COMPARISON: ADOBOR VS. KELLY ET AL.
These two articles introduced the reader to the issues around change management in complex
systems (Adobor) and Founder centrality (Kelly et al.).
What can be learned from the Kelly et al. paper is the importance of Founder Centrality in the
strategic development of a family owned firm. The ability of the founder(s) to influence
organizational culture and decision making will directly affect the outcome of a Family owned firm. I
would say that Founder Centrality as presented in this paper is a theoretic concept because it is
defined based on its systematic meaning. Osigweh, YG; 1989
Adobor’s paper is also a theoretic paper although the writer did not define the topic well in the
context of International Business.
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Adobor’s article was generally more complicated in wording as compared to the Kelly et al.’s
article. Often the reader was introduced to word that could have different meanings to the
reader. For instance, the ‘poorer regions of the world” is too generalized and can lead to
misformation because the reader is not sure whether ‘poor’ in an economic sense, resourcewise or even social sense.

In terms of the language used, Kelly et al. is easier to read and elaborately builds up to the
final arguments and propositions on Founder Centrality. However, Adobor falls in the trap
of being more of a Social Change piece than one addressing International Business. The
latter is also more complicated to read because the writer engages in verbal acrobatics at the
expense of loosing the important meaning while communicating with an international
audience.
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Ceasarine Nyaseda 470361 Comparison Adobor vs. Kelly et al.
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Both the articles have successfully shown the use of theoretic models. In Adobor we see the
in-depth discussions on Chaos Theory and its key elements. The Complexity Theory is
also given mention in the discussions on managing change in complex systems. Kelly et al. on
the other hand has formed a more in-depth theoretic model that is Founder Centrality. In
my opinion this article, more so than Adobor’s succeeded in transforming the model into a
cohesive theory that allows us to see the three types of occurrences in Founder Centrality
namely, Betweeness, Closeness and Connectivity.

Both the articles if placed in an appropriate context can constitute being International
Business Research topics. However, this may not be the case if the Adobor paper is seen as a
sustainable development topic and the Kelly et al. paper is only applicable in a domestic
environment. Ricks 1985. As Ricks points out in he’s paper International Business Research
doesn’t include issues on social development and economics. Moreover, an International
Business Research can only be such if it has activities abroad or if it gives a comparison
between similar activities in different countries. Therefore in the Kelly et al. articles, it would
be interesting to see how a country’s cultural demeanor influences the theory of Founder
Centrality in an international context.

Kelly et al. is well referenced and supports its facts with well documented literature. In
contrast, the Adobor paper tends to be somewhat assumptive with little supporting literature
in the field of International Business. In this respect, I would say that Kelly et al. presents a
more convincing argument as compared to Adobor.

Though both papers had propositions laid out, I feel that Adobor’s propositions are not easily
measurable in practice. Kelly et al. is however measurable because we can measure the
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Ceasarine Nyaseda 470361 Comparison Adobor vs. Kelly et al.
Founder Centrality through the influence of the key decision maker on policy change for
instance using a survey method.

In conclusion, though both the articles discuss the element of change in complex systems
and family owned firms respectively, they present us with the reality of dealing with
International Business Research. Specifying the content of research as well as clearly defining
the topic is essential. Nonetheless, the reader can learn that a good International Business
Research paper is one that has a clear theoretic buildup and defined the concepts in the
context of International Business.
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Ceasarine Nyaseda 470361 Comparison Adobor vs. Kelly et al.