Discretionary power of project managers in knowledge‐intensive firms and gender issues

The scarcity of women among highly qualified professionals in business‐to‐business information and communication technologies (ICT) in Europe and in North America has been noted as recently as the late 1990s (Panteli, Stack, Atkinson, & Ramsay, 1999). The organization and management of work in such firms is typically project‐based. This has many consequences, including: long working hours with fierce resistance to any reduction, unpaid overtime, high management expectations of employee flexibility to meet unanticipated client demands, and the need for employees to negotiate flexible work arrangements on a case‐by‐case basis with a project manager who often has much discretion on whether to accommodate such requests. We found that women are particularly disadvantaged in such a system, which could partly explain their under‐representation in such jobs. Copyright © 2010 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The portrayal of women in Canadian corporate annual reports

We assess the inclusion of women in Canadian corporate annual report (CAR) photographs and on boards of directors at TSX100 firms and evaluate whether either is related to financial performance. We find that women are underrepresented in CAR photographs and on boards. In CAR photographs women are frequently portrayed as outsiders or less powerful organizational members than men. Higher return on equity (ROE) was found at companies that more frequently depicted women in their CAR photographs. However, no association was observed between the inclusion of women on the board and the ROE of the firm. The applied and theoretical implications of these results are discussed. Copyright © 2010 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gender fatigue: The ideological dilemma of gender neutrality and discrimination in organizations

Although gender discrimination remains a feature of working life in many contexts, research on gender in organizations has shown that workplaces are often constructed as gender neutral. This poses an ideological dilemma for workers: how can they make sense of gender discrimination at work while presenting their workplace as gender neutral? This article explores that dilemma through an analysis of how information communication technology (ICT) workers talk about gender discrimination. Instead of denying gender discrimination, workers acknowledge it can happen but construct it as singular events that happened in the past and they place the onus on women to overcome such obstacles. Navigating the ideological dilemma around gender neutrality and discrimination, interviewees display what the article characterizes as gender fatigue. Copyright © 2009 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mental illness at work: An assessment of co-worker reactions

Guided by Colella, Paetzold, and Belliveau (2004), we surveyed 305 employees on their reactions towards co-workers with mental illness. Co-workers were less likely to view longer/more frequent work breaks as appropriate accommodations for the mentally ill relative to flexible hours, banking of overtime hours, and counselling. Moreover, employees who believed that co-workers with mental illness were being equitably (or fairly) treated at work were more likely to report that they would self-disclose—and seek assistance for—a mental illness. Finally, employees with workplace contact with the mentally ill were more likely to support hiring people with mental illness. Copyright © 2009 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Proactive personality and work performance in China: The moderating effects of emotional exhaustion and perceived safety climate

Grounded in the interactionist paradigm, this study shows that emotional exhaustion and perceived safety climate constitute important moderators of the relationship between proactive personality and work performance. More specifically, the study analyzes the relationship between proactive personality and its behavioural outcomes—organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) and job performance—and investigates the interactive effects of emotional exhaustion and perceived safety climate. The study involves 485 Chinese airline employees including pilots, flight attendants, engineers, and service employees. Proactive personality positively predicted OCB and individual performance. Emotional exhaustion and perceived safety climate moderated the relationship between proactive personality and individual performance both independently and jointly. Implications of the findings for future research are discussed. Copyright © 2009 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Innovativeness and business relationships in women‐owned firms: The role of gender stereotypes

This paper investigates the relationship between business contacts and innovativeness in women‐owned firms and how women entrepreneurs’ perception of gender stereotypes affects this relationship. Data were collected through a survey of 107 women entrepreneurs in Spain. The results show that maintaining close contacts with managers/entrepreneurs in different industries and with customers is significant in explaining innovativeness in women‐owned firms. The stronger the women entrepreneurs’ perception of stereotypes that deviate from the masculine profile of the entrepreneur, the stronger the influence of these two types of close contact on innovativeness. Copyright © 2015 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An examination of the relationships among market orientation,innovation resources,reputational resources,and company performance in the transitional economy of Slovenia

We investigated relationships among market orientation, innovation and reputational resources, and their impact on market performance and financial performance within the transitional economy of Slovenia. Market orientation related positively to market and financial performance of firms indirectly through innovation and reputational resources. Reputational resources associated positively with loyalty, market share, and sales volume, innovation resources associated positively with market share, and sales volume indirectly through customer loyalty. Selected marketing resources related positively to financial performance indirectly through customer loyalty, market share, and sales volume. The implications of these findings for theory and practice are considered. Copyright © 2007 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The extended website stage model: a study of Canadian winery websites

Rao, Metts, and Mora Monge (2003) proposed a stage model to reflect the progression small businesses follow in their use of Internet technology. We extend their work in two ways. We introduce marketing integration into this technology-focused model and further differentiate the transactions stage of the framework. We then use the model to examine differences in the degree of sophistication of websites used by businesses in the Canadian winery sector. Data collection entailed a content analysis on a census of English language Canadian winery websites (N = 206). A supplementary survey was used to distinguish among those sites that were making use of relatively advanced technologies. A multinomial logit analysis was applied to examine a series of research questions based upon our integrated model. Implications of the findings for scholarship and practice are discussed. Copyright © 2009 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The value of household life cycle variables in consumer expenditure research: An empirical examination

