Overcoming Managerial Challenges to Realize Growth Spurts: Insights from Cases of Three Enterprises

Organizations face several managerial challenges during their growth period. Growth spurts are realized when organizations overcome these challenges. Though the literature is full of studies on the enterprise growth, the knowledge about how these challenges facilitate or hinder growth is limited. We conceptualize and explain five challenges faced by an enterprise along its growth trajectory. For evidence, we then look at history of three organizations from different sectors and trace their strategies to overcome the challenges faced by them. The firm and the environment interact and make certain strategic choices, which in turn results in growth spurts in the organization. We draw insights from their growth stories and discuss the different strategies and interactions between the firm and the environment.

Role of ‘corporate persistence’ and ‘environmental support’ in building breakthrough capability: Empirical investigation of Samsung’s initiatives in memory and microwave oven business

It is now an incontrovertible fact that capabilities are the source of competitive advantage. However, the process through which firms build capabilities over a period of time is only partially understood. Concepts like learning, resource combination, and co-evolution can be categorized as enablers as they support capability formation. On the other hand, concepts like inertia and path dependence can be categorized as restrictors as they constrain the process of capability formation. Combined together, while these concepts hint in the right direction, there is a need to have concepts that explain the process of capability formation holistically. An endeavour towards this objective would require taking into account the role of internal and external events. This paper builds concepts of ‘corporate persistence’ and ‘environmental support’ to explain their role in building breakthrough capability by examining major events in the evolution of two mega high technology business belonging to the Samsung group.

Metamorphosis of Entrepreneurial Ventures: A Holistic Paradigm from Two Tales

Some entrepreneurial ventures grow into large organizations within a relatively short duration. These startups rapidly increase their scale and scope to turn into matured organizations. Though the literature is replete with such examples, there is no explanation for such a phenomenon. Also, nothing has been said about the role of the environment in metamorphosis of such ventures. We look at two global organizations and explain their metamorphosis. We arrive at four dynamic stages through which an entrepreneurial venture grows: prime pillar formation stage, scale catapult stage, scope enlargement stage, and maturity stage. We also explain the different roles played by the firm and the environment during each stage, the interactions between each of these roles, and the dominant strategic process underlying in each stage.

A Conceptual Note on Classification of Literature on Capabilities

The research literature has looked at capabilities of a firm from various dimensions. Through this conceptual note, we aim to classify the literature on eight dimensions: Definition, Portfolio, Utilization, Level, Characterization, Demonstration, Lifecycle, and Development. These eight dimensions cover the various perspectives through which capabilities literature has been approached from and furthered to. This classification is expected to enable researchers in this area to position their studies within or across one or more of these dimensions, thus providing a clear contribution by strengthening or furthering research in the area.

Pashanavajra Rasa: A drug for Urinary Calculi

Rasashastra, the Iatrochemistry of Ayurveda deals with therapeutic processing and use of various minerals and metals. Different types of Ashmarighna formulations ranging from herbal to mineral have been described in Ayurvedic classical texts. The formulations containing herbal drugs only have shown limited success that too requiring prolonged medication. Most of the times, patients seek surgical intervention as the final resort. So, there is a need to evaluate and validate the mineral and herbo-mineral preparations indicated for Mutrashmari (urinary calculi) in Ayurveda. Pashanavajra Rasa, a herbo-mineral preparation prescribed for Mutrashmari is mentioned in Ayurveda. It contains Kajjali which acts like catalyst, Punarnava and Pashanabheda as Ashmarihara, seems to be a product with high potential but less evaluated

Connecting the right knots:The impact of board committee interlocks on the performance of Indian firms

Research Question/IssueInformation processing, agency, and resource dependence perspectives provide diverging predictions regarding the relationship between board interlocks and firm performance, which are rooted in different perspectives on the roles of boards of directors. This study argues that these various approaches are reconcilable when considering the nature of board committees to which the interlocked directors are assigned.Research Findings/InsightsWe test our hypotheses on a sample of 5133 firm-year observations in India. Our analyses support our hypotheses. The results show that interlocks between audit committees, whose primary function relates to providing financial oversight and ensuring compliance, are negatively related to firm performance. In contrast, interlocks between nomination and remuneration committees of Indian firms, which provide them with access to resources such as human capital and information on appropriate incentive structures, are positively related to performance.Theoretical/Academic ImplicationsOur study clarifies the relationship between board committee interlocks and firm performance by taking a multi-theoretical perspective. Our analysis suggests that information processing, agency, and resource dependence theories complement one another in explaining the effect of interlocks on firm performance.Practitioner/Policy ImplicationsOur results show that it is not board interlocks per se that are detrimental to firm performance; in fact, appointing well-connected directors with experience in serving on other boards might be beneficial for firms. However, firms should not assign specific monitoring-intensive tasks such as auditing to directors who also serve on other firms' audit committees. Our findings suggest that these directors should have greater independence and focus

