Jacqueline N. Hood

Entrepreneurship's requisite areas of development: A survey of top executives in successful entrepreneurial firms

Abstract Precisely what does one “need to know” in order to become a successful entrepreneur? When should we first begin teaching this knowledge? How should this knowledge be conveyed? These questions and others were answered by 100 leading entrepreneurs and chief executive officers in Americas fastest-growing entrepreneurial firms. Questions such as those listed above are rapidly taking on increased importance not only for enhancing U.S. national competitiveness, but also around the world. For instance, eastern block countries wish to understand these questions as they attempt to establish free market economies and foster the entrepreneurial spirit, while developing countries need answers as they turn more toward entrepreneurship as a viable vehicle for promoting economic development and improved living standards for their citizens. This research develops a theoretical framework suggesting four primary areas in which successful entrepreneurs must be developed. Specifically, these areas are content, skills and behavior, mentality, and personality. The first three areas, content, skills and behavior, and mentality are referred to as areas of creative knowledge. This is because new knowledge is brought into existence during the creation and subsequent management of growing business entities. The study analyzes the responses of 100 chief executives from Inc. magazines list of the nations most successful publicly held entrepreneurial firms for the years 1979–1989. A list of requisite areas of knowledge in terms of content, skills, and mentality is developed. Personality characteristics necessary for entrepreneurial achievement are also delineated. Examples of essential domains of knowledge include finance/cash management, engineering, accounting, etc. in the area of content. Leadership, communication, and human relations are some of the skills and behaviors deemed essential. Creativity, opportunistic thinking, vision, and positive thinking are examples of required mentality attributes. Self-motivation, propensity for risk-taking, and deep-seated ethical values are required in terms of personality characteristics. After determining the areas of knowledge required for successful entrepreneurship, the study goes further to determine (1) if the executives believe the knowledge can in fact be taught, (2) the priority level of importance of the knowledge, and (3) suggested methods for conveying or teaching such knowledge. The results of the study represent a first attempt in the U.S. for systematically determining, from successful entrepreneurs, the knowledge believed important for engendering successful entrepreneurship. The results will help the designers of entrepreneurship education curricula in deciding which areas might be included in such curricula and which should receive greater emphasis. Finally, while the results could very well be different in other cultures and countries, they could represent a starting point for further analysis in other parts of the world as governments, academicians, and business communities attempt to foster the entrepreneurial spirit as a means of economic development and improvement of local standards of living.

The Relationship of Leadership Style and CEO Values to Ethical Practices in Organizations

This study analyzes the relationship between CEO values, leadership style and ethical practices in organizations. The ethical practices of formal statement of ethics and diversity training are included in the study, as well as four categories of values based on Rokeachs (1973) typology including personal, social, competency-based and morality-based. Results indicate that all four types of values are positively and significantly related to transformational leadership, with transactional leadership positively related to morality-based and personal values, and laissez-faire leadership negatively related to competency-based values. When size of company and values are controlled, transformational leadership explains a significant amount of change in formal statement of ethics, and transactional leadership explains a significant amount of change in diversity training.

Business ethics in the NAFTA countries: A cross-cultural comparison

Abstract This article examines the nature and extent of similarities and differences in cultural values among managers in the three nations that signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). One component of a culture is ethics, with this aspect of a culture existing as a potentially strong influence on the success of business organizations. In order to explore the impact of culture on ethical decision making in the NAFTA countries, we review the literature and develop propositions concerning the dimensions of culture that would be expected to influence the ethical standards applied to business decisions and organizational practices. The analysis applies Hofstedes [Cultures consequences. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage, 1980.] four cultural dimensions in the three NAFTA countries, which include individualism vs. collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, power distance, and masculinity. We also examine three additional cultural factors — attitude toward work, problem solving, and view of human nature. Propositions are presented involving the prevalence of codes of ethics, issues relating to bribery of public officials, and treatment of low-level employees. Finally, we discuss research design issues relevant for empirical investigation of the propositions.

