Comparing the Explanatory Capacity of Three Constructs in the Prediction of Engineers’ Proficiency,Adaptivity, and Proactivity

Advances in the research of work performance have been due in large part to the conceptualization of performance as a multidimensional construct. Recently, Griffin, Neal, and Parker (2007), have identified three different dimensions of work role performance: proficiency, adaptivity, and proactivity. Social effectiveness constructs (i.e., political skill) have been receiving increased attention in research and there have been recent calls for further research in the area. This study compares the explanatory capacity of political skill, professional experience and intrinsic motivation in the prediction of engineers' proficiency, adaptivity, and proactivity. The relationships were tested with structural equations analysis of 180 supervisor‐engineer dyad data. Results indicate that the three dimensions of individual work performance are significantly influenced by political skill and professional experience, but not by intrinsic motivation. The results also indicate that political skill is the strongest predictor. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Franchising: the dilemma between standardisation and flexibility

Both standardisation and flexibility are naturally linked to franchising and the balance between them has become an important research issue. Literature states that cost minimisation, brand image and innovation are the main reasons that push towards standardisation, while flexibility is claimed (for those that advocate for it) in order to achieve a higher adaptation to local markets and enhance franchisees’ entrepreneurial attitudes. This research will focus on the computer retail sector to find out how franchise networks in services settle this dilemma. Here, franchisors have decided to focus on economies of scale and strong common corporate image as key goals and thus allow franchisees to be flexible with any other variables that do not affect their main objectives, mainly by adding a complementary product and services portfolio. Results suggest that those resources and capabilities which sustain a competitive advantage are more susceptible to being standardised in franchising, opening an interesting research line through the Resource-Based View.     

Comparing preferences for employing males and nationals across countries: extending relational models and social dominance theory

We expand relational models theory by integrating it with social dominance theory to examine how national culture influences preferences for males and nationals in employment-related decisions. Data from the World Values Survey (N = 2331), culture scores from the GLOBE project (N = 62 countries), and Hofstede (N = 49 countries) indicate that collectivism is associated with an increased chance of preferences for males and nationals, gender egalitarianism is associated with a decreased chance of preferences for males, and masculinity is associated with more chances for preferences for nationals. Demographic variables (age, sex, and education) were also associated with our dependent variables after taking all the variance of the different cultural dimensions into account. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.     

Training and business performance: the Spanish case

This paper examines the relationship between training policies and business performance. Our research seeks to enlarge the empirical bibliography about the impact training has on firms and tries to challenge the criticism previous works with similar characteristics received. With this purpose in mind, we have used a theoretical model based on the hypothesis of a ‘cascade-type relationship’ between four types of organizational performance. The results obtained from a sample of Spanish firms show that training policy (based on the human capital theory and the resource-based theory) has a significant impact on firm performance.     

The Association of Board Independence and Ownership Concentration with Voluntary Disclosure: A Meta-analysis

In this paper we apply meta-analysis to a sample of 27 empirical studies to clarify the association of board independence and ownership concentration with voluntary disclosure. We examine whether variations in results are attributable to the differences in the corporate governance system, the investor protection rights and the measurement of the governance variables. The findings show that the positive association between board independence and voluntary disclosure only occurs in those countries with high investor protection rights. The findings emphasize the need to consider the legal and institutional setting explicitly when analysing the effect of corporate governance on voluntary disclosure.     

Ownership Structure and the Cost of Debt

This paper examines the impact on the cost of debt by ownership concentration and shareholder identity; that is, whether the shareholders are banks, non-financial firms, the state, institutional investors or the board of directors. Our analysis suggests that directors who own shares tend to be aligned with external shareholders, that firms with government ownership enjoy lower cost of debt and that banks effectively monitor management, so reducing the agency costs of debt.     

Factor Components of Inequality: A Cross‐Country Study

This paper uses data from the Luxembourg Income Study to examine some of the forces that have driven changes in household income inequality over the last three decades of the twentieth century. We decompose inequality for six countries (Canada, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the U.K., and the U.S.) into the three sources of market income (earnings, property income, and income from self‐employment) and taxes and transfers. Our findings indicate that although changes in the distribution of earnings are an important force behind recent trends, they are not the only one. Greater earnings dispersion has in some cases been accompanied by a reduction in the share of earnings which dampened its impact on overall household income inequality. In some countries the contribution of self‐employment income to inequality has been on the rise, while in others, increases in inequality in capital income account for a substantial fraction of the observed distributional changes.     

The effects of Information Technology on absorptive capacity and organisational performance

Information Technology (IT) offers many opportunities for firms to succeed. The aim of this paper is to present a model to reflect how technical IT skills and the use of IT in interdependent tasks may influence the development of organisational absorptive capacity, both potential and realised, which also affects organisational performance. Since knowledge constitutes one of the main resources for organisations to gain competitive advantages and helps firms to improve their organisational performance, absorptive capacity is a key factor in success. This model was tested empirically using a sample of 160 European technological firms. The results of our analysis suggest that the mastery of technical IT skills and the use of IT in interdependent tasks positively affect potential and realised absorptive capacities, which in turn enhances organisational performance. The study concludes by presenting some theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and future research lines.     

Using the Dagum model to explain changes in personal income distribution

This article studies the evolution of personal income distribution in Spain from 1995 to 2005 using the Dagum model. Dagum's three parameter model (type I) provides a good fitting to empirical income distributions in Spain. Moreover, its parameters can be interpreted as economic indicators of income distribution changes. After studying the economic interpretation of the Dagum model parameters, we analyse the impact of parameter changes on different income percentiles and also on the evolution of inequality in Spain using data from the European Community Household Panel (ECHP) and the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC).