无锡供电：责任成就“电蜜蜂”品牌

9月11日，国网无锡供电公司（以下简称无锡供电）举行“电蜜蜂”敬业奉献道德讲堂暨社会责任月启动仪式。此次道德讲堂以山鹰团队微电影、“大海”故事、“电蜜蜂”青年志愿者小品等节目来展现无锡供电对于履行社会责任的道德观。     

“文化治企”再插“社会责任”新翅膀——无锡供电公司全面社会责任管理纪实（七）

“努力超越．追求卓越”是国家电网公司倡导的企业精神,也是无锡供电公司全体干部职工的精神风貌,更是公司统一优秀企业文化的最好体现。近年来,无锡供电公司着力把企业文化建设与公司中心工作和内外利益相关方诉求有机衔接,按照“文化引领、强化标准、民主管理、和谐发展”的思路,不断拓展企业文化建设的内涵和深度……     

如何防止全面社会责任管理“小富即安”

2009年7月,国家电网公司在江苏无锡正式启动首个地市级供电企业全面社会责任管理试点工作,无锡供电公司认真贯彻落实《国家电叫公司履行社会责任指南》的要求和国家电网公司对试点工作的有关部署,坚持理念引领、科学规划、有侉推进、深人伙戕。公酬全面让会黄仟管理试点工作连续三年（2009、2010、2011）载入国网公司社会责任报告,     

责任根植点亮品质生活——无锡供电公司全面社会责任管理纪实（一）

作为国家电网公司“全面社会责任管理模式”在网省公司-地市公司-县级公司试点中的重要组成部分,2009年7月16日,国家电网公司选择无锡供电公司作为地市级供电企业全面社会责任管理的首个试点单位。无锡供电确立了成为无锡经济社会发展“绿色动力”的新角色定位,建立新的责任工作观,提出“点亮品质生活”的责任宣言,追求“经济、社会、环境”三重价值创造,全力服务无锡地方经济转型和人民生活品质提升。本刊从本期起,将陆续刊发无锡全面社会责任管理系列纪实文章,全面解读和展示无锡供电全面社会责任管理的探索和成效,与读者共同见证国家电网公司社会责任理念根植基层的履责实绩。     

启示在“破” “立”之间——对无锡日报报业集团兴建“便民信息服务亭”的调查

江苏无锡,时隔6年,＂报刊亭＂重回街头。不过,由于不局限于销售报刊,这个升级换代的报刊亭也被称为＂便民信息服务亭＂。但与6年前拆除市区千余个报刊亭的急速与低调相比,这次无锡＂便民信息服务亭＂的回归,实属漫长等待后的一次＂闪亮登场＂。由拆除到重建、由单一到多元、由报刊亭走向＂便民信息服务亭＂,在一＂破＂与一＂立＂之间,不仅折射出近年来全国报刊亭发展遭遇的困境与挑战,同时也有力地回答了＂没有报刊亭,城市会怎样”的疑问。     

将社会责任全面融入电网建设 “责任基建”模式：国家电网青藏联网工程

本刊从2008年起一直在跟踪报道国家电网公司省级公司、市级公司、县级公司的三级全面社会责任管理试点工作的成绩和进展,而与此同时,国家电网公司总部的全面社会责任试点也正在如火如荼地展开。自2008年开始,国家电网公司积极探索将社会责任全面融入电网建设的有效路径,经过几年的努力,初步总结了＂坚持一大目标、贯彻四大要求、覆盖四大环节、落实五大支撑＂的＂责任基建＂模式。这个模式的典型体现,就是造就了一条高度负责任的＂电力天路＂的青藏联网工程。     

践行国网核心价值观 塑造责任央企新形象 山东枣庄供电公司：“代理妈妈”长年接力的责任传承

14年以来,山东枣庄供电公司一直坚持开展关爱贫困、留守儿童的＂代理妈妈＂活动,目前已有378个＂代理妈妈＂集体和个人,资助贫困、留守儿童504名,建立了＂关爱留守儿童快乐成长活动站＂8所,在社会上引起巨大反响,成为山东电力的典型现象之一。中宣部副部长蔡明照还专门做出批示,     

锤子的“情怀经济学”

