A study of impending derailment and recovery of middle managers across career stages

Why do some fast‐track managers derail? Why do some recover and return to the fast track? This study investigates these questions by analyzing managerial skills and self‐awareness during different career stages. The results suggest that derailers have significantly lower skill profiles than do successful managers at all career stages. The study also identifies specific skills that managers need to be successful in their careers; furthermore, it reports that derailers overestimate their skills in comparison to successful managers at all career stages. The results imply that one can avoid derailment or recover from derailment by developing both self‐awareness and specific managerial skills. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Analysis of the Vocational and Residential Preferences of a Rural Population: Application of an Experimental Technique to Rural Slovenia

Abstract

This study applies choice experiments to the analysis of the relative importance of both monetary and non-monetary determinants of vocational choice and spatial labour supply. It identifies the determinants of individuals’ choice of jobs and places of residence, and provides a better understanding of how rural labour adjustments might be managed in a country in transition. The results indicate that while wages are the most important factor influencing employment choice, other determinants affecting working conditions and residence do have a counterbalancing impact on choice. Results suggest that sample respondents do appear to be relatively immobile between sectors and also in terms of migration and commuting. However, our results do identify a range of non-wage determinants that might be used to stimulate mobility.     

The Fair Work Wales report: a manifesto for all of us

Fair Work Wales, the report of the Wales Fair Work Commission, details the characteristics of fair work and recommends how to promote them. Its wider significance is that it offers a blueprint for what the UK should be doing—a challenge that could hardly be more fundamental . It is a timely reminder for employment relations teachers and researchers that the world of work may be changing but what they do and how they go about it really do matter.     

Constructive identification of the mixed proportional hazards model

We give a new proof of the identifiably of the MPH model. This proof is constructive: it is a recipe for constructing the triple—regression function, base-line hazard, and distribution of the individual effect—from the observed cumulative distribution functions.
We then prove that the triples do not depend continuously on the observed cumulative distribution functions. Uniformly consistent estimators do not exist.
Finally we show that the MPH model is even identifiable from two-sided censored observations. This proof is constructive, too.     

Structural holes, innovation and the distribution of ideas

We model knowledge diffusion in a population of agents situated on a network, interacting only over direct ties. Some agents are by nature traders, others are by nature “givers”: traders demand a quid pro quo for information transfer; givers do not. We are interested in efficiency of diffusion and explore the interplay between the structure of the population (proportion of traders), the network structure (clustering, path length and degree distribution), and the scarcity of knowledge. We find that at the global level, trading (as opposed to giving) reduces efficiency. At the individual level, highly connected agents do well when knowledge is scarce, agents in clustered neighbourhoods do well when it is abundant. The latter finding is connected to the debate on structural holes and social capital.     

深入分析油田设备故障 促进油田安全生产——以油田钻机滑车吊钩断裂为例

对油田钻机断裂吊钩的宏观形貌、吊钩材质、金相组织和吊钩强度校核几方面进行了研究。其断裂的原因是实际起重载荷与铭牌标注的额定起重载荷不符,吊钩起重量达不到3.2吨;操作者在操作使用过程中使用不当,未完全依照操作规程,出现冲击载荷,导致产生脆断。     

The impact of anti‐takeover charter amendments on expectations of future earnings and takeover activity

In this study, additional evidence of the impact of anti‐takeover amendments on firm earnings and subsequent takeover activity is presented. It is found that analysts’ projections of financial performance measures do not appear to be altered by the adoption of anti‐takeover amendments. Additionally, it is found that the anti‐takeover charter amendments do not impact either takeover activity or takeover premiums following their adoption. Thus, anti‐takeover amendments appear to have few, if any, consequences to shareholders. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

浅论对建筑施工现场中编写技术交底的认识

完善的技术交底为良好施工质量提供保障。要做好技术交底工作应做到以下四点:内容详尽;针对性强;具有可操作性;表达方式要通俗易懂。     

Leaders' Networking Behaviours in a Time of Crisis: A Qualitative Study on the Frontline against COVID-19

What do leaders do when they interact with followers and stakeholders in a time of crisis? What networking behaviours do leaders manifest in such a context of emergency? We answer these questions through qualitative research and cluster analysis conducted on a sample of leaders involved in community management in the most affected region in northern Italy during the three key phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings span a period of 18-months and show that leaders display a behavioural repertoire that includes six networking actions. Grouped together, these actions identify three clusters of leaders: Churners, who engage mainly in network generation and network termination; Divergent leaders, who manifest high levels of network conflict and re-construal; and Sense-makers, who are high in network deepening and teleology. Our research contributes to unveil the idiographic micro-foundations of networking behaviour during organizational jolts.     

