Management and Marketing - Theses
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ItemMarket orientation and business performance: empirical evidence from Thailand( 2001)This thesis studies the business performance of Thai firms in both domestic and export markets by using the market orientation theoretical framework to explain why some firms are more successful than others. It also investigates how firms become more market-oriented and whether the relationship between market orientation and business performance is moderated by business environment.
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ItemHow do organisations align human resource management with information technology: an exploratory study of four Australian firms( 2003)While there is significant evidence to suggest that the alignment of Human Resources (HR) and Information Technology (IT) has a positive impact on firm performance, there is little discussion on how to achieve alignment. Literature in both the HR and IT disciplines provides confirmation of the need to identify and address the people management issues in order to realise the expected returns from IT investments. This research will contribute to these discussions with insights into how an organisation with alignment between IT and HR might appear, who should be responsible for the alignment, and how enabling and inhibiting factors impact the alignment process. The Reich & Benbasat (2000) model of social alignment distinguishes between intellectual planning intentions and executives' understanding of the implications and actions required to implement those intentions. The latter, defined as social alignment provided a useful lens through which to examine the alignment between HR and IT. The social alignment framework, originally designed to investigate executives' understanding of the alignment between IT and business strategies, has been adapted and extended to provide a useful tool to analyse the relationship between IT and HR. Four Australian firms were examined using case study methodology in order to gather and analyse the richness of the data in a field with little prior research. Findings support the view that shared domain knowledge and history of IT and HR implementation success impact on the communication and planning activities that ultimately determine levels of social alignment. Executives interviewed understood that alignment between HR and IT was important to achieving the firm’s strategic goals. Examples were identified and discussed where lack of attention to the IT/HR relationship resulted in outcomes that fell short of expectations. Shared domain knowledge of the business and the IT and HR function, was likely to have a significant impact on the communication and planning connections between the HR manager and the CIO. Similarly, past experiences of working together either in general business projects or in function specific projects such as the HRIS affected the willingness of the HR manager and CIO to collaborate. Management of the alignment process by line or project executives was likely to limit people management considerations to short term implementation issues without reference to longer term strategic directions. As a result of this research the social alignment model has been adapted to provide a valuable tool for the assessment of the alignment process between HR and IT in firms. Two additional factors have been added: responsibility and accountability, and power and influence as contributing factors that are important for management to understand so that they might develop and enhance strategic communication and connections between HR and IT.
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ItemHigh-profile crisis management in Australian and New Zealand organisations( 2007-10)This thesis demonstrates that it is paramount to develop crisis-preparedness strategies and practices based on empirical research, in order to improve an organisation‘s ability to manage effectively and, ultimately to survive, a high-profile crisis event. Although there are many high-profile crises that have been managed successfully by applying strategies to make organisations more resilient, there is still considerable confusion and uncertainty about the way these crises have been evaluated and the way their success can be measured in relation to other crises.There are no international crisis-preparedness standards in relation to a set of crisis outcomes indicators that could be applied. This lack of empirically proven relationships between crisis-preparedness strategies and their effect on crisis outcomes makes the identification of effective strategies very difficult. Case studies, anecdotal evidence and a limited number of empirical crisis management studies (i.e. effect on share price) suggest a great variability in the effectiveness of certain strategies and practices that have produced inconclusive results. This study analyses the strategies variability to advance knowledge in the field of crisis management. (For complete abstract open document)
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ItemDoes size matter?: employment relations in small firms( 2000-12)In this thesis an integrated approach to analysing small In this thesis an integrated approach to analysing small firm employment relations is proposed and used to investigate the image of industrial harmony in small firms. This approach accommodates small firm heterogeneity, provides an analytical framework for ordering the effect of a range of factors (not simply size) on employment relations, and incorporates a dialectical relationship between structure and agency. In Chapters 2 and 3 some of the key theoretical and methodological gaps in small firm research, particularly their employment relations, are highlighted. At the conclusion of Chapter 2, it is suggested that an analysis of small firm employment relations must start with the totality of economic and social relations in a particular sector, and its contradictory constituents, rather than the small firm per se. Rainnie’s (1989) heuristic device, drawing upon Marxist theory of combined and uneven development, is adopted to accommodate small firm heterogeneity. After reviewing studies of small firm industrial relations and human resource management, it is argued, in Chapter 3, that by incorporating the dialectical relationship between structure and agency with a labour process analysis, an explanation for why ‘industrial harmony’ appears to typify small firm employment relations can be sought. As such the integrated approach is applied to small firms operating in the software development sector of the information industry. In Chapter 4, some characteristics of the information industry in Australia are outlined in order to provide a context and rationale for more specifically focussing (in Chapter 5) on the nature of software development work, its organisation, and the strategies used to manage employment relations. A consideration is given to issues surrounding the management of software developers, while the distinction between primary and secondary software products is used to elaborate the contradictory trends in strategies to control the software development labour process. The critical social science basis of this integrated approach is discussed in Chapter 6, while the rationale for using multiple, complementary, quantitative and qualitative research methods is also elaborated. In Chapter 7, the structures within which employment relations are managed in the information industry are outlined using the results of a survey (N = 206). Where possible the data are analysed to draw out the effects of size, ownership characteristics, product market conditions and management style on the management of employment relations. Chapters 8 and 9 contain the detailed case studies of two small software development firms. In both cases, structure and agency are addressed and therefore the firm's development, product and labour market positions, type of work performed and by whom, how employment relations are managed and the workers' response are all explored. These two firms offer a number of points for comparison and contrast and in Chapter l0 a cross case analysis is conducted. Findings from this study are compared with others and future avenues for inquiry are suggested, while implications of the approach and findings for future small firm employment relations policy and research are addressed.
