Mother–child interaction: a qualitative investigation of imprisoned mothers

In many countries, babies born to women in prison stay in prison with their mother and very young children may accompany their mothers in prison. Among these countries, Iran is one of those we do not have enough information about its prisoners especially mothers who have child(ren). This study aims to investigate imprisoned mother–child interaction by a qualitative method, Grounded Theory, in Iran. Two main questions of this research are: how is the interaction of mother–child in prison? What are the consequences of this interaction? Participants of this study comprised of 14 imprisoned mothers who were on leave, Iran. Being a mother and living with a child was the criterion of selecting the participants. All of the participants were in a separated unit. Data analysis yielded six categories and a core category. The categories are: “child as an emotional support of the mother; child as centre, prison as periphery; hope and will to favored future; mother unit as a family; rehabilitation; the other side of the coin: perceived risk for children.” Core category of the study is “imprisoned mother–child interactions: learning to live by hope and fear.”     

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.     

Understanding IT professionals’ knowledge sharing intention through KMS: a social exchange perspective

Knowledge sharing is the behavior of disseminating acquired knowledge to other members of an organization, and often presents major challenges, because some employees resist sharing their knowledge with others. In this paper, we investigate the knowledge sharing behavioral intention based on social exchange theory (SET). SET emphasizes non-material exchange, and people share their knowledge by weighing the potential benefits and risks of social relationships. The research presented in this study includes various constructs based on SET and social cognitive theory. This study examines the role of social exchange factors (perceived organizational support, organizational trust and reciprocal relationship expectancy) in explaining IT professionals’ knowledge sharing intentions through KMS. Based on a survey of 251 IT professionals in STSP, this study applies structural equation modeling to verify the research model. The results showed that trust, self-efficacy and reciprocal relationship expectancy are significantly associated with knowledge sharing through KMS.     

Do credit squeezes influence firm survival? An empirical investigation of China

This paper analyses the effect of a “credit squeeze” policy that was set by the Chinese government in 2007, increasing the strictness for firm-level bank loans. We adopt the difference-in-difference (DID) model to compare the survival rate change before and after the policy was implemented. We further explore the mechanism behind how the “credit squeeze” policy reduced the probability of firms surviving the market from perspectives such as financial constraints and ownership structures. The “credit squeeze” policy significantly increased firms’ operating costs and lowered firms’ productivity. In addition, we find that the zombie firm phenomenon existing in state-owned enterprises has a large impact on our estimation. Our results provide practical policy implications regarding the compromise between systematic debt risk and firm survival.     

The effect of unethical behavior on trust in a buyer–supplier relationship: The mediating role of psychological contract violation

Research on trust in buyer–supplier relationships has tended to focus on the performance outcomes of a trusting relationship, as well as the processes that serve to build trust. Largely absent from the buyer–supplier literature is an in-depth examination of activities that break down trust, and the resulting effect on supplier trust in the buyer. The authors propose and test a model that evaluates psychological contract violations between a buyer and a supplier as a mediating variable of the effect of unethical activities on trust within a partnership. Survey data was collected from 110 tier one suppliers of major corporations in the state of Ohio. Our results show how a supplier's perception of a violation of the psychological contract either partially mediates or fully mediates the relationship between the buyers unethical activity and the suppliers trust in that buyer. We discuss how suppliers may demonstrate bounded ethicality when they overlook perceived unethical behaviors by the buyer.     

The impact of cultural differences on buyer–supplier negotiations: An experimental study

In today's global economy, an ever-increasing number of companies are dealing with international partners, instigating a need to understand the impact of cultural differences on business interactions. Using Hall's distinction of high- and low-context culture, this study investigates the direct and moderating effects of cultural differences in dyadic buyer–supplier negotiations. Theory is developed regarding the impact of culture on joint profits, juxtaposing Transaction Cost Economics and the Relational View. The theory is tested with a negotiation experiment. Participants, classified by their country of origin, negotiate prices and quality levels for three products. This study finds that cultural differences within the negotiation dyad reduce joint profits when compared to dyads of participants with similar cultural backgrounds. Cultural differences also moderate the impact of trust and bargaining strategy on joint profits. Overall, this study concludes that cultural differences, as encountered in day-to-day business interactions in global supply chains, significantly impact negotiation outcomes.     

