{"title":"Valve's Way","authors":"P. Puranam, D. D. Håkonsson","doi":"10.7146/JOD.20152","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7146/JOD.20152","url":null,"abstract":"What can we learn from outliers? While statisticians rightly warn us against their non-representativeness, we believe it is also true that thinking carefully about what makes them atypical may improve our understanding of the typical case. This is the premise behind the Organization Zoo series. Valve Corporation (Valve) is an unusual firm. It is a rare example of a firm that appears to operate without any formal hierarchy in its organization. What can we learn about the viability of authority hierarchies from Valve’s way of organizing? We wrote a brief account of Valve based on public information sources and asked several renowned organizational experts to comment on this unusual firm. We asked them to write a short commentary on what the Valve example means for organizational theorists and practitioners. Thankfully, they all accepted, and we are excited to present the results of their thinking in this first “exhibit” in the Organization Zoo.","PeriodicalId":352730,"journal":{"name":"ERN: Other Organizations & Markets: Formal & Informal Structures (Topic)","volume":"52 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131838841","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Corporate Social Responsibility in SMEs: The Case of an Austrian Construction Company","authors":"S. Mayr","doi":"10.18374/IJBR-15-2.5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18374/IJBR-15-2.5","url":null,"abstract":"Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is usually associated with the integration of ecological and social issues into corporate activities. CSR must be closely aligned with a company´s strategies and core business and therefore capable of contributing to the renewal, augmentation and adaptation of the company´s competencies over time. A CSR management concept applicable to SMEs remains lacking. CSR in SMEs must be pragmatic and results-oriented because the owners of SMEs tend to focus on operational and practical matters. This paper is based on a single case study of an Austrian construction company. The company is well known for its social activities and the owner embodies the ideal of a responsible entrepreneur. This case shows how the company managed to integrate CSR into corporate strategy and illustrates and analyzes the process of CSR implementation. The main findings of this paper are as follows: The successful implementation and operationalization of CSR in SMEs depend on a simple but stringent process with both top-down and bottom-up commitment. Through their entrepreneurial leadership, entrepreneurs and senior managers act as positive role models for all SME employees. CSR orientation must become a component of the self-image of a company. The low degree of formality in SMEs requires an authentic and company-specific CSR approach that is supported by all executives. This paper also supports theory building and development by com-paring the findings of this case study with those of existing literature.","PeriodicalId":352730,"journal":{"name":"ERN: Other Organizations & Markets: Formal & Informal Structures (Topic)","volume":"2016 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114570856","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Choice of Enterprise Form: Spain, 1886-1936","authors":"T. Guinnane, Susana Martínez-Rodríguez","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.2624746","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2624746","url":null,"abstract":"Economists have long neglected study of an important contractual decision, a firm’s choice of legal form. Enterprise form shapes the relations among a firm’s owners as well as many features of a firm’s interactions with the rest of the economy. Using unusual firm-level data on Spain 1886-1936, we estimate nested logit models of the determinants of enterprise form choice. In 1919, Spain introduced a new enterprise form that compromised between partnerships and corporations, and displaced larger partnerships and smaller corporations. This Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada was especially important for small and median-sized enterprises whose owners were not related.","PeriodicalId":352730,"journal":{"name":"ERN: Other Organizations & Markets: Formal & Informal Structures (Topic)","volume":"535 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132894216","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Performance: OLS and Granger Causality Analysis","authors":"Song Xie","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.2598384","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2598384","url":null,"abstract":"The study investigates the relation between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate financial performance (CFP). First, we examine the potential relationships among CSR, CFP variables and industries. The results show that most of the explanatory variables are significantly correlated with CSR. Second, this paper estimates the long run causality relationships between CSR and firm size, the most significant variable in the previous regression. Some casual relations between the two target variables are observed, which provides a new direction to measure the relations between CSR and CFP.","PeriodicalId":352730,"journal":{"name":"ERN: Other Organizations & Markets: Formal & Informal Structures (Topic)","volume":"54 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127109361","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Through the Looking Glass: Series LLCs in 2016","authors":"Allen Sparkman","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.2591548","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2591548","url":null,"abstract":"This Article examines the development of series LLCs, analyzes the series LLC statutes, examines possible uses of series LLCs, discussed uncertainties with respect to series LLCs, and makes recommendations for the future development of series LLCs.","PeriodicalId":352730,"journal":{"name":"ERN: Other Organizations & Markets: Formal & Informal Structures (Topic)","volume":"25 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126136663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Proposal