Entrepreneurial signaling to attract resources: the case of franchising

Why firms and individuals reveal information is the subject of considerable theoretical research, but little empirical work has been possible due to a lack of suitable data. In this paper we examine why entrepreneurs selling business opportunities (franchisors) reveal information regarding potential profits (termed earnings claims). Empirical analysis shows that: first, contrary to theory, only a small percentage of franchisors claim; and, second, the franchisors that do claim have lower costs or are responding to competition. In particular, the prediction of theoretical models from economics that resource providers will not transact if information is not disclosed is not supported; resource providers can and do make significant investments even when entrepreneurs refuse to disclose information. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Wealth Effects of International Investments and Agency Problems for Korean Multinational Firms

This paper recognizes the recent surge in cross‐border investments by MNCs from newly industrialized countries and investigates the wealth effects of FDI announcements by Korean firms, which are the leading FDI providers in Asia. The empirical results indicate that for Korean MNCs: 1) cross‐border investments increase shareholder wealth; and 2) they do not obtain the firm‐specific technological advantages over international competitors. The paper also presents evidence that cross‐border investments do not increase shareholder wealth for the 30 largest chaebol‐affiliates, and that shareholder wealth losses are greater when corporate ownership is concentrated, as suggested by Shleifer and Vishny (1997) and La Porta et al. (1998, 2000) .     

Cities within the City: Do‐It‐Yourself Urbanism and the Right to the City

In many cities around the world we are presently witnessing the growth of, and interest in, a range of micro‐spatial urban practices that are reshaping urban spaces. These practices include actions such as: guerrilla and community gardening; housing and retail cooperatives; flash mobbing and other shock tactics; social economies and bartering schemes; ‘empty spaces’ movements to occupy abandoned buildings for a range of purposes; subcultural practices like graffiti/street art, skateboarding and parkour; and more. This article asks: to what extent do such practices constitute a new form of urban politics that might give birth to a more just and democratic city? In answering this question, the article considers these so‐called ‘do‐it‐yourself urbanisms’ from the perspective of the ‘right to the city’. After critically assessing that concept, the article argues that in order for do‐it‐yourself urbanist practices to generate a wider politics of the city through the appropriation of urban space, they also need to assert new forms of authority in the city based on the equality of urban inhabitants. This claim is illustrated through an analysis of the do‐it‐yourself practices of Sydney‐based activist collective BUGA UP and the New York and Madrid Street Advertising Takeovers.     

Guessing the beliefs

A decision maker facing Knightian uncertainty is about to tell if he prefers an act X or Y. Two agents try to guess what he is going to do. All of them have preferences that achieve a separation of utility from beliefs. The only thing that the two agents do not know is the beliefs, so they evaluate them. We give a definition of “guessing better” and deal with its implications. We study particular cases as subjective expected utility and Choquet expected utility.     

Homo Economicus Meets G. H. Mead: A Contribution to the Critique of Economic Theory

A bstract .   The relation between economic behavior and morality remains a live issue within economics and cognate disciplines. The standard view among economists themselves has been that while moral positions (understood broadly) may motivate our behavior, they do not capacitate or enable it. On this view the figure of Homo economicus , representing the how as against the why of our actions, must be understood as resolutely amoral. In this article, we attempt to recover the logic of this position, as well as those of critics who would modify the standard view in some way. Although also critical of the conventional economics-and-ethics divide, we argue that Homo economicus would benefit from a more fundamental rethinking, one that takes account of the theory of the self and its acts, as developed by the social psychologist G. H. Mead. On a Meadian view the economic actor would neither have to grow additional capacities in order to coordinate with his or her fellows, as the evolutionary games theorist's agent has to do, nor depart or deviate from purposeful behavior, as does Homo sociologicus . On a Meadian view, economic capacity has to be more richly endowed than standard Homo economicus in order to do what it is supposed to do, but it is recognizably still a single, purposeful capacity.     

