Reaching informed agreement in multispecialist cooperation

Very often, complex decisions must be made by a group of specialists rather than a single decision maker. To make an effective decision, the combination of the group's expertise must be brought to bear on the situation. Fusing expertise where individuals have very detailed knowledge in their own areas and much weaker understanding of others is characterized by many difficulties: (1) agents cannot communicate their expertise in an intelligible way to nonexperts because of differences in vocabulary and conceptual content; (2) the process allows for incorrect inferences; and (3) no one knows what anyone else needs to know. This impasse cannot be broken until shared mental models are developed to provide a level of agreement in evaluating alternatives needed to focus the activity of the group. This article presents a model of decision making by teams of specialists in which agents' evaluations confound expert and naive inferences in judging alternatives. A partitioning of agent knowledge into expert and naive models is proposed. The naive portion of agents' models provides both a common language and the inferential skeleton needed for the development of shared models. Communications are categorized into types of evaluation or justification based on their form and the entities they involve within the agent models. A process of model refinement is outlined, linking communications among agents to modifications of the naive/ shared portions of their models. The process of cooperative problem solving by a team of specialists is characterized as a search among alternatives in which model refinement continually alters the agents' evaluations, leading to progressively greater accuracy and more precisely directed search. The model is intended as a research tool for investigating multiagent problem solving among people and machines.     

Trade policy with several goods and ‘market linkages’

In this paper we demonstrate a substantial role for trade policy in a competitive model, finding that: (a) an export subsidy may benefit the exporting country; (b) a ‘voluntary’ export restraint may benefit the importing country; and (c) a countervailing duty may benefit the importing country even if it has no effect on the foreign price of that good. These results are in sharp contrast to the conventional wisdom from two-good or partial equilibrium models, and are derived in a framework of several goods. The pattern of substitution and complementarity across goods - or ‘market linkages’ - determines the role for trade policy.     

From global careers to talent flow: Reinterpreting ‘brain drain’

Talent flow is a process whereby economically valuable individuals migrate between countries, and is arguably a more important global career influence than international flows of personnel within global organizations. In this article, we reject the term brain drain as too restrictive and focus on the psychology of migration, specifically the economic, political, cultural, family, and career forces motivating it. Boundaryless global careers are presented as individual phenomena combining into macro-level international effects. These talent flow concepts have HR policy implications at both national and organizational levels. In support of our arguments, we provide a case study of New Zealand, along with preliminary data from a large sample of New Zealand expatriates.     

An evolving historical paradigm: from ‘home economics' to ‘family and consumer sciences’1

With the professional name change in the United States of ‘home economics' to ‘family and consumer sciences’, the purpose of this paper is to facilitate communicating an understanding of our profession to our students. This paper focuses on an historical perspective depicting a progression of conceptualizations about the profession. Four developmental models are presented to provide a system of organization that will help students develop their professional identity. This paper is a reflection of an individual journey to gain a personal-professional identity. The sharing of this pilgrimage and the visual models that have been developed to enhance its communication have become a valuable resource and meaningful part of an undergraduate core class that provides students with the initiative to begin their own professional clarifications.     

L'effet des récompenses sur l'état de santé psychologique des travailleurs: les mécanismes sous‐jacents

The effort‐reward imbalance (ERI) model in the workplace (Siegrist, 1996 ) suggests that inequity of rewards contributes to a degradation of mental health through a process of devaluation. The objective of our study is to test this hypothesis empirically. Data were collected from 659 agents in three call centres located in the province of Quebec. A bootstrap mediation test show that perceived inequity with respect to rewards (recognition, promotion, job security) affects the level of psychological distress through the perception of being valued by the organization. Perceived inequity affects mental health because it signals to workers the extent to which they are valued by their organization. Our correlational study provides evidence of the internal validity of the ERI model. Copyright © 2017 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

‘BAUMOL'S DISEASE’, PRODUCTION EXTERNALITIES AND PRODUCTIVITY EFFECTS OF INTERSECTORAL TRANSFERS

This paper presents a model that introduces in an unbalanced growth framework à la Baumol the hypothesis of an endogenous productivity growth due to a positive externality of the service sector on manufacturing productivity and a learning‐by‐doing process inside both sectors. The model shows that a policy aimed at keeping the ratio between outputs in the two sectors constant in real terms may improve the aggregate productivity performance of the economy, depending on the parameters' values. Then the model derives the dynamics of the intersectoral transfer which is necessary to keep the ratio between outputs constant, and verifies that the amount of the transfer turns out to be always lower than the output of the manufacturing sector, and only asymptotically approaches it.     

