This thesis deals with how managerial work sets the agenda for managerial learning in small firms. Although studies of learning in organizations are numerous, research on managerial learning in the small-firm context is limited. In particular, our knowledge of managerial learning suffers from an insufficient understanding of what top managers in small firms do. The primary purpose of this thesis is to describe how the work of small-firm managers sets the agenda for managerial learning, and how their learning can be supported. Additionally, the thesis explores the use of so-called “Action Technologies” in supporting managerial learning in small firms.Drawing on an observational study of six owner-managers in small (17-43 employees) manufacturing firms, and a synthesis of earlier studies, this thesis shows that three features of managerial work shape managerial learning in small firms: The small firm’s top manager (i) operates in context with specific structural conditions that affect his/her behavior, (ii) have certain cognitive predispositions guiding his/her behavior, and (iii) have certain behavioral preferences directing his/her behavior.The main argument in this thesis is that managerial learning in small firms is made difficult due to features that make it hard to come to a point where learning (in terms of reflection and conceptualization) is given time and resources, as the manager has trouble in finding time for learning, and as learning risks to become low-priority. Learning is also difficult due to barriers related to the learning process: the work of the manager fosters a superficial learning orientation, makes it difficult to probe deeply into and to develop complicated understandings of issues at hand, and makes peer-learning rarely possible.Drawing on an action research project of managerial learning in four networks of small-firm owner-managers, the thesis also explores, in a concrete manner, how managerial learning might be supported in a way that circumvents the deficient situation for managerial learning in this kind of firm. More specifically, it seems that Action Technologies by their design constitute a learning context that supports the learning of the small-firm top manager by dissolving the barriers to learning identified above. / <p>Original papers included. Paper III, "Managerial behavior in small firms - a critical analysis of evidence from observational studies" changed title to "Managerial work in small firms: summarising what we know and sketching a research agenda".</p>

The age of industrialisation in the nineteenth century and the subsequent emergence of large corporations called for new approaches to the way in which organisations are managed. Business today operates in a world of constant change. Technology and society are changing more rapidly than ever before. The workplace has become increasingly diverse, as pressure is mounting for the previously disadvantaged and women to ascend the echelons of organisations. Concern for the environment has forced companies to think about how their actions affect the quality of the air, land, and water. Competition is more fierce than ever, because companies from all over the world now try to sell their products and services to the same customers. All these changes not only require of those who manage these organisations to be in procession of relevant professional skills, but it also require of them to be competent in conducting their business of managing. The aim of the study was to construct a conceptual framework to measure the identified skills for management competence. The study builds a conceptual framework using identified skills and also presents the interrelationships between the skills. The primary theoretical background and concepts about skills for managerial competence for this study, range from the historical perspective of MBA education as it is the cutting edge of business education to management models identified from the literature. The extensive review of the literature and three different management models and the key common managerial competencies led to the development of an initial model based on the literature wherein the required skills for managerial competence were identified as self awareness skills (SA), self directed career planning skills (SP), general interactive skills (IS), planning and control skills (PC), organising skills (OS), leading skills (LS), and managing change skills (MC). The empirical study which followed was conducted among a sample of 395 business administration students from the three campuses of the North West University business school in Mafikeng and the Potchefstroom Business School. The empirical study based on the seven skills for managerial competence yielded results that measured the strength of each managerial skill and the interrelationship among different skills. The results were analysed by the process of factor analysis and it was clear from the analysis that there are a number of unreliable factors which led to a number of questions having to be discarded. As a result the original model had to be restructured to develop an alternative managerial skill model. After the initial model was restructured, the results wherein thirteen factors loaded heavily on the factor were realised. Of the thirteen factors, factor 1 had nineteen factors that loaded heavy and had to be restructured again in order to make sense of the data. Once a further restructuring was done the results were that factor 1 had three sub factors that loaded heavy on the factor which led to the conclusion that the alternative managerial skill model comprised thirteen factors wherein factor 1 had three sub factors. The value of the study lies in the fact that managerial models identified in the literature are orthodox in nature, and they do not progress further to explore skills for managerial competence. Given the orthodox nature of models identified in the literature, this study purports to suggest a framework that could be adapted to measure skills for management competence. This study further contributes to the discipline of organisational leadership and management, particularly with regard to practices regarding leader and manager development within the context of a dynamic, changing organisational environment. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Business Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

