Founding conditions and benefit offerings: evidence from US startups

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-162
Author(s):  
Xiang Yi ◽  
Yang Xu
Keyword(s):  
Research Question ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Practical Interest ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Tuition Reimbursement ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Industry Experience

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to answer the following research question: at the time of founding of a startup, what entrepreneurial conditions would influence the long-term offerings of HR benefits? To answer this question, our study examines the effects of four founding conditions of startups – total assets, founder’s education, industry experience and startup experience – on the basis of the resource-based view of firms.Design/methodology/approachUsing data from the Kauffman Firm Survey (KFS) conducted in the period 2005–2010, this paper analyzed the relationships between the founding conditions and the offering of HR benefits by 4,148 new ventures during the first five years after founding. In addition, this paper examined the relationships of the same founding conditions to the offering of each of seven specific benefits: alternative work schedule, bonus plan, health insurance, paid time off, retirement plan, tuition reimbursement and stock options.FindingsThree conditions at founding – total assets, founders’ education level, industry experience – have a positive and enduring influence on the offering of HR benefits to the employees. Startup experience has a significant effect on benefit offerings during the first year after founding but no significant effect on benefit offerings in subsequent years. All founding conditions have significant and long-lasting positive effects on each benefit, except for startup experience, which has a negative effect on some benefits.Originality/valueThe HRM literature indicates that there has been a surprising gap between practical interest and academic research with regard to benefits. In addition, there is a dearth of research on how entrepreneurs make strategic decisions such as offering benefits to their employees. The study represents an attempt to fill in this gap.

University as a vehicle to achieve social innovation and development: repositioning the role of the university in the society

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lwando Mdleleni
Keyword(s):  
Local Community ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The University

Purpose This paper aims to explore the role of university in promoting, generating and sustaining social innovation (SI). It aimed to understand how higher education institutions have extended their contribution beyond the traditional function of teaching and research to perform in socio-economic problem-solving. It looks at the kinds of contributions which universities potentially make to SI processes, and the effects that this has on the direction and magnitude of SI, and by implication social development. This was done by drawing lessons from a SI project that the University of the Western Cape has been involved in, i.e. Zenzeleni Networks Project. Design/methodology/approach To address the research question with this framework, the author adopted an exploratory research design using a case study. This research is qualitative, exploratory and descriptive, based on a case study built with secondary data. Findings This paper submits that universities can potentially function as key role players in promoting SI initiatives and fostering social transformations. Universities contribute with different kinds of resources and inputs to foster new SI ideas. Originality/value The paper suggests that socially innovative university projects may contribute to community social sustainability maintaining social cohesion by increasing social capital and providing resources for the empowerment of the marginalised communities. In so doing, they contribute to overcome social exclusion and promote more sustainable forms of development at community level. More research is needed on how universities can build community networks with local community partners, who can use the insights of academic research to replicate interventions and move to scale.

scholarly journals M&As get another assist: when CEOs add intuition to the decision mix

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 57-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannu Kuusela ◽  
Siiri Koivumäki ◽  
Mika Yrjölä
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Strategic Decision Making ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Group Interactions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Top Executives ◽  
Positive Effects

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the use of intuition in successful merger and acquisition (M&A) decisions. M&As are strategic decisions that can create growth, open up new markets and strengthen the company’s position and competence portfolio. Strategic decisions involve, by their very nature, considerable investments and have company-wide and long-lasting implications. At the same time, the decision-makers have access to large amounts of data from various sources, but these data are often uncertain and inaccurate and entail numerous assumptions. Therefore, M&A decisions are only rational to a degree, and emotional elements, such as intuition, likely play a significant role. Design/methodology/approach Acknowledging how critically important, but also how difficult, M&As are, the authors analyzed nine instances (cases) of successful acquisitions, in which the executives believed that the role of intuition was critical. Findings The findings show that intuition in strategic decision-making emerges on three levels: individual, collective and environmental. Practical implications This paper encourages top executives to proactively acknowledge and take advantage of intuition in their strategic decision-making. It proposes a framework to help with these endeavors. Originality/value This paper contributes by highlighting that intuition is not just a factor on an individual level; it can also surface from group interactions as well as the environment. Surprisingly, all the executives interviewed spoke of the positive effects that intuition can have on acquisition decisions. This is in contrast to the dominant view that considers intuition as nonrational and even as a form of bias.

