Managing human resource for competitive advantage: a study of companies in Singapore

We see two major streams of research in the strategic human resource management literature: (1) the link between strategy and human resource (HR) practices and (2) the link between HR practices and firm performance. There is a plethora of theoretical perspectives on the first link. Unfortunately, there is not much empirical work. The second link has seen a spate of empirical studies. However, most of them embrace the universal perspective and the role of strategy as a contingency has not been adequately addressed. This could potentially result in the underestimation of the impact of HR practices on organizational performance. This study addressed the above two weaknesses in previous research in the strategic HR management field. Using a sample of about 200 of the largest companies representing all major industries in Singapore, we found that organizational strategy affects HR practices. Moreover, findings suggest that the strategy-HR interaction accounts for more variation in firm performance than the main effect of HR. Implications of the findings are discussed.     

The contingency effects of environmental uncertainty on the relationship between supply chain integration and operational performance

This paper extends prior supply chain research by building and empirically testing a theoretical model of the contingency effects of environmental uncertainty (EU) on the relationships between three dimensions of supply chain integration and four dimensions of operational performance. Based on the contingency and organizational information processing theories, we argue that under a high EU, the associations between supplier/customer integration, and delivery and flexibility performance, and those between internal integration, and product quality and production cost, will be strengthened. These theoretical propositions are largely confirmed by multi-group and structural path analyses of survey responses collected from 151 of Thailand's automotive manufacturing plants. This paper contributes to operations management contingency research and provides theory-driven and empirically proven explanations for managers to differentiate the effects of internal and external integration efforts under different environmental conditions.     

A decision framework for inventory- and equipment-based supply chain finance solutions

Supply Chain Finance (SCF) has recently gained attention and relevance in both academia and practice. Indeed, during the pandemic crisis, firms in need for liquidity have increased the adoption of SCF solutions. Within SCF, a new stream of research is Asset-Based Lending (ABL), that encompasses inventory-based and equipment-based financing solutions. This study focuses on this topic by using a theoretical framework built on previous literature review and by adopting the theoretical lens of contingency theory. The case study methodology is adopted, with 25 observations collected by interviewing 15 providers and experts. For each of the 8 ABL solutions considered, it was possible to recognize contingent factors that favours the adoption, the objectives pursued by companies through their adoption and the stemming performance, in terms of benefits and costs. Moreover, ABL solutions were clustered in three typologies – the pledged, the efficient and the leasing – according to the objectives of adoption and the contingency factors. Six propositions and nine sub-propositions that explain the different typologies of adoption have been formulated. The typologies and the propositions can be used by managers as a guideline in the decision-making process, as they provide detailed information about the relevant variables to consider when adopting ABL solutions. Moreover, this study identifies future research directions, to assess the impact of each variable through quantitative methods from the adopter perspective, thus complementing our study.     

The impact of buyer-supplier relationship quality and information management on industrial vending machine benefits in the healthcare industry

Despite the calls for a deeper understanding of SCM in the healthcare industry, theoretical research focused on healthcare buyer-supplier collaboration, specifically inventory management issues, remains nascent and fragmented. Although slow to change, healthcare organizations have begun to consider alternative inventory management systems to improve inventory control and patient care. Industrial vending machines (IVM) can help healthcare organizations address inventory management issues. Grounded in transaction cost economics and contingency theory, this research develops and empirically tests a model that highlights the critical role of information management in the link between buyer-supplier relationship quality and performance outcomes within the context of IVM implementation and use in the healthcare industry. Based on survey data from healthcare managers, results indicate that both information management and relationship quality are tied to a series of benefits in the context of collaborative buyer-supplier IVM agreements.     

A bridge over troubled water: Replication,integration and extension of the relationship between HRM practices and organizational performance using moderating meta-analysis

Meta-analyses on the relationship between human resource management (HRM) practices, as an aggregate and individually, and organizational performance has yielded mixed results, further fueling the theoretical debate among HRM scholars. To resolve this tension, we conduct a moderating meta-analysis of 89 primary studies to replicate, integrate and extend prior work. Comparing the variance explained by differences in HRM practices versus those explained by contextual and empirical factors indicates that context and research design have a strong influence on the relationship between HRM practices and performance. Despite the voluminous research on this issue, the differences in the relationships of various HRM practices explains only 4% of the variance in performance, whereas, societal context, industry sector and firm size explain 33%, 12% and 8%, respectively. Empirical contingencies including four categories of performance outcomes and four types of participants explain 13% and 9% of the variance in the results, respectively. Thus, our findings provide strong support for the contingency theory. The theoretical and empirical implications for future research in the area are discussed.     