The age of industrialisation in the nineteenth century and the subsequent emergence of large corporations called for new approaches to the way in which organisations are managed. Business today operates in a world of constant change. Technology and society are changing more rapidly than ever before. The workplace has become increasingly diverse, as pressure is mounting for the previously disadvantaged and women to ascend the echelons of organisations. Concern for the environment has forced companies to think about how their actions affect the quality of the air, land, and water. Competition is more fierce than ever, because companies from all over the world now try to sell their products and services to the same customers. All these changes not only require of those who manage these organisations to be in procession of relevant professional skills, but it also require of them to be competent in conducting their business of managing. The aim of the study was to construct a conceptual framework to measure the identified skills for management competence. The study builds a conceptual framework using identified skills and also presents the interrelationships between the skills. The primary theoretical background and concepts about skills for managerial competence for this study, range from the historical perspective of MBA education as it is the cutting edge of business education to management models identified from the literature. The extensive review of the literature and three different management models and the key common managerial competencies led to the development of an initial model based on the literature wherein the required skills for managerial competence were identified as self awareness skills (SA), self directed career planning skills (SP), general interactive skills (IS), planning and control skills (PC), organising skills (OS), leading skills (LS), and managing change skills (MC). The empirical study which followed was conducted among a sample of 395 business administration students from the three campuses of the North West University business school in Mafikeng and the Potchefstroom Business School. The empirical study based on the seven skills for managerial competence yielded results that measured the strength of each managerial skill and the interrelationship among different skills. The results were analysed by the process of factor analysis and it was clear from the analysis that there are a number of unreliable factors which led to a number of questions having to be discarded. As a result the original model had to be restructured to develop an alternative managerial skill model. After the initial model was restructured, the results wherein thirteen factors loaded heavily on the factor were realised. Of the thirteen factors, factor 1 had nineteen factors that loaded heavy and had to be restructured again in order to make sense of the data. Once a further restructuring was done the results were that factor 1 had three sub factors that loaded heavy on the factor which led to the conclusion that the alternative managerial skill model comprised thirteen factors wherein factor 1 had three sub factors. The value of the study lies in the fact that managerial models identified in the literature are orthodox in nature, and they do not progress further to explore skills for managerial competence. Given the orthodox nature of models identified in the literature, this study purports to suggest a framework that could be adapted to measure skills for management competence. This study further contributes to the discipline of organisational leadership and management, particularly with regard to practices regarding leader and manager development within the context of a dynamic, changing organisational environment. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Business Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Understanding `culture' has become an essential mantra of organisational activities. Managers today are facing this challenge of how to bring about changes in the way they manage, leading to sustainability and growth of organisations. The magnitude of effectiveness relies greatly on managers' skills and competencies. Hence, this study takes on a new dimension of integrating a more complex contingency linkage of cultures and competencies of managers with corporate performance, in a Malaysian context. Little is known about the synthesis of using these two components from evidence of previous research. This gap is filled in this research by embarking on two phases of empirical study. A mixed methodology was employed to triangulate the two approaches (qualitative and quantitative). This method allows researcher to be more confident of their results, provides new ways of capturing a problem to balance with conventional data-collection methods as well as counter-balances strengths and weaknesses of one approach with another. The first phase using a case study method aimed to get a feel for the key issues before embarking on a survey, which is the second phase of the study. It involved two cases based on public listed companies in Malaysia using in-depth interview with managers. The interview results revealed characteristics of strong cultures, variations in Hofstede's four dimensional cultures and perceived managerial competencies required for managers. The second phase based on positivist approach using survey instrument to collect data from a sample of 276 managers. The survey was carried out to elicit data on the perception of managers gathered from ten public listed companies (five locally controlled and five multinationals) in relation to cultures and the competency level of managers. Results of the second phase indicate that cultures, using Hofstede's (1980,1990) classifications at both national and organisational perspectives, correlate significantly with managerial competencies and organisational performance. However, findings also revealed that companies having strong cultures as indicated by high consistency drawn from the perception of managers appear to have a profound impact on managerial competencies and were predictive of organisational performance. It is also interesting to note that the factorised components of key-value and hardwork; emotional involvement and build (ie. ability to build frameworks/models/forms on the basis of information) orientations; participative decision and interpersonal respect as well as work goals have significant influence over performance. Evidence from the case studies implied that these elements reflect culture strength of organisation and therefore, contribute to positive organisational performance. The congruent effect on organisational performance was more apparent between organisational culture and managerial competencies than cross-cultural construct. By establishing an empirical linkage between cultures, managerial competencies and performance, the research provides fresh support for human capital requirements in the Malaysian's public and private enterprises.

