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Most attempts to measure corporate wrongdoing rely on data and indices sold by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data providers. Developed for investors and market players, ESG data have been widely used in academic interests, but so far little research has been conducted to assess and overcome the limitations of ESG. In this article, we take the first step in this direction and propose using an M-quantile regression approach to develop an index of corporate wrongdoing, specifically firms' involvement in controversies over universal human rights. We apply our proposed methodology to a novel and unique hand-collected dataset of 380 large publicly-listed firms from both advanced and emerging economies, covering the period 2003-2012. We discuss the importance of these indices for managers and practitioners.

Unprecedented competition and emergent technologies have posed a challenge to many traditional retailers in recent years. Yet within this competitive environment, emerging innovative business models have thrived and successfully disrupted the industry. We analyze the nature of disruptive business-model innovations and the ways they disrupt the fashion retail industry. To that end, we examine three disruptors in the industry: born-digital brands, AI-enabled demand forecasting and product design, and collaborative consumption. After introducing the concept of disruptive business-model innovation, we discuss the three disruptors' effects on the fashion industry. We find that all of these models keenly answer fundamental needs unmet by current business models, such as offering quality products at a competitive price, curated services, and sustainable consumption. At the same time, all three disruptors suggest effective operation models for handling demand uncertainty, inventory management, and timely responses to the market, all of which are inherent issues for current push supply chains and forecast-based, inventory-driven systems. Based on this analysis, we discuss important implications for both academics and industry practitioners.

Despite the demonstrated opportunities for revenue enhancement through digitalization, companies often experience a digitalization paradox. This paradox suggests that although companies may invest in digitalization, they often fail to achieve the expected revenue enhancement. In reporting research on 52 companies, we make the following four contributions: First, we focus on industrial companies in the business-to-business context, which largely have been neglected in previous research on digitalization. Second, we introduce the digitali-zation paradox as an important phenomenon in the discussion of revenue enhancement through digitalization. Third, we describe three growth paths: (1) commercializing digital so-lutions, (2) utilizing product connectivity, and (3) establishing an IoT-platform-based applica-tion business. For each growth path, the article takes a dynamic perspective on business models, highlighting triggers and modifications in business-model components (including value proposition, value-creation activities, and profit equation). Fourth, while the described modifications require initial investments to let these growth paths develop, we highlight how growth traps can prevent investments in business-model modifications from leading to revenue enhancement and how they can ultimately lead to the digitalization paradox.

While awareness of data quality has increased in recent years, there have been very few studies on the actual level of data quality within organizations. This article outlines the analysis of 75 data quality assessments collected over the course of 2 years from a wide range of organizations, data sets, and business processes. The results reveal that data is in far worse shape than most managers realize. On average, 47% of recently created data records have at least one critical error. High-quality data is the exception, with only 3% of the DQ scores rated acceptable (≥97%). Indeed, the results suggest an unhealthy organizational tolerance of bad data and underscore the magnitude of improvement organizations need to make in order to be truly effective in the knowledge economy. By providing a unique insight into quality as the data is actually used and a benchmark for data quality practitioners, this article serves as a call-to-action for all organizations-regardless of size and type-to determine their level of data quality. Finally, we set out a typology that presents a categorical scheme to promote preemptive actions against the most frequent types of data error.

As consumers increasingly choose to make their purchases from the comfort of their own homes rather than to visit brick-and-mortar stores, the need for fast-moving fulfillment and distribution centers (DCs) is proliferating. The Amazon effect that is so significantly changing the way people shop is also associated with an acute shortage of blue-collar workers in the retail-distribution industry. Firms' traditional responses to the scarcity of warehouse labor are to increase hourly wages and to integrate automation and robotic product-fulfillment technologies. We identify an innovative human-capital-management approach that provides a timely, alternative solution to this important business problem. We present anecdotal, descriptive overviews of firms that are implementing blue-ocean strategy (BOS) to proactively hire and assimilate workers with disabilities into their DCs. We also identify effective practices for partnering with local disability-service agencies to ensure that proactively hiring warehouse workers with disabilities creates mutual value and improves productivity. Finally, we discuss corporate social responsibility and the social impact of successfully hiring and assimilating workers with disabilities, with the intent of encouraging firms in the retail-fulfillment industry to view the traditional business problem of hiring warehouse workers from a new and alternative perspective.

Online shopping is growing significantly among rural consumers interested in overcoming product assortment limitations in their local markets. Retailers are taking notice, and some are looking for first-mover-advantage opportunities in rural areas where they see greater potential for growth when compared to saturated urban markets. However, expanding to these areas presents significant and unresolved challenges related to last mile fulfillment caused by low levels of population density as well as other socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. In this article, we present an integrated set of recommendations for online retailers to differentiate strategies to serve rural markets efficiently. To that end, we partnered with an online grocery retailer to examine differences between rural and urban consumers across online shopping preferences that significantly impact fulfillment costs. We draw on those differences and existing knowledge on last mile fulfillment operations to propose a tailored consumer value proposition and operational model for last mile fulfillment in rural markets.

Though counterfeit products pose a large and growing problem, brand owners may not always respond to it effectively. Efforts to address it may be scattered or reactive, with some brand owners not even recognizing the problem. Previous research has indicated a total-business solution, involving virtually all functions of the enterprise, can help address the problem in a more systematic and effective way. To better identify what a total-business solution might look like, we asked a sample of 42 respondents-33 brand-protection practitioners and nine other respondents with academic, service, or other perspectives-to identify all functions and tactics that might be associated with brand-protection efforts. Altogether, respondents identified 38 functions associated with 757 unique tactics among more than 1,300 total tactics. Using these data, we assessed the depth and breadth of each function. We also identified multiple functions that can together support a total-business solution, and our results can help managers engage these functions to protect their brands. Future work may gauge the extent to which firms actually incorporate these functions as well as how managers consider the value, breadth, and depth of each function in relation to their organizations.

While entrepreneurship in developing economies at the base of the pyramid is receiving growing attention, scholars have devoted less effort to exploring entrepreneurship as a solution to poverty in advanced economies. Yet, poverty rates have not meaningfully changed in most developed economies in 50 years, and the income gap between rich and poor continues to widen. In this article, we examine entrepreneurship as a source of empowerment for the economically disadvantaged. We explore the nature of poverty and its implications for various aspects of entrepreneurship, identify problematic aspects of the typical low-income startup, and present the SPODER conceptual framework for fostering entrepreneurial development among the poor: (S) supportive infrastructure, (P) preparation of the entrepreneur; (O) expanded opportunity horizons; (D) finding sources of differentiation; (E) a well-designed economic model; and (R) leveraging community resources. We conclude by drawing from the framework implications for those involved in breaking the cycle of poverty.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether certain types of identities are more likely than others to be present before and during business growth. We collect data from six entrepreneurs and adopt an interpretivist approach, using Van Gennep's theory of transitions, to explore the challenges faced by entrepreneurs after startup and during business growth. We find that business growth challenges entrepreneurs' identities as they aspire to achieve their personal goals and reach self-fulfillment. These identities consist of entrepreneurial, manager, personal, and social identities, and each has distinct roles within the business. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for entrepreneurs and policy makers. We recommend that entrepreneurs receive a combination of personal and business support, especially during more uncertain, high-pressure, and complex times.

The B2B sales process is undergoing substantial transformations fueled by advances in information and communications technology, specifically in artificial intelligence (AI). The premise of AI is to turn vast amounts of data into information for superior knowledge creation and knowledge management in B2B sales. In doing so, AI can significantly alter the traditional human-centric sales process. In this article, we describe how AI affects the B2B sales funnel. For each stage of the funnel, we describe key sales tasks, explain the specific contributions AI can bring, and clarify the role humans play. We also outline managerial considerations to maximize the contributions from AI and people in the context of B2B sales.

On November 14, 2017, Aurora Cannabis Inc. (Aurora) made a proposal to CanniMed Therapeutics Inc. (CanniMed) to acquire all of CanniMed's issued and outstanding common shares in a share exchange that valued CanniMed's common shares at a premium of almost 30 per cent over the previous day's share price. In its proposal, Aurora requested a response from CanniMed's board of directors by November 17, 2018, in the absence of which it intended to launch a formal, hostile takeover bid. Instead of responding to Aurora's offer, CanniMed's board of directors issued a news release advising shareholders to take no action regarding Aurora's bid and announcing that CanniMed had entered into an agreement to wholly acquire Newstrike Resources Inc. (Newstrike). As a result, Aurora took its bid directly to CanniMed shareholders, with a condition that CanniMed terminate the proposed Newstrike acquisition. Now CanniMed investors had to carefully consider their alternatives: should they tender their shares to Aurora's bid, or should they hold on to their shares according to the CanniMed board's recommendation and then decide whether to vote in favour of the Newstrike transaction?

Diana Uribe was a successful cultural personality in her native Colombia, best known for her national radio show about world history. Since 2000, the show had aired every Sunday on Caracol Radio, Colombia's most popular news radio station. On October 9, 2018, Caracol Radio announced to Uribe the unilateral termination of her contract, effective in one week. Uribe felt pressured to act. She knew that her future work opportunities would depend on her ability to remain visible and popular with a diverse audience. The unexpected termination prompted Uribe to think of alternative options to continue to communicate with her audience and ensure continuity for her team. Was the time ripe to move to podcasts?

In 2019, a small investor was reviewing her portfolio mix, which included quick-service restaurants. During her research, she learned of new-product launches by two companies: Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat. Both companies produced plant-based products that simulated meat, and both were distributing their products not only in grocery stores but also in quick-service restaurants. Both also used innovative marketing, such as insisting that their products be placed in the meat aisle and not in a separate aisle for plant-based food. The companies suggested their products were better for animals, human health, and the environment than animal-based meat, but faced pushback and regulation. Would plant-based meat be a good investment?

