Vickie Cox Edmondson

Giving back: An examination of the philanthropic motivations, orientations and activities of large Black-owned businesses

This study of philanthropy among large Black-owned businesses provides insights into a sector of business giving which has not been studied. Results indicate that philanthropy and ethical justifications play a more important role in minority business enterprises than in non-minority firms studied previously.

Managing the unwanted truth: a framework for dissent strategy

Purpose – Although decision makers and their superiors are obliged to be open to bad news, dissent, warnings, and problem signs, employees are often afraid to speak up. The purpose of this paper is to present a framework for the study of organizational dissent strategy used during the decision‐making phase of organizational change.Design/methodology/approach – After identifying the components of the frame work, it is illustrated by examining two distinct and challenging dissent experiences. Propositions are set forth for further research.Findings – It is argued that level of trust and sense of urgency will impel employees to voice opposition using four dissent strategies: organizational silence, organizational rumbling, organizational communication, and/or organizational blasting.Originality/value – The paper is of value by showing that decision makers should be better equipped to identify and manage dissent strategies before they cause harm within their organizations.

Exceeding government‐mandated social programs: minority supplier development programs

Purpose – This paper sets out to promote individual enterprise responsibility and provide recommendations that will strengthen the relationship between large firms and small businesses involved in minority supplier development programs in the USA.Design/methodology/approach – The groundwork for the empirical study comprised a literature review of existing perspectives on the assisted growth and development of businesses owned by minorities.Findings – Support is found for programs that help disadvantaged groups to succeed but opposition to preferential treatment is also evident. Several firms that have noteworthy minority supplier development programs are identified. Recommendations are provided to further develop the relationship between large suppliers and small businesses owned by minorities.Research limitations/implications – Future research should use organizational case studies to provide a more detailed analysis of outcomes and the role of minority supplier development programs.Practical limitations...

Organizational Surveys: A System for Employee Voice

Although surveys are often used to assess and track employee attitudes and opinions over time and are used quite frequently by applied communication researchers, the use of surveys as a channel to voice employee attitudes and opinions has not been fully explored in the employee voice or basic organizational communication literature. With the increased call for accountability, effective applied communication researchers can play an important role in ensuring that organizations engage in the survey process in a manner that is “safe” for employees, and ethical and practical for the organization. Because the question of how to accomplish this task is complex and cannot be fully addressed within the constraints of a commentary, I offer three general principles to guide future researchers in helping overcome organizational communication problems: 1. Build trust in the organizational survey process, the researcher(s), and the organization. 2. Eliminate the adversarial relationship that often exists between management and employees who speak up. 3. Provide evidence that the organization does more than purport to value the things that it says it values.Although surveys are often used to assess and track employee attitudes and opinions over time and are used quite frequently by applied communication researchers, the use of surveys as a channel to voice employee attitudes and opinions has not been fully explored in the employee voice or basic organizational communication literature. With the increased call for accountability, effective applied communication researchers can play an important role in ensuring that organizations engage in the survey process in a manner that is “safe” for employees, and ethical and practical for the organization. Because the question of how to accomplish this task is complex and cannot be fully addressed within the constraints of a commentary, I offer three general principles to guide future researchers in helping overcome organizational communication problems: Build trust in the organizational survey process, the researcher(s), and the organization. Eliminate the adversarial relationship that often exists between management ...

A preliminary review of competitive reactions in the hip‐hop music industry

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to explore the entry and success of hip‐hop entrepreneurs in the music industry and identify the competitive reactions of well‐established firms within the industry.Design/methodology/approach – The paper used anecdotal data and popular press coverage to trace the evolution of the hip‐hop music industry in the USA and discuss aspects of the marketing strategies of key players in the industry. Additionally, the strategic response of dominant firms to their success within the industry is explored.Findings – Hip‐hop music and its ensuing culture is now a well‐established industry that has enormous marketing power. Although few championed their efforts in the beginning, the contributions of Black American entrepreneurs to the music industry is becoming increasingly recognized by existing firms within the industry and beyond. The failure of major record companies to capitalize on the hip‐hop phenomenon resulted in the creation of new ventures and a new industry. While one cou...

The Elite Theory of Entrepreneurship Challenged: It's a New Day and a New Niche.

Journal of Career Development, l~ol. 26(1), Fall 1999 Although the number of academic journals that focus on issues concerning businesses owned by people of color is limited, there has been an increase in scholarly research on ethnic business enterprises in recent years. The term &dquo;ethnic business enterprise&dquo; is used in discussions when businesses owned by two or more ethnic groups are investigated and the owners’ race or ethnicity is relevant. In my quest to develop informative and interesting tools to illustrate some of the alleged and real differences and to advance the understanding of ethnic business enterprises, I submitted a case study to a major entrepreneurship journal concerning a successful Black-owned company in the defense industry. The case was rejected on the premise that, amongst other things, the business opportunity presented was not an entrepreneurial venture.1 One reviewer wrote, &dquo;[I] don’t know that this busi-

From desegregation to diversity management in Alabama public universities: a narrative review

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate that history has much to teach leaders in understanding resistance to affirmative action and how a greater commitment to diversity can be fostered.Design/methodology/approach – This narrative review provides a timeline of a case for resolution‐by‐agreement in the wake of the landmark Knight v. Alabama case.Findings – There have been dramatic increases in the enrollment of students of color and the presence of African‐American faculty in the three major public universities that comprise the University of Alabama System, as well as others in the state.Research limitations/implications – The present review does not contend that historic and fundamental inequities no longer exist in business and society. Moreover, the authors recognize that present inequities in the realms of diversity have important and historical roots. Likewise, there is no attempt to suggest that affirmative action is no longer a necessary or desired program in some areas. Neither do th...

Book Review: Thomas, R. R., Jr. (2006). Building on the Promise of Diversity: How We Can Move to the Next Level in Our Workplaces, Our Communities, and Our Society. New York: American Management Association:

Through our scientific and technological genius, we have made of this world a neighborhood and yet we have not had the ethical commitment to make of it a brotherhood. But somehow, and in some way, we have got to do this. We must all learn to live together as brothers or we will all perish together as fools. We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. And whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. For some strange reason I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. And you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the way God’s universe is made; this is the way it is structured. (Stanford University, Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute, n.d.)