The influence of family firm image on access to financial resources in family SMEs: a signaling theory perspective

This study investigates whether a projected family firm image can affect access to financial resources, which is key to providing broader strategic options and meeting short-term financial needs, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Building on the signaling literature, we consider the family SME leaders’ perspective and conceptually and empirically examine whether they believe a projected family firm image acts as a credible signal to the lender. We also examine additional boundary conditions influencing the family SME’s projected image–access to financial resources relationship, by specifically investigating whether firm age and size alter the degree of the signaling effect. Our unique data on 289 Spanish family SMEs reveal that projected family firm image can act as an attractive signal to lenders, leading to better access to financial resources for SMEs. Furthermore, firm size reinforces the role of the projected family firm image as a positive signal. These findings address an important practical issue in terms of family firm stakeholder perceptions, offering contributions to the corporate branding, family business, and financing literature.

Rose-Patisserie and Coffee House

This case traces the life of a new endeavor, starting with a small patisserie and coffeehouse and the subsequent development of the business, considering three alternatives, namely optimizing the concept, expanding through a franchise network, and building a network of company-owned stores. The story of Rui and Joana raises a wide range of issues that managers need to address. After reading and working through the case, students will be able to evaluate the product portfolio, based on actual sales data, and to evaluate and propose strategic options using classical models.

Strategic Tools for Business Research and Analysis

There are many tools and techniques available for business analysis, but the question is whether there is one tool or a set of tools that are most commonly used. What tools or techniques are taught to business managers or business development officers? The literature is reviewed for tools that are most widely taught and in use. The chapter examines the reasons they have been chosen and the comments on how effective they were found to be. The use of tools generally and the need to use more than one tool are discussed. Several authors suggest that the central role of a business analysis tool appears to be to provoke discussion amongst the business development officers. The discussion seems to be more important than the tool in preparation for developing strategic options. The theory of resource-based analysis is discussed with its role in analysing the company and its competition.

Never have a crisis like COVID-19

Current circumstances caused by COVID-19 pandemic pose a unique challenge to businesses. How could businesses survive? What strategic options do businesses have when they effectively engage such a challenge? Delving into the inquiry, we explore and investigate different strategic approaches to measure their effectiveness. For the study’s explorative and investigative purposes, our investigation involves a set of tests at both business and corporate levels. Using 224 responses from the leaders and key individuals of Korean startups, we tested the effectiveness of strategic options using the notion of ambidexterity and alliances, and mergers and acquisitions. Using the ambidexterity lens, we found exploitation and exploration indirectly affect firm performances and are still effective under COVID-19. We also found “reinforcing the relationship with existing alliances,” a corporate-level approach, to be effective.

Seismic Soundoff: The major opportunities and challenges for SEG

In this episode, SEG President Anna Shaughnessy discusses the major opportunities and challenges facing SEG and the geosciences in the years ahead. She discusses the recently formed Strategic Options Task Force and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee, offers words of wisdom to young geoscientists, and showcases the Geophysical Sustainability Atlas. Hear the full episode at https://seg.org/podcast/post/13633 .

Opciones estratégicas de Rusia desde la óptica del neorrealismo ofensivo

Neorealism gives us clues to how States -the main actor in international relations- interact with each other, and being their main mission their own survival, develops specific strategies to ensure it, the reasons for choosing between them, and the actions that they ensure the end goal. It will be within this theoretical framework that an attempt will be made to revisit the special relationship between Russia and China. Once ideological partners, other adversaries as heads of the two largest power structures under the umbrella of socialism, and today, it seems that powers are increasingly close in their common aversion to American power. And yet ... This work tries to identify Russia's strategic options, framed in the paradigm of the realist school.

Life Skills Education in Ethiopia: Afar Pastoralists’ Perspectives

Pastoralists constitute a large proportion of the population of Ethiopia, representing an estimated 14–18% of the population (MoE, A standard and manual for upgrading Alternative Basic Education (ABE) Centers, Level 1–4 to Level 1–6. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2018a). The provision of formal education through a school-based delivery model has failed to deliver the desired outcomes for Afar children and youth in terms of inclusion and participation, and quality of and relevance of education in support of building pastoralists’ skills for life and thriving. Formal education for pastoralists should be concerned with curricular relevance as experienced from the perspective of the pastoralists’ daily reality and extant knowledge that is well-adapted to environmental conditions and emphasizes collective community wellbeing (Krätli & Dyer, Mobile pastoralists and education: strategic options. International Institute for Environment and Development, 2009). This chapter explores the ways in which the current curriculum in the Afar region addresses Krätli and Dyer’s (Mobile pastoralists and education: strategic options. International Institute for Environment and Development, 2009) four dimensions of curricula necessary for pastoralist education to be considered relevant. It also explores key stakeholders’ perspectives about which life skills matter most to the Afar pastoralist community and the extent to which the current curriculum reflects and incorporates these skills. This chapter offers a new perspective on how to reconceptualize and teach these skills through the education system, highlighting recommended adaptations to the curriculum aligned with national and international development goals and notions of quality and relevance. These adaptations respond to the knowledge, attitudes, values, skills, mobility patterns, and calendars grounded in pastoralist populations’ values to maintain a complex and sustainable equilibrium among pastures, livestock, and people.

Strategic Planning and Crisis Management in Textile Sector in Turkey

Textile industries in Turkey are confronting changing difficulties at various times in this new millennium. Consequently, the world is becoming smaller in operational extent due to progress in information and communications technologies and other modern advances. The fractious cultural movements that induce successive crisis are confronted by organizations that risk their property, and therefore their on-going prospects. These have lately presented themselves in a variety of failures that range from financial failure, epidemics, and other natural calamities; violent actions among staffs and from terrorist factions as well. The private sector is confronting change as varied organizations experienced transitions, as a result of strong competition and compelling technological advances that arise during periods of socio-economic and political progress. Firms do not manage these factors by themselves but will respond to changes if they are required to strategically devise schemes. Planning for crises and responding appropriately to them, will make the firm improves its abilities to survive and thrive. Crisis management focuses on coping with threats, while strategic planning focuses on revealing opportunities. The use of strategic planning in the time of crisis will significantly benefit the firm by having advantages to operate and compete and also to have resilience in dealing with uncertainties. Therefore, to be resilient, firms will need to use intensively strategic planning in turbulent and changing situations in order to survive and thrive. It is the responsibility of managers and leaders in firms to consider all these types as possibilities for crises and have strategic and tactical plans, as a result crises could be rapidly resolved or prevented from happening. Strategic planning is critical to make sure that the textile sector is prepared to meet future difficulties. Modern strategy-oriented planning comprises a lengthy system for realizing a vision or managing future environmental conditions. The processes are neither fully prescriptive nor fully clear. Given this assumption, we typically characterize strategy-oriented planning processes in terms of structured activities that continually cover objectives and mission, survey the competitive environment, analyses strategic options, and coordinate implementing activities throughout an entire organization. Keywords: Strategic Planning, Crisis Management, Textile Sector, Turkey