Personal Ethics and Business Ethics: The Ethical Attitudes of Owner/ Managers of Small Business

To date, the study of business ethics has been largely the study of the ethics of large companies. This paper is concerned with owner/managers of small firms and the link between the personal ethics of the owner/manager and his or her attitude to ethical problems in business. By using active membership of an organisation with an overt ethical dimension (for example, a church) as a surrogate for personal ethics the research provides some, though not unequivocal, support for the models of Trevino and others that suggest a link between personal ethics and business ethics.     

国有商业银行激励机制研究

国有商业银行的所有者(国家)与银行经营者本质上体现为一种委托———代理关系,应用信息经济学的委托———代理理论,对非对称信息条件下国有商业银行的激励机制进行分析,表明国有商业银行的激励合约设计中应包括以激励合同为特征的内部利益激励和以竞争性市场为特征的外部激励两个方面。应采取相应措施,将银行的整体发展与银行经营者(代理人)的自身利益联系起来,使得银行经营者在追求个人利益的同时实现银行所有者的盈利目标。     

Price Versus Quantity in a Duopoly with a Unilateral Effect and with Bargaining over Managerial Contracts

This study examines the endogenous choice of each firm’s strategic contract, that is, a price contract or a quantity contract, in a duopoly in which their demand functions are asymmetric when the content of their managerial contracts is determined through bargaining between the owner and the manager. The degree of asymmetry between their demand functions corresponds to the relation between the goods they produce. In contrast to the case wherein each firm’s delegation parameter is determined through profit maximization, we show that the quantity competition cannot become the equilibrium market structure when the bargaining power of the manager relative to that of the owner is sufficiently low. In particular, when the relation between the two goods is complementary, two asymmetric market structures can be observed in equilibrium. Furthermore, we consider the situation in which the relative bargaining power of the manager to that of the owner within each firm is different between the two firms.     

Networking in SMEs: Evaluating its contribution to marketing activity

This paper examines the networking activities of SME owner/managers within a food distribution channel, and considers them in relation to the marketing decisions made in an increasingly competitive marketplace. The study period coincided with dynamic changes within a UK regional market resulting from the market entry of multinational supermarket companies. Research findings show that there was wide variation in the extent of networking and marketing carried out by the SME owner/managers working within this channel. However, the level of marketing-led decision-making by each SME owner/manager was related to the level of networking, whereby an SME owner/manager who was proactively networking and utilising his/her marketing network displayed a more sophisticated level of marketing-led decision-making. These findings are the result of a 2 year in-depth qualitative study of 12 SME owner/managers working within the same channel.     

创意经济的内涵及理论渊源

作为一种新的经济形态,创意经济已成为英美等西方发达国家经济增长的新引擎。从创意经济的内涵和理论渊源入手对现有研究成果进行梳理、归纳,发现创意经济不仅是单纯的产业问题,而且是一种新的经济形态,它籍由创意为产品或服务附加了文化价值,进一步提升了产品的最终价值。在创意经济时代,创意已经取代资本等要素成为推动经济增长的主要动力。创意经济理论根植于新经济增长理论,其实质是对新经济增长理论的补充和发展。     

The Shareholder–Manager Relationship and Its Impact on the Likelihood of Firm Bribery

We examine the impact on firm bribery of two corporate governance devices heavily studied in corporate governance research—i.e., separation of ownership and control, and equity share of the largest shareholder. In addition, we investigate the impact of the principal–owner’s gender on firm bribery. From agency theory, we predict that firms with the owner also acting as a manager (owner–manager) are more likely to engage in bribery compared to their counterparts with separation of ownership and control. We argue that an increase of the equity share of the largest shareholder can either increase or decrease firm bribery likelihood depending on the net cost-benefit effect of such bribery actions. In addition, we predict that bribery is more likely to occur when the principal–owner is male rather than female. Using a rich dataset of the World Bank Enterprise Surveys of 2002–2005, we find that the equity share of the largest shareholder is negatively and male principal–owner is positively associated with the likelihood of firm bribery. Furthermore, we reveal that owner–manager is more likely to bribe when the principal–owner is male rather than female. We also observe that the effect of owner–manager is smaller as the equity share of the largest shareholder increases.     

