Past research on Top Management Team (TMT) consensus has investigated relationships between consensus on strategic goals and means and organizational performance. The process of setting goals and selecting the means to compete is known as deliberate strategy. However, strategy making includes not only deliberate planning but also the interactive learning of top managers and others as they handle emergent events. Therefore, TMT consensus is important not only on deliberate strategies, but also on the underlying logic that guides emergent strategies. Recent theory suggests these are the two primary forms of consensus: consensus on goals and means and consensus on organizational capabilities. Consensus on goals and means is significant because of its influence on deliberate strategy, while consensus on organizational capabilities is important for managing emergent adaptation. Both forms of consensus play a key role in realizing a desired level of organizational performance, and the importance of one type of consensus or the other will vary depending upon certain contingencies. The purpose of this dissertation was to empirically test relationships between both forms of consensus and organizational performance while considering the influence of three contingencies: the environment, strategic discretion and strategic approach. Previous research provided the theoretical basis for the study and the anticipated relationships. The contingencies were used as a framework to develop propositions. Ten hypotheses were developed from these propositions. The research context was the hotel industry. Three dimensions of the environment in five hotel market segments were identified. Primary data were collected from TMT members at 44 hotels. When tested, three of four hypotheses concerning the environment were rejected, indicating the environment has less to do with consensus and organizational performance than suggested. Support for the hypotheses regarding strategic discretion was found, signifying the choice to franchise or not has a strong effect upon consensus. Clear support was found for three of the hypotheses regarding strategic approach. Unconfirmed, weak support was found for the fourth. The strategic approach results suggest that consensus surrounding primary strategies is closely linked with organizational performance.

An increase in competition and broader product lines has resulted in cannibalization of product categories. This waste of marketing resources concerns both manufacturers and retailers and has drawn the attention of marketers to the need for effective category management. One strategy to consolidate categories is product elimination. The questions that concern managers are where will the customers of the eliminated brand go and will the customers be captured by the same manufacturer? This dissertation seeks to provide an answer to this question by developing a metric and modeling approach to measure the level of reverse cannibalization and evaluate changes in competitive position as a result of brand exit. This dissertation develops a hybrid reverse cannibalization model that utilizes both customer background information and transactional data to measure changes in competitive position upon the exit of a brand. A brand draw metric was developed as the ratio of the number of customers drawn by a brand from another brand's core group to the size of the competitor's core group. Bootstrapping experiments with 6, 8, and 10 brands were conducted to test the robustness of the brand draw metric. A Multinomial Logit model was specified to examine the plausibility of the proportional draw market share model assumption. The violation of the Independence of Irrelevant Alternatives assumption provided support for the finding of asymmetries in brand draws. The MNL and hybrid models suggest that some brands compete more strongly with sister brands than with competing manufacturer brands. Strategic implications of the model findings are discussed for each simulated brand exit. The dissertation provides substantive contributions through an enriched understanding of category structures and brand draw effects. The reverse cannibalization model to predict brand choice in the event of a brand exit and the robust brand draw metric that captures asymmetric competitive effects are methodological contributions. The model makes a valuable contribution to marketing practice because it allows marketers to evaluate the potential for strategic changes to product lines through simulated exits.

This longitudinal research study of the US bicycle industry from 1975 to 1994 and beyond examines the relationship between strategic alliances and industry structures from a resource-based view of the firm. The main argument of this study is that strategic alliances provide firms with flexible facilitating mechanisms to access strategic resources for competing in dynamic competitive environments. A theoretical framework outlines a reciprocal relationship between the creation of strategic alliances and the development of an industry life cycle. Purposes for strategic alliances arising from a transformation value chain are related to changes in industry structures as defined by different stages of an industry life cycle model. In order for a firm to sustain a competitive advantage as industry structures change, strategic alliances facilitate a means for firm resources to be reconfigured accordingly or they may become core rigidities. The following chapters develop the specifics for this research study. Chapter 1 introduces the rationales for studying strategic alliances and industry structures from a resource based view. Chapter 2 reviews theoretical foundations and research findings on the resource based view of the firm, strategic alliances and joint ventures, and the life cycle model. Chapter 3 draws from earlier research findings to develop a theoretical framework that outlines a dynamic relationship between strategic alliances and industry structures. While strategic alliances enable firms to adapt to environmental conditions, the cumulative impact of interfirm activities lead to shifts in life cycle stages. Chapter 4 outlines the case study research methodology and the selection of the bicycle industry for this empirical research study. Chapter 5 presents the bicycle industry with detailed discussions of types of bicycles and component parts, demand and supply conditions of the US bicycle industry, bicycle firm behavior, strategic alliances of bicycle firms, technological innovations, and the global bicycle industry. Chapter 6 discusses the case analysis of the bicycle industry by exploring the theoretical framework that was developed in Chapter 3. The results indicate that purposes for strategic alliances differ during each stage of the bicycle industry's life cycle from 1975 to 1994 and beyond. An important role of strategic alliances was to enable bicycle firms to reconfigure resources to protect the technical core of the organization and/or develop normal assets to leverage core competencies. To conclude, Chapter 7 outlines the contributions and limitation of this research study with future research directions.

The use of derivatives in corporate risk management has grown rapidly in recent years, motivated in part by the success of the financial industry in creating a variety of over-the-counter and exchange-traded products. To evaluate the effectiveness of a risk management program or to test financial theories of risk management, a firm's underlying risk exposure must be known. While survey evidence and some empirical evidence exist on how and why a firm engages in various risk management activities through derivatives markets (e.g., Bodnar and Gebhardt 1996, and Tufano 1996, 1998), there is little empirical research examining the effect of derivative usage on a firm's risk and return characteristics. This dissertation examines a sample of gold producing firms whose derivative strategies are known and investigates how their equity and accounting based performances are related with the degree of derivative usage and the price uncertainty of their underlying products. In addition, using insights from both the various Value-at-Risk and multifactor literature, the ‘marginal’ Value-at-Risk framework is applied to measure the market risk exposures of the commodity based corporations. The dissertation consists of three chapters. The first chapter, Effects of Derivatives Usage on Commodity Based Corporations, provides descriptive evidence on the risk management activities of a sample of gold mining firms and empirically investigates whether a firm's use of derivatives materially reduces the overall expected equity-return risk as well as the earnings risk measured by analysts' forecasts. The second chapter, Risk Measurements for Derivatives Users and Non-Users, examines two firms who have well articulated derivative use strategies that are diametrically opposite. This chapter focused on measuring a firm's risk exposure and how a hedging policy alters the exposure. The last chapter, An Investigation of Gold Prices in Spot and Futures Market, provides empirical evidence of the gold price movement during the last decade and explores the nature of the both cross sectional and time series relationship between prices in the gold futures market and spot market. The results show, in general, both the spot and futures gold prices react at the same time (within the same-day) and in the same way to new information coming to the market. The potential contributions of this dissertation to the corporate risk management literature include that; this study (1) empirically investigates the consequences of the derivatives usage on a firm's expected equity return volatility as well as forecasted earnings volatility, and (2) examines how financial markets price the risk of a firm's underlying assets.

Over the past decade, the declining competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers has received considerable attention. Studies have documented the weakening competitive position in global markets, the decline of the manufacturing base, and the continued closing of manufacturing plants in the United States. Attention has focused on manufacturing strategy and technological innovation in manufacturing as possible solutions to these growing problems. Adoption and implementation of new manufacturing technologies, known collectively as advanced manufacturing technology (AMT), offer the promise of successfully competing in global markets. Specifically, these technologies offer advantages in areas that U.S. manufacturers need to address: flexibility, quality, shorter product life cycles, and decreased product development cycles. However, there are two major concerns: (1) American manufacturers have been slow to adopt advanced process technology, and (2) those firms which have decided to adopt these new technologies, have had limited success in implementing them. Management has limited experience with AMT and few guidelines to assist them in the transition from the factory of today to the factory of the future. This research provides an in-depth, integrative approach to address these issues by focusing on the experiences of organizations pursuing a strategy of automation. Using a multiple case research strategy, this exploratory study investigates the reasons why firms chose to adopt advanced manufacturing technologies and the decision making process involved in justifying them. In addition, this study identifies obstacles to justification and provides insight into how firms have either ignored or overcome these obstacles. The decision to adopt AMT is only the first step in becoming or remaining competitive. These technologies need to be successfully implemented to achieve proposed benefits. This research provides insight into how firms managed their AMT implementations and what obstacles were encountered. In addition, factors that contribute to or impede the successful implementation of advanced manufacturing technologies are identified. Finally, the difficulties of performing post-implementation evaluations by these firms are examined. Results from this study corroborate earlier findings that comprehension retrospective evaluations of AMT projects are rarely performed. Guidelines are presented to assist management grappling with these complex issues. Finally, this study suggests propositions for future research.

