Effect of purchase volume flexibility and purchase mix flexibility on e-procurement performance: An analysis of two perspectives

Despite the widespread adoption of e-procurement by firms in recent years, academic research examining the mechanisms through which e-procurement applications lead to performance has been scarce. Anecdotal evidence points to numerous situations where companies have failed to harness the potential of e-procurement. In this paper, we argue that online purchase volume and mix flexibilities facilitated by these applications play a significant role in the ability of firms to benefit from e-procurement. We examine this tenet from both an economic as well as a social perspective. We propose that increased online purchase volume flexibility as well as online purchase mix flexibility can be facilitated by two mechanisms – supplier customization as explained by transaction costs perspective, and information sharing between supply chain partners using a social exchange theoretical perspective. The increased purchase volume and mix flexibility in turn leads to better performance along the dimensions of cost, quality, and delivery. We present and test a nuanced perspective where we argue that (i) the effect of supplier customization on both purchase volume and mix flexibilities will be moderated by the frequency of transactions conducted online, and (ii) the effect of information sharing on both purchase volume and mix flexibilities will be moderated by trust in the supplier. We estimate our research model using survey data collected from 130 purchasing and procurement managers. We find strong support for our proposed research model with results indicating that purchase volume and mix flexibilities play a vital mediating role in impacting e-procurement performance. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.     

A change management perspective on public sector cutback management: towards a framework for analysis

The financial crisis forces public managers to implement cutbacks within their organization. We argue that adopting a change management perspective contributes to our understanding of cutback management by adding a focus on managerial behaviour regarding cutback-related organizational changes. Relying on change management literature, this paper develops a framework for the analysis of cutback management connecting the context, content, process, outcomes and leadership of cutback-related change. From this it follows that managers can be positioned at the intersection of various imperatives, both externally and internally, such as their political leaders and their own subordinates. A research agenda is proposed.     

Innovation pathways at the Base of the Pyramid: Establishing technological legitimacy through social attributes

Two challenging imperatives we face today are the amelioration of global poverty and reducing environmental impacts such as global climate change. This article discusses these challenges in the ‘Base of the Pyramid’ (BOP), impoverished socio-economic groups from underdeveloped regions that have traditionally been excluded from economic participation. Drawing on the BOP, global value chain and latecomer literature, we propose five innovation pathways for social and environmental improvement within poor communities. We extend Geel’s (2002) new socio-technical landscape framework, Hall et als' (2011) and Hall and Martin’s (2005) framework for innovative uncertainties and Aldrich and Fiol’s (1994) legitimization processes by proposing a ‘hurdles and levers analysis,’ suggesting that in addition to overcoming technological and commercial hurdles, social attributes play a key role in BOP innovation dynamics. Two illustrative cases are presented; an initiative to replace candles and kerosene lanterns with semiconductor white light-emitting-diodes (WLEDs) in various BOP locations; and the development of naturally colored cotton in poor regions of Brazil for sale locally and abroad. We argue that social uncertainties in particular may act as ‘levers’, compensating for initial technological and commercial deficiencies, thus providing technology developers time to improve. The paper concludes with implications for policy and future research.     

基于测算法下经营者努力程度与企业经营业绩敏感度分析

由于经营者努力程度无法直接观察,需要寻找可观测到的变量进行近似替代。根据契约理论和激励理论,可采用经营者报酬来衡量其努力程度。本文对经营者报酬业绩敏感度的研究采用逆向思维方式,研究了经营者报酬变化对企业经营业绩变化的影响程度,以经济学中“弹性“为依据命名了测算法,指出了经营者报酬变化的最优适度区间,以期为企业提高经营业绩提供参考。     

大地震后城市应急功能的思考

随着我国城市规模的不断扩大,城市灾害呈现出群发多样性、时空耦合性、链状分布等新的特点。我国现有的城市应急体系已经不能完全适应城市应急管理的需要,特别是汶川大地震后反映出了我们在城市应急管理方面的一些不足。对存在的不足给予了总结并提出了相关建议,希望能为我们的城市应急管理体系建设提供参考。     

