Caught in an Expectations Trap: Risks of Giving Securities Analysts What They Expect

2023 | Organization Science | Citations: 0

Authors: Bascle, Guilhem; Jung, Jiwook

Abstract: Although recent research shows that there is mounting pressure on firms to achie ... Expand

Abstract: Although recent research shows that there is mounting pressure on firms to achieve earnings expectations of securities analysts, firms are far from being passive conformers; many firms proactively manage such pressure, particularly with earnings management tools. Yet why does the pressure to meet analyst expectations persist despite firms’ efforts to reduce it? To address the question, we develop an intertemporal model of the mutually reinforcing relationships between analyst expectations and firms’ strategic response, combining the behavioral theory of the firm and the concept of expectations trap. We argue that firms’ efforts to meet analyst expectations strengthen their salience as a predominant performance benchmark and, in doing so, ironically put them under greater pressure from analysts in three sequentially related steps—escalating future earnings expectations, imposing more severe penalties for failure to meet heightened expectations, and generating compensatory action for missed expectations. Our analysis, using data on more than 700 of the largest listed U.S. firms between 1986 and 2015, supports our arguments. Our study expands the scope of the behavioral theory of the firm, by demonstrating the increasing importance of performance feedback based on analyst expectations. Our study also contributes to the research on earnings pressure, by illuminating why the pressure persists despite firms’ efforts to reduce or evade it, and finally to the literature on strategic management of external expectations, by elaborating its unintended, long-term consequences. Supplemental Material: The e-companion is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2021.1569. Collapse

Topics: strategic management organizational productivity Generally Accepted Accounting Principles IS downsizing accounting

Methods: longitudinal research statistical hypothesis test Compustat descriptive statistic robustness check

Theories: behavioral theory of the firm institutional theory

When Do Boards of Directors Contribute to Shareholder Value in Firms Targeted for Acquisition? A Group Information-Processing Perspective

2023 | Organization Science | Citations: 0

Authors: Pavićević, Stevo; Haleblian, Jerayr (John); Keil, Thomas

Abstract: We draw on group information-processing theory to investigate how target boards ... Expand

Abstract: We draw on group information-processing theory to investigate how target boards of directors may contribute to target value capture during the private negotiations phase in acquisitions. We view target boards as information-processing groups and private negotiations as information-processing tasks. We argue that target board meeting frequency is associated with increased processing—gathering, sharing, and analyzing—of acquisition-related information, which improves target bargaining and, ultimately, target value capture. We further posit that this value-enhancing effect of target board meeting frequency is more pronounced when target board composition improves the ability of target boards to process acquisition-related information. Finally, we expect that meeting frequency is more consequential for target bargaining and value capture when acquisition complexity imposes high information-processing demands on the target boards during private negotiations. Empirical evidence from a sample of acquisitions of publicly listed firms in the United States offers support for our group information-processing perspective on board contribution to shareholder value in firms targeted for acquisition. Funding: This work was supported by the Strategy Research Foundation [Dissertation Grant SRF-2015DP-0016]. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2022.1643. Collapse

Topics: value creation IT career database system task complexity task productivity

Methods: regression analysis method statistical hypothesis test longitudinal research ordinary least square Kolmogorov-Smirnov test

Theories: information processing theory

Product Differentiation in IT Industries: The Interplay between M&As and In-House Innovation and Exploitative Innovation Orientation

2023 | Journal of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Qi, Kangkang; Han, Sumin; Jeong, Yeasung; Rhamati, Pouya; Susarla, Anjana; Sambamurthy, Vallabh

Abstract: Firms in IT industries are under constant competitive pressure from incumbent f ... Expand