＂锤子＂,从一开始,其宣传推广就几乎完全系于罗永浩一人。罗永浩的＂情怀＂对锤子科技的重要性怎么强调都不为过月20日晚,罗永浩在锤子的手机发布会上。在两个多小时的产品介绍之后,他说：＂尝试努力去把这个世界变得更好,是我们启动这个公司的初衷。通过处心积虑地改善人类的生活品质来获取利润,而不是通过处心积虑地获取利润来获取利润。     

为企业培养一流人才 为社会创造优秀公民——无锡供电公司全面社会责任管理纪实（九）

儒雅、稳重，是无锡供电公司配电工区工程师沈辉给人的一贯印象。一脸温和笑容的他，也将这份沉着与亲和力带到了与市民、媒体的对话间——他的另一个身份是“现场新闻发言人”。他这样描述自己的责任：“要实事求是地分析现场发生的情况，对人民群众如实交代，发现有误解的地方，我们要及时地解释、引导。”     

“大”的问题

“大”的问题强子如果问一个幼儿园的小朋友：＂什么是大？＂他可能解释不清，但他脑子里有＂大＂的概念，他会给你比划，会给你打比方，无论用什么办法，他都得找个参照。拿这个问题去问成年人，如果他想解释＂大＂这个概念，都无法回避＂小＂，无限大只存在于数学逻辑之...     

Work Ethic and Ethical Work: Distortions in the American Dream

Economic progress in the United States has been attributed to the successful combination of two social structures – capitalism as an economic system and democracy as a political system. At the heart of this interaction is a particular work ethic in which hard work is considered the path to both immediate and future rewards. This article examines the evolution of work ethic in the United States, as well as the returns experienced through various adaptations in the country’s history. From this grounding, the information is structured into a proposal that key messages contained in the current, accepted work ethic are subject to distortions that may contribute to unethical decision making. These distortions result from two potentials: (1) efforts to reconcile the work ethic with contradictory messages and (2) exaggerations of the work ethic that become dysfunctional. The intent is to provide a framework that may explain to organizational leaders how people with the same basic work ethic can behave differently in terms of ethical work. Along with this understanding comes the potential to offset possible distortions and to encourage more ethical behavior.     

The Islamic Work Ethic and the Emergence of Turkish SME Owner-Managers

The aim of this study is to explore the influence of religious beliefs on the work-related attitudes of Turkish SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) owner-managers. In this research, the emergence of pious or devout business people is considered as a phenomenon, and special attention is paid to religious transformation and secularism in Turkey. Both concepts, religion and secularism, are considered within the Turkish context. For the research, in-depth interviews were conducted with 32 Turkish business people from religious and secular backgrounds, respectively. The study investigates the so-called “Islamic work ethic” values and Islamic business principles from a critical perspective and argues that they do not seem to be as significant factors as predicted in the emergence of pious or devout business people in Turkey.     

How Work Gains Meaning in Contractual Time: A Narrative Model for Reconstructing the Work Ethic

The work ethic has been deeply challenged by two trends – the division of labor and the destruction of continuity in employment. Here a narrative model is proposed for reconstructing the work ethic. Narratives embody assumptions about the flow of time, and work becomes charged with meaning when "contractual time" is interrupted, when new functions are invented to cope with obstacles having to do human character and action. Content for this abstract model is provided by four historical movements in the U.S. having to do with the reorganization of work or work relations: scientific management, the human-relations movement, the human-potential movement, and early management thought.     

Work Ethic,Locus of Control and Salesforce Task Performance

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between work ethic, locus of control and salesforce task performance. Using data from Uganda retail firms, this study finds that work ethic was a significant positive predictor of salesforce task performance. Further, there was a significant relationship between the different behavioural families of work-related activity work withdrawal behaviours, organizational retaliation behaviours and salesforce task performance. Results from regression analysis indicate that organizational retaliation behaviours and work withdrawal behaviours are important factors for explaining declining performance of salespeople in Uganda retail firms. Managers aiming to improve salesforce task performance should recruit individuals with a strong work ethic. Additionally, retail managers need to reduce work withdrawal and organizational retaliation behaviours so as to increase salesforce task performance.     

Work Values Ethic, GNP Per Capita and Country of Birth Relationships

Workplaces around the world have experienced extraordinary changes to the composition of their workforces and the nature of work. Few studies have explored workers from multiple countries of birth, with multiple religious orientations, working together within a single country of residence. Building on and extending the Work Values Ethic (WVE) literature, we examine 1,382 responses from employees working in three manufacturing companies. Differences were found in the mean WVE scores of groups of respondents from 42 countries of birth. Their WVE scores were strongly associated with their birth countries’ per capita Gross National Product (GNP), and the means of these scores did not change with variations in the respondents’ length of residence in a different country. These results have implications for developing cross-cultural management practices and for improving relationships with employees, with opportunities for increased commitment and, potentially, productivity.     