美国在21世纪所面对的各种形势（英文）

本文分为四个章节。第一章是本论文的整体概括。简要讲述了美国的历史和现状,指出了文章的主要话题和目的。第二章和第三章是本文的主要组成部分。分析了美国在二十一世纪从国际、国内的角度,在经济、文化和政治领域所面对的挑战。第二章主要集中在美国国内在二十一世纪所面临和将要面对的挑战。因此我们将会看到面临的六个主要挑战。在第三章中,作者将从四个方面讨论美国面对国际挑战的措施。第四章是本文的结论。它将简要归纳要点,介绍了本论文的贡献和不足。     

Data governance and digital innovation: A translational account of practitioner issues for IS research

There is widespread agreement in research and practice that data governance is an instrumental element to help organizations leverage and protect data. IS research has observed that our practical and our scientific knowledge of data governance remains limited, and the increasing ability for organizations to generate, acquire, store, transform, process and analyze data calls for us to further identify and address issues on the topic. Striving to contribute to answer this pressing need, we argue that understanding the nature and the implications of governance mechanisms is of high importance as it is these mechanisms that effectively instantiate data governance in an organization. Building on our experience preparing and teaching workshops to 102 executives on the topic, we adopt a position of engaged scholarship and provide a translational account of our pedagogical experience on data governance, highlighting four outstanding themes for IS research. We argue that these four themes—(1) embracing data governance without compromising digital innovation; (2) enacting data governance through repertoires of mechanisms; (3) moving away from data governance toward governing data; and (4) moving away from a view of data at rest to adopt a service-based perspective on data governance—are highly relevant for practice and research. In our view, studying these themes will contribute to inform practitioners who often struggle with the implementation of comprehensive data governance programs and frameworks. At the same time, the ability to leverage theory to study these themes can help research generate novel theoretical contributions on data governance, helping future research on the topic.     

Worldviews and leadership: Thinking and acting the bigger pictures

Leadership is about ideas and actions. Put simply, it is about implementing new ideas into creative actions to achieve desired results. Doing so, however, is far from simple. We know leadership requires considerable skills and abilities. It requires knowledge and insight—about one's organization or entity, its people, goals, strengths and market niche. Yet, something more is needed. Leadership also requires a kind of awareness beyond the immediate, an awareness of the larger pictures—of paradigms that direct us, beliefs that sustain us, values that guide us and principles that motivate us, our worldviews. This article will, first, briefly examine how the concept of worldviews is used in leadership study and the contexts in which it arises. Second, it will critically look at worldviews, recognizing that they are not always coherent and that our belief systems are often fragmented and incomplete. Third, it will argue for the relevance of the concept worldview in leadership study as a way to explore various visions of life and ways of life that may be helpful in overcoming the challenges we face today. Fourth, it will examine how national and global issues impact worldview construction, especially among the millennial generation. Our conclusions set some directions for leadership action in light of worldview issues.     

Beyond the Business Case for Diversity in Organizations

Many organizations and institutions are spending extensive time, money, and resources to justify a focus on diversity. In this paper, we argue that, instead of justifying demographic diversity, the more appropriate focus is on properly managing the processes and outcomes of a diverse workforce. Demographic diversity in the workplace is a reality. In terms of both composition and sheer numbers, the workforce today is more demographically diverse than it has ever been, and there is every indication that it will be even more diverse in the future. Accordingly, this paper argues that we must go beyond the business case for diversity to effectively utilize the diversity that already exists and create a just workplace.     

