Does corporate philanthropy exist?: business giving to the arts in the U.K.

This paper addresses the question of the existence of corporate philanthropy. It proposes a framework for analysing corporate philanthropy along the dimensions of business/society interest and primary/secondary stakeholder focus. The framework is then applied in order to understand business involvement with the arts in the U.K. A unique dataset of 60 texts which describe different firms' involvement with the Arts is analysed using formal content analysis to uncover the motivations for business involvement. Cluster analysis is then used in order to identify motivational groupings. Two broad types of involvement are identified – advertisers and legitimators. Only in one case of the 60 is there the potential to observe pure altruism. The contribution of this paper is twofold. First, it provides a clear framework to understand the motivations for corporate giving and applies this using empirical data. Secondly, this research finds little evidence, if at all, of corporate philanthropy in the context of firms giving to the Arts in the U.K.     

Communicating Corporate Responsibility to Investors: The Changing Role of the Investor Relations Function

Based on an inductive study we analyse the role of the investor relations (IR) function in the light of rising investor concern about corporate social responsibility (CSR). The study draws on interviews with IR professionals in twenty firms. It highlights their awareness of CSR issues as well as their assessment of concern among mainstream investors and socially responsible investors (SRIs). From these findings we develop suggestions on how the IR function is moving from a mere “broadcasting” mode regarding CSR issues into a much more interactive mode of relationship management.     

The Impact of Article Method Type and Subject Area on Article Citations and Reference Diversity in JM,JMR, and JCR

It has been argued that the scientific status of the marketing discipline is reflected in both the ability of its articles to be cited and the degree to which its articles draw from a diverse set of reference sources. We combine a content analysis of a sample of 561 JM, JMR, and JCR articles with a citation analysis and reference analysis of those same articles to investigate the impact of article method type and subject area on article citation rates and reference diversity. Our results reveal that verbal-theory and field study papers are both more likely to be cited and more likely to draw from a wide variety of journal and disciplinary reference sources. The results also reveal that services/customer satisfaction and general theory and philosophy of science articles are generally more likely to be cited than other subject areas, although services/customer satisfaction articles are also less likely to rely on a diverse set of references.     

Generic Product Strategies for Emerging Market Exports into Triad Nation Markets: A Mimetic Isomorphism Approach

ABSTRACT Based on the concept of mimetic isomorphism, we theorize that, by imitating the home country MNE modal generic product strategy in each Triad nation, emerging market firms (EMFs) can improve their export performance satisfaction. We hypothesize that EMFs which: (1) target the EU and use a Premium strategy, (2) target Japan and use a Superior Value strategy, or (3) target the USA and use an Economy strategy will, on average, achieve higher levels of satisfaction with export performance than EMFs that enter emerging markets or EMFs that employ other product strategies in Triad nation markets. Our hypothesis is tested and supported on a sample of Romanian and Chinese exporters. Managerial implications of our theory and findings are discussed.     

Financial capital movements and central bank behavior in a two-country,short-run portfolio balance model

This paper analyzes financial capital movements in a two-country, short-run, portfolio balance model which includes two securities that are imperfect substitutes. Following a disturbance, equilibrium is, in general, reattained, but the effects on interest rates, money supplies, and international reserve holdings depend on the monetary and reserve asset management policies of the two central banks. Special attention is focused on the case in which one central bank holds its international reserves in the form of ‘key currency’ securities, thereby sterilizing for the ‘key currency’ country. There are several applications of the central result that, for any disturbance, the less changes in international reserves are allowed to affect money supplies, the larger the change in reserves required to reestablish equilibrium.     

Rater source factors represent important subcomponents of the criterion construct space, not rater bias

We contrast normative accuracy and ecological perspectives on applications of the multitrait–multimethod methodology to multisource performance ratings and review existing research that provides critical tests of these perspectives. Existing research supports the ecological perspective which proposes that the rater source effects that are typically found in analysis of multisource performance ratings do not represent mere halo biases but alternative, perhaps equally valid perspectives on ratee performance. We suggest that future research view multifaceted research designs in the broader context of a prototype multidimensional data relational system such as that proposed by Lance, Baranik, Lau, and Scharlau (Lance, C. E., Baranik, L. E., Lau, A. R., & Scharlau, E. A. (in press). If it's not trait it must be method: (Mis)application of the multitrait–multimethod design in organizational research. In C. E. Lance & R. J. Vandenberg (Eds.), Statistical and methodological myths and urban legends: Received doctrine, verity, and fable in the organizational and social sciences. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum).     

Corruption and market attractiveness influences on different types of FDI

Previous studies have proposed that a compensatory model predicts the level of foreign direct investment (FDI) in a country; FDI levels are a result of ‘trade‐offs’ between the positive effect of market attractiveness and the negative influence of corruption. In contrast, we hypothesize and find that the compensatory relationship only holds for market‐seeking investment; for resource‐seeking FDI the model appears to be noncompensatory. Greater market attractiveness mitigates the negative impact of corruption on market‐seeking investment, but the ability of market attractiveness to mitigate the negative impact of corruption on resource‐seeking FDI quickly disappears as corruption levels increase. Implications and future research directions are discussed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

International market selection and subsidiary performance: A neural network approach

How should multinational enterprises (MNEs) select international markets? We develop a model of international market selection that adds firm-specific advantages and transaction cost considerations to previously explored target market factors based on Dunning's Eclectic Framework. Results obtained using neural network (NN) analysis indicates that our model has strong predictive power in explaining international market selection. Further tests show that firms selecting international markets predicted by the model reported significantly higher subsidiary performance relative to firms whose investments were not predicted by the model. Our results provide strong initial evidence that a firm-level strategic approach to international market selection facilitates MNE success.