Is It Good to Talk? Information Disclosure and Organizational Performance in the UK

The disclosure of information by management to employees varies significantly between workplaces. The effects of this variance on organizational performance are analysed using WERS98 data. The results show that the impact of information disclosure on organizational performance is more complex than is often assumed in the literature. Overall, there is a significant impact, both direct and indirect, and this varies depending on the level of employee organizational commitment, the type of information disclosed and the performance outcome involved. On the whole, the positive effects are less in union settings and in situations where unions are strong.     

A Trade Union Congress Perspective on the Company Law Review and Corporate Governance Reform since 1997

This article examines the Company Law Review and other corporate governance reforms introduced by the Labour government since 1997. It argues that an opportunity has been missed to implement fundamental change by giving employees and other key stakeholders rights in companies equal to those of shareholders. However, reforms that aim to make the existing system work better by promoting responsible shareholder activity have been introduced, and proposals to increase company disclosure on employee and other stakeholder relationships are in the pipeline. The potential of the reforms to offer trade unions new tools for promoting workers’ interests is examined.     

Whistle‐blowing in the digital era: motives,issues and recommendations

With the ever‐increasing popularity of social media, whistle‐blowing, which generally refers to the disclosure of organisational wrongdoing, has entered a new era. Whistle‐blowing via virtual platforms has transformed not just the channel of disclosure, but also the associated motives, processes and outcomes. The impact on the whistle‐blower, the organisation and the public can often be accelerated and is seen as being more significant than traditional whistle‐blowing through internal means or external dedicated authorities or journalists. Yet systematic research on this changing phenomenon is just emerging, and regulation (e.g. for rewards, safeguards or protection) is lagging behind. In this paper, we specifically examine the impetus, as well as the benefits and drawbacks, of using online channels such as social media, blogging or websites, for whistle‐blowing by both employees and non‐employees, taking into consideration recent case law and development. A number of recommendations are proposed for virtual whistle‐blowers, organisations and governments.     

Twin Tracks—Employee Representation at Eurotunnel Revisited

The introduction of the European Directive on Information and Consultation and the recent implementation of the Information and Consultation of Employees (ICE) Regulations into United Kingdom (UK) law have increased the focus on workplace representation arrangements. This paper examines the interplay between nonunion and union representative arrangements at Eurotunnel (UK) and assesses their effectiveness in representing the needs of employees over a 5‐year period. Importantly, the paper also examines the opportunities and challenges of both nonunion representation (NER) and union voice arrangements. The findings show that the effectiveness of nonunion structures as bodies representing the interests of employees in filling the lack of representation is questionable. However, union recognition through an employer–union partnership agreement has also raised important issues regarding the effectiveness, impact, and legitimacy of unions at Eurotunnel. The main implication of this research is that the existence of a mechanism—union or nonunion—for communication between management and employees at the workplace may not be a sufficient condition for effective representation of employee interests. In addition, while trade unions may provide greater voice than nonunion arrangements (thus the reluctance of management to accept such voice arrangements), the strength of voice is dependent on the legitimacy and effectiveness of trade unions in representing employees’ interests at the workplace. And that in turn depends on the union being perceived by the workforce as both representative and able to act independently. If the union cannot, it will not meet the needs of either employees or management—and could run the risk of being supplanted under the provisions of the new EU Directive on Information and Consultation with tougher requirements for compliance in terms of procedures for consultation and information disclosure.     

Persistence in R&D Performance and its Implications for the Granting of Subsidies

We study whether R&D subsidies can be used to encourage sustained R&D performance. To this end we measure the importance of true state dependence (TSD) in R&D performance and of subsidies’ inducement effects. Estimates that are based on a panel of Spanish manufacturing firms that are observed during the period 1998–2009 reveal that both magnitudes are positive and significant. Simulations that are carried out with the estimated parameters show that subsidies can generate permanent inducement effects for 9 % of Spanish manufacturing firms. The subsidy shares that are needed to generate permanent inducement effects among small firms (firms with fewer than 200 employees) are larger than those that are needed to generate permanent inducement effects among large firms (firms with 200 or more employees).     

Making sense of new technology during organisational change

This article examines how employees interpret the use of various social media and web 2.0 technologies by managers of an organisation during a merger process. The article explores the way in which managers use technology to give sense to the merger process, the corresponding sensemaking of employees and also how employees make sense of the use of technology itself. The findings show that new media enables the sharing of emotional sense about organisational processes between managers and employees and places employees with different levels of involvement with the process and at different points in the organisational hierarchy on equal footing. In spite of this, employees view the use of technology negatively and feel mastered by the technology itself. In discussing these unintended consequences of the use of this technology, the article further discusses the paradoxes that emerge from using new technology to give sense during organisational change.     

