Books by Prescott C. Ensign 安森
Edward Elgar, 2016
Settlements at the Edge examines the evolution, characteristics, functions and shifting economic ... more Settlements at the Edge examines the evolution, characteristics, functions and shifting economic basis of settlements in sparsely populated areas of developed nations. With a focus on demographic change, the book features theoretical and applied cases which explore the interface between demography, economy, well-being and the environment. This book offers a comprehensive and insightful knowledge base for understanding the role of population in shaping the development and histories of northern sparsely populated areas of developed nations including Alaska (USA), Australia, Canada, Greenland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Finland and other nations with territories within the Arctic Circle.
McGraw-Hill, 2014
Current times are being defined as much by worldwide challenges and uncertainty as from the enorm... more Current times are being defined as much by worldwide challenges and uncertainty as from the enormous opportunities afforded by technology, global communications and the flow of knowledge and information, as well as the increasing drive to develop socially, economically, and environmentally sane and sensible new ventures. As with past generations, entrepreneurs in this arena face the ultimate and most demanding juggling act: how to simultaneously balance the insatiable requirements of family, friendship, new venture, service to community, and still have time for one's own pleasure and peace.
Routledge, 2011
Addressing the methodological and topical challenges facing demographers working in remote region... more Addressing the methodological and topical challenges facing demographers working in remote regions, this book compares and contrasts the research, methods and models, and policy applications from peripheral regions in developed nations. With the emphasis on human populations as dynamic, adaptive, evolving systems, it explores how populations respond in different ways to changing environmental, cultural and economic conditions and how effectively they manage these change processes. Theoretical understandings and policy issues arising from demographic modelling are tackled including: competition for skilled workers; urbanisation and ruralisation; population ageing; the impacts of climate change; the life outcomes of Indigenous peoples; globalisation and international migration. Based on a strong theoretical framework around issues of heterogeneity, generational change, temporariness and the relative strength of internal and external ties, Demography at the Edge provides a common set of approaches and issues that benefit both researchers and practitioners.
McGraw-Hill, 2010
A book for the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders --
The evolution of entrepreneurship o... more A book for the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders --
The evolution of entrepreneurship over the years has had an extraordinary impact on the cultural and economic landscape worldwide. While there will always be opportunities for improvement and innovation, the present entrepreneurial revolution has become a model for business people, educators, and policymakers around the globe. --
People in every nation have enormous entrepreneurial qualities and aspirations, and that spirit is finding its way tiny nearly all world markets. Entrepreneurship is exploding globally and affecting positive social and economic change. --
In our roles as student, teacher, researcher, observer, and participant in the revolution, we can honestly say that the global adoption of the entrepreneurial mind-set appears to be growing exponentially larger and faster. That mind-set, while informed by by new venture experiences, affects larger corporations and the not-for-profit world as well. In our assessment, we are at the dawn of a new age of entrepreneurial reasoning, equity creation, and philanthropy, whose impact in the coming years will dwarf what we experienced over the last century.
Palgrave Macmillan, 2009
This book explores the role one social form of exchange governance plays in the occurrence of tec... more This book explores the role one social form of exchange governance plays in the occurrence of technological knowledge sharing among R&D scientists in the same firm. Technological knowledge sharing is the informal voluntary conveyance of intermediate scientific know-how from one R&D scientist (source) to another R&D scientist (recipient). This study fills a gap in the literature by exploring the relationship between reputation and the interpersonal intrafirm sharing of technological knowledge in an environment where R&D work (innovative activity) is embedded in a social context and is broken down physically, organizationally, and by area of technology. R&D workers in the same firm, though comprising a social community, may work in different locations, may be separated by organizational boundaries (e.g., departments), and work in different scientific disciplines.