Abstract: Firms in IT industries are under constant competitive pressure from incumbent firms and startups to offer innovative products and services. This study explores the effect of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) on firms' product differentiation in IT industries. The unique characteristics of IT industries, namely hypercompetition, distributed innovation, modularity of products, and the tacit nature of knowledge, make M&As an attractive mechanism to enable IT firms to stay competitive. Drawing on product differentiation theory, we hypothesize a positive effect of M&As on product differentiation and suggest that this relationship is more potent in firms with higher in-house innovation, an exploitative innovation orientation, and under high levels of industry turbulence. We test our hypotheses using M&A transactions from 1996 to 2016 and a unique 10-K textual analysis-based measure of product differentiation. Using the difference-in-differences identification strategy, the following findings are supported: (1) M&As lead to higher product differentiation, (2) in-house innovation capability and exploitation-oriented innovation strategy positively moderate the positive effect of M&As. These results, which are robust to endogeneities and other robustness tests, contribute to theory and managerial practice by shedding light on the role of M&As as an essential mechanism for product innovation and the complementary role of in-house innovation capability and strategy for firms that intend to take advantage of M&As for creating a competitive edge through differentiating their products and services from competitors. These findings have important managerial value, providing an alternative narrative to the current view on M&As in IT industries as a means of absorbing and dismantling the competition. served or serves on the editorial boards of Information Systems Research and MIS Quarterly. Her research has been funded by prestigious organizations such as the National Institute of Health (NIH).Vallabh "Samba" Sambamurthy is the Albert O. Nicholas Dean of the Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin. He is a leading expert on how businesses compete in the digital economy. He has published his work in several leading journals and served on the editorial boards of premier academic journals, including two terms as editor-in-chief of Information Systems Research, and has held leadership roles in professional associations. Sambamurthy has garnered several recognitions for contributions to teaching, research, outreach, and mentoring. Collapse

Topics: product differentiation innovation management database system environmental uncertainty research and development

Methods: robustness check longitudinal research statistical hypothesis test difference in differences propensity score matching

Enterprise Systems and the Likelihood of Horizontal, Vertical, and Conglomerate Mergers and Acquisitions

2022 | Management Information Systems Quarterly | Citations: 3

Authors: Cao, Chengxin; Ray, Gautam; Subramani, Mani; Gupta, Alok

Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between enterprise systems (ES) and the lik ... Expand

Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between enterprise systems (ES) and the likelihood of mergers and acquisitions (M&A). The key argument is that since ES can reduce agency costs associated with internal coordination and the transaction cost of coordinating with external partners, ES may be related to the likelihood of M&A. Using a sample of 3,289 firms headquartered in North America from 2010 to 2018 that made 8,373 M&A deals, the empirical analysis suggests that ES are positively related to horizontal acquisitions and negatively related to conglomerate acquisitions. However, as internal coordination costs increase, ES are becoming associated with more conglomerate M&A, especially when the goal is to introduce new products and enter new markets. Also, in contexts where partners require transaction specific investments, ES are associated with a relative decrease in the number of horizontal and vertical M&A. These findings suggest that ES create options for managers to engage in ownership as well as information-based coordination, depending on the internal and external coordination costs as well as the goals of the organization. Collapse

Topics: research and development IT job database system economies of scale IT investment

Methods: Compustat theoretical contribution Poisson regression SDC Platinum instrumental variables estimation

Theories: lemon market theory transaction cost economics agency theory

Flourish or Perish? The Impact of Technological Acquisitions on Contributions to Open-Source Software

2022 | Information Systems Research | Citations: 0

Authors: Chen, Wei; Jin, Fujie; Xue, Ling

Abstract: This study examines the impact of technological acquisitions on contributions to ... Expand

Abstract: This study examines the impact of technological acquisitions on contributions to firm-sponsored community-based open-source software (OSS). We distinguish between internal contributors affiliated with target firms and external contributors from the community, and examine how they respond to technological acquisitions differently. Theoretically, we examine how technological acquisition influences contributors’ uncertainty about project quality through a signaling effect and influences their uncertainty about project continuity through potential resource combination. We connect uncertainties with contributors’ motivations to theorize their responses to acquisitions. Empirically, we find that external contributors contribute more actively to both target firms’ sponsored projects and other projects in the OSS community after acquisitions, which contrast with the adverse effects of acquisitions observed in traditional corporate innovation. Although internal contributors reduce contributions to target firms’ sponsored projects after acquisitions, they increase contributions to other OSS projects in the community. We also find that the acquirer’s OSS experience and the project similarity between the acquirer and the target drive both external and internal contributors to shift their development efforts to the acquirer’s projects and other projects in the OSS community. By examining these effort shifts in OSS contributions, our study generates unique theoretical insights about the impacts of technological acquisitions in the OSS context and important practical implications for acquirers, target firms, and the general OSS community. Collapse