Workplace Risk, Establishment Size and Union Density

The health and safety risk faced by individual employees can be treated as an unobservable latent variable which manifests itself at workplace level through reported counts of work‐related injuries and illnesses over a given interval. This paper presents results from count data regressions using data from the 1998 Workplace Employee Relations Survey. The findings strongly support the view that employees in larger establishments have a lower probability of being injured or falling ill. In addition, establishments with a higher proportion of unionized employees, and with health and safety committees, were associated with higher numbers of reported injuries and illnesses.     

Gun-ownership disclosure and localized home prices

This article examines how the disclosure of local gun-ownership information affects property values. Using the sudden disclosure of a gun-ownership map in two New York counties, we explore how home sellers respond to this exogenous information shock. Our results show that an additional permit holder in the neighborhood leads to a 1% decrease in housing prices after the disclosure. This effect is highly localized in that property values are only negatively impacted by gun-permit holders within 0.1 mi of the focal property. These findings highlight the negative effect of the disclosure of gun-ownership information on localized home prices.     

从BP危机处理看“全媒体时代”的企业危机公关

企业在成长过程中会遭遇种种危机,危机已经成为企业的常态。进入＂全媒体时代＂给企业的危机公关能力提出了新的挑战。文章结合BP对墨西哥漏油事故的危机公关处理过程,探讨了企业主动告知和健全危机公关制度和体系的重要性,以及告知方式的选择和技巧;强调了危机公关处理的三个原则,即competent（胜任）、confident（自信）以及compassionate（富有同情心）;同时建议企业重视对新媒体的应用,倾听消费者和网民的声音和诉求,并加强网络舆情的疏导。突发危机中止以后,企业危机公关并没有结束,还需要耐心地进行企业形象恢复和品牌形象重塑。文章对此给出了具体建议。     

Trend breaks in US inventory to sales ratios

This paper documents econometrically that US Inventory to Sales Ratios have time trends and that there have been significant breaks in these time trends at both the aggregate and industry level. Using techniques developed by Bai (Rev. Econ. Stat. (1997) 551) and by Bai and Perron (Econometrica 66 (1) (1998) 47), we simultaneously estimate the time trend parameters and the dates of statistically significant breaks in those trends. Using data from 1967 through 2001, it is estimated that aggregate Manufacturing and Trade Inventory to Sales ratio trended upwards at a 0.76%/year rate before 1985 Q3 and has trended downwards at a 1.29%/year rate since then. Downtrends are estimated to have begun in Manufacturing ratios in 1983, Wholesalers in 1985, and Retailers in 1990. Before the mid-1990s nearly all the reductions in ratios occurred in industries carrying durable goods. Examination of the timing and possible explanations of trend breaks for the 20 two-digit manufacturing industries suggests that breaks are much more likely to have occurred in recessions and may be related to changes in the variance of the industry's sales growth rate.     

All work intensity is not created equal: Effort motives,job satisfaction and quit intentions at a grocery chain

Prior research has shown that the well-being of employees engaged in intensive work can vary with the discretion their jobs afford regarding how and when to carry out the work. This article explores a different avenue. It argues that well-being also varies with employees’ individual motives for working intensively. The article introduces self-determination theory to the domain of work intensity and focuses on two hypotheses. The first is whether intensive work driven by explicit or implicit incentives is more positively associated with an employee's job satisfaction than intensive work driven by job demands. The second is whether intensive work driven by intrinsic motives is more positively associated with job satisfaction than that driven by explicit or implicit incentives. In both these cases, the article also examines whether equivalent effects exist on (reduced) quit intentions. Original data from a major Greek grocery chain provide corroborative evidence that is robust to a rich set of covariates, including increasingly demanding adjustments for job discretion. The findings contribute to a more complete understanding of why differences in well-being exist among employees performing intensive work, with implications for workers and employers.     

Evaluating the Illegal Employer Practice of Under‐Reporting Employees’ Salaries

This article advances understanding of the prevalence and distribution of the illegal employer practice of under‐reporting employees’ salaries, explains this practice and evaluates policy approaches. Analysing a 2013 Eurobarometer survey of 11,025 employees in 28 European countries, one in 33 employees receive under‐reported salaries, mostly in small businesses and vulnerable groups (e.g. unskilled workers, with lower education levels and financial difficulties). Explaining this practice, not as an individual criminal act that increasing the risk of detection can tackle, but as a symptom of systemic problems, which require improvements both in tax morale at the individual level and in the formal institutional environment at the country level to resolve, we then discuss the implications for theory and policy.     

我国上市公司信息披露违规的动因实证研究

本文以2001—2005年间因为信息披露违规行为被监管层处罚的188家A股上市公司及其188家配对公司为研究对象,运用条件Logistic回归模型对公司信息披露违规的动因进行实证研究,结果表明:大股东掏空程度、内幕交易程度以及盈余管理程度与公司信息披露违规行为显著正相关。本文丰富了信息披露研究的内容,为监管层加强监管、引导和规范上市公司信息披露行为提供了经验证据。     

Ownership and Pay in Britain

Drawing on principal–agent perspectives on corporate governance, the article examines whether employees’ hourly pay is related to ownership dispersion. Using linked employee‐workplace data from the British Workplace Employment Relations Survey 2011, and using a variety of techniques including interval regression and propensity score matching, average hourly pay is found to be higher in dispersed ownership workplaces. The premium is broadly constant across most of the wage distribution, but falls at the 95th percentile to become statistically non‐significant. This contrasts with earlier papers which indicate that higher level employees are the primary beneficiaries of higher pay from dispersed ownership. The dispersed ownership pay premium is not readily explained by efficiency wage perspectives but is consistent with a managerial desire for a ‘quiet life’.     