The academic issue central to this debate concerns the role of social governance devices, reputation in particular, in exchange of resources; specifically, the exchange or sharing of non-codified technological knowledge. Social considerations function as an instrument of exchange between members of a firm, providing recompense for services performed and motivating their future performance (La-Valle 1998). The link between reputation and reciprocal interests challenges the standard transaction cost view of exchange that excludes the impact of social mechanisms of governance and repeated interaction. The following question for empirical investigation arises:
What effect does an R&D worker’s reputation have on a second R&D worker’s decision to share technological knowledge with the first individual, when both are in the same firm?
Knowledge and entrepreneurial knowledge-creating activities are the foundation of firm capabilities (Iansiti and Clark 1994). Questionnaire data and supporting interview data illuminate attributes of reputation (at the individual and group level) conducive to the voluntary sharing of timely, relevant, technological knowledge among R&D scientists in the same multidivisional, multinational firm.
Articles by Prescott C. Ensign 安森
Journal of Business Ethics Education, 2020
Dr. Garrett Johnson received a call from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice asking if he wo... more Dr. Garrett Johnson received a call from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice asking if he would be interested in filling prescriptions for pentobarbital. Suddenly he faced a controversial issue-providing a drug used for the lethal injection of convicted criminals. Apparently big pharma was discontinuing the manufacture and sale of drugs used for human executions-primarily due to mounting pressure from death penalty activists and shareholders, legal appeals by inmates, media reports of botched lethal injections, etc. Texas saw the solution by using small local compounding pharmacies that were less visible to the public. Should Garrett fill this lucrative order knowing how the State would use the drugs? The case presents the ethical and strategic issues that Garrett faces-having just graduated and started his own compounding pharmacy-in making this decision. Keywords: ethical decision making in business, opportunity/risk assessment, lethal injection for capital punishment, nascent entrepreneur.
Small Enterprise Research, 2019
Ryan Baird is a young entrepreneur who created Urbanology (an entertainment event business) while... more Ryan Baird is a young entrepreneur who created Urbanology (an entertainment event business) while a university student. He blended fashion, music, dance, food and shopping into one venue, a combination which ultimately became influential in the youthful urban hip-hop subculture of California’s Silicon Valley and Bay Area. Operating as part of Fresh Entertainment LLC, the enterprise helped to fund his university education, but as graduation day nears, Ryan is facing some difficult decisions. Should he continue to focus on Urbanology or exit and move on? Will he be able to part with Urbanology, a company that reflects his creative efforts? Can he find a buyer who will continue to invest time and money in Urbanology? Is it time to move into the professional career for which he has prepared? Will he be satisfied in a 9-to-5 investment finance job after the excitement of creating and implementing his own business?
Canadian Review of Sociology, 2018
THE PURPOSE OF this paper is to first, confront the notion of “rural decline” at the village leve... more THE PURPOSE OF this paper is to first, confront the notion of “rural decline” at the village level and second, to illustrate how a more immersive approach to demographic research can further our understanding of rural and remote communities. “Rural decline” is typically represented by a series of quantitative trends at the regional level that are assumed as evidence—population loss and aging, closure of services and businesses— whose (negative) meaning and importance is implicit. Significant regions in countries like Australia, Canada, and Sweden have been identified as “in decline” on this basis. In contrast, qualitative research undertaken at the settlement (town or village) level tends to look for social structures that enable towns and villages to revitalize and reverse these negative trends (Li et al. 2016). Settlement-level research, when compared to that focused on “decline,” challenges negative assumptions and can uncover processes and strategies that counter the deterioration of rural and remote villages. This paper proposes that a deeper understanding of local processes that recognizes qualitative experience is required to understand what it means to be a rural village in a declining region, and that new methods of linked quantitative and qualitative analyses are needed to facilitate this under- standing.
