Evaluating Form and Functionality of Pay‐for‐Performance Plans: The Relative Incentive and Sorting Effects of Merit Pay,Bonuses, and Long‐Term Incentives

Using two‐year longitudinal data from a large sample of US employees from a service‐related organization, the present study investigates the relative effects of three forms of pay‐for‐performance (PFP) plans on employees’ job performance (incentive effects) and voluntary turnover (sorting effects). The study differentiates between three forms of pay: merit pay, individual‐based bonuses, and long‐term incentives. By definition, these PFP plans have different structural elements that distinguish them from each other (i.e., pay plan form) and different characteristics (functionality), such as the degree to which pay and performance are linked and the size of the rewards, which can vary both within and across plan types. Our results provide evidence that merit raises have larger incentive and sorting effects than bonuses and long‐term incentives in multi‐PFP plan environments where the three PFP plans are operating simultaneously. Only merit pay has both incentive and sorting effects among the three PFP plans. The implications for the PFP‐related theory, as well as for the design and implementation of PFP plans, are discussed. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The outcomes of variable pay systems: tales of multiple costs and unforeseen consequences

Two veins of research predominate in evaluations of variable pay systems. The first seeks to associate superior financial performance with the use of incentive schemes and the second assesses the success of variable pay systems in effecting behavioural and attitudinal change. This paper argues that both of these approaches suffer from limitations and presents a framework for examining a neglected aspect of the implementation of variable pay systems by considering their operational outcomes and impact on organizations. It contemplates why little evaluation of this kind is conducted and presents a detailed qualitative analysis of the findings from six multiple case studies conducted among medium-sized organizations in the engineering sector. The article contributes to the literature in the area by revealing significant unanticipated costs in management time, administration and staff recruitment and training as a result of pay system change through applying the framework developed, identifying the relative effectiveness of the pay systems and illustrating the scope for organizational context to influence pay system outcomes. It concludes by arguing that the scope for error in managing pay systems raises questions about how far pay systems are effective sources of competitive advantage.     

Teams and their Context: Moving the Team Discussion Beyond Existing Dichotomies

The dichotomies which have been proposed to distinguish between what can be labelled 'sociotechnical' and 'Japanese' teams oversimplify the 'team discussion'. They combine team characteristics and contextual factors which should be separated, contain biases, and have an infirm basis. As an alternative we propose an analytical framework to improve our theoretical understanding of how relevant contextual factors impact the design of jobs and organizations     

Feminist theory,globalization and comparative labour law: women workers in Australia and Ireland

This project has sought to evaluate the contextual differences between Australia and Ireland in the way in which the equal pay and EEO legislation have impacted on working women while using a variety of traditional and critical legal methodological approaches within an overtly feminist theoretical framework. Law continues to hold out hope while delivering limited returns.     

Contextual Determinants of Reward Systems' Success: An Exploratory Study

Data were collected on successful and unsuccessful reward initiatives. The initiatives included new and modified base pay, short‐ and long‐term incentive, benefits, and perquisite/lifestyle rewards. Initiative success was measured on seven factors, and ten conditions were measured for initiative success. Follow‐up telephone calls to most respondents provided more detail for examples. Analysis suggests that a common set of criteria can be used to judge the success of different kinds of programs. Surprisingly, success in plan design was not a significant explanatory variable in reaching success on any criterion of rewards initiative success. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

面向仿真评估的装备保障方案系统设计

面向仿真评估的角度出发．提出了战时装备保障方案系统的设计思想．并在明确系统建设总体目标的基础上．着重对系统的结构进行了总体设计，从不同侧面分别提出了系统相应的总体结构、逻辑结构和物理结构，并对各功能模块进行了较为详细的分析．为战时装备保障方案系统的研制开发奠定了基础。     

Reshaping internal labour markets in the National Health Service: new prospects for pay and training for lower skilled service workers?

This article considers how two new strategies for improving pay and skills development have been used in the UK National Health Service (NHS) to develop labour capacity and capability by stimulating the development of relatively coherent internal labour markets for workers at the lower end of the occupational hierarchy. Drawing on data from 13 NHS trusts, we scrutinise the implications of the new national pay system, Agenda for Change, for healthcare assistants and cleaners and find substantial one‐off improvements in pay for these groups as a direct result of the new national pay framework. However, the detailed case‐study data reveal there is considerable uncertainty regarding the extent, depth and durability of pay improvements. In particular, opportunities for pay progression in reward for acquisition of new skills and qualifications were more variable as a result of the stronger role of management choice and strategy at the organisational level in implementing the new national strategy for skills development, the Skills Escalator. Moreover, management strategy shaped the demand for, and distribution of, intermediate‐level skills (through new job design, for example), which was critical to the effectiveness of trusts in pulling lower grade employees up through an internal career trajectory.     

