A comparative analysis of performance assessment: international joint venture managers versus regional headquarters managers

This paper examines a relatively unexplored dimension within the IHRM literature: whether JV CEOs and representatives of their foreign parents' regional headquarters differ in their evaluations of JV effectiveness. This study is based upon a sample of 153 JVs located in China. Existing theories suggest an alternate rationale detailing why the evaluations of JV managers and their foreign parent companies should differ and why they should be similar. Our investigation generally finds that evaluations are similar, with some differentiation occurring when our sample is divided by JV age and by JV industry. Overall, the results suggest that isomorphic forces may exist between managers of JVs and managers of their foreign parents in the JV system.     

A framework for strategic decision making and performance among Chinese managers

This study develops an integrative model that explains the relationship between Chinese culture, managers' strategic decision making (SDM) processes, and organizational performance. For the study 1200 participants were randomly selected from a business club's company register, resulting in 204 valid respondents. The results highlighted two significant SDM paths used by managers: (1) the cognitive-speed path, which suggested that Overseas Chinese managers (the Chinese who live outside of Mainland China) focus on the big picture, draw analogies from past experiences, and use extensive networks to reduce the duration of the decision process; and (2) the social-political path which shows that Overseas Chinese managers focus on collective interests, strive to maintain harmony, and to save face while using a collaborative style to handle conflict; this approach reduces dysfunctional political behavior, while reinforcing the decision team's focus on common goals. From these results we concluded that a speedier decision making process (based on intuition, experience, and networks) accompanied by the appropriate use of political behavior (that created harmony, through a hierarchical structure, during conflict management) in the Overseas Chinese managers' strategic decision making process could positively influence organizational performance.     

企业经营者职业化的条件、作用及最终路径

经营者的职业化是现代企业制度的必然要求.它需要建立三项基本制度,即职业证书制度、职业经理评级制度和市场化聘任与解聘制度;需要三个基本条件即要有理性的买者、充裕的卖方和规范的中介机构;职业化的路径是体制外经理市场压迫体制内经理市场,最终导致二者并轨.     

“洋打工皇帝”的落败

沃德与韦杰夫的“闪电陨落”,未免让人叹息。但可以肯定的是:尽管“洋高管”曾在海外有过辉煌的业绩,但如果在现任岗位上不能胜任或者满足投资者的预期,最终只能走人。在中国,一句老话忽视不得:适者生存     

职业经理人的职业特征与职业素养

职业经理人由于其职业的特殊性,从而表现出明显的职业特征,同时也要求具有相应的职业素养.本文从从社会职业分工类型、企业(公司)治理结构和企业规模因素等方面考察和分析了职业经理人的职业特征;在对职业经理人职业素养界定的基础上,解析了职业精神、职业价值观、职业道德、职业作风、职业心理等五个构成要素.     

The impact of performance measurement on purchasing group dynamics: The Canadian experience

Purchasing groups were first created in the healthcare sector, which has faced unprecedented challenges in terms of cost control for over two decades. Purchasing groups are indeed supposed to generate additional savings and more efficient purchasing processes. However, although various aspects of purchasing groups have been studied since the early 2000s, both their performance measurement and the influence that this measurement has on inter-organizational dynamics have been neglected. In purchasing groups, the dynamics between the group itself and its members often results in tensions between both parties. Performance measurement within purchasing groups could alleviate those tensions, since “objective” data could then be used to improve communication.Based on a case study, this research sheds light on performance measurement in a purchasing group, on the dynamics between the group and its members, and on the interaction between performance measurement and inter-organizational dynamics. Results indicate that measuring performance impacts the dynamics between both parties, but that the relationship is also the other way around, and that the inter-organizational dynamics is quite complex. In addition, this paper proposes a framework summarizing the research findings.     

