Ethical Dilemmas in Performance Measurement

In this article we discuss the ethical dilemmas facing performance evaluators and the "evaluatees" whose performances are measured in a business context. The concepts of role morality and common morality are used to develop a framework of behaviors that are normally seen as the moral responsibilities of these actors. This framework is used to analyze, based on four empirical situations, why the implementation of a performance measurement system has not been as effective as expected. It was concluded that, in these four cases, unethical behavior (i.e. deviations from the ethical behaviors identified in the framework) provided, at least to some extent, an explanation for the lower than expected effectiveness of the performance measurement procedures. At the end of the paper we present an agenda for further research through which the framework could be further developed and systematically applied to a broader set of cases.     

Measuring the Implementation of Codes of Conduct. An Assessment Method Based on a Process Approach of the Responsible Organisation

More and more organisations formulate a code of conduct in order to stimulate responsible behaviour among their members. Much time and energy is usually spent fixing the content of the code but many organisations get stuck in the challenge of implementing and maintaining the code. The code then turns into nothing else than the notorious "paper in the drawer", without achieving its aims. The challenge of implementation is to utilize the dynamics which have emerged from the formulation of the code. This will support a continuous process of reflection on the central values and standards contained in the code. This paper presents an assessment method, based on the EFQM model, which intends to support this implementation process.     

Incorporating sustainability criteria into credit risk management

Does a commercial debtor's economic, environmental and social performance in terms of sustainability affect its credit risk rating? Does adding criteria aimed at assessing a lender's environmental, social or sustainability practices provide added value to traditional financial rating criteria? Many analyses have reported that a correlation exists between companies' environmental and their financial performance. We checked out the assertion that it ‘pays to be sustainable’ by analyzing the role that criteria pertaining to sustainability and environmental orientation play in the commercial credit risk management process. Our results show that sustainability criteria can be used to predict the financial performance of a debtor and improve the predictive validity of the credit rating process. We conclude that the sustainability a firm demonstrates influences its creditworthiness as part of its financial performance. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

Gibt es eine indirekte Wirkung von Wahlumfragen?

The question of whether or not the publication of election poll results has an effect on voting behaviour has been raised since the very beginning of survey research. Various hypotheses on the direction of such effects exist, and many studies attempted to test them. However, the most we know is that we lack support for the assumption of a general influence. Rather than looking at direct effects of published poll results on voting behaviour, this paper tries to measure their indirect effects. Using a combination of trend surveys and content analysis, we investigate the effect of survey results on the coverage of the media. We can show that changes in public opinion slightly precede changes in media coverage. We interpret this finding as a possibility of an indirect effect of published poll results, which should encourage further research on this phenomenon.     

A model of optimal import phytosanitary inspection under capacity constraint

Growth and liberalization of world trade have increased the risks of introduction of quarantine plant pests into importing countries. Import inspection of incoming commodities is a major tool for prevention of pest introductions related to world trade, but inspection capacities are limited. This article develops a theoretical and an empirical model for the optimal allocation of inspection effort for phytosanitary inspection of imported commodities when the inspecting agency has a limited capacity. It is shown that the optimal allocation of inspection effort equalizes marginal costs of pest introduction across risky commodity pathways. The numerical illustration finds the optimal allocation of inspection effort of chrysanthemum cuttings imported in the Netherlands. The numerical results suggest that ceteris paribus , greater inspection effort should be allocated to pathways whose inspection yields a greater reduction in the expected costs of pest introduction. The numerical results also suggest that import inspection has a high marginal benefit. In particular, we found that each additional euro of the inspection capacity decreases the expected costs of pest introduction from 18 to 49 euros, depending on the initial inspection capacity.     

Downward wage rigidity and job mobility

Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) we study whether being individually affected by downward wage rigidity has an effect on layoffs, quits and intra-firm mobility. Within a structural empirical model we estimate the individual extent of wage rigidity. This is expressed by the wage sweep-up, which measures by how much individual wage growth increases through the effect of downward wage rigidity when compared to a counterfactual labour market with flexible wage setting. We find robust negative effects of wage sweep-up on quits and layoffs and some evidence for a positive association of wage sweep-up and promotion opportunities. This is consistent with a core-periphery view of the labour force, where a core work force is protected from layoffs and wage cuts and at the same time enjoys good promotion opportunities. On the other side a peripheral work force provides a buffer for adjustment and suffers from both flexible wages, more insecure jobs and less internal promotion opportunities.      

Problems in futures research: Delphi and causal cross-impact analysis

The explosive numerical growth of the futures-research community during the last 15 years has been astonishing. Its intellectual growth cannot be said to have advanced at an equal pace. This article looks at the inherent constraints that make reliance on expert judgement an essential part of futures research. Two methods are discussed: Delphi and cross-impact analysis. The latter part of the article examines a new causal cross-impact model that avoids the criticisms that have been levelled at correlational cross-impact analysis.     

Armutsmessungen im Zeitverlauf

Die Armut ist in Deutschland zu einem wachsenden Problem geworden. Trotz der aktuellen Konjunktur auf dem Arbeitsmarkt ist damit zu rechnen, dass der 2008 erscheinende dritte Armuts- und Reichtumsbericht der Bundesregierung für 2006 eine Rekordzahl für die Armutsentwicklung meldet. Wie l?sst sich Armut am aussagef?higsten messen? Welche Indikatoren beschreiben neben dem Einkommen die Lebensbedingungen? Dr. Olaf Groh-Samberg, 35, und Dr. Jan Goebel, 36, sind Mitarbeiter in der Abteilung L?ngsschnittstudie Sozio-oekonomisches Panel (SOEP) beim DIW in Berlin.