The very term “decline” carries both quantitative and qualitative meanings. Quantitatively, there is a process of indicators becoming represented by absolute or comparative decrease in selected indicators. Decline represents a reduced capacity to do something or to be something. Carson and Schmallegger (2011), for example, examined small rural towns which had declined in their ability to attract tourists. In Canada, Ensign (2010) has discussed declining ability to attract and retain entrepreneurs, and others have conducted analyses of difficulties in retaining skilled and
Confronting “Decline” in Rural Villages 453
professional workers (Fiore et al. 2015). The decline of places might be reflected quite directly in a quantitative sense (population, physicians per capita, number of tourists). There is less attention paid to what these places might decline to. Quantitatively, linear forecasting suggests continued decline of a resident population may ultimately lead to the disappearance of settlement. Mostly, however, even very small villages persist over long periods of time (Ahlin 2015; Robards and Alessa 2004), suggesting decline is likely nonlinear or at least has some end point which is different to disappearance (Banks 2001).
Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 2016
The framework for this study is based on the research and literature related to serial entreprene... more The framework for this study is based on the research and literature related to serial entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial ecosystems. Our sample is 12 serial entrepreneurs within a single context—the Waterloo Region—that has been ranked as one of the top start-up ecosystems in the world. In 2012, it was ranked 16th with 32 % of the start-ups identified as being led by serial entrepreneurs. The study provides an understanding of the characteristics that define a mature ecosystem, with specific input on the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. We profile the 12 entrepreneurs to provide a review of their businesses, the contributions they have made within their ecosystem, and their statements on what they have learned in the process of leading multiple ventures. This research may be useful for communities and nations that seek to focus on entrepreneurship as a means for economic growth. It should also stimulate further research on contextual issues and examine serial entrepreneurs within their own ecosystem. -- Entrepreneurs have been viewed as the engines that can move the economy forward, providing new businesses that add to entrepreneurial ecosystems in geographic regions. But entrepreneurs are unevenly distributed individually and geographically. Entrepreneurial behavior is increasingly recognized as being heterogeneous with regard to variations in the level and nature of experiences.
Journal of Enterprising Culture, 2016
This conceptual study describes an approach to corporate entrepreneurship using an outsider persp... more This conceptual study describes an approach to corporate entrepreneurship using an outsider perspective – learning to think like an outsider. Three propositions using this perspective are examined in the context of offensive and defensive corporate entrepreneurship. The impact of market conditions on entrepreneurship are used as a basis for developing these propositions. Finally, we investigate the factors that have a significant impact on the success of entrepreneurial efforts by the firm. These variables include: processes, values, resources, organizational structure, corporate culture, and leadership. We use examples of how mature corporations have responded, with particular attention to the changes confronted by Research In Motion (RIM).
Vikalpa, 2016
Georg Hentsch, President and Founder of Bannister Lake Software Inc., sat in his home office on N... more Georg Hentsch, President and Founder of Bannister Lake Software Inc., sat in his home office on New Year’s Day contemplating what the year ahead would mean for his small business. He knew that significant decisions were to be made this year that would have a great impact on the future of the organization. Georg’s most important consideration was financial stability as a reduction in cash flow could result in an inability to pay employee wages—the most significant expense that the business incurred. Georg’s desire to increase the marketability and value of his business to outside investors as he aspired to sell his business and retire in 5–10 years. He reasoned, ‘Profit margins must grow from current levels to support an attractive valuation of the company.’ The past decade had been spent developing the current line of products and services that had become extremely versatile and were easily implemented by new clients. While the business was beginning to reach full capacity with its existing team of employees, there was room to support greater sales. Additional employees would be necessary over the next few years if the business continued to expand as it had in the past.
Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, 2016
This case aims to illustrate the hurdles that a young venture might experience in the early stage... more This case aims to illustrate the hurdles that a young venture might experience in the early stages of its life cycle and showcase how managers must use ingenuity to climb over obstacles. -- RepositBox, a Canadian-based provider of credentials verification solutions, is a new venture coping with the challenges posed by the introduction of its innovative new product to the marketplace. -- This case is intended to illustrate the hurdles that a young venture might experience in the early stages of its life cycle and showcase how managers must use ingenuity to climb over obstacles.
Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Innovation, 2016
Keenga Research has a novel proposition that it is seeking to introduce to the market. The busine... more Keenga Research has a novel proposition that it is seeking to introduce to the market. The business concept is to ask entrepreneurs to review the venture capital (VC) firm that funded them. Reviews of VC firms would then be developed and marketed to those interested (funds and perhaps enterprises seeking funding). -- Keenga Research was a lean start-up; this approach favors experimentation over elaborate planning, customer feedback over intuition and iterative design over traditional big upfront research and development.
International Review of Entrepreneurship, 2015
bOK Systems Corp., a Canadian-based start-up, has been able to launch its product in the market b... more bOK Systems Corp., a Canadian-based start-up, has been able to launch its product in the market but is looking to take it to the next level and increase the adoption of its service amongst the masses. The venture team is facing challenges such as a shortage of time and money. A dilemma is that time and money are substitutes; chasing capital takes the focus away from other areas that need attention. Raising funds for the venture is not easy given the lacklustre investment environment in Canada. The team is now considering multiple alternatives, such as focusing full time on bOK (i.e., quitting all other efforts), bringing in an external CEO, or liquidation and exit.
Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, 2015
Beth Reuben, charged with business development, has been with Parlance Communications (ParCom) fo... more Beth Reuben, charged with business development, has been with Parlance Communications (ParCom) for a little over a year. Chief executive officer and founder, Dr. Emmanuel Cole, has instructed Beth Reuben to prepare the strategy for ParCom’s entry into Mexico and handle a trade show in Mexico City, Mexico, in 3 months.
International Review of Entrepreneurship, 2015
Vegetarian Gardens Inc., a Guyana-based non-meat food products company is at a crossroads. While ... more Vegetarian Gardens Inc., a Guyana-based non-meat food products company is at a crossroads. While a sole proprietor has run the young venture successfully until now, the focal entrepreneur has ambitions to spread beyond a one-man show and beyond the current local market. This might include other locations in Guyana, a leap to the developed world, or perhaps more manageably to countries nearby or expand domestically. What resources would be necessary and how might expansion unfold?
International Journal of Technology Management, 2014
This paper presents the findings from a qualitative study on the extent to which three dimensions... more This paper presents the findings from a qualitative study on the extent to which three dimensions of proximity – geographic, cognitive, and organisational – impact knowledge transfer and innovation post-merger and acquisition (M&A). Findings show that the elements of proximity substantially influence both knowledge transfer and innovation although the nature of the impact varies and is influenced by the type of management interventions or lack thereof post-M&A.
Journal of Rural and Community Development, 2014
This paper examines the role that the search for and removal of non-renewable fossil fuels plays ... more This paper examines the role that the search for and removal of non-renewable fossil fuels plays in northern, often Aboriginal, communities in Canada. Such settlements at the social, political, and geographic “periphery” or “frontier” of Canada are often characterized by transient populations and social welfare challenges. While the economic boom brought about by oil and gas development is undeniable, it is unevenly spread. Further, communities that would otherwise be facing sizable challenges now must address even greater and more urgent struggles. These rural and remote settlements have drawn strength from their social cohesion, but presently, the strain is heightened. Insiders may be at odds with outsiders; one generation may be divided against the generation before and after it. Environmental concerns and traditional culture may be displaced by competing interests. In this paper we provide an overview of the existing and proposed extraction of non- renewable natural resources in several parts of northern Canada and examine their economic impact, but also their social impact. In particular, we focus on their ramifications in terms of community cohesion in general and on Aboriginal communities more specifically.