Behavioral mechanism design: evidence from the modified first-price auctions

This paper tests the behavioral equivalence of a class of strategically-equivalent mechanisms that also do not differ in terms of their procedures. In a private value setting, we introduce a family of mechanisms, so-called Mechanism (α), that generalizes the standard first-price sealed-bid auction. In Mechanism (α), buyers are asked to submit a value which will then be multiplied by α to calculate the bids in the auction. When α =?1, Mechanism (α) is the standard first-price sealed-bid auction. We show that for any α, calculated bids should be identical across mechanisms. We conduct a laboratory experiment to test the behavioral equivalence of this class of mechanisms under different values of α. Even though the procedure and environment do not change across auctions, we do not observe the same bidding behavior across these strategically-equivalent mechanisms. Our research can inform mechanism design literature with respect to the design of optimal mechanisms.     

Two state capital accumulation with heterogenous products: Disruptive vs. non-disruptive goods

The paper considers the problem of a firm that, while producing a standard product, has the option to introduce an innovative product. The innovative product competes with the standard product and will therefore reduce revenues of the standard product. A distinction is made between innovative products that do or do not become even more relatively appealing as their market share grows (e.g., because of network externalities). It is shown that in the former case, which we call a “disruptive” good, history dependent long run equilibria can occur, which are in line with recent real life economic examples.     

Everyday Lives in Vertical Neighbourhoods: Exploring Bangladeshi Residential Spaces in Toronto's Inner Suburbs

In the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), almost a third of the total housing stock is comprised of high‐rise apartment buildings. Not only do most new immigrants reside in these structures upon arrival, they often continue living here for a prolonged period, for a variety of interrelated economic and psychological reasons. It is therefore important to ask: How do these vertical structures affect the life worlds of the residents? What functions do these spaces perform? How do immigrants develop attachments to these spaces, and how do they make them their own? By drawing upon the experiences of 30 Bangladeshi immigrant households in Toronto's inner suburbs, I demonstrate that even though these vertical stacks are not conducive to frequent social interaction by design, the residents variously transform such functional spaces into unique ‘Bengali’ neighbourhoods that are filled with ambivalent feelings of hope and despair, imaginations of the future, becoming a place they can call home away from home.     

Flexibility,labour retention and productivity in the EU

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between internal flexibility, the employment of fixed-term contract workers and productivity in 27 European Union countries. Drawing on European Company Survey data, the paper assesses whether establishments that employ on a fixed-term basis experience higher productivity than their competitors and stronger labour productivity improvements over time. These issues are of importance, given the recent weakness of productivity growth in many EU member countries, the steps that governments have taken to relax rules relating to the employment of fixed-term workers and the emphasis placed on contractual flexibility within the European Commission’s flexicurity agenda. The paper finds that establishments that do not use fixed-term contracts enjoy productivity advantages over those that do. Establishments that employ on a fixed-term basis but retain workers once their fixed-term contract has expired perform better than those that do not retain workers. The findings also show that establishments that pursue internal flexibility report both higher productivity than competitors and productivity increases over time. In addition, they are more likely to retain workers who have reached the end of a fixed-term contract.     

The Effectiveness of Alternative Methods of Searching for Jobs and Finding Them: An Exploratory Analysis of the Data Bearing upon the Ways of Coping with joblessness

Abstract . Job search has profound implications for both the extent and duration of unemployment and hence for the efficient allocation of human resources. Yet, little is known about the relative effectiveness of alternative methods of job search. This study uses the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth Labor Market Experience to examine whether different methods influence the duration of job search and job satisfaction. Methods of search do seem to differ significantly in influencing duration of job search but not so in respect of job satisfaction, contrary to a widely held view. Some have held that informal channels of job search convey a particular type of qualitative information which makes for better and more efficient job choice and that this largely explains their extensive usage, but the data do not support this position. Both findings have potentially important implications for job search theory and government intervention in the labor market.     

Exchange rate regime choice and currency crises

Exchange rate regime choice is not exogenous, but it depends on the structural, political and financial features of countries. However, it is often the case that the regime actually pursued and the one that is imposed by country features do not match one to one. The existing empirical crisis models do not take fully into account the regime in which the crisis unfolded. The aim of this paper is to incorporate the appropriateness of the regime choice into the standard currency crisis model. The results show that the odds of crisis increase significantly in countries which have chosen regimes inconsistently.