Topics: innovation management database system electronic mail absorptive capacity online community

Methods: experimental group robustness check instrumental variables estimation theory development longitudinal research

Theories: uncertainty reduction theory

Bottleneck Resources, Market Relatedness, and the Dynamics of Organizational Growth

2022 | Organization Science | Citations: 0

Authors: Chang, Sungyong; Eggers, J. P.; Keum, D. Daniel

Abstract: Entering a new product market requires assembling a bundle of resources. Because ... Expand

Abstract: Entering a new product market requires assembling a bundle of resources. Because missing a single resource can foil the entire entry effort, we argue that bottleneck resources—those most difficult to obtain or sell externally—anchor the direction of firm growth. We characterize market resources as bottlenecks to product market entry, because they are (on average) more challenging to obtain and sell than technological resources, and we articulate why the importance of market resources varies with the strength of external markets for technology. Using cross-industry data linking firms’ product portfolios with patents, we find resource dynamics whereby market resources drive the strategic decision to enter, and firms fill technological gaps using both internal research and development and external acquisitions (joint ventures and alliances). Our study underscores the importance of resources for firm growth dynamics and specifically highlights market resources as the bottleneck that constrains and directs the direction of product market entry. Collapse

Topics: research and development database system logistics management competitive advantage innovation management

Methods: descriptive statistic theory development robustness check statistical hypothesis test regression analysis method

Beyond Spatial Proximity: The Impact of Enhanced Spatial Connectedness from New Bridges on Entrepreneurship

2022 | Organization Science | Citations: 0

Authors: Dutta, Sunasir; Armanios, Daniel Erian; Desai, Jaison D.

Abstract: Various strands of work have explored how spatial proximity helps (metaphoricall ... Expand

Abstract: Various strands of work have explored how spatial proximity helps (metaphorically) bridge barriers to resource mobilization and foster knowledge transfer. However, much of that work takes spatial connectedness as a given. We argue that spatial connectedness is a distinct construct that affects the extent to which spaces are not just proximate but are actually able to link people, ideas, resources, and knowledge together. We explore one such source of connectedness—physical (not metaphorical) bridges. We find that the opening of newly built bridges enhances startup founding in the local geographic community. Beyond their impact on startup founding, newly built bridges also influence the organizing process for such ventures. This includes a positive impact on the entry of prospective founders into entrepreneurship and an increase in the number of early-stage investors. The subsequently founded ventures are also more likely to engage in recombination and to cross industry boundaries. We explore scope conditions around industry and connective heterogeneity. We also test for robustness to various modeling approaches. The discussion highlights contributions of these findings to the study of entrepreneurship, as well as of organizations and the institutional fields in which they operate. Collapse

Topics: entrepreneurship innovation management knowledge sharing knowledge spillover economic surplus

Methods: robustness check hierarchical linear modeling archival research statistical hypothesis test instrumental variables estimation

Theories: institutional theory sociomaterialism theory organizational theory theory of economic booms

Does IT Matter to Acquisitions? The Impacts of IT Distance on Post-Acquisition Performance

2022 | Management Information Systems Quarterly | Citations: 0

Authors: Lee, Kyunghee; Han, Kunsoo; Animesh, Animesh; Pinsonneault, Alain

Abstract: Although researchers have examined the role of dyadic dynamics (i.e., interactio ... Expand

