The impact of work‐life programs on firm productivity

This research examined the adoption of work‐life programs and the impact of work‐life programs on firm productivity. Human resource executives in a national sample of 658 organizations provided survey data on firm characteristics and work‐life programs. In these 658 organizations, the percentage of professionals and the percentage of women employed were positively related to the development of more extensive work‐life programs. Productivity data were obtained from CD Disclosure for 195 public, for‐profit firms. Significant interaction effects indicated that in these 195 firms work‐life programs had a stronger positive impact on productivity when women comprised a larger percentage of the workforce and when a higher percentage of professionals were employed. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The impact of external forces on cartel network dynamics: Direct research in the diamond industry

This paper describes the impact of external environmental forces on cartel networks. Using a case research approach, this report examines two leading business networks within one industry, over time. The results suggest that (a) bargaining power of intermediaries increases with the advent of new and powerful actors, (b) process activities that cartels previously controlled are being outsourced to new actors sometimes based in developing countries, (c) other actors are acquiring resources once dominated by a cartel, (d) external forces triggered by the illegal diamond trade, such as international regulatory constraints, no longer favour cartels like De Beers, and (e) over time, these and additional environment factors are forcing actors like De Beers who perform rigid process activities to become more flexible. For example, forces are moving cartels which relied previously on hand-picked intermediaries in highly controlled networks to market their products to adopt a flexible market-focused expansion of operations in retail contexts.     

The effectiveness of leniency programs when firms choose the degree of collusion

An antitrust authority grants leniency pre- and post-investigation. It chooses the probability of an investigation. Firms pick the degree of collusion: The more they collude, the higher are profits, but so is the probability of detection. Firms thus trade-off higher profits against higher expected fines. If firms are sufficiently patient, leniency is ineffective; it may even increase collusion. Increasing the probability of an investigation at low levels does not increase deterrence. Increasing the probability of an investigation at high levels reduces collusion, yet never completely. With bare pre-investigation leniency, deterrence is better than without leniency. If firms are sufficiently impatient, granting leniency pre- and post- is better than merely pre-investigation.     

The impact of the 2002 reform of the EU leniency program on cartel outcomes

The objective of this study is to empirically assess whether the 2002 reform of the EU leniency program, which brought the EU leniency policy much closer to the US policy, has increased the European Commission’s capability to destabilize cartels while making prosecution more efficient. More specifically, relying on a difference-in-difference approach, we estimate the impact of the 2002 reform on cartel duration, fines before and after applying leniency reductions and duration of investigation. We find that the 2002 reform decreased cartel duration by about 87 percent, but did not significantly affect the other outcome variables. Thus, our findings seem to suggest that the 2002 reform has improved the cartel-destabilizing effect of the EU leniency program, without enhancing however its effectiveness in prosecuting cartels.     

Fines and reputational sanctions: The case of cartels

In this article, we revive an old debate in the law and economics literature: the relative role of public and reputational sanctions in deterring misconduct. We propose an empirical framework, which accounts for public sanctions (in our case cartel fines) and a more direct measure of reputational sanctions, harnessing recent developments in opinion mining. We use the intensity and the sentiment of media exposure of misconduct as a measure of reputational effect and thus approximation of the reputational sanction. As a demonstration, we combine an event study approach, sentiment analysis, and econometric techniques on a sample of 339 listed cartel member firms, prosecuted by the European Commission between 1992 and 2015. Our results offer evidence that in the context of cartels, public and reputational sanctions act as substitutes: where there is a reputational penalty, increasing this penalty reduces the effect of the public sanction. One the other hand, in the absence of a reputational punishment, the effect of the cartel fine steps in.     

The effects of SNAP and WIC programs on nutrient intakes of children

Nutritional effects of participation by young children in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) in the United States are investigated. A system of nutrient equations with dual endogenous programs is estimated by the maximum-likelihood procedure. WIC is found to increase the intakes of three of the four important nutrients for WIC children, including iron, potassium, and fiber. SNAP only has a small and negative effect on fiber intake. The additional benefit of SNAP participation is non-existent given participation in WIC.     

The technical logic of research and development programs

During a study of nine major research programs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Bell Laboratories the standard terminology for describing the stages of research and development was found to be of limited value [1], It was necessary to look behind terms such as 'basic' or 'applied' to uncover the important characteristics of the research task itself. This article presents a new perspective on the R & D process developed during this research. The framework is described and used to analyze and compare the performance of two of the programs—Bell's Millimeter Waveguide Program and NIH's Artificial Heart Program.     

