Confucian ethics,moral foundations,and shareholder value perspectives: An exploratory study

A survey study was conducted to look into the effect of Confucian ethics and the psychological foundations of morality on business managers' perspectives on corporate social responsibility (CSR). Using responses from 393 Chinese managers, we first conducted confirmatory factor analysis to assess the reliability and validity of the measurement model and then employed hierarchical regression to explore the relationships among Confucian ethics, moral foundations, and managers' shareholder value perspectives. The results indicate that both Confucian ethics and managers' moral foundations had significant influence on shareholder value perspectives. In fact, moral foundations and Confucian ethics interacted and jointly affected managers' positions on the shareholder value model of corporate responsibility. This study demonstrates the importance of psychological foundations of morality to managers' CSR orientations and substantiates the persistent impact of Confucian ethics/cultural traditions on today' business practices.     

Risk taking under transition: An empirical comparison between Chinese,western-, and eastern-German managers

Even after 10 years, countries under transition are still on their way to becoming developed, internationally competitive countries. At this stage it is helpful for business cooperation to know whether managers in countries undergoing transition are behaving like socialists or Western managers, or somewhere in between. Many joint ventures and other alliances between Western companies and companies in countries in transition are seeking to establish new markets with new products or new technologies (i.e., new processes). They are risky because the returns are uncertain. Understanding the risk attitudes of managers in countries in transition can explain different investment behavior and provide vital information for installing the right incentives. This study compares the risk attitudes of Chinese, eastern, and western German managers. Chinese managers' risk attitudes seem to be more similar to the attitudes of western German managers than to those of their counterparts in eastern Germany. Some of the reasons and consequences are discussed in this article. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Antecedents of perceived national and corporate culture differences: evidence from Chinese international strategic alliances

We investigate the determinants of managers' perceptions of national and corporate culture differences, using data obtained from Chinese partner managers of international strategic alliances. An expected positive relationship is found between the extent to which the managers have experienced culture-related management impediments and their perceptions of national and corporate culture differences. An expected negative relationship is found between the extent to which the Chinese partner firms have adopted cultural management policies and the perception of national culture difference, but is not found for the perception of corporate culture difference. The authors find no support for the expected negative relationship between cultural sensitivity and the perception of national and corporate culture differences. Adoption of cultural management policies moderates the relationship between the extent to which managers have experienced culture-related management impediments and their perception of corporate culture difference, but not their perception of national culture difference. It was also found that the degree of cultural sensitivity moderates the relationship between the extent to which the Chinese managers have experienced culture-related management impediments and their perceptions of national and corporate culture differences.     

Job satisfaction,life satisfaction,and turnover intent among food-service managers

A study of more than 400 food-service managers found that well over one-fourth of the respondents intended to leave their position in the near future—with at least half of those planning to depart the food-service business entirely. Even among the managers who were reasonably content with their jobs in the near term, two out of five thought it was unlikely that they'd stay with their company for five years. The top reason given by the respondents for wanting to leave was salary and benefits. Given previous studies of reasons for turnover, the authors examined the extent of a connection between turnover intention and the following factors: job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and interrole conflict, and such demographic variables as age, tenure, race, and gender. Three of those factors had a significant effect on respondents' intent to leave in the short term: intrinsic job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and age. In each case, the higher the value of the variable (more satisfaction, greater age), the less likely the chances of turnover. Satisfaction also played a significant part in expectations of long-term turnover.     

Corporate Ethical Values,Group Creativity,Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intention: The Impact of Work Context on Work Response

A corporate culture strengthened by ethical values and other positive business practices likely yields more favorable employee work responses. Thus, the purpose of this study was to assess the degree to which perceived corporate ethical values work in concert with group creativity to influence both job satisfaction and turnover intention. Using a self-report questionnaire, information was collected from 781 healthcare and administrative employees working at a multi-campus education-based healthcare organization. Additional survey data was collected from a comparative convenience sample of 127 sales and marketing employees working for a variety of firms operating in the south-central United States. The results indicated that group creativity and corporate ethical values were positively related, and that both variables were associated with increased job satisfaction. Conversely, corporate ethical values and job satisfaction were associated with decreased turnover intention. Sales managers should create work cultures that precipitate increased ethical values and group creativity, and suggestions about how they may institutionalize these factors are provided.     