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ItemKnowledge sharing through inpatriate assignments in multinational corporations: a social capital perspective( 2007-05)This study conceptualizes inpatriates – foreign nationals who are temporarily assigned to the corporate headquarters (HQ) of a multinational corporation (MNC) – as knowledge agents that link the HQ to its subsidiaries. Along these lines, the thesis examines the determinants of knowledge sharing between inpatriates and HQ staff as well as the resulting implications for inpatriates’ careers. Integrating research on international assignments and MNC knowledge flows with social capital theory, the main argument is that inpatriates can only share their local subsidiary knowledge with and learn from HQ employees if they establish social capital with them. The empirical investigation of inpatriates as the study’s principal unit of analysis follows a multi-method approach. First, a qualitative and inductive case study based on 13 interviews with inpatriates at three German MNCs is conducted, aiming to provide a deeper understanding of the inpatriate phenomenon. The interview findings highlight inpatriates’ role as knowledge conduits and derive various factors that may impact on inpatriates’ knowledge sharing, such as inpatriates’ acculturation attitudes, their host language fluency, host ethnocentrism and available organizational support.
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ItemManagement practices that enhance innovation intensity and performance in biotechnology firms( 2006)Globalization and the exponential growth of information on genetics and DNA have led to major changes in the management practices and strategies in biotechnology organizations and in governments throughout the world. These changes include: • The growing recognition by organizations of the strategic importance of innovation management as "the engine of growth" and the key to long-term sustainability; • Increasing awareness by biotechnology organizations of the need to form strategic alliances in order to capitalise on market opportunities such as treatment of AIDS, Hepatitis C, and the growth of aged-related illnesses in industrialised countries; • The need to attract venture capital and large scale investment to fund the complex and lengthy clinical trial phases associated with the development of new drugs and treatments; and • The recognition by organisations of the growing importance of managing knowledge and intellectual capital as valuable strategic assets in a global marketplace which is highly competitive for skilled and experienced knowledge workers. Although there are many biotechnology organizations where the above management strategies have been successfully implemented, there is still considerable misunderstanding of the innovation process. There is also a widespread failure by the private and public sectors to recognize that the innovation process needs to be managed ‘from idea to market’. Some managers apply traditional short-term strategies to address the long-term challenges posed by the development of new drugs and treatments in the biotechnology industry. This is commonly referred to as "short-termism". The problem of short-termism becomes compounded because biotechnology is an emergent and disruptive technology undergoing rapid change and convergence with other technologies such as information technology. Anecdotal evidence and the limited number of empirical studies on management practices in the biotechnology industry suggest a lack of awareness and perception of innovation management and the requirements for developing innovation intensity as a prerequisite to effective innovation performance at the organizational level. The purpose of this research is to identify those management practices and strategies which enhance the innovation intensity and performance in biotechnology organizations. This was achieved by investigating the relationships between management practices and strategies with innovation intensity and performance. A model was developed as part of this research using a framework of constructs based on extensive research of the literature. This model was tested to identify the constructs and variables (comprising those constructs) which had a significant and positive relationship with innovation intensity and performance in biotechnology firms. Therefore, the model used in this research has been developed based on well grounded analytical techniques, established theory and multiple methodologies. Hypotheses were developed to test the relationships between the independent variable constructs, specific independent variables within the constructs, and the dependent variable construct (innovation intensity). The relationships were tested using a database consisting of 102 completed responses from Australia and 68 responses from Europe. Survey responses which were only partially completed were deleted from the database. The responses from Australia were mainly from Victoria and Queensland with a small number of responses from other States. The European responses were from 3 leading biotechnology countries in Europe namely Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands. Biotechnology firms and biotechnology associations in other European countries were invited to participate in the survey but did not respond. The hypotheses were further explained by utilising six case study firms. These companies were recognized by their peer groups and biotechnology industry associations as "success stories" because of their reputation for implementing management practices and strategies