Preparing Russian Small Innovative Enterprises for International Competitiveness: A Scoping Study

Russian small innovative enterprises (SIEs) are emerging as an important force behind the restructuring of the Russian economy and its industrial and commercial infrastructure. The research presented in this paper suggests that there are at least three categories of factors that impact the move of Russian SIEs into international markets: (i) macro-economic obstacles (ii) lacking managerial and business competencies and (iii) differences in culture and business practices. The first factor cannot be directly influenced by the individual SIE, while the latter two represent opportunities of a developmental nature. The work of this paper purports to lay the groundwork for more theoretical follow-up analyses.     

Business goals in market versus transition economies: An exploratory comparison of Hungarian and U.S. MBA students

Developed market economies and transition economies are characterized by radically different institutional, economic, and cultural environments, which we expected would produce differences in business goals among MBA students. We measured differences between 103 Hungarian and 454 U.S. part‐time MBAs and found that U.S. respondents placed more importance on growth of the business, short‐term profits, staying within the laws, and honor, face, and reputation. Hungarians placed more emphasis on game and gaming spirit, and family values. Although the results showed significant differences on some business goals, they were not as great as the literature would suggest, indicating that some convergence has occurred since transition began. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A consumer education programme based on the Transtheoretical Model of Change

MONEY 2000? is a successful consumer education programme that was implemented by Cooperative Extension personnel in over two dozen states of the USA between 1996 and 2002. One of the unique features of this programme is that it was based on the Transtheoretical Model of Change (TTM), a framework that has been widely used to study health‐related behaviour changes such as smoking cessation. This paper first describes how the MONEY 2000? programme was developed around major constructs contained within the TTM. Findings are reported from a survey conducted with participants in the first two states that delivered the programme. The findings suggest that several change processes used by MONEY 2000? participants are associated with specific stages of change. In addition, there may be differences in behavioural changes between participants who increased their savings and those who reduced their debts.     

Fashion groups,gender, and boredom proneness

This study examined differences between men and women and among fashion consumer groups (fashion innovators, fashion opinion leaders, innovative communicators, and fashion followers) in propensity toward boredom. Participants (126 male, 130 female university students) completed questionnaires measuring fashion group membership, boredom proneness, and demographics. anova revealed significant effects for fashion group for two dimensions of boredom proneness: internal stimulation and constraint. Innovative communicators indicated lower propensity for boredom because of need for internal stimulation but more propensity for boredom because of constraint than fashion followers. Men indicated greater propensity for boredom because of need for external stimulation than women did.     

The ownership and use of small kitchen domestic appliances: case study,Liverpool

The nutritional habits of UK consumers have become a cause for concern with an increasing number of people suffering from diseases related to nutrition. The way in which food is prepared may contribute to the nutritional content of the diet. Traditional methods of cooking and eating are being influenced by increased ownership of domestic appliances. This study aimed to carry out a cross sectional study of people living on Merseyside to determine the ownership and use of small kitchen domestic appliances in relation to the possible consequences the appliances may have on the nutrient intake of the individual. An opportunistic sample of 276 female adults aged 25–70 years was recruited from amongst university staff and community groups within Merseyside. Data were collected using a self‐completion questionnaire consisting of questions concerning personal details, the ownership and use of domestic appliances that may influence nutrient intake. The Liverpool John Moores University Ethics Committee granted ethical approval. Microwave ovens, electric toasters and grills were owned by 80% of the population. Coffee makers, handheld electric food mixers, sandwich makers, blenders and food processors although owned by over 45% were used by the majority only once a week or less. Newer items such as a bread maker were owned by 9% who were significantly more likely to have a professional occupation. Those with unskilled occupations were significantly more likely to own a deep fat fryer and least likely to own a food processor. Those aged 25–34 years were significantly least likely to own a handheld food mixer. Households comprised of couples with or without children were significantly more likely to own sandwich makers, bread makers, food processors and handheld food mixers. No difference in the use of the appliances was found with occupational group or age. A large percentage of people own a variety of domestic appliances, the use of which may have a beneficial effect on their nutrient intake, however, it is of concern that those in the lower socio‐economic group were more likely to own appliances that will have a negative effect on their diet.     

The dietary and health behaviour of young people aged 18–25 years living independently or in the family home in Liverpool,UK

An individual's dietary habits are largely developed during childhood and adolescence, and are likely to be determined by both nature (the development of sensory perceptions) and nurture (parental influence, and later on the influence of peers). However, diet is likely to evolve throughout the life cycle as circumstances change and new influences are introduced to an individual's lifestyle. An example of this is the changes in diet that occur as a result of the transition young people make away from the family home into independent living. Leaving behind the meals provided and cooked by parents/guardians and learning how to shop on a budget and prepare and cook for themselves may result in the adoption of poor eating habits, which is likely to have a detrimental effect on health. Leaving behind the restrictions of parental control may also result in the adoption of unhealthy lifestyle practices such as smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. This study therefore seeks to investigate the effect of leaving home on a young person's diet and lifestyle. Health behaviour and food intake was assessed by questionnaire. Findings suggest that a young person's diet may change after leaving home, but these changes are not necessarily negative. More negative health behaviour was observed in young people living independently.     

Corporate Environmental Disclosure: Contrasting Management's Perceptions with Reality

This paper's purpose is to assess how management's perceptions regarding certain aspects of environmental reporting relate to the firm's actual reporting strategy. Toward that end, we propose a model where a firm's environmental disclosure is conditional upon executive assessments of corporate concerns. The study relies on a survey that was sent to environmental management executives from European and North American multinational firms enquiring about the determinants of corporate environmental disclosure. Responses from these executives were then contrasted with their firms' actual environmental reporting practices, which was measured using a comprehensive multi-criteria grid. Results show that there is a relationship between environmental managers' attitudes toward various stakeholder groups and how those managers respond to the stakeholders via the decision to disclose and the actual disclosures made. Our model provides a perspective as to how a firm responds to the numerous stakeholders to whom it must be accountable. This accountability in turn relates to how the company communicates its actions to society in order to achieve or maintain its social legitimacy.     

Choose, Choose, Choose, Choose, Choose, Choose, Choose: Emerging and Prospective Research on the Deleterious Effects of Living in Consumer Hyperchoice

The ideology of consumption and the imperative of consumer choice have washed across the globe. In today's developed economies there is an ever-increasing amount of buying, amidst an ever-increasing amount of purchase options, amidst an ever-increasing amount of stress, amidst an ever-decreasing amount of discretionary time. This brief essay reviews research suggesting, for example, that hyperchoice confuses people and increases regret, that hyperchoice is initially attractive but ultimately unsatisfying, and that hyperchoice is psychologically draining. Future research is then discussed, including how and why hyperchoice may have other toxic effects on people, including the degrading of moral emotions and behavior.     

Executive Compensation and Earnings Persistence

Governing boards utilize executive compensation contracts in an attempt to align executive actions with corporate goals. The objective is to ensure that executive performance provides value to the organization in terms of successful outcomes. A key performance criteria typically specified in CEO compensation contracts is earnings targets. However, using earnings as a performance evaluation may be problematic because some firms exhibit robust and sustained earnings over time (high earnings persistence), and other firms, such as high growth oriented firms, exhibit weak or sometimes negative earnings over time (low earnings persistence). Our study reveals that the effect of high earnings persistence results in firms that focus more heavily on cash compensation (salary and bonus) rather than on equity compensation (stock options, etc.) to compensate executive performance. Additionally, for firms characterized by low earnings persistence, our study indicates that cash flows from operations act as a supplementary performance measure to accounting earnings, and become increasingly important as a means to justify executive cash compensation.