Veblen and the Political Economy of the Engineer

Abstract . Thorstein Veblen's case for a Technocracy, “The Engineers and the Price System,” has long posed an enigma: Why would a thinker as radical as Veblen align himself with a group as conservative as engineers? But engineers themselves had developed a political economy with important points in common with Veblen's analysis. Starting from their positions as technological experts in corporations, engineers came to believe that business methods were not efficient for production; this belief led them to develop systems of scientific management as an antidote to old-style management. Later, they expanded these ideas into a system of social management called Technocracy. This system of Technocracy represented an engineering effort at formulating an industrial democracy, with the cooperation of labor. Veblen was able to write a more systematic version of these ideas, because they fit in well with his own theoretical analysis.     

Estimating the Size of the Homeless Population in Budapest,Hungary

In this study we try to estimate the size of the homeless population in Budapest by using two – non-standard – sampling methods: snowball sampling and capture-recapture method. Using two methods and three different data sets we are able to compare the methods as well as the results, and we also suggest some further applications. Apart from the practical purpose of our study there is a methodological one as well: to use two relatively unknown methods for the estimations of this very peculiar kind of population.     

Manpower restructuring in the state-owned railway industry of China: the role of the state in human resource strategy

Twenty years after it first opened its door to foreign enterprises, one of the greatest challenges facing the Chinese government today is the reform of the state-owned enterprise sectors (which make up half of the country's GDP) in order to make them more efficient. This paper intends to describe and then critically assess a number of major human resource policies introduced in the state-owned railway enterprise (one of the biggest enterprises) in China in its recent manpower reform (downsizing). Through the case of the railway company, a wider picture is revealed of the country's changing employment policy and practice as well as its emerging labour market. In particular, problems relating to human resources such as skill, remuneration, and training are highlighted at both organization and national level. As the reality of 'life-long employment' comes to an end, the notion of 'life-long learning' has been given a high profile in government policy decisions. What, then, has been and is the role of the state in 'creating' and resolving these problems as an employer and as a state governor?     

The Worker, the Union and the Democratic Workplace

Abstract . Much attention has been devoted to the potential gains in work satisfaction and productivity that can result from more democratic work organization. In the U.S. the willingness of management to share power is a key factor in the transfer from authoritarianism, as is widely recognized. Less widely recognized are the worker and the union as impediments to change. Various characteristics and interests of both, many related to the long history of the authoritarian workplace, make transition difficult. A particular set of conditions, not generally prevailing in the U.S., would be necessary for a pervasive joint union, management, worker thrust toward more participatory work organization.     

The California State University: a case on branding the largest public university system in the US

• Branding of universities is an area that is growing in importance as competition between universities increases and creates an imperative for strong brand positioning and visual identity as the basis for differentiation. In this context, this paper describes the process by which the California State University (CSU), a major, multi‐campus public university system developed a corporate visual identity system and analyzes the key issues in developing this system, as well as the key challenges ahead.

Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Faces of the needy: the portrayal of destitute children in the fundraising campaigns of NGOs in India

• This paper focuses on the portrayal of children in fundraising campaigns by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) working in India and answers the following questions: How do children feel about their portrayal in the images of funding campaigns? How do photographers or managers/directors affiliated with NGOs view their portrayal of destitute children? The study draws on data from analysis of images, focus groups with children, and interviews with photographers and campaign managers from NGOs working in different parts of India. Findings suggest that children like to be portrayed as happy and in a “good light”, telling the whole story about their lives but that also generates awareness about hardships they face, such as child labor; NGOs face a challenge in representing beneficiaries in a good light while also showing “need” to donors; and children interviewed were unaware of the purpose of the images as a fundraising and marketing tool, raising ethical concerns.

Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Top management: the missing stakeholder in the HRM literature

Abstract

Despite the significant influence that top management exerts on different aspects of people management, it remains the missing stakeholder in the HRM literature. In this paper, we take stock of previous research, and conclude that it is scarce and lacks consolidation. On the basis of our findings, but also thinking in terms of what is still missing, we develop a conceptual framework that may guide further research, advocating for the need to consider co-evolutionary approaches in an attempt to integrate selection and adaptation perspectives, as well as multi-level and multi-actor factors. Future work should systematically address and distinguish top management characteristics from top management agency and link these more clearly to a diversity of HRM dimensions. By doing so, scholars will help to firmly incorporate the role of top management in the research agenda of HRM and pursue different avenues that can be scientifically sound as well as practically relevant.     