发展金融理论:一个文献综述

伴随着经济金融化和金融实践的蓬勃发展,发展金融理论在20世纪的最后几十年走上了经济学的舞台。作为一个新兴的学术领域,发展金融理论既继承了发展经济学以研究发展中国家为对象的优秀传统,又扩展和提升了金融发展理论的分析视角和研究内容。继麦金农和肖之后,发展金融理论的后期研究逐渐表现出"深"和"广"两大特征,并已经成为专门探讨发展中国家金融发展问题的基本理论框架和模型。本文沿着发展金融理论的萌芽、形成和发展这一演进顺序系统地梳理和评述该领域的主要文献,并提出亟需破解的两难命题。     

Quality management and organizational context in selected service industries of China

By developing an empirical taxonomy of quality management systems (QMS) in selected service industries in China, we compare the taxonomy of QMS developed in the service industries to that found in previous studies in manufacturing industries. We further investigate contingency relationships between the development of a QMS and its organizational contexts. Based on cluster analyses of quality management practices measured by the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) criteria, we found four patterns of service quality management practices: undeveloped, accommodating, strategic, and soft quality systems. Our research indicates that the type of quality system adopted by an organization is highly associated with organizational contextual factors. Our results indicate that environmental uncertainty shapes the development of a QMS in the early stage, while the perceived importance of quality induces the further development of a QMS to a strategic quality system. The results also show that small service firms that compete locally can achieve very good performance results using a soft quality system, a QMS with no formal process management systems. This research provides empirical evidence on contingent relationships among quality management practices, organizational context, and business performance, thus contributing to contingency theory in quality management.     

项目挣值的绩效差异分析方法缺陷与解决方案

随着各种项目管理体制和方法的全面转型,我国需要借鉴和运用国际通行的项目挣值管理(EVM)绩效评估方法。然而,现有EVM绩效评估方法中存在着将实际多个项目要素影响简化为项目成本和进度两要素造成的绩效评估失真和信息缺失的实际问题与理论缺陷。本文将全面讨论现有的EVM方法,并给出有关解决方案及实务验证。     

The moderating role of contextual factors on quality management practices

This study investigates how contextual factors influence the relationship between Quality Management (QM) practices and manufacturing performance. It contributes to the contingency theory of QM effectiveness. Drawing on the management literature, we differentiate two different groups of QM practices: Quality Exploitation and Quality Exploration. The analysis empirically investigates the internal fit with organizational structure and the external fit with environmental uncertainty on the relationship between Quality Exploration, Quality Exploitation, and operational performance. The data comes from a survey of 238 manufacturing plants in three industries across eight countries. Regression analyses show that both internal fit with the organizational structure and external fit with the environment affect performance. The findings also provide insights for managers on how to customize QM programs to achieve optimal performance benefits. In stable environments Quality Exploitation practices provide the best performance outcomes, while in a dynamic environment Quality Exploration practices with an organic organizational structure give the best results.     

网络社区对商城式综合购物电子商务平台品牌忠诚影响因素及传导机理实证研究

随着网络社区理论研究不断深入,越来越多学者发现网络社区对于电子商务平台发展会产生至关重要的影响。本文在研究网络社区对商城式综合购物电子商务平台品牌忠诚影响机理理论模型的基础上,通过对商城式综合购物电子商务平台进行实证研究,对所提出的假设进行了验证,同时对所提出的理论模型进行了修正。本文通过相关分析、回归分析、中介效应分析找出自变量、中介变量与结果变量之间的相互联系,并通过结构方程模型,对本文的结论进行了再检验,所得出的结论与之前的分析所得出的结论基本一致,寻找到网络社区对商城式综合购物电子商务平台品牌忠诚的影响因素,并发现了其传导机理。最后根据本文研究的结果,对商城式综合购物电子商务平台社区建设实践提出了相应建议。     

Challenging ‘strategic HRM’ and the relevance of the institutional setting

One of the more fundamental aspects of the ongoing debate about the added value of HRM relates to ‘best’ practice versus ‘best‐fit’. Best practice suggests the universal success of certain HR practices, while best‐fit acknowledges the relevant impact of contextual factors. We argue that differences in embeddedness and in institutional settings between, for example, countries affect the nature of HRM. To understand this phenomenon, we are in need of additional theory. In this article we will use the theory of new institutionalism as a better way to understand the shaping of HR policies and practices in different settings. After a concise review of the latest debates in the area of strategic HRM, in which the resource‐based view is the dominant perspective, we turn to an analysis of HRM in different institutional settings, which suggests the need for additional theory: ie new institutionalism. We offer propositions to explain the impact of different institutional mechanisms, including coercive, normative and mimetic ones, on the shaping of HR policies and practices in organisations. The remainder of the article then focuses on possible implications for practitioners, theoretical implications for future research, and challenges for strategic HRM.     

