On the trait antecedents and outcomes of service worker job resourcefulness: A hierarchical model approach

In a series of three studies, a four-level hierarchical model of personality was employed to identify the antecedents and three validating criteria of a newly developed trait labeledjob resourcefulness (JR). JR is defined as an enduring disposition to garner scarce resources and overcome obstacles in pursuit of job-related goals. Across three service contexts, JR was shown to predict customer orientation, self-rated performance, and supervisor-rated performance. The results also revealed that the hierarchical model accounted for more variance in performance ratings than one version of the 5-Factor Model of personality. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for selecting high-performing service employees. Jane W. Licata (jwlicata@sosu.edu) is an associate professor of marketing at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. She has published articles in theJournal of Public Policy and Marketing, theJournal of Marketing Research, and theJournal of Business Research. John C. Mowen (jcmmkt@okstate.edu) is Regents Professor and holds the Noble Chair of Marketing Strategy at Oklahoma State University. He has published articles in numerous journals, including theJournal of the Academy of Marketing Sciences, theJournal of Marketing Research, theJournal of Marketing, Decisions Sciences, theJournal of Applied Psychology, and theJournal of Personality and Social Psychology. Eric G. Harris (eharris@lklnd.usf.edu) is an assistant professor of marketing at the University of South Florida. He has published articles inPsychology & Marketing and theJournal of Marketing Management. Tom J. Brown (tomb@okstate.edu) is an associate professor of marketing at Oklahoma State University. He has published in numerous journals, including theJournal of Marketing, theJournal of Marketing Research, and theJournal of Consumer Research.     

A shift to external alliances for product development in the pharmaceutical industry

For a number of years, pharmaceutical companies have been departing from a tradition of strict vertical integration, looking to external sources for at least some of their novel technology and products. The aim of this study was to determine whether (1) this is a long term, industry-wide trend, or (2) merely a temporary or local response to acquire the technical capabilities of the biotechnology revolution of the 1970's, after which, with the new generation of technology in-house, they will revert to primarily in-house innovation. Analysis of secondary data on a representative sample of the fifteen largest drug companies in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland indicated that between 1977 and 1987, these pharmaceutical companies increased their external R&D alliances nearly six-fold on average. A large and growing proportion of pharmaceutical companies' R&D alliances are formed with biotechnology firms which have proprietary technology, due to financial and innovative pressures. Far from being temporary, this resort to external sources of technology in the pharmaceutical industry follows the trends of the wider industrial world towards functional specialization. Thus, biotechnology companies are increasingly taking on the role of suppliers of innovation.     

Demand patterns and Canada’s trade in services

Canada’s trade in commercial services appears inconsistent with what manufacturing-oriented Heckscher-Ohlin theory predicts. Canada’s services trade is overwhelmingly intra-industry, involving countries whose factor proportions and demand patterns are similar—findings consistent with the ‘new’ trade theory, and the Linder hypothesis: that there is a uni-directional causal relationship flowing from the similarity (convergence) in demand patterns amongst trading partners, to Canada’s exports to those partners. Support for this conjecture is found for the US, the UK, and Japan. We infer that liberalization of trade in commercial services is likely welfare enhancing, with gains greater within trade arrangements and entities such as the NAFTA, the EU, and the OECD.     

The influence of co-location in higher education institutions on small firms’ perspectives of knowledge transfer

Since 1980, the UK has experienced a dramatic growth in firms and employment in information–intensive business services, such as management consultancy and market research. Recent expansion of new and small firms operating in these sectors is the focus of a major ESRC–sponsored research project currently under way at Cambridge University Small Business Research Centre.

Small business service firms are able to compete successfully with large firms due to the imperfect nature of the market which characterizes business services demand and supply, together with specialization of expertise. The success of small business service firms depends on informal person–to–person networks, word–of–mouth recommendation and repeal business based on successful earlier assignments or personal contacts acquired, for example, while working in a large consultancy or market research company. This paper examines the types of networks utilized by small business service firms and argues that two distinct types exist: demand– and supply–related networks; the former involves links with clients, the latter links and co–operation between complementary small business service firms.     

Capitalizing on the cultural and linguistic diversity of mobile talent: lessons from an Australian study

Abstract

To date, acknowledgement of where culturally and linguistically diverse talent is located in organizations has been largely neglected in scholarship, policy and practice. As such, we have limited understanding of whether or not we are ‘capitalizing’ on the capabilities of culturally and linguistically diverse workers and, the implications of not doing so. Accordingly, the paper sheds light on the cultural and linguistic diversity (CALD) of the talent pipeline and senior leadership suite in multinational professional services firms located in Australia by surveying over 4000 staff members. The paper presents how we identify, measure and evaluate CALD in a meaningful way by drawing on insights offered by talent management and diversity management researchers, which informs the development of a unique methodological tool to survey respondents. As such, in addition to the empirical contribution, the paper also contributes to a broad field of scholarship while signalling lessons for senior managers and policy-makers.     

