Print media portrayals of giving: exploring national ‘cultures of philanthropy’

In their 2010 study drawing on 500 empirical philanthropy studies, Bekkers and Wiepking identified eight consistently significant giving mechanisms. The pilot study reported here extends what is known about one mechanism, values, as a giving driver, in particular considering how national cultural values apply to giving. Personal values are not formed in a vacuum. They are influenced by the wider culture and society: thus values have a socio-cultural dimension. Accordingly, this pilot research draws on media theory and cultural studies work on national ethos to explore how these national cultural values interact with giving. A directed qualitative content analysis has been undertaken to compare US and Australian print media coverage about philanthropy. The two nations share an Anglo–Saxon orientation but differ significantly in national character and philanthropic activity. This study posits that a nation's media coverage about giving will reflect its national cultural ethos. This coverage can also shape personal values, thus implications exist for theory about the antecedents of personal giving values. Wider national values may drive or stifle giving, so this wider view of values as a driver has implications also for philanthropy promotion and fundraising. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Who Controls the Controller? People Reaction to Social Control Agent's Decisions about Organizational Misconduct

Social control agents (SCAs) discipline organizations and draw the line between appropriate organizational behaviour and misconduct. While prior research focuses on the SCA-organization relationship, we theorize how a key audience (people) interacts with an SCA depending on its decisions to sanction or not organizational misconduct. Building on sociological and organizational research on social norms and their enforcement, we expect that people are more likely to agree with an SCA that sanctions a behaviour that violates rule-based as opposed to value-based norms. Violations of rule-based norms generate more agreement because such norms are less ambiguous and ascertaining when they are violated is easier to establish. As people agree more with SCA decisions to sanction rule-based violations, we expect that the propensity of people to resort to the SCA increases. We find support for our hypotheses with a survey, a series of experiments, and the analysis of complete data on complaints by UK citizens to the Advertising Standards Authority – the UK SCA on advertising – over the period 2007–10. Our paper contributes to research in organizational misconduct by showing how SCAs are both an evaluating entity and an evaluated one and by shedding light on how people co-determine what an acceptable or unacceptable behaviour is. Our paper uniquely links macro- and micro-level studies on corporate misconduct, putting centre stage that SCA's authority essentially depends on a key audience's agreement with the SCAs' underlying norms that underpin their decisions.     

The predictability of normative organizational commitment for turnover in Chinese companies: a cultural perspective

While many researchers have shown that affective organizational commitment is the most valuable predicator for organizational outcomes, such as job satisfaction, the value of normative organizational commitment in predicting working behaviour needs to be clarified. Additionally, indices of organizational outcomes used in prior studies were almost always the employees' perceptions of and attitudes towards organizations, rather than actual behaviour. The current research aims to investigate the impact of normative organizational commitment on an employee's turnover, rather than attitudes or perceptions. A total of 242 employees completed questionnaires including the Organizational Commitment Scale, the Organizational Satisfaction Scale, and the Idiocentrism and Allocentrism Scale, and reported the number of organizations they had worked for. Regression analysis revealed that the affective commitment was an important predicator for organizational satisfaction (p < .01) whereas the normative commitment was the most important predicator for employees' job-changing behaviour (p < .01). Idiocentrism and allocentrism had a slight moderating effect upon these relationships. Thus, the different dimensions of organizational commitments have different functions, and more attention should be paid to normative commitment than previously thought. These findings underline the importance of the normative commitment for predicating organizational behaviour, especially in collectivistic contexts. The implications for management are also discussed.     

Adopting sustainable innovation: what makes consumers sign up to green electricity?

This paper investigates what encourages consumers to adopt a green electricity tariff. When people decide to adopt an innovation, such as green electricity, they consider not only functionality, usability, costs and intended outcomes, but also what the innovation means to them, for example, the way it reflects their identity, image, memberships, values and norms. The study reviews the theoretical frameworks of innovation adoption and consumption, and cognitive and normative behaviour, relevant to consumer adoption of pro‐environmental innovations, and develops a research framework. Through focus group discussions, a questionnaire survey with 103 respondents and an interview with 10 people, the study finds that consumers sympathetic to environmental issues do not necessarily adopt green electricity. This is due to lack of strong social norms and personal relevance, inconvenience of switching, uncertainty about the quality of green electricity and lack of accurate information. The implications of these findings for strategy, policy and future research are explored. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

Employee stock ownership and job attitudes: Does culture matter?

