The Tyrant Executive

In order to situate themselves on the power stage, tyrants do not hesitate to use whatever means are available to optimally serve their own interests. Whether they appear in the business or political arena, tyrants share three primary characteristics: a feeling of indispensability and self glorification, intolerance of opinions and acts which might deviate from their own, and a tendency to blindly or brutally resort to whatever actions they think necessary to maximize their benefits. In his t...

Creating Competitive Advantage Through Intangible Assets: The Direct and Indirect Effects of Corporate Culture and Reputation

Corporate culture and reputation are intangible assets firms use to create a competitive strategic advantage to differentiate themselves from other firms to enhance firm performance. Numerous articles cite how corporate culture may be an important intangible predictor of reputation, but only a few researchers have empirically tested the relationship between culture and reputation. Using a sample of 104 firms, we find that culture not only enhances financial performance (as indicated by other ...

An Evaluation of the Competitiveness of the Agribusiness Sector in South Africa

The objective of this paper is to conduct a comprehensive analysis on the competitiveness of the agribusiness sector in South Africa Three instruments emerged from this viz the AGRIBUSINESS COMPETITIVENESS STATUS (ACS) index; the AGRIBUSINESS EXECUTIVE SURVEY (AES); and the AGRIBUSINESS CONFIDENCE INDEX (ACI). The framework developed in this paper combines quantitative and qualitative analyses to develop strategies to enhance the competitiveness of the sector. This study can act as a basis fo...

Re-Engineering Operational Practices and Processes to Improve the Customer Focus of a Marketing Organization

The objective of this field study is to examine the applicability and potential advantages of pull operational practices in a mid-size manufacturing organization. The results derived based on this field study point to both operational gains and customer-related benefits which can be attributed to pull operational practices. Finally, the results realized from this study suggest that other small to medium sized manufacturing businesses may benefit from a similar undertaking. Additional applied ...

Integrated Benchmarking Performance Measures

The focus of this article is to show how a thorough understanding of organizational strategy and deployment of the strategy into consistent functional strategies is critical for improving the effectiveness of a benchmarking process. The article examines the impact of managerial positions and organizational sizes on utilization of strategic and operational benchmarking performance measures. Statistical results indicate evidence of misalignment between organizational mission and goals, competit...

A Curvilinear Relationship Between Control and Strategy: Sharing of Control in a Multinational Network

There has been a great deal of interest by researchers in understanding the issue of control of subsidiaries in a multinational network. The debate has been between using high control or centralization versus low control or decentralization when examining the relationship between head office and subsidiaries. The conceptual as well as the empirical research has been contradictory. This is because the relationship between control and strategy is assumed to be a linear one. In this research, we...

Supply Chain Transformation by Erp for Enhancing Performance: An Empirical Investigation

This paper addresses the implication of transforming supply chain by implementing ERP to enhance corporate performance. The research methodology uses a case study approach employing a fact-based principle that combines quantitative and qualitative methods. A model of supply chain transformation by implementing ERP has been developed based on the findings of the case study. The model exemplifies supply chain transformation for enhancing corporate performance. The paper concludes with findings,...

In Search of a General Model of Unemployment

This study has identified macroeconomic variables with combined significant effects on unemployment movements, and explained the nature of these movements as an aid to policy makers and economists in the forecasting process. A step-wise multiple regression analysis indicated that variables of GDP, discount rate, budget deficit, inflation, and hourly wage contributed significantly to unemployment. This study confirms the belief that the occurrence of any phenomenon is caused by simultaneous im...