Are employers assessing the right traits in hiring? Evidence from Hong Kong companies

Employers constantly function as information processors. The personnel selection process requires employers to decide among candidates characterized by multiple attributes. The purpose of this study (N = 300) was to develop an understanding of the selection decision process of recruiters, and to identify inconsistencies, if any, between recruiters' perception on the ideal qualities for effective performance and qualities actually assessed during interviews. Moreover, the paper compares the direct and indirect approaches in attribute importance estimation. Conscientiousness was the ideal quality for effective performance and Extraversion was most assessed during interviews, unveiling the possibility that managers may not be assessing the right traits and hiring the right candidate. This paper is of significance because it provides useful feedback for HR professionals and hiring managers in understanding their cognitive and actual behaviour and heightens the need for better selection strategies.     

Supervisor Heterogeneity: An Analysis Of Uk Microdata

We investigate the attributes of supervisors and the key correlates of the extent of their supervisory responsibilities. We find a strong correlation between wages, education, experience, firm size and the extent of supervision. One implication of this is that firms may be indifferent between employing a few, 'high responsibility' or many 'low responsibility' supervisors. Our findings, suggestive as they are of supervisory heterogeneity, should be taken into account in studies that proxy the intensity of monitoring primarily by the number of supervisors employed.     

The effect of unemployment insurance on weekly hours of work in Canada

Major revisions to the Canadian unemployment insurance program in 1997 created a benefit structure that effectively provides more insurance to workers who are employed for longer workweeks. This anomaly creates an incentive for workers and firms to tailor their weekly work schedules to maximize net program benefits. Analysis of Labour Force Survey data shows that workers and firms responded to these changes by altering weekly hours as expected. This behavioural response demonstrates the sensitivity of hours of work decisions to labour market policies. JEL classification: J65
Les effets de l'assurance-chômage sur le nombre hebdomadaire d'heures de travail au Canada. Des changements majeurs dans le programme canadien d'assurance-chômage en 1997 ont mis en place une structure de prestations qui fournissait un support additionnel aux travailleurs qui travaillaient de plus longues heures dans la semaine. Cette anomalie a créé une incitation pour travailleurs et entreprises à ajuster leur cédule hebdomadaire de travail de manière à maximiser les bénéfices nets du programme. L'analyse des données de l'Enquête sur la population active montre que travailleurs et entreprises ont répondu à ces changements en ajustant les heures hebdomadaires de travail comme prévu. Cette réaction montre bien la sensitivité des heures de travail aux politiques du marché du travail.     

Do government purchases crowd out investment?

The objective of this study is to determine whether federal government purchases negatively impact private investment using times series regression analysis. This study uses quarterly data from the years 1986.1 to 2004.4 in order to provide a relatively contemporary evaluation of the effects of federal purchases on private investment. The empirical results in this study reveal that increases in federal urchases, expressed as a percent of GDP, act to reduce new investment, which provides further support for the theory that government expenditures crowd out private investment. (JEL: E22, E62)     

Nonaudit Services and Earnings Conservatism: Is Auditor Independence Impaired?*

We examine whether the provision of nonaudit services (NAS) by incumbent auditors is associated with a reduction in the extent to which earnings reflect bad news on a timely basis (that is, news‐based conservatism). Reduced conservatism is expected to occur if relatively high levels of NAS result in reduced auditor independence and, ultimately, lower‐quality auditing. Because client‐specific demand for NAS is expected to vary, our proxy for the auditor‐client economic bond is the extent to which NAS purchases (relative to audit fees) are greater or less than expected. Using several different methods for identifying news‐based conservatism, we consistently find that higher than expected levels of NAS are not associated with reduced conservatism. This result is robust to allowing for endogenous NAS demand, as well as several explicit factors that may be associated with differences in conservatism. Similar conclusions arise from tests that use alternative measures of the economic bond between auditors and their clients, as well as in tests confined to either the Big 6 or non‐Big 6 audit firms. Our results are consistent with factors such as market‐based incentives, the threat of litigation, and alternative governance mechanisms offsetting any expected benefits to the audit firm from reducing its independence. We therefore conclude that recent legislative intervention aimed at restricting the supply of NAS is unlikely to result in increased independence in fact, although independence in appearance may be improved.