The large majority of the existing research on the attitudinal effects of employee stock ownership is Anglo-Saxon by nature. Considering that the cultural relativity of management practices is largely documented in the cross-cultural management literature, the international external validity of existing evidence can be questioned. Since virtually no past studies have addressed this issue, it seems important to wonder to what extent cultural values determine the attitudinal effects of employee stock ownership. According to the Lytle et al. [Lytle, A. L., Brett, J. M., Barsness, Z. I., Tinsley, C. H., & Janssens, M., (1995). A paradigm for confirmatory cross–cultural research in organizational behavior. Research in Organizational Behavior, 17, 167–214] paradigm, four cultural dimensions have been identified as likely moderators of the employee ownership–attitudes relationships and some theoretical propositions have been generated. Finally, some adaptations in the employee stock ownership plan's design and communication are recommended in order to improve its attitudinal effects in different cultural settings.     

How can domestic households become part of the solution to England's recycling problems?

A waste disposal problem of looming proportions, coupled with a lack of sufficient public engagement in the preferred alternative to disposal, which is recycling, continues to perplex English policy‐makers. Based on both a literature review across a wide range of disciplines and a national survey of consumer attitudes towards their own participation in recycling, this paper finds that past efforts at increasing recycling have been based on an implied model of consumer recycling behaviour that is not supported by what happens in practice. By disentangling thinking about recycling behaviour from academic thinking about green consumerism, the paper considers the waste and recycling problem from a different angle. It suggests that research on the personal values of people who recycle could be utilized in marketing communications that show these values being fulfilled by recycling. Focusing greater marketing attention on people who already claim to recycle, and helping them through better communication and improved practical help, could achieve much higher levels of reclaimed materials. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

National Cultural Influences on Knowledge Sharing: A Comparison of China and Russia

abstract    This paper presents a set of theoretical propositions regarding knowledge sharing in China and Russia. We argue that there are important national cultural similarities and differences between the two countries that result in certain similarities and differences in individual knowledge-sharing behaviour in Chinese and Russian organizations. We claim that vertical collectivism and particularistic social relations in China and Russia lead to intensive social relations among organizational members, which facilitate knowledge sharing between in-group members in organizations in both countries. We also maintain that differences in the essence of collectivism as well as in the extent of collectivism in the two cultural contexts lead to different intensities of knowledge sharing in Chinese and Russian organizations. Finally, we discuss theoretical and management implications of this research.     

INSTITUTIONAL DETERMINANTS OF VENTURE CAPITAL ACTIVITY: AN EMPIRICALLY DRIVEN LITERATURE REVIEW AND A RESEARCH AGENDA

Venture Capital (VC) was born and has flourished in the United States, yet it has only modestly developed in other geographical areas. A vast body of research has been carried out to investigate the factors which are conducive to VC activity, and that may better explain the differences in the degree of development and performance of VC industry across different geographical contexts. However, there has only been a limited effort in the literature to systematize what we know (and what we do not know) about the institutional factors that spur VC activity. This paper tries to close that gap, through a systematic survey of the existing literature on the institutional and related determinants of VC activity. Grounding on the seminal work of North (1990), we consider formal (e.g. laws and formal rules) and informal (e.g. cultural norms and tacit codes of behaviour) institutions which are found in the extant empirical economics and management literature to affect the development of the VC industry. Building on this careful review, our paper aims to propose interesting avenues for future research in this domain.     

THE MANAGEMENT OF MEANING IN THE POLISH CRISIS[1]

The concept of ‘organizational culture’ proves to be fruitless when applied to organizations in socialist economies. Instead, this paper focuses on a more general relationship between organizational life and the cultural context of organizing. Three examples illustrate the proposed approach. In the first, the Polish ‘propaganda of success’, used in the years 1970–80 by the ruling élite, is analyzed as a case of the use of ideology to manage the meaning shared by participants in economic life. In the second, the battle between the government and the Solidarity movement is interpreted as a battle over meanings. In both examples, the successful management of meaning demands the fit between ideology and national culture. The third example, contrasting Polish and American myths about the origins of organizational effectiveness, shows how everyday organizational life is embedded in the historical and cultural context of a given country. The paper ends with a proposal to concentrate further research efforts on the complex relationships between organizational control and culture.     