<p>Forecasting, cost management and pricing policies are topics which have beenwidely investigated over time. Due to a lack of scientific research about therelationships between each of those subjects, these methods have beeninvestigated in combination with their outcomes. The purpose of this work was todevelop a framework which can be used by managers who want to make adecision in either of the subjects mentioned before. By the use of a qualitative, interpretive research design, a literature review was performed which led to some interesting findings. Generally, it can be said that the methods are not related directly, although the outcomes are linked and can often be used as a criterion for the decision making process for the other methods.</p>

I examine whether religiosity is positively associated with the valuation multiples investors assign to fair valued items that are prone to managerial bias. Using a sample of U.S. banking firms, I find that the value relevance of net assets that are hard to verify is higher for firms located in more religious areas than for those located in less religious areas. Moreover, I hypothesize and find that audit quality and firm information environment quality moderate the positive association between religiosity and value relevance. I perform several robustness checks. First, I rule out several alternative explanations to my results. Second, I address the concern that my results suffer from an omitted correlated variable problem. Third, I show that my results hold for firms located in Urban as well as Rural areas. / Thesis (Ph.D, Management) -- Queen's University, 2013-11-28 11:01:35.578

This thesis explores the influence of traditional institutions on dominant economic institutions and on formal organisational practices. The aim is to provide a cultural, political and economic explanation of management control practices in a rural Egyptian agro-manufacturing setting. It delineates the state of 'institutional complexity' in an organisational field. Exploring inherent political volatility at the macro level, the work also investigates political aspects of economic organisations and the intermediary role of individuals who deal with these institutions. Theoretically, it triangulates institutional logics and labour process theories, linking higher-order institutions with mundane labour practices observed in the case study. It shows how workers use cultural institutions in resisting management, and how various institutional logics interact in shaping the company's management control practices. The institutional logics perspective helps capture the heterogeneity in the organisation, and clarifies how management control practices may carry a range of cultural meanings. Methodologically, the thesis adopts a post-positivistic case study approach. Empirical data were solicited in a village community, where sugar beet farming and processing constitutes the main economic activity underlying its livelihood. This traditional communal setting enabled the researcher to capture the influence of multiple institutional logics on organisational practices. Data were collected through a triangulation of interviews, documents and observations. The thesis concludes that, especially in LDCs agro-manufacturing settings, societal institutions play a central role not only in the design and implementation of management control systems but also in the mobilisation of labour resistance. Control can be effectively practiced, and be resisted, through such social systems. This thesis affirms the influence of individual agency and subjectivity on institutional logics. It contributes to literature by investigating institutional logics in a traditional communal context, in contrast to the highly investigated Western contexts; depicting the state of 'institutional multiplicity' in the field; and providing an inclusive definition of the social in the area of management accounting.

