Abdelkader Daghfous, Noha Tarek Amer, Omar Belkhodja, Linda C. Angell and Taisier Zoubi
Job market shifts, such as workforce mobility and aging societies, cause the exit of knowledgeable personnel from organizations. The ensuing knowledge loss (K-loss) has broad…
Abstract
Purpose
Job market shifts, such as workforce mobility and aging societies, cause the exit of knowledgeable personnel from organizations. The ensuing knowledge loss (K-loss) has broad negative effects. This study analyzes the knowledge management literature on K-loss published from 2000 to 2021 and identifies fruitful directions for future research.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conduct a systematic literature review of 74 peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2021. These articles were retrieved from ProQuest Central, Science Direct, EBSCOhost and Emerald databases. The analysis utilizes Jesson et al.’s (2011) six principles: field mapping, comprehensive search, quality assessment, data extraction, synthesis and write-up.
Findings
Three sub-topics emerge from the systematic literature review: K-loss drivers, positive and negative impacts of K-loss and mitigation strategies. Over half of the literature addresses mitigation strategies and provides solutions for K-loss already in progress, rather than proposing preventive measures.
Research limitations/implications
This study has limitations related to the time span covered. Moreover, it focuses on articles published in refereed journals. Therefore, important contributions from conference papers, books and professional reports were excluded.
Originality/value
This research comprehensively synthesizes the K-loss literature and proposes future avenues of research to address under-investigated areas and potentially lead to theoretical and empirical advancements in the field. This study also provides suggestions for improving managerial practices.
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Linda C. Angell and Lawrence M. Corbett
The purpose of this paper is to study the progression of business excellence (BX) in 13 repeat applicants for the New Zealand Business Excellence award over the period 1993‐2007.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the progression of business excellence (BX) in 13 repeat applicants for the New Zealand Business Excellence award over the period 1993‐2007.
Design/methodology/approach
A multiple case approach analyses quantitative scoring data along with qualitative interview and secondary data.
Findings
Formal, external assessments play a critical role in promoting continuous improvement toward BX. However, effective responses to feedback differ for enabler processes vs results. Achieving improved results requires a fundamental review of measurement approaches, as well as better alignment of performance measures to overall activities. Successful paths to continuous improvement vary depending on the starting point for this journey. Organisations starting with a relatively strong position can use external feedback to target improvement efforts for maximum benefit. Organisations starting at a more basic level of performance need to generalise improvement efforts across their full range of business activities. The research also identified the existence of hurdles along the road to BX.
Research limitations/implications
The New Zealand Business Excellence Foundation, which administers the award scheme in New Zealand (NZ) had adopted the US Baldrige criteria as a whole, and no work has yet been done to validate the criteria for NZ conditions. This paper uses changes in scores between applications as a measure of progress to BX, so there is the possibility of applicants “gaming” the system (e.g. one research participant admitted they gained a large one‐off scoring improvement largely on the basis of writing a better application). Future research could extend this work by: studying the performance over time of a control group using Baldrige‐type criteria for internal assessment only; comparing one‐time applicants with repeat applicants; and studying the extent to which Baldrige criteria are appropriate within other national contexts such as NZ.
Practical implications
This research provides insight and advice into what works and what does not in implementing the Baldrige BX criteria.
Originality/value
This paper analyses a unique data source and contributes to the literature on drivers and barriers to continuous improvement, a key literature within operations management.
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Abstract
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Abdelkader Daghfous, Norita Ahmad and Linda C. Angell
The purpose of this paper is to propose a methodology for conducting a knowledge‐enabled customer relationship management (KCRM) knowledge audit, which involves applying knowledge…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a methodology for conducting a knowledge‐enabled customer relationship management (KCRM) knowledge audit, which involves applying knowledge auditing principles to assess the existence and implementation level of KCRM processes within an organization. This type of audit enables an organization to thoroughly review the extent to which knowledge is generated, codified, distributed and utilized while the firm is identifying, differentiating between, interacting with, and customizing products and services for its customers.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper draws upon the KM, CRM, and auditing literatures to develop a KCRM knowledge audit methodology. As an illustration, the proposed methodology for KCRM knowledge auditing was applied within the service arm of a paint manufacturing firm in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Findings
The proposed methodology allows supplier organizations to systematically evaluate the extent to which their CRM approaches are knowledge‐enabled; and to identify competitive strengths and opportunities in the areas such as cost, product and service quality, as well as flexibility to meet the changing requirements of their business customers.