Asian Case Research Journal, 2014
Melville Corporate Finance, Inc. (Melville) is approached by a Canadian bottling equipment manufa... more Melville Corporate Finance, Inc. (Melville) is approached by a Canadian bottling equipment manufacturer to provide $3.4 million of capital investment foreign buyer financing to their customer, a rapidly expanding Chinese bottling company. The Chinese company needs to purchase the equipment and increase its production capacity to secure long-term, multi-million dollar contracts with Pepsi and Coca-Cola in Thailand. With very short deadlines, Melville's CEO works with Export Development Canada (EDC) to assess the risks involved in offering full financing and insurance for the Chinese bottler, and must keep in mind that the Canadian manufacturer will lose the sale if the financing does not get approved. The deal presents several challenges to Melville; an unknown foreign buyer with no proven credit history, language and communication barriers, geographic distance, incongruent accounting standards, etc. As the risk variables emerge, both Melville and EDC must decide if the stakes are too high to support the transaction.
International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2014
This case addresses how students might actually proceed in starting their own Internet company. I... more This case addresses how students might actually proceed in starting their own Internet company. It is inevitable that many students will currently be thinking about their big idea that will reshape the Internet. A story from this business area is easy to relate to for most students, and discussion flows readily. The case revolves around the two founders' issues with their business as they move further away from the university setting. When the venture was created, they did all the work, including sales. As they moved on to careers, they found students to replace them on the sales front. As they slowly moved out of the day-today workings of the enterprise, a problem arose with their new key sales person – he was doing all the work and only getting a portion of the returns.
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Books by Prescott C. Ensign 安森
The evolution of entrepreneurship over the years has had an extraordinary impact on the cultural and economic landscape worldwide. While there will always be opportunities for improvement and innovation, the present entrepreneurial revolution has become a model for business people, educators, and policymakers around the globe. --
People in every nation have enormous entrepreneurial qualities and aspirations, and that spirit is finding its way tiny nearly all world markets. Entrepreneurship is exploding globally and affecting positive social and economic change. --
In our roles as student, teacher, researcher, observer, and participant in the revolution, we can honestly say that the global adoption of the entrepreneurial mind-set appears to be growing exponentially larger and faster. That mind-set, while informed by by new venture experiences, affects larger corporations and the not-for-profit world as well. In our assessment, we are at the dawn of a new age of entrepreneurial reasoning, equity creation, and philanthropy, whose impact in the coming years will dwarf what we experienced over the last century.
The academic issue central to this debate concerns the role of social governance devices, reputation in particular, in exchange of resources; specifically, the exchange or sharing of non-codified technological knowledge. Social considerations function as an instrument of exchange between members of a firm, providing recompense for services performed and motivating their future performance (La-Valle 1998). The link between reputation and reciprocal interests challenges the standard transaction cost view of exchange that excludes the impact of social mechanisms of governance and repeated interaction. The following question for empirical investigation arises:
What effect does an R&D worker’s reputation have on a second R&D worker’s decision to share technological knowledge with the first individual, when both are in the same firm?
Knowledge and entrepreneurial knowledge-creating activities are the foundation of firm capabilities (Iansiti and Clark 1994). Questionnaire data and supporting interview data illuminate attributes of reputation (at the individual and group level) conducive to the voluntary sharing of timely, relevant, technological knowledge among R&D scientists in the same multidivisional, multinational firm.
Articles by Prescott C. Ensign 安森
The very term “decline” carries both quantitative and qualitative meanings. Quantitatively, there is a process of indicators becoming represented by absolute or comparative decrease in selected indicators. Decline represents a reduced capacity to do something or to be something. Carson and Schmallegger (2011), for example, examined small rural towns which had declined in their ability to attract tourists. In Canada, Ensign (2010) has discussed declining ability to attract and retain entrepreneurs, and others have conducted analyses of difficulties in retaining skilled and
Confronting “Decline” in Rural Villages 453
professional workers (Fiore et al. 2015). The decline of places might be reflected quite directly in a quantitative sense (population, physicians per capita, number of tourists). There is less attention paid to what these places might decline to. Quantitatively, linear forecasting suggests continued decline of a resident population may ultimately lead to the disappearance of settlement. Mostly, however, even very small villages persist over long periods of time (Ahlin 2015; Robards and Alessa 2004), suggesting decline is likely nonlinear or at least has some end point which is different to disappearance (Banks 2001).
The evolution of entrepreneurship over the years has had an extraordinary impact on the cultural and economic landscape worldwide. While there will always be opportunities for improvement and innovation, the present entrepreneurial revolution has become a model for business people, educators, and policymakers around the globe. --
People in every nation have enormous entrepreneurial qualities and aspirations, and that spirit is finding its way tiny nearly all world markets. Entrepreneurship is exploding globally and affecting positive social and economic change. --
In our roles as student, teacher, researcher, observer, and participant in the revolution, we can honestly say that the global adoption of the entrepreneurial mind-set appears to be growing exponentially larger and faster. That mind-set, while informed by by new venture experiences, affects larger corporations and the not-for-profit world as well. In our assessment, we are at the dawn of a new age of entrepreneurial reasoning, equity creation, and philanthropy, whose impact in the coming years will dwarf what we experienced over the last century.
The academic issue central to this debate concerns the role of social governance devices, reputation in particular, in exchange of resources; specifically, the exchange or sharing of non-codified technological knowledge. Social considerations function as an instrument of exchange between members of a firm, providing recompense for services performed and motivating their future performance (La-Valle 1998). The link between reputation and reciprocal interests challenges the standard transaction cost view of exchange that excludes the impact of social mechanisms of governance and repeated interaction. The following question for empirical investigation arises:
What effect does an R&D worker’s reputation have on a second R&D worker’s decision to share technological knowledge with the first individual, when both are in the same firm?
Knowledge and entrepreneurial knowledge-creating activities are the foundation of firm capabilities (Iansiti and Clark 1994). Questionnaire data and supporting interview data illuminate attributes of reputation (at the individual and group level) conducive to the voluntary sharing of timely, relevant, technological knowledge among R&D scientists in the same multidivisional, multinational firm.
The very term “decline” carries both quantitative and qualitative meanings. Quantitatively, there is a process of indicators becoming represented by absolute or comparative decrease in selected indicators. Decline represents a reduced capacity to do something or to be something. Carson and Schmallegger (2011), for example, examined small rural towns which had declined in their ability to attract tourists. In Canada, Ensign (2010) has discussed declining ability to attract and retain entrepreneurs, and others have conducted analyses of difficulties in retaining skilled and
Confronting “Decline” in Rural Villages 453
professional workers (Fiore et al. 2015). The decline of places might be reflected quite directly in a quantitative sense (population, physicians per capita, number of tourists). There is less attention paid to what these places might decline to. Quantitatively, linear forecasting suggests continued decline of a resident population may ultimately lead to the disappearance of settlement. Mostly, however, even very small villages persist over long periods of time (Ahlin 2015; Robards and Alessa 2004), suggesting decline is likely nonlinear or at least has some end point which is different to disappearance (Banks 2001).
Assessment of a co- worker’s reputation affects whether knowledge is shared.
R&D workers, on the whole, remember knowledge exchanges; those who have taken more than given are less likely to receive information.
Know-how that is unique and important is most likely to be shared with a coworker.
Social networks are a defining feature of 21st-century information exchange. Within research and development-intensive industries, in particular, social networks have always been key to fostering innovation.