A Tale of two narratives: assessing the sociological hypothesis of the appeal of the US dollar in Argentina

Quality & Quantity - A remarkable feature of the Argentinean economy is the widespread use of the US dollar as a measure of value, storage of value and in several high-end markets, as a medium...     

Corporate giving in the Netherlands 1995-2003: exploring the amounts involved and the motivations for donating

• Corporate giving as an expression of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been researched less than the more general theme of CSR. In addition, much of the research in this area focuses on countries with an Anglo cultural tradition.
• The study outlined in this paper offers a comprehensive longitudinal study of corporate giving in the Netherlands. An overview is provided of corporate giving in the Netherlands in the period from 1995 till 2003.
• The data are gathered by means of a biennial survey of Dutch companies as part of the ‘Giving in the Netherlands’ project. Based on these findings, recent developments in corporate giving can be sketched out.
• Moreover, literature on motives for corporate giving behavior is focused upon and applied in exploring Dutch managers' motivations for offering donations. Nonprofit organizations could use this knowledge to increase the efficiency of their fund raising.

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Value Freedom' and the Scope of Economic Inquiry: 1. Positivism's Standard View and the Political Economists

Abstract . According to what might well be regarded as the standard view among economic methodologists, the economist qua economist makes no value judgments concerning policy ends and their means of attainment. However, in restricting the proper aims of economic inquiry to epistemic goals only, the proponent of the standard view has neglected to ask why we seek to realize such goals; who needs economic knowledge?; for what?; what are people's fundamental needs, problems? In opposition to the standard view I argue that there is no good reason to exclude the promotion of human welfare, enhancement of the quality of human life, etc., sociologically, psychologically and philosophically defined, as well as analyzed from the viewpoint of economics, as legitimate goals of the economist in his professional capacity.     

Inside the Crystal Ball: New Approaches to Predicting the Gasoline Price at the Pump

Appropriate real‐time forecasting models for the US retail price of gasoline yield substantial reductions in the mean‐squared prediction error (MSPE) at horizons up to 2 years as well as substantial increases in directional accuracy. Even greater MSPE reductions are possible by constructing a pooled forecast that assigns equal weight to five of the most successful forecasting models. Pooled forecasts have lower MSPE than the US Energy Information Administration gasoline price forecasts and the gasoline price expectations in the Michigan Survey of Consumers. We also show that as much as 39% of the decline in gas prices between June and December 2014 was predictable. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Unplanned executive transitions and the dance of the subidentities

This is a study of a non-routine transition in an academic setting. After studying the processes of executive succession, succession planning, and executive development for many years, I found myself serving as Acting Dean of a school of management following the sudden resignation of the dean. This article is an account of my personal journey through that process, using subidentity theory as a way of understanding the experience. This article compares my own transition experiences with the theories of subidentity change and executive succession. It also identifies implications for future research based upon the differences observed, such as the perceived or virtual permanence of the acting administration. The conclusion offers recommendations for practice, such as the need for clarity of role expectations, strong leadership, and clear strategic direction; the value of a long hand-off process; and the utility of planned transition events. © 1995 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

On the asymptotic optimality of the LIML estimator with possibly many instruments

We consider the estimation of the coefficients of a linear structural equation in a simultaneous equation system when there are many instrumental variables. We derive some asymptotic properties of the limited information maximum likelihood (LIML) estimator when the number of instruments is large; some of these results are new as well as old, and we relate them to results in some recent studies. We have found that the variance of the limiting distribution of the LIML estimator and its modifications often attain the asymptotic lower bound when the number of instruments is large and the disturbance terms are not necessarily normally distributed, that is, for the micro-econometric models of some cases recently called many instruments and many weak instruments.     

An Incomes Policy for the Professions: the Dutch Experience

Abstract . In 1951 the United States began moving toward an incomes policy, an attempt to end postwar wage and price inflation by linking changes in these prices to gains in productivity. Other countries later followed suit; some countries had already adopted wage and price control policies. The Netherlands moved toward an incomes policy immediately after World War II. Initially, the Dutch program involved wages only, but in the 1970s it became an accepted principle that private professional income should be comparable with the salaries of government officials and civil servants with comparable training and responsibilities. In the Netherlands (as in the United States and, before medicine was socialized, the United Kingdom) health professionals operate on a fee-for service basis and their incomes escalated as a result of both inflation and monopoly power. So they were subjected to the incomes policy. The policy's effectiveness in curbing income escalation cannot be determined with certainty—reliable data are lacking. However, the evidence indicates that the policy failed to achieve its original purpose.     