In its annual report for the financial year (FY) 2018/19, Reliance Industries Limited reported an unprecedented ₹596.74 billion as other comprehensive income (OCI). The OCI affected the statement of profit and loss (P&L), the balance sheet, and the statement of changes in equity. India converged its accounting standards with the International Financial Reporting Standards, effective FY 2017 onward. The converged accounting standards required an entity to present the statement of P&L and OCI in two sections, with the sum of the two reported as the total comprehensive income. The requirement to present a separate statement of changes in equity was also introduced in India. Though the concept of OCI was new to India, it had been used globally since 1997. The classification of income and expenses to either P&L or OCI as well as the subsequent reclassification of OCI to P&L have remained subjects of debate. The exercise discusses the nature, reporting, and reclassification of OCI, as well as its impact on key financial ratios.

In December 2018, the procurement director at Bombardier Aerostructures (Bombardier) was tasked with deciding whether to support the manufacturing department's proposal to expand capacity in order to produce the front substructure for the A220 aircraft in house or to instead propose that Bombardier outsource the production of this critical assembly. Demand had been growing steadily for the A220. Engineers had determined that expanding the current production capacity at Bombardier's headquarters in Montreal, Canada, was the least capital-intensive solution. However, the front substructure was a prime candidate for outsourcing, and the procurement director wanted to be sure she had considered all options before she made a final recommendation to the senior management team in two weeks.

In late 2018, a female entrepreneur, the founder and chief executive officer of Candi&Co, South Africa's first ethnic hair salon franchise faced a dilemma. After launching in 2014, Candi&Co had quickly expanded to five locations. The founder's priority was to continue to grow the business; however, she had been approached about selling her business to South Africa's Long4Life investment group, which was acquiring the Sorbet Group's companies, including Candi&Co. The entrepreneur had set out to change the way consumers felt about their hair, to offer a service they did not believe they deserved, to professionalize an industry, to empower stylists, and to grow the industry in a sustainable manner. Would selling to Long4Life allow her vision to materialize faster than she could do it on her own? Or would she need to break away from the Sorbet Group and continue building her vision alone?

Big corporations have structured processes and frameworks for strategic projects review, and professionals are well trained and versed on developing detailed project plans. But, the execution discipline is frequently overlooked or completely neglected, which results in staggering project failures, even when they are strategic to the business in a fast-changing environment, and even when it has the appropriate sponsorship from the senior management. This case study is based on the events and outcomes of one such project, MyCHC, driven by Merck in China. It demonstrates the benefits of a structured framework to secure a successful strategic project execution. MyCHC was a key strategic digital transformation project to develop a digital platform to support physicians and patients make informed decisions for diagnosis and treatment of diseases and to diminish the transactional friction to set appointments and follow-up. Although the project was solving both patients and physicians' problems and had strong support from the senior management it ended up discontinued and was eventually merged into another project. The framework for smart execution from Gilbert et al. 2008 was utilized to analyse the case to better understand what went wrong during the execution of the project that was set for success with the appropriate focus, scope and sponsorship. An application of the framework highlights the need to secure the best team, a better rehearsal of the execution to identify risks and potential roadblocks, more investment to inspire and engage the team members and key stakeholders, and to follow through and keep the team energized, which were the missing elements that led the project to be folded eventually. The case demonstrates not only the importance of a structured approach to secure the success of a strategic project in a complex internal and external environment, but also the challenges to bring about a key digital transformation in an industry incumbent.

In 2016, the chair of McMaster Family Health Team faced challenges related to differences in operational culture that had emerged at its two clinic sites-Stonechurch Family Health Centre and McMaster Family Practice. The two sites, which had operated independently with relative autonomy for over 30 years, were merged in 2015, in response to a government initiative, a new funding model intended to increase access to primary health care for all Ontarians. The original goal was to operate the two sites under one model, one set of standard operating procedures, and one common governance framework. Over time, however, two distinct team operating cultures evolved organically at the two sites. The identity of both sites was consistent, but they differed in functionality. The chair's goal was to continue growing the clinics, but he needed to decide how best to proceed. Should he allow the two sites to continue operating with different functional cultures, and possibly allow other future sites to also organically develop their own identities and cultures? Or should he proactively influence a standardization plan?

The case explores the strategic decision of global non-profit startup accelerator MassChallenge on whether to pursue a for-profit spinoff, discussing: (1) the costs and benefits of this decision, (2) how best to manage the risks of the decision, and (3) alternative pathways to ensure business sustainability and success.

Devoted Health aimed to build the next-generation Medicare Advantage health insurance plan, taking advantage of tech solutions to ensure cost containment for the company's bottom line- and a high-quality health care plan that treated members like family. The technology platform would be critical to coordinate the logistics of patient-centered care, identify and recruit the highest-quality providers, and keep a tight control on operating and administrative costs. The case discusses the cost calculations and competitive landscape in the fast-moving Medicare Advantage market, where start-ups and big insurers were jostling to provide America's seniors with health plan options beyond the basic Medicare coverage. This type of plan covered one-third of Medicare beneficiaries in 2019, and this figure was projected to grow to 42 percent by 2028. To generate profits, Medicare Advantage companies focused on high-touch patient care to keep patients healthy and out of the hospital. In Devoted's operating model, high-tech efforts and predictive modeling would also be key to its successful expansion to new markets.