With regard to knowledge, the issue of transferability is important, not only between firms, but even more critically, within the firm. (Grant, 1996: 111)
Bringing different perspectives to bear on a single, overriding issue is one way to try to improve our understanding of observed phenomenon, however complex they may be. (Hagstrom & Chandler, 1999: 12)
but also an urban one, while a worker from three or four times that distance may be from a similar climate or culture and have greater affinity for a kindred peripheral establishment. Sharing a common animosity (usually towards 'the South‘) may even unite groups. In Canada, 100 years ago (and again more recently), the 'prairies‘ backlash against federal authority in central Canada was a unifying force (Ensign 2008b). At about the same time period, many in the Faroe Islands held a political conviction favouring greater independence from Denmark. A common enemy, be it a political adversary or socio-economic crisis such as poverty, can bind groups tightly together. -- Humans in these remote areas may be similar to polar bears—both groups will relocate and change behaviour in pursuit of their own self-interest—about which Wisniewski notes a difference between a change in population distribution and a population reduction. The assertion is that the overall population is not necessarily diminished (when absent from a specific place), just differently dispersed. Polar bears are flexible and adaptable and pursue a wide variety of prey. While labour market incentives draw folks to the periphery, other factors keep them there. 'Attachment to place‘ plays a role in the decisions of some. 'Place- specific social capital‘ is also a significant factor in the retention of many.
Queensland. Alaska in the United States has a population density of 0.42 persons per square kilometre, by far the lowest density of all States and comparing to 31 persons per square kilometre for the country as a whole. The northern European situation is more politically complex. The Nordic Council of Ministers has identified the "Northern Sparsely Populated Areas‟ which includes parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland, along with the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Iceland. --
Australia, Canada, the United States and Europe's Northern Sparsely Populated Areas face substantial challenges in including their furthest jurisdictions in the processes of post- industrialisation and the development of knowledge economies. It is now widely accepted that such processes are human ones – innovation diffusion relies on the interactions between people and the
organisations they construct. People provide the core inputs for networks and clusters. People are the entrepreneurs in economic systems. The collections of people as producers, intermediaries and markets constitute the critical mass which drives innovation. People are not just qualitative competitive variables; they also feature as inputs to quantitative variables such as economic structure and productivity. The role of people is not limited to economics and neither should economics be seen as the sole justification for the existence of remote populations. People sustain social, political and cultural capital - forces for social development, creativity and cultural enrichment which do not necessarily have to have immediate economic returns.
If India is to benefit from this diversity the country must, like Islamic Spain, harness its differences and emphasize its common traits in order to succeed. Indian companies, in particular, are faced with the surmountable challenge of overcoming prevailing caste, racial, religious and linguistic differences in order to sell India to the world. The challenge at hand is to minimize the inhibitive effect that these divisions have on companies in the subcontinent while developing a common vision that can turn caste, religious, ethnic and even linguistic divisions into sources of creativity and managerial prowess. This means overcoming class prejudice, racism, linguistic preferences and even religious biases to produce an organization that is rooted in meritocracy. If managed effectively, Indian companies may be faced with the opportunity of the century – an opportunity to show the world how corporate diversity can be translated into ingenuity, and how difference can translate into opportunity.
Williamson's (1967) supposition is that there exist diminishing returns to scale owing to the limitations of hierarchy. Impediments arise concerning accurate transmission of "images" among administrative levels. Hierarchical distances top executives from their "locus of productive activity." Loss in detail is due to error in the process of relaying information up the chain of command as well as in human cognitive ability -- the bounds of rationality allow for knowledge breadth at the expense of knowledge depth. Span of control is proportional to control loss and thus provides a limit to the size of an efficient firm.
Social Entrepreneurship and Enterprise: Concepts in Context. The absence of clearly deline-ated definitions and boundaries for social entrepreneurship and social enterprise has been open to debate for over 20 years. What will be of particular interest is the way the editors have framed this discourse conceptually and contextually in Australia and New Zealand.
This volume is a result of their theory framing conver- sations and subsequent research exploring the third sector in Australia and New Zealand. The contributors to the book present a broad array of interdisciplinary theoretical approaches, propose varied methodologies to test and examine theoretical insights and introduce contextually diverse geographic and demographic areas to validate their tenets at macro-, meso- and micro-levels.
If a company wants to grow revenue and profit through new products and the technologies on which they are based, it must be able to measure the productivity and efficiency of its R&D efforts. Dundon reports that 68% of companies do not have a system in place to measure R&D productivity. Most evaluated R&D spending based on: percent of sales; total R&D headcount; percent of current-year sales due to NP released in the last N years; or return on investment.
