Process matters—The relevance of the decision making process for divestiture outcomes

We apply strategic decision making and organizational change theory to corporate divestitures and argue that key characteristics of the divestiture decision making process can contribute to explaining the variation in divestiture outcomes. We test our hypotheses in an empirical multi-source quantitative study and find evidence that analytical comprehensiveness in the evaluation of divestiture effects on the corporate portfolio has a positive impact on the effectiveness of divestiture choices, but analytical comprehensiveness at the focal business unit (BU) level does not enhance decision effectiveness. Our results further indicate that involvement of the affected BU management has a varying impact during the decision making process, with negative effects during the early phase and positive effects in the later phase.     

Corporate divestiture and performance: an institutional view

In this study, we investigate how the institutional environment affects shareholders’ reaction to a firm’s announcement of divestitures. Traditionally, divestiture research has adhered to a financial economics perspective, in which shareholders anticipate certain economic outcomes from corporate divestitures and react accordingly. However, this research has not delivered a distinct understanding of the performance effects of corporate divestitures. To structure and integrate previous work, we apply a neo-institutional perspective of the stock market. We argue that at certain times, the institutional support for corporate diversification is relatively low. During these periods, there is a high rate of divestitures. The high divestiture activity legitimizes this corporate action and leads to a positive reaction of the stock market to new divestiture announcements. This means that individual evaluations of the possible performance outcomes of divestments are not the only factor determining the stock market reaction to a corporate divestiture announcement. Rather, investors might consider the perceived institutionalization of this corporate action when making their purchasing decisions. Using a meta-analytical technique, we find support for our prediction that different performance effects of divestitures, as revealed by previous studies, can be attributed to different conditions of the macro-economic environment. We discuss the implications of this result for research and management practice.     

To Divest or not to Divest: A Meta‐Analysis of the Antecedents of Corporate Divestitures

Corporate divestitures have been identified as important strategic actions with a positive impact on firm performance. Yet, what is still missing in the strategic management literature is an integrative framework that quantitatively synthesizes the relative impact of various antecedents to divestitures, and theoretically reconciles the multitude of theories underlying divestiture research. To fill this gap, the author conducts a meta‐analysis (based on a sample of 35 studies) and develops four broad categories of determinants: corporate governance; firm strategy; performance; and industry environment. Evidence is found that divestitures are driven mainly by prior divestment experience, structural factors (firm size and firm diversification) and weak unit performance. In addition, the relative predictive validity of several theoretical perspectives on divestment decisions is assessed.     

From a dyadic to a triadic perspective: Divestiture research implications for understanding pre- and post-acquisition processes

Acquisition and divestiture studies remain surprisingly disconnected, although both fields address corporate restructuring modes that are tightly linked. Acquisitions entail buying a business that another company divests or even, in many cases, a subsequent sale of formerly acquired activities. In this paper, we adopt a seller perspective, explore cross-fertilization areas, and identify important complementary and challenging insights that divesture research can bring to acquisition research. Focusing on sell-off, a major divesture type that is considered symmetrical to an acquisition, we discuss how divestiture research can shed novel light on pre- and post-acquisition stakeholders and processes. We propose two ways in which a divestiture perspective invites rethinking: 1) regarding actors, by stressing the need to consider triadic (divester–target–acquirer) rather than dyadic configurations (target–acquirer) and 2) regarding processes and time, by enlarging the temporal horizon of acquisition processes by divestiture processes, which precede but also sometimes exceed the acquisition. We contribute to acquisition research by providing a fresh look at stakeholder and process perspectives and identifying important future research avenues.     

Elaborating the Contingency Theory of Organizations: The Case of Manufacturing Flexibility Strategies

What determines which manufacturing flexibility strategies are feasible and which are not? In this paper, I build both theoretical and empirical understanding of task‐environmental contingencies that may either enable or constrain the selection of various flexibility strategies. The special emphasis is on the various plant‐level actions that are used to seek manufacturing flexibility. Demand uncertainty and variability, technology, and competitive strategy emerge as the most important contingencies, although not in ways that are immediately apparent. Finally, managerial implications at both the corporate as well as manufacturing unit levels are discussed.     

