Getting in with the “In” crowd: how to put marketing back on the CEO’s agenda

Purpose – Despite efforts by researchers and managers to better link marketing activities with business financial outcomes, there is general agreement that by and large chief marketing officers (CMOs) (and marketing in general) have lost strategic decision-making influence within organizations. The purpose of this paper is to understand the causes of this decline and offer recommended solutions to counteract this trend. Design/methodology/approach – In-depth interviews lasting between 40 and 55 minutes were conducted with 25 chief executive officers (CEOs) of service companies located in Western Europe, North America, and Australia. In total, 13 difference countries were represented. Using Emerging Consensus Technique, we identified four main themes, which cause the goals of CEOs and those of CMOs/marketing to diverge. Findings – The primary cause of the decline of strategic influence of CMOs and marketing overall with CEOs is a function of four key issues: first, the role of the CMO (e.g. task overload, focus on tactical issues, “outdated” skill set); second, lack of financial accountability (e.g. the inability to connect marketing efforts to financial returns); third, digital and social media (e.g. a perceived obsession with new technology); and forth, lack of strategic vision and impact (e.g. lost sight of “core” job, use of irrelevant metrics). Practical implications – The findings indicate that CMOs must address the four key issues uncovered for marketing to attain/regain a role in strategic decision making. A proposed roadmap for putting marketing back on the CEOs agenda is presented to guide CMOs. Originality/value – This research provides marketers with a CEO eye view of their role within organizations

Selling the Fourth Revolution: The Correlation between C-Suite Architecture and a Big Data Mindset as Portrayed in the Letter to the Shareholders

Big data’s diverse applications for the modern data deluge span problems and industries. While offering titular possibilities, is big data an area of serious corporate inquiry or is it a source of hype? This research seeks to add to the growing body of management literature on big data. C-suite architecture additions of a CIO and/or a CTO demonstrate an environment for and increased BDA mindset. A review of the annual letter to the shareholder is a proxy for the external narrative of a big data strategy. To measure correlation between C-suite structure and outward narrative, a regression for eight industries, from 2011 to 2014, measure correlation between external and organizational positioning. Additional regressions examine industry-sensitivity and leader-laggard dynamics. Five of the eight industries demonstrate correlation between architectural repositioning and perceived investor support for big data, indicating that big data intensive C-suite architecture correlates with letter to the shareholder big data emphasis

Estimating the determinants of executive selection in multinational companies: A two-sided matching model

Using a unique dataset on subsidiary executive appointments in multinational banks and a competitive assignment matching model, this study investigates executive selection in the international labour market. The international context is characterised by heterogeneous firms with varied human capital needs, allowing for a nuanced examination of the determinants of executive selection along multiple human capital dimensions, with a particular emphasis on firm-specific versus general human capital. The study explores (i) the determinants of executive selection in MNC subsidiaries, (ii) how these determinants shift relative to economic conditions, and (iii) how they differ for two types of functional roles. I find that the relationship between human capital and the firm's resource base is largely complementary; however, firm-specific human capital is the dominant determinant of executive selection during an economic upswing, but during an economic downturn firm-specific human capital is nearly four times weaker in driving selection than general human capital

Strategic allocation of human capital: executive appointments in multinational bank subsidiaries

This dissertation explores (i) the determinants of executive selection in the international labor market, (ii) how these determinants shift relative to economic and institutional conditions, and (iii) how they differ for various functional roles. Using regression-based analysis and competitive assignment matching models, I examined executive appointment patterns in the subsidiaries of global banks located in Central & Eastern Europe between 2005 and 2012. The setting and timeframe not only yielded a heterogeneous sample of executive appointments under a variety of environmental conditions but also provided the opportunity to study the impact of financial shocks in the environment and/or the subsidiary network on executive succession during and in the aftermath of the Financial Crisis of 2008. The results indicate that there exists a substantial difference in appointment strategies by functional role, which remains intact regardless of the level of environmental uncertainty present in the subsidiary market. In examining the entire subsidiary executive team, the results of the two-sided competitive assignment matching model show that firm-specific human capital is the dominant determinant of an executive appointment during an economic upswing, but during an economic downturn firm-specific human capital is nearly four times weaker in driving an executive—subsidiary match than general human capital. Upon limiting the sample to just subsidiary CEOs, I find that while broad economic shocks and subsidiary-specific performance shocks both incite CEO turnover, they prompt different preferences for successors' human capital attributes. Specifically, country-wide economic crisis promotes a preference for local human capital, while performance shocks limited to the subsidiary are associated with a preference for expatriate human capital and for successors with broad international experience

