Collaborative Infrastructures for Mobilizing Intellectual Resources: assessing intellectual bandwidth in a knowledge intensive organization

The use of intellectual assets of key professionals to provide customized goods and services is seen to be a key characteristic of knowledge intensive organizations. While knowledge management efforts have become popular in organizations that depend on the knowledge and skills of their employees, it is unclear what the benefits of such efforts are and how these intellectual resources may actually create value for the organization. At the same time, vast information and communication technology infrastructures are being implemented to tap into the diverse intellectual resources to little effect. This paper uses the Intellectual Bandwidth Model originally developed by Nunamaker et al. (2001) to investigate the extent to which do collaborative technologies support the mobilization of intellectual resources to create value for an organization. Following a investigation of the intellectual bandwidth of a large multinational consulting company, this paper provides insight into the role of technology for mobilizing intellectual resources and offers implications for developing infrastructure to support core business processes

Delays and Cost Overruns in Infrastructure Projects -- An Enquiry into Extents, Causes and Remedies

Media reports abound on instances of prolonged delays and excessive cost overruns in infrastructure projects. Only a small number of projects get delivered in time and within the budget. Examples of successful project implementation, like construction of the Delhi Metro Rail, are few and appear only far in between. Indeed, the problem of time and cost overruns in India is widespread and severe. Yet, very few empirical studies exist on the subject. Even rarer are the studies based on completed projects. As a result, the extents as well as the causes behind delays and cost overruns have remained under-researched. This study investigates the various issues related to delays and cost overruns in publically funded infrastructure projects. The following questions are posed and answered -- How common and how large are the time and the cost overruns? What are the essential causes behind these delays and cost overruns? Are the underlying causes statistically significant? Are Contractual and Institutional failures among the significant causes? What are the policy implications for planning, development and implementation of infrastructure projects? The study is based on, by far, the largest dataset of 894 projects from seventeen infrastructure sectors. Among other results, it shows that the contractual and the institutional failures are economically and statistically significant causes behind cost and time overruns.Delays, Cost Overruns, Time Overruns, Infrastructure, Projects, Causes, Contractual Failures, Organizational Failures, Institutional Failures

The Quest for Sustainable Development: Strategies for Managing Stakeholder Relationships

The aim of this paper is to describe how organizations manage their stakeholder relationships in order to achieve sustainable development that enhances economic, environmental, socio-culture, and political sustainability. This paper examines the concept of sustainable development from a stakeholder perspective. It is argued that the concept and practice of sustainable development is a contested area in the process of development because different people and groups have different stakes in what is meant by sustainable development. The paper discusses strategies for achieving sustainable development that meets its four criteria: economic, environmental, socio-cultural and political sustainability through stakeholder management. The study apply three cases of stakeholder management  and  used them to analyzed and  “interpret” the relationship between an organization’s ability to manage its stakeholder relationships and to achieve sustainable growth and development this is great contribution to existing knowledge in field of stakeholder management in an organization  The main point of departure and the argumentation that follows is that a model derived from the principles underlying stakeholder theory will help improve relationships among organizations, management and the local communities in order to achieve development (environmental, economic, socio-cultural and political) that is sustainable. Finally, the paper recommends strategies for designing sustainable development from a stakeholder approach.. Keywords: Sustainable development, stakeholder management, environmental  sustainability, economic sustainability, socio-cultural sustainability and political sustainability

An Ethical Approach to Pharmaceutical Price Increase in the United States

The question of the ethics of drug pricing is a fairly new topic. Discussion started publicly in March of 2005 when an article in “The Economist” raised questions about many of the practices that have been going in this industry for years, like overpricing drugs that are no better than their replacements, and taking that profit to further advertise the products direct-to-consumer. This discussion has led to a question many Americans ask today: Are these companies putting profits ahead of people? What is legally permissible is not always an ethical business practice, especially in the instance of profiting from healthcare. Law tells an individuals or groups what right(s) they have, ethics demonstrate the right thing to do. The public has given more focus to the clinical provision of healthcare than to the business side when considering the ethics of general healthcare. This is a trend that is beginning to change, as pharmaceutical companies have been engaging in questionable actions without any repercussions for a long time (Weber 6). The question this paper looks to answer is, what does an ethical price increase on a pharmaceutical product look like and can other systems provide us solutions to the issue of high drug prices in America

International Business

A firm is affected by various stakeholders in varying degrees. These stakeholders are located within the immediate operational and also external environment of the firm. The survival of the firm is highly dependent on the entire stakeholder constellation; the firm cannot survive in isolation. These stakeholders have various expectations in the firm which frequently conflict with the objectives of the firm. This study identifies the level of these conflicts and the strategies adopted by management in balancing such expectations. However, some researchers believe that conflicts are managed (Amason, 1996), others argue that conflicts are resolved (Wall and Callister, 1995). However, this study addresses the issue of ‘balancing’ conflicts. The study further attempts to probe what choices are available to management when faced with incongruent expectations from various stakeholder groups like increasing pressure on the firm from especially, the external environment (tertiary stakeholders). The study assumes that in spite of the perceived remoteness of these tertiary groups from the immediate boundaries of the firm, these stakeholder groups can cost the organization huge financial losses and bad publicity when their interests are underrated. Finally, pressure-response strategies that are adopted by management when confronted with organization-stakeholder conflicts are examined. Some of these strategies include: reactive, defensive, accommodative, problem-solving and proactive (Barki and Hariwick, 2001; Peng, 2006). Consideration is given to an alternative stakeholder model – tertiary stakeholders.fi=Opinnäytetyö kokotekstinä PDF-muodossa.|en=Thesis fulltext in PDF format.|sv=Lärdomsprov tillgängligt som fulltext i PDF-format

Corporate Sustainability: The Impact of Corporate Leadership Gender On Year-Over-Year Performance

Women continue to be underrepresented in corporate leadership positions in the global market. There has been limited research on the impact of female leaders’ influence on corporate sustainability over time. This paper contributes to the literature addressing leaders’ gender, corporate sustainability, and business ethics. Previous scholars have suggested the long-term effectiveness of corporate sustainability improves when females are in corporate leadership positions because of gender differences in business strategy and ethical considerations influenced by social roles. In this quantitative study, the relationships between corporate leaders’ gender and their companies’ financial, environmental, social, and governance performance over 4 years were examined. Such an examination of how leaders’ genders influence financial and nonfinancial constructs is unprecedented in a single study. In this research, I also introduce a paradigm shift in defining and analyzing corporate sustainability constructs to create a holistic view of equal consideration of financial and nonfinancial performance. The evidence suggests the impact of female leaders on year-over-year sustainability is significantly greater than that of their male counterparts across several performance outcomes, industries, and time periods. Due to the small sample size, the effect is small; however, enough information is available to successfully test hypotheses with the proposed holistic approach. The results indicate that corporate sustainability is an area of competitive advantage for female leaders in multinational corporations and other large corporations. Future longitudinal research opportunities focusing on female leadership and corporate sustainability performance in the global market are needed and encouraged

Stakeholder Management in Maritime Logistics Ecosystems: How tackling the main challenges of the industry

This PhD thesis deals with stakeholder management theoretical constructs and empirical practices within maritime logistics ecosystems. The rationale of the study grounds on the recent shift of the academic literature\u2019s focus on maritime logistics from the single organisation to the whole business ecosystem. In this perspective, formal and informal relationships with business partners and related parties have been demonstrated to become fundamental for the survival and success of firms and organisations belonging to maritime logistics ecosystems. The constant dialogue and coordination of strategic and operational activities between the heterogeneous actors constitute the preconditions to build wider and more resilient networks as well as to generate benefits for all parties and stakeholders involved. In this context, stakeholder management theoretical constructs can provide maritime logistics firms and organisations with useful managerial practices and best practices for identifying and exploiting unprecedented opportunities to handle relationships and interactions with both business parties and different categories of stakeholders. The variety of actors belonging to maritime logistics ecosystems as well as the array of related stakeholders, that unveils heterogeneous needs and interests, urge further empirical research to disentangle multiple practices of stakeholder management that have not all been investigated yet. In this vein, collaborative and responsible behaviours from maritime logistics firms and other involved organizations may support key actors with facing the new environmental, social, and technological challenges shaping the industry. In this perspective, this PhD thesis examines the main theoretical constructs of stakeholder management by performing an extensive literature review to comprehend the foundations and managerial benefits of stakeholder relationship management and corporate social responsibility. Then, it provides four empirical research to disentangle both strategies and behaviours of different maritime logistics actors, stressing the business benefits and managerial opportunities emerging from the adoption of well-defined and planned stakeholder management practices. Each empirical research addresses multiple challenges (i.e., environmental, social, and technological challenges) and assumes the perspective of one of the key actors of the maritime logistics ecosystem (i.e., once port managing bodies, once shipping companies, and twice terminal operators). The thesis investigates specific dimensions related to the strategic objectives, behaviours, and managerial options of these actors for effectively managing the relationships with their salient stakeholders. The outcomes of empirical research provide four valuable exploratory and qualitative studies grounding on stakeholder management literature. Managerial implications for private, public and hybrid actors of maritime logistics are extensively debated to pave the way for future studies on stakeholder management within this business ecosystem. In this perspective, this PhD thesis would take a step forward in the research on new managerial practices to effectively manage stakeholder relationships in the maritime logistics ecosystem