Cost–quality conflict in audit firms: an empirical investigation

Findings are reported from an empirical investigation of cost–quality conflict using a survey of audit juniors and seniors in four of the Big Five audit firms in Ireland. Prior findings, mainly from US studies, indicate the presence of a cost–quality conflict in the audit environment. Conventional accounting controls are only partially effective and, in response to such controls, auditors sometimes engage in dysfunctional behaviours. Evidence from this study suggests that dysfunctional behaviours are significantly related to time pressure (created through a combination of budgets and deadlines) and performance evaluation (incorporating both style and frequency of evaluation). The relationship between dysfunctional behaviours and other specified variables (participation and leadership style) was not statistically significant. There was evidence that major changes have taken place in the audit environment such as a flattening of organizational structures and a de-emphasis on budgets as a form of control. The findings are interpreted in the context of the changed audit environment. Implications for resolving the cost–quality conflict from the perspective of audit firm management are set out and future research opportunities are identified.     

Effect of supervisor–subordinate guanxi on supervisory decisions in China: an empirical investigation

As China is becoming an important market and there are a lot of foreign ventures operating there, different lines of research have been providing useful information for foreign ventures to manage effectively in China. In this paper, we discuss one of the critical factors leading to successful management of Chinese subordinates, i.e. building and maintaining good guanxi (i.e., interpersonal connection) with them. We conducted an empirical investigation to illustrate (1) the supervisor-subordinate guanxi concept is different and unique when compared to other similar concepts in the Western literature such as leader-member exchange (LMX) and commitment to supervisor; (2) the supervisor-subordinate guanxi will affect the Chinese supervisor's administrative decisions; (3) guanxi can be measured by concrete behaviour/activities. Data on 189 supervisor-subordinate dyads were collected in the People's Republic of China (PRC). Results indicated that supervisor-subordinate guanxi is a distinct concept from LMX and commitment to supervisor. It also has additional explanatory power over supervisory decisions on promotion and bonus allocation after controlling for performance. Implications for foreign ventures and expatriates are discussed.     

Service triads: A research agenda for buyer–supplier–customer triads in business services

Service triads, in which a buyer contracts with a supplier to deliver services directly to the buyer's customer, represent an emerging business model. This special issue is dedicated to this theme. To set the context, in this lead article, we first define service triads, both as a phenomenon and a research topic. We then provide a review of different strands of existing research and various theoretical frameworks that can inform our study of service triads. This culminates in an outline of a research agenda that can guide future study. As such, this paper not only introduces the articles in the special issue, but is also intended as a point of reference and motivation for further work on service triads, and on triads in general.     

Buyer–supplier interaction in business-to-business services: A typology test using case research

We empirically test a theory specifying distinct ideal interaction patterns for four business-to-business service types, which differ with regard to how they are used by the buying company. The ideal interaction patterns are conceptualised as configurations of five different interaction dimensions: the key objectives in the interaction, the critical capabilities on either side of the relationship, the type of functional involvement from the buying firm and the key issues in the buyer–seller dialogue. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative data from 23 cases of service exchange at six buying organisations we test whether similarity between the ideal interaction pattern and an actual, observed interaction pattern is a continuous necessary condition for successful ongoing service exchange. The findings suggest for each of the four service types that, in order for a service exchange to be successful, buying companies should design their interactions with their service providers to closely resemble the specified ideal pattern for that specific service type. Besides contributing to the knowledge on how to effectively structure buyer–supplier interactions across the heterogeneous spectrum of services bought, a methodological contribution is made by showing how case research can be used for theory-testing purposes. As this study is the first real test of the typology, further replications with new data, preferably obtained from both sides of the buyer–supplier dyad, are necessary.     

