The impact of business environment and boards of directors on strategic decision-making: A case study of Greek listed companies

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.This thesis documents a study of the factors associated with Boards of Directors’ strategic decisions. The premise upon which such a research initiative is founded concerns the increased interest of academics and business practitioners in Board of Directors in the U.K and in U.S in part arising from recent financial scandals made in major public companies. Despite this increased attention to Board of Directors, it is acknowledged that Boards of Directors is one of the most under-researched management topics and its research is limited in scope and scale. An extensive review of the literature revealed that a useful contribution to knowledge could be derived from the investigation of the factors that influence Boards’ strategic decisions in quoted organisations. The research objectives is then to investigate the strategic decisions Boards of Directors and the organisation make by examining the environmental factors associated with the Board, the characteristics of the Board such as age, education, experience, composition, the Boards’ strategic choices in areas such as innovation, strategic decisions and to examine the influence the Boards have on performance. Despite the significant research interest in this topic, knowledge is still incomplete. This thesis makes a significant contribution to the strategic management literature by developing an integrative framework which examines strategic decisions from both content and process perspectives. The model developed, identifies the influence on strategic decisions, the environment, the characteristics of the Boards of Directors and its involvement has as influence on strategic decisions. The empirical study is carried out in a new cultural context; Greece and more specifically to listed firms on the Athens Stock Exchange. A theoretical model has been created and following a deductive approach, primary data through questionnaires was collected from 105 Greek listed organisations. Data was analysed according to their descriptive properties and underlying correlation structure. Several principal components were derived from these analyses which were used in hypothesis testing. Subsequently, a multiple regression and GLM analyses were conducted in order to examine the interrelationships between the factors associated with Boards’ strategic decisions. The research findings are discussed and considered in light of current knowledge in the area. A number of conclusions are made from the findings. Furthermore, implications for academics and business practitioners are drawn that indicate the relevance and applicability of this research to corporate governance practices. Limitations of the research and possible future research are set out. The thesis is organised into seven chapters which are entitled in the following order: literature review of Boards of Directors and development of theoretical framework; empirical approach and conceptualisation of the factors associated with boards’ strategic decisions; descriptive research findings; principal component analysis and construction of scale indices; multiple regression and GLM analyses; and, conclusions and implications of the study

The impact of business environment and boards of directors on strategic decision-making : a case study of Greek listed companies

This thesis documents a study of the factors associated with Boards of Directors’ strategic decisions. The premise upon which such a research initiative is founded concerns the increased interest of academics and business practitioners in Board of Directors in the U.K and in U.S in part arising from recent financial scandals made in major public companies. Despite this increased attention to Board of Directors, it is acknowledged that Boards of Directors is one of the most under-researched management topics and its research is limited in scope and scale. An extensive review of the literature revealed that a useful contribution to knowledge could be derived from the investigation of the factors that influence Boards’ strategic decisions in quoted organisations. The research objectives is then to investigate the strategic decisions Boards of Directors and the organisation make by examining the environmental factors associated with the Board, the characteristics of the Board such as age, education, experience, composition, the Boards’ strategic choices in areas such as innovation, strategic decisions and to examine the influence the Boards have on performance. Despite the significant research interest in this topic, knowledge is still incomplete. This thesis makes a significant contribution to the strategic management literature by developing an integrative framework which examines strategic decisions from both content and process perspectives. The model developed, identifies the influence on strategic decisions, the environment, the characteristics of the Boards of Directors and its involvement has as influence on strategic decisions. The empirical study is carried out in a new cultural context; Greece and more specifically to listed firms on the Athens Stock Exchange. A theoretical model has been created and following a deductive approach, primary data through questionnaires was collected from 105 Greek listed organisations. Data was analysed according to their descriptive properties and underlying correlation structure. Several principal components were derived from these analyses which were used in hypothesis testing. Subsequently, a multiple regression and GLM analyses were conducted in order to examine the interrelationships between the factors associated with Boards’ strategic decisions. The research findings are discussed and considered in light of current knowledge in the area. A number of conclusions are made from the findings. Furthermore, implications for academics and business practitioners are drawn that indicate the relevance and applicability of this research to corporate governance practices. Limitations of the research and possible future research are set out. The thesis is organised into seven chapters which are entitled in the following order: literature review of Boards of Directors and development of theoretical framework; empirical approach and conceptualisation of the factors associated with boards’ strategic decisions; descriptive research findings; principal component analysis and construction of scale indices; multiple regression and GLM analyses; and, conclusions and implications of the study.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

The use of digital technologies by small and medium enterprises during COVID-19: Implications for theory and practice

Scholars have highlighted the role of Digital Technologies (DT) in enhancing productivity and performance in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). However, there is limited evidence on the use of DT for dealing with the consequences of extreme events, such as COVID-19. We discuss this gap by (i) outlining potential research avenues and (ii) reflecting on the managerial implications of using DT within SMEs to deal with the repercussions of COVID-19 and securing business continuity

