Are Sustainability Reports Informative About Firm Value and Performance? A Text Mining Approach

A corporate social responsibility (CSR) report is an important tool for disseminating a company’s sustainability efforts. The informativeness of CSR reports in relation to key performance indicators (KPIs) of companies is not well studied. We define eight different attributes to characterize textual disclosure and identify six topic distributions across 1233 CSR reports submitted by 196 major US firms during 2005-2017. We analyze the association of these attributes and topics with firm performance and firm value using hierarchical Bayesian modeling. Our results show that while multiple topics and textual attributes are related to firm value, only word length is significantly linked to the performance of firms in general. Our study informs firms about best practices in sustainability reporting and notifies investors and regulators about present practices in CSR reporting

Assessing Cross-National Invariance of the Three-Component Model of Organizational Commitment: A Cross-Country Study of University Faculty

Purpose: This study examines affective commitment, normative commitment, and continuance commitment in a cross-national context to identify if the effect of country-specific cultural orientation on organizational commitment of faculty in higher education functions invariably in different countries. Methodology: The work expands on Meyer and Allen's (1991) three-component model of organizational commitment. It includes a review of relevant literature on 10 countries and the results of a survey of university faculty members in 8 of these countries, assessing their institutions' human resources practices and their effect on organizational commitment. Findings: Though certain differences may exist between different countries and cultures with respect to the three-component model of organizational commitment, there is strong evidence of the existence of invariance and thus generalizability of the model across cultures. Research: Cultural studies have focused on differences in organizational commitment at national levels. Further attempts to identify the universality of factors leading to organizational commitment should account for culture in the study of employee-related globalization issues in higher education institutes. Knowledge of cultural impact is also useful from a managerial perspective, and for the design of relevant strategies. Practical Implications: National context plays a major role in shaping the nature of educational institutions. This study brings out the need for a deeper understanding of invariance in organizational commitment (inter alia, through the three-component model). Originality/Value: This study contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between organizational commitment and its various antecedents, including human resources management practices, for faculty in higher education institutes.div_BaM13pub5248pub

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL AND NEW VENTURE PERFORMANCE: AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE MODERATING ROLE OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Many organizations today view intellectual capital (IC) as their most valuable asset. New ventures, in particular, can leverage their IC to attain and sustain a competitive advantage. This study investigates whether IC has a direct impact on venture performance. We also seek to determine if this relationship is moderated by environmental dimensions. Our findings suggest that human capital is the most critical component of IC when predicting operating performance of high-tech ventures, while intellectual property is the crucial component when predicting market-based performance. Our findings also suggest that the relationship between IC and venture performance is influenced by the environment.Intellectual capital, new venture, performance

Effects of Entrepreneurs’ Individual Factors and Environmental Contingencies On Venture Performance: A Case Study of African-American Women-Owned Ventures

© 2016, © 2016 Journal of the Canadian Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship/Conseil de la PME et de l\u27entrepreneuriat. Few researchers have explored the determinants of venture performance of firms owned by African-American women. In recent years, the growth in the number of these firms have exceeded that of all women-owned firms however the growth in employment and revenues in African-American women-owned firms has lagged when compared with that of other minority women entrepreneurs. This qualitative study builds a conceptual framework that addresses the role that various resources and environmental factors may play in African-American women entrepreneurs’ venture performance. We argue that although some African-American women entrepreneurs may possess various individual level resources (i.e. human, social, psychological and financial capital) at business start-up, the environment in which they operate may greatly affect their ventures’ performance and sustainability. Anchoring our arguments in the resource constraint variant of labor market disadvantage and protected market theories, we provide propositions that detail how and why environmental contingencies can have both a mediating and moderating effect on African-American women\u27s venture performance. Our results show that the way in which the entrepreneurs experience their contextual environment can strengthen, weaken or negate the environment\u27s effect on their firms’ performance

Understanding the Motivation Complexity of Grassroots Ecopreneurs at the Base of the Pyramid

This qualitative study focuses on the factors that motivate grassroots ecopreneurship at the base of the pyramid (BoP). Our study is anchored by the research question, “How are grassroots ecopreneurs at the BoP of Kenya motivated?” The participants were mainly drawn from beneficiaries of a multinational Non-Governmental Organization. Using a grounded theory approach, we conducted 12 qualitative case studies, 10 focus groups and 2 interviews, recording 61 participants. We triangulated data sources through data collected from primary and secondary sources, such as archival documents and archival interviews. Extant research suggests that grassroots ecopreneurs (GEs) at the BoP primarily engage in necessity-driven ventures. However, this study demonstrates that GEs’ motives to launch new ventures appear to be multifaceted and simultaneous (not linear or sequential). We also observed an interlinkage of environmental and economic motives in GEs who diversified their investments into related and unrelated areas. Our findings also indicate that GEs at the BoP developed socio-ethical motives-the GEs’ concerns toward other members of the community-and a desire to create social value beyond private value. All these motives contributed to the GEs establishing and sustaining viable businesses

Understanding the Motivation Complexity of Grassroots Ecopreneurs at the Base of the Pyramid

This qualitative study focuses on the factors that motivate grassroots ecopreneurship at the base of the pyramid (BoP). Our study is anchored by the research question, “How are grassroots ecopreneurs at the BoP of Kenya motivated?” The participants were mainly drawn from beneficiaries of a multinational Non-Governmental Organization. Using a grounded theory approach, we conducted 12 qualitative case studies, 10 focus groups and 2 interviews, recording 61 participants. We triangulated data sources through data collected from primary and secondary sources, such as archival documents and archival interviews. Extant research suggests that grassroots ecopreneurs (GEs) at the BoP primarily engage in necessity-driven ventures. However, this study demonstrates that GEs’ motives to launch new ventures appear to be multifaceted and simultaneous (not linear or sequential). We also observed an interlinkage of environmental and economic motives in GEs who diversified their investments into related and unrelated areas. Our findings also indicate that GEs at the BoP developed socio-ethical motives-the GEs’ concerns toward other members of the community-and a desire to create social value beyond private value. All these motives contributed to the GEs establishing and sustaining viable businesses

Factors Contributing To Women\u27s Venture Success In Developing Countries: An Exploratory Analysis

Although the body of literature on female entrepreneurs is relatively small when compared to that of men; the majority of articles that have focused on female entrepreneurs and issues surrounding them center on women in developed countries. Few studies place emphasis on female entrepreneurs in developing countries. Guided by the resource-based view of human and social capital, the article explores the relationship among individual and entrepreneurial factors, institutional factors and women\u27s venture success in developing countries. Hypotheses are tested with a sample of 350 female entrepreneurs using individual and country level data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) database and the Heritage Foundation\u27s Index of Economic Freedom. Female entrepreneurs were chosen from six developing countries: Argentina, Brazil, Hungary, India, Mexico and South Africa. Results indicate certain factors (i.e. household income, knowing an entrepreneur, and country of origin) play a role in venture success for female entrepreneurs in developing countries. Secondary analyses demonstrated that the developing country\u27s economic freedom, cultural norms, financial support and government supportiveness may also impact women\u27s venture success

To Be or Not to Be an Ethnic Firm: An Analysis of Identity Strategies in Immigrant-owned Organizations

In this article, we develop a theoretical framework that draws on the concepts of liability of foreignness and social identity theory in the context of immigrant entrepreneurship