Thomas J. Callahan

Supply Base Strategies to Maximize Supplier Performance

Competing in the mid‐to‐late 1990s will require world‐class firms to rely increasingly on their suppliers while at the same time developing more aggressive and executive supported purchasing, supply base and sourcing strategies, because suppliers′ performance is not meeting expectations of purchasers. This finding was one result of a research effort with over 100 different firms over a five‐year period to determine the importance of the supply base, current supplier performance and emerging supply base/sourcing strategies being used by leading firms to contribute to competitive advantage. It was further determined that significant opportunities exist to accelerate development of supplier capabilities and performance. Identifies and discusses continuous improvement and breakthrough supply base and sourcing strategies to achieve supply base improvement.

Predictors of relationships among buying and supplying firms

Analyses responses from over 700 suppliers about their relationships with one of five different manufacturing firms. Finds that co‐operation, years as supplier, and perceived dependence were the strongest predictors of the suppliers′ assessments of their business relationships with the manufacturing firms. Participation in joint programmes, ratings of the manufacturers′ quality programmes, and perceived dependence were the strongest predictors of the transfer of cost and technological information from the supplier to the buying firm. Discusses implications for companies seeking stronger relationships with their exchange partners, as well as information sharing behaviours from them.

The transition from college to work during the great recession: employment, financial, and identity challenges

This study examines the challenges that recent college graduates face in a hard-hit US region during the Great Recession. In their poignant and sometimes heartbreaking perceptions of their ‘biggest challenges,’ graduates vividly illustrate the negative implications of degree completion during the recession. Based on an analysis of both closed and open-ended survey data of Michigans 2012 graduates, we find that women and first generation college graduates fare the worst in terms of their employment status, debt and income levels, and subjective assessments of job opportunities and financial stress. In contrast, men, especially those whose parents have at least a bachelors degree, were more likely than their counterparts to report that their ‘biggest challenge’ since graduation was linked with making the transition into adult roles. Taken together, these findings suggest widespread difficulty after graduating from college during the Great Recession, and the ways in which these difficulties are linked with gender and class inequalities.

Developing an Undergraduate Assessment Test: A Mechanism for Faculty Feedback About Retention

A regional business school chose to self develop an assessment test of the fundamental concepts of the undergraduate business core. Above and beyond the demands of AACSB accreditation, faculty identified feedback from such a test as an essential precursor to changing both overall curriculum and individual class content. The authors describe the methodology used to construct this instrument. Internal consistencies and validities of the resulting test compared favorably with those of commercially constructed tests. The authors discuss the methodology and results of the test validation process as well.

Reaching the non-traditional stopout population: a segmentation approach

An estimated 21% of 25–34-year-olds in the United States, about eight million individuals, have attended college and quit before completing a degree. These non-traditional students may or may not return to college. Those who return to college are referred to as stopouts, whereas those who do not return are referred to as stayouts. In the face of declining pools of traditional students, colleges and universities have attempted to induce these students to return to higher education. Regrettably, little is known about the intentions and attitudes of these young adults after they have left higher education. This paper uses segmentation and targeting to identify those students who intend to return to college and those who do not. Using demographic and psychographic variables, five unique segments are identified. The study recommends strategies for reaching those segments which are most likely to return to higher education.

Leaders’ Behaviors During Radical Change Processes: Subordinates’ Perceptions of How Well Leader Behaviors Communicate Change

This research asked 252 upper-, middle-, and first-line-level managers in organizations experiencing radical change to assess the effects of their own leaders’ communications and behaviors on their perceptions of the change process. Results indicated that the frequency of exhibition of most behaviors by leaders positively affected subordinates’ perceptions of change. For three types of behaviors, soliciting upward feedback, driving change, and providing resources, the importance of these behaviors to the subordinates’ moderated perceptions of the change process. Discussion of these results and their implications conclude the study.

HITTING THE BOOKS AGAIN: FACTORS INFLUENCING THE INTENTIONS OF YOUNG ADULTS TO REENROLL IN COLLEGE

Results from the analyses of data from 463 former college students between the ages of 25 and 34 years old identify those most likely to reenroll in higher education in the near future. Those who intend to reenroll are more likely to be members of minority groups, younger, single, and recently laid-off, have earned more credits, and hold strong beliefs about the value of education. Specific recommendations for strategies and policies through which colleges could motivate former students to reenroll and facilitate their transitions back into the educational system are offered. Among these, programs that include techniques for updating technology skills, improving time management and goal setting practices, and reinforcing study habits appear to be particularly appropriate to the needs of this subpopulation. Suggestions for future research on stopouts, as well as stayouts, conclude the study.

An educational option for those facing lay-off: a human capital perspective

This research assesses factors that affect the choice of an educational support severance package when an employee is offered an array of severance packages that also includes a lump-sum buyout and a retirement package. Hypotheses developed from human capital theory were tested using multinomial logistic regression. The sample comprised 446 current and former employees of a large unionized manufacturing firm. This sample is of interest because the jobs held by these individuals, manufacturing jobs with high wages and benefits, are rapidly disappearing. Results indicated that women were more likely to accept the educational option, as were younger and single respondents. Two groups who were not eligible for retirement were of particular interest in this study. Those who accepted the educational option and those who chose the lump-sum payment did not differ on educational attainment or tenure, but differed on age, partnered status, gender and salary.