This research explored the causal relationships among strategies, corporate structure, and performance of the largest U.S. non-financial firms using Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs). Corporate strategies and structure have been analyzed as major variables to influence corporate performance in management and organizational studies. However, their causal relationships in terms of which variables are leaders and followers, as well as the choices of variables to configure them, are controversial. Finding of causal relationships among strategic variables, structural variables, and corporate performance is beneficial to researchers as well as corporate mangers. It provides guidance to researchers how to build a model in order to measure influences from one variable to the other, lowering the risk of drawing spurious conclusions. It also provides managers a prospect of how certain important variables would change by making a certain strategic decision. Literatures from agency theory, transactional cost economics, and traditional strategic management perspective are used to suggest variables essential to analyze corporate performance. This study includes size and multi-organizational ownership hierarchy as variables to configure corporate structure. The variables to configure corporate strategies are unrelated and related diversification, ownership by institutional investors, debt, investment in R&D, and investment in advertisement. The study finds that most of the variables classified as corporate strategy and corporate structure variables are either direct or indirect causes of corporate accounting performance. Generally, results supports the relational model: corporate structure® corporate strategy® corporate performance. Ownership hierarchy structure, unrelated diversification, advertising expenses, and R&D intensity have direct causal influences on corporate accounting performance. Size and related diversification affected corporate accounting performance indirectly, both through ownership hierarchy structure. Theoretical causal relationships from agency theory are less supported than those from transaction cost economics and traditional strategic management perspective. Further my study suggests that, in general, good corporate performance in 1990s was mainly achieved by internal expansion through investment in R&D and advertisement, rather than external expansion of firms through unrelated diversification, related diversification, and expansion of ownership hierarchy.

Abstract ______________________________________________________________________ Title: A study about creating understanding for different kinds of empowerment Level: Bachelors thesis in Business Administration, 15 credits Author: Fredrik Legovic Supervisor: Tomas Källquist Date: 2014 - June Aim: The main purpose of this study is to increase the understanding for different kinds of empowerment and how it affects the staff in the public sector. Method: The choice of method was based on the research aim. The method used to meet the objective was qualitative. The qualitative study was conducted with a hermeneutic basis, where individuals were asked to describe their experience of empowerment and how they feel affected of it. This thesis has a deductive approach, where existing theories dealing empowerment formed the basis for the design of interview substrate, which is then paired with the empirical evidence, based on this the conclusions was drawn. Result & Conclusion: What separates the different kinds of empowerment and how it affect the staff depends most of all on how the management chooses to communicate and share information with their staff. Suggestions for future research: A study regarding managers that works with different kinds of empowerment, and how that affects them, could be regarded as an interesting future research. Contribution of thesis: It shows that different kinds of empowerment affect the staff in different ways, which I made clear to the readers. Keywords: empowerment, thinking skills, relations and organizational - structure and theory

ABSTRACT Title: Local Management Culture Overseas: Handelsbanken Sweden and Handelsbanken UK Level: Final assignment for Master Degree in Business Administration Author: Rosa Bergheim and Michael Ings Supervisor: Maria Fregidou-Malama Examiner: Akmal Hyder Date: 2014 – January Aim: The aim with this study is to investigate what management practice Handelsbanken is using in Handelsbanken Sweden and Handelsbanken UK. In order to find out if Handelsbanken has adapted the same management practice in the UK, the focus has been on researching Handelsbanken’s organizational structure, decision-making and motivation, through comparing the two countries national culture with each other. Method: A qualitative research was used for this study, which included ten interviews with branch managers from Handelsbanken Sweden and Handelsbanken UK. Result & Conclusions: Handelsbanken has applied a standardized management approach in both UK and Sweden, highlighted by decentralization in both countries. Autonomy, trust and responsibility together with the pension fund Oktogonen were seen as central motivation factors. Furthermore the study shows that the Swedish long-term approach to business was implemented in Handelsbanken UK. Suggestions for future research: This study focused on two of Handelsbanken’s home markets, further research could be conducted through including Handelsbanken’s other home markets, more branch managers and subordinates. Contribution of the thesis: Although existing research discusses companies that are doing business outside their domestic market, the relevant literature concentrating on the banking industry in one bank focusing on the managerial practices is still relatively sparse. These topics are covered in this study. Key words: Banking industry, Culture, Management, Organizational structure, Motivation

