Craig S. Galbraith

Transferring Core Manufacturing Technologies in High-Technology Firms

This article examines the successes and failures of thirty-two different high-technology intrafirm core manufacturing technology transfers where a technology was either replicated at or completely relocated to another facility. In addition, the study investigates the impact various factors have upon the economics of such transfers. These factors include: distance between facilities, complexity of the technology, communication and training, organizational experience with prior transfers, financial commitment to the transferred technology, and other resource costs.

Merger Strategies as a Response to Bilateral Market Power

Merger behavior is explored within the framework of the desire to manage resources and market dependencies. It is argued that market power resides in the bilateral relationships between buyer and s...

Divorce and the Financial Performance of Small Family Businesses: An Exploratory Study

This study formally examines the relationship between marital dissolution and the short‐term financial performance of small closely held family businesses. Fifty‐two cases of divorce where a small family business was involved were examined. Organizational and situational variables, such as the involvement of other partners in the business, whether the business was a franchise, whether formal legal proceedings were necessary, and gender differences also were examined. The results indicate that marital dissolution does impact short‐term financial performance and that several organizational and situational variables significantly influence this relationship.

Organizational Performance and Top-Management Turnover

What impacts on corporate performance does a new chief executive have? To explore this and related questions, this study compares the performance records of 61 United States corporations wherein the chief executive changed at the mid-point of a seven-year period, with the performance of 61 matched companies where top management remained the same and with industry averages. Among other results, it is found that the changes in the leadership position do not affect revenues and rates of return significantly, but there is evidence that new managers tend to be more cautious about financial risks than tenured managers.

An empirical note on entrepreneurial activity, intrinsic religiosity and economic growth

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine and test the relationship and interaction between “intrinsic” religiosity, entrepreneurial activity, and economic growth. Design/methodology/approach - The paper selects 23 countries that are predominately Christian and examine the connection between country-wide religious orientation, entrepreneurial activity, and economic growth. It specifically examines “intrinsic” religiosity, and defines entrepreneurial activity as either total start-up entrepreneurial activity or opportunity-based entrepreneurial activity. It is hypothesized that there is a direct relationship between religious attitudes and both economic growth and entrepreneurial activity, with entrepreneurial activity also acting as an intervening variable. The empirical relationship between “intrinsic” religiosity, entrepreneurial activity, and economic growth is then examined. Findings - The findings suggest that while “intrinsic” religiosity is positively related to economic growth, the key relationship may be between “intrinsic” religiosity and entrepreneurial activity, with entrepreneurial activity then resulting in economic growth. Originality/value - By examining the diverse literatures of economic development, entrepreneurship, theology, and the psychology of religion, this paper offers a unique analysis of religious attitudes and their impact on entrepreneurial activity and economic growth. Both the conceptual discussion and the empirical results extend previous studies examining cultural approaches to understanding economic growth.

Social capital as a club good: the case of ethnic communities and entrepreneurship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to offer the economic theory of clubs as a potential unifying paradigm for the study of ethnic economies and social capital.Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines the basic concepts of club theory, and reviews the empirical literature. It then applies club theory to the notion of social capital within the context of ethnic communities. It is argued that although various sociological frameworks of social capital and social networks have provided powerful descriptive models of ethnic and immigrant population behaviors, social capital needs to be examined from an economic perspective to increase prescriptive capabilities.Findings – Using club theory the paper conceptualizes the benefits derived from an ethnic grouping – among which social capital can be considered the most important – as a “club” good, supplied at the co‐ethnic level and demanded by the various key stakeholders within an ethnic community. While these benefits are at least partially non‐rivalro...

IPO performance in business to business “B2B” e‐commerce firms: effects of strategy and industry

Outlines previous research on the pricing of initial public offerings (IPOs), the particular characteristics of e‐commerce firms and the ways in which internet operations differ from traditional business contexts. Uses data from a sample of 28 US business‐to‐business, internet‐based e‐commerce firms to explore the links between industry‐specific and firm‐specific variables, IPO price and subsequent share price performance. Shows generally very high initial returns (115.2 per cent for the run‐up on the first day’s trading!) but negative long‐term returns; and the pricing is significantly positively affected by firm size, commercial strategies and management experience. Finds firms with the highest first day run‐ups were not necessarily the ones with long term underperformance and concludes that investors do actually use information on firm strategy.

Faculty Research Productivity and Standardized Student Learning Outcomes in a University Teaching Environment: A Bayesian Analysis of Relationships

This study examines whether faculty research productivity is associated with student learning. Unlike previous studies that define learning by student evaluations of teaching effectiveness, the authors specifically measure teaching effectiveness by a standardized student learning outcome measure developed by a School of Business at a US university. Using a Bayesian data reduction algorithm and regression techniques, it was found that faculty research activity is positively and significantly related to teaching effectiveness.

False Myths and Indigenous Entrepreneurial Strategies

Abstract This paper discusses the theme of indigenous entrepreneurship by exploring some false assumptions repeated not only in the popular press, but also by many academics and policy makers, related to the purported perspective of Native American populations regarding property rights, entrepreneurial behavior, and the productive use of environmental resources. We argue that these historical distortions and myths have engendered the development of misdirected public policies—in particular, the emphasis on communal land use introduced with the reservation system—that prevent these populations from exploring the full potential of entrepreneurial initiatives to overcome the conditions of poverty, unemployment, and low economic growth.

The Impact of Presentation Form, Entrepreneurial Passion, and Perceived Preparedness on Obtaining Grant Funding

This study investigates important questions for any emerging high-technology firm attempting to obtain funding: Does the design of the presentation and the perceived passion and preparedness of the presenter influence expert reviewers’ assessment of the merits of the firm’s proposal? The authors analyzed 22 videotaped presentations to reviewer panels at a U.S. Department of Defense technology transfer consortium and compared the panels’ assessments of the presenting firms’ proposals both before and after the formal presentations. The data showed that, on average, higher levels of perceived entrepreneurial passion and presenter preparedness and presentation designs that effectively captured the audiences’ attention resulted in higher ratings by decision makers on the firm’s technology merit, management ability, and commercial potential.