Teresa Joyce Covin

Competitive Aggressiveness, Environmental Context, and Small Firm Performance:

This study examined relationships between firm performance, the degree of aggressiveness a firm exhibits in its competitive orientation, and the environmental dimensions of technological sophistication and hostility. Subgroup (correlation) analysis was used to analyze data collected from 143 small manufacturing-based firms. The findings suggest that high-performing firms often exhibit an aggressive competitive orientation when faced with environmental hostility, while low-performing firms tend to be more passive when operating in hostile environments. No overall difference was observed in the correlations between competitive aggressiveness and environmental technological sophistication for the high- and low-performing subgroups. However, younger firms generally performed better when they were not highly aggressive in technologically sophisticated environments.

Participant Perceptions of Positive and Negative Influences on Large-Scale Change

Individuals who have participated in large-scale change programs were asked to identify issues that have a highly positive impact or a highly negative impact on the change process. Managers, researchers, internal consultants, and external consultants listed over 900 issues that they believe have an impact on the ultimate success of large-scale change programs. Content analysis was utilized to group responses into meaningful categories. These categories of issues as well as differences in the responses of the four groups of individuals surveyed are discussed. The research provides an overview of key issues for consideration in the management of large-scale change efforts.

Leadership style and post‐merger satisfaction

Explores the relationship between leadership style and post‐merger satisfaction, noting from the results that leadership style is significantly related to merger satisfaction for both acquiring and acquired firm employees, but that effective leadership style profiles vary for these two groups of employees. Shows that, for acquiring firm employees, the use of reward power is the strongest predictor of merger satisfaction, while merger satisfaction for acquired firm employees is most closely associated with transformational leadership. Suggests that appropriate leadership style can greatly enhance merger effectiveness.

Profiling Preference for Employment in Family-Owned Firms

This article summarizes findings from an exploratory investigation of factors related to preference for employment in family-owned firms. The sample for the study consists of undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in business management classes. Discriminant analysis was used to identify life history and job characteristic variables that distinguish between groups of individuals who expressed a high and low preference for working in a family-owned firm. Additional findings from the study are summarized, and implications for the management of family firms are discussed.

An Investigation of Post-Acquisition Satisfaction with the Merger

This article explores post-acquisition attitudes and behaviors and the impact of merger satisfaction on attitudinal and behavioral outcome variables. The sample for the study comprises 2,845 employees in one division of a large manufacturing company. Results show significant differences in merger satisfaction both within and between acquiring firm and acquired firm employees. Level of individual satisfaction with a merger was also found to be strongly associated with several key attitudinal and demographic variables, including satisfaction with supervision, satisfaction with career future and company identification, communication with top management, agreement with the acquiring companys mission statement, turnover intent, and union status.

An examination of male and female attitudes toward career and family issues

This paper presents the results of a study designed to investigate attitudes toward various career and family issues. The sample for the study consists of 240 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in business courses. Results indicate differences in mens and womens perceptions of such issues as employer and government support for child care, parental responsibility, traditionally defined sex roles, and the impact of nonwork issues on work effectiveness. Gender differences were also evident in decisions made by study participants in response to several career-family scenarios developed by the researchers.

Knowledge Management Focus in US and Canadian Firms

Experts predict that as we approach the year 2000, employee brainpower and other knowledge resources are rapidly becoming the most important factors driving business profitability. The challenge for organizations over the next decade will be to understand the role of knowledge resources in creating value for firms. This article provides three perspectives to understand the notion of knowledge management. The first section provides an overview of trends and issues that highlight the emergence of the knowledge era. The second section of the article recaps the results of a survey of Fortune 500 and Post 300 firms that the authors conducted to learn about knowledge management practices. The last section of the article provides guidelines for getting started in knowledge management.

A Comparison of Student and Human Resource Professional Attitudes toward Work and Family Issues

This article presents the results of a study designed to investigate and compare the perceptions of students and human resource professionals regarding specific work-family interface issues. The sample for the study is composed of 229 human resource professionals and 240 undergraduate and graduate business students. Results indicate significant differences between these groups, as well as gender differences in perceptions of such issues as employer and government support for child care, parental responsibility, work commitment, and the impact of children on achievement orientation.

Viewpoint: perspectives on women in consulting

Introduces the articles selected for the special issue and their purpose. Over the next decade, consulting is likely to become an increasingly attractive career option for many women. Reviews research related to the topic of women in consulting and highlights some of the critical opportunities and challenges facing women in the consulting industry. The five articles selected for the issue provide multiple perspectives on the unique experiences and contributions of women in the field of consulting.

Fuzzy logic tools needed for intellectual capital management systems

A recent survey reveals top Fortune 500 and Canadian Post 300 managers expect employee knowledge to be the most valuable intangible asset of their firm in the year 2000. Information systems can support knowledge management activities with knowledge management support systems (KMSSs). Because of the nature of knowledge itself, efforts to capture it in a corporate knowledge base will require the use of fuzzy and other approximate reasoning methodologies to extend the grasp of traditional computerized quantitative tools.