The effects of internal versus external integration practices on time-based performance and overall firm performance

This paper examines the effects of integration practices on time-based performance and on overall firm performance (financial and market share). Integration practices are grouped into two categories: (1) external strategic design integration, which reaches across firm boundaries to involve suppliers and customers and (2) internal design-process integration, which comprises more tactically oriented, integration practices that match design requirements and process capabilities. First, regression results show that both internal and external integration are related to time-based performance, which in turn is related to firm performance. Thus, two indirect routes to firm performance are identified. Second, hierarchical regression reveals that integration directly affects firm performance even after time-based performance is accounted for. Finally, we found that the interaction of internal and external integration is significantly related to both market share and financial performance (after controlling for all other effects). This latter result suggests that the joint use of external and internal integration practices has a synergistic effect on firm performance.     

管理者人本思维的价值追求

本文是作者<管理价值论>的系列论文之一.作者在论述管理者人本思维的人性基础之上,进一步提出并论证了管理者人本思维的价值追求问题.对人本及人本思维、经济活动的效率价值追求、精神活动的自由价值追求、政治活动的公平价值追求及目前中国市场经济中管理者的价值追求定位作了理论上的界说和深入的论证.     

Occupational downgrading and bumping down: The combined effects of education and experience

Job competition between workers has important implications for “downgrading” and “bumping down”. To account for these phenomena, a matching model is considered in which highly educated and poorly educated workers compete for skilled jobs. An exogenous increase in the proportion of highly skilled workers increases the proportion of these workers in low-level jobs (downgrading). Another of the paper's findings is that changes in the composition of the workforce affect workers' opportunities to accumulate experience. An increase in the relative supply of highly educated workers reduces the opportunities for poorly educated workers to learn on the job. Both education and experience are required in order to access skilled jobs.     

The perilous effects of capability loss on outsourcing management and performance

The outsourcing of manufacturing activities and business processes has emerged as a prevalent business practice in many industries. Given this state, the lackluster performance of an alarmingly high proportion of outsourcing initiatives is somewhat surprising. In an effort to achieve aggressive cost savings objectives, many outsourcing engagements are associated with organizational resources being disposed of which can lead to a significant operational capability loss on the part of the outsourcing firm. Surprisingly little empirical research has dealt with the issues arising from this capability loss frequently associated with outsourcing. This study strives to address this void. Drawing on multiple theoretical perspectives, this study investigates the direct impact that capability loss has on outsourcing performance, and also the impact it has on the outsourcing firm's ability to effectively manage its relationship with the outsourcing provider. Results from our hierarchical regression analysis on 198 outsourcing initiatives suggest an inadequate capability evaluation up front can lead to a more substantive capability loss. Subsequently, we find that a more extensive capability loss has a direct negative effect on outsourcing performance. Prior studies have established the significant positive effect that developing a committed and cooperative relationship with the provider has on outsourcing performance. Our results corroborate these previous findings, and also demonstrate that capability loss inhibits the outsourcing firm's efforts to develop a committed and cooperative relationship with the outsourcing provider.     

Major league baseball division standings,sports journalists' predictions and player salaries

This paper analyzes the accuracy of predictions of division baseball winners and rankings for the 1982 to 1990 seasons. The forecasts in Sport, Sports Illustrated and the New York Times are more accurate than purely random forecasts except at predicting the National League winners. The journalists are better at predicting division winners, but not division rankings, than a naive model that assumes this season's rankings, will be the same as last seasons's. Combining the forecasts in the three publications does not result in greater forecasting accuracy. A model that uses the relative average salaries of teams significantly outperforms the journalists at predicting division rankings and, when allowance is made for ‘George Steinbrenner effect’, also at predicting division winners.     

The effects of innovation–cost strategy, knowledge, and action in the supply chain on firm performance

Despite the importance of supply chains within today's economy, we know little about how the knowledge of supply chains can contribute to superior performance at the firm level. Building on the resource-based view, knowledge-based view and strategic choice theory, we develop hypotheses linking two knowledge-driven supply chain phenomena (i.e., knowledge development capacity and intellectual capital), innovation–cost strategy, and action to firm-level performance. Using survey and archival data from 489 firms, we found that performance is influenced by how well knowledge development capacity and intellectual capital efforts complement alternative chain strategies. More specifically, each strategy type requires different constellations of knowledge development capacity and intellectual capital to enhance action and create superior firm performance. These results highlight the importance of supply chain phenomena for firm-level performance, and more broadly, the value of supply chains as a competitive weapon in contemporary firms.