Variations in adoption of workplace work–family arrangements in Europe: the influence of welfare-state regime and organizational characteristics

Using a unique data set of more than 2800 organizations in 19 countries, this article investigated the variations in adoption of workplace work–family arrangements and whether this variation can be explained either by differences in welfare-state contexts or by organization-related factors. Although the welfare-state context contributed significantly to the explanation of workplace work–family arrangements, the adoption of workplace arrangements was more strongly related to organizational conditions and characteristics. However, the results also show that when the development of work–family arrangements is mainly left to the market, as in the liberal context, employers do not fully make up for the absence of public provisions. The findings support the institutional argument that public provisions help to create a normative climate that gives rise to new social expectations and ‘a sense of entitlement’ regarding work–family support. The study supports the rational choice perspective where both employers' institutional environments and organizational factors are viewed as resources and constraints influencing employers' decision to adopt work–family arrangements.     

Leader–member exchange as a moderator of the relationship between employee–organization exchange and affective commitment

While there is some evidence on the outcomes of employee–organization exchange relationships and leader–member exchange (LMX) relationships, less is known about their combined role as predictors of employee outcomes. Relying on a recent conceptualization of social leader–member exchange (SLMX) and economic leader–member exchange (ELMX) as two separate dimensions of LMX, the present study explored whether SLMX and ELMX moderate the associations between organizational social and economic exchange and affective commitment. The main finding was that the association between organizational economic exchange and affective commitment is attenuated by SLMX. In addition, a positive association between intrinsic motivation and affective commitment was also unveiled, suggesting that affective commitment is not only determined by the prosocial motivation emanating from social exchange relationships, but also from the intrinsic motivation inherent in the work itself.     

The measurement of work–family culture in Spain and some applications to other economies

This investigation adapts the scales assessing work–family culture to consider several characteristics found in Spanish organizations (e.g. extended schedules and a high value attributed to working long hours). Organizational phenomena not included in other scales are integrated into a modified instrument (e.g. managers efforts to inform about the available work–family benefits, being considered more efficient when working many hours). Suggestions on the measurement of these new features in other economies are provided. Two studies are conducted: one to develop the scale and another to validate it. The resulting instrument comprehends three components: managerial support, career consequences and supervisor support.     

Factors influencing Chinese female expatriates' performance in international assignments

The current literature is mixed regarding what factors determine expatriate performance. In this study, we developed and tested a model to examine the relationship among family problems, expatriate–efficacy, host-country nationals' (HCNs') prejudice against women, perceived organizational support (POS) and Chinese female expatriate performance in international assignments. Our results indicated that HCNs' prejudice against women had a significant negative relationship and expatriate–efficacy had a significant positive relationship with female expatriate performance. POS and family problems moderated the relationship between HCNs' prejudice against women and female expatriate performance. However, family problems were not significantly related to female expatriate performance. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

Work–family conflicts and job attitudes of single women: a developing country perspective

This study addresses work–family conflicts and job attitudes of white-collar single women and the ensuing work-related attitudes in a developing country context. After an overview of gender roles in Arab society, several hypotheses were advanced and tested. Although married females reported higher family–work conflicts than single females, the latter group faced a host of strains, which are presented and analyzed. Despite being educated, single females were underpaid and their upward mobility seemed to be significantly hampered. They reported lower job satisfactions and had high intentions to leave their organization. Implications for further research and practice are discussed.     

Experience of Audit Committee Members and Audit Quality

Abstract

We investigate whether the experience of audit committee members is associated with audit quality. In order to comprehensively analyse the experience of audit committee members, we include audit committee member tenure, age and multiple-directorships in our analysis. Using observations from 2001 to 2012, we undertake analysis on 13,155 firm-year observations and find that all our proxies of audit committee member experience are positively associated with audit fees. A range of additional tests, including using discretionary accruals as an alternative measure of audit quality and differences-in-differences analysis, support our main findings and our results consequently make a number of contributions to both the literature and policy making. One possible policy contribution is that regulators may wish to consider audit committee characteristics representing experience when framing recommendations to improve audit quality and thereby, financial reporting by firms.     

家庭幸福的概念与指标体系的构建

家庭幸福是家庭发展的高级阶段。对家庭幸福领域进行研究,有助于构建相关的社会政策,保护家庭发展能力,提升家庭的幸福感受。将家庭幸福界定为家庭客观层面的状况映射到个人意识层面的主观感受,认为家庭幸福可能具有整体性、互动性等特性。在明晰界定的基础上,构建了家庭幸福的衡量框架,并利用调查数据作了实证分析。     

Risk abatement as a strategy for R&D investments in family firms

The behavioral agency model suggests family firms invest less in R&D than nonfamily firms to protect their socioemotional wealth. Studies support this contention but do not explain how family firms make R&D investments. We hypothesize that when performance exceeds aspirations, family firms manage socioemotional and economic objectives by making exploitative R&D investments that lead to more reliable and less risky sales levels. However, performance below aspirations leads to exploratory R&D investments that result in potentially higher but less reliable sales levels. Using a risk abatement model, our analyses of 847 firms over 10 years supports our hypotheses. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

How balance theory explains high-tech professionals' solutions of enhancing job satisfaction

R&D professionals in high-tech industries often face struggles between the work and family domains. Additionally, the job autonomy is an essential antecedent of being a professional, whereas a R&D manager determines the subordinates' job autonomy, helps mitigate their work–family conflict and contributes their innovativeness. Accordingly, the R&D employee, supervisor, job autonomy, and family which form a tetragonal-relationship system are the major entities in the R&D employee's cognitive structure. The R&D employee's and supervisor's perceptions about other entities are regarded as the connections among entities and stand for the concepts of leader–member exchange, self-determination (i.e., perceptions about job autonomy), managerial control (related to autonomy support), work–family conflict, and managerial work–family support. Although prior studies indicate individual influences of these concepts on the job satisfaction, they neglect the combined influences. This study applies the balance theory to explore how R&D professionals balance these connections in their cognitive structure for achieving the high job satisfaction. Among 32 possible combinations of factors, this study identifies four causal conditions for the high job satisfaction and indicates the best and worst conditions. The findings inform implications to manage R&D professionals.     

From overt provider to invisible presence: discursive shifts in advertising portrayals of the father in Good Housekeeping, 1950–2010

Abstract

This article considers the link between fatherhood and masculinity and identifies some of the key discursive shifts around fatherhood based on an analysis of advertising material that appeared in Good Housekeeping magazine between 1950 and 2010. It provides a socio-historical perspective on fatherhood that reveals a discursive shift from the father as patriarchal family provider/protector to a more ambiguous and less obvious presence in the magazine advertisements. Our findings suggest that family-related advertising in women’s magazines does little to challenge the traditional models of paternal masculinity. Changes in the portrayal of fathers, when examined closely, seem to reinforce traditional gender hegemony. Yet, over time, a ‘multiplicity of possibilities’ of dominant paternal masculinities is emerging, broadening the original ‘breadwinner’ model and perhaps offering some transformative potential around how we view fathers.