Exploring creative marketing thought: Divergent ideation processes and outcomes

Most marketing professionals deem creativity vital to successful marketing performance. However, while previous research has advanced an understanding of creative organizations, much less is known about the cognitive processes that direct the creative thinking of marketing professionals. This article presents a theoretical framework, the Divergent Marketing Thought Model (DMTM), that explores the ideation modes, processes, and outcomes involved in the generation of divergent marketing thought. The proposed model, which is based on a synthesis of research from psychology, marketing, and creativity, offers insight into specific divergent ideation processes that mediate the generation of creative marketing thought. Informed by the DMTM, several formal research propositions are advanced.     

Understanding the Complex Relationship Between Creativity and Ethical Ideologies

The relationship between individuals’ creativity and their ethical ideologies appears to be complex. Applying Forsyth’s (1980, 1992) personal moral philosophy model which consists of two independent ethical ideology dimensions, idealism and relativism, we hypothesized and found support for a positive relationship between creativity and relativism. It appears that creative people are less likely than non-creative people to follow universal rules in their moral decision making. However, contrary to our hypothesis and the general stereotype that creative people are less caring about others, we found a positive relationship between creativity and idealism. These findings indicate that highly creative people are likely to be what Forsyth called “situationists,” individuals with both an ethic of caring and a pragmatic moral decision-making style. The finding that creative individuals tend to be situationists, and particularly that they tend to be high in idealism, appears to refute the line of reasoning that argues for a “creative personality” characterized in part by social insensitivity. Understanding the relationship between creativity and ethical ideologies has important implications for researchers, managers and teachers.     

Training for creativity and innovation in small enterprises in Ethiopia

Policy makers recognize the role of small businesses in bringing about economic growth and reducing or eliminating poverty, and training can contribute significantly to this process. The present study adds to the small firm literature by examining whether training encourages small firms to be more creative and innovative. It does so by investigating the extent of creative and innovative activities in small enterprises (SEs) that have undertaken training with support from the Ethiopian technical and vocational education and training system. SEs for the purpose of the study are businesses with fewer than 30 employees. The term includes micro‐enterprises, which are defined in Ethiopia as having fewer than six employees. Quantitative methodology was used to compare and contrast these enterprises with similar enterprises which had not had training support. Data were collected from 146 randomly selected small firms by means of interviews with owners and employees. Interviews were also conducted with technical, vocational education and training experts. The study examined five predictors of creativity and innovation activities that training support would be expected to encourage and found significant differences in two of them: creative thinking and motivational attributes. Differences in other creativity and innovation variables, however, were not significant. The researchers conclude that education and training for creativity and innovation should be prioritized to enhance the performance of small firms, in particular by increasing their expertise, improving their motivation and ability to surmount challenges and developing their creative thinking in the search for new business ideas.     

The Relationship between Owner Characteristics,Company Size,and the Work–Family Culture and Policies of Women‐Owned Businesses

Women become business owners for a variety of reasons; however, the impact of motivations for ownership on the culture and policies of the business is unclear. Extending the small business, entrepreneurship, and work–family (WF) conflict literatures, we examined whether woman owners shape the culture and policies of the organization to be consistent with their personal motivations, challenges, and family status. Results show that being a full‐time manager, marital status, and motivation for becoming a business owner were related to the WF culture of the business. Business size and parental status predicted family‐friendly policies. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

A natural science approach to investigate cross-cultural managerial creativity

As the relative effectiveness of physical resources decreases toward parity with rivals due to their fungibility, the firm's marketplace position, established by managers with a particular set of inter-culturally attuned set of personal values, may be the key antecedent in creating competitive strength in the firm. The research question addressed is how creative are culturally diverse managers; are managers from certain countries more creative than adaptive?We tested hypotheses in a cross-cultural setting based on the survey responses of 1365 managers operating in eight countries located in four culturally diverse regions of the world.Our study shows that managers are both creative and adaptive but the mixture of creative and adaptive behaviour varies depending on region and country and even within countries. Furthermore, the results confirm that creativity among managers in some countries is similar but large differences also exist between countries.     