A SIMPLIFIED, ‘BENCHMARK’, STOCK‐FLOW CONSISTENT POST‐KEYNESIAN GROWTH MODEL

Despite being arguably one of the most active areas of research in heterodox macroeconomics, the study of the dynamic properties of stock‐flow consistent (SFC) growth models of financially sophisticated economies is still in its first steps. This paper attempts to offer a contribution to this line of research by presenting a simplified SFC Post‐Keynesian growth model with well‐defined dynamic properties and using it to shed light on the merits and limitations of the current heterodox SFC literature.     

Disentangling the effect of exploratory learning and exploitative learning in product innovation process

Although studies have highlighted the importance of exploratory and exploitative learning in new product development, little is understood about the distinctiveness of team‐level exploratory and exploitative learning in the distinct phases of the product development process. This study uses a two‐phase product innovation process model to examine the differences in the effects of the two distinct learning strategies in the initiation and implementation phases. The findings from 126 teams show that (a) the effect of exploratory learning on innovativeness in the initiation phase is greater than that of exploitative learning and (b) exploitative learning can strengthen the link between the initiation phase's innovativeness and new product success more than exploratory learning. Copyright © 2013 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Buy Local? Governmental Incentives to ‘Inform’ Consumers

This paper considers governmental incentives to provide information to local consumers about the relative merits of local versus foreign goods. We construct a model in which a local firm in a small, open economy competes in its domestic market with imports. Consumers are willing to pay an idiosyncratic premium for the local product, drawn from some support that the importing country government can affect through a costly information campaign. We examine incentives to undertake such a campaign in autarky and in the case of trade. We show, inter alia, that while a national welfare‐maximising government will always wish to shift this distribution upwards, it may not wish to reduce the variance of valuations, and that the optimal response of a foreign government will be to increase any support it offers to its exporters. Furthermore, falling world prices generally reduce the attractiveness of such a campaign both to a welfare‐maximising government and to one that cares only for domestic profits.     

Disentangling CEO compensation: A simultaneous examination of time,industry, and firm‐level effects

Despite decades of research, how CEO compensation is determined remains an enigma. Drawing on agency, managerial hegemony, and institutional theoretical perspectives, we use hierarchical linear modelling—a multilevel analytic technique—to examine how firm‐, industry‐, and time‐level effects drive CEO compensation in US corporations. Results show that while cash salary is mostly driven by firm‐specific factors, equity‐based compensation responds to time‐level effects with firm‐ and industry‐level effects playing a marginal role. We argue that such evidence is consistent with the institutionalization of the CEO compensation determination process through the widespread adoption of benchmark peer‐group comparisons. Such practices underlie economy‐wide changes in CEO compensation that are increasingly disconnected from other fundamental firm‐ or industry‐specific factors. Copyright © 2015 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Business Forecasting of Double‐trend Time Series: An Improved PLS‐based Time‐varying Weight Combination Approach

Business forecasting with double‐trend time series (long‐term trends and seasonal volatility) has been challenging due to its complexity. Neither a single time series model nor a fixed‐weight combination approach can fully capture the comprehensive information. We address this issue by proposing an improved partial least squares (PLS) based time‐varying weight combination approach. The proposed method can handle the relations both between the single models involved and between single models and time ordering with time‐varying weights. The test on 20 simulated datasets demonstrates the better and more robust performance of the method. We also apply it to three real datasets. The results show that our approach represents a significant improvement over the existing methods in terms of data fitness and prediction accuracy. Copyright © 2017 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

‘From saris to sarongs’ ethnicity and intergenerational influences on consumption among Asian Indians in the UK

This paper investigates the role of ethnicity and intergenerational influences on the consumption patterns of Asian Indians living in the UK The research determines the extent to which (a) ethnicity and (b) intergenerational factors influence consumption and decision making. The empirical evidence suggests that ethnicity, background and cultural roots impact on consumer decision making and brand choice. The study aims to develop the research on the role and strength of intergenerational influences in an Asian Indian context; bringing together acculturation, generational and consumption theory.     

