Unionised employee's reactions to the introduction of a goal‐based performance appraisal system1

While performance appraisal research has a rich history, we sought to address a long‐noted void in the human resource management (HRM) literature, namely an investigation of employees' reactions to a newly introduced performance appraisal. Specifