Michael Rubach - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Michael Rubach

Journal of education for business, Sep 16, 2022

The International Journal of Logistics Management, May 24, 2011

... Barney, J., Wright, M., Ketchen Jr, DJ (2001), "The resource-based view of the firm: ten... more ... Barney, J., Wright, M., Ketchen Jr, DJ (2001), "The resource-based view of the firm: ten years after 1991", Journal of Management, Vol ... MacLeod, MD, Garber Jr, LL, Dotson, MJ, Chambers, TM (1999), "The use of promotional tools in the motor carrier industry: an exploratory study ...

International journal of organizational analysis, 1995

The popular total quality management (TQM) approach has tended to focus on internal processes, ra... more The popular total quality management (TQM) approach has tended to focus on internal processes, rather than external issues such as competitiveness and market appeal, and is more reactive and adaptive than anticipative. The time has come to go beyond TQM and to understand the nature and application of organizational learning. Learning organizations envision change, are committed to generating and transferring new knowledge and innovation, and have learned how to learn. TQM may be embedded in the learning organization, but TQM is but the first step or wave in transforming and creating organizations which continuously expand their abilities to change and shape their futures. This article first defines and identifies the characteristics of a learning organization, then explores some techniques to develop and transform an organization into a learning organization, and finally suggests some traditional and newer techniques, such as data envelopment analysis (DEA), as ways to measure and evaluate organizational learning.

Journal of Business and Entrepreneurship, Mar 1, 2001

ABSTRACT Historically independent pharmacies have relied upon differentiation of services as thei... more ABSTRACT Historically independent pharmacies have relied upon differentiation of services as their predominant strategy. Changes in the health care industry are increasing the demands upon pharmacists to be more customer-focused. This study examines the services of independent pharmacies, their industry context, and pharmacy performance. The findings indicate that industry effects have an adverse impact on pharmacy performance. None of the identified service mixes were associated with higher pharmacy performance.

Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies, Nov 26, 2014

Subject area International Strategy Study level/applicability Undergraduate or graduate capstone ... more Subject area International Strategy Study level/applicability Undergraduate or graduate capstone course in strategy or international management course. Case overview Faced with increased competition at home, Sainsbury&amp;amp;amp;#39;s decided to expand its international operations by entering Egypt. Sainsbury&amp;amp;amp;#39;s initially created a joint venture with an Egyptian food retailer, but quickly increased its commitment by opening over 100 stores in Egypt. Sainsbury&amp;amp;amp;#39;s dream of capturing the Egyptian food market faded as quickly as it was started. Due to declining profits, Sainsbury&amp;amp;amp;#39;s eliminated its exposure in Egypt by selling its interests to its Egyptian partner. Sainsbury&amp;amp;amp;#39;s first developing-country venture could be regarded as an object lesson in how not to operate. The company failed to properly investigate its market and its partners, and showed insensitivity to local conditions. Moreover, entering the Egyptian consumer business sector may have been ill-advised. Egypt, with a low gross domestic product (GDP) per head of about $1,300 and a population of 65 million, while having growth potential, is a daunting market. Why a poor and frequently disorganized country was perceived as having excellent growth potential was not addressed by Sainsbury&amp;amp;amp;#39;s in its headlong rush to invest. The case should be interesting for students because it highlights a situation where a firm&amp;amp;amp;#39;s international expansion efforts failed after the firm had success expanding internationally previously. Numerous reasons are presented in the case for Sainsbury&amp;amp;amp;#39;s failure. The case highlights the multiplicity of issues which a company faces when it “goes global.” While Sainsbury&amp;amp;amp;#39;s withdrew from Egypt, the case affords students the opportunity to evaluate whether they would have made the same decision by providing a discussion of the alternatives suggested by Sainsbury&amp;amp;amp;#39;s Chairman. Expected learning outcomes The Sainsbury&amp;amp;amp;#39;s case is capable of addressing several important teaching objectives: the case is an appropriate vehicle to demonstrate what can happen to a firm as it expands globally; students will gain more knowledge concerning why companies expand into foreign markets and the impact of cross-country differences in market conditions; the case presents the multifaceted complexities involved in globalization efforts and issues faced by companies concerned with global competition and global strategy; students should apply the concepts and tools of industry and competitive analysis; students should gain a better understand how to manage globally; students should gain an understanding of the challenges of globalization and global competition; students should gain a better understanding of the evolution of strategy as industry conditions change and new opportunities arise. As with any case study, students should learn to translate good analysis into appropriate recommendations for action. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Journal of Managerial Issues, Jun 22, 2009