Patterns of Differential Assimilation and Acculturation for Women in Business Organizations

This article reviews cross-cultural studies on adaptation, specifically acculturation and assimilation, in the context of the literature on organizational culture and develops a conceptual model of womens current status in organizations. A cultural perspective that goes beyond person-and situation-centered theories helps to account for the gender gap in management. The cultural perspective suggests that it is possible for women, like other marginal persons, to acculturate to the organization without being assimilated into it. This article proposes a classification of differential patterns of adaptation for women in business organizations and suggests some options for changing the culture itself in order to mitigate the effects of the differences.

It may not be what you think: Gender differences in predicting emotional and social competence

Women and men leaders have been noted to be similar in terms of emotional and social competence in the workforce. We analyzed gender differences in self-ratings, others’ ratings, and predicted ratings of men and women leaders on a multi-source feedback assessment of emotional and social competence. Findings revealed that there were significant differences between how leaders were rated on emotional and social competence versus how they predicted they would be rated. Furthermore, results indicated that when asked to predict how they were rated by their managers, direct reports, and peers, women were significantly poorer at predicting others’ ratings compared with men. However, women self-rated their demonstration of emotional and social competence similar to men. Age was investigated, but not found to have an effect on men and women’s predictions of others’ ratings. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings and areas for future research.

The practice of corporate social performance in minority- versus nonminority-owned small businesses

This study compares corporate social performance in terms of charitable contributions of minority-owned and nonminority-owned small businesses. In this sample, minority-owned small businesses are younger, have less full-time employees, and lower annual sales. Minority-owned small businesses donate more funds to religious organizations than nonminority-owned small businesses. When annual sales are accounted for, minority-owned businesses contribute more total dollars to all charitable organizations than nonminority-owned firms. Suggestions for future research in this area are delineated.

Workplace bullying across cultures A research agenda

Workplace bullying has increasingly become of interest to scholars and practicing managers due to its creation of dysfunctional intraorganizational conflict and its negative effects on employees and the workplace. Although studies have explored bullying in different cultural contexts, little research exists that provides a comparison of bullying behaviors across cultural dimensions. This article describes a new research agenda that analyzes the impact of specific cultural dimensions—assertiveness, in-group collectivism, and power distance—on organizational bullying. An expanded categorization of bullying prevalence and form is also proposed, with implications for both future research and organizational practice provided.

Corporate Culture: The Missing Piece of the Healthcare Puzzle

Abstract The U.S. healthcare system requires radical, not incremental, change. Management issues in healthcare delivery are fundamentally different from those in the business world. Systems thinking forces a focus on corporate culture, about which there is little hard data. The use of cost/benefit analysis suffers from the lack of any accepted measure of long-term “benefit.” The authors make four observations: (1) corporate culture is both part of the cause and part of the cure for healthcare; (2) long-term financial and functional measures are necessary to make evidence-based decisions; (3) valid, nationwide data must be developed regarding the corporate culture of medicine; and (4) direct (unmodified) application of management theory or practices will not achieve sustainable improvements.

Building Student Competency to Develop Power and Influence Through Social Capital

The course discussed in this article uses an integrative approach in presenting the concept of social capital and power to Executive MBA students at a large public university in the southwestern United States, where a majority of the students are members of non-dominant racial, gender and ethnicity groups. The article describes the theoretical constructs of social capital, power, and influence; notes how ascribed characteristics such as race and gender affect social capital and power; discusses how the application of these constructs can be understood in the context of organizations; and presents examples of student writings used to assess learning outcomes.

Gender Effects of Graphics Presentation

AbstractThis study examined the effects of presentation format on performance on mathematical test items for 114 accounting students. The characteristic of gender was believed to have a moderating effect on performance on these test items. Students were assigned either a graphical or a tabular format on four sets of data. Results indicated that males performed better than females, and individuals receiving the tabular format outperformed those receiving the graphics format. Presentation format must be considered in determining appropriate mathematical testing to prevent bias due to individual differences.