for a Directive on Single-Member Private Limited Liability Company (Societas Unius Personae) from the Italian Perspective","authors":"Rolandino Guidotti","doi":"10.2139/SSRN.2582928","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/SSRN.2582928","url":null,"abstract":"The document contains the text of the presentation given in Madrid, November 20th, 2014, to the Conference dedicated to the The Regulation of Close Corporations in Europe: towards a Common Frame of Reference and organized by the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos within the framework of the Research Project El tratamiento de las sociedades de capital cerradas en la evolucion legislativa de la Union Europea y de las legislaciones nacionales de los Estados miembros (Ref.: DER2010-21436).","PeriodicalId":352730,"journal":{"name":"ERN: Other Organizations & Markets: Formal & Informal Structures (Topic)","volume":"56 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115315134","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Проблема Обеспечения Управляемости в Современных Организациях и Пути Ее Решения (The Problem of Manageability Provision in Modern Organisations and Ways of its Solution)","authors":"Mariia V. Rubtcova","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.2575090","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2575090","url":null,"abstract":"Russian Abstract: В статье рассматриваются проблемы управления и управляемости в различных структурах. На основе современных управленческих теорий автор формулирует принципы формирования управляемых внутриорганизационных полей. English Abstract: The paper touches upon the problems of management and manageability in various structures. Basing on the modern management theories, the author formulates the principles of forming manageable intraorganisational fields.","PeriodicalId":352730,"journal":{"name":"ERN: Other Organizations & Markets: Formal & Informal Structures (Topic)","volume":"23 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116382346","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Network Form and Performance. The Case of Multi-Unit Franchising","authors":"M. Fadairo, Cintya Lanchimba, Josef Windsperger","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.2575648","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2575648","url":null,"abstract":"Multi-unit franchising (MUF) is a governance form inside franchising networks where the franchisor transfers to the franchisees the right to own and operate more than one outlet. While previous empirical literature has revealed various advantages of MUF as compared to single-unit franchising (SUF), we study the impact of this governance form on the network performance, taking into account different contexts. Our results from propensity score matching show that MUF leads to higher performance. However, non-parametric estimations highlight thresholds suggesting that a mix of SUF and MUF is a more efficient governance form than a pure MUF network.","PeriodicalId":352730,"journal":{"name":"ERN: Other Organizations & Markets: Formal & Informal Structures (Topic)","volume":"110 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122591909","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"CSR Practices and Competitive Advantages: A Descriptive Study","authors":"M. N. Siddique","doi":"10.18034/AJTP.V1I3.532","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18034/AJTP.V1I3.532","url":null,"abstract":"CSR is the managerial compulsion to defend and enhance both the welfare of society as a whole and the interests of the company. So, this study is an examination of the competitive advantages of CSR practice. This study is based on two theories; stakeholder’s theory, which states that companies have essential groups that need to care of and the iron law of CSR, which states that companies that become failure to utilize their power responsibly will lose it in the long run. Reviewing prior studies it was found that a number of benefits proliferate to companies that practise CSR; numerous advantages were recognized. Among these others consist of: improved brand and reputation, decline in operation costs, attracting new customers, balances power with responsibility, discourages government regulation, improves a company’s image, promote profits, superior relations with the investment groups and easier access to capital, improved employee relations, efficiency and innovation and stronger relations with society through stakeholder involvement. This paper concludes that there is a greater chance to be benefitted initiating CSR actions. Thus, it suggests that companies should try to provide due attention to CSR and this practice needs to consider as a continuous process.","PeriodicalId":352730,"journal":{"name":"ERN: Other Organizations & Markets: Formal & Informal Structures (Topic)","volume":"34 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132351892","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Is Corporate Social Responsibility an Agency Problem? Evidence from CEO Turnovers","authors":"John M. Barrios, Marco Fasan, D. Nanda","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.2540753","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2540753","url":null,"abstract":"We empirically examine two competing claims: first, if a firm’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity is driven by its CEO’s private rent extraction (i.e. an agency problem), firms with higher CSR ratings are poorly governed and their managers are less likely to be dismissed for poor financial performance. In contrast, if CSR reflects owners’ preferences, CEOs of firms with higher CSR ratings are more likely to be removed in light of poor financial performance. We find that CEO turnover-financial performance sensitivity increases in firm CSR scores during the last years of both the outgoing CEO as well as his predecessor. Further, firm CSR ratings do not change following CEO turnover suggesting that CSR ratings are a firm characteristic. Our findings are consistent with the view that CSR is driven by shareholder preferences.","PeriodicalId":352730,"journal":{"name":"ERN: Other Organizations & Markets: Formal & Informal Structures (Topic)","volume":"7 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121267827","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}