Articles 1 to 10 of 158
Brainsteering: The Art of Asking the Right Questions
What do companies that go from zero revenue to a billion dollars in four years have in common? According to Kevin Coyne, senior teaching professor in organization & management at Emory University's Goizueta Business School, companies like Google, eBay, or Groupon were built around a single, powerful idea. In an interview with Knowledge@Emory, Coyne discusses his new book, “Brainsteering: A Better Approach to Breakthrough Ideas,” due out Tuesday, and the process that goes beyond brainstorming to jumpstart success by “steering” idea generation.
Revisiting Sputnik: The Will to Invest in Competitive Advantage
Can America get its competitive groove back? President Barack Obama is proposing tax incentives as a way to lift American production back to the world-class leadership position it once enjoyed. The president cited the space race as an example of the country’s ability to come from behind and emerge victorious, but Emory professor Thomas M. Smith says the parallel only goes so far. And he questions whether Americans are once again willing to pay the price of short-term discomfort for long-term gains.
Is There Really Room for Emotions in the Workplace?
From an apologetic smile to concern over a colleague’s personal problems to a reluctance to speak over others at a meeting, signs of emotional connectedness, valued in personal relationships, can sometimes lead to judgments of weakness in the workplace and an underestimation of an employee’s competence and value. According to communication and organization experts at Emory University and its Goizueta Business School, however, the stereotypic gender differences underlying those judgments are becoming increasingly outmoded as more and more women become business managers and executives. Emory faculty and professional coaches offer strategies for navigating the obstacles along the way to an emotionally attuned and high-functioning workplace.
Exploring the Opportunities and Challenges of Doing Business with China
China’s booming economy and its rapidly growing middle class can offer middle-sized and smaller firms opportunities to expand into an emerging-market economy. “Companies can’t afford to ignore it,” says Jeff Rosensweig, an associate professor of international business and finance at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School who will moderate a panel discussion on November 1 when the National Association of Chinese-Americans (NACA), Emory University, and other sponsors host a U.S.-China Business Conference entitled “Catalyst for Growth.” Rosensweig and NACA president Steven Gu offer a primer on the culture, opportunities and challenges of doing business with China.
How Hybrid Governance Forms Can Kick-Start Creativity and Cooperation
Elements like cooperation and creativity are often central to getting the job done but are difficult to measure and even harder to incentivize. Researchers Richard Makadok and Russ Coff, professors of organization and management at Emory University's Goizueta Business School, studied the issue and developed a model that offers managers insight into how various hybrid governance structures work and can provide indirect inducements for tasks that otherwise could not be directly incentivized or measured. Their paper, “Both Market and Hierarchy: An Incentive-System Theory of Hybrid Governance Forms,” was named top paper for 2009 by Academy of Management Review.
Malls: Time to Think outside the (Big) Box
Malls, that staple of suburban life in the United States, are facing a daunting set of statistics: rising vacancy rates, a drop in new development, and economic doldrums that just won’t quit. How to thrive, or even survive? Think beyond the big box, say faculty at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and industry experts. Malls, they advise, need to become more than shopping centers, integrating a range of services, facilities, and events that will transform them into experience-based destinations. Not every mall can become a Mall of America, but those that are relatively stable and savvy can learn from the übermall’s example: diversify and adapt to a changing economy.
Will Barnes & Noble’s Latest Moves Pay Off?
For nearly 40 years, Barnes &Noble has been at the forefront of bookselling. In a series of moves, including the promotion in March of tech-savvy William Lynch to CEO, the company has sought to retain its competitive advantage in the marketplace. But with e-books on the rise and publishing in transition, does the company have the right strategy to remain on top? Faculty from Emory University's Goizueta Business School and industry experts explore B&N's challenges and options.
How Researchers Use 'Spore' to Examine Compensation and Incentives
What does a blockbuster video game have to do with prize-winning research on incentive compensation, performance measures, and broad strategic goals? Plenty, say Emory University's Goizueta Business School researchers Gary Hecht and William Tayler. Along with doctoral candidate Willie Choi, the three employed the now wildly popular, multi-genre, metaverse video game “Spore” to examine how compensation tied to single performance measures can unintentionally thwart a company’s overall performance. Among the findings in their award-winning paper, “Lost in Translation: The Effects of Incentive Compensation on Strategy Surrogation,” incentives work but some people can't see the forest for the trees.
Three Healthcare Executives Discuss the Challenge of Managing Through Change
Since taking the helm as president and CEO of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Donna Hyland has overseen the acquisitions of both Hughes Spalding Children’s Hospital and Marcus Autism Center in Atlanta; survived the bottoming out of the U.S. economy, and grappled with impending healthcare reform. “I thought I knew what I was getting into. Trust me. I didn’t,” says Hyland of her first year as CEO. Undaunted, she and other women executives came together to discuss “Managing Change, Managing Challenge” during the November conference of the Executive Women of Goizueta (EWG), an alumni group of Emory University's Goizueta Business School. “There have been amazing changes and amazing challenges," Hyland adds, noting that Children's was recently awarded a $30 million grant, $25 million of which will help fund a pediatric research building on the Emory University campus. "Change presents opportunity; it can either destroy you or motivate you.”
Good Books Make Great Gifts: Faculty Offer Up Their Favorites
From works considering the intersection of culture and business to history tomes and novels, this year's listing of recommended books by faculty at Emory University and its Goizueta Business School covers a wide range of choices, including fun reads such as a book on golfing tips from Arnold Palmer and The 39 Clues, a series of kid novels, to name just a few.
