SU Management and Marketing Department

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    Culture and Management Practice Guide
    (2015) Hoffman, Richard
    The purpose of this guide is to assist students and faculty in making connections between culture and management practices. In other words to demonstrate culture’s impact on certain concepts of management "ceteris paribus". This guide on culture and management was made possible through a grant awarded by the U.S. Department ofEducation under Title VI-A, the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program. In developing this guide, I have attempted to synthesize the work of many researchers whose works I have consulted and are listed in the references in the back. These individuals deserve all of the credit for the ideas presented herein. In addition I have benefited from discussions and resources provided by Dr. Richard W. Brislin and his colleagues at the University of Hawaii-Manoa as a participant in their Summer Workshop for the Development of Intercultural Coursework at Colleges and Universities and Dr. David Ricks and his colleagues at the American Graduate School for International Management (Thunderbird) as a participant in the Faculty Development Seminar in International Business on International Management. Others who have shared their ideas on culture with me include Dr. Paul Marer at the Kelly School of Business at Indiana University who conducts a doctoral seminar on culture and business and Professor Diane Gerber of Miami University in Ohio who teaches an interdisciplinary culture course at the undergraduate level. Despite all of this assistance, I accept full responsibility for the interpretation and representation of cultural concepts and their relationships to management as described in this manual. I hope this helps you understand why management practices may not be universal in their application as one crosses international borders.
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    International franchise expansion: The role of institutions and transaction costs
    (2016-06) Hoffman, Richard C.; Munemo, Jonathan; Watson, Sharon; Management and Marketing
    In this study, we examine how a country’s institutional environment affects the international expansion activities of U.S. franchise companies. We draw on institutional and transaction cost theories to develop a model and a set of hypotheses regarding the effect of political, regulatory and infrastructural institutions, as well as economic instability, on international franchise expansion. Using a sample of U.S. franchise firms and data from a combination of secondary sources, we test these hypotheses by estimating a panel regression model. Our results demonstrate for the first time that, in addition to favorable political governance, a country’s business climate, including entry regulations, taxes, and communications infrastructure, is an important predictor of foreign franchise firms’ expansion into that country. Implications for practice and future research also are discussed.
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    Global franchising: Current Status and Future Challenges
    (2004) Hoffman, Richard C.; Preble, John F.
    About a decade ago positive predictions were made regarding the international growth of franchising. This study was undertaken to examine the actual growth and development of franchising globally during the nineties. Using survey and archival data findings regarding the state of franchising in 40 countries are presented. Franchising has met or exceeded the growth expectations, generating an average of $3.7 billion in annual sales in the nations investigated. However, considerable regional differences in franchising activities do exist. The business sectors experiencing the most franchising growth are retail and restaurants. Franchising firms tend to export their business formats to neighboring countries or to countries with similar cultural characteristics. Operational concerns regarding legal and social issues across borders are also examined. Implications for practice and research are discussed.
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    A Cross-Cultural Exploratory Study of the Linkage between Emotional Intelligence and Managerial Effectiveness
    (2003) Shipper, Frank M.; Kincaid, Joel; Rotondo, Denise M.; Hoffman, Richard C.
    Multinationals increasingly require a cadre of skilled managers to effectively run their global operations. This exploratory study examines the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and managerial effectiveness among three cultures. EI is conceptualized and measured as self-other agreement concerning the use of managerial skills using data gathered under a 360-degree feedback process. Three hypotheses relating to managerial self-awareness of both interactive and controlling skills are examined using data from 3,785 managers of a multinational firm located in the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), and Malaysia. The two sets of managerial skills examined were found to be stable across the three national samples. The hypotheses were tested using polynomial regressions, and contour plots were developed to aid interpretation. Support was found for positive relationships between effectiveness and EI (self-awareness). This relationship was supported for interactive skills in the US and UK samples and for controlling skills in the Malaysian and UK samples. Self-awareness of different managerial skills varied by culture. It appears that in low power distance (PD) cultures such as the United States and United Kingdom, self-awareness of interactive skills may be crucial relative to effectiveness whereas in high PD cultures, such as Malaysia self-awareness of controlling skills may be crucial relative to effectiveness. These findings are discussed along with the implications for future research.
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    Global diffusion of franchising: A country level examination
    (2001) Hoffman, Richard C.; Preble, John F.; Management and Marketing
    Franchising has experienced rapid international growth. This study examines strategic and country characteristics in twenty-four nations to explain the spread of franchising across borders. The size of the franchising sector along with the country factors of per capita income, urbanization, media availability, and certain cultural values were positively associated with franchising diffusion. Contrary to expectations, strategic characteristics were more important than country characteristics in explaining franchising diffusion. The implications of these findings for practice and research are discussed.
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    Before the garage: Beginnings of Silicon Valley, 1909–1960
    (Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, 2015-10-23) Adams, Stephen B.
    Stephen Adams, Lemelson Center Fellow and Professor at Salisbury University delivers September's colloquium talk, "Before the Garage: Beginnings of Silicon Valley, 1920–1960," which examines the origins of the Silicon Valley as we know it today.
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    The nature of ethics codes in franchise associations around the globe
    (1999) Preble, John F.; Hoffman, Richard C.
    The worldwide growth of franchising has been phenomenal during the past decade. At the same time there has been increased media attention to questionable business practices in franchising. Similar to some trade associations and professions, franchising has sought self-regulation by developing codes of conduct or ethics. This study examines the codes of ethics covering franchising activities in 21 countries. The results reveal that there is considerable variation in the activities/issues covered by the codes. Specifically, the codes cover most stages of the franchising relationship, focus on a narrow set of stakeholders, are short on ethical guidance, and offer few enforcement provisions. The implications of these findings for international franchising and research are discussed.
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    The importance of international business to the strategic agenda of U.S. CEOs
    (1994) Hoffman, Richard C.; Gopinath, C.
    The growth of international business (IB) and concerns about the relevance of IB research indicate the need for managerial input on the topic. A survey of 108 U.S. CEOs reveals that IB issues are an important part of their strategic agenda. Four types of IB issues are identified which reveal that American CEOs appear to be taking a proactive stance regarding the international arena. The CEOs were also found to hold diverse perceptions of IB issues. The implications of these findings are discussed.
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    MBC Ventures, Inc.: An Employee Stock Ownership Plan with a union partner
    (2013) Hoffman, Richard C.; Brown, M. O. Jr; Shipper, Frank
    MBC Ventures, Inc. is a 161 year-old company that is going through both product and organizational transitions. It has left one of its traditional product lines, paint brushes, behind and has developed a new one, solar panels. The organization has gone from being part of a large diversified conglomerate to a small employee-owned company with two distinct product lines. The second product line, solar panels, has been added only recently. The organization has gone from being a product unit within a hierarchically-oriented, large diversified conglomerate to an independent, team-oriented, egalitarian organization. The conglomerate was a publically traded organization; whereas, MBC Ventures is employee owned. The transition to employee ownership would not have been possible without the cooperation and financial assistance of the United Steelworkers union. These transitions that have occurred since 1990 have not been without problems including two major recessions. Currently, the company is doing quite well. This case discusses how the firm has implemented employee ownership and participatory management, and its decision to diversify into a new growth product line. Some financial results are provided.