Innovators, Organization Structure and Management of the Innovation Process in the Securities Industry

This article examines innovation in the securities industry with the central objective of identifying factors that separate innovators from non-innovators. Akira Iwamura and Vijay Jog report results based on their survey of corporate finance vice presidents or CEO's of 43 investment houses from around the world. They conclude that innovative companies seem to be larger and have a well-defined strategy, with management defining the focus of the business. In addition, the firms have developed better communication channels, both internally and with their customers. Yet, the most significant difference that separates innovators from non-innovators is their management of the idea generation process, including concept generation and management's support. Innovators tend to approach idea generation in the following ways: they employ a variety of idea sources, both internal and external; they assign a specific person or group to be in charge of developing new ideas; they encourage employees at all levels to generate new ideas; they use a variety of innovative techniques to stimulate creativity; they reward their employees by non-monetary means; and they encourage group-level participation in evaluation decisions.     

Negotiating ‘Difference’: Representing Disabled Employees in the British Workplace

Drawing on qualitative interviews with disabled employees, union officers and disability‐related organizations, this article examines employee attempts to negotiate workplace adjustments and associated issues of workplace representation. UK employment law utilizes an individual medical model of disability, which conflicts with traditional collective approaches favoured by trade unions, which has implications for disabled employees and union representation. We explore the different strategies available to unions and conclude that, despite the role played by disability‐related organizations in supporting employees, unions are the only workplace actors who are capable of reconfiguring the ‘personal as political’ and integrating disability concerns into wider organizational agendas.     

Joint Employer Status in Triangular Employment Relationships

The article examines the question of who should be considered the legal employer in triangular employment relationships. It is argued that outsourcing of employer responsibilities to temporary work agencies is illegitimate with regard to long‐term employees and must be curtailed; further, that even in the case of short‐term (‘traditional’) employment through agencies, there is reason to place some employer responsibilities with the user firm. The suggested solution supports regulations directed at preventing agency employment abuse, as currently exist in some European countries, but at the same time would place employer responsibilities with both agency and user firm, jointly and severally.     

A More General Framework to Analyze Whether Voluntary Disclosure is Insufficient or Excessive

I analyze if the excessive quality disclosure finding of the “classical literature” extends to environments in which consumers have a downward-sloping demand. While the answer is affirmative, there are at least two situations under which disclosure is socially insufficient: (1) when there are quality levels that are too low to generate any positive demand; and (2) when the prior beliefs place sufficiently higher weight on lower qualities. In both cases, non-disclosure by the seller leads to a severe reduction in the perceived quality, thereby significantly lowering the demand and the quantity consumed.     

Reliance and disclosure: How supervisory justice affects trust in supervisor and extra-role performance

This study examines the relationship between supervisory justice and trust in supervisor and their impacts on extra-role performance. Drawing on fairness heuristic theory, we hypothesize that supervisory interactional justice will significantly affect the two domains of trust in supervisor, namely, reliance and disclosure, which in turn enhance subordinate extra-role performance. We also predict that supervisory procedural justice will moderate the relationship between supervisory interactional justice and trust in supervisor. We test our hypotheses using a sample of 111 insurance agent-manager dyads. The results show that although supervisory interactional justice is positively related to both reliance and disclosure, only disclosure mediates its effect on extra-role performance. In addition, supervisory procedural justice moderates the impact of supervisory interactional justice on reliance but not disclosure. The implications for research on justice and trust are discussed.     

Public Employee Compensation and the Efficacy of Privatization Alternatives in US State and Local Governments

This article investigates the evidence used in the debate over public‐sector collective bargaining and privatization as US states attempted to resolve their budget problems. Specifically, the article evaluates the research on whether US state and local government workers are overpaid and whether privatization provides a cost‐effective alternative to the provision of public services by public employees. All recent studies find that state and local public employees earn on average lower wages than comparable private‐sector workers and on average receive better health benefits and pensions than private‐sector employees. Most studies find that the better benefits offset lower wages on average, and there is no state and local public employee compensation premium. The research on privatization in the USA indicates that it has reached something of an equilibrium with approximately one‐quarter of municipal public services being provided by private organizations. The major costs of privatization include overhead costs of competitive bidding, monitoring, oversight, and evaluation, which if done properly can often offset any privatization cost advantage, while if privatization is done without adequate controls, it can result in corruption, poor quality services, and then demands for reverse privatization.