Evidence of short-term household change in South Africa from the National Income Dynamics Study

We use longitudinal data from the National Income Dynamics Study to document the extent of recent short-term residential and household compositional change in South Africa. We analyse the demographic correlates of these transitions, including population group, age, urban/rural status, and income. We examine educational and labour-market transitions among movers and the prevalence of the four major types of compositional change – births, addition of joiners, deaths, and loss of leavers. We find that short-term household change is prevalent in South Africa. During a two-year period from 2008 to 2010, 10.5% of South Africans moved residence and 61.3% experienced change in household composition. We find that moving is more common among blacks and whites, very young children, young adults, urban individuals, and those with higher incomes. Among non-movers, compositional change is more likely for blacks and coloureds, young adults and children, females, urban individuals, and individuals with lower incomes.     

A comparative study of the determinants of future plans and expectations of business students

Current university juniors and seniors have plans and expectations for after they graduate. In an effort to better understand these plans and expectations, the authors assessed a sample of 334 university students enrolled in business classes. The study examined the impact of three categories of independent variables—family influences, demographic influences, and academic influences—on the dependent variables of student degree aspirations, career aspirations, and expected salaries. Determinant variables with the most consistent influences on these dependent variables include birth order and parents' income (family influences); age and ethnicity (demographic influences); and grade point average, college entrance exam scores, and academic major (academic influences).     

The role of positive-sum games in economic growth

Positive-sum games specific to dynamic equilibrium are contrasted to zero-sum games associated with static equilibrium. It is shown how the involved synergistic interactions and dynamic flexibilities explain how economic growth comes about.     

The structure of the IS discipline reconsidered: Implications and reflections from a community of practice perspective

The motivation of this paper is to advance the recent discussion about the identity of the Information Systems field with a social analysis of its community structures. It seeks to shed new light on the reasons why the field continues to debate its identity and to voice concerns about its recognition by other disciplines. For that purpose the paper adapts selected concepts from the community of practice literature for improving our understanding of the ways in which the IS research community differentiates itself into diverse constituencies, called communities of practice and knowing (CoP&K), and how these interact in the field’s complex processes of knowledge creation and dissemination. Our second purpose is to derive some tentative, actionable recommendations for the field from applying the concepts presented in the first part of the paper. The recommendations expand three fundamental ideas: (i) why a continuously updated history of the field could be an important contribution to support boundary spanning and identity formation; (ii) what the nature and role of fundamental criticism is for the IS research community and why it is necessary for the field’s future to pay more institutional attention to it; and (iii) how to improve understanding and communication within each paradigm constituency across a broad subset of different CoP&K through building a shared sense of collective historical accomplishments. The conclusions summarize the principal results which follow from our examination of the field’s community structures and insist that the CoP&K perspective concomitantly helps to better appreciate the underlying conditions from where the current IS disciplinary challenges have arisen; it also helps to suggest new priorities and possible strategies for dealing with these challenges.     

Contract research and high-tech alliances: Vistas for future studies

This research note addresses the governance structure of innovation processes in high-tech alliances, focusing on the content and role of formal contracts. Contract research is strongly heterogeneous, that is, many different paradigms, concepts, definitions and measures exist. We discuss the most important aspects of contract research and primarily argue that future research needs to pay ample attention to the interpretation of contracts, as the written contract might be just a standard form written by lawyers who are not directly involved in the high-tech alliance. We also propose a wide view of contracts and emphasize that contracts might have different functions depending on the role that the contract plays in the relationship. In so doing, we review the most common research methods, i.e., surveys, meta-studies and longitudinal case studies, and suggest that the latter offer the most promissory opportunities for future alliance contract studies.     

Innovation and change in organizational relationships: interdisciplinary contexts

From July 13–15 of 1988 individuals from nine countries gathered at the Manchester Business School for the fifth international conference of INTERSTUDY (the International Association for the Study of Interdisciplinary Research). Entitled Interdisciplinary Research and the World Marketplace, the conference was co-sponsored by the Manchester Business School and the journal R&D MANAGEMENT. Founded in 1980, Inter-study has endeavoured to advance the art and science of IDR (interdisciplinary problem-focussed research) by organizing international meetings for representatives of the academy, industry, and government. Its major accomplishment has been publication of the results of those meetings in four books. These books, along with other publications in the growing field of IDR, provide a valuable collection of resources for scholars, managers, researchers, and practitioners.