Information Technology and the Dynamics of Firm and Industrial Structure

Internet, Disruptive technology, Market structure, Computers, IT consultancies

Accountability and Control as Catalysts for Strategic Exploration and Exploitation: Field Study Results

This paper reports the collective finding from 102 field studies that look at the relationship between two organization design variables: span of control and span of accountability. Clustering the data yields propositions suggesting that the relationship between these variables may be an important determinant of strategic exploitation and exploration activities. Data from the field studies suggest that, in accordance with the controllability principle, accountability and control are tightly aligned for exploitation activities. However, this result was found in only a small number of tasks and functions. In the majority of situations, spans of accountability were wider than spans of control. This "Entrepreneurial Gap" is posited to be a result of management's desire for innovation and exploration-and used as a catalyst for changing strategy, creating high levels of customer satisfaction, or motivating people to navigate complex matrix organizations.Ambidextrous Organization, Strategic Exploration and Exploitation, Entrepreneurial Gap, Accountability, Span of Control

Heart Rate Patterns Observed in Medical Monitoring

Medical monitoring of heart rate patterns during conditions of sleep, quiet rest, breath-holding, hypoxia, and increased g forces of aircraft fligh

Evaluating the Effects of Mergers and Acquisitions on Employees: Evidence from Matched Employer-Employee Data

The unit of analysis in empirical studies of the employment and wage effects of mergers and acquisitions is typically the plant or firm. In contrast, the unit of observation in this study is the individual worker, which allows us to provide direct, systematic empirical evidence on the effects of different types of mergers and acquisitions on employees. Specifically, we analyze linked employer employee data for the entire population of Swedish workers and over 19,000 manufacturing plants for the period 1985-1998. For each worker, we have data on gender, age, national origin, level of education, type of education, location, industrial sector, annual earnings, as well as each employee’s complete work history both before and after a merger or acquisition. We can also identify whether the plant was involved in a full or partial acquisition or divestiture, as well as a related or unrelated acquisition. The empirical evidence suggests that employee outcomes are more favorable when only part of the company is bought or sold or when the firm engages in an unrelated acquisition.

Analysis of a fuel cell on-site integrated energy system for a residential complex

Declining supplies of domestic oil and gas and the increased cost of energy resulted in a renewed emphasis in utilizing available resources in the most efficient manner possible. This, in turn, brought about a reassessment of a number of methods for converting fossil fuels to end uses at the highest practical efficiency. One of these is the on-site integrated energy system (OS/IES). This system provides electric power from an on-site power plant and recovers heat from the power plant that would normally be rejected to the environment. An OS/IES is potentially useful in any application that requires both electricity and heat. Several OS/IES are analyzed for a residential complex. The paper is divided into two sections; the first compares three energy supply systems, the second compares various designs for fuel cell OS/IES

Assessing the Effects of Mergers and Acquisitions on Firm Performance, Plant Productivity, and Workers: New Evidence from Matched Employer-Employee Data

Studies of the effects of mergers and acquisitions focus on a single unit of analysis: firms, plants, or workers. In contrast, we model these events as transactions that simultaneously have cross-levels effects. Based on the theory of human capital, we generate a set of predictions regarding the antecedents and consequences of firm, plant, and worker turnover. Our empirical analysis is based on longitudinal, linked employer-employee data for virtually the entire population of Swedish manufacturing firms and employees for the period 1985-1998. These data allow us to assess the effects of mergers and acquisitions on firm performance, plant productivity, levels of employment, and compensation. Consistent with human capital theory, we find that mergers and acquisitions lead to improvements in firm performance and plant productivity, although they also result in the downsizing of establishments and firms. These transactions also appear to enhance the careers of workers because they provide a mechanism for improving the sorting and matching or workers and managers to firms and industries that best suit their skills.

Comparison of fuel-cell and diesel integrated energy systems and a conventional system for a 500-unit apartment

The electrical and thermal energy utilization efficiencies of a 500 unit apartment complex are analyzed and compared for each of three energy supply systems. Two on-site integrated energy systems, one powered by diesel engines and the other by phosphoric-acid fuel cells were compared with a conventional system which uses purchased electricity and on-site boilers for heating. All fuels consumed on-site are clean, synthetic fuels (distillate fuel oil or pipeline quality gas) derived from coal. Purchased electricity was generated from coal at a central station utility. The relative energy consumption and economics of the three systems are analyzed and compared

Political Instability and Growth in Dictatorships

We model growth in dictatorships facing each period an endogenous probability of ``political catastrophe'' that would extinguish the regime's wealth extraction ability. Domestic capital exhibits a bifurcation point determining economic growth or shrinkage. With low initial domestic capital the dictator plunders the country's resources and the economy shrinks. With high initial domestic capital the economy eventually grows faster than is socially optimal.dictatorship, growth, political economy, bifurcation