Robert Vesco

Webscraping with R

Robert Vesco — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 19:25:14 +0000

I’ll be giving a talk at the DC Meetup group on “Webscraping with R” on June 24.

If you’re interested in learning more about R or webscraping in general come join us.

http://www.meetup.com/R-users-DC/

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Entrepreneurship and Mathematics

Robert Vesco — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:29:37 +0000

At first, math and entrepreneurship may seem like two topics that are very far apart, but in fact, there are some very interesting connections between the two. Allow me to explain.

In school you learn about how to solve various math problems. Your teacher, assuming she was nice, generally gave you problems that you could solve. Ok, you may not have been able to solve them, but they certainly were solvable, and by solvable, I mean they had an analytical or direct solutions. These are generally problems that in theory you could solve without the aid of the calculator. At some point in school, you may have been exposed to problems that could not be solved using analytical methods, or if they could, they would have required a lot of time to do. These type of math problems, and techniques, are generally learned in a class called numerical analysis/methods, although your other classes may have exposed you to some of these concepts as well.

So what does any of this have to do with entrepreneurship? Well, entrepreneurs generally solve problems using the strategies of numerical analysis, and in particular iterative techniques. In numerical analysis many problems are not solved directly, but iteratively. Given some initial condition, either you, or some computer then attempts to find the answer. However, depending on the initial condition, it could take quite awhile (or a lot of iterations and wrong answers) to get to the right answer. Under certain circumstances, the process may even break down and not work at all. Lastly, using iterative numerical methods, you never get exactly the right answer. There is some error.

In contrast, analytical and direct approaches to problems are not iterative. You work through and rationalize through a serious of steps that get you to the right answer. There are no mistakes or recalculations along the way (for the most part). The downside of this approach is that some problems cannot be solved this way, or if they can, you will have expended an enormous amount of energy getting there. While I have simplified the differences between the two approaches, the essence of the relationship is there. Entrepreneurs are iterative and imprecise. They make mistakes along the way. They often lack the elegance of analytical methods and they are rarely 100% correct. But on the upside, this allows them to solve problems that bureaucratic and more rationale methods would struggle to solve.

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Top Journals in Management and Strategy

Robert Vesco — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:39:55 +0000

Each business school, and each department/sub discipline within that school, has a set of journals that measure faculty performance. On the strategy side of the department of management and organization at U of Maryland’s business school these six journals are considered A-level.

Academy of Management Review

The mission of the Academy of Management Review (AMR) is to publish new theoretical insights that advance our understanding of management and organizations. AMR is receptive to a variety of perspectives, including those seeking to improve the effectiveness of, as well as those critical of, management and organizations. Submissions to AMR must extend theory in ways that permit the development of testable knowledge-based claims. To do this, researchers can develop new management and organization theory, significantly challenge or clarify existing theory, synthesize recent advances and ideas into fresh, if not entirely new theory, or initiate a search for new theory by identifying and delineating a novel theoretical problem. The contributions of AMR articles often are grounded in “normal science disciplines” of economics, psychology, sociology, or social psychology as well as nontraditional perspectives, such as the humanities. AMR publishes novel, insightful and carefully crafted conceptual work that challenges conventional wisdom concerning all aspects of organizations and their roles in society.

Academy of Management Journal

The mission of the Academy of Management Journal is to publish empirical research that tests, extends, or builds management theory and contributes to management practice. All empirical methods — including, but not limited to, qualitative, quantitative, field, laboratory, and combination methods — are welcome. To be published in AMJ, a manuscript must make strong empirical and theoretical contributions and highlight the significance of those contributions to the management field. Thus, preference is given to submissions that test, extend, or build strong theoretical frameworks while empirically examining issues with high importance for management theory and practice. AMJ is not tied to any particular discipline, level of analysis, or national context.

Strategic Management Journal

The journal publishes original material concerned with all aspects of strategic management. It is devoted to the improvement and further development of the theory and practice of strategic management and it is designed to appeal to both practising managers and academics. Papers acceptable to an editorial board acting as referees are published. The journal also publishes communications in the form of research notes or comments from readers on published papers or current issues. Editorial comments and invited papers on practices and developments in strategic management appear from time to time as warranted by new developments. Overall, SMJ provides a communication forum for advancing strategic management theory and practice. Such major topics as strategic resource allocation; organization structure; leadership; entrepreneurship and organizational purpose; methods and techniques for evaluating and understanding competitive, technological, social, and political environments; planning processes; and strategic decision processes are included in the journal.

Administrative Science Quarterly

ASQ regularly publishes the best theoretical and empirical papers based on dissertations and on the evolving and new work of more established scholars. Look to ASQ for new work from young scholars with fresh views, opening new areas of inquiry, and from more seasoned scholars deepening earlier work and staking out new terrain.

ASQ publishes the best organizational theory papers from a number of disciplines, including organizational behavior and theory, sociology, psychology and social psychology, strategic management, economics, public administration, and industrial relations. Look to ASQ for work that transcends the bounds of particular disciplines to speak to a broad audience.

Organization Science

Organization Science is ranked among the top journals in management by the Social Science Citation Index in terms of impact and is widely recognized in the fields of strategy, management, and organization theory. Organization Science provides one umbrella for the publication of research from all over the world in fields such as organization theory, strategic management, sociology, economics, political science, history, information science, systems theory, communication theory, artificial intelligence, and psychology.

Management Science

Management Science is a scholarly journal that publishes scientific research into the practice of management. Our scope includes articles that address management issues with tools from foundational fields such as computer science, economics, mathematics, operations research, political science, psychology, sociology, and statistics, as well as cross-functional, multidisciplinary research that reflects the diversity of the management science professions. Our interest extends to managerial issues in diverse organizational forms, such as for-profit and nonprofit firms, private and public sector institutions, and formal and informal networks of individuals. We welcome theoretical, empirical, prescriptive, and descriptive contributions.