Why Can’t a Family Business Be More Like a Nonfamily Business? Modes of Professionalization in Family Firms

The authors survey arguments that family firms should behave more like nonfamily firms and “professionalize.” Despite the apparent advantages of this transition, many family firms fail to do so or do so only partially. The authors reflect on why this might be so, and the range of possible modes of professionalization. They derive six ideal types: (a) minimally professional family firms; (b) wealth dispensing, private family firms; (c) entrepreneurially operated family firms; (d) entrepreneurial family business groups; (e) pseudoprofessional, public family firms; and (f) hybrid professional family firms. The authors conclude with suggestions for further research that is attentive to such variation

The Yin and Yang of Kinship and Business: Complementary or Contradictory Forces?

Are the social domains of kinship and business on balance complementary or contradictory? Do ventures that invest heavily in both – conventionally referred to as “family firms” – bear a net gain or net loss? We are scarcely the first to raise these questions. How then will we try to contribute to an answer? We try this in five ways, all of them based on previous literature. First, we develop the dichotomy of kinship and business by taking seriously the metaphor of yin and yang, merging it with the anthropological constructs of structural domains such as “domestic” and “public.” This metaphor proves to shed light on the relevant literature. Second, we provide a qualitative survey of the costs and benefits of kinship in business. Third, we summarize the empirical work that addresses the performance outcomes from family involvement. Fourth, we consider the practitioner implications of these studies. Finally, we ask if scholars are as yet in a position to answer these questions

Viking Rus’ in Eastern Europe: Geopolitics, Trade Networks and State Building

Many school-aged children in America are taught about the Vikings in social studies, but only in a shallow manner. During the early medieval period, Vikings achieved a place of infamy in history. To many, the name Vikings evokes images of pirate-warriors with round shields and horned helmets, travelling in longships crowded with oarsmen. Often Vikings are simplified as ruthless Scandinavian explorers who became infamous for the “raping and pillaging” of Europe. But there is much more to the Vikings. The Viking Rus’ were not simply pirates. During the 8th - 11th centuries they developed a society that was based on more than looting and raiding. By analyzing the strategies employed by the Viking Rus’ during that time period, one can achieve a better understanding of their influence in the region. The process of applying a geopolitical study of Kievan Rus’ through themes of state-building, expansion, and conflict, demonstrates the impact they had during the height of their rule on an exceedingly volatile region. By applying certain strategies, the Kievan Rus’ established themselves in Eastern Europe, an especially sought-after region, at the confluence of major land masses and powerful empires – where East meets West. These tactics were their combined use of military prowess, mercantile aptitudes, and fluvial-navigation abilities which allowed the Viking Rus’ to flourish and create Kievan Rus’ – the first economic and political state within the region of Eastern Europe – which in turn became the precursor to Russia

Princess Olga: Eastern Woman Through Western Eyes

In the Viking world, stories of women inciting revenge reach back through the past into oral history. These legends were written down in the sagas of the Icelanders. Princess Olga’s story was recorded in the Russian Primary Chronicle. Though her heritage is uncertain, Olga ruled in Kievan Rus’ in the ninth and tenth centuries. Kievan Rus’ was governed by Vikings from Sweden known as Varangians. There are similarities between Olga’s story and the sagas. This study applies the research of scholars who pioneered the topic of gendering the Old Norse Icelandic literature, to compare her story to the gender norms and cultural values of the Scandinavians. The goal is to tie Olga’s heritage, to the greater Viking world. She was a female ruler, so this study also looks at her relationship with power to demonstrate her uniqueness in history and show that she ruled Kievan Rus’ as a Varangian Princess. It also seeks to add to the gendering of Kievan Rus’ which at present is very limited

Comparative analysis of techniques for evaluating the effectiveness of aircraft computing systems

Performability analysis is a technique developed for evaluating the effectiveness of fault-tolerant computing systems in multiphase missions. Performability was evaluated for its accuracy, practical usefulness, and relative cost. The evaluation was performed by applying performability and the fault tree method to a set of sample problems ranging from simple to moderately complex. The problems involved as many as five outcomes, two to five mission phases, permanent faults, and some functional dependencies. Transient faults and software errors were not considered. A different analyst was responsible for each technique. Significantly more time and effort were required to learn performability analysis than the fault tree method. Performability is inherently as accurate as fault tree analysis. For the sample problems, fault trees were more practical and less time consuming to apply, while performability required less ingenuity and was more checkable. Performability offers some advantages for evaluating very complex problems

Rivals’ Reactions to Mergers and Acquisitions

Mergers and acquisitions research has principally focused on attributes of the acquiring firm and post-acquisition outcomes. To extend our knowledge, we focus on external factors, in particular rival responses, and explore when and how rivals respond to their competitor’s acquisitions. Leveraging the awareness–motivation–capability framework, we predict and find evidence that a rival’s dependence on markets in common with the acquirer, resource similarity between rival and acquirer, and a rival’s organizational slack increase the volume and, in some cases, also the complexity of a rival’s competitive actions following an acquisition. Furthermore, the type of acquisition positively moderates some of these relationships. The results extend our understanding of the influence of mergers and acquisitions on competitive dynamics in the marketplace

Globalization of Legal Practice in the Internet Age

The Internet\u27s global reach has had a significant impact on the legal profession. This essay explains a few of the key developments in this area, including: competition fueled by outsourcing legal work to lower-wage earning lawyers around the world, virtual work changing client interaction and attorney work schedules, law firm reputation as a result of information availability on the Internet, work-product monitoring and the commoditization of legal services, and work force diversity spurred by the influence of international clients. Globalization of The Legal Profession, Symposium. Indiana University School of Law-Bloomington, April 6, 200