This paper tests the relationship between corporate governance and corporate value and the relationship between corporate governance and firm performance. A ¡§Governance Index¡¨ is built based on three aspects of the company governance structure: 1. the performance of the broad of directors, 2. ownership structure 3. involvement of capital markets. This index is used as a proxy measure of the effectiveness of the governance mechanism. We propose the firms under good governance should outperform those under poor governance. This paper finds a striking relationship between Governance Index and firm performance. The results imply that the Governance Index built in this paper is successful in evaluating the effectiveness of the governance mechanism of firms in Taiwan.

<p>Introduction: Each year thousands of micro firms are established in Sweden, not all firms will survive and grow; instead many will be forced out of business. Possible explanations of this phenomena could lie in the personality of the entrepreneur, the network of the micro firm as well as support from society and so on.</p><p>Problem: Prior research has showed that networks and networking are important for the establishment, development and growth of micro firms. The majority of prior research has been of a quantitative nature, which has resulted in great knowledge about structural dimensions while less is known about the interactional dimensions. It is because of the lack of qualitative knowledge that little is known about interactional dimensions in networks and networking activities.</p><p>Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate the role of networks and networking activities for micro firms.</p><p>Method: The research has the character of a qualitative case study. Data gathering has been done through six in-depth interviews with the founder or manager of six micro firms located in the facilities of Science Park in Jönköping. All information obtained from the interviews were transcribed and then analysed with a model developed by O’Donnell (2004).</p><p>Summary of analysis: The role of networks and networking activities for micro firms are of great importance for generating business. Our analysis show that many of the micro firms are proactive towards their customers while their relationship with suppliers and competitors varies in characteristics.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 2008. Graduate Programme in Communication and Culture. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 269-283). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:NR46001

Thesis (M.Arch.)--University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2009. / Open access. Includes bibliographical references (p. 72-75).

Thesis (M.A.)--Ohio University, November, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references.

Problem: Today’s rapid globalization along with technological improvements force organizations to adapt its strategy to external changes. Companies may undertake strategic renewal in order to cope with these changes (Agarwal &amp; Helfat, 2009). However, there are forces that somehow interrupt a firm’s ability to adapt, which are called strategic inertia (Mallette &amp; Hopkins, 2013). The forces of strategic renewal and strategic inertia do not exist independently from one another rather they coexist and vary in its influence on the company (Melin, 1998). The previous research exploring Strategic Renewal and Strategic Inertia as two co-existing forces appears to be limited, which creates an incentive to explore the phenomena in an innovative company setting. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to explore the existence of the phenomena of strategic renewal and strategic inertia in an innovative firm. Method: In order to fulfill the aim of this research, a qualitative case study was undertaken. The primary data was gathered through interviews with managers from different departments at the company Fagerhult Lighting AB. Conclusion: This research contributes to the academic field of strategy as it proposes six circumstances that foster strategic renewal and strategic inertia in an innovative firm. The circumstances are clarified in the following six propositions, where (1) the encouragement of new ideas, (2) employees that are open to change, and (3) the acquiring of people with different perspectives and backgrounds, are presented as drivers for strategic renewal, while (4) prioritization of resources, (5) differences in interests and attitudes and (6) insufficient understanding and engagement, are sources for strategic inertia. The conclusion of this research is that strategic renewal and strategic inertia can co-exist within an innovative firm.

M.Tech. Business Administration. Business School. / Telkom's revenue started to decline due to the high churn rate of fixed line customers. Telkom's deployment of the fixed mobile technology was intended to be a solution to the revenue decline. The development of unique products using Fixed Mobile Convergence remains a major challenge for Telkom. The study was undertaken as a case study with the intention of determining whether Telkom had the ability to converge the fixed line and mobile technologies respectively in order to boost its revenues by gaining competitive advantage. Primary data was collected through questionnaires that were completed by ten managers employed at Telkom SA within the fixed mobile division. Secondary data was collected from sources such as relevant literature, business and academic journals, books, the media, and the internet.

Tax avoidance that reduces transfers from shareholders to the government is traditionally viewed as value enhancing to shareholders. The agency perspective of tax avoidance, however, suggests that opportunistic managers may exploit the obfuscatory nature of tax avoidance to mask rent extraction. To shed light on these conflicting views, I use a self-constructed opacity index and multiple measures of tax avoidance to examine how corporate transparency relates to tax avoidance. I find that more transparent firms, which potentially have less severe agency problems, avoid more tax relative to their opaque counterparts. This result suggests that in a large section of the economy, tax avoidance is mainly engaged in by managers to enhance shareholder wealth. Further, I find that investors place a value premium on tax avoidance, but the price premium decreases with corporate opacity. This is consistent with the notion that corporate transparency facilitates the monitoring of managerial actions and thus alleviates outside investors’ concern with the hidden agency costs associated with tax avoidance. / text

There is growing evidence that a vast majority of CEO’s believe that sustainability-related issues are having or will soon have a material impact on their firms. Nearly all of the academic literature on the firm level impacts of corporate social performance (CSP) has focused on looking for a universally positive or negative effect of CSP on corporate financial performance (CFP). Recent literature in the CSP domain, however, has presented two questions that have been under-researched with respect to CSP by firms: 1) What are the processes and motivations that underlie the inclusion of CSP in firm strategic decisions? and 2) Why do some firms generate different market returns from their CSP? The present research consists of two studies that focus on developing an understanding of these two questions. The first study uses a Contingency Theory approach and proposes that several organizational, market, customer, environmental and competitive characteristics of a firm predict a firm’s level of CSP. Findings based on a longitudinal, multi-industry sample of 447 firms over the period from 2000 to 2007 show that firms that have a corporate branding strategy, serve consumer markets, and have a greater degree of globalization have higher levels of CSP. Finally, this study also finds that higher levels of CSP relative to a firm’s industry result in higher levels of firm intangible value (Tobin’s q). The second study examines the following: 1) Does CSP history moderate the relationship between CSP and CFP? and 2) Is there a CSR Black Hole with respect to a firm’s history of negative behaviors? That is, does past negative social performance of the firm negate potential benefits from current period changes in positive social performance? Using the Flow Signals framework proposed by Dekinder and Kohli (2008), this study finds that a (1) history of growth in negative CSP, (2) trend toward increasing negative CSP, or (3) more inconsistent history of positive or negative CSP (reversals) decrease the returns to positive social performance. This study also finds evidence of a CSR Black Hole, but show that firms may be able to exit this by consistently managing their social performance over time. / text

Corporate social responsibility is a widely discussed concept in today’s business, with different perceptions as well as explanations regarding the meaning and impact of the concept. Organizations are becoming more aware of the concept as well as their responsibilities to the society, which in turn results in organizations devoting more resources into CSR related activities. Nowadays, it is significant to establish a proper CSR performance while also having a solid financial foundation in order to reach a long-term sustainable success. The purpose of this study is to describe how CSR is connected to firm performance, in terms of market share and market growth. While a growing number of studies have been made regarding investigating CSR and its various dimensions, it is still unclear what the underlying factors that tie the relationship together are. This purpose was tested on a company in southern Sweden; this company Emballator Lagan Plast (ELP) produces plastic packaging solutions for a number of industries. Alongside the literature research, a case study with semi-structured interviews was conducted at ELP in order to collect data needed to answer the purpose and research questions. One of the essential findings of the study revealed from the literature, which was also proven in the case study, was that CSR is a fundamental element in an organization and it should be implemented throughout the entire organization to gain maximum effect. Moreover, the findings indicate that CSR has a positive impact on ELP’s performance. Even though the relationship is not direct, it still exists through mediating roles, and it has played an important role in the company’s growth and success. Keywords:Corporate social responsibility, firm performance, stakeholders.