This dissertation examines the impacts of interfirm variables on both invention and commercialization activities, following Greves (2003) suggestion that innovation research will be enriched if more studies integrate invention and commercialization activities to understand the entire innovation development process. Utilizing two established theoretical perspectivesorganizational learning and institutional theorysix sets of hypotheses are developed containing the following interfirm variables: 1) direct and indirect ties, 2) strength of direct ties, 3) structural holes, 4) prominence of direct partners, 5) exploration and exploitation partners, and 6) horizontal and vertical networks. The dissertation also predicts that these interfirm variables would contribute to either invention or commercialization activities. Examining 262 publicly traded biopharmaceutical firms from 1986 to 2003, the study demonstrates that the interfirm variables significantly influence the invention and commercialization outcomes. While some interfirm variables positively influence the number of patents of a focal firm, they could have a negative impact upon the number of marketed drug applications and revenue. A managerial implication from the findings is that a focal firm may want to clarify its objectives before engaging in any interfirm collaboration by examining the multiple dimensions of its interfirm network and to identify its posture toward alliances. Due to the complexity and length of invention and commercialization activities, future research is warranted to investigate further the impacts of these interfirm predictors on important, but relatively ignored, product innovation outcomes (i.e., the number of new projects and licensing, marketing, and sales fees).

This dissertation explores theoretical links among interpersonal, perceptual, and situational variables and sensitivity about being the target of threatening upward comparisons (STTUC) within a workplace setting. It also investigates affective and behavioral responses outperformers may enact to decrease effects thought to be associated with STTUC. Because of the novelty of investigating STTUC in a field sample, the actual nature of the relationships among STTUC and the focal study variables were examined in multiple ways. Specifically, workplace outperformers interpersonal sensitivity, empathic concern, and competitive psychological climate, along with actual threat experienced by the outperformed, were all expected to increase the likelihood that outperformers would experience STTUC, and STTUC was, in turn, expected to result in the use of appeasement and avoidance behaviors, propensity for socially motivated underachievement, and decreased preference for public recognition. Additionally, direct linkages between the antecedents and consequences were expected, as well as post-hoc hypotheses predicting these direct relationships would actually be moderated by STTUC. Results suggested empathic concern, competitive psychological climate, and threat experienced by the outperformed were antecedents to STTUC and had direct relationships with many of the studys consequences. STTUC was not found to be directly related to the studys consequences, but it did serve as a moderating variable for the relationships between the antecedents interpersonal sensitivity, empathic concern, and threat and several of the consequences. These results provide researchers and practitioners with insights into which factors influence outperformers STTUC, as well as highlight the important role STTUC plays in determining outperformers reactions to being upward comparison targets.

Firm founding is an evolutionary process. Part of this process involves undertaking a series of gestation activities. Start-ups undertaking these activities are referred to as firms in gestation and the process is termed nascent entrepreneurship. Empirical evidence shows that more than half of firms in gestation do not survive the first eighteen months. One of the reasons given for this high failure rate is that firms in gestation are subject to what Stinchcombe (1965) called liability of newness because, as new creations, they lack evaluative performance history. One of the consequences of this liability of newness is that new firms are faced with institutional barriers to the human, social, and financial capital resources necessary to progress to emergence. This study proposed that in the face of these barriers, successful emergence will be identified with (a) social embeddedness, i.e., efforts to endear the new venture in its organizational field to those who will determine the ventures socio-political legitimacy and with that legitimacy comes resources and markets and/or (b) creative resource bootstrapping, i.e., creativity in locating resources where there are none. The sample for the study was taken from a bank of volunteer panelists maintained by SurveyResponse, a project at Syracuse University that serves as a medium for facilitating academic online research. The data collection instrument was a web based questionnaire. The study found that both social embeddedness and resource bootstrapping are significant predictors of gestation activities performance which, in turn, mediates the relationship of these variables with progress to emergence. The study recommends that more attention needs to be given to the importance of social embeddedness in entrepreneurial idea exploitation models. Past research has focused more on resource bootstrapping at the expense of social relations.

The deleterious effects of workplace incivility have been widely decried by practitioners and the popular press, but empirical evidence in this regard has only recently begun to accrue in the academic literature. As such, the present study examines the empirical validity of theoretically relevant attitudinal, health-related, and performance outcomes affected by workplace incivility. Hypotheses were tested with data obtained from individuals employed in a diverse range of for-profit and not-for-profit industries, organizations, and occupations and their supervisors. Results demonstrate that experiences of workplace incivility adversely affect employee attitudes and well-being; that workplace incivility experiences may indirectly affect feelings of burnout and employee engagement levels through their influence on employee perceptions of trust and justice; and that employee responses to incivility differ depending on the source (i.e., supervisor or co-worker incivility). These findings broaden the focus of prior research by illustrating that the effects of workplace incivility experiences are more nuanced than previously believed.

