The research program of the Center for Economic Studies (CES) produces a wide range of economic analyses to improve the statistical programs of the U.S. Census Bureau. Many of these analyses take the form of CES research papers. The papers have not undergone the review accorded Census Bureau publications and no endorsement should be inferred. Any opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Census Bureau. All results have been reviewed to ensure that no confidential information is disclosed. Republication in whole or part must be cleared with the authors.To obtain information about the series, see www.census.gov/ces or contact Fariha Kamal, Editor,

The research program of the Center for Economic Studies (CES) produces a wide range of economic analyses to improve the statistical programs of the U.S. Census Bureau. Many of these analyses take the form of CES research papers. The papers have not undergone the review accorded Census Bureau publications and no endorsement should be inferred. Any opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Census Bureau. All results have been reviewed to ensure that no confidential information is disclosed. Republication in whole or part must be cleared with the authors. To obtain information about the series, see www.census.gov/ces or contact J.

Drawing on the classic concepts of integration and differentiation from contingency theory, we analyze the impact of influential business unit (BU) executives on the capital resource allocation decisions of the multibusiness firm. Capital resource allocation is one of the most important tasks of the top management team (TMT), yet management scholars have yet to explore the fundamental link between TMT structure and resource reallocation decisions. We hypothesize that greater BU influence within the firm's TMT drives greater reallocation because BU executives are positioned to focus on organizational elements related to differentiation. We also hypothesize contextual factors, based on the multidimensional nature of managerial influence, which act to limit the effect of BU influence. To support this analysis, we develop two unique measures: The first captures the degree of capital reallocation from year to year within the multibusiness firm, and the second measures the relative influence of BU executives. An empirical analysis on the sample of Fortune 1000 firms confirms that BU influence is associated with capital reallocation and that BU influence is moderated by research and development (R&D) intensity and unrelated diversification.

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