In this installment of Organizational Performance, we draw attention to two types of shareholders that tend to push executive decision-making in different directions. Quality shareholders (QSs) invest in a small number of companies and hold their shares over time. QSs offer patient capital that allows executives to focus on building and sustaining competitive advantages. Transient institutional investors (TIIs) hold dispersed shareholdings across a wide array of companies and frequently trade in and out of any given stock. TIIs impose pressure on quarterly earnings reports that induce managerial myopia and inhibit strategic thinking. We consider the influence of these investors on how many consumers are harmed before a defective product is pulled from the market. The good news is that for every 1% increase in QS shareholding, prerecall consumer harm decreases by 2%. Unfortunately, for the same amount of increase in TII shareholding, prerecall consumer harm increases by 6%-a frightening prospect. The case of product recalls draws the difference between QSs and TIIs into stark contrast. In response, we offer practical recommendations to assist managers in navigating these two types of powerful institutional investors.

Managers need to stay connected to current trends and gather new insights to maximize organizational performance, but many struggle to find the time to read enough to remain informed. Business podcasts-digital episodic series covering a variety of business topics in an easy-to-consume audio format-are a relatively new tool that can help solve this dilemma. Business podcasts that offer unique perspectives on salient topics can teach managers valuable techniques for dealing with common business issues and keep them up-to-date on the latest business news. In this article, we introduce 10 popular business podcasts and discuss the insights for improving organizational performance offered in exemplary episodes of each series. Episode content ranges from detailed profile interviews of top executives and their day-to-day activities to the impact of national and global events on specific industries or businesses.