探讨城市规划设计中GIS技术的应用

伴随着当前我国城市化发展进程的不断加快,城市规划设计随之显得极为重要。之所以这样说,其原因主要在于:对一个城市而言,城市要想在今后得到稳定且长远的发展,就必须对城市发展规划进行合理的设计,除了需要满足城市自身的发展特点外,还要符合自身的发展实情。GIS技术作为近年来我国有关人员大力研发并推广的一种技术,由于该技术不仅能够改善传统二维平面制图的城市规划设计,而且可让城市规划变得更科学、更合理,所以,在城市规划设计中,有关设计人员必须注重GIS技术的应用。而本文也将通过对该内容的深入分析,为今后的城市规划设计做好铺垫工作。     

基于团队的薪酬体系设计探讨

员工对薪酬体系的公平和风险感知是影响其态度和行为的关键因素。建立科学的绩效评价体系,依据职位层次和工作任务特点确定适当的变动薪酬激励强度,选择适合团队规模和绩效特点的团队绩效薪酬激励强度,以及与团队任务和团队成员特点相匹配的团队绩效薪酬分配规则,是基于团队的薪酬体系设计的核心。     

Performance related pay: contrasting approaches

In this article the author assesses the variations in the way in which organisations design, implement and operate individual performance related pay systems. Drawing upon the findings from two case studies, he highlights the importance of historical and other contextual factors in explaining these variations.     

师范院校《计算方法》课程实践性教学初探

根据师范教育既要注重职前理论教育的基础性,又要注重今后职业发展需要的特点,我们对《计算方法》课程进行了教学改革。将实践性教学引入《计算方法》课程的教学中,编排设计教学方案,探究实践性教学方法。《计算方法》课程的实践性提高了学生在教学活动中的主体地位,活跃他们的思维,增强思辨反应能力,激发真正的学习情感。取得了良好的教学效果。     

Which shape fits best? Designing the organizational form of local government procurement

The way that public procurement activities are organized has an impact on the performance of public institutions. By reviewing the literature on public procurement organization dimensions this study offers a conceptual framework for public procurement organizational design, distinguishing between the macro, micro and process level dimensions. The framework is tested across the procurement departments of 15 local governments in Wales and Italy. We identify six alternative organizational configurations, differing in their level of centralization and their procurement status within the institution. Their suitability and potential for redesign depend on several internal and external contextual factors (goals, government decision, regulation, geographical environment) in line with the contingency view of organizational design.     

The joint influence of technology uncertainty and interorganizational interaction on external technology integration success

This paper empirically examines the acquisition of a technology from a source outside the firm and its incorporation into a new or existing operational process. We refer to this key activity in process innovation as external technology integration. This paper develops a conceptual framework of external technology integration based on organizational information processing theory and technology management literature. The primary hypothesis underlying the conceptual framework is that external technology integration will be most successful when the level of interaction between the source of the technology and recipient of the technology is appropriately matched, or fit, to the characteristics of the technology to be integrated. The conceptual framework also develops other hypotheses relating to contextual factors that may also influence the success of external technology integration. A cross-sectional survey methodology is employed to test the four hypotheses of the conceptual framework, with the results indicating strong support for the fit hypothesis and general support for the contextual hypotheses. The paper closes with a discussion of the implications of this study for both theory and practice.     

浅谈新校区总体规划设计

如何建好新校区,影响的因素固然很多,但搞好总体规划设计至关重要。它是学校未来的蓝图,是整个工程施工的基础,更是新校区建设成功的前提和关键。笔者认为,搞好新校区总体规划要注意“三个环节”、把握“六个要点”。     

What drives the effectiveness of industrial clusters? Exploring the impact of contextual,structural and functioning determinants

This study examines how contextual, structural and functioning characteristics of industrial clusters influence their effectiveness. We develop a conceptual framework that identifies potential influencing factors, validate the factors statistically, and estimate the factors’ impact on cluster effectiveness. Our results show that among the important determinants of cluster effectiveness are long-term planning security and procedural trust among the cooperating firms (contextual conditions), formalized rules and sustainable structures (structural elements), and clear goals and tasks (functioning characteristics). However, the results also reveal that some determinants assessed as important in the literature do not seem to have a positive impact on effectiveness. Our results not only modify general assumptions in cluster research concerning the drivers of cluster effectiveness, but also assist firms and policy-makers in conceptualizing successful new clusters.     