To a large extent, management is perceived as a Western notion and is based on Western assumptions and norms. Most of our understanding of management came from the American experience. The problem lies in the assumption by these writers and researchers that what they think is true in the West, it is true for all cultures. This is a problem in cross-cultural management theory and practice. This study was an attempt to challenge the imperialism in cross-cultural management. It attempted to voice the Singaporean Chinese managers' conception of Chinese management through a Singaporean Chinese researcher using an interpretive approach. The specific purposes were to (1) discover Chinese managers' perception and definition of management; and (2) describe the way they manage. This study followed an interpretive paradigm of research and analysis which allows representation of the perspective of the participants. It aimed to reveal and reflect the world as it is. Metaphor was used as a means to understand how Chinese managers in Singapore perceived Chinese management and how they manage. Six interviewees from Singapore local Chinese organizations were selected for the study. Indepth interview was used as the research method. The research findings were presented through six stories and five scenes. Six stories (Chapter Four) were presented how they felt about Chinese management, their organizations and their managerial work. The five scenes (Chapter Five) were the interpretation and analysis of the "stories". Scene 1 focused on the Chinese managers' perception of the characteristics of Chinese management. Scene 2 contrasted the differences between Western management and Chinese management. Scene 3 highlighted the dilemma of the old and young generations and the dilemma in integrating Western and Chinese management. Scene 4 presented four metaphors and a meta-metaphor that capture the conceptions of Chinese management. Scene 5 presented five metaphors that describe the work of Chinese managers. The research findings were discussed in relation to the literature. Implications for Singaporean Chinese managers, management educators, organizational theorists, cross-cultural studies and future research were presented.

Family-owned businesses are associated with a low rate of survival. Statistically, less than three in ten will survive the first 50 years. The literature acknowledges that the issue of succession is critical for organizational development and continuity. Effective (successful) successors are defined in the literature as those persons who have the title and power of office and, in the long term, demonstrate the ability to create a positive trend of growth and profits for the business. The research consists primarily of quantitative analysis. The bulk of the research is predicated on 254 respondents, of which 181 are classified as effective successors and 73 as ineffective successors. Additionally, four in-depth interviews with successors were conducted and analyzed to verify the quantitative dimension and to lend breadth to the constraints of a survey questionnaire. The purpose of the research is to identify factors common to effective successors and ineffective successors. The data gathered centered on two topics: successor demographics, and successor attitudes relating to their families, themselves, and their businesses. The data show some interesting and clear differences between effective and ineffective successors. This information should be of interest to family-owned businesses, family therapists, business consultants, and academicians. The research is driven by six hypotheses. The results show three of the hypotheses to be consistent with the literature, while the remaining three uncover new information. The three hypotheses which coincide with contemporary researchers replicated that most successors: worked elsewhere before joining the family firm; willingly came into the business; and had positive outlooks on the businesses. The remaining three hypotheses uncover what appear to be new data about successors: that most successors are first exposed to the family business between 10 and 11 years of age; that there is a level of competition residing in the successor and aimed at the predecessor; and that 2nd-, 3rd- and 4th-generation successors generally work around 60 hours per week in order to get the job done. The study concludes by offering specific recommendations for further research. These recommendations were generated by the research findings, which present some new implications for research, theory, and practice.

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<p>The workplace is in a transition with age demographics (Mann, 2006). The baby boomers, once a large and dominating force in the workplace are now in their initial years of a decade?s move into retirement. And with such a large demographic change, there is a vacuum that is created and then filled. Many industry analysts have deemed this transition as the "Great shift change." In the workplace, vacancies are being created en mass at the managerial and executive levels. Due to the recession of 2008-2012, the baby boomers remained in the marketplace for an extended period of time, some say to rebound with their depleted retirements. As the economy made its way back to normalcy, an intersection of market forces hit. This collision of market forces is the emergence of an economy out of recession and an age demographic beginning an advanced pace of retirements that analysts say will last up to 20 years. Due to a high turnover of the baby boomer generation with the Millennial generation in the market, succession planning is key to maintain productivity and smooth the transition in demographics while providing services to increasing student populations. This dissertation will utilize case studies to analyze this market event and see how private higher education institutions located in Los Angeles, California are handling succession planning in an aggressive employment demographic change.

<p> Too many outsourcing models fail to deliver expected results in Integrated Facility Management (IFM) models. IFM is a type of outsourcing model that transfers in-house work to an outside company that performs it onsite as if it were part of the client&rsquo;s organization. This process requires collaboration, coordination, and communication, merging 2 corporate cultures into 1 cohesive business model. Managing the change process related to an IFM outsourcing arrangement is crucial because changing an organizational culture can heighten risk and potentially produce unsatisfactory results. Creating, changing, and managing an IFM outsourcing model require acceptance, coordination, and a clear understanding of expectations from both the client and the service provider. People in general are apprehensive about change, especially when they don&rsquo;t understand it. IFM, being a complex process, requires the proper training and education in order to avoid resistance that creates leadership challenges. According to the literature, effective leadership was the solution to mitigate the resistance to change associated with outsourcing but little research exists to explain the phenomenon experienced by leaders during the initial transition (first-generation) to an IFM model. This descriptive, qualitative study was conducted in order to determine what strategies and practices leaders employ during a first-generation IFM outsourcing initiative. Additionally, challenges associated with implementation, measurement of success, and recommendations from leaders of IFM outsourcing was explored. Fourteen IFM leaders were interviewed and asked 10 questions. These interview questions yielded results such as leadership, communication, and clarity in scope of work as some of the dominant themes. These themes were then used to develop recommendations for further research and recommendations for future leaders of change.</p>