On the unique features of post-disaster humanitarian logistics

Logistic activity can be thought of as a socio-technical process whereby a social network of individuals orchestrates a series of technical activities using supporting systems such as transportation and communications. To understand the functioning of the entire system requires proper consideration of all its components. We identify seven key components: the objectives being pursued, the origin of the commodity flows to be transported, knowledge of demand, the decision-making structure, periodicity and volume of logistic activities, and the state of the social networks and supporting systems. Based on our analysis of the differences between commercial and humanitarian logistics, we pinpoint research gaps that need to be filled to enhance both the efficiency of humanitarian logistics and the realism of the mathematical models designed to support it.We argue that humanitarian logistics is too broad a field to fit neatly into a single definition of operational conditions. At one end of the spectrum we find humanitarian logistic efforts of the kind conducted in long-term disaster recovery and humanitarian assistance, where operational efficiency – akin to commercial logistics – is a prime consideration. At the other, post-disaster humanitarian logistic operations involved in disaster response and short-term recovery activities represent a vastly different operational environment, often in chaotic settings where urgent needs, life-or-death decisions and scarce resources are the norm. The huge contrast between these operational environments requires that they be treated separately.     

A study of biotechnology start-ups undergoing leadership change: Antecedents of change and endogenous performance consequences

One of the most important decisions that a new biotechnology firm faces is whether to replace its founding CEO, who often has been involved with the invention of the firm's core technology, with a more professional manager, who has broader commercialization skills to help the firm to grow into a viable business. In this paper, we argue that leadership change away from the founding CEO is influenced strongly by the interests of key stakeholders and that the endogeneity inherent in the change (or non-change) influences firm performance. As the context surrounding decision-making changes from pre-patent to post-IPO, key stakeholders often may not view what is best for the firm and best for self-interest in the same way. Using data on change in leadership at 135 U.S. biotechnology equipment firms, we find evidence that the context in which decisions are being made influences which of the various competing interests will take precedence. The results further confirm the importance of controlling for endogeneity in decision-making when examining firm performance.     

On the use and usefulness of theories and perspectives: A reply to Brunsson

The present paper is a reply to Brunsson (2021b), who wrote a commentary on the edited volume Theories and Perspectives in Business Administration (Eriksson-Zetterquist, Hansson & Nilsson, 2020). Although we agree with Brunsson on several points, we nevertheless argue that students need to learn about different theories and perspectives. First, the use of theories and perspectives as analytical tools will help students to describe and analyze a certain phenomenon. Second, to be able to theorize students need to acquire fundamental knowledge of the background and the specificities of the theory or perspective in use. Third, an awareness of the diversity of theories and perspectives that exists within the business administration discipline is a prerequisite to being able to contribute to the creation of new knowledge. Finally, we do not agree with Brunsson that the multitude of theories and perspectives in the business administration discipline is a sign of “an inferiority complex”. It is the outcome of the vitality and viability of the discipline.     

论注册会计师的反洗钱义务

随着金融系统防范洗钱犯罪措施的加强,注册会计师被犯罪分子利用而卷入洗钱犯罪活动的现象时有出现。本文在对洗钱犯罪利用专业人员新趋势进行分析的基础上,论述了注册会计师承担反洗钱义务的必要性,探讨了注册会计师承担反洗钱义务的困难,提出了注册会计师承担反洗钱义务的解决途径。     

The quality assurance role of seller financing: evidence from second mortgages

Quality problems that are known to the seller of a product, but will become known to the buyer only after the purchase have the potential to frustrate voluntary exchanges. Where the determination of quality after the sale is cut-and-dried, brand names and unconditional guarantees will bond contract performance. When the problem is more subtle or confounded by the extent of consumer inputs, requiring risk-sharing by the contracting parties, these bonding devices typically are not sufficient. Under the circumstances, seller financing may be an efficient contracting solution for bonding the quality dimension of the contract. This form of financing makes both the buyer and the seller share the risk that the product may not suit the buyer’s needs in the way promised by the seller. This paper provides further empirical evidence on the quality assurance role of seller financing. We consider seller-financed second mortgages in the National Association of Realtors database. Seller financing in second mortgages may be a supplement to first mortgages supplied by conventional lenders. The role of seller financing as a quality assurance mechanism in second mortgages is more complex than its role in first mortgages, but is also less subject to an alternative interpretation of credit rationing than is its role in seller-financed first mortgages. To avoid further complexities, we do not consider second seller financing transactions that supplement first assumption mortgage transactions.     