Corporate experiences with consequences of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX), changes in the l... more Corporate experiences with consequences of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX), changes in the listing standards for the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. (NASDAQ), recent corporate scandals, and the emergence of activist investors have fostered a climate of intense scrutiny of corporate governance structures and activities. The effects of these changes are expected to increase shareholder activism, especially institutional shareholder activism (Whitehouse, 2007). Indeed, the 2007 proxy season reflected increased evidence of shareholder activism (Brewer, 2007). The scholarship on corporate governance since Berle and Means (1932) has generally assumed the separation of ownership and control to be an inevitable attribute of public corporations (Bainbridge, 1995), causing the research to focus on the consequences of the separation. The consequences of the separation are generally referred to as agency costs (Jensen and Meckling, 1976) and agency theory has been the predominant paradigm for understanding and explaining corporate governance issues. Within the discussion of the consequences of ownership structure, the proper role of institutional investors and the reduction of agency costs "has spawned a generation of corporate literature" (Garten, 1992: 588). Despite the disincentives of prior and existing constraints against collective action, "free-riding" by some shareholders (i.e., that all investors will share in the gains generated by the efforts of a single activist investor or small group of activist investors) (Black, 1998) and "free-walking" (i.e., that rather than expend time and money trying to improve the performance of a company in its portfolio, an institutional investor will just sell the shares of the under-performing company and walk away) (Ingley and van der Walt, 2004), some shareholder activists find that the gains from activism often outweigh its costs (Rubach, 1999). Prior research has demonstrated that: (1) many institutional owners are activists (Brown, 1998), (2) their activism is expressed in a variety of forms from confrontational to relational (Ryan and Schneider, 2002; Useem, 1996), and (3) their activism can affect firm performance (Chaganti and Damanpour, 1991). While much has been learned about the ways in which institutions attempt to influence governance and the consequences of these attempts, at least one central question remains unaddressed: which institutions are most likely to be activists? To answer this question, this study examines Ryan and Schneider's model (2002) of the antecedents of institutional investor activism. The article proceeds as follows. First, we discuss specific determinants of activism as proposed by Ryan and Schneider (2002) and develop the bases for our hypotheses. Next, we present the sample, data collection, variables, and analytical methods employed to test the hypotheses. This is followed by the results of the analyses. Finally, we discuss the implications of the findings for both researchers and practitioners and address the limitations and additional opportunities for future research. DETERMINANTS OF ACTIVISM Ryan and Schneider (2002) argue that the type of institutional investor determines whether an institutional investor will practice shareholder activism. While other influences are possible, this study examines several determinants of institutional shareholder activism proposed by Ryan and Schneider (2002) that are measurable through survey data, yet parsimoniously capture areas likely to ignite activism: fund size, investment time horizon, performance expectations, pressure sensitivity, legal restraints, and portfolio management (internal versus external) (see Figure I). The research is consistent with a call for investigation of more finely-grained measures of institutional investors by Sundaramurthy et al. (2005). Fund Size Previous research on large investors (e. …

Journal of Applied Business Research, Sep 8, 2011

Journal of Business Ethics, Apr 1, 2006

Corporate governance guidelines are a mechanism that a firm can enact which should reduce agency ... more Corporate governance guidelines are a mechanism that a firm can enact which should reduce agency costs and better align the interests of boards and the suppliers of capital. This study examines stock price reactions primarily attributable to institutional investors occurring when corporations announce the enactment of corporate governance guidelines. A final sample of 77 firms was derived from the first

Spirituality an d r eligion a t w ork is a fi eld of s tudy wi th a short hi story. T here is lit... more Spirituality an d r eligion a t w ork is a fi eld of s tudy wi th a short hi story. T here is little consensus on a defi nition of spiritual entrepreneurship. We posit that spiritual and religious entrepreneurs are primarily either exploiters of marketing opportunities – they undertake focus strategies concentrating on religious market segments or social entrepreneurs. We suggest that in its quest for legitimacy and relevance (Dean, Fornaciari, and McGee, 2003), the field of spiritual and religious entrepreneurship can benefit from the use of established methods and models from the field of social entrepreneurship research. Entrepreneurship has been variously described as “ opportunity identification and exploitation” (Shane & Venkataraman, 2000); “corporate renewal and change“ (Guth & Ginsberg, 1990); and the creation of firms (Alvarez, 2003; Vesper, 1982) (see Ireland, Reutzel and Webb, 2005). It encompasses organizational creation and renewal and innovation whether in an existing...

International Journal of Entrepreneurship, 2015

ABSTRACTThis study analyzes entrepreneurship from the perspective of a potential Latin American n... more ABSTRACTThis study analyzes entrepreneurship from the perspective of a potential Latin American necessity entrepreneur. The analysis contains an overview of the culture of entrepreneurship in Latin America and the Caribbean regions. Necessity entrepreneurship and its practice in Latin America and the Caribbean is examined using the latest Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) data. Finally necessity entrepreneurship among Latin American immigrants in developing and developed countries, especially the United States is described. In all cases the necessity entrepreneur is faced with numerous institutional obstacles, though the obstacles differ in each region. These obstacles often prevent individual's entrepreneurial activities from being as productive as they could be, leading to different degrees of contribution to overall economic growth. Possible solutions to the institutional obstacles are identified.INTRODUCTIONIn 2007, 20.7 percent of all the businesses in the state of Texa...

Journal of Applied Business Research (JABR), 2011

This article presents the results of a study designed to examine how small retailers responded to... more This article presents the results of a study designed to examine how small retailers responded to the increased environmental hostility created by the recent arrival of Wal-Mart. Data on environmental hostility, competitive tactics, and performance were collected from 238 small independent retailers. Findings suggest that effective pricing tactics were the most effective competitive behavior for small merchants in hostile environments. In benign environments, on the other hand, satisfying selective markets appeared to be the most effective competitive behavior.

ABSTRACT Outsourcing permits firms to concentrate their resources and efforts on a few critical f... more ABSTRACT Outsourcing permits firms to concentrate their resources and efforts on a few critical functions. The outsourcing of core functions has been identified with improved firm performance. This study examines the relationships between the use of outsourcing activities, firm size, and performance in 93 new computer manufacturing firms. The study concentrates upon the outsourcing of three core functions: marketing, research and development, and manufacturing. The study provides empirical support for the recent anecdotal evidence which suggests that higher performance is associated with the use of outsourcing. INTRODUCTION To improve performance, firms, both large and small, are entering into strategic alliances and interorganizational relationships (Dollinger & Golden, 1992). One such relationship is outsourcing. Outsourcing is described as the act of subcontracting out all or parts of the firm's functions to an external party. It can cover activities which are normally essential core functions-research and development (RD Brokaw, 1993). The adoption of outsourcing allows newer firms to focus their limited resources on the venture's core competencies. The concentration of resources and energies is intended to improve the firm's performance. This study explores the relationships between the use of outsourcing activities and performance in newer computer firms. The researcher's goal is to provide empirical support for the anecdotal evidence suggesting that higher performance is associated with the use of outsourcing. The study focuses on whether a firm's size moderates the relationship between performance and the outsourcing of three core functions: marketing, research and development, and manufacturing. PRIOR RESEARCH Performance has been identified as an underlying determinant of outsourcing (Welch & Nayak, 1992: Bettis, Bradley & Hamel, 1992). The decision to outsource a firm's core functions in an effort to improve performance is consistent with the transaction cost framework (Oliver, 1990). Transaction cost theory is driven by cost minimization. It questions whether a function (e.g., marketing) is more efficiently performed within a firm (vertical integration/ internal hierarchies) or across independent entities (outsourcing/market transactions) (Anderson, 1985). A transaction's critical dimensions under the theory are uncertainty or unpredictability of both external and internal environments, frequency of recurrence, and the requirement of durable, transaction-specific investments, whether physical or human assets (Williamson, 1981). For example, where environment uncertainty exists (performance cannot easily be evaluated), Williamson (1981) argues that firms will enter into market transactions. Under transaction cost theory, transactions are assumed to occur under "bounded rationality"-under some degree of uncertainty and where some actors are opportunistic, that is, they "cheat." Initially, external market transactions are generally viewed as more efficient (Williamson, 1981). The motivation to externalize a transaction is clear when internal capability is lacking. Firms will internalize functions if the skills exchanged are critical to an organization's success and involve a high degree of asset-specificity (Williamson, 1975; Powell & Brantley, 1992). Where asset specificity is great, the parties will make a special effort to design an exchange that has good continuity properties (Wiiliamson, 1981). Several authors have attempted to explain the widespread use of various outsourcing arrangements and the relationship between outsourcing and performance (Borys & Jemison, 1989; Galaskiewicz, 1985; Oliver, 1990). …

Mass merchandisers, discount chain stores, category killers, and e-commerce are changing the reta... more Mass merchandisers, discount chain stores, category killers, and e-commerce are changing the retail industry through innovations in marketing and service. Driven by increased competition and discriminating customers, small, local retailers are searching for ways to gain and sustain competitive advantage. This study examines the competitive behaviors and performances of 236 retailers located in rural Nebraska. The findings indicate that retailers which adopted competitive behaviors with a goal of low cost/low price leadership were most successful. However, retailers using a combination or value-oriented strategy were also successful. Retailers which adopted competitive behaviors that constitute solely a differentiation strategy and those which had no clearly defined strategy were the worst performers. These findings suggest that in order to achieve competitive advantage, rural retailers should follow a value-oriented strategy, being effective at both cost reduction and competitive pr...

The International Journal of Logistics Management, 2011

The International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 1995

Journal of World Business, 1998

Corporate governance scholarship posits that the governance structure of a firm affects its compe... more Corporate governance scholarship posits that the governance structure of a firm affects its competitive performance. As governance structures and systems initially developed, differing legal, financial, and cultural factors caused them to vary. Divergent paths resulted in multiple governance forms. Presently, evidence is growing that these governance systems are changing and are beginning to look more alike. This convergence can be viewed as the adoption of the best practices of the existing systems. During convergence, some firms can gain competitive advantage by altering their governance structures to incorporate elements that global stakeholders appear to value. This is true for companies in both emerging and established economies.

Journal of Education for Business