Does entrepreneurial experience always promote novelty-centered business model design in new venture?

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lingling Wang ◽  
Wenhong Zhao ◽  
Zelong Wei ◽  
Changbao Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
New Venture ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Model Design ◽  
Competitive Intensity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Entrepreneurial Experience ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Business Model Design

Purpose This paper aims to explore how intra-industry entrepreneurial experience and failure entrepreneurial experience affect novelty-centered business model design in a new venture. Moreover, the authors also consider whether the contingent value of entrepreneurial experience may differ according to competitive intensity. Design/methodology/approach A survey via questionnaire was conducted with 290 entrepreneurs and top managers from Chinese new ventures that provided the research data. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the proposed theoretical hypotheses. Findings The empirical results indicate that intra-industry entrepreneurial experience has an inverted U-shaped effect on novelty-centered business model design, whereas failure entrepreneurial experience has a negative effect on novelty-centered business model design. Furthermore, the authors also find that competitive intensity weakens the inverted U-shaped effect of intra-industry entrepreneurial experience on novelty-centered business model design. Originality/value This study offers new insights into the effects of intra-industry entrepreneurial experience and failure entrepreneurial experience on novelty-centered business model design and provides useful suggestions for new ventures to promote business model design.

The blockchain as a sustainable business model innovation

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (8) ◽  
pp. 1621-1642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Tiscini ◽  
Silvia Testarmata ◽  
Mirella Ciaburri ◽  
Emanuele Ferrari
Keyword(s):  
Food Industry ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Website ◽  
Set Up

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to strive to close the current research gap pertaining to potential implications of the blockchain (BC) for sustainable business models (SBMs) in the agri-food industry.Design/methodology/approachTo answer the research question, the authors utilised the Value Triangle framework by Biloslavo et al. (2018) in order to explore the potential innovation of BC for SBMs in the agri-food industry. Then, the authors apply it to an in-depth exploratory case study of the Placido Volpone winery. The authors draw data from strategic plans, annual reports, corporate website and a semi-structured interview with the winery's founder.FindingsThe authors show how BC technology could be a source of SBM innovation in the agri-food industry.Research limitations/implicationsBC technology has the potential to significantly change SBMs. Given the huge set-up investments by the industry, academic research investigating potential implications and supporting companies in their application of BC is needed. This paper explores how the implications of BC as source of innovation on SBMs can be investigated.Practical implicationsThe research results of this study can be used by company leaders and managers to support the development of SBMs through the introduction of BC technology in their business activities.Originality/valueThe paper is novel because it investigates the relationship between SBM innovation and BC providing theoretical justification to SBM technological innovation in an agri-food setting. Additionally, the paper provides an empirical application of the framework by Biloslavo et al. (2018) for understanding the development of SBM through BC in the agri-food industry.

Beyond reach: an extended model of global brand effects

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 647-674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timo Mandler
Keyword(s):  
Product Category ◽  
Extended Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Global Brands ◽  
Brand Evaluations ◽  
Product Categories ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Global Brand ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Brand Effects

