HR managers stereotyping frontline managers

This study explored how human resource (HR) leaders' biased perceptions of frontline manager (FLM) effectiveness influence HR ratings of FLM competencies, resulting in insufficient training and job preparation for these critical employees. The literature review examined FLM research, ratings of supervisory competencies and the underlying theoretical frameworks of implicit leadership theory and leadership categorization theory, and their relationship to informal learning. The research used mixed methods, with a qualitative critical incident study to identify competencies, followed by a quantitative survey to compare ratings, followed by qualitative in-person interviews to confirm survey findings. Results revealed a significant difference between HR and other raters of FLMs, including the FLMs themselves, with regard to FLM effectiveness, and these differences are informed by HR stereotypes of FLMs. Recommendations and implications suggest HR's role in providing unbiased assessment could lead to essential FLM training and development.     

Effects of social distancing policy on labor market outcomes

US workers receive unemployment benefits if they lose their job, but not for reduced working hours. In alignment with the benefits incentives, we find that the labor market responded to COVID-19 and related closure-policies mostly on the extensive (12 pp outright job loss) margin. Exploiting timing variation in state closure-policies, difference-in-differences (DiD) estimates show, between March 12 and April 12, 2020, employment rate fell by 1.7 pp for every 10 extra days of state stay-at-home orders (SAH), with little effect on hours worked/earnings among those employed. Forty percentage of the unemployment was due to a nationwide shock, rest due to social-distancing policies, particularly among “non-essential” workers.     

Leader selection and why it matters: Education and the endogeneity of favouritism in 11 African countries

A large literature on favouritism argues that leaders favour their own ethnicity or administrative birthplace. We question the assumption that these leaders are exogenously selected for office. Using historical censuses from 11 African countries, we show that leaders are selected from more advanced regions. In other words, our sample shows that African leaders were created by colonial (and pre-colonial) institutions, which often meant large educational differences between regions. Our paper's historical perspective shows that these often-overlooked institutions can account for much of the variation in post-colonial outcomes. Favouritism was at least partially endogenous.     

Are different entrepreneurship-promotion activities equally effective? an analysis by academic year and gender

International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal - Entrepreneurial education (EE) has proliferated in recent years, however, while previous research has extensively analyzed the impact of EE...     

Pharmaceutical regulation under market integration through parallel trade

In this paper, I study the effect of parallel trade (cross-border resale of goods without the authorization of the manufacturer) on pharmaceutical regulation. Governments may restrict prices directly (price caps) or limit third-party payer reimbursement for the drug (reimbursement limits). I find that parallel trade may relax regulation in the source country of parallel imports under both instruments and intensify regulation in the destination country under a reimbursement limit. I also find that parallel trade may change regulatory preferences: under no parallel trade, both the source and destination country set price caps, and under parallel trade, the source country sets a price cap but the destination country sets a reimbursement limit, thereby enforcing a higher price cap in the South. This implies that drug prices are higher under parallel trade in both source and destination countries.     

Developing critical thinking: An examination of contemporary practices in accounting

Employers and professional bodies call for higher education accounting courses to emphasise the importance of critical thinking skills. This study provides an in-depth assessment of how critical thinking is currently taught and assessed across an entire accounting degree. Our study contributes to our understanding of how teaching and assessment can support students in developing their critical thinking. Using a case study approach, we identify resource restraints and disruptions to traditional forms of engagement as key challenges to developing critical thinking skills in accounting education. We conclude with suggestions for teaching practice, such as formative scaffolds and teacher-led discussions.     

Trust and trustworthiness after a land restitution program: lab-in-the-field evidence from Colombia

Constitutional Political Economy - We assess the impact on trust and trustworthiness of a governmental program to compensate victims of forced displacement. All our subjects were eligible to apply...     

Combat,casualties, and compensation: Evidence from Iraq and Afghanistan

Our research examines the effect of combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan on casualties and combat exposure compensation policy. We use restricted data from the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) and Social Security Administration (SSA) to construct a panel of all US Active Duty service members having served at some point during the years 2001–2012. Casualties disproportionately occur at higher rates among (i) young, white, males, (ii) enlisted personnel, (iii) less educated personnel, and (iv) those in combat job types. Our estimates indicate that overall US military personnel who deployed in an individual year to Iraq or Afghanistan had a 45 per 100,000 higher probability of death than non-deployed military personnel who remained stateside. The increased fatal injury risk of deployed US military personnel is 15 times higher than the national average civilian workplace fatality rate, but roughly equal to the fatal injury risk faced in some of the most dangerous civilian occupations. Our estimates suggest a compensating wage differential equal to $861 per month would be appropriate in comparison to the current average of $1238 per month in danger pay provided to US military personnel deployed into combat zones. We recommend a revenue-neutral approach in adjusting the pay structure for military members. For example, the military should consider increasing bonuses or base pay while simultaneously decreasing danger pay by an equivalent amount. Furthermore, it may be beneficial to adjust danger pay by service or job type to reflect fatality risk more accurately.     

Ethical implications of text generation in the age of artificial intelligence

We are at a turning point in the debate on the ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI) because we are witnessing the rise of general-purpose AI text agents such as GPT-3 that can generate large-scale highly refined content that appears to have been written by a human. Yet, a discussion on the ethical issues related to the blurring of the roles between humans and machines in the production of content in the business arena is lacking. In this conceptual paper, drawing on agenda setting theory and stakeholder theory, we challenge the current debate on the ethics of AI and aim to stimulate studies that develop research around three new challenges of AI text agents: automated mass manipulation and disinformation (i.e., fake agenda problem), massive low-quality content production (i.e., lowest denominator problem) and the creation of a growing buffer in the communication between stakeholders (i.e., the mediation problem).