Marketing Insight: The Construct, Antecedents, Implications, and Empirical Testing

While firms’ data are exponentially growing, the level of marketing insight within firms is not. Insight is becoming a buzzword and dissipating its value due to the lack of conceptual understanding. This research develops and tests a marketing insight nomological network to answer how firms can generate marketing insights and what are the consequences of managing marketing insights. The research findings are relevant for the literature because (1) define the term theoretical domain, (2) lead companies to increase their chances to generate marketing insights and (3) establish the activities to improve the positive financial effect of marketing insight generation

The How and Why of Organisational Ambidexterity: a comparative analysis of multinational organisations

Organisational ambidexterity has been shown to improve organisational outcomes by almost every measure. Unfortunately, becoming ambidextrous is notoriously difficult. This research leverages extensive privileged access to conduct a comparative analysis of established, multinational organisations and finds evidence that ambidexterity is not a singular capability, but rather a composite of multiple attributes within an organisation, which must not only be implemented, but also enabled through key organisational features. A new measure of ambidexterity is also proposed which improves relevancy in a practitioner context

Why are the stayers staying with “No Excuses” Charter Management Organizations (CMOs)? : a qualitative study on teacher retention at “No Excuses” CMOs

Teacher retention at “No Excuses” Charter Management Organizations (NECMOs) lags behind traditional and public charter schools. This study focused on three NECMO schools in a Texas urban area with higher than normal teacher retention rates. Nine teacher “stayers” with at least three years of experience at their specific school were interviewed as well as six administrators. Key findings were that teacher stayers at these schools made their decision to stay or leave their school based on the quality of their direct managers, e.g. assistant principal, the caliber of their relationship with their colleagues on their teaching team, the short- and long-term relationships they developed with students, opportunities to engage in leadership roles, and their commute to work. Policy implications include a focus on these social constructs over other teacher retention initiatives and a review of the effectiveness of Teacher Career Pathway programs on teacher retention.Educational Leadership and Polic

The evolution of work and the growing contingency of labor practices in the Massachusetts life sciences industry