基于回归模型的列联表独立性检验

本文利用回归模型设计列联表的独立性检验方法。利用虚拟变量技术将列联表定性因素转化为因变量和自变量,构造Wald统计量对二维列联表独立性进行检验,并在此基础上进一步设计方法对高维列联表的独立性问题进行检验。该方法能够将列联表的一些常见的检验问题纳入到一个统一的框架下来进行,有助于人们更好地理解和使用。     

Innovation processes: Which process for which project?

The innovation process has traditionally been understood as a predefined sequence of phases: idea generation, selection, development, and launch/diffusion/sales. Drawing upon contingency theory, we argue that innovation process may follow a number of different paths. Our research focuses on a clear theoretical and managerial question, i.e., how does a firm organize and plan resource allocation for those innovation processes that do not easily fit into traditional models. This question, in turn, leads to our research question: Which configuration of innovation processes and resource allocation should be employed in a given situation, and what is the rationale behind the choice? Based on a large-scale study analyzing 132 innovation projects in 72 companies, we propose a taxonomy of eight different innovation processes with specific rationales that depend on a project׳s contingencies.     

A contingency-configurational view of purchasing operations: The mediating role between supplier relationship and firm performance

The literature has considered purchasing and supply management activities from a strategic perspective, but the tactical role of purchasing operations has yet to be explored. Purchasing operations represent the internal modus operandi for transactions with suppliers, comprising three main activities – purchasing transactions, purchasing document management, and purchasing assessment – and supportive activities like purchasing knowledge management. Following the contingency theory, we hypothesize that these internal activities mediate between external supplier relationship management and firm performance (financial, customer and delivery performance). Complementarily, we adopt the configurational theory to hypothesize that this link between external and internal activities can be combined to increase firm performance. To test this contingency-configurational view of purchasing operations, we conducted a quantitative survey with 234 companies. The regression results of the contingency analysis show that purchasing operations activities have a full mediation role in most relationships between supplier relationship management and firm performance, while knowledge management positively moderates the association between purchasing assessment and customer performance. Moreover, the cluster analysis for the configurational analysis shows that supplier relationship management and purchasing operations follow maturity levels of joint implementation of internal and external activities. Our findings shed light on the purchasing operations by defining the activities representing this concept and showing their role in supply management. We also contribute to practice by proposing an integrative system that helps managers organize the firm's purchasing and supply management activities.     

Shaping buyer–supplier relationships in manufacturing contexts: Design and test of a contingency model

Although the idea that buyer–supplier partnerships can yield considerable benefits to firms is largely diffused among researchers and practitioners, the approach adopted in this paper is that no “one best way” exists in buyer–supplier relationships, but rather a “best way” for each specific exchange context. Hence, this paper proposes a contingency model for shaping and managing buyer–supplier relationships in manufacturing contexts. In order to test the model, an empirical study was performed on a sample of 45 buyer–supplier relationships within the Italian white goods industry. A three-dimensional performance indicator was computed to compare supplier performance achieved within relations matching the model's suggestions with those set differently. The results strongly suggest that suppliers involved in relationships set accordingly to the contingency model are likely to enjoy superior performance.     

Purchasing orchestration practices – Introducing a purchasing-innovation framework

This research investigates the purchasing role in enhancing an organization's innovation performance. Taking a purchasing perspective, this research introduces a new purchasing-innovation framework and specific purchasing orchestration (PO) practices related to the acquisition, integration, re-configuration, and commercialization of critical resources to enhance innovation performance. A theory elaboration methodology is applied to broaden the scope of resource orchestration theory (ROT) and introduce PO practices as an essential enabler of innovation. Qualitative interviews with managers from different industries enrich the theory elaboration process. This research contributes to theory by developing the concept of PO and enhancing the theoretical understanding of its meaning. Based on theory and empirical data, this research elucidates the PO practices of resource structuring, bundling, and leveraging support. The purchasing innovation framework explains how open-mindedness and technological uncertainty influence purchasing orchestration practices and innovation performance. Purchasing managers benefit from this research by learning to identify and address potential PO capability gaps and take a holistic perspective on resource management, looking both upstream and downstream in the supply chain.     