Measuring the organisational impact on creativity

A creative code of perceived qualities about acceptable creativity within advertising agencies has been shown to affect creative practitioners’ boundaries of creative expression. This multi stage, qualitative and quantitative study developed a tool to measure the intensity of this creative code. After development of a model based on qualitative research, expert evaluations and exploratory factor analysis, three dimensions - predictability, agency creative identity and social influence - were supported through confirmatory factor analysis. The ability to measure the intensity of the creative code offers researchers a way to study its effects on other variables in the creative process within advertising agencies.     

The impact of aesthetics on the Celtic craft market

Drawing on data from the Celtic craft sector, this paper uses aesthetics as a critical lens in explaining how small firms develop particular styles of marketing in order to survive and grow. This approach has not previously been adopted in explaining small business marketing behaviour, although there is a growing history of its use in the wider management and organisational arena. Interpretation of qualitative data from the UK and the Republic of Ireland has enabled the construction of a typology of different styles of marketing by craft firm owner/managers which also confirms the heterogeneous nature of the small business sector. Aesthetic profiling helps explain why some craft firms follow market demand, while others pursue market creation activities. A key outcome is the need to acknowledge the impact of aesthetic processes on small business marketing decision making. Investigation of the Celtic aesthetic informs how these processes are shaped through the development of a particular type of marketing grounded in creativity, intuition and opportunity recognition. Wider consumption, markets and cultural implications are also evaluated in terms of decision and meaning making in the cultural production process; the connections between critical marketing and aesthetics as ways of challenging marketing concepts and practices; how aesthetics contributes to entrepreneurial marketing; and finally how craft and the Celtic lens uncover wider connections with cultural production.     

Advertising creativity and repetition

Creativity is seen as an important component of advertising, with highly creative ads being easier to recall than control ads. However, the boundary conditions around this effect are less understood. This research examines how creativity influences recall across repeated ad exposures. Additionally, this paper investigates the influence of creativity on advertising wearin/wearout. We utilise creative and control commercials embedded in a television programme for a naturalistic viewing experience, along with a one-week follow-up measure. We find that creative advertisements exhibit higher recall, though repeated exposures reduce this advantage.Further, creative ads are more liked, demonstrate wear in effects more quickly and are less susceptible to wearout.     

Trustworthiness and interest rates: an empirical study of Italian SMEs

Trust is expected to reduce transaction costs and agency costs and thus influence the cost of credit for small businesses. Assessments of trustworthiness are based on the ability, benevolence and integrity of the owner manager. The study examines whether lending managers’ assessments of the trustworthiness of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owner managers are associated with the interest rate charged. Data were obtained from a survey of lending managers from small banks in North East Italy. Control variables and a vector of trustworthiness factors were collected on a random sample of customers, resulting in data for 365 small firms (74% response rate). Multivariate regression analyses provided evidence of a negative association between trustworthiness and interest rates. Banks, owner managers, policy makers and researchers should recognise the potential of trust to influence lending decisions and behaviour.     

