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Purpose – While much existing research on MNC digital transformation has followed a linear design and implementation logic using cross-sectional data, the multiple and divergent needs of headquarters (HQ) and subsidiaries suggest that MNC digital transformation actually involves a more iterative journey. In this paper, we apply the theoretical perspective of embeddedness to better define the complexities of MNC digital transformation, and identify how HQ and subsidiaries can navigate the complexities. Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents a longitudinal multi-case study of five Forbes Global 2000 firms that are HQ in Europe with large subsidiaries in the U.S. We conducted in-depth interviews with 26 senior executives at HQ and subsidiaries over a 15-month period. Findings – The process of digital transformation is significantly influenced by internal embeddedness (relationship of HQ with subsidiaries and across subsidiaries) and external embeddedness (relationship of subsidiaries with their local markets), and also by strategy, financial and technology considerations. While HQ and subsidiaries have different perspectives, an understanding of these influences can help HQ and subsidiaries navigate digital transformation. Research limitations/implications – HQ and subsidiaries can apply insights from this research to navigate the complexities of digital transformation. Originality/value – This paper demonstrates that embeddedness is a useful theory to understand the complexities of MNC digital transformation.

Information technology (IT) requires a significant investment, involving up to 10.5% of revenue for some firms. Managers responsible for aligning IT investments with their firm's strategy seek to minimize technology costs, while ensuring that the IT infrastructure can accommodate increasing utilization, new software applications, and modifications to existing software applications. It becomes more challenging to align IT infrastructure and IT investments with firm strategy when firms operate in multiple geographic markets, because the firm faces different competitive positions and unique challenges in each market. We discussed these challenges with IT executives at four Forbes Global 2000 firms headquartered in Northern Europe. We build on interviews with these executives to develop a discrete-time, finite-horizon Markov decision model to identify the most economically-beneficial IT infrastructure configuration from a set of alternatives. While more flexibility is always better (all else equal) and lower cost is always better (all else equal), our model helps firms evaluate the tradeoff between flexibility and cost given their business strategyand corporate structure. Our model supports firms in the decision process by incorporating their data and allowing firms to include their expectations of how future business conditions may impact the need to make IT changes. Because the model is flexible enough to accept parameters across a range of business strategies and corporate structures, the model can help inform decisions and ensure that design choices are consistent with firm strategy., Coordinating the Global Firm

Despite a generally-acknowledged importance of IT in enabling global strategy and a broad understanding of the manner in which IT enhances coordination and reduces cost, few studies have focused precisely on how multinational firms use IT to facilitate globalization. We conduct a detailed case study across four major multinational firms, and use primary data to develop theoretical propositions on the characteristics of products, processes and customers that impact the ways in which multinational firms use IT to manage their global operations.

This paper explores the impact of turnover and restructuring on labour productivity in the Polish economy over the period 1988-1993. Changes in aggregate productivity are decomposed into elements corresponding to productivity growth among survivors, market share growth by survivors and the contributions of entering and exiting firms. The traditional entry and exit effects begin to work as transition to a market economy progresses. However, initial productivity improvements are due to changes to market shares of the existing firms following the break-up of large enterprises. Regression analysis shows that changes in the firm-level productivity are affected by restructuring and a more competitive economic environment.

Multinational companies (MNCs) have been actively pursuing globally integrated information technology (IT) as a mechanism for better coordination and control of business processes. This paper presents a multiple case study of five MNCs’ experiences with global IT initiatives and explores the drivers and obstacles they encountered. We conceptualize the MNC as being embedded in internal and external business relationships. The analysis shows that the MNCs’ main motives for global IT can be found in the headquarter-subsidiary relationship where global IT enables the firm to obtain economies of scale and increased control which in turn enables the MNC to become international or global oriented. The external embeddedness, i.e. the subsidiary-partner relationships as well as other connected business relationships in the local business networks, is one of the major obstacles for global IT as it requires a level of adaptability not inherent in the context of global IT standards.

A grid-oriented storage (GOS) project, which aims to support advanced data bank services and data reservoirs for sharing data on the gird, is discussed. The GOS appliance is a disk array that connects directly to the grid using a Globus XIO interface and fits in the thin server categorization. The security model of the GOS is based on the Grid security Infrastructure (GSI). A dynamic estimation scheme for fault-free scheduling in grid systems is also discussed. Most of the grid falls into one of the two categories, planned and negotiated, and dynamic and voluntary. This discrepancy is the main reason behind the complexity in designing robust and fault tolerant scheduling algorithms for both resource categories.

The asymmetric nature of the global war on terrorism (GWOT) has fundamentally changed the scenarios in which Joint doctrine operates. A question may be raised whether or not Joint air doctrine is suitable for employment in the GWOT without a comparative modification in scale of the difference between the Cold War and GWOT scenarios. This question can be answered in the lessons learned from recent employment of Joint air power. Tactical lessons learned may either reflect exploitable seams in current Joint air doctrine or display a unity of effort that exhibits the strength and adaptability of that doctrine. The execution of doctrine has produced a unity of effort across the Joint Force that generates solutions to possible gaps in current Joint doctrine. Rather than displaying an outdated doctrine for the asymmetric threat in the GWOT, recent operations have shown the versatility and adaptability of the doctrinally-based Joint Force that can close potential gaps in doctrine., The original document contains color images.

This paper describes the implementation of a ScanOnce algorithm in SQL for quick association rule mining and the development of a data mining infrastructure JetGrid. The architecture of JetGrid is designed to be compatible with lower-level grid mechanisms since it is to operate on top of Relational Grid Monitoring Architecture (R-GMA) provided by European Data Grid (EDG). JetGrid for quick knowledge discovery was preliminarily prototyped and it is extensible, using an object-oriented design that was coded in C++. Mining agents will be staged to one or more computing elements on the EDG. They will mine data delivered using GridFTP and/or Globus transport mechanism. Some initial experimental results are presented, which provide some indication of the performance of the JetGrid data mining infrastructure on top of EDG. © Springer-Verlag 2004.

S The determinants of CEO compensation within the UK Building Society sector are investigated. Using an unbalanced panel data set for the period 1986–90, we find only weak support for the existence of a positive link between performance and CEO remuneration. In contrast we find age to be an important determinant of CEO pay increases. This finding reinforces the oft noted potential for inefficiencies in mutuals. Given that alternative market based control systems are absent, our results suggests that there is a lack of any mechanism to align owner and manager interests in the UK building societies.

S The determinants of CEO compensation within the UK Building Society sector are investigated. Using an unbalanced panel data set for the period 1986–90, we find only weak support for the existence of a positive link between performance and CEO remuneration. In contrast we find age to be an important determinant of CEO pay increases. This finding reinforces the oft noted potential for inefficiencies in mutuals. Given that alternative market based control systems are absent, our results suggests that there is a lack of any mechanism to align owner and manager interests in the UK building societies.

The motivation of individuals lies at the core of corporate governance. For CEOs much research has been directed at the linkage between pay and enterprise performance. The results, however, provide only weak support for the efficacy of profit‐related pay. Herein we adopt a different perspective and test for the existence of efficiency wages in a mutual sector wherein the use of traditional control mechanisms is particularly problematic. Our empirical results support the hypothesis that efficiency wages do yield superior performance. We therefore conclude that efficiency wages are a much‐needed tool of corporate governance in the mutual sector. Furthermore, as an incentive mechanism, efficiency wages do not require the observability of individual effort, thus they potentially provide an equitable incentive mechanism for all organizations.

Recent empirical work has supported the Penrose‐Teece view that firms diversify to exploit fully specific assets or capabilities. Where transactions costs permit, these economies of scope may be realized via input supply contracts among producers. However, asset specificities frequently create transactions costs which discourage market contracting and leave firms with a choice between collaborative ventures and wholly‐owned new entry. This research uses the natural experiment of financial services deregulation to explore the collaborative‐own entry choice for 292 new entries in 13 financial product markets. The results generally support our maintained hypotheses that specificity encourages full ownership while collaboration is used to ease a resource constraint.

The motivation of individuals lies at the core of corporate governance. For CEOs much research has been directed at the linkage between pay and enterprise performance. The results, however, provide only weak support for the efficacy of profit‐related pay. Herein we adopt a different perspective and test for the existence of efficiency wages in a mutual sector wherein the use of traditional control mechanisms is particularly problematic. Our empirical results support the hypothesis that efficiency wages do yield superior performance. We therefore conclude that efficiency wages are a much‐needed tool of corporate governance in the mutual sector. Furthermore, as an incentive mechanism, efficiency wages do not require the observability of individual effort, thus they potentially provide an equitable incentive mechanism for all organizations.

Recent empirical work has supported the Penrose‐Teece view that firms diversify to exploit fully specific assets or capabilities. Where transactions costs permit, these economies of scope may be realized via input supply contracts among producers. However, asset specificities frequently create transactions costs which discourage market contracting and leave firms with a choice between collaborative ventures and wholly‐owned new entry. This research uses the natural experiment of financial services deregulation to explore the collaborative‐own entry choice for 292 new entries in 13 financial product markets. The results generally support our maintained hypotheses that specificity encourages full ownership while collaboration is used to ease a resource constraint.

Herein we examine executive compensation in UK building societies in two differing regulatory regimes: (a) in a weakly competitive environment, and (b) in conditions of increased competition. Our results show that the change in regulation did affect the manner in which CEOs in building societies were remunerated. In particular, when there is little external competition, profitability does not positively influence compensation. However, when this external competition increases, improvements in profitability lead to subsequent increases in CEO remuneration. Our work supports the contention that mutuality can be efficient when operating in a sufficiently competitive environment.

Herein we examine executive compensation in UK building societies in two differing regulatory regimes: (a) in a weakly competitive environment, and (b) in conditions of increased competition. Our results show that the change in regulation did affect the manner in which CEOs in building societies were remunerated. In particular, when there is little external competition, profitability does not positively influence compensation. However, when this external competition increases, improvements in profitability lead to subsequent increases in CEO remuneration. Our work supports the contention that mutuality can be efficient when operating in a sufficiently competitive environment.

Banyard, H. G., Tufano, J. J., Delgado, J., Thompson, S. W., & Nosaka, K. (2019). Comparison of the effects of velocity-based training methods and traditional 1RM-percent-based training prescription on acute kinetic and kinematic variables. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 14(2), 246-255. Available here