Planning effectual growth: a study of effectuations and causation in nascent firms

Two main contrasting approaches are used in the entrepreneurship literature to explain how new ventures strategize: causal/planned strategies and effectual/emergent strategies. In this study, we explore the use of these strategies within micro and small firms. Our results show that larger companies typically used more planned strategies while simultaneously relying on effectual mechanisms. We observe that companies operating in known markets, anchoring their business ideas on experience and having a strong growth intention grow larger. This suggests that causal and effectual mechanisms can co-exist and lead to growth when combined. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed

Evaluating Software Architectures: Development Stability and Evolution

We survey seminal work on software architecture evaluationmethods. We then look at an emerging class of methodsthat explicates evaluating software architectures forstability and evolution. We define architectural stabilityand formulate the problem of evaluating software architecturesfor stability and evolution. We draw the attention onthe use of Architectures Description Languages (ADLs) forsupporting the evaluation of software architectures in generaland for architectural stability in specific

Indicators for managing human centred manufacturing

Establishing indicators for managing human factors (HF) aspects in the design of production systems remains a challenge. We address the problem in two dimensions – firstly, what aspects of HF are to be considered, and secondly, where in the development process HF is to be measured. In these dimensions a large number of HF metrics are possible in the perceptual, cognitive, physical and psychosocial domains of HF. The relevance of these measures to injury, productivity, quality and organizational strategy continue to be poorly understood. From this perspective we make propositions on the need for: 1) strategic HF metrics selection, 2) metrics application throughout the development process, 3) predictive ‘virtual’ HF metrics approaches, 4) metrics based design guidelines, 5) connecting metrics with design choices and strategies, 6) integrating HF metrics within existing approaches, 7) continuous improvement of the metrics system, and 8) the need to evaluate metrics system quality

Linking business analytics to decision making effectiveness: a path model analysis

While business analytics is being increasingly used to gain data-driven insights to support decision making, little research exists regarding the mechanism through which business analytics can be used to improve decision-making effectiveness (DME) at the organizational level. Drawing on the information processing view and contingency theory, this paper develops a research model linking business analytics to organizational DME. The research model is tested using structural equation modeling based on 740 responses collected from U.K. businesses. The key findings demonstrate that business analytics, through the mediation of a data-driven environment, positively influences information processing capability, which in turn has a positive effect on DME. The findings also demonstrate that the paths from business analytics to DME have no statistical differences between large and medium companies, but some differences between manufacturing and professional service industries. Our findings contribute to the business analytics literature by providing useful insights into business analytics applications and the facilitation of data-driven decision making. They also contribute to manager's knowledge and understanding by demonstrating how business analytics should be implemented to improve DM

Transport Impacts on Land Use: Towards A Practical Understanding for Urban Policy Making – Introduction and Research Plan.

INTRODUCTION This working paper forms a general introduction to an EPSRC CASE research project, presenting the objectives of the research, the rationale behind the study, a summary of some of the results obtained so far, and a plan for the remainder of the research work. The project is due for completion in November 1996. In other words, the project is examining: 1. The current understanding of the nature of the influence that transport has upon activity patterns and land use. Specifically, this is making use of empirical studies of transport impacts on land use, plus behavioural studies of the factors in location choice. 2. Whether this relationship can be adequately represented in a predictive context. This consists of two elements. How the relationship of transport on land use can be studied and 'formalised', and secondly, the ability to use this relationship for estimation of land use response to transport impacts. Use will be made of published modelling studies, plus some original modelling work, using a model constructed for this research. 3. The benefits of predicting transport impacts upon land use to planners involved in strategic land use and transport planning. This is the main objective of the research, and addresses why transport impacts on land use appear to have a minor role in structure planning, why model representations are seldom used, and given a model's predictions, what use will be made of the model results. Initial results from the first round of interviews are given in this paper. There are several themes that underpin this research: The nature of the 'transport on land use' relationship. How far it can he formalised, what we know about it, and how it is best to study it. Strategic planning processes in the UK, how the planning system handles the transport on land use relationship, under what circumstances the relationship is important, and the role of model predictions in the planning process. Whether the remit of 'planning' should examine transport impacts on land use, plus anticipation of the impacts of local government reorganisation. The issue of whether predictive modellmg in this context is an appropriate tool beyond the scope of academic research

Nonprofit "Capacity-Building Orientation": The Role of Learning in Building Nonprofit Performance

Amidst increasing attention to nonprofit performance, interest in nonprofit capacity building activities has understandably intensified. A natural outgrowth of this interest is an expansion in the number and range of nonprofit capacity-building providers and approaches. In response to this growth,The Forbes Funds, in 2004, commissioned Judith Millesen, at the Voinovich Center for Public Affairs and Leadership at Ohio University, and Angela Bies, at the Bush School of Government & Public Service at Texas A&M University, to examine the quality of Pittsburgh's capacity-building industry and to identify the characteristics of effective capacity-building initiatives.This study expands on that earlier research by investigating questions of why and how nonprofit organizations engage in capacity building, as well as the ways in which organizational, managerial, and financial characteristics relate to capacity building.The current literature on nonprofits provides useful theoretical insight to understanding externally driven mechanisms for improvement, and, by extension, insight into incentives for engagement in capacity building.What is less well explored are the internal mechanisms that drive and motivate boards, managers, and key staff to pursue capacity building as ongoing and integrated processes of organizational change and capacity improvement.Learning theory provides such insight.This study addresses the following research questions:What factors predict higher levels of engagement in capacity building by nonprofit organizations?What factors predict higher levels of organizational capacity