From paper to plastic: Understanding the impact of eWIC on WIC recipient behavior

Evidence shows that the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is underutilized. WIC enrolls 52.7% of eligible persons and participants claim a fraction of available benefits. Researchers suggest that people underutilize WIC because of the time needed to enroll in and use WIC and because participants may believe that, if others notice them participating in WIC, community members will stigmatize them. Recently enacted policies may reduce both time costs and potential for stigma associated with WIC. Congress mandated that, by 2020, all states disburse WIC benefits through an Electronic Benefits Transfer (eWIC) system. Given that eWIC reduces the time required for each transaction and and makes it more difficult to identify beneficiaries, we expect WIC redemptions to increase. In addition, eWIC might also increase the chance WIC recipients choose non-WIC foods for redemption increasing non-WIC expenditures. To measure the impact of eWIC on WIC redemptions and non-WIC food expenditures we analyze data on grocery expenditures of 11,887 WIC-participating households in one state over the period it implemented eWIC. We find that, after beneficiaries began redeeming WIC benefits through eWIC, spending on non-WIC eligible foods did not change but redemptions of WIC benefits increased.     

The impact of globalization on networks and relationship dynamics

The largest grouping in the world of B2B researchers meets annually for the IMP Conference. Just like the Olympic torch, IMP brings like minded researchers together from across the world to share, refine and then disseminate ideas. The selection is discussed here of each of the eleven papers (some provocative) under the theme of: "The Impact of Globalisation on Networks and Relationship Dynamics". This brings up to the present day the global reality of dynamic markets and the change, adaptations and modifications that then often follow as a result.     

The economics and nutritional impacts of food assistance policies and programs

Recent evidence on malnutrition and poverty raise important questions on the role of food assistance policies and programs. In this review article, we examine evidence on the economic and nutritional impacts of international food assistance programs (FAPs) and policies. The returns on investments in FAPs are, on average, high but depend considerably on the targeting and cost structures as well as on food quality and role of complementary activities. We disaggregate findings into four classes of recipients. Returns to FAPs are highest for children under two. But, FAPs oriented towards early childhood interventions are less well funded than are interventions aimed at school-age children or at the broader, largely adult population even though available evidence indicates that these latter classes of interventions offer considerably lower average returns in economic, health, and nutrition terms. Nonetheless, FAP effectiveness in achieving any of several objectives varies with a range of key factors, including targeting, additionality, seasonality, timeliness, incentive effects, social acceptability and political economy considerations.     

The impact of trust on innovativeness and supply chain performance

Trust is identified as a significant predictor of positive performance in business relationships. On the premise that the effects of trust have not been given the deserved scholarly attention in the supply chain context, this paper investigates the effects of trust on innovativeness and supply chain performance. The hypothesised model is operationalised with survey data and analysed using structural equation modelling. The findings add credence to the positive effects of trust and identify trust and innovativeness as antecedents to higher performance in the supply chain.     

The impact of corporate size and strategy on competitive pricing

Larger firms are often hypothesized to have higher prices than smaller competitors because of their market power or implicit collusion on prices. Advertising is often suggested as another cause of price elevation due to its ability to differentiate products of equivalent or inferior quality. This study examines the effect of these and other factors on prices in the major home appliance industry. The most interesting result is the strong corporate effect on prices, which permeates pricing strategies across categories, models and time. Contrary to the hypotheses listed above, larger corporations have lower prices, and advertised products are not higher priced. Strategic and policy implications are discussed.     

The impact of selling aids on new prospects

Once a firm has called a list of good prospects, it is necessary to turn those prospects into first-time customers. Through an empirical investigation in the business forms industry, lunches, plant tours, advertising specialties, and printed promotional material were evaluated as selling aids. Plant tours and lunches were found to be especially effective in turning prospects into customers.     

The impact of market actions on firm reputation

Drawing on signaling theory, we hypothesize that a firm's reputation is shaped by its own market actions and the actions of its industry rivals. We view market actions as signals that convey information about the underlying competencies of firms and influence stakeholder evaluations of them. We find that the total number of a firm's market actions, the complexity of its action repertoire, the time lag in rivals' responses to its actions, and the similarity of its repertoire with those of its rivals positively affect its reputation. These results suggest that a firm's reputation is influenced both by its own actions and by its rivals' actions. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The impact of lean practices on inventory turnover

Lean manufacturing (LM) is currently enjoying its second heyday. Companies in several industries are implementing lean practices to keep pace with the competition and achieve better results. In this article, we will concentrate on how companies can improve their inventory turnover performance through the use of lean practices. According to our main proposition, firms that widely apply lean practices have higher inventory turnover than those that do not rely on LM. However, there may be significant differences in inventory turnover even among lean manufacturers depending on their contingencies. Therefore, we also investigate how various contingency factors (production systems, order types, product types) influence the inventory turnover of lean manufacturers. We use cluster and correlation analysis to separate manufacturers based on the extent of their leanness and to examine the effect of contingencies. We acquired the data from the International Manufacturing Strategy Survey (IMSS) in ISIC sectors 28-35.     