xv, 228 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / This dissertation integrates economic and sociological approaches to network organizing to explain the structure and performance of network organizational forms. Previous theorizing from economics and sociology linked network organizational structure to "pairwise" or dyadic assessments of transaction efficiency and relational efficacy. Research based on these theories offered only partial understanding of network organizational performance because this work ignores the impact of multiple dyads interacting simultaneously, which occurs at the network level of analysis. This study integrates economic and sociological theories, treating them as interdependent explanations of network structure and performance. Theory is developed at the network level of analysis, which is necessary to explain the structure and performance of network organizations. Taking a network governance perspective, I formulate a theoretical model predicting the impact of exchange conditions upon the structure and performance of network organizations. I focus upon a specific variant of network organizations, "temporary interorganizational networks" (TINs), and develop and test hypotheses derived from transaction cost economics and from the sociological perspective focusing on relational embeddedness. I test these hypotheses by constructing a unique dataset containing comprehensive financial, organizational, and performance information regarding a population of network organizations during the years 2000-2007. Each observation in this dataset constitutes a network form designed to address a specific project, and these observations include both those networks that succeeded and those that failed. The study's design overcomes a limitation of prior cross-sectional analyses: Most prior analyses treat network ties as durable and assume that all ties add value to an organization. This assumption is challenged by empirical findings suggesting that the value of a relational tie decays rapidly with time. In contrast, the transient relationships common in TINS repeatedly form and dissolve over time. By observing both the formation and dissolution of ties and both successful and unsuccessful interorganizational networks, this study is among the first to test the full range of network organizational performance. My results indicate that exchange conditions significantly affect both the structure and performance of the network organizational form. Additionally, analyses reliably predict failure of the network form, which amends and extends prior theory. / Committee in charge: Alan Meyer, Chairperson, Management; Michael Russo, Member, Management; Anne Parmigiani, Member, Management; William Starbuck, Member, Management; Renee Irvin, Outside Member, Planning Public Policy & Mgmt

The purpose of this study was to explore the utility of Hall's (1961) conceptualization of Max Weber's (1946) theory of bureaucracy as an analytical tool in Turkey. The population was 1946 teachers in 91 public schools that employ five or more teachers. The instruments were distributed to 725 teachers in 68 schools in Karabuk province. Useable returns were 486. A pilot sample (one third of the useable returns) was generated to test the instruments by utilizing a series of item analyses. Remaining cases were used to answer the research questions in a separate sample. Items to measure bureaucracy derived from different versions of Hall's (1961) Organizational Inventory which operationalized six bureaucratic dimensions: hierarchy of authority, division of labor, rules and regulations, procedural specifications, impersonality, and technical competence. Item-analyses were done in the pilot sample. The surviving items were subjected to a factor analysis using the research sample. Generally, the factor structure of items obtained in the pilot sample was replicated in the research sample. Items measuring sense of power were also isolated from the literature and tested in the pilot sample. The surviving items were also subjected to a factor analysis in the research sample. The six moderately correlated bureaucratic dimensions clustered around two negatively related second-order factors. The first factor (control) was composed of hierarchy of authority, rules and regulations, procedural specifications, and formality in relations. The second factor (expertise) was composed of division of labor and technical competence. Based on control and expertise scores, teachers were classified into four typologies: Weberian, Collegial, Chaotic, and Authoritarian. Teachers in collegial cluster were the highest in sense of power and teachers in authoritarian cluster were the lowest in sense of power. Sense of power was inversely related to bureaucratization and positively related to expertise above and beyond the other relevant variables. It is concluded that there is support for the applicability of the western predisposition of bureaucracy to Turkish schools because of similar findings reported by western researchers. Max Weber's ideal theory of bureaucracy as it was operationalizaed by Hall is a useful analytical tool to examine the organizational structure of Turkish schools. / Ph. D.

The thesis is created in order to conduct a comparative analysis of organizational structure of the company. The parameters for comparison are determined. The first one is the comparative analysis of the Amoeba Management System with a Divisional Structure. The second one is the comparative analysis of Fractal and Matrix Organizational Structure. The conslusions of these analyzes determine the key parameters for management on the basis of the suggested organizational structure for effective management.

<p>This dissertation explores the complex interactions between organizational structure and the environment. In Chapter 1, I investigate the effect of financial development on the formation of European corporate groups. Since cross-country regressions are hard to interpret in a causal sense, we exploit exogenous industry measures to investigate a specific channel through which financial development may affect group affiliation: internal capital markets. Using a comprehensive firm-level dataset on European corporate groups in 15 countries, we find that countries</p><p>with less developed financial markets have a higher percentage of group affiliates in more capital intensive industries. This relationship is more pronounced for young and small firms and for affiliates of large and diversified groups. Our findings are consistent with the view that internal capital markets may, under some conditions, be more efficient than prevailing external markets, and that this may drive group affiliation even in developed economies. In Chapter 2, I bridge current streams of innovation research to explore the interplay between R&D, external knowledge, and organizational structure–three elements of a firm’s innovation strategy which we argue should logically be studied together. Using within-firm patent assignment patterns,</p><p>we develop a novel measure of structure for a large sample of American firms. We find that centralized firms invest more in research and patent more per R&D dollar than decentralized firms. Both types access technology via mergers and acquisitions, but their acquisitions differ in terms of frequency, size, and i\ntegration. Consistent with our framework, their sources of value creation differ: while centralized firms derive more value from internal R&D, decentralized firms rely more on external knowledge. We discuss how these findings should stimulate more integrative work on theories of innovation. In Chapter 3, I use novel data on 1,265 newly-public firms to show that innovative firms exposed to environments with lower M&A activity just after their initial public offering (IPO) adapt by engaging in fewer technological acquisitions and</p><p>more internal research. However, this adaptive response becomes inertial shortly after IPO and persists well into maturity. This study advances our understanding of how the environment shapes heterogeneity and capabilities through its impact on firm structure. I discuss how my results can help bridge inertial versus adaptive perspectives in the study of organizations, by </p><p>documenting an instance when the two interact.</p> / Dissertation

