Paula S. Daly

Alternative Knowledge Strategies, Competitive Environment, and Organizational Performance in Small Manufacturing Firms:

This study examines the relationship between knowledge strategy (exploration or exploitation) and performance, and the possible moderating role of external environment variables. Results from a sample of small manufacturing firms indicate that exploration and exploitation are distinct and complementary constructs. The relationship between exploration and performance is linear and positive, while the relationship between exploitation and performance is concave, indicating that there is a point at which focusing on exploitation leads to reduced returns. Additionally, we find that the competitive environment moderates the relationship between exploitation and performance, such that exploitation has a stronger impact on performance in stable and high–tech environments than in dynamic and low–tech environments. Exploration also has a stronger impact on performance in high–tech environments than in low–tech environments.

Sources of external organisational learning in small manufacturing firms

This paper focuses on identifying external learning sources of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and the relationship between external learning sources and dynamic capabilities. Our results indicate that the most common sources of external learning for SMEs, in order, are customers, suppliers, the scientific community and other industries. The least common sources are competitors, partnerships and consultants. Our results indicate that learning from customers is a predictor of innovation speed, learning from suppliers is a predictor of operational efficiency, and learning from other industries is a predictor of superior process technologies. However, learning from competitors is negatively associated with the development of product technologies and basic research. Additionally, smaller firms in our sample learn more from suppliers and the scientific community than larger firms, while larger firms learn more from partnerships and consultants.

Cognitive-affective stress propensity: a field study

A cognitive-affective stress propensity model was examined using field study data. Structural equation models analyses tested hypothesized and alternate models to determine their goodness-of-fit with the data. The results supported a direct relationship between stress propensity and strain, and an indirect, mediated relationship between stress propensity and strain through a subjective stress construct. In addition, stress propensity was found to moderate the relationships of experienced negative affect with somatic and with psychological strain, and with one of three measures of subjective stress. Implications of the results for research and practice are discussed. Copyright

Cognitive processes, strain, and stress: Gender differences in stress propensity indicators

This study examined a model of stress response that includes a stress propensity construct, a subjective stress construct, and a strain construct. Using structural equation models (SEM) analysis, this model provided a good fit with the data. SEM analysis of gender differences indicated that the path coefficients for the relationships between the stress propensity construct with subjective stress were higher for women than for men. Factor loadings for two of the six indicators of the stress propensity construct also differed between genders. The implications of these findings for understanding stress-related constructs and gender differences are discussed.

Problem-Based Teaching in International Management: A Political/Economic Risk Assessment Exercise

This article draws from the current literature to examine problem-based learning (PBL) as a management education tool, and provides an example of how to incorporate PBL into an undergraduate international management course. Also included are an explanation of, and specific guidelines for, a PBL exercise focused on the analysis of “country risk” (political/economic risks) for potential foreign direct investment. Additionally, the benefits and unique challenges of successfully implementing this type of exercise are discussed.

Antecedents of citizenship behavior in Arab employees in Kuwait

This study identifies antecedents of two specific dimensions of organizational citizenship behavior, altruism (OCBI) and civic virtue (OCBO), in a sample of Arab employees working in Kuwait. Results indicate that a collectivist orientation is a significant predictor of altruism and that procedural justice and job satisfaction are significant predictors of civic virtue. Additionally, respondents indicate that both altruism and civic virtue behaviors are more likely to be perceived as in-role than extra-role behaviors by study participants. Findings provide additional insight into the relevance of OCB and its antecedents in organizations within an Arab cultural context and the resultant implications for managerial processes and decisions.

Antecedents of organizational citizenship behavior in a sample of Korean manufacturing employees

This study examines attitudinal variables, justice (distributive, procedural, and interactional), job satisfaction, and organizational commitment (affective and continuance) as predictors of organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs; interpersonal helping, individual initiative, and loyal boosterism) in private sector employees in South Korea. Results show distributive justice as antecedent to loyal boosterism but not to interpersonal helping or individual initiative; procedural justice as antecedent to interpersonal helping and individual initiative but not to loyal boosterism; interactional justice as antecedent to all three OCBs; job satisfaction as antecedent to all three OCBs; affective commitment as antecedent to loyal boosterism but not to interpersonal helping or individual initiative; and continuance commitment as antecedent to loyal boosterism but not to interpersonal helping and individual initiative. The authors offer explanations for these findings based on the recent economic changes in South Korea and increasing westernization of South Korea’s business practices that may be affecting traditional cultural perspectives.

The impact of training and use of teams on dynamic capabilities of small manufacturers

We examine the link between knowledge accumulation and knowledge articulation and the subsequent development of dynamic capabilities by focusing on the links between employee training activities, use of teams, and capabilities in small to mid-size manufacturing firms. Results indicate that different bundles of training activities are associated with the dynamic capabilities of operational efficiency, innovation, and marketing and that the use of teams fully or partially mediates the majority of the relationships between these training activities and firm capabilities.