Examining Reactions to Workplace Diversity: The Role of Dissimilarity–Attraction in Teams

This paper examines existing theory for understanding diversity in teams and offers propositions consistent with a unique dissimilarity–attraction framework. Prior relational demography research is examined and collective findings are used to purport this new direction for the field. Given current organizational and societal norms that emphasize a shift to a more proactive approach to diversity and inclusion, dissimilarity itself is suggested to signal positive cues for social identification and initial attraction among team members. The analyses may offer new approaches for framing hypotheses in relational demography research. Practical implications for management hinge on the notion that an understanding of these processes can have real and substantial impacts on team dynamics and associated competitive advantage. Copyright © 2018 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

“Work is my passion”: The different affective,behavioural, and cognitive consequences of harmonious and obsessive passion toward work

This study applies the dualistic model of passion (Vallerand et al., 2003) to the work setting and examines the relationships between harmonious passion (characterized by a strong but controllable desire to engage in an activity), obsessive passion (characterized by an internal pressure to carry out an activity), and optimal functioning outcomes at work. Harmonious passion associated positively with: mental health; three elements of flow (i.e., concentration, control, and autotelic experience); vitality, and affective commitment. These relationships were partly mediated by satisfaction of the basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. In contrast, obsessive passion directly and negatively predicted mental health and weakly but positively predicted autotelic experience. Theoretical and applied implications are discussed. Copyright ©2010 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Is it ‘you’ or ‘your workplace’? Predictors of job‐related training in the Anglo‐American world

This paper examines the determinants of job‐related training and workplace voice. Using data from a unique 2016 cross‐national survey of Australian, British, Canadian and American employees, the paper contrasts two classic formulations in the literature; (1) the neoclassical/human capital approach which predicts that individual characteristics (such as age and education) which increase the efficiency of learning, will have the largest impact on the allocation of training (i.e. younger and more educated employees will be afforded training) and (2) the traditional institutional approach which favors the structural characteristics present at the industry and firm level, the nature of the job itself and the strategic choices of firms as the major predictors of job‐related training. We find that age – a key factor in the human capital model – plays a significant role in the allocation of training but that education (in keeping with recent evidence) does not. In sum the human capital model provides, at best, only a partial explanation for the differences in training observed across individuals. In contrast, variables invoked by the institutional literature (i.e. occupation level; industry; ownership type; and market structure) are highly significant and account for a much greater proportion of the variance in training observed across workers. Other institutional factors such as the presence of a union and a human resource department were strong positive predictors of job‐related training. But most important were product‐market strategy and employee voice. Respondents working in firms utilizing a ‘high road/high quality’ product/service strategy and with a workplace consultative committee were significantly more likely to receive training than similar workers employed in observably similar firms. This last finding supports the industrial relations view of voice as an important channel by which training is optimally delivered inside the firm.     

‘Regrettable-escapism’ the negative effects of mobile app use: A retail perspective

