An Empirical Test of Hypotheses Relating to Span of Control

1967 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon G. Udell
2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaqun Yi ◽  
Meng Gu ◽  
Zelong Wei

Purpose How do firms make effective strategic change when competitive advantage deteriorates fast in a dynamic environment? Based on information-processing theory and organizational inertia theory, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how bottom-up learning affects the speed and magnitude of strategic change and if these relationships are contingent on strategic flexibility. Design/methodology/approach Using data of 213 firms in China, the authors conduct an empirical test of hypotheses through a stepwise multivariate regression approach. Findings The empirical study suggests that resource flexibility weakens the positive relationship between bottom-up learning and the speed of strategic change while strengthens the impact of bottom-up learning on the magnitude of strategic change. In addition, coordination flexibility strengthens the positive impact of bottom-up learning on the speed and magnitude of strategic change. Originality/value The findings not only provide a more nuanced and in-depth understanding of strategic change, but also offer strong guidance for firms on how to make better use of strategic flexibility in order to benefit from bottom-up learning.


2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 266-276
Author(s):  
Babatunde Adedeji Popoola ◽  
Elizabeth Chinomona

This study examines the influence of trust, communication and commitment, that have on ethical behavior in universities in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Three hypotheses are posited in this research. The empirical test of hypotheses based on a sample data set of 450 respondents from universities in the Gauteng province of South Africa was provided. IBM SPSS statistics 24.0 and IBM SPSS Amos 24.0 software were used to analyze the data. The results indicate that trust, communication and commitment positively influence ethical behavior in universities. Drawing from the study’s findings, managerial implications are discussed and limitations and future research directions are suggested. This study contributes new knowledge to the existing body of ethical behavior literature and organizational behavior theories in Africa.


1969 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 430-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter D. Bennett ◽  
Robert M. Mandell

This article reports the results of an empirical test of hypotheses derived from learning theory in an attempt to explain prepurchase information seeking behavior in terms of repeat purchase data. Experience alone, measured by the number of times the choice decision has been faced, appears not to affect information seeking behavior. Positively reinforced past choices, measured in aggregate or in sequence, decrease the amount of prepurchase information seeking in which consumers engaged.


2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 970-992 ◽  
Author(s):  
Biao Luo ◽  
Qiong Wang ◽  
Yuan Lu ◽  
Liang Liang

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how subsidiary managers gain attention from top executives at headquarters for their desired issue in order to initiate a bottom-up change. Specifically, it focuses on relationships among a change issue’s characteristics, environmental threats and top executives’ attention. Design/methodology/approach – An empirical test of hypotheses by a hierarchical regression approach has been applied to analyse the data collected through a survey of 81 headquarters-subsidiary dyads in China. Findings – There are three main findings, including first, the headquarters’ attention is positively related to the organizational benefits of an issue; second, there exist inverted U-shaped curves between an issue’s legitimacy or novelty and the headquarters’ attention; and third, the headquarters’ attention to an issue is also moderated by environmental threats. Originality/value – The present study has noted that the headquarters’ attention to the issue varies not only according to the issue’s distinctive characteristics but also to their perception of environmental threats. It contributes to the advancement of organizational change theory by focusing on the empirical examination of an issue-selling process which is a key component part in a bottom-up change.


2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (05) ◽  
pp. 1450030
Author(s):  
JORGE COLAZO

Collaboration structure and temporal dispersion (TD) in teams have been studied independently so far. This study uses Media Synchronicity Theory (MST) to derive hypotheses positing that the structure of collaboration networks in distributed teams changes when those teams are more temporally dispersed. The empirical test of hypotheses using ordinary least squares with archival data from 230 open source software (OSS) projects shows that the collaboration structure networks of those OSS teams that are more temporally dispersed are sparser and more centralised, and these associations are stronger in those teams exhibiting higher relative performance. Theoretical and practical consequences are discussed.


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