Work‐life support practices and customer satisfaction: The role of TMT composition and country culture

Despite the growing prevalence of work‐life support (WLS) practices in companies, there is a lack of theoretical and empirical clarity on their benefits to organizational performance. It is also unclear if the organizational performance effects of WLS practices vary based on an organization's internal and external environments. The dual objective of this paper is to investigate whether WLS practices relate to customer‐focused outcomes and, if so, under which conditions WLS practices yield benefits. Drawing on contingency theory, we examine how the boundary conditions of internal firm characteristics (e.g., percentage of top management team [TMT] members with children) and external environmental factors (e.g., gender egalitarianism of the country) moderate the relationship between WLS practices and customer satisfaction. We shed light on these issues by examining multisource, longitudinal data collected over three years from a multinational corporation operating in 27 countries. The results show that both percentage of TMT members with children and gender egalitarianism of the country strengthen the relationship between WLS practices and customer satisfaction. The findings provide insights into the circumstances when WLS practices provide performance benefits for firms and the translatability of these benefits from one country to another.     

Economic Systems, Child Rearing Practices and Personality Development

A bstract . Traditional Weberian theory posits that the values inherent in particular religious ideologies give rise, at least in some societies, to attitudes predisposing individuals towards a particular type of economic organization. In conjunction with this, McClelland postulates that socialization practices mediate and inculcate religious values in such a way that certain economic attitudes and behavior patterns emerge in adulthood; certain practices result in a motivational predisposition such as need achievement. However, recent research indicates that, in evolving societies, the economic-ecological variables strongly influence the types of child rearing practices used and the parentally-instilled values and ideology. Thus, personality predispositions and personal values depend, to a large extent, upon the economic structure and occupational roles of the society. As society increases in social-structural and technological complexity , the relationship between personal values and the economic institution becomes reciprocal.     

Performance Measurement and Compensation Practices in Hospitals: An Empirical Analysis in Consideration of Ownership Types

Against the background of regulatory initiatives that put hospitals under increasing financial pressure, we explore performance measurement and compensation practices in hospitals through a multiple case study. We extend previous research by comparing practices among different ownership types (i.e. public, non-profit, and private) and by providing initial evidence on compensation schemes for the clinical staff. Our empirical investigation is embedded in the ‘stewardship–agency axis’ that allows the development of theoretical arguments about the interdependencies between ownership and performance measurement systems (PMS). We distinguish two primary levels of analysis – the types of measures implemented and their linkage with compensation and decision-making. Our findings suggest that the types of measures are primarily affected by regulatory pressures, while powerful internal actors considerably influence the linkage between these measures and compensation. Consistent with our theorised patterns, cross-case analyses indicate differences between ownership types concerning the performance dimensions that are prioritised and the linkage of performance measures with compensation of the clinical staff. Together, these findings provide evidence on the interdependent effects of the regulatory environment, the type of ownership and internal actors on a hospital's PMS. We also provide some tentative explanations for these findings based on insights from institutional and behavioural theory.     

Assessing the contingent effects of collaboration on agility performance in buyer–supplier relationships

Several studies in the buyer–supplier relationship literature have addressed the impact of collaboration on agility performance. While some studies have concluded that collaboration leads to beneficial effects, others have questioned the positive effects of collaboration on relationship performance. Drawing on contingency theory and transaction cost economics (TCE), we seek to better understand the linkage among collaboration, trust and agility performance in a buyer–supplier relationship. Further, we study the contingent influence of requirements certainty and supplier asset specificity, two key TCE constructs in buyer–supplier relationships, on the collaboration–agility performance relationship. We show that while trust mediates the impact of collaboration on agility performance, the indirect effect of collaboration on agility performance via trust is significant only beyond a threshold level of collaboration. The theoretical implication of this result is that the performance relationship is non-linear, a result that has not been recognized in current literature. The practical implication is that organizations need to establish a certain level of collaboration before its positive impact can be realized. In addition, we show that the impact of collaboration on agility performance in buyer–supplier sourcing relationships can be positive, negative or neutral depending on the levels of trust, supplier asset specificity and requirements certainty, emphasizing the need to develop contingency theories.