Firm resources and the development of environmental sustainability among small and medium‐sized enterprises: Evidence from the Australian wine industry

Scholars and industry professionals want clarification of the specific firm resources that influence the adoption and development of environmentally sustainable strategies. This paper, set in the context of the Australian wine industry, explores different firm resources that are beneficial for environmentally sustainable development and examines the role of management attitudes and norms in moderating this relationship. It establishes which resources small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) should invest in to be more successful in following environmental principles. The findings of a survey of the owner‐managers of Australian wine‐producing SMEs are reported, and partial least squares structural equation modelling is utilized to analyze the data. Results clearly indicate that successful firms that manage their resources more effectively influence the application of environmental behaviour, with one distinct resource significantly influencing the disclosure of such behaviour. A moderating effect is established which supports the notion that pro‐environmental decision‐making in SMEs is heavily influenced by the attitudes and norms held by management.     

Culture and effort: British and Irish work-related values and attitudes

This paper examines British and Irish work-related values and attitudes. It is set in the context of the importance of eliciting high work commitment and effort from employees as a necessary condition for enhanced competitive performance. More specifically it seeks to establish if British and Irish work values and attitudes conform to what we would expect from Hofstede's indices. On the basis of the original international research presented here, Hofstede's indices are found not to be very reliable predictors of work values and attitudes in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland. The results suggest that work effort is associated with different values in these two countries.     

Exploring individual and institutional drivers of proactive environmentalism in the US Wine industry

Industry transformation related to environmental stewardship proceeds through multiple stages, and there is as of yet no clear understanding of the importance of certain drivers of transformation at different stages. We bring together previous environmental management research regarding individual‐ and institutional‐level drivers of environmental stewardship to develop a model and series of questions regarding proactive environmental behavior in the US wine industry. A qualitative research method, including interviews and focus groups, is used to test the model. At the early stage of environmental transformation in the wine industry, we find that managerial attitudes and norms, existing regulations, employee welfare and competitive pressures are all strong drivers of proactive environmental behavior. However, our multi‐level analysis suggests that drivers of environmentalism vary in relevance and relative importance and that future environmental management research needs to consider the relationship between drivers of environmentalism and the stage of an industry's environmental transformation. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

新民主主义革命时期中国共产党国家审计思想的政治经济学分析

新民主主义革命时期党的国家审计思想是中国共产党在运用马克思主义政治经济学分析根据地审计实践过程中形成的经验总结,是中国共产党百年审计思想史的重要组成部分。在理论上认识和阐述新民主主义革命时期中国共产党国家审计思想的理论依据,总结国家审计思想的理论创新,不仅是当前国家审计理论研究的重要任务,也是构建中国特色社会主义政治经济学理论体系的重要任务。马克思主义政治经济学关于国家、财政与监督的理论是中国共产党国家审计思想的基本理论依据。基于马克思主义政治经济学的理论基础,中国共产党从中国实际出发,在战争中艰难探索,努力实现国家审计思想的理论创新。新民主主义革命时期党的国家审计思想的理论创新涵盖四个维度：一是坚持马克思主义政治经济学的理论基础,二是坚持党领导审计监督工作的政治基础,三是坚持审计监督为人民服务的群众基础,四是坚持新民主主义道路的审计实践基础。     

Managing employee expectations during acquisitions

There is a wide body of evidence that suggests that the management of 'human factors' in post‐acquisition implementation is important and, where it is badly managed, helps to explain why up to half of acquisitions are not deemed to be successful. A central feature in this process is the management of employee expectations. Using research insights drawn from the management and formation of expectations in recruitment and from breaches of the psychological contract, this article reports on research in organisations subject to a takeover within two years of the field work. Detailed findings on two of these cases are used to explore the dimensions of dual expectations in such circumstances. It is suggested that employees in acquired companies have concerns that become expectations concerning both themselves ('me') and their work group ('us'), ranging from immediate job and employment worries on transfer to longer‐term status and behavioural and cultural concerns in the 'new' organisation. These expectations will vary over time and have different facets according to the seniority of the employee, the degree of integration sought by the acquirer and the extent to which expectations formed are proven to be realistic and realisable. The two cases analysed reveal different aspects of unmet expectations in acquisitions. Seven factors were identified as influential in shaping employees' expectations in acquisitions: quality of communication, believability of information, trust in management action, credibility of leadership, fairness of action, consistency of action and communication and logic of management action or behaviour.     