The Dependence of Family Businesses on a Single Decision‐Maker*

Anecdotal evidence suggests that family businesses are very dependent on a single individual (the owner‐manager). However, the degree of dependence previously has not been studied formally. Further, an explanation for why some family businesses are highly dependent on the owner‐manager and others are not has not been explored. Utilizing a national survey of Canadian family‐owned businesses, this paper therefore addresses two central issues: (1) the degree of dependence of family‐owned businesses on a single individual; and (2) the factors associated with this reliance. Self‐report responses from family business owners provided evidence of a high level of dependence on the owner‐manager. In 75 percent of all family businesses, respondents believed that the company was either dependent or very dependent on them. The response to this subjective question is consistent with responses to our three more objective measures. First, 65 percent of owner‐managers responded that they made all the major decisions in at least three of five functional business areas. Second, these businesses had few key managers—in 57 percent of all businesses, there were only two or fewer key managers in addition to the owner. Third, in 62 percent of all family businesses, neither had a successor been chosen nor had a process been put in place for choosing a successor. These results strongly suggest that family businesses are highly dependent on a single individual. Six factors had significant power in explaining the degree of dependence. Two factors related to the owner‐manager—dependence decreased in the age of the owner‐manager and in proximity of the owner‐manager to retirement. Four factors related to the family business: dependence decreased in the value of the firm, the number of shareholders, and the age of the business and was greater where the owner‐manager's family had voting control. Surprisingly, neither the existence of a board of directors with outside membership nor an advisory board with outside membership helped explain the level of dependence.     

中国广告创意发展的新趋势

随着市场经济的迅速发展,互联网等新媒体的兴起,我国消费者不断成熟。广告不再能完全依靠广告创意取胜,传统意义上的广告正在受到挑战。广告创意未来的发展也将面临更多的机遇与挑战。本文则认为,广告创意的娱乐化、互动化和整合化将引领广告走向另一个高峰。随之而来的是广告创意方式、产业关系和广告人才选择的新变化。     

景德镇陶瓷文化创意产业发展政策研究

创意产业是一种在知识经济时代中日益兴起的以强调人的智慧、才能和创造力,通过知识产权开发与运用创造就业和财富的新兴产业.随着创意产业在全球蓬勃兴起,景德镇陶瓷产业将面临巨大的机遇和挑战.本文首先介绍了文化创意产业的定义和特征,然后分析了创意产业发展给陶瓷产业带来的机遇,最后在论述了景德镇发展陶瓷文化创意产业优势的基础上,提出了发展的政策建议.     

Epicureanism and the poetics of consumption

Consumption, ‘to use up, to destroy’, is a dirty word. It conjures piles of rubbish; it suggests an extravagant attitude. We, each one of us hoping to be a unique, careful individual, can feel offended at being referred to as ‘the consumer’. Yet, ‘to consume’ is not only a human activity, it is one of the fundamental processes of nature, a natural aspect of the creative process. In this paper, I will emphasize connections between the creative research process, poetics and consumerism. I suggest that research can be envisioned as a cycle of consumption and renewal. Our tools in such a natural philosophy are the contemplation of natural events, and the insights that a poetic understanding of language can give us. To this end, I draw on the ancient Epicurean philosophy, as demonstrated in De rerum natura, written by the Roman poet, Lucretius, in the first century BCE. Lucretius gave a scientific explanation of the universe, in poetry, to demonstrate that natural laws can be derived by reason, contemplation and by the use of the senses. Further, Lucretius' use of language, as a creative medium, modelled the actions of the universe. This insight provides a link between poetry, science and research, one which is still relevant to twenty‐first‐century scientific research generally. In this paper, I will suggest that it is also specifically relevant to the design and practice of consumer research. For instance, both research and creativity are aspects of that urge to move beyond subjectivity, towards knowledge that is whole and shared. In Epicureanism, subjective engagement provides access to that which is universal. We can conceive of consumerism, and of consumer research, in the same terms, as a striving for completion, and as a poetic, natural and reciprocal act, involving the transformation of the consumer, and that which is consumed.     

The creative code

A study investigated the phenomenon, called the creative code, which is a collection of implicit theories about an advertising agency’s creative product that are held by people within a creative department. A foundation was built upon organisation-culture theory. Evidence in literature supported the conceptualisation of the construct. Personal interviews with creative personnel at a midwestern US advertising agency found evidence for a creative code and its components, sources, conditionality and consequences. The study implies that a creative code should be considered as an independent or dependent variable in research about advertising creativity. Client and agency managers and creative employees also may benefit from being more cognisant of the creative code that exists within agency organisations.