On the cost-benefit of the regionalisation of the National Health Service

In this paper we analyse in formal terms the desirability of the regionalisation of a National Health Service. The policy consists of a devolution process, i.e. the increase in the health services provision to be decided by a region and financed by an increase in its revenues. The change is a marginal one, as it regards the part of supply of the health services exceeding a minimum standard, which for purposes of equity is maintained uniform in the national territory. As the central government is responsible for this component of the provision of health care (a federal “mandate”), the level of the said component is chosen by this authority and financed by federal taxation. Moreover, the government also applies an equalisation scheme based on the difference between a standard level of tax revenues and the revenues which the region is deemed able to raise for this purpose. Within the theoretical context of welfare improving reforms with distortionary taxation, we derive two conditions which focus on the regional, as well as the social, convenience of regionalisation. Received: May 5, 1999 / Accepted: January 21, 2000     

Crossing the chasm with beacon products in the portable music player industry

Firms competing in new product categories face great technical and market uncertainty as they try to move from early adopters to mainstream markets (83, 93 and 111). While the management literature identified several factors that may contribute to adoption, the role of specific product models has been understudied. To address this gap, we studied portable digital music players (MP3 players) from 1987–2006 and tested the role of specific product models in market takeoff, convergence and product category evolution. We introduced the concept of beacon product, defined as a specific product model that has great appeal to customers and sends a strong signal about what they want.     

What is the meaning of ‘talent’ in the world of work?

The ongoing confusion about the meaning of ‘talent’ within the world of work is hindering the establishment of widely accepted talent management theories and practices. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the literature on talent management by offering an in-depth review of the talent concept within the specific context of the world of work, and proposing a framework for its conceptualization. We group different theoretical approaches to talent into ‘object’ (i.e., talent as natural ability; talent as mastery; talent as commitment; talent as fit) versus ‘subject’ approaches (i.e., talent as all people; talent as some people) and identify dynamics existing within and between them, as well as implications for talent management theory and practice. Finally, we discuss different avenues for further research aimed at developing the talent—and consequently, the talent management—construct further.     

A note on the robustness of Box-Behnken designs to the unavailability of data

Box-Behnken designs and central composite designs are efficient designs for fitting second order polynomials to response surfaces, because they use relatively small numbers of observations to estimate the parameters. In this paper we investigate the robustness of Box-Behnken designs to the unavailability of observations, in the sense of finding t _max , the maximum number of arbitrary rows in the design matrix that can be removed and still leave all of the parameters of interest estimable. The results are compared to the known results for the central composite designs found in MacEachern, Notz, Whittinghill & Zhu (1995). The blocked Box-Behnken designs are equally as robust as those that are not blocked. Received December 1997     

Multiple objectives in the theory of the firm

An objective function with measures for two objectives is maximized to determine production decisions. These are shown to be analogous to production decisions under pure profit maximization, but using prices which include internally determined prices, different from market prices. The standard case of pure profit maximization results as a special case—as a testable hypothesis—by particular restrictions on parameters.A first draft of this paper was presented at the Philadelphia ORSA/TIMS Conference in 1990. The first draft was coauthored by Wolfgang Schwander, who contributed the empirical part to it, which has been deleted. Matthew S. Goldberg of the Institute for Defense Analyses and Götz Uebe of Universität der Bundeswehr, Hamburg, provided helpful comments on the first draft. The revised versions benefitted substantially from the very constructive comments by three referees. The refereeing process of this paper was handled through Knox Lovell.     

Explaining the democracy deficit in the Arab world

This paper strongly corroborates the widely held claim about the democracy and freedom “deficit” in the Arab world and asks the natural question as to why has the Arab world experienced such a deficit. The estimation results of an extended “modernity” model of democracy (measured by the Polity IV global index) suggest that after controlling for a host of economic, social and historical variables a negative and highly significant Arab dummy effect remains. This suggests, therefore, that the modernization theory does not fully account for the democracy deficit of the Arab world. Controlling for the modernity and other determinants, oil is negatively associated with democracy while the net effect of regional conflicts in the Arab world was negative, suggesting that conflicts in the Arab world promote authoritarianism in contrast with other regions where regional wars have been associated with democratic transitions. Moreover, and very significantly the Arab dummy was no longer significant as a stand alone effect though it remains significant when interacted with regional wars.