The impact of earnings expectations on corporate downsizing

Research Summary: We propose that due to financial market pressures, managers are forward‐looking in their search and decision processes and focus on meeting performance targets set by the financial community. Using panel data on S&P 100 companies, we find that pressure felt by management to meet the analyst consensus earnings estimate influences the extent of corporate downsizing. Moreover, our results show that high levels of institutional investor stock ownership and CEO power attenuate managers’ sensitivity to financial market pressures, while high levels of analyst coverage increase their sensitivity. Managerial Summary: In this study we examine how financial market pressures influence managers’ downsizing decisions. We argue that investment analysts’ earnings estimates represent important performance targets to which managers aspire. If firms fail to meet analysts’ expectations, the stock price will suffer. This study shows that managers utilize corporate downsizing to address the potential shortfall between a firm's future performance and the analyst consensus earnings estimate. In addition, we find that managers’ concerns over meeting analysts’ earnings estimates are influenced by various contextual factors such as institutional investor stock ownership, CEO power, and high levels of analyst coverage.     

The impact of intra-platform competition on broadband penetration

There has been an extensive debate about the role of broadband access regulation on market outcomes. This paper estimates the impact that the different modes of competition have had on broadband take-up to date, using a data set for EU27 countries. We find that ULL, which is one of main types of access-based competition in Europe, has had a positive impact on broadband take-up. However, the impact of ULL becomes smaller as its share increases. That is, ULL entry is less effective in areas where ULL take up is already high. Further, there is evidence of a crowding out effect between ULL and inter-platform competition. This means that ULL is less effective in enhancing broadband penetration in the areas where alternative networks already have a significant share of broadband lines.     

The impact of aggregation level on forecasting performance

Most operations decisions are based on some kind of forecast of future demand. Thus, forecasting is definitely a very traditional area in the operations and inventory management literature. While literature concerning forecast explores the adoption of various qualitative and quantitative methods, this paper tries to design new solutions to improve forecasting accuracy by focusing on the forecasting process that uses such algorithms. In particular, when forecasting demand one should always make clear exactly what he/she is trying to forecast, in terms of the time bucket (i.e., the period of time over which demand is aggregated), the forecasting horizon, the set of items the demand refers to (e.g., forecasting demand for a single item can be much harder than forecasting demand for a group of items), the set of locations the demand refers to (e.g., demand at the single store level is much less predictable than the demand for a whole chain of stores). Traditionally, these features of the final output of forecasting also influence the forecasting process. Indeed, when one wants to forecast demand at single store single item single day level it seems natural to analyse demand and causal factors at the same level of aggregation. On the contrary, in this paper we aim at showing that, first of all often aggregating and/or disaggregating data in the forecasting process can lead to substantial improvements; second, the choice of the appropriate level of aggregation depends on the underlying demand generation process.In addition, most forecasting algorithms tend to focus on a single demand variable. On the contrary, we can analyse analogous time series to improve the effectiveness of the forecasting process. Clustering techniques can be used to identify such homologous time series. Such clusters of homologous time series can provide, on the one hand, the sample size required to gain good statistical confidence and, on the other hand, relatively homogeneous data.In the paper, we use sales data from a food retailer at a very detailed level to test our hypotheses. This claims for relevance for both practitioners and researchers.     

The impact of earnings pressure on exploratory innovation

While earnings expectation has been shown to determine a firm’s investment decisions, the knowledge about how such expectation influences a firm’s investment horizon for innovation is still blurred. This study therefore addresses this research issue by examining the relationship between earnings pressure and exploratory innovation while investigating the moderating effects of cross‐rival effect and resource availability. By examining high‐tech industrial firms in S&P 1500 from 2000 to 2012, the results indicate that stock analysts, as information intermediaries between innovation firms and the capital market, impose pressure through earnings forecasts on firms’ exploratory innovation. Our findings also reveal that the earnings pressure‐exploratory innovation relationship can be mitigated when its competitors encounter a higher level of earnings pressure. However, a firm’s financial slack shows less significant association to moderate the earnings pressure‐exploratory innovation relationship. Possible explanations for the results in regard to their theoretical and practical implications are discussed in this study.     

The impact of diversification strategy on risk-return performance

This study examines the impact of diversification strategy on risk and return in diversified firms. Following an assessment of previous research on strategic risk, relationships between risk, return, and diversification strategy are hypothesized. Regression analysis shows that differences in risk-return performance among diversified firms are more closely associated with structural factors associated with markets and businesses than with the particular diversification strategy chosen. Returns also influence the choice of diversification strategles which, in turn, do not get rewarded with higher profits. A curvilinear risk-return relationship is also observed which is consistent with previous theoretical suggestions. Implications for the strategic management of risk are then drawn.