Towards understanding stakeholder relationship during strategic planning: the case of an airline company

A thesis submitted to the University of Bedfordshire in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of PhilosophyThis research investigates the relationship among the stakeholders during the strategic planning process in an airline company. The concept of involving stakeholders in strategic planning is based on the assumption that engaging stakeholders in a meaningful way will increase the benefits for both the organization and the stakeholders. The growth trend of the company investigated has resulted in complexity due to the growth of its internal and external stakeholders and the influence that their relationships can have on strategic planning. Whereas studies have identified a number of factors that can influence stakeholder relations, it has also been suggested that relationships could further be influenced by host of other stakeholder-related attributes. It is in this context that the study answers the following research questions: (1) how do stakeholders understand their responsibilities in strategic planning?; (2) how do they perceive the importance of communication and coordination to their relationship during the planning process?; and (3) how do the stakeholders‘ expectations shape the challenges faced by the company and their relationship during strategic planning? The study employs the qualitative method of research using the interview technique to collect data to gain insights into how the participants perceive and make sense of their relationships during strategic planning in their company. The conceptual dimension of the study is premised on the two streams of meaning of relationships and the dynamics of stakeholder relations during strategic planning projected in the literature. The methodological dimension is premised on the importance of lived experience as a significant source of knowledge. In this respect, the study draws on phenomenology using narrative analysis and inductive content analysis in the treatment of data. Accordingly, the study found that stakeholders bring to the table a plethora of responsibilities which have significant upward and downward influences during strategic planning. There is a consensus among stakeholders on the general importance of the relational benefits of coordination and communication. Real time coordination and communication with external stakeholders is differentially perceived within the range of poor to excellent. Likewise, there is differential perception of the relational importance of communication in terms of organizational context. Whether the coordination among stakeholders is perceived as excellent or poor, the bottom line is that stakeholder relations in the company remains a challenge. Stakeholders have multiple expectations of the company strategic plan and the strategic planning process which further raises multi-faceted challenges to the company. Based on the findings the study came up with a model that highlights the streams of thought pursued in the study. The findings affirm the view that relationships result from what transpires, happens, or occurs during strategic planning. Likewise, the inherent connectivity that results from the social nature of individuals involved in the planning process is affirmed. The former is on account of the responsibilities of the stakeholders and the latter on account of the inherent value that stakeholders place on strategic planning. The quality and extent of stakeholder relations however is moderated by extent and quality of coordination and communication before and during the planning process

Stakeholder Management and Social Responsibility

The main objective of this book is to provide an innovative set of concepts and tools regarding company management, internal and external stakeholders and social responsibilities, reflecting the necessities and opportunities generated by the digital transformation, the transition to a knowledge-based economy, and the COVID-19 crisis. The book, based on a holistic vision and contextual approach of business, contributes to the development of company management and stakeholder and social responsibility theories and practices, being structured in 12 chapters. The original company management vision, approaches, and tools are based on three pillars: a new "manager–relevant stakeholder" rather than "manager–subordinate" managerial paradigm; a new type of company social responsibility rather than corporate social responsibility; and a new concept of company-relevant stakeholder rather than that of salient stakeholders. The book contains two innovative managerial mechanisms: the managerial synapse and company-relevant stakeholders-based management system able to help companies and stakeholders face successfully the challenges of digital transformation and the COVID-19 crisis and to generate greater organization functionality and performance. The book will be of interest to company managers and management specialists, management academics, consultants and researchers, and MBA students interested in a style of management with social responsibility at the forefront