‘Business as usual?’ Retail employee perceptions of organizational life following cross-border acquisition

The question of whether strong organizational cultures can be exported across borders has been continually debated in the management and business literature. With increased retail internationalization, the question arises in how far global retailers will be able to transpose their cultural values – which are regarded as key levers to business success – into other national contexts. A case study of the acquisition of a UK retailer reveals workforce compliance to behavioural norms and consent to company values at Schein's () second tier of organizational culture. However, the cultural integration espoused in the retailer's literature is not achieved, but differentiation and fragmentation (Martin, , ) prevail at store level, despite the probable existence of a strong sectoral culture (Ogbonna and Harris, ).     

High Job Performance Through Co‐Developing Performance Measures With Employees

According to various studies, employee participation in the development of performance measures can increase job performance. This study focuses on how this job performance elevation occurs. We hypothesize that when employees have participated in the development of performance measures, they perceive these measures to be of higher quality, which in turn elevates their attitudes toward, perceived social norms for, and perceived control over performing well in their jobs. Based on the theory of planned behavior, the latter three factors are hypothesized to increase job performance. Survey data from 95 employees as well as 88 of their managers were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Employee participation in developing performance measures is found to be related to job performance, via perceived measurement quality and employees’ perceived control over performing well. We discuss the practical and theoretical implications of these findings, including the limitations of this study's design, and sketch a number of future research paths in this area. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Multinationals,national business systems and HRM: the enduring influence of national identity or a process of 'Anglo-Saxonization'

This paper discusses the 'nationality effect' in the management of HRM by multinational companies (MNCs). After reviewing relevant literature in the institutionalist tradition and on 'national business systems', it assesses the elements of national environments that are most likely to influence MNC behaviour. It explores the tensions arising between the requirements of 'globalized' operations and the characteristics MNCs have adopted from their home environment. It is suggested that MNCs respond to such tensions by adopting various adaptation strategies, the most important of which may be termed 'Anglo-Saxonization': a convergence of MNC behaviour around a model typical of highly internationalized British or US MNCs. The argument is illustrated by findings from two German case studies, one of a large manufacturer, the other of a major bank; evidence is found of the Anglo-Saxonization of international HRM in these companies, but it appears to be taking place in a distinctively German manner.     

THE INTERACTION BETWEEN NATIONAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL VALUE SYSTEMS[1]

Organizations have prevalent value systems which are part of their organizational cultures. These value systems show a national component according to the nationality of the organization's founder(s) and dominant élite. Research data on national value systems in 53 countries and regions are used to suggest the kind of influence nationality is likely to have on organizational value systems, and what this means for the integration within an organization of persons and groups of different national origins.     

Formalization by the State,Re‐Informalization by the People: A Gecekondu Transformation Housing Estate as Site of Multiple Discrepancies

This article demonstrates residents' transformative practices and discusses attendant outcomes to contribute to an understanding of state‐built housing estates for people affected by urban transformation projects. It draws upon ethnographic fieldwork conducted in a social housing estate (K‐TOKI) in the Northern Ankara Entrance Urban Transformation Project (NAEUTP). It addresses questions on why formalization of informal housing takes place today, under what conditions it is countered by re‐informalization practices, and what the outcomes of this process are. As informal housing became formalized by NAEUTP, gecekondu dwellers were forced into formalized spaces and lives within K‐TOKI, which was based on a middle‐class lifestyle in its design and its legally required central management. Informality re‐emerged in K‐TOKI when the state's housing institution, in response to the estate's poor marketability, moved out, allowing residents to reappropriate spaces to meet their needs and form their own management system. When cultural norms that are inscribed in the built environment and financial norms that treat residents as clients conflict with everyday practices and financial capabilities, the urban poor increasingly engage in acts of informality. I argue that the outcome of this informality in a formal context is a site of multiple discrepancies.