Managerial commitment to the status quo and corporate divestiture: Can power motivate openness to change?

CEOs' commitment to the status quo (CSQ) is a prominent psychological factor leading to their resistance to organizational change. In this study we focus on the moderating role of managerial power, a central element in strategic choice, in the relationship between CEOs' CSQ and corporate divestiture activity. Drawing from the resource dependence perspective of power, we identify multiple aspects of power (structural, ownership, prestige/social, and expert power) that reduce CEOs' resistance to corporate change arising from CSQ. This study contributes to the strategic leadership and organizational change literatures by underscoring the importance of considering how different power bases shape the decision making of top managers who may have tendencies to hold onto firm assets when the situation warrants change. With a better understanding of how various power bases may uniquely influence strategic outcomes in the presence of managerial psychological bias, we can more accurately assess the impact of power on firms' strategic actions.     

影响中国企业赈灾捐款的省区因素——“5·12”地震内地企业捐款实证研究

基于"5·12"汶川地震后我国31个省区内地企业赈灾捐赠金额和捐赠企业数量的数据,研究分析了我国省区特性对企业慈善捐赠的影响。结果表明,我国企业的捐赠行为显著受到各省区经济发展水平和政策环境以及企业网络的影响,主要体现在各省区经济发展水平与企业赈灾捐款金额和捐赠企业数量成正比;企业慈善捐赠存在政府导向性;捐赠金额和捐赠企业数量还与各省企业网络紧密度正相关。     

高管从军经历影响公司治理吗?--来自中国上市公司的经验证据

从军经历影响高管行为选择和管理风格,对于公司治理具有重要的价值。采用2004-2014年上市公司数据样本,以盈余管理程度以及审计意见类型作为反映公司治理的代理变量,本文实证分析了高管从军经历对公司治理的影响。研究发现,有过从军经历的高管所在民营上市公司被出具非标审计意见的可能性以及实施盈余管理的程度相对更低,国有企业则不显著;制度环境影响高管从军经历的治理效应,表现为所在地区政府干预越弱时,高管从军经历对于完善民营企业公司治理的作用越大;高管从军经历与MBA教育在影响民营企业公司治理方面具有替代效应,且从军经历具有更为重要的稳定影响;管制行业民营企业高管从军经历的治理效应更为显著。本文的研究对理解我国企业高管从军经历对于公司治理的重要性以及拓展高管异质性影响公司决策的相关研究具有重要的价值。     

Subsidiary embeddedness as a determinant of divisional headquarters involvement in innovation transfer processes

This paper conceptualizes divisional headquarters as an important hub-firm within the MNE, orchestrating innovation transfer processes between subsidiaries. It is argued that the internal and external embeddedness of a subsidiary hosting an innovation development project subsequently influences divisional headquarters involvement in the transfer of that innovation. In this way, embeddedness, i.e., the relationships that firms have with each other in the innovation development phase, is brought to the fore as an important factor for MNE subsidiaries hosting innovation development projects for explaining the involvement of divisional headquarters in a subsequent transfer. This highlights divisional headquarters as an active orchestrator of innovation transfers within the MNE. Data from 169 innovation transfer projects as well as 146 internal and 121 external embedded relationships at subsidiary level support the argument of embeddedness as a driver of divisional headquarters involvement in subsidiary innovation transfer projects. From a business network perspective, the findings highlight the role of internal and external embeddedness during innovation development in the subsequent involvement of divisional headquarters in the transfer phase. Embeddedness is not only important for subsidiaries in the innovation development phase but also for divisional headquarters involvement in, and orchestration of, innovation transfer.     

