CORRUPTION THEORY AND PRACTICE

Corruption is a very widespread phenomenon with most governments having a least some. While corruption usually meets with disapproval, it may have some redeeming features. It may make possible smaller or no salary payments to officials who, if carefully supervised, will still carry out their functions on a fee-for-service basis. The purchase of government jobs usually is thought to be corrupt, but in some cases, it has worked out quite well.     

Problem recognition style: is it need specific or a generalized personality trait?

While the nature of consumer-need acknowledgement has received some attention in recent years, the topic still remains relatively unexplored by consumer scientists and under-utilized by practitioners. This study focuses on the first stage of the consumer-decision process (problem recognition) and develops scales for measuring style of need perception for several product categories. Furthermore, an attempt is made to determine whether one's problem recognition style (PRS) is similar across product categories or if it is more need specific. Evidence here indicates strongly that PRS, which people develop, are need specific although similarities may exist between related product categories.     

The Industry Life Cycle,Acquisitions and Investment: Does Firm Organization Matter?

We examine the effect of industry life‐cycle stages on within‐industry acquisitions and capital expenditures by conglomerates and single‐segment firms controlling for endogeneity of organizational form. We find greater differences in acquisitions than in capital expenditures, which are similar across organizational types. In particular, 36% of the growth recorded by conglomerate segments in growth industries comes from acquisitions, versus 9% for single‐segment firms. In growth industries, the effect of financial dependence on acquisitions and plant openings is mitigated for conglomerate firms. Plants acquired by conglomerate firms increase in productivity. The results suggest that organizational forms' comparative advantages differ across industry conditions.