An application of an integrated ANP–QFD framework for sustainable supplier selection

This study provides a novel integrated multi-criteria decision-making approach to sustainable supplier selection problems. Despite the large supply chain management literature on green performance measurement, the need for a systematic analysis of how specific sustainable variables develop and affect each other remains mostly overlooked. The proposed integrated framework allows for such an analysis. By combining analytic network process and quality function deployment, our model identifies a clear hierarchical structure for all the relevant sustainable factors and sub-factors while weighting the decision criteria based on the importance given to customer requirements. Finally, suppliers are ranked using a multi-objective optimisation procedure based on ratio analysis and weighted aggregated sum product assessment. The proposed framework is used to analyse a case study of a dairy company, but it can be easily implemented for supplier selection by any other company with similar features.     

The relationship between ‘high-performance work practices’ and employee attitudes: an investigation of additive and interaction effects

In order to improve our understanding of mediating variables inside the ‘black box’ of the firm's labour management, this paper examines the relationship between high-performance work system (HPWS) practices and employee attitudes. Using a randomly selected, national population sample, clear evidence was found for a positive relationship between HPWS practices and the attitudinal variables of job satisfaction, trust in management, and organizational commitment, implying that HPWS can provide win-win outcomes for employees and employers. However, the study also tests – from an employee perspective – the ‘complementarities thesis’ and finds negative interaction effects among HPWS practices. This strengthens the argument that there are likely to be limits to the positive outcomes of HPWSs for employees. Evidence of sequencing in the employee attitudinal responses to HPWSs was also found, with job satisfaction as the key mediating variable.     

Governing buyer–supplier relationships through transactional and relational mechanisms: Evidence from China

Building on economic and social exchange theories, this study investigates the different roles transactional and relational mechanisms have in hindering opportunism and improving relationship performance in an emerging economy. Our study applied to manufacturer–distributor dyads in China and used matched survey data (225 paired sample firms) to test our hypotheses. Our hierarchical multivariate regression and semipartial correlation analyses suggest that transactional mechanisms are more effective in restraining opportunism while relational mechanisms are more powerful in improving relationship performance. This performance is improved more significantly when both contracts and relational norms are used jointly than when used separately. Likewise, opportunism is curbed more effectively when both contracts and trust are used jointly than when used individually.     

Financing buyer–supplier dyads: an empirical analysis on financial collaboration in the supply chain

Awareness of capital commitment in the context of supply management has increased tremendously in recent years. However, researchers often only consider the intra-organisational perspective of financing. Consequently, a great optimisation potential, especially in globally dispersed supply chains, remains unlocked. To address this research gap, this paper presents a conceptual research model with hypotheses derived from principal–agent theory to explain the role of collaboration in the context of financing a buyer–supplier dyad and its effect on the resulting financing performance. A cross-industry survey yielding 145 responses was used to empirically test the hypotheses. The results indicate that both strategy alignment between purchasing and finance departments (intra-firm financial collaboration) as well as in the buyer–supplier dyad (inter-organisational financial collaboration) have a significant positive effect on the overall financing performance. These findings provide researchers and practitioners with a clearer understanding of upstream-oriented supply chain finance and the possibilities and constraints in its implementation.     

What is the environmental performance of firms overseas? An empirical investigation of the global gold mining industry

Using a large plant level data set, this paper carries out an econometric analysis of the environmental performance of multinational firms in the gold mining industry worldwide. The aim of the analysis is to determine if, by looking at the actual environmental performance of firms (as opposed to inferring such behavior from location decisions), we can shed any light on important questions in the literature on firm location decisions: Do pollution havens exist in the gold mining industry? Do foreign controlled gold mines perform environmentally worse or better than their domestic counterparts? We develop different ways of measuring environmental performance within the context of a Bayesian stochastic production frontier approach. In particular, we derive different ways of measuring technical and environmental efficiency. When we implement these methods in our empirical work, we find that results are robust across different models and ways of measuring efficiency. We find that gold mines exhibit a wide range of environmental efficiencies; some are clearly more efficient than others. However, and most importantly for our questions, we find that this variation in efficiencies cannot be systematically related to mine characteristics such as whether they are foreign or domestically controlled or whether they are located in developed versus developing countries.     

