Dr. Justin L Davis

This chapter extends research examining economies in which SMEs operate. We propose the presence of the mongrel economy (i.e., comprised of legal but illegitimate businesses). We discuss implications of this economy and its similarities and differences from the formal and informal economies proposed by Webb et al. (2009). In this conceptual chapter, we investigate how SMEs are connected to the mongrel economy and how constituent associations can be used as low-cost legitimacy tools (Austin et al., 2006; Murphy et al., 2007). Other forms of economies are discussed to provide clarity on how various economies operate, thus contrasting economies to illustrate their differences. Future directions of research related to the informal and mongrel economies are provided. Additionally, specific opportunities for SMEs in the mongrel economy are presented.

Athletic programs oftentimes use their prestige and money to attract individuals from minority and low-income households and those that have no academic goals beyond using college football as a platform to play professional football. Many times when individuals examine issues concerning college athletics, particularly college football, they have a difficult time separating what the symptoms or undercurrents of the problem are from the actual problem. According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), an institution is a repeat violator "if a second major violation occurs within five years of the start date of the penalty from the first case". The NCAA has had to put extensive rules in place defining what a "proper" relationship is between an institution and a student-athlete because incidents have taken place over the years that necessitate such standards.

Many researchers and executives have viewed fit as a key to organizational survival and high performance ( Summer et al., 1990). However, the type of fit and how it can be best achieved may often be in question. The current study empirically examines both external and infernal fit as predictors of firm performance where:
( 1) external fit is the alignment of or congruence between, the organization's strategy and/or structure and the task environment, and
(2) internal fit is the multidimensional matching of strategy with structure.
The argument presented here is that both internal and external fit can, and do, occur simultaneously. Further, the presence of one type of fit may compensate for deficiencies in the other. Using fit in terms of both matching and moderation, hypotheses are tested to determine the nature of both internal and external fit of strategy and structure. Testing of the hypotheses is conducted using data from the medical group industry. Findings support the influence of individual strategy and structure variables on medical group performance. However, fit found between strategy and structure, be it as matching or moderation, shows little influence on performance. Implications for medical groups and the broader health care industry are discussed.