Comparing Corporate Managers' Personal Values Over Three Decades, 1967--1995

What is the nature of the decision-related personal values of corporate management? Managers' attitudes and behaviors are built upon their personal value systems (PVS). Knowledge about the structure of management's PVS assists in understanding the attributes of corporate decision making. Utilizing a survey instrument developed and used by England (1967, 1975), this article updates this research into corporate managers' personal value systems. England's PVS consists of sixty-six pre-tested values clustered into five groups. As one could expect with personal values, statistical tests reveal that even with dramatic changes in the business environment the overall personal values structure has not changed over the intervening three decades. The results also reveal that corporate managers retain their pragmatic value orientation as discussed by England.     

A Hierarchical Model of Values,Leadership, Job Satisfaction and Commitment

Abstract

Using a structural equation modeling technique, we empirically tested a hypothetical hierarchical model where personal values leadership styles job satisfaction organizational commitment. Survey data (N = 205) were collected from retail managers of national retail chain store companies. Our exploratory study found that personal values influenced retail managers' leadership styles, which in turn influenced their intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction. Job satisfaction ultimately influenced organizational commitment. Theoretical and managerial implications for human resources management are discussed.     

External pressure or internal culture? An innovation diffusion theory account of small retail businesses’ social media use

COVID-19 put unprecedented external pressure on small businesses to adopt or increase use of social media while not all small businesses are internally ready for this rapid change. This study investigated the roles of external pressures and organizational culture of openness and learning in driving small retail business owners'/managers' social media use decisions by impacting their perceived usefulness and barriers, based on the innovation-decision process model from the diffusion of innovations theory and the theory of reasoned action. An online survey with structured measurements was administered to 411 U.S. small retail business owners/managers. Results from structural equation modeling revealed that external pressures positively influenced small business owners'/managers’ perceived usefulness and barriers and social media use intention. In addition, the culture of openness and learning positively influenced the perceived usefulness while mitigating the perceived barriers, thereby directly and indirectly influencing the social media use intention. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.     

Values congruence and differences between the interplay of personal and organizational value systems

Following the research of Liedtka (1989), this paper examines the impact of her “values congruence” model on managers' work attitudes and perceptions of ethical practices within their firms. A nationwide cross-section of managers (N=1,059) provides the sample for the study. Consonance or clarity about both personal value systems and organizational value systems were found to be more important and, in the absence of one or the other, clarity of personal values were shown to have a more positive impact than organizational value clarity.     

Business Ethics: A Study of the Moral Reasoning of Selected Business Managers and the Influence of Organizational Ethical Climate

Since manager's decisions impact organizational goals and organizational ethical behavior, this researcher investigated the degree to which there are differences in the moral reasoning ability of business managers of selected industries and whether there are significant differences between top, middle, and first-line management levels. To determine the relationship between managers' locus of control and their moral reasoning ability, this study considered three independent variables: reported organizational ethical climate, locus of control, and selected demographic and institutional variables. For a foundation, this researcher relied on Kohlberg's theory of moral development, Victor and Cullen's ethical work climate theory, and Rotter's theory of internal—external locus of control (which evolved from Carl Jung). The short form of Rest's DIT instrument measured the moral reasoning abilities of the participants. The selected demographic and institutional variables (age, work tenure, education, gender, management level and industry category) provided the useful information to investigate these relationships of moral reasoning ability of individual managers. A survey questionnaire was sent to 400 managerial and executive level employees at a random sample of Fortune 500 firms throughout the United States: Dun and Bradstreet provided the researcher with a proportional stratified random sample of these 400 managerial and executive level employees at a variety of organizations. Interestingly, women in this study exhibited slightly higher (more external) mean I—E scores and (more principled) higher mean “P” score than men. While both of these results were anticipated, neither was significant. However, one major finding of this study was the statistically significant relationship between age and perceived organizational ethical climate types (Caring, Law and Code, Rule, Instrument, and Independence). Another major finding revealed a statistically significant relationship between management levels and organizational ethical climate.     