Under the same sun offers a glimpse of what can be achieved to strengthen international Indigenous research through genuine collaboration, infrastructure capacity building, and funding support. If the vulnerability and sustainable development of marginalized populations is to be understood and addressed with scientific research and Indigenous knowledge building, Under the same sun provides a model for serious consideration. --
Under the same sun presents the experiences, methods, and theories from many different Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers – to offer solutions for sustainable and harmo- nized development for First Nations people in Sweden and Botswana. Their research is focused on five issues: socio-political; language and culture; education; health; and Indigenous research. The research process of studying Indigenous peoples is a continuing theme. Who is framing the research questions and for what purpose? Is Indigenous knowledge included and how? Has Indigenous research been a reciprocal process?
While the firms are all Danish, what Pyndt and Pedersen relay is applicable to other European, Asian, or American enterprises. And while the actors and events in the cases represent valid universal business situations, the cases exhibit a refreshing tone that is largely absent in most classroom cases. Further, the typical North American case deals with strategy formulation but seldom implementation or execution. Some of these cases move beyond the ‘decision point’ to provide a glimpse of what is called for, but still leave plenty of open questions for the reader to analyze.
The remark in the opening pages that offshoring is not a zero sum game, i.e., that the company that offshores and the recipient country both gain, needs to recognize the losses in the ‘home’ country. The offshored part of the business involves displaced workers and inputs no longer sought in the ‘home’ country. Outsourcing decisions ‘have come under increasing scrutiny and criticism’ (Graf and Mudambi, 2005: 254). This politically charged discussion usually begins with savings in labor costs (Ramamurti, 2004). Lewin (2005: 491) offers that, ‘companies in countries with strong society/worker compacts may experience greater challenges in adopting and executing offshoring strategies.’ Less tactfully, a myopic unionized workforce (stereotypically inflexible and with high wages) may lead to its own demise.
Zhou appartient à la classe moyenne croissante et de plus en plus prospère de Chinois qui ont opté pour les assistants numériques personnels (PDA) afin d’accéder aux commodités qu’offre la vie dans l’une des grandes villes du pays. La marque particulière qu’utilise Zhou, soit le GWcom PDA, figure parmi les nombreux joueurs spécialisés du marché chinois dominé par des sociétés indigènes qui ont mis au point une gamme complète de PDA et d’applications, de l’appareil permettant l’accès intégral à Internet aux simples agendas et dictionnaires électroniques.
Malgré la force de marques locales comme Lenovo (dont la croissance lui a permis d’acquérir la division PC d’IBM), Meijin Computer, GSL (Group Sense International Limited), Digital China, Legend et Hi-Tech Wealth, les appareils les plus populaires en Chine demeurent ceux qui incorporent une technologie importée ou ceux qui sont importés. Le système d’exploitation Palm ou ceux basés sur Linux ont trouvé des applications dans les PDA chinois, alors que Palm poursuit ses tentatives de commercialisation de son matériel auprès des consommateurs chinois1. D’autres firmes comme Research In Motion (RIM) se retrouvent dans une situation assez singulière, alors qu’elles tentent d’explorer le marché très concurrentiel des PDA entouré d’obstacles institutionnels.
“Putting our cash to work, we’ve expanded our product portfolio and announced plans to acquire companies that deepen and broaden our systems strategy. We’ve maintained our R&D commitment and delivered crown jewels like Solaris 10 to the market,” said Scott McNealy, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Sun Microsystems. “Big-time progress in FY05. The company is now in a position to take advantage of the investments we have made over the past few years and we believe there is more to come in FY06.”
McNealy continued, “Our demand indicators for Q4 were positive. We have great partners, lots of cash, and a strong team across the board. FY05 was a year of stabilized revenue and earnings. Our opportunity for FY06 is sustained growth and profitability.”
“Profitability?” was the incredulous reaction of many who had followed Sun’s struggle.