Purpose Despite considerable investigations of the various outcomes of perceived brand globalness (PBG), the concept itself remains ambiguous, demanding further conceptual refinement. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to global branding literature by suggesting an extended conceptualization of PBG, and empirically testing a corresponding extended model of global brand effects, relative to the conventional operationalization. Design/methodology/approach An empirical study (n=907) involving 63 brands across eight different product categories provides new insights into the composition of global brand effects by explicitly discriminating between different facets of consumers’ brand globalness perceptions (i.e. perceived market reach (PMR), perceived standardization (PST) and global consumer culture positioning (GCCP)). Findings The results clearly show that effects associated with global brands are not exclusively positive. While PMR and GCCP have positive effects on consumers’ brand evaluations and attitudes, PST has a strong negative effect on the same outcomes. These effects apply to both domestic and foreign global brands and occur irrespective of the perceived level of risk associated with a given product category. Originality/value The results provide managers a clearer picture of the up- and downsides of brand globalness perceptions and urge future studies on global brands to incorporate constructs that account for facets beyond a brand’s market reach to capture the phenomenon holistically.

Personality determinants of need for interaction with a retail employee and its impact on self-service technology (SST) usage intentions

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 214-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun-Joo Lee
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Thinking Style ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Experiential Thinking ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Self Service

Purpose The purpose of this study was, first, to link interpersonal-hedonic values, intuitive-experiential thinking style, external locus of control (LOC) and sociability to the need for interaction with a retail employee; and, second, to empirically test the moderating effect of the time convenience of self-service technologies (SSTs) on the proposed relationships in the model. Design/methodology/approach This study was conducted in a retail setting in which an automated checkout process occurred with the use of self-checkout systems. A self-administered, online survey approach was utilized targeting consumer panel members. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings Interpersonal-hedonic values, external LOC and sociability emerged as reliable antecedents of the need for interaction with a retail employee, whereas the intuitive-experiential thinking style did not. This study also showed the inverse relationship between the need for interaction with a retail employee and the intentions to use SSTs. In relation to the moderating role of the time convenience of SSTs, the positive effects of interpersonal-hedonic values, intuitive-experiential thinking style, external LOC and sociability on the need for interaction with a retail employee were shown lesser for consumers with low levels of the time convenience of SSTs. The negative effect of the need for interaction with a retail employee on the intentions to use SSTs was shown to be greater for consumers with low levels of the time convenience of SSTs. Originality/value The present study adds to a growing body of literature on SSTs by exploring the causal and hierarchical effects of personality traits that determine the intentions to use SSTs.

scholarly journals Does performance evaluation kill creativity? A(re) interpretation of existing literature

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerhard Speckbacher
Keyword(s):  
Performance Evaluations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Product Innovations ◽  
Creativity Research ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Research Stream ◽  
And Control ◽  
Creativity And Innovation

Purpose Enabling employee creativity and channeling the creativity of employees toward process and product innovations is a starting point of value creation processes and strategy maps. The dominant view in early creativity research seemed to be that creativity and control are inconsistent. More recently, a number of studies have come to acknowledge that performance evaluations (and rewards linked to such evaluations) may well have positive effects on creativity. This paper aims to review existing results on the effects of performance evaluations on creativity from the perspectives of different research streams. Design/methodology/approach This paper analyzes a stream of research in social psychology which has promoted the notion of an overall negative effect of performance evaluations on creativity. The (reinterpreted) results from this research stream are contrasted with findings from the behaviorist perspective and with research in management accounting. Findings The review of the different research traditions in the analysis of the effects of performance evaluations on creativity indicates that the seemingly contradictory empirical results can be explained by the different settings used and by the different ways how performance evaluations and linked rewards are conceptualized. Originality/value The paper clarifies that, in contrast to common beliefs, performance evaluations and linked incentives do not kill creativity in general. Performance evaluations and incentives can support creativity and innovation if they are transparent about what kind of creativity is desired and how such creativity is measured and rewarded. Moreover, incentives can effectively support behaviors that are known to be important within creativity and innovation processes.

scholarly journals How business accelerators foster startups’ dynamic capabilities: a case study

2020 ◽  
pp. 19-44
Author(s):  
Celia Polo García-Ochoa
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Research Question ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Start Ups ◽  
Dynamic Capabilities Perspective