Thesis: M.C.P., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, 2018.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 57-61).Contingent work has been used to describe a wide range of non-standard, short-term employment arrangements to include self-employment, home-based work, on-call work, temporary work, contracting, and other alternative employment arrangements. In 2005, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that about four percent of total employment in the U.S. was comprised of contingent workers. Just five years later this figure nearly doubled to 7.9 percent according to a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, though more liberal measurements record this number to be closer to 40 percent (2015). Another five years later in a report published by Katz and Krueger, the estimate doubled once again to 15.8 percent (2016). It is clear that the use of contingent labor to complete work tasks is increasingly an essential element utilized by businesses as they shed non-essential functions in order to focus on their core competencies. This reflects a belief that a lean operating model will optimize companies' cost structures and provide flexibility to react efficiently during down and upturns in the economy. The use of contingent labor modifies the conventional relationship between capital and labor in the formation of skill. Previously, skill was described as encompassing general and specific skills. General skills represent the skills and experiences workers bring to the job from formal training and tacit knowledge gained in previous work contexts. Specific skills represent skill augmentation that derives directly from the work experience gained by working with a unique employer. The labor contract typically includes the combination of both skill enhancing experiences. Rents are collected by both parties up to the value of each party's marginal product and hence contribution to labor productivity. Today's utilization of contingent labor ignores the significant costs associated with recruiting and training new hires as well as the indeterminable loss in value from utilizing a workforce that is less incented to see their companies succeed. The lack of specific skills of contingent workers diminishes productivity and causes the firm to incur training costs, which may not be recovered due to the shorter job tenure. This thesis investigates the use of contingent work in the Massachusetts life science industry. The demands of capital markets are fiercely pressuring companies to grow and generate large returns for its investors. However, this places an uneven amount of focus on the commercialization of its products causing the industry to hone in on its core competencies and shed non-essential functions, thereby expanding the use of contingent labor. This thesis is framed by the discussion of a looming imperative amidst industry constraints and the subsequent effects created by the dichotomy. The first part of this thesis describes the evolution of work and the emergence of financial pressures compelling the life science industry to utilize contingent labor in several of its key R&D and manufacturing functions despite the obvious benefits associated with career jobs to both the employer and employee. The demands of capital markets continue to drive specific actions of the life science industry (imperative), however the industry is characterized by high cost, long production cycles, tremendous volatility, and a critical reliance on capital flows (industry constraints). Chapter five presents the findings, which examines the net results from the interplay between the imperative and constraints. What effects is this imperative having on life science companies facing these constraints and how are they reacting (subsequent effects)? Many are beginning to behave irrationally and at odds with its long-term goals diminishing the innovative potential of the industry as a whole and adversely impacting the workforce powering the entire mechanism. This thesis attempts to coalesce these broad themes to tell the story of what is happening to work in the Massachusetts life science industry.by Richard Yoo.M.C.P

Perceptions of Public and Private Partnerships in Costa Rica

In this dissertation, I explore the perceptions and beliefs of decision-makers, public officials, and stakeholders engaged in transportation infrastructure policies and infrastructure public-private partnerships (IPPPs) in Costa Rica. Specifically, I use Q methodology coupled with interviews of both participants and non-participants to answer four research questions: (i) What do public officials and leaders believe are the most important things to consider when designing infrastructure public and private partnership for a highway construction project in Costa Rica? (ii) What are the most contentious issues in developing and implementing infrastructure PPPs? (iii) Are there areas of consensus among the representatives from various decision-making groups? (iv) Given the areas of contention and consensus, what avenues and strategies can be used to support effective implementation of transportation policy and PPPs? The findings from this study may help Costa Rica better address its transportation policy and IPPPs challenges. First, the findings reveal three distinct views on IPPPs in Costa Rica: one favoring productivity and the private sector, not participation; a second favoring national competitive and development strategies; and a third favoring citizen participation, transparency, and public benefits. Second, the most contentious issues generally center on the means-ends relationship in IPPPs, and specifically on strategy, participation, and outcomes. Additional areas of contention include the costs to citizens and lack of transparency, widespread distrust exacerbated by a lack of mechanisms for conflict resolution and citizen participation, and the historic neglect of public transportation policy in Costa Rica. Third, the Q study revealed a single consensus statement and five statements that represented areas of agreement, two of which were ranked as most important and three of which were ranked as most unimportant. All of the most important statements, including the consensus item and two areas of agreement, concern the development and competitiveness of Costa Rica, while the most unimportant statements concern more social aspects of IPPPs, such as inclusion of diverse views, public acceptance, and discussion of conflicts. Finally, the consensus areas suggest that national development and competitiveness could be a starting point for conversations among about IPPPs in Costa Rica. Other data suggest three additional avenues and strategies that could support effective implementation of transportation policy and IPPPs, including: (1) Reforming the governance structure of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT) and creating enabling legislation that facilitates the use of IPPPs; (2) Building trust among the stakeholders by improving the capacity and human capital of MOPT and by using public participation; and (3) Using modern, more advanced public relations strategies centered on the two-way symmetrical model of communication at the very beginning of the IPPP process. Hopefully, the results of this dissertation will foster the good will – and the political will – to move forward on this crucial aspect of national development and success in Costa Rica