Concept of Pathyapathya w.s.r. to Mutravaha Sroto Vikaras

Mutravaha Sroto Vikaras are the diseases of urinary tract including kidney, ureters, urinary bladder and urethra. Prevalence of the disease is on increasing trend every year. In Ayurveda classical texts Mutravaha Srotogata Vikaras are mainly compiled under Mutraghata, Mutrakriksha and Mutrashmari. The risk factors for these Vikaras can be broadly categorised under dietary and non dietary factors. Non dietary factors include age, gender, ethnic background, genetic predisposition, climate, economic status etc. Nothing much can be done with the Non dietary factors. Moreover, dietary factors and lifestyle plays a very important role in initiation, progression as well as regression of the disease. This is an attempt to review the Pathyapathya (Do’s & Don’ts of diet & lifestyle) related to Mutravaha Srotas

Characterization of a yellow pigmented coral-associated bacterium exhibiting anti-Bacterial Activity Against Multidrug Resistant (MDR) Organism

Multidrug resistant (MDR) infections have been a world health issue for many decades, and therefore exploration of new antibiotics to overcome this issue is urgently needed. Regarding antimicrobial properties in the coral holobiont, coral-associated bacteria are suggested as potential producer of new antibacterial agents against MDR infections. The purposes of this study include isolation and identification of pigmented coral-associated bacteria, preparation of pigmented extract and evaluation of its antibacterial property, as well as the characterization of the pigmented extract using thin layer chromatography (TLC). Nine bacteria candidates were isolated from an unidentified stony coral collected from Tanjung Gelam, Karimunjawa National Park, Jepara Region, Central Java Province, Indonesia. Bacterial pigment and other metabolites were extracted using 1-butanol, ethyl acetate and acetone. Silica gelbased TLC was applied to detect b-carotene and characterize the bacterial crude extracts. Antibacterial activity was evaluated against the extended spectrum b-lactamase (ESBL) E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). A yellow pigmented bacterium was isolated and identified as Vibrio owensii TNKJ.CR.24-7. Nonribosomal peptide-synthetase Peptide-Synthetase NRPS genes fragments were detected. All bacterial extracts from 1-butanol, ethyl acetate and acetone contained the yellow pigment that was identified as b-carotene. Only the crude extract from ethyl acetate inhibited all of MDR bacteria. TLC chromatogram showed that there were 7 bands from 1-butanol extract and 6 bands from ethyl acetate extract. However, crude extract from acetone was not well separated using silica-based TLC. Bands at Rf 0.64 and 0.81 were found both in 1-butanol and ethyl acetate extract

Disentangling reciprocal relationships between R&D intensity, profitability and capital market performance: A panel VAR analysis

Research and development (R&D) investments are strategic choices that firms make to create and sustain competitive advantage. Extant literature proposes that firms’ R&D investments and their profitability and capital market performance are reciprocally related. However, the direction of these relationships and their temporal nature are unclear. We take a real options perspective to argue that the long-run firm performance effects of R&D investments are better than their short-term ones, and that the initial level of R&D intensity influences the nature of these relationships. We apply panel vector autoregression (P-VAR) to a sample of 6623 U.S. firms over the 1990–2020 period in order to test our hypotheses. Our results indicate that increases in R&D intensity have negative effects on profitability in the short term, yet these effects diminish relatively quickly. The effects of increases in R&D intensity on capital market performance are positive and persist over time. Consistent with our predictions, they are contingent on the initial levels of R&D intensity and performance. The findings are fundamentally in line with the real options perspective employed here, yet they add important nuance to our understanding of when, how, and under which conditions R&D investments and firm performance affect one another