This dissertation investigates the antecedents and outcomes of task and relationship conflict in subordinates and supervisors relations. Based on abusive supervision studies and the justice framework, I proposed that the relationship between abusive supervision and task conflict is mediated by procedural justice, and that the relationship between abusive supervision and relationship conflict is mediated by interactional justice. Based on emotional intelligence theory, I also proposed that these mediation processes are moderated by an individuals emotion management ability (EMA). Finally, I anticipated that relationship conflict elicits more detrimental effect on employees organizational citizenship and workplace deviance behaviors. A total of 310 employees and their supervisors in a large hospital participated in this study. The results demonstrated that procedural justice fully mediates the relationship between abusive supervision and task conflict. Interactional justice fully mediates the relationship between abusive supervision and relationship conflict. An employees EMA moderates these relationships, such that individuals with higher EMA are more sensitive to repaying the favors that they have received. Lastly, relationship conflict is more damaging to organizational functioning than task conflict, such that the impact of relationship conflict on organizational citizenship and workplace deviance behaviors is significantly stronger. Implications and future directions are discussed.

The diffusion of corporate governance standards globally has received special attention from researchers in an increasingly globalized economy. This topic is particularly significant in emerging economies as they encounter both economic pressures to adopt international governance standards and pressures to conform to local institutional resistance to change in governance. Drawing on multi-theoretical perspectives including agency theory, resource dependence theory and institutional theory, this study examines the role of CEO and board characteristics, ownership structure, prior firm performance, and firms selection of accounting standards and auditing firms in determining Chinese publicly listed firms responses to pressures to adopt international governance standards. This study finds that (1) Chinese publicly listed firms with better prior performance measured by ROA are more likely to be early adopters of international governance model; (2) in general, the antecedents of CEO and board characteristics are not significant predictors of firms adoption of international governance standards; (3) direct (ownership) and indirect links to Chinese government play significant roles in shaping firms governance standards and practice; and (4) firms ownership structure particularly proportion of tradable shares and presence of foreign ownership are significant predictors of firms corporate governance orientation, while ownership concentration is not. This research enriches the bodies of international corporate governance literature and contributes to institutional change literature by empirically testing how firms facing similar political pressure, functional pressure, and social pressure (Oliver, 1992) produce heterogeneous strategic responses in an emerging context. It also contributes practically to the development of government business policy and effective management of firm strategies in China.

Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 2009. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 152-154).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University, 2008. / Adviser: Morgan L. Swink. Includes bibliographical references.

Zugl.: Augsburg, University, Diss., 2007. / Description based on print version record.

<p> The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of female leaders and their role in using nonlinear models of change to influence organizational change. This study was designed to determine how approaches to change leadership deployed by female leaders contribute new information and principles to the field of organizational change. A phenomenological research method was the best approach to capture the insights, perspectives, and experiences of female leaders. This study examined the nonlinear change approaches of fourteen senior female leaders in large corporations. While female leaders are increasing in the executive suite, research around their role in change leadership remains limited. This qualitative, phenomenological study examined how fourteen female leaders used different strategies and approaches to lead organizational change. Their experiences, documented through the interview data, encompassed their personal philosophies and approaches in influencing change initiatives. The data gathered was analyzed to develop themes that scholars and female leaders could analyze and apply in the field of change management. The female leaders in this study shared five key strategies that they used to lead change: (a) Relatedness Strategies, (b) Inclusion Strategies, (c) Experiential Learning Methods, (d) Radar-emotion Detection Strategies, and (e) Authenticity and Trust Strategies. These strategies indicated a nonlinear approach to leading change that focused on intervention strategies that could be applied at any stage in the change journey. Four main conclusions can be derived from this study: (a) Effective change strategies need to be intervention driven; (b) The change leader functions best as an interceptor and connector within the organization; (c) Strategies to change require approaches that create inclusion and trust; and (d) Strategies to change should involve experiential learning designs. This study shed light on new methods and approaches for leading complex organizational change from a female perspective in corporations. Moreover, this research was relevant given the demographic changes in society and the strategic role that female leaders play today in corporations and will in the future.</p><p>