Does volunteer work affect life satisfaction of participants with chronic functional limitations? An empirical investigation

As highlighted in the field of the social determinants of health, welfare programmes need to address psychosocial and material needs, since both are drivers of health conditions. This study is based on the assumption that volunteer work (unpaid activity defined here as ‘social treatment’- policy) may foster a higher life satisfaction of people with a chronic disability (resulting from long-term functional limitations). In particular, the analysis empirically tests a causal effect of an active participation in volunteer work on the life satisfaction of the participants, taking into consideration the role of self-reported quality of the public services provided (transport, emergency health and education services) and the big five individual personality traits (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness).For this propose, data provided by ISFOL (Institute for the Professional Training of Workers) for the year 2014 is used. Firstly, a propensity score matching strategy is implemented. This strategy allows to account for potential confounding factors that can affect both a propensity towards being a volunteer and being very satisfied with life. Secondly, a control function approach is also implemented to check the possible presence of a bi-directionality between participation in volunteering and subjective well-being.The results show that life satisfaction is significantly affected by being actively involved in social unpaid activity. A decisive role to carrying out this ‘social treatment’- policy is however attributed to the overcoming of economic and environmental constraints (e.g. low quality of health-care services) especially in Southern Italy.     

What affects the extent of business process management implementation? An empirical study of Malaysia’s manufacturing organizations

This study seeks to examine the factors that affect the extent of Business Process Management (BPM) among manufacturing firms in Malaysia. The factors comprised of internal and external drivers. Data was gathered from a survey of 200 manufacturing companies of which 59 respondents participated in this study. Our statistical results indicate that business environment is the key driver that affects the extent of BPM implementation, followed by organization strategy. The findings provide insight to managers that business environment, organization strategy and BPM programs are closely linked. To promote the adoption of BPM in Malaysia, these critical drivers should be emphasized.     

Person–organization fit and employee outcomes: test of a social exchange model

Data obtained from subordinate–supervisor dyads (N = 314) of a large manufacturing company in South Korea were used to test a moderated mediation model of the processes linking person–organization (P–O) fit and employee work attitudes and behaviors. The results revealed that the influence of P–O fit on work attitudes and behaviors was indirect through perceived social exchange with organization. In addition, the relationship between P–O fit and perceived social exchange with organization was moderated by leader–member exchange (LMX) quality. Specifically, a high-quality LMX enhanced the positive effects of P–O fit on perceived social exchange with organization.     

The interaction effect of relational norms and agent cooperativeness on opportunism in buyer–supplier relationships

In this study, we examined the effect of relational norms and agent cooperativeness on opportunism in buyer–supplier relationships. Drawing from the theoretical grounding of transaction cost economics, personality trait theory, and contingency theory, we proposed three distinct perspectives on opportunism mitigation in buyer–supplier relationships: (1) organizationalist, (2) individualist, and (3) interactionist, where relational norms, agent cooperativeness, and the interaction between them, respectively, serve as the key predictors in these three perspectives. The results of replicated experiments indicated that relational norms and agent cooperativeness interact with each other in mitigating opportunism and that the interactionist perspective yielded the highest explained variance in opportunism. This suggests that the interactionist perspective, a multi-level theoretical lens encompassing the dynamic interplay between organization-level and individual-level factors, was a more complete model in explaining opportunism than either the organizationalist or individualist perspectives. The consensus which emerged from post-experimental interviews of purchasing professionals is that agent personalities play an important role in buyer–supplier relationships. Some purchasing professionals had observed that uncooperative agents or personnel turnover in the boundary-spanning functions can substantially undermine even established relational exchanges. These qualitative findings are in line with our theoretical arguments and experimental outcomes.     

The relationship between leader–member exchange and employee outcomes: review of past themes and future potential

Management Review Quarterly - Research on leader–member exchange (LMX) has gained momentum with a large number of studies investigating its impact on multiple levels. This article...