We examine why studies reach contradictory conclusions concerning the value of the household life cycle model as a predictive tool in consumer expenditure research. Using a database of roughly 14,000 Canadian households, we find that household life cycle variables do not generally enhance prediction over a more parsimonious model containing a basic set of socioeconomic and demographic variables, even when comparing less aggregated to more aggregated expenditure categories. However, they do enhance prediction for categories that are defined such that the typical users of the category fall into a fairly narrow age range. The theoretical and applied significance of our findings are discussed and directions for future research are offered. Copyright © 2007 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Unlocking the careers of business professionals following job loss: sensemaking and career exploration of older workers

While acknowledging the well established negative aspects of job loss, we present an alternative perspective by exploring the potentially positive outcomes of losing one's job. Drawing on an in depth analysis of qualitative data gathered from thirty interviews with older middle managers in Canada, we explore the mechanisms through which job loss is experienced as a “blessing in disguise”. We consider how individuals make sense of their experience of job loss and how they use career exploration in their framing of job loss and as an opportunity for self‐fulfillment. Copyright © 2007 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An examination of the usage and impact of upward influence tactics by workers in the hospitality sector of Taiwan: Expanding the framework of rao,schmidt, and murray (1995)

This study adds the political tendencies of subordinates and their organizational socialization as antecedents to the Rao, Schmidt, and Murray ( 1995 ) framework of the use of upward influence tactics. Supervisor trust in the subordinate was added as an outcome. Furthermore, using 278 subordinate‐supervisor dyads in the Taiwanese hotel industry, a full range of influence tactics were examined. Political tendencies and socialization were associated with subordinate use of influence tactics. However, assertiveness was the only tactic strongly and negatively associated with both performance rating and the level of trust the manager placed in the subordinate. Importantly, these negative effects were mediated by supervisor impressions of subordinate tenacity and disagreeableness. Copyright © 2010 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determinants of online shopping: Examination of an early-stage online market

A conceptual framework intended to predict the number of online purchases made by Internet users in an early stage market is presented and examined using data collected in Israel. Those more likely to report buying online saw low costs and substantial benefits associated with e-shopping. They were experienced Internet users who valued online information searching. They were also more likely to shop over the phone, but did not especially like to go shopping. Finally, they tended to be the primary purchaser in the household. Our framework enhances understanding of the factors affecting consumers' online shopping behaviour, aides in profiling typical electronic shoppers, and may help practitioners develop more personalized marketing programs to increase e-commerce sales. Copyright © 2009 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effects of differences in explanations,employee attributions,type of infraction,and discipline severity on perceived fairness of employee discipline

Participants reported perceptions of fairness after reading 1 of 72 scenarios describing a disciplinary discussion between a manager and an employee (crossing four different disciplinary infractions, with three types of explanations for each infraction, three different levels of discipline severity, and two types of employee attributions for their behaviour). Results indicate that type of attribution, type of infraction, and level of discipline severity all have significant effects on perceptions of distributive, procedural, interpersonal, and informational justice. Type of explanation also has significant effects on perceptions of justice other than informational justice. It appears that managing disciplinary fairness may require a contingency approach. Copyright © 2008 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Conformity and diversity of accounting and financial reporting practices in Portuguese local government

Portuguese governmental accounting has evolved from essentially a cash‐based budgetary accounting system to an accrual‐based financial and cost accounting system. Evidence from financial reports shows a great level of diversity amongst municipalities' voluntary compliance with the new accounting rules. Using a sample of Portuguese municipalities in the year 2003 we calculate and analyse the levels of compliance with the practices required by law and document the diversity in compliance across municipalities. The differences across municipalities are explained by some fundamental factors: size, financial conditions, urban characteristics, and diffusion across neighbouring municipalities. We show an unexpected effect of size. Larger municipalities comply less with accounting standards. Organizational complexity, conservative practices, and aversion to change may explain this result. Copyright © 2007 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

To improve investors' valuation of accounting earnings in emerging markets: evidence from Taiwan

The valuation of accounting earnings is related to the level of earnings management used by the firm. In emerging markets where earnings management is typically pervasive, investors lose confidence in accounting earnings and thus tend to under‐value earnings. Using data from Taiwan, we show that better governance characteristics are associated with improved investor valuation of accounting earnings. Under weaker governance structures, such as excessive control on the part of majority shareholders, small board size, and chief executive officer/chairman of the board duality, the market tends to under‐value accounting earnings. Reducing controlling shareholders' ownership, increasing board size, and reinforcing the monitoring function of the board improves investors' ability to value accounting earnings. Copyright © 2010 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A comparison of the legislated employment equity program,federal contractors program,and financial post 500 firms

We investigated the impact of employment equity legislation, compliance regulations, and the absence of these requirements on the diversity practices of Canadian firms. A field survey involving CEOs and Human Resource Executives of 286 firms covered under the Legislated Employment Equity Program (LEEP), Federal Contractors Program (FCP), and Financial Post 500 (FP 500) companies was conducted. Results indicate that CEOs of LEEP firms reported a greater commitment to managing diversity. LEEP firms, and to some extent FCP firms, also had adopted more practices (e.g., policies, recruiting, training, and accountability) supportive of employment equity than FP 500 firms. It appears that employment equity remains the most effective tool for promoting equity and diversity in Canadian organizations. Copyright © 2010 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The state and evolution of information systems research in canada: a scientometric analysis

This paper investigates the state and evolution of information systems (IS) research in Canada as reflected in publications of the proceedings of the annual conference of the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada from 1974 to 2007. We present a scientometric analysis of (a) individual and institutional research outputs; (b) differences in three productivity score calculation methods: straight count, equal credit, and author position; (c) study topics; (d) research methods; and (e) use of student samples. Copyright © 2008 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.