Research limitations/implications
The study focused on a practical point of view and, therefore, there are no testable propositions derived. In addition, the study focuses on an explicit KM model, which has limitations in tacit KM such as social networks and detail guidelines of KM outcomes.
Originality/value
This paper draws upon the KM, CRM, and auditing fields to develop a KCRM knowledge audit methodology. It contributes to the KM, CRM, and auditing literatures by developing and demonstrating how these literatures intersect via the concept and methodology of a KCRM knowledge audit.
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Abdelkader Daghfous, Omar Belkhodja and Linda C. Angell
Research on knowledge loss is at an early stage of evolution. This paper seeks to extend the existent literature through an exploratory investigation of the drivers and impacts of…
Abstract
Purpose
Research on knowledge loss is at an early stage of evolution. This paper seeks to extend the existent literature through an exploratory investigation of the drivers and impacts of knowledge loss, as well as associated retention strategies within manufacturing and service operations.
Design/methodology/approach
Multiple research streams are used to explore and capture the complexities and intricacies of knowledge loss within four firms. The author follows a multiple case study approach with theoretical sampling of manufacturing and service firms.
Findings
The results of this study suggest that organizations should retain and diffuse architectural knowledge, improve strategic coordination among units, develop existing capabilities through different networking strategies and more effective networks, and transform these capabilities into effective organizational routines to mitigate knowledge loss and increase knowledge retention. Meanwhile, relying solely on standard operating procedures, information systems, and codification of knowledge in databases could undermine knowledge retention and lead to knowledge loss.
Practical implications
A comprehensive strategy to guide knowledge management efforts and actions should be adopted. Moreover, knowledge cannot be retained without the adoption of an integrative approach that comprises various strategies and without management commitment and drive.
Originality/value
The findings of this exploratory investigation add to the understanding of the knowledge loss phenomenon by showing that it is much more complex than was found in earlier studies emanating from various research streams. The paper proposes directions for future research.
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Linda F. Edelman, Róisín Donnelly, Tatiana Manolova and Candida G. Brush
Women-led companies receive less than 5 per cent of early-stage equity investment. This paper aims to explore the disparity in equity funding between men- and women-led companies…
Abstract
Purpose
Women-led companies receive less than 5 per cent of early-stage equity investment. This paper aims to explore the disparity in equity funding between men- and women-led companies, using a social identity perspective, complemented by insights from signaling theory. We argue that in the angel group context, which is male-dominated, gender stereotypes may bias angels’ interpretation of the signals sent by entrepreneurs, so that entrepreneurial ventures led by men are more favorably evaluated, thus excluding women entrepreneurs from funding. The ideas are tested on a sample of 358 entrepreneurs who applied for funding from a northeast US angel group using perceptual data from both sides of the investment dyad. Findings suggest that angel investors view women-led entrepreneurial ventures as having less legitimacy, even though we see no difference in actual legitimacy across ventures.
Design/methodology/approach
The ideas are tested on a sample of 358 entrepreneurs who applied for funding from a northeast angel group using perceptual data from both sides of the investment dyad.
Findings
The findings suggest that, in the context of angel investing, there is a subtle bias that follows from the perceived stereotype between being female and the ability to lead a legitimate new venture. Thus, this study tests the tenets of the social identity theory by finding that mostly male angel investors act in accordance to their gender prescribed roles when they evaluate businesses presented by women entrepreneurs providing some evidence of “in-group” and “out-group” effects and stereotypes.
Research limitations/implications
The findings continue the conversation about biases toward women in early-stage financing by using a social identity lens to look at the way in which adopted identities lead to particular outcomes and stereotypes. The authors have used the context of angel investing to test these ideas, finding some support for their contention that gender is pivotal when angels are making investment decisions. For researchers, this study suggests that gender should not be used solely as a control variable, but instead should be the focus of the inquiry itself.
Practical implications
For practitioners, this study reminds women seeking angel investment that they are not playing on a level field and so they should do all that they can to enhance the legitimacy of themselves and their ventures.
Originality/value
The authors contend that within an angel group that is composed of predominantly men, role stereotypes of entrepreneurs as masculine will be expected, therefore creating gender biases against women. The authors expect these biases, whether conscious or unconscious, will lead the angel investors to evaluate men entrepreneurs more favorably than women entrepreneurs as they move through the angel investment process. Therefore, for women entrepreneurs in the early stages of investment funding, the authors posit that the dearth of funding is a function of gender identity stereotypes which may be manifested in hidden and often unconscious biases on the part of the angel investor.
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This chapter explores the episodes of Doctor Who featuring the Weeping Angels, in order to explore how their femininity impacts their monstrosity. Other (male) monsters in Doctor…
Abstract
This chapter explores the episodes of Doctor Who featuring the Weeping Angels, in order to explore how their femininity impacts their monstrosity. Other (male) monsters in Doctor Who kill the victims outright: Daleks exterminate their victims and Cybermen upgrade (essentially extracting all of their humanity, turning them into mindless robots) their victims. The only reoccurring feminine monsters, the Weeping Angels, do not kill anyone. They don’t take away their humanity; they simply transport them to another time. They live out their entire lives in this new time, unharmed beyond the inconvenience of temporal displacement.
The Weeping Angels could be analysed as a reversal of Barbara Creed’s monstrous feminine (1993); as their femininity makes them more human and more compassionate instead of more monstrous. They also could be thought of in terms of feminist ethics à la Nel Noddings’ feminist approach to care. In this chapter, I will argue that though traditionally villainous women are made monstrous via their femininity; in the case of the Weeping Angels, their femininity gives them a sense of humanity and compassion, thus making them less monstrous.
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Alexandra L. Ferrentino, Meghan L. Maliga, Richard A. Bernardi and Susan M. Bosco
This research provides accounting-ethics authors and administrators with a benchmark for accounting-ethics research. While Bernardi and Bean (2010) considered publications in…
Abstract
This research provides accounting-ethics authors and administrators with a benchmark for accounting-ethics research. While Bernardi and Bean (2010) considered publications in business-ethics and accounting’s top-40 journals this study considers research in eight accounting-ethics and public-interest journals, as well as, 34 business-ethics journals. We analyzed the contents of our 42 journals for the 25-year period between 1991 through 2015. This research documents the continued growth (Bernardi & Bean, 2007) of accounting-ethics research in both accounting-ethics and business-ethics journals. We provide data on the top-10 ethics authors in each doctoral year group, the top-50 ethics authors over the most recent 10, 20, and 25 years, and a distribution among ethics scholars for these periods. For the 25-year timeframe, our data indicate that only 665 (274) of the 5,125 accounting PhDs/DBAs (13.0% and 5.4% respectively) in Canada and the United States had authored or co-authored one (more than one) ethics article.
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Angel Cantu, Laura Hill and Linda Becker
The aims of this study were to determine (1) the degree to which an evidence‐based intervention (EBI) delivered outside the context of a research trial remained faithful to the…
Abstract
The aims of this study were to determine (1) the degree to which an evidence‐based intervention (EBI) delivered outside the context of a research trial remained faithful to the content and design of the programme as intended and as reported in experimental trials of the same programme, and (2) whether implementation quality affected programme outcomes. We report results of an observational study of 11 sites involved in the statewide dissemination of a popular family‐focused prevention programme, the Strengthening Families Programme for Parents and Youth 10‐14. We found numerous differences between the community‐based implementations we observed and researcher‐driven implementations of the same programme, but variability in programme delivery and adherence to content were unrelated to programme outcomes. We conclude that short‐term outcomes of well‐designed EBIs delivered by well‐trained facilitators may be robust to minor changes in delivery and content. However, the effects of implementation quality on longer‐term outcomes are unknown.
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The purpose of this paper is to shed some new light on the entrepreneurial finance of green start-ups, for which there has been little quantitative empirical evidence thus far. It…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to shed some new light on the entrepreneurial finance of green start-ups, for which there has been little quantitative empirical evidence thus far. It explores what challenges green start-ups might experience when it comes to financial access.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper includes a survey of start-ups in Finland, Germany and Sweden and the separate evaluation of the “greenness” of participating companies’ product/service portfolios based on Eurostat’s Environmental Goods and Service Sector classification. A logistic regression is carried out for different company phases for two measures of challenges (“difficulty accessing finance” and “rejection by investor/funder”).
Findings
Green start-ups as an overall group cannot be said to have more challenges in access to finance. Particularly, a lack in business education and a high level of innovativeness, however, seem to be lead to more challenges for green start-ups in accessing finance compared to other start-ups.
Research limitations/implications
Further research might seek to identify which exact characteristics of innovative green start-ups lead to challenges in financial access, i.e. is it individual factors such as high risk levels, high investment sums, long development periods or a low return prospect – or is it rather a combination? It might, furthermore, be rewarding to investigate whether “interventions” of business-related training might reduce challenges.
Social implications
Suggestions are made for improved policy support to sustainable entrepreneurship in the case of green start-ups.
Originality/value
This research paper provides quantitative empirical analysis in a new research area, which has previously been predominantly theory based with some anecdotal observations as well as some early qualitative research.