Evolution and Implementation: A Study of Values, Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility

There is growing recognition that good ethics can have a positive economic impact on the performance of firms. Many statistics support the premise that ethics, values, integrity and responsibility are required in the modern workplace. For consumer groups and society at large, research has shown that good ethics is good business. This study defines and traces the emergence and evolution within the business literature of the concepts of values, business ethics and corporate social responsibility to illustrate the increased emphasis that has been placed on these issues over time. Two organizations that have successfully dealt with these issues were analyzed to identify the links among values, ethics, and corporate social responsibility as they are incorporated into the culture and management of a firm. This study identified the presence and implementation of values, business ethics, and CSR actions within the two organizations studied.     

To eat or to be eaten–on the role of entrepreneurship in the Norwegian telecom access sector

The purpose of this paper is to analyse mechanisms of evolution by studying a population of firms involved in the provision of telecom access in Norway after the liberation of the telecom sector during the 1990s. The approach is based on a combination of theory on entrepreneurship and theories on sectoral innovation systems, in particular the role of entrepreneurship under different technological regimes. By analysing the role of different actors in the market for telecom access, the relationship between the previous state monopolist Telenor and other companies entering the market is discussed. The main conclusion is that Telenor, in spite of the liberalization of the telecom market, still is in a very dominant position in the markets for access provision. To the extent that Telenor is challenged, it is basically by other existing telecom companies. By the time of finalizing this paper (2006), none of the entrepreneurial firms have survived as independent firms. The main conclusion deriving from this analysis, is that the telecom access sector is characterized by the routinized regime, in which the larger, established firms are the dominant players. However, this does not mean that entrepreneurs do not play important roles. By starting their new ventures, entrepreneurs are challenging the positions of the incumbents; they are contributing to more competition and innovation. Without the pressure from the entrepreneurial entrants, the level of innovation in the sectoral system would have been significantly lower.     

A Bayesian Approach to Understanding Time Series Data

This paper explores the use of Bayesian models to analyze time series data. The Bayesian approach produces output that can be readily understood by actuaries and included in their own experience studies. We illustrate this Bayesian approach by analyzing U.S. unemployment rates, a macroeconomic time series. Understanding time series of macroeconomic variables can help actuaries in pricing and reserving their products. For example, a change in the level and/or variance of the unemployment series is of interest to actuaries, because its movement can explain a changing pattern of lapse rates of incidence rates. Our Bayesian analysis, based on models developed by McCulloch and Tsay (1993, 1994), allows for shifts in the level and in the error variance of a process. We develop a measure of model fit, based on the Akaike Information Criterion, that can be used in choosing between alternative models. Posterior prediction intervals for the fitted values are also created to pictorially show the range of paths that could result from the choice of a particular model.     

Plural governance: The effect of internal production on supplier performance

We suggest that both making and buying the same product or service has several effects on supplier performance. A model is developed and tested by use of answers gathered from the Danish municipalities. The results support the three hypotheses that (1) the negative effects of technological uncertainty on supplier performance decrease when buyers combine internal production and external sourcing, (2) the negative effects of performance uncertainty on supplier performance decrease when buyers combine internal production and external sourcing, and (3) the negative effects of asset specificity on supplier performance decrease when buyers combine internal production and external sourcing. However, the moderating effects depend on how the plurality is measured. The results indicate that internal production may facilitate effective governance of the relationships with external suppliers. Implications for research on make-or-buy decisions and for practice are also discussed.     

Just-in-time inventory control: A subset of channel management

Marketing managers began adopting the Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) method of inventory control from the manufacturing industry almost thirty years ago. A new approach, “Just-In-Time” inventory, pioneered by Japanese firms, should be considered. This approach consists of at least two significant phases: one, technical, based on instantaneous communication flow and the computer; and secondly, behavioral, emphasizing improved cooperation between members of the channel system.     

The General Public and the Art Museum: Case Studies of Visitors to Several Institutions Identify Characteristics of Weir Publics

Abstract . From case studies at several art museums, characteristics of several types of museum goers have been identified. Typically museum visitors are in the upper educational, occupational and income groups, younger than the population in general (average age is 34) and active in community and leisure-time organizations. Frequent visitors do so to be with people, to do something they consider worthwhile, to use surroundings in which they feel comfortable and at ease, to be challenged by new experiences, to use an opportunity to learn and to participate actively in an experience they value. Replication in the U.S. of a classic study in England corroborates its findings.