Despite the enhanced shopping opportunities that mobile devices offer to consumers, there is a fine line between consumers enjoying the mobile shopping process and them regretting the time spent involved in it. Through the lens of Uses and Gratifications Theory (U>) and drawing on Flow Theory, this study aims to understand the effects of consumers' interactions with mobile shopping apps on their intention to reuse the app in the future, loyalty towards the brand and brand reputation. Study 1, through a questionnaire (n = 1024), provides insight into the positive and negative relationships between Utilitarian and Hedonic gratifications on intentions to reuse a retailer's mobile app, loyalty towards the b,rand and the brand's reputation. Through undertaking 24 in-depth interviews, Study 2 provides deeper insight into these relationships to uncover the complex nature of the negative effects of escapism. Findings demonstrate that the addictive nature of retailers' shopping apps lead to regrettable escapism. The flow state of mind experienced during escapism, becoming engrossed and notions of time-distortion, leave consumers with feelings of guilt and frustration due to the perceived wasted time spent on the retailer's app. Accordingly, this study advances theoretical understanding of escapism and its negative effects with ubiquitous, portable smartphones. The research provides implications for retailers and policy makers, while offering avenues for future research.     

Repeated games and the ‘reciprocal dumping’ model of trade

A repeated game version of the basic Brander and Krugman (1983) model is analyzed. In the Brander-Krugman model, rivalry among oligopolistic firms gives rise to international trade. It is now shown that no trade, which is welfare-reducing when transportation costs are negligible, is a strong Nash equilibrium of the supergame. The threat strategies that support ‘no trade’, the discount rate, and the crucial role of transportation costs are discussed, extending the BranderKrugman analysis in a natural way.     

Consumer involvement in research using oral history: ‘What are people's experiences of health and well‐being in Halton?’

The purpose of this paper is to describe a qualitative oral history case study that involved consumers in research and followed a collaborative approach in the north‐west of England. This study had two aims: (1) to increase local voluntary groups research capacity through active involvement in research; and (2) to explore the community's historical perceptions of health and well‐being. The research team included four lay researchers from local voluntary groups supported by an academic researcher. Data collection used semi‐structured interviews based on oral history life stories that focused on health and well‐being. Thematic data analysis and mind maps were used to create a collective narrative. This paper will provide a brief synopsis of the findings from the main themes of health and well‐being, and reflect on the process of consumer involvement in research using oral history. Outputs have included dissemination at a local and national level, increased knowledge and confidence in the research process, and involvement in other related initiatives, such as Local Involvement Networks, partnership working with local libraries and collaboration with the regional archivist.     

Cognitive Factions in a Top Management Team: Surfacing and Analyzing Cognitive Diversity using Causal Maps

Cognitive diversity has been shown to positively affect team performance, especially in the early stages of strategic planning. We report on a process that explicitly identifies cognitive factions; sub-groups of individuals with diverse views and beliefs within a top management team (TMT). Our group-driven causal mapping process provides greater clarity to understanding the underlying belief structures of the cognitive factions through the adoption of givens-means-ends (GME) and casual path analysis. We achieve this clarity by having members of the TMT define and agree on the strategic factors before they construct their individual cause maps. Through this process, based on the relationships shared among the team members, we can readily merge individual cause maps into cognitive faction maps. By employing GME and casual path analysis to the cognitive faction maps, we can surface the differences in beliefs among the different cognitive factions within the TMT. We demonstrate our process using a 13-person TMT from an information technology services firm. The cause maps of the cognitive factions directly represent some of the issues and assumptions that need to be discussed and debated among the members of the TMT, thus increasing the potential for cognitive faction beliefs to enhance decision-making. We also find that cognitive factions relate to task roles of the team members, providing further evidence that different beliefs develop in different areas of the organization.     

Business‐to‐Business Branding: A Review and Assessment of the Impact of Non‐Attribute‐Based Brand Beliefs on Buyer's Attitudinal Loyalty

Business‐to‐business branding has received increasing attention from researchers in the last few years. Nonetheless, there is no agreement on the relative contribution of a brand versus an offering's functional attributes to the industrial buyer's preferences. Drawing on models from the business‐to‐consumer context, this paper demonstrates that non‐attribute‒based brand beliefs are predictors of hedonic outcomes as measured by industrial buyers' attitudinal loyalty, while attribute‐based brand beliefs are not. Moreover, the moderating role of the buyer's level of knowledge for the value‐generating process is identified, suggesting that the impact of non‐attribute‒based brand beliefs on attitudinal loyalty is greater for buyers with a low level of knowledge. Copyright © 2012 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.