基于控制权私有收益视角的可转债融资的治理效应研究

通过在职消费、过度投资、自由现金流和现金股利支付4个变量间接测度管理者攫取的控制权私有收益,并运用中国A股市场数据实证检验权益、债务和可转债3种不同融资方式下(横向比较)以及可转债发行前后(纵向比较)企业控制权私有收益的差异。研究结果表明,可转债发行将导致在职消费和自由现金流的降低以及现金股利支付的增加;但在抑制管理者过度投资中可转债并未发挥积极作用。研究结果为优化我国企业融资结构,完善内部公司治理提供了理论支持;同时,也将为促进我国资本市场金融创新提供新的证据。     

多元化战略、高管持股分布设计与公司治理

多元化战略实施过程中高管持股作为一种长期激励机制其设计是否合理将直接影响企业战略收益的实现,在文献回顾的基础上分析高管持股利益趋同效应对多元化战略成功实施的积极意义以及公司治理强弱对高管持股效应的影响.对沪深两市2005年674家上市公司的数据进行实证分析,结果表明提高高管持股激励强度能有效改善多元化战略的实施效果,但高管持股分布设计差异影响利益趋同效应的发挥.公司治理作为企业战略实施的保障机制,可以有效地避免高管持股的壕沟防御效应.企业应该从高管持股分布设计和公司治理等多个维度同步建设入手,为多元化战略的成功实施创造条件.     

Lessons from the flipside: How do acquirers learn from divestitures to complete acquisitions?

We examine whether experience from prior divestitures is associated with higher completion likelihood in subsequent acquisitions. We argue that through divestitures, firms could extract meaningful knowledge that is helpful for completing their acquisitions, such as a general understanding of acquisition deal-making stages, and the stories and aims of the target in an M&A transaction. In addition, viewing divestitures as the flipside of acquisitions, we conjecture that the selling firm can observe how the divested component of their business is acquired, and vicariously learn from these observations. We also investigate the relative importance of learning from divestiture vis-à-vis acquisition experience in determining acquisition deal completion. Finally, we contend that the effect of learning from divestitures on acquisition deal completion depends on acquisition experience and deal value. We find evidence supporting our conjectures in a sample of 2164 M&A transactions from the worldwide computer and printing industries between 1991 and 2010.     

To be or not to be corporate heritage oriented? A study of managers’ corporate heritage mindsets

Corporate heritage is a research topic in branding with managerial relevance to achieve competitive advantages. Research has mainly focussed on companies with a formal corporate heritage orientation, neglecting other companies. In this study, a novel framework has been developed for analysing managers' corporate heritage mindsets as a precondition for a corporate heritage orientation in a non-heritage-oriented company. Individual managers’ corporate image heritage depicts how managers perceive their company over time, hence revealing their corporate heritage mindset. This article proposes that two managerial mindset dimensions matter – corporate heritage recognition and stance. This abductive study combines theory and empirical findings from an industrial company with a long history, but no corporate heritage orientation. The proposed framework offers companies with a history a way to analyse whether corporate heritage could be recognised and employed. This article contributes to corporate heritage research by broadening the applicability of corporate heritage issues.     

The Bind that Ties: Socioemotional Wealth Preservation in Family Firms

A growing body of research shows that family firms are different from other organizations in significant ways. In this paper we review this literature by examining how family firms differ from nonfamily firms along five broad categories of managerial decisions. These categories encompass a set of key organizational choices concerning management processes, firm strategies, corporate governance, stakeholder relations and business venturing. We argue that socioemotional wealth or affective endowment of family owners explain many of these choices. We also examine some contingency factors (namely family stage, firm size, firm hazard, and the presence of nonfamily shareholders) that moderate the influence of socioemotional wealth preservation as a point of reference when making managerial decisions in family firms. Lastly, we explore the firm performance consequences of family ownership.     

The impact of social power and influence on the implementation of innovation strategies: A case study of a UK mega infrastructure construction project

Influence plays a key role in reaching consensus among multiple actors involved in project-based decision-making processes. While prior literature devotes considerable attention to describing influence, little attention has been paid to influence at the individual level of the strategic project manager within the context of megaprojects. This research intended to fill this knowledge gap by identifying and describing the influence strategies that a strategic project manager applies when implementing innovation strategies on megaprojects. A qualitative case study was used to examine the complex social processes involved in a major UK capital investment programme. The findings underline a critical subset of influence strategies, notably higher-management support, inspirational appeal and bargaining. The study proposes a utilitarian structure of social power comprising selective, supportive and executory power bases.     