as a strategic part of their innovation performance programs. A major finding was that the constructs of the model provided a valid and reliable model for measuring and predicting the relationship between management strategies and practices and innovation intensity. For example, dimensions such as management support, project management and commercial orientation had a significant and positive effect on innovation intensity. The second major finding was that Organisational Climate had a positive but insignificant effect on innovation intensity. However, removal of the organisational climate construct from the model weakened its predictive power in relation to innovation intensity. This finding, from the quantitative analysis, was qualified by the case study research thus highlighting the benefit of using multiple methodologies. The most significant finding, and contribution to the theory, was the identification of management practices which had a positive and significant effect on the variables comprising innovation intensity. This finding was also qualified by case study research. The study concluded that a long-term strategic approach to new product development (radical innovation) is critical to innovation performance in biotechnology firms. Continuous improvement (incremental innovation) is also important for companies to improve their existing products and organisational capacity to meet customer needs. The constructs of the model such as Management Support, Organisational Climate, Project Management, Commercial Orientation and Innovation Intensity complement each other as part of a broader strategic approach to innovation management and performance. The limitations of the study and the implications of the research findings for managers and policy makers are reviewed along with directions for future research into innovation management in biotechnology firms.
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ItemIntellectual armaments in the war of ideas: the role and influence of independent think tanks on Australian public policy making( 2005)Introduction: Observers of politics in the USA and UK could well call the last 25 years 'the era of the think tank', such has been the rise to influence - and in some cases power - of these 'independent' policy research organisations. If politics is a war of ideas, think tanks are the politicians' ammunition suppliers. In the USA, there are now about 1,600 different think tanks at local, state and federal levels where in 1950, there were fewer than 25 (Abelson 2004, p. 216, 223-4). Conservative think tanks like the American Enterprise Institute CAEI) and the Heritage Foundation have, since the 1970s, risen steadily to influence and power. -nle trend began when "the best and brightest of the outgoing Ford administration, including the former President himself, joined AEI and began pumping out hundreds of studies and essays" (Ford 1992, p. 29). It continued into the 1980s when the new President Ronald Reagan hired the authors of Mandate for Leadership - a 20 volume, 3000 page manifesto published by the Heritage Foundation - and adopted a vast number of its policy prescriptions, forming the basis of what became known as 'Reaganomics' (Miller 20(5)…..
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ItemContractual joint ventures in China: formation, operation, and performance( 2002)Most of the academic literature on foreign direct investment (FDI) in China has focused on equity joint ventures (EJVs) and wholly foreign owned enterprises (WFOEs). Contractual joint ventures (CJVs) have been neglected. However, CJVs were the major form of FDI in China until the mid-1980s, and have remained one of three principal forms available for foreign investors throughout the reform era from 1979 to 1999. In south China province of Guangdong, Hong Kong manufacturing firms and their local Chinese partners have relied on CJVs as the most important form of investment. Unlike EJVs that have a separate legal entity from parent firms, CJV may or may not be a legal entity. CJV contracts also vary from one situation to another as long as the arrangement is acceptable to both parties. International business scholars often find it difficult to study CJVs because of the ambiguity of their legal status and flexibility of their contractual arrangements. This thesis analyses the complex character of CJVs between Hong Kong firms and their local partners in Guangdong. Drawing on data from 73 structured interviews for 65 Hong Kong-Guangdong CJVs, the thesis studies the nature of CJVs as a relational subcontracting arrangement, lying between quasi-market type processing and assembling (P&A) arrangements and internalised EJVs and WFOEs. CJVs are hybrid contractual arrangements that possess aspects of both long-term subcontracting and an equity-based hierarchy. This thesis demonstrates CJVs' advantages in reducing the costs of contracting compared to EJVs and P&A contracts, including flexibility, quick return on investments and low adjustment costs to market changes or technical upgrading. For Hong Kong firms the CJV allowed high levels of managerial control analogous to a WFOE. CJVs were analysed as a path dependent dynamic process, which remained an efficient governance structure over time with increases in asset specificity of the subcontracting operation. The thesis shows how trust, learning and dispute resolution strategies had a positive role in maintaining the efficiency of CJV contracts under changing circumstances. In this pioneering study, the complex character of CJV partnerships is revealed and the managerial behaviour of CJVs analysed.
