Knowledge@Emory -- Strategic Management

Brainsteering: The Art of Asking the Right Questions

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 15:41:31 EST

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

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 15:41:31 EST

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?

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 17:51:40 EST

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

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:58:17 EST

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

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 20:57:30 EST

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

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 20:57:30 EST

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?

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:21:08 EST

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

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 17:29:15 EST

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

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 05:07:31 EST

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

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:20:37 EST

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.

Leveraging Social Networks to Drive Private Equity Deals

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:38:34 EST

Social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn are making it easier for relationships made in college and in the workforce to continue and strengthen. According to Chris Rider, assistant professor of organization & management at Emory University's Goizueta Business School, the benefactor of all these connections is more than likely your employer. In a new paper, “Embedding Inter-Organizational Relations in Organizational Members’ Prior Education and Employment Networks,” Rider investigates this argument with the private equity industry and shows that private equity firms leverage their members’ prior education and employment networks to identify and select new investment partners. For Rider, this research demonstrates how in private equity, as in many industries, "one’s prior education and employment experiences are important not only because individuals develop skills and accumulate knowledge at schools and employers, but also because they form valuable professional relationships that may benefit their future employers.”

GE's John Rice on Risk, Regulation, Responsibility and Taking Control of Your Company's Destiny

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:48:02 EST

For John Rice, vice chairman, General Electric (GE) and president and CEO, GE Technology Infrastructure, operating a company in the current economy is “the biggest challenge” of his career. Although GE, a diversified technology, media and financial services company with 2008 earnings of $18 billion, carries a sizable amount of cash on its balance sheet, the tightening of the credit markets has forced GE’s leaders to “run the place differently.” Rice recently addressed the current economy, its effect on GE, and the overall trends influencing GE’s leadership during a recent “Business for Breakfast” forum sponsored by Emory University's Goizueta Business School. “Companies are thinking about safety and security. Big or small, you have to control your own destiny.”

NYSE CEO Duncan Niederauer Shares Leadership Insights with Goizueta Students

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:54:41 EST

When Duncan L. Niederauer, CEO of NYSE Euronext, took over the reins of the iconic entity in 2007, his aim was to transform a business model that was rooted in the eighteenth century to compete globally in the twenty-first century. It was no small feat. "The velocity of change was like nothing they'd ever seen," Niederauer told MBA students during a day of high-level discussions on finance, leadership, and the stock market at Emory University's Goizueta Business School. Niederauer, a Goizueta alum, joined Dean Larry Benveniste for a candid, student-only Q&A session that focused on leading through transformational change, the road less traveled, government regulation of financial markets, and the value of being oneself.

Does China�s Growing Investments in Overseas Commodities Signal a Shift in Global Power?

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:52:01 EST

In July, China’s foreign exchange reserves topped a record-breaking $2 trillion, while Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao announced the country’s intention to diversify some of its foreign currency holdings to expand and accelerate overseas acquisitions by Chinese companies, particularly those investing in natural resources. Does such a move signal a shift in geopolitical power, or foreshadow the demise of the U.S. as global superpower? Faculty at Emory University and its Goizueta Business School explore the issues.

Managing at the Speed of Change

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:15:42 EST

Calling for rapid change, U.S. President Barack Obama is determined to overhaul financial regulation to safeguard against another depression, even as he seeks to redraft the way healthcare coverage is delivered to Americans. Like many business leaders, Obama hopes to seize the moment and propel change. But is too much change at once a recipe for disaster, or can managers navigate change and ensure a successful outcome? Faculty at Emory University's Goizueta Business School explore the obstacles to change as well as the opportunities inherent in times of transition.

The Key to Retail Success with The Home Depot�s Customer Service Guru

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:15:42 EST

In a recent Q&A with Knowledge@Emory, Marvin Ellison, The Home Depot’s executive vice president of U.S. stores, discusses how the world’s third largest retailer is refocusing its efforts on the consumer. Ellison, an Executive MBA graduate from Emory University's Goizueta Business School, says a customer-centric approach is the only way to win out in a difficult retailing environment.

Summertime Book Picks: Faculty Offer Up Their Favorites

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 12:58:48 EST

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 reflect the challenging times in which we live. On a lighter note, faculty are also taking a break and indulging their inner child with books on golfing tips from Arnold Palmer and The 39 Clues, a series of kid novels, to name just a few.

When Industries Die, Are Managers to Blame?

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:01:04 EST

One of the great puzzles of business is why some companies, even entire industries, suffer decline over decades without ever finding a way to pull themselves out of the death spiral. In a discussion of this conundrum, Knowledge@Emory spoke with Robert Kazanjian, a professor of organization and management at Emory University's Goizueta Business School and an expert in strategy and change in large enterprises. According to Kazanjian, adapting to changes in the business environment is often more complex than even most managers realize.

What�s Ahead for the Global Auto Industry?

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:01:04 EST

In The Rule of Three: Surviving and Thriving in Competitive Markets, Jagdish Sheth, chaired professor of marketing at Emory University's Goizueta Business School, contends that any given industry has room for only three dominant players. With two of the Big Three American carmakers filing for bankruptcy in what is now a global auto market, his theory is proving true once again. In an interview with Knowledge@Emory, Sheth offers his analysis of the latest developments in the auto industry and explains why the changes, though painful, are necessary and will result in greater efficiencies in the long term.

Is This The End for Bricks-and-Mortar Retailing?

Wed, 13 May 2009 16:56:54 EST

In February, Microsoft announced it was hiring former DreamWorks Animation SKG executive David Porter to head the company's first full-scale rollout of Microsoft-branded retail stores. But with big-name U.S. retailers like Macy's, Starbucks, and Home Depot closing "underperforming" retail locations and online e-tailing going strong, is the bricks-and-mortar model still a viable strategy? According to faculty at Emory University and its Goizueta Business School, Internet sales channels do offer a cost-effective means of reaching customers, but some products are still more likely to be purchased at a place where consumers can experience the goods.