Construction of owner–manager identity in corporate social responsibility discourse

This article examines the different discursive resources on which small business owner–managers draw when understanding their sense of self in relation to corporate social responsibility. In the small business context, identity provides a justifiable framework to study corporate social responsibility, as decisions regarding socially responsible activities are mainly taken by managers and stem from their sense of who they are in the world. On the basis of 25 thematic interviews with owner–managers, two broad discursive resources were found that describe how they actively seek to create and legitimise their sense of self within the discussion on corporate social responsibility. These discursive resources are called being altruistic and being instrumental. The findings emphasise that the essential and also the most challenging feature in small business owner–managers' identity work is the process of reconciling economic values with the social and ethical aspects of business life.     

Intra- and Inter-Cultural Conflicts in China: An Exploratory Study

This study examines the causes of intra- and inter-cultural organizational conflicts among Chinese and American managers in the mainland of China. We investigated conflict between members of the same culture (intra-cultural conflict) and conflict between members of different cultures (inter-cultural conflict). Intra-culturally, both American and Chinese noted self-interest as an important dimension of the cause of conflict. Inter-culturally, both American and Chinese noted cultural differences as an important dimension of the cause of conflict. The similarities between the American and Chinese dimensions were more striking than the differences. The intra-cultural findings reinforce the validity of early Western conflict theories?focusing on self-interest vs. other interest. The inter-cultural findings are partially consistent with intergroup theory and introduce new elements to conflict theory.     

The importance of ethics to job performance: An empirical investigation of managers' perceptions

This study probed a crucial assumption underlying much of the ethics theory and research: do managers perceive ethical behavior to be an important personal job requirement? A large sample of managers from a cross-section of industries and job functions indicated that, compared to other job duties, certain ethical behaviors were moderate to somewhat major parts of their jobs. Some noteworthy differences by industry, organization size, tenure and job function were also found. These findings underscore the importance of ethics for business education. They also have implications for manager selection, training, and development by organizations.     

Characteristics of international work: Narratives of the global manager

This study extends our understanding of the notion of the global manager by empirically examining their personal experiences as coordinators across multiple geographies and cultures. Basing our work on in‐depth interviews, we study narrative fragments of 45 global managers, identifying the most prominent issues in fulfilling the job of worldwide coordinator and the impact of their work on their personal life. The findings further indicate that global managers' experiences are characterized by three tensions: distance versus closeness, hierarchy versus culture, and work flexibility versus family equilibrium. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Qualifications and turnover of managers and venture capital-financed firm performance: An empirical study of german venture capital-investments

This study investigates relationships between experience and education aspects of manager qualifications and performance measures in a sample of 103 Portfolio Companies (PC) of German Venture Capital Firms (VCF). In addition, we consider whether lower PC performance induces higher PC manager turnover and if VCF actively influences such PC manager turnover. Bivariate and multivariate analyses confirmed that PC manager qualifications correlate significantly with PC performance. Specifically, characteristics of PC manager experience in marketing/sales, planning/strategy functional areas, as well as in terms of industry experience, were identified as critical success factors.Our findings have substantial implications for VCF management practice: Although deficits in PC manager qualifications were addressed previously both in English and the German language academic literature, to date management practices did not recognize the relevance of such qualifications for investment success and the need to influence PC manager qualifications systematically through tailored selection and development procedures for PC managers. Had the need to compensate for gaps in PC manager qualifications been given adequate priority, our sample would neither contain a high variance for qualification variables nor significant correlations between multiple aspects of PC manager qualifications and success. Therefore, our findings suggest that (German) VCF should in due diligence put more emphasis on (1) PC managers' business functional experience and, unless the PC is active in an entirely new market, (2) a high proportion of managers with experience in the relevant industry. Beyond due diligence, VCF may have to actively realign or replace top managers of PCs in cases where success is substantially below expectations. It is highly likely that there is room for further improvement in this area, in particular in constructing incentives against “living dead” cases, where PCs develop substantially below expectations, but do not fail completely.     

