarized in the presentation of an overview on the theme in the last 50 years, offering the opportunity for other researchers to use this research as a starting point for other analyses.

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