Objective: This study explores how business accelerators programs can impact on the successful growth of their accelerated start-ups based on the dynamic capabilities’ perspective. The author investigates business accelerators practices and tools in supporting new ventures development with the aim of addressing the following research question: To what extend can start-ups benefit from participating in an accelerator program from the dynamic capabilities’ perspective? Methodology: Given the lack of literature on business acceleration practices and on how them influences a start-up’s dynamic capabilities generation, the authors conducted an exploratory case study in a Spanish business accelerator. Results: The business accelerator provide startups with a mix of services embedded in specific practices and tools resulting in the generation of the dynamic capabilities of sensing the market, absorption, integration, and innovation in its startups. Limitations: This study focuses on a single case study resulting in a limited generalization of its findings. Practical implications: This paper open new paths for business accelerators and other institution decision makers by giving guidelines to design business acceleration programs allowing them to allocate resources in a more rational way. It also offers a valuable perspective for founders on the ways of satisfying their needs to complete their business potential. It also offers them an initial checklist of practices to be aware of when deciding to apply to a business accelerator. Also, we add a new perspective to study business accelerator contributions and shed some light on what specific accelerators’ tools and practices may facilitate positive effects in startups.

From keyword to keywords: the role of keyword portfolio variety and disparity in product sales

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xia Cao ◽  
Zhi Yang ◽  
Feng Wang ◽  
Chongyu Lu ◽  
Yueyan Wu
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Relative Effectiveness ◽  
Mobile Environment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Search Advertising ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Paid Search ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Paid Search Advertising

PurposeThis study investigates the effect of keyword portfolio characteristics on sales in paid search advertising. The authors propose two keyword portfolio characteristics (variety and disparity) and examine the effects of portfolio variety and portfolio disparity on direct and indirect sales in both PC and mobile environment.Design/methodology/approachBy conducting a field study at a large e-commerce platform, the authors use a negative binomial model to develop empirical findings that provide insights into paid search advertising strategies.FindingsFor main effect, (1) portfolio variety has a negative effect on direct sales. However, (2) portfolio disparity has positive effects on both direct and indirect sales. Advertising channels influence the contribution of keyword portfolio to sales. (3) On mobile devices, portfolio variety positively affects both direct and indirect sales. However, portfolio disparity negatively affects both direct and indirect sales. (4) On PCs, portfolio variety negatively affects both direct and indirect sales. However, portfolio disparity positively affects both direct and indirect sales on PC.Practical implicationsThe findings provide advertisers with insights into how to manage keyword portfolio between mobile devices and PCs.Originality/valueThe current study shifts the attention from keyword to keywords (keyword portfolio), which extends the paid search literature. Moreover, it also contributes to the literature by comparing the relative effectiveness of mobile and PC search advertising.

Limited edition packaging: objectives, implementations and related marketing mix decisions of a scarcity product tactic

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 617-627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krisztina Rita Dörnyei
Keyword(s):  
Academic Research ◽  
Marketing Mix ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Collective Case Study ◽  
Marketing Tool ◽  
Limited Edition ◽  
Design Characteristics

Purpose Marketing practitioners consider packaging as a promising marketing tool, but current academic research covers mostly regular packages. Filling this gap, this paper aims to analyze why and how companies use limited edition packaging (LEP), which is defined as a scarcity product tactic, using the package exclusively to create a limited offer. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a grounded theory methodology and used a qualitative collective case study design by analyzing 175 LEP launches in the beverage sector between 2000 and 2019. Findings The empirical-based conceptualization of LEP tactics provided here describes the crucial marketing dimensions in which strategic decisions are made regarding objective of release, implementation and related marketing mix decisions. Results show that LEP tactics serve parallel brands, sales and product strategy-related goals; LEPs are characterized by intensity, theme (occasion) and design characteristics, such as typicality, and marketers use various marketing mix combinations (i.e., pricing, distribution and advertising) in relation to the LEP offer. Originality/value To the best of author’s knowledge, it is the first conceptualization of this special type of scarcity tactic. This study also assists academics by providing an agenda for future research in this domain.

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