Structural change in oecd countries: A normal pattern analysis

Summary This article discusses the development of sector shares against the background of growingper capita income and some other key variables. It elaborates on Chenery's normal pattern approach, which emphasizes the existence of regularities. Long-term dynamics in the economic structure are quantified. Conclusions are drawn with respect to the continuing process of industrialization, the role of the service sector and the rise or decline of manufacturing subsectors. The slow-down of overall growth rates and the discovery of energy resources are given special attention. Finally it is tried to detect some country-specific specialization patterns.I am indebted to Professor Theo van de Klundert and to my colleagues Robert de Groof and Anton Markink.     

Co‐evolution in Strategic Renewal Behaviour of British,Dutch and French Financial Incumbents: Interaction of Environmental Selection,Institutional Effects and Managerial Intentionality*

abstract How do incumbent firms and environments co‐evolve and how are firm‐level adaptation and selection at industry level interrelated? Can and do large established organizations renew themselves to adapt to their environment? Three single‐lens theories, relating to environmental selection, institutional theory, managerial intentionality, and a co‐evolutionary perspective are used to investigate strategic renewal of incumbent firms. We derive propositions and distinguish between three dimensions of strategic renewal and develop metrics to investigate our propositions in a multi‐level, multi‐country, longitudinal study of the European financial services industry. Our results provide the following insights. From an environmental selection perspective, we found incumbents have a preference for exploitation renewal actions. Country institutional environments appear to explain to what extent incumbents prefer internal and/or external renewal actions. Managerial intentionality seems to explain outlier behaviour and firm‐specific frequency and timing of renewal actions. From a co‐evolutionary perspective, interaction effects explain deviations from predictions derived from the single‐lens theories applied in this paper.     

On interpreting the product moment correlation coefficient*

Abstract In interpreting the product moment correlation coefficient we can take advantage of the fact that functions of it exist which admit interpretation as probabilities of error in certain situations.     

Analysing neighbourhood influence in criminology

Neighbourhood influence in criminology can be conceptualised both as pertaining to the influence of characteristics of a neighbourhood on its inhabitants, and to the mutual influence of characteristics of adjacent neighbourhoods on each other. The first conceptualisation asks for multilevel analysis, the second one for one of several spatial dependency (spatial autocorrelation) methods. Various models in both traditions are discussed and illustrated with data on victimisation and on burglary.     

The Impact of Management Control on Employee Motivation and Performance in the Public Sector

Abstract

This study examines the relations among various types of management control, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and performance in the public sector. We draw on motivation crowding theory and self-determination theory to argue that four different types of management control (i.e. personnel, cultural, action, and results control) are likely to have an influence on intrinsic motivation and/or extrinsic motivation. We test a structural equation model using survey data from 105 similar departments in the public sector. Our findings indicate that the use of personnel and cultural controls is positively associated with employees’ intrinsic motivation, and that the use of results controls is positively associated with employees’ extrinsic motivation. Moreover, both intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation are positively associated with performance. Taken together, these findings support the idea advocated by New Public Management proponents that results control can enhance employee motivation and performance in the public sector. However, the findings also highlight an essential nuance; in addition to results control, personnel and cultural controls are also important, as they enhance intrinsic motivation and performance. This implies that a sole focus on results control is too narrow and can lead to suboptimal levels of employee motivation and performance in the public sector.     

Offshoring and firm innovation: The moderating role of top management team attributes

This study attempts to increase the understanding of how offshoring influences the introduction of new products and services. Focusing on the offshoring of those business functions that provide direct knowledge inputs for innovation (i.e., production, R&D, and engineering), we propose that offshoring has an inverted U‐shaped influence on firm innovativeness. Additionally, we provide an upper echelon contingency perspective by considering the moderating role of two top management team (TMT) attributes (i.e., informational diversity and shared vision). Using a cross‐industry sample with lagged data, we find that offshoring has an inverted U‐shaped influence on firm innovativeness and that this relationship is steeper in firms with high TMT informational diversity and in firms with low TMT shared vision. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Scenarios in an organizational perspective

In everyday life there are many kinds of scenarios—those embracing society as a whole, and those limited to the local community centre. There is considerable variation in scenario subject matter, range, level and degree of detail.¹ Why have scenarios become so popular and which organizational arrangements have been created to design and implement this kind of policy-oriented futures research? This article looks at both elements of this question. It examines policy-oriented futures research in general, and scenarios as part of this type of research. It then discusses organizational structures for designing and applying scenarios. Following this, the strong and weak points of scenarios in policy formulation are explored and a number of conclusions are drawn.     

Food for a growing world population

This report describes summarily the set-up and main conclusions of the project “Food for a doubling world population”. It has to be seen as a preview-rather than as a summary-of the final report, as the model is not discussed explicitly in the present paper. The final report on the study-containing a detailed presentation of aims, methods and results—will appear under the title “MOIRA—A Model of International Relations in Agriculture”, North-Holland Publishing Company, Amsterdam, in the course of 1977. Besides the present authors, R. Brolsma, J. Bruinsma, P. Buringh, G.J. Staring, M. van der Vlis and C.T. de Wit had an active part in the multi-disciplinary project.