The organizational structure of Holacracy has been gaining popularity in recent years, but a lack of academic research on Holacracy called for a systematic approach to assessing its merits and shortcomings. The need Holacracy fills, is that of organizations dealing with a complex world and rapidly evolving technology. While Holacracy is not tailored to address sustainability issues, there are many components that made it a candidate for the researchers to examine it through a social sustainability lens. This study examines the effect of specific components of Holacracy with elements of adaptive capacity – a theory from which the research definition of social sustainability was built. With the goal of determining the effect of Holacracy on social sustainability, a questionnaire directed at employees and practitioners of holacratic organizations was utilized. The findings implied that Holacracy does positively influence the experience of the elements of adaptive capacity; with the relationship to the adaptive capacity element of self-organization being a standout. The importance of trust is also identified. The link to the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development can be elucidated through adaptive capacity’s influence to the social sustainability principles. Because of the importance of social sustainability and social capital to organizational performance and longevity, this research is of value to any business using, or considering using Holacracy.

Purpose – The purpose of this thesis is to explore the capability of Swedish regional public transport authorities (RPTAs) to organize public transport so that it stimulates the intended value creation process needed to increase users’ positive experience. Design/methodology/approach – This thesis utilizes an interpretative research approach. Two empirical studies, resulting in two papers have been used in this thesis. Study I consists of a quantitative Kano questionnaire with 930 respondents. Study II comprises a qualitative study with 11 semi-structured interviews. Both studies have been equally necessary to the results of this thesis. Findings – Public transport is one of the few public services with a mandate to attract users, and therefore, this thesis suggests that Swedish public transport organizations must understand how various services in multiple dimensions affect users’ preferences for public transport. With this understanding, public transport organizations can effectively and efficiently allocate resources and increase the appeal of future public transport. Such a focus demands a deep organizational knowledge and understanding of customer needs and detailed awareness of how the achievement of various requirements affects customers. This thesis shows that organizational structures are based on political comprises rather then the needs to solve coordination challenges and facilitate customers’ value creation. It is further argued that the organizational structures and personal or impersonal information processing mechanisms in Swedish public transport influence the search for information and subsequent organizational learning influencing the RPTAs’ capabilities to include and understand public transport users’ needs. This thesis offers insight into how public organizations, such as Swedish public transport authorities, can make decisions in structural design to learn from customer perceptions and adapt organizational policy accordingly.  In addition, I argue that RPTAs must employ both exploitative and exploratory learning to improve their capabilities and increase their efficiency and effectiveness. This thesis also provides a model to describe these relationships. Originality/value – Unlike previous studies, this thesis shows how organizational structures are decided based on political compromises rather than the need for coordination. This thesis offers insight into how public organizations, such as Swedish public transport authorities, can make decisions in structural design to learn from customer perceptions and adapt organizational policy accordingly. / Public transport is one of the few public services with a mandate to attract users, and therefore, this thesis suggests that Swedish public transport organizations must understand how various services in multiple dimensions affect users’ preferences for public transport. With this understanding, public transport organizations can effectively and efficiently allocate resources and increase the appeal of future public transport. Such an approach requires not only a deep organizational knowledge of customer needs, but also a detailed knowledge of how the achievement of the various demands affects users and their value creation. This thesis further shows that organizational structures are based on political comprises rather then the needs to solve coordination challenges and facilitate customers’ value creation. It is here argued that the organizational structures and personal or impersonal information processing mechanisms in Swedish public transport influence the search for information and subsequent organizational learning influencing the RPTAs’ capabilities to include and understand public transport users’ needs. This thesis offers insight into how public organizations, such as Swedish public transport authorities, can make decisions in structural design to learn from customer perceptions and adapt organizational policy accordingly.

There is a growing awareness that information technology plays a critical role in helping determine organizational structure. Unfortunately, that role has not been adequately defined. This study provides a foundation for an increase in our understanding of the relationship between information technology and organizational structure by defining a new set of information technology variables and identifying differences in organizational structure based on these new variables.