Factors influencing user acceptance of public sector big open data

In recent years Government departments and public/private organizations are becoming increasingly transparent with their data to establish the whole new paradigm of big open data. Increasing research interest arises from the claimed usability of big open data in improving public sector reforms, facilitating innovation, improving supplier and distribution networks and creating resilient supply chains that help improve the efficiency of public services. Despite the advantages of big open data for supply chain and operations management, there is severe shortage of empirical analyses in this field, especially with regards to its acceptance. To address this gap, in this paper we use an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to empirically examine the factors affecting users’ behavioural intentions towards public sector big open data. We outline the importance of our model for operations and supply chain managers, the limitations of the study, and future research directions

Business model pivoting and digital technologies in turbulent environments

Purpose – This paper draws on the Dynamic Capabilities View to discuss how Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) use digital technologies to develop digital capabilities that will enable them to change their current business model and trajectory -that is, to pivot- within turbulent environments, and subsequently to survive and grow. Design/methodology/approach – We collected and analysed qualitative data from 26 SMEs in South-East England that have used digital technologies to pivot during the pandemic. The data was collected via in-depth semi-structured interviews. We analysed the data by creating first-order concepts, second-order themes, and aggregating dimensions. Findings – Our findings suggest that (i) digital technologies enable pivoting by facilitating the creation of the following digital capability types: ‘digital sensing’, ‘digital seizing’ and ‘digital transforming’; (ii) Each of these digital capability types is underpinned by micro-foundations (sub�capabilities) and shaped by the digital culture of the organisation. (iii) these capabilities are triggered by the turbulent environment and the existing digital technologies, and are shaped by the digital culture. Originality/value – We contribute to the literature of digital entrepreneurship as we illustrate (i) how the micro-foundations of digital capabilities, as facilitated by digital technologies, assist pivoting; and (ii) the process from key activities during pivoting to second-order themes that represent micro-foundations to digital (dynamic) capabilities for pivoting in turbulent environments. Our study highlights the importance of digital pivoting for businesses in the UK Southeast that have many aspirations for growth and innovation, whilst striving to address multiple challenges including digital divide and literacy, inflation and cost of living crisis, as well as supply chain issue

Social media platforms and social enterprise: Bibliometric analysis and systematic review

A considerable number of contributions at the intersection of social media platforms and social entrepreneurship has been witnessed over the past decade. The multi-disciplinary nature of current literature necessitates integrative insights on the topic. We thus undertake a two-pronged approach – bibliometric analysis followed by systematic review – to map the extant literature in a structured, objective, and quantitative way. We contribute to the literature as we (i) offer a classification of the literature in three clusters, namely ‘social media platforms, social collaboration and social marketing’, ‘social media platforms and crowdfunding, and ‘social media platforms and crowdsourcing’; (ii) analyze recent research development in each cluster, methodological development, countries co-authorship and evolution of research in the area; and (iii) propose a conceptual framework -accompanied by research propositions- that provides an overview of the literature at the intersection of social media platforms, various social entrepreneurial practices and their influence on the social enterprise performance. Our review culminates with numerous impactful research avenues for scholarly progression in the area. From a practical standpoint, this review integrates scattered findings into one body, allowing the practitioners and policymakers to discern the role of social media platforms in dealing with emerging societal problems and increasing operational efficiencies of social enterprises (SEs). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review of its kind, offering unique perspectives at the nexus of social media platforms and SE’s performance

The Role of Big Data Analytics in Manufacturing Agility and Performance : Moderation-Mediation Analysis of Organizational Creativity and of the Involvement of Customers as Data Analysts

The involvement of customers as data analysts enables firms to gain valuable insights and create value from big data. We provide a theoretical explanation, drawn from the resource-based view, for the influence of the involvement of customers as data analysts and of the development of big data analytics (BDA) capabilities in business-to-business contexts as routes to manufacturing agility and performance. Our study empirically tested a framework in which organizational creativity and the involvement of customers as data analysts may differentially influence the relationship between BDA capabilities and manufacturing agility. We further tested whether the relative impact of manufacturing agility depends on organizational creativity and the involvement of customers as data analysts. To test our proposed framework, we took a partial least-squares structural modelling approach using data collected through a survey involving 179 engineering manufacturers operating across different industrial sectors in Pakistan. We provide evidence for organizational creativity and customer involvement, presenting a promising opportunity for manufacturers to gain better insights from resources, and for the deployment of BDA capabilities leading to better manufacturing agility and performance.©2021 Wiley. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Awan, U., Bhatti, S. H., Shamim, S., Khan, Z., Akhtar, P. & Balta, M. E. (2021). The Role of Big Data Analytics in Manufacturing Agility and Performance: Moderation-Mediation Analysis of Organizational Creativity and of the Involvement of Customers as Data Analysts. British Journal of Management. which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12549. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed