Essays on Entrepreneurship and Founder Pre-entry Knowledge

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Workplace conflict, bullying, and counterproductive behaviors

Using a multi-method approach, this paper presents both a qualitative and quantitative examination of workplace conflict, the emotional reactions to bullying and counterproductive behaviors. Three studies were undertaken for the present research. Data for Study 1 emerged from semi-structured interviews conducted with 50 group leaders and members from six workgroups in two large organizations. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using systematic interpretative techniques. Findings from Study 1 showed that conflict induced a variety of emotional and behavioral responses. Data from Study 2 were collected from 660 employees from 7 public sector organizations using a structured open-ended survey. Results from Study 2 revealed that the majority of respondents perceived their managers as bullies. Study 3 surveyed 510 staff in 122 workgroups from five organizations. Regression analysis revealed that differing conflict events were associated with bullying, emotional reactions and counterproductive behaviors. In particular, prolonged conflict increased incidents of bullying. Higher levels of bullying were predictive of workplace counterproductive behaviors such as purposely wasting company material and supplies, purposely doing one's work incorrectly and purposely damaging a valuable piece of property belonging to the employer.

Economies of violence: An autobiographical account

This paper uses autobiographical stories to explore various aspects of institutional violence. The stories are taken from a range of institutional settings including schools, academia and commercial enterprises. Each story is used in a dynamic interplay with extant theories and explanations of violence in a mutually explorative and informing manner. Each tale intersects with a different set of issues relating to organisations and violence. The stories and the analysis cohere around the central notion that there exist economies of violence in which violence is exchanged, transacted and within which it circulates. Such economies are constituted and legitimated by discourses, the economy shifts and alters as the surrounding discourses change.

Starting out: Quality of working life of young workers in the retail and hospitality industries in Australia

In the 1990s workers in Australia were increasingly subjected to negative work pressures. Irregular work patterns, work intensification, and the transformation of the notion of career, often in the name of ‘flexibility’, were increasingly common. This period was also characterised by scant regard for the quality of working life of young people in entry-level employment, which is often portrayed as a transition stage prior to their admission into the full-time core workforce. This paper explores the experiences of twenty-two young people at the beginning of their careers, in the hospitality and retail industries, with reference to three quality of working life (QWL) elements: hours flexibility, work-life balance and career potential. Qualitative evidence reveals a variety of experiences but, on balance, suggests a negative quality of working life and limited commitment to their current industry. In conclusion, the paper suggests that these industries must pay more attention to QWL issues in order to attract and retain quality staff.

Strategic interventions in intellectual asset flows

The rise of the knowledge economy brings to the foreground questions of how firms might best capture the value of their intellectual assets. In this article I introduce the notion of strategic interventions in intellectual asset flows designed to influence the level and composition of intellectual asset scarcity, with implications for firm performance. I also present propositions that explain and predict how contingencies at differing levels of analysis influence the choice of strategic intervention.

Disabilities, justice and the new eugenics of gene therapy

Eugenics is a difficult matter for discussion because, even as a term, it has fallen into disrepute. Yet a eugenic mindset pervades the discourses of reproduction and genetics in the West. I utilise the futures scenario of gene therapy to explore conceptually how the intersecting trajectories of science and religion make a new eugenics possible. The problematic of an inherent elitism within these sources, combined with a quest for power, leads me to renew the call for an adequate moral space within which to explore the requirements of social justice.

Warranty and discrete preventive maintenance

Preventive maintenance actions over the warranty period have an impact on the warranty servicing cost to the manufacturer and the cost to the buyer of fixing failures over the life of the product after the warranty expires. However, preventive maintenance costs money and is worthwhile only when these costs exceed the reduction in other costs. The paper deals with a model to determine when preventive maintenance actions (which rejuvenate the unit) carried out at discrete time instants over the warranty period are worthwhile. The cost of preventive maintenance is borne by the buyer. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A longitudinal study of employee adaptation to organizational change: The role of change-related information and change-related self-efficacy

This study examined the role of information, efficacy, and 3 stressors in predicting adjustment to organizational change. Participants were 589 government employees undergoing an 18-month process of regionalization. To examine if the predictor variables had long-term effects on adjustment, the authors assessed psychological well-being, client engagement, and job satisfaction again at a 2-year follow-up. At Time 1, there was evidence to suggest that information was indirectly related to psychological well-being, client engagement, and job satisfaction, via its positive relationship to efficacy. There also was evidence to suggest that efficacy was related to reduced stress appraisals, thereby heightening client engagement. Last, there was consistent support for the stress-buffering role of Time I self-efficacy in the prediction of Time 2 job satisfaction.

A new perspective on the integration responsiveness pressures confronting multinational firms

The Integration-Responsiveness framework of Prahalad and Doz (1987) has been used extensively in the international business literature to typify the diverse and often-conflicting environmental pressures confronting firms as they expand worldwide. Although the IR framework has been successfully applied for over a decade, many theoretical and empirical studies have focused on the consequences of these pressures rather than the pressures themselves. Prahalad and Doz identified the economic, technological, political, customer and competitive factors that create the global integration and local responsiveness pressures on the diverse businesses and functions in MNEs. This article explains the methodology, including the procedure for data collection and analysis. The researchers conclude with a discussion of their findings and directions for future research, speculating as to the appropriate definition of the domain of IR pressures and the criteria they might use to validate measures of these.

Comic relief: Subversion and catharsis in organizational comedic theatre

There has been a growth of interest in the role of humour in organizations from both practitioner and academic perspectives. Various claims for the functionality of humour have been made, ranging from stress reduction to helping form and cement corporate cultures. Latching on to these presumed benefits, businesses and consultants have begun to employ humour and comedy in a direct and explicit manner. However, there is a counterpoint, which suggests that humour cannot always be managed and in fact has subversive qualities. This article addresses the issue of the subversive potential of comedy in organizational contexts. It draws illustratively on the case of a successful corporate comedian to do so. The article argues, through an analysis of the case, the history and philosophy of comedy, and theories of the comedic, that while comedy has inherent subversive potential, it most often is contained. Indeed, it suggests that comedy works by intruding as a potential threat to mundane reality, but offers comic relief when it is apparent that the threat will not be actualized and the status quo ante prevails. Implications for using corporate comedy are drawn..

A decade of downsizing: Understanding the contours of change in Australia, 1990-99

his paper seeks to map a decade of organizational downsizing in Australia utilizing a comprehensive longitudinal data set of 4153 firms. Aggregate downsizing measures conceal extensive change within organizations. We seek to assess these processes by comparing a conventional downsizing measure with more specific occupational downsizing measures. The results show the contours of change in Australia over the 1990s; indicate that there are distinctive and contrasting trends; and raise significant issues for future theoretical and empirical research.

We all stand together: Using cluster associations to create worldwide presence for SMEs

This paper examines the potential for cluster associations to act globally on behalf of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) utilising networked internet-based capabilities to trade globally. The slow up-take of such new technology and the problems involved is also becoming of increased interest to policymakers. This paper argues that cluster associations with low power-dependence and decentralised structures are better able to provide the necessary support that networks of SMEs require to utilise the technology.