Abstract: Although researchers have examined the role of dyadic dynamics (i.e., interactions between the acquirer and the target firm) in the success of acquisitions, little attention has been devoted to the role of information technology (IT). In this study, we extend this literature by examining how pre-acquisition IT distance (i.e., the difference between the enterprise IT systems of the two firms that reflects the system incompatibility and resulting costs of system integration) affects the acquirer’s post-acquisition performance. To measure IT distance, we used a word-embedding technique to map each firm’s IT systems portfolio to a low-dimensional embedding space and calculate the distance between the firms in that space. Using data on U.S. firms’ acquisition activities over seven years, we found that IT distance is negatively associated with the acquirer’s post-acquisition performance. Also, the adverse effect of IT distance is stronger for acquisitions motivated by operational synergies, compared to those seeking non-operational synergies. This finding supports our fundamental premise that IT distance disrupts post-acquisition synergy creation, and more so when the combined firm has a greater need for tight integration to create acquisition synergies. This research contributes to the merger and acquisition (M&A) literature in management and IS by introducing a novel concept of IT distance and by theorizing and empirically examining its performance implications in acquisitions. The findings of this study can inform practitioners on how to devise IT strategies in corporate acquisitions to mitigate IT risks and achieve greater post-acquisition performance. Collapse

Topics: system integration Oracle database enterprise information system value creation IT decentralization

Methods: survey word2vec descriptive statistic word embedding theory development

INFORMATION SECURITY RISK AND BOUNDARY CHANGING BEHAVIOR

2022 | Americas Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Pataci, Hilal; Ravichandran, T.

Abstract: The escalating information security threats and their impacts have made firms p ... Expand

Abstract: The escalating information security threats and their impacts have made firms pay careful attention to potential risks they face and the actions they can take to mitigate such risks. We explore if and how the information security risk perceptions of firms shape their boundary-changing behaviors. We argue that organizations have risk transfer, risk avoidance, risk reduction, risk acceptance options, and combine these options in their attempts to reduce the perceived effects of information security risks. Organizations through risk transfer could transfer some effects of information security risks to third parties, while boundary changing behaviors could alter the potential vulnerabilities of a firm and hence decisions to alter firm boundaries are likely to be shaped by risk perceptions. By fine-tuning 11 state-of-the-art NLP models with causal extraction, we find that organizations' information security risk perception is positively associated with their information security risk transfer behavior, and less-risky boundary changing actions. Collapse

Topics: information security risk decision making IT security threat social media Slack

Methods: natural language processing BERT theory development experiment Lagrange multiplier test

Theories: behavioral theory of the firm lemon market theory

Competitive Brokerage: How Information Management Capability And Collaboration Networks Act As Substitutes

2021 | Journal of Management Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Andrade-Rojas, Mariana Giovanna; Kathuria, Abhishek; Konsynski, Benn R.

Abstract: IT-based information management and collaboration networks are both important so ... Expand

Abstract: IT-based information management and collaboration networks are both important sources of competitive information. Despite anecdotal evidence, limited research examines their contemporaneous impact on firms' ability to compete effectively. We take an information asymmetry perspective to examine the mechanisms through which the firm's information management capability and the structure of its collaboration network influence the structure of its competition network in product markets. We argue that taking a brokerage position in competition networks has a positive influence on a firm's performance. We then explain how the firm's information management capability and its position in collaboration networks each have a direct positive influence on its brokerage position in the competition network. Finally, we propose that information management capability and a central position in collaboration networks act as substitutes. We empirically test our model using a longitudinal competition network, a longitudinal collaboration network, and longitudinal secondary data about firms' information management capability, drawn from 262 firms over a 15-year period. Our findings, robust to endogeneity concerns and alternative model specifications, reveal the direct and substitution effects of information management capability and collaboration networks on competition networks. This research contributes to the information systems and strategy literatures by offering insights into how IT enables firms to design competitive strategies by facilitating analyses of competitors' information, and how the information gained by firms as they collaborate can enhance their ability to compete. Collapse

Topics: organizational productivity information management strategic management database system IS value

Methods: longitudinal research computational algorithm descriptive statistic statistical hypothesis test Compustat

Theories: lemon market theory resource dependency theory