Normative commitment in the workplace: A theoretical analysis and re-conceptualization

Among the components of the Meyer and Allen's [Meyer, J. P., & Allen, N. J. (1991). A three-component conceptualization of organizational commitment. Human Resource Management Review, 1, 64?89] three-component model of organizational commitment, normative commitment (NC) has received the least attention. It is sometimes dismissed as a redundant construct that bears many similarities to affective commitment and does not explain work behaviors beyond other components. In this review, we seek to re-establish the theoretical and practical significance of NC. We argue that NC has a dual nature and that it manifests itself differently depending on the strength of other components in an employee's commitment profile. NC can be experienced either as a moral duty or a sense of indebtedness, each having different implications for work behavior. Drawing on theories of perceived organizational support, motivation, psychological contracts, leadership, and culture, the paper justifies the distinction between two “faces” of NC, delineates organizational factors that could promote a more positive interpretation of NC, and proposes an agenda for future research.     

VaR方法对我国保险投资风险管理的借鉴及应用

近20多年来金融市场迅猛发展,金融机构面临的主要风险已从信用风险转向了市场风险。我国金融市场作为一个发展中的新兴市场,市场风险必将随着金融市场的发展而逐渐加大。保险公司作为经营风险的企业,必将面临着这种金融风险。研究VaR对于保险投资风险管理的影响可以防患于未然,有效地避免由于信用风险和市场风险带来的损失。     

Bridging ties and the role of research and start-up experience on the early growth of Dutch academic spin-offs

Bridging ties are important for obtaining new information. However, when entrepreneurs try to bridge between two networks, they may face problems due to the variety of knowledge among individuals in both networks. In this paper, we argue that specific human capital is essential for interpreting new information and coordinating action when bridging between networks. In a sample of 70 Dutch academic spin-offs, our findings show that specific human capital increases the relative impact of bridging ties on early spin-off growth. This paper sheds light on the value of bridging ties for entrepreneurs and provides implications for practitioners.     

铁路松散破碎围岩隧道防塌控制技术

隧道施工中经常遇到破碎围岩而发生塌方及掌子面涌出、坍塌的事故。一旦塌方灾害发生,不仅影响工程进度,而且影响施工企业形象;若处理不当,将遭受更大损失,如塌方频繁发生,或留下隐患。提出一种新型隧道防塌控制技术—"双曲拱"耦合支护技术,支护效果表明该技术可靠性强,能有效控制隧道顶板坍塌,具有很好的经济效益和社会效益。     

应急物流服务网点选址模型研究

应急物流是应对突发事件的重要保障。应急物流可以降低灾害影响程度,缩短受害持续时间,使突发性事件造成损失最小化。而在进行应急物流决策时,首先会面临应急物流服务网点的选址问题。应急物流服务网点置于合理的位置,不仅可以降低成本,而且还能够保证提供应急物资的时效性,从而避免可能导致的更大损失。在给定限制条件下应急服务网点选址模型基础上,综合考虑应急需求的随机性和由灾害导致应急配送时间模糊的不确定情况,研究新的模糊和随机混合机会约束规划选址模型。     

Planning in Turbulent Times: Exploring Planners' Agency in Jerusalem

This article explores the role of planning in the deeply divided and politically polarized context of Jerusalem. The overall argument developed throughout the article is that the relation between planning and politics is a non‐hierarchical set of interactions, negotiated within specific historical, geographical, legal and cultural contexts—in other words, orders don't come down from the politicians to be slavishly followed by planners. In this respect our findings, based on in‐depth interviews with Israeli planners, suggest that the case of Jerusalem represents a particularly dramatic illustration of the fact that the function of planning expertise can only be understood in relation to the surrounding socio‐political environment. Furthermore, contrary to conventional wisdom, planners in Jerusalem are not destined to either complicity or irrelevance in the face of political imperatives; planners' agency, however, does not simply reflect their mastery of specific professional knowledge and tools, but also their ability to act strategically in relation to the context in which they operate.