Young managers' interpersonal stress and its relationship to management development practices: an exploratory study

This exploratory study investigates whether there is a relationship between young managers' interpersonal stress and various management development practices. In recent years, practitioners and researchers have focused on stress studies and related practices in the workplace. However, stress encountered by young managers has received less attention. We examine possible sources of young managers' interpersonal stress and develop a scale through exploratory factor analysis. Participants are less than 35 years old, mainly from the financial, high‐tech and service industries in Taiwan. Organizational managerial development practices are discussed to understand their relevance to young managers' interpersonal stress. The results suggest that the more opportunities young managers have to make decisions, the more their opinions will differ from those of their middle‐aged fellow managers and senior subordinates. However, organizations with formal assessment may lessen disagreements with middle‐aged fellow managers. Future studies regarding young managers' interpersonal stress can be carried out using this scale and can explore whether other, specific organizational management development practices are related to lower stress levels among young managers.     

Influences of Managerial Drivers on Export Sales Units’ Performance of Small and Medium-Size Enterprises

ABSTRACT

This report offers a contribution to the theories related to firms' export performance. Job satisfaction and behavioral and outcome performance of export managers have received attention in export literature. However, the relationships between export managers’ rewards system and the level of export managers’ morale with export managers’ job satisfaction, behavioral and outcome performance, and export sales units’ performance of small and medium-size enterprises have not thoroughly been examined, tested, or validated. A new model is developed based on export managerial psychology theory, which integrates two constructs, the export managers’ rewards and level of morale, as critical variables affecting export performance. The research findings suggest that four connected relationships in a PLS model are positive, significant, and substantial. Particularly, managers’ financial and nonfinancial rewards influence managers’ level of morale, which in turn affects managers’ behavioral performance, and managers' behavioral performance influences managers’ outcome performance, which, finally, affects firms’ export performance.     

American and European expatriate managers: An empirical investigation

This article compares American and European expatriate managers' backgrounds, job satisfaction, and perception of local work and cultural environment in Turkey in reference to their adaptation to the host country and their job performance. It reports that the sample managers demonstrate differences in all these dimensions. Therefore multinational companies are recommended to develop human resources policies in choosing expatriate managers most likely to adapt to work and host country environments by paying attention to managerial qualifications and local conditions. They should also train and prepare both expatriate and local managers to ensure smooth relationships between two groups. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Procedural justice in promotion decisions of managerial staff in Malaysia

Previous research indicates that procedural justice in promotion decisions has affected employees' organizational commitment, intent to leave and career satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of procedural justice in promotion decisions on managers' commitment, specifically organizational commitment, intent to leave, career satisfaction and job performance in multinational companies in Malaysia. Data were obtained from a sample of managers with more than 10 years of service in the organization through in-depth interviews. The findings show that perceived procedural injustice in promotion decisions have an unfavourable impact on employee commitment, job performance and career satisfaction. The intent to leave is also higher, especially among young managerial staff.     

Individual and contextual influences on the affective commitment of retail salespeople

Abstract

Salesperson characteristics as well as managerial approaches have been found to play an important role in the development of positive attitudes by salespersons towards an organisation. This study integrates these two research areas to investigate the personal and contextual antecedents of affective organisational commitment of retail salespeople. Fit theory and the literature on person–situation interaction provide the theoretical bases for explaining how salesperson selling skills, job liking, and empowerment individually and jointly influence affective commitment. A multilevel modelling approach is used to analyse data from 105 sales managers and 419 salespeople. Findings reveal that salespersons' affective commitment is influenced by their selling skills, degree of job liking, tenure, and empowerment. The results also indicate that the impact of selling skills on affective commitment is higher when empowerment is high. Based on the study's findings, implications for managing salespeople as well as limitations and suggestions for future research are offered.