The Current Arab Work Ethic: Antecedents,Implications, and Potential Remedies

This article begins with the premise that market-oriented development strategies require more than the free movement of the factors of production from one use to another; they also require a positive work ethic and an energetic and committed workforce. However, the existing Arab work ethic does not seem conducive to␣development and change. This article assesses some antecedents that might have led to the emergence of the existing work ethic. First, we address the potential role of religion in developing a value system that is not conducive to growth and development. We also tackle family dynamics in the Arab world and the impact of family structures on personal and group development. Then, we move our attention to the educational system in the Arab world trying to uncover any common patterns in the various educational approaches in the Arab world that could have had lasting impressions on power dynamics in␣Arab societies. We also address power and leadership relationships and focus our attention on how groups actually function in the Arab world. Thereafter, we tackle what has emerged out of these societal institutions and relationships, and offer some implications marking out paths for international managers.     

The Work Ethic Values of Protestant British, Catholic Irish and Muslim Turkish Managers

This paper examines the work ethic characteristics of particular practising Protestant, Catholic and Muslim managers in Britain, Ireland and Turkey. Max Weber, argued that Protestant societies had a particular work ethic which was quite distinct from non-Protestant societies. The Protestant work ethics (PWE) thesis of Weber was reviewed. Previous empirical and analytical research results showed that the number of research results which support Weberian ideas were more than those which did not support. Methodological issues were also discussed. Results revealed that there was a considerable difference between Muslim and other groups in terms of PWE characteristics. The Muslim group showed the highest PWE level, while the Protestant group was placed second and the Catholic group third. The Protestant group showed a slightly higher of PWE level than the Catholic group. The possible reasons for the higher level of the PWE values of Muslim managers are discussed in the light of historical, political, social and economic developments in Turkey.     

Developing Organizational Trust Through Advancement of Employees’ Work Ethic in a Post-Socialist Context

The paper highlights the dependence of the level of organizational trust on work ethic and aims to show that development of trust in organizations can be␣stimulated by raising the level of work ethic with organizational practices. Based on the framework by Kanungo, R. N. and A. M. Jaeger (1990, ‘Introduction: The Need for Indigenous Management In Developing Countries’, in A. M. Jaeger and R. N. Kanungo (eds.), Management in Developing Countries (Routledge, London), pp. 1–23), historical–cultural analysis of the Lithuanian context is carried out. The country is chosen as an example of a post-socialist context where work ethic and trust in the society tended to be rather low. The authors discuss organizational practices, particularly the ones related to people management, which can facilitate development of work ethic, and thus, trust in organizations operating in a post-socialist context. The importance of a processual approach to the development of organizational trust and the ethical content of organizational practices, which are aimed at developing organizational trust is highlighted. Directions for further research are indicated.     

Investigating the Relationship Between Protestant Work Ethic and Confucian Dynamism: An Empirical Test in Mainland China

This study examined the relationship between the Protestant Work Ethic (PWE) and Confucian Dynamism in a sample of 1,757 respondents from several provinces in mainland China. Mirels and Garrett’s (J Consult Clin Psychol 36:40–44, 1971) PWE Scale and Robertson’s (Manag Int Rev 40:253–268, 2000) Confucian Dynamism Scale were used to measure the work ethics. The 16 items of the PWE Scale and eight items of the Confucian Dynamism Scale were initially subjected to a principal components analysis. Factor analysis produced four factors of the PWE, which were labeled as follows: hard work, internal motive, admiration of work itself, and negative attitude to leisure; and three factors of the Confucian Dynamism, which were labeled: long-term orientation, short-term orientation, and guanxi orientation. The results of a multiple regression analysis indicated that all the dimensions of PWE were positively related to Confucian Dynamism, but negatively to guanxi orientation. The results also indicated that three PWE dimensions (“hard work,” “internal motive,” and “admiration of work itself”) were positively and significantly related to long-term orientation, but two of them were related negatively and significantly to the short-term orientation of Confucian Dynamism. In addition, the results showed that the dimension—admiration of work itself—of PWE was significantly and negatively associated with the guanxi orientation, but significantly and positively to the short-term orientation.