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ItemBranding capability: a firm's perspective on building brands( 2003)Most of the research on brand equity has taken a consumer behavioural perspective, focusing on the notion of perceived image of a brand. While a detailed understanding of how consumers form perceptions of brands is critical for improved brand management, relatively less attention has been devoted to the equally important question of how organisations build brand equity. Although a number of scholars have indeed emphasised the need to look beyond brand image and further inside the organisation for the sources of brand equity, the link between organisational capabilities and brand performance remains largely unexplored. The purpose of this study is to explore an organisation's branding capability—the ability to deploy organisational resources and capabilities toward achieving a strong brand position. In doing so, the study addresses three main questions: (l) Which organisational capabilities contribute to a firm's ability to build and manage strong brands, (2) Which organisational factors facilitate or impede the deployment of branding capabilities? and (3) What effect does branding capability have on brand equity and other indicators of the brand's financial and market performance and further, what role does the marketing mix play in facilitating these relationships? Branding capability is modelled to represent a second-order latent variable to a number of constituent organisational capabilities. Theoretical support for branding capability was based on the resource-based view of the firm and dynamic capabilities theory. Furthermore, drawing from social capital theory and institutional theory, the study develops a comprehensive typology of organisational factors proposed to influence branding capability. These include top management characteristics, organisational dynamics, organisational structure and control. Data were collected via a survey questionnaire distributed at the SBU level to firms operating in a variety of consumer goods industries. Results demonstrate support for hypothesised branding capability dimensions which include commonality of vision, identification with the brand, market scanning and brand dynamism. Of the organisational factors, top management commitment and communication, interdepartmental connectedness, esprit de corps, organisational learning, market-based reward system and organisational socialisation positively influence the implementation of branding capability, whereas centralisation has a negative effect on branding capability. Moreover, branding capability has a strong direct effect on brand equity and a number of indicators of market and financial performance of the brand. The congruence of the marketing mix with brand identity objectives strengthens the relationship between branding capability and brand performance only at low levels of marketing mix congruence. Implications for both theory and practice are provided.
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ItemRisk and decision making by Australian managers( 2004)This thesis uses risk in its dictionary meaning as the probability of an undesirable outcome, and has two research questions: when managers make decisions, what leads them to choose a risky alternative? and: what determines whether the decision proves correct? Material developed to answer these questions is used to construct a model of decision making that explains real-world evidence of managers' risk-taking and its results. There is an extensive literature on risk and decision making because the topic has been of interest in many disciplines since at least the 18th century. Thus insights on the research questions are available from studies of animals, humans and organisations; by scholars in biology, psychology, finance and management. Even so, there is a large gap as most studies are conducted away from corporate settings and use subjects with limited decision experience. The few studies set in real-world conditions tend to concentrate on a single aspect of decision makers' attributes, setting and behaviour, and on either decision choices or outcomes. The empirical work in this thesis is designed to fill part of this gap. The specific purpose of this thesis is to integrate decision features to provide a seamless link between decision maker, environment and outcomes in relation to non-diversifiable risks associated with the decisions of individual managers. Conclusions are drawn from representative real-world data obtained from intensive studies in the form of two surveys of experienced managers. A model is developed from the literature which indicates that the main determinants of individuals' risk-taking are personality, decision making style and expectations in regard to the outcome. This theoretical model is then quantified using a case study of a hypothetical business decision which records decision maker attributes and examines why they take a risky alternative or not. A second survey compiles an extensive database on the attributes of executives and their organisations, and uses this material to explain financial results and crisis frequencies in terms of decision maker attributes, industry and organisation characteristics, and organisational environment and risk practices. The materials address the organisation-level topics of the causes and consequences of risk-taking by managers, and point to strategies for organisations to dial up the right level of risk. Conclusions from the research are presented as an extended explanation of the causes and consequences of risk-taking; a new model of decision making called Risk Budget Theory; and a practitioner oriented guide to developing risk-based strategy. This last provides an academic basis to corporate risk management for application by practitioners. This extends the scope of risk management which - in Australia, at least - has largely addressed workplace hazards or provided defences for Boards against potential litigation. Apart from the thesis' contribution to management theory, the holistic description of managers' real-world decision making has applicability to practising managers, and the explanation of corporate results will interest investors.