Class of 2006 Abstract / Every organization strives towards excellence. Excellence is often achieved through sound management practices. In this analysis, a local Tucson business was assessed to determine its organizational efficiency. Interviews were conducted in order to assess a broad range of managerial issues including cultural and ethical issues, communication issues, staffing issues and leadership and motivation. Recommendations were provided for potential improvements. Cultural and ethical issues included indifference, a lack of discipline, and unethical behavior. Communication issues included a lack of upward communication, lack of appraisals, proper training and teamwork. Staffing issues included an informal selection process, high turnover and a lack of external sales support. Leadership and motivational issues included no incentives to work harder, lack of upward mobility, no recognition to boost moral, poor attitude and constant tardiness. Recommendations for cultural and ethical issues included standardized meetings, strict discipline and proper enforcement. Recommendations for communication issues included an appropriate training manual, an officially recognized party, one-on-one status checks and an opinion box. Recommendations for staffing issues included a formal hiring process and performance rewards. Recommendations for leadership and motivational issues included creating a team leader, best customer service employee awards, a Stuart Smalley annual ‘feel-good’ meeting and strict tardiness policies. Implementing these recommendations is one possible step in the direction of solving the problems identified.

acase@tulane.edu / Despite the recent advocates for lengthening executive compensation duration to curb short-termism and promote long-term value creation, there is no study investigating whether long pay duration induces better investment decisions in the long run. Using a comprehensive measure of compensation duration, we find that CEOs with long pay duration are more likely to engage in large acquisitions. These acquisitions receive a significantly worse market reaction, and experience lower post-acquisition abnormal operating and stock performance compared with deals conducted by CEOs with short pay duration. Further analysis suggests that negative association between compensation duration and acquisition performance is driven by the use of time-vesting compensation plan. Duration of performance-vesting plans has no significant effect on M&A performance. Lastly, we find that CEOs are likely to engage in more risk-decreasing M&As, as long pay duration plans impose a higher firm risk to executives. The results highlight the complex nature of compensation duration and suggest that focusing on one dimension of compensation design is insufficient to create long-term shareholder value. / 1 / Qi-Yuan Peng

Corporate governance, and the role of executive pay in particular, has received increased attention from the media, government, and the business arena in recent years. The study reported in this thesis adds to our understanding of both the components and determinants of Australian remuneration packages for the top management team. It does so in four main ways: 1. The study examines the determinants of compensation of a range of senior executives within the organisation, in addition to the CEO. No Australian research, to date, explores the structure and determinants of remuneration beyond the CEO; 2. The research is conducted in a contemporary setting and timeframe, where corporations are subject to expanded disclosure requirements, when compared to the subjects of prior Australian research; 3. It examines an expanded range of factors documented in overseas research as likely to relate to remuneration, some of which have not been previously examined in Australian work; 4. Finally, in developing hypotheses concerning factors expected to relate to remuneration, the study reconciles the perspectives provided by both agency and managerial power theories in terms of how they present similar and differing propositions. The research examines both cash and incentive components of executive compensation disclosed by a sample of top 300 Australian companies in 2005. The model incorporates measures of firm performance, economic characteristics, board monitoring and governance characteristics, and ownership characteristics in an attempt to explain the level of executive compensation. The study extends analysis beyond the CEO to incorporate an investigation of both the structure and determinants of compensation of the top five executives, in addition to the CEO. Results indicate that the structure of CEO compensation has changed since prior Australian research was conducted, to include a more heavy reliance on incentive pay. In contrast to the US, the structure of CEO remuneration differs from that of non-CEO executives. As managers move progressively up the senior executive hierarchy, short-term cash bonus and share-based incentive pay both become more important as components of remuneration. There is also a greater reliance on performance hurdles than has been documented in prior Australian and international research. The expectation that remuneration is now more strongly tied to firm performance is supported. The size and complexity of the firm are also considered to be important in determining the level of various components of both CEO and non-CEO executive compensation. This supports the view that larger, more complex entities attract higher quality executives, and pay for such quality and expertise. Growth firms are more likely to pay higher levels of incentive pay and total compensation to CEOs than non-growth firms. Executive remuneration also relates to the strength of various monitoring and governance mechanisms, although to a greater extent for CEOs than for other senior executives. Managers are able to influence the remuneration-setting process where governance structures are weak, or where they have greater influence. In some cases factors relating to CEO compensation differ from those associated with compensation of lower-level executives.