Cross-cultural industrial relations: An empirical examination

This paper is born out of research conducted in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and India between 1987 and 1990. It is an attempt to empirically test and extend the scope of a model formulated in England in 1977. The original model postulated that managerial behavior towards industrial relations issues, on an organizational or micro level, could be predicted if the managerial style could be properly predicated within the matrix of the model. The present study uses the model to see if similar prediction (or in any case, generalization) can be made on a macro level. The findings reveal that a certain degree of generalization can be empirically sustained in so far as the style of managers in the three countries is concerned. To that extent the paper is a contribution to the corpus of thought on the subject of managerial beliefs and provides valuable insight for the student of human resources management especially in the area of industrial relations and corporate policy.     

管理者代理行为、公司过度投资与公司治理——基于企业生命周期视角的实证研究

通过建立企业生命周期新的划分指标,从企业发展的动态层面研究管理者代理行为与公司过度投资之间关系随企业生命周期的演变,并检验公司治理机制随企业生命周期的治理效果。结果表明,我国上市公司管理者代理行为随企业生命周期动态变化,其对公司过度投资的影响随企业生命周期发展不断减弱。不同公司治理机制的治理效果随企业生命周期也发生变化,其中董事长总经理兼任在成长阶段能够有效抑制公司过度投资,而独立董事在成熟阶段及大股东在衰退阶段均显著没有发挥应有的监督作用。成长阶段中的公司监事会能够对代理行为引致的过度投资起到显著的监督作用,而董事长总经理兼任则显著加剧代理行为引致的过度投资,成长阶段中管理层持股、成熟阶段中独立董事与外部机构持股以及衰退阶段中大股东均显著没有起到应有的治理作用。     

MANAGING PRODUCT VARIETY: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW AND RESEARCH DIRECTIONS

Variety management has emerged as a crucial dimension of successful business practice. In this paper, I first provide a framework for managerial decisions about variety. Variety‐creation decisions determine the amount, type, and timing of end‐product variety, while variety‐implementation decisions focus on the design and operation of internal processes and a supply chain to support a firm's variety‐creation strategy. I organize variety‐related decisions into four key decision themes in variety creation: 1) dimensions of variety, 2) product architecture, 3) degree of customization, and 4) timing; and three key decision themes in variety implementation: 1) process capabilities, 2) points of variegation, and 3) day‐to‐day decisions. I describe each theme and review the relevant literature on each theme, with a focus on research that provides insight to problems faced in practice. Finally, I identify untapped avenues for future research that would be of value to the practicing manager, paying special attention to interdependencies among decision themes.     

政治治理、管理层权力与国有企业过度投资

党组织参与公司治理是我国国有上市公司治理的重要特征。本文以2011-2016年国有上市公司为样本,研究了政治治理、高管权力与过度投资的关系。结果表明,管理层权力与过度投资显著正相关,政治治理对管理层权力起抑制效应,减小了管理层权力较大企业过度投资的可能性。党委书记或党委副书记兼任董事、党委书记或党委副书记兼任高管分别对管理层权力与过度投资的正向关系产生抑制效应,而党委书记任董事长与党委书记任总经理的政治治理模式则分别与管理层权力与过度投资的正向关系产生协同效应。分组检验结果表明,地方国有企业中管理层权力与过度投资的正向相关关系较之中央国有企业更为显著,政治治理的对于管理层权力与过度投资关系的抑制作用在中央国有企业中比在地方国有企业中更为显著;在2015年新文件发布之后,管理层权力与过度投资的正向相关关系不再显著,政治治理对管理层权力的抑制效应较新文件发布前更为显著,降低了管理层权力较高的企业过度投资的可能性。     

Why planners don't

This paper deals with a study which the authors undertook of the planning function in five major U.S. corporations. None of the five engaged in true strategic planning. The authors advance explanations for this relatively low level of planning activity, based on the environmental, organizational, and managerial characteristics of the firms. The authors urge the rapid development of a more sophisticated contingency theory of corporate planning to facilitate practice, teaching, and research.