Universities’ efficiency and the socioeconomic characteristics of their environment — Evidence from an empirical analysis

This paper investigates how the efficiency of universities is affected by the characteristics of the territory in which they operate. The theoretical framework combines two perspectives: (1) the resource dependence theory, suggesting that the location of university can determine the amount of resources available to it; (2) institutional isomorphism, according to which the characteristics of other higher education institutions located in the same area may shape the university production function and the efficiency of its operations. In order to test this framework we use data on Russian universities and a non-parametric conditional order-m efficiency estimator with two categories of contextual variables. The first group includes the social, economic and cultural characteristics of the region where the university is located, while the second deal with the characteristics of other higher education institutions located in the same region. The main contribution of this paper is that it applies efficiency models that incorporate exogenous factors associated with a geographical area in context of higher education. Our findings highlight that the managerial efficiency of universities is strongly associated with the contextual factors of the environment in which they are embedded. Important policy implication of this result is that different public policies in higher education should treat particular universities differently depending on characteristics of context in which they operate.     

A quarter‐century review of HRM in small and medium‐sized enterprises: Capturing what we know,exploring where we need to go

Despite the proliferation of HRM research, only a small fraction explores the context of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). Where HRM in SMEs has received attention, the literature base remains fragmented and variable, comprising a plurality of definitions, explanations, and methods. To advance understanding, this paper uses a quarter‐century systematic review drawing on an evidence base of 137 peer‐reviewed articles. A cumulative framework is presented capturing key developments and synthesizing existing areas of research focus. Analysis of limitations and knowledge‐gaps finds a failure to differentiate across various types of SMEs, limited appreciation of SME characteristics and contextual conditions, and a dominance of managerial perspectives. An agenda for future research on HRM in SMEs is outlined with respect to definitional parameters, HR practices, HRM–performance, key determinants, and presenting issues. The paper concludes that SMEs offer a unique, fruitful, and timely context for investigations of HRM.     

STRATEGIC DECISIONS IN ORGANIZATIONS: RATIONAL AND BEHAVIOURAL VIEWS

Various models or lenses have been used to predict and understand strategic decisions in organizations. This article examines four classes: (1) the unitary rational; (2) the organizational; (3) the political; and (4) the contextual. They are conceptualized as stemming from different assumptions about goal congruency and co-ordinative efficiency. the contextual view is especially highlighted, as it is a relatively new perspective, both organizationally and cognitively. A brief discussion is offered of disciplines and findings that either support or refute some of these models. Possible syntheses and reconciliations of the four views are explored, focusing on: (1) assumptional fit; (2) level of analysis; (3) cost of fashioning collective rationality; (4) information processing limits in organizational design; and (5) the role of adaptation lags and disequilibrium. the article concludes with a call for a meta-theory that places the various perspectives in a larger framework.     

A knowledge sharing framework for black,grey and white box supplier configurations in new product development

Managing supplier collaboration is increasingly cited as a key success factor in new product development (NPD) performance. Knowledge sharing between customer and supplier is a critical issue to manage collaboration but one which has only been partially investigated in the inter-organisational NPD context. This means that the specific characteristics of knowledge sharing according to the three classical supplier involvement configurations (black box: design is supplier driver, grey box: joint design and white box: design is customer driven) are still largely unknown. This research proposes to fill this gap by presenting a conceptual framework for knowledge sharing according to the supplier involvement configuration. Knowledge sharing integrates knowledge transfer, translation and transformation. A qualitative methodology based on cross-case comparisons of six projects in two companies is used. This research shows that the dynamics of knowledge sharing depend on each configuration. Thus, for black box projects, knowledge translation is a prerequisite for knowledge transfer. For grey box projects, knowledge transfer and translation are initiated simultaneously in a continuous loop. For white box projects, knowledge transfer is the key activity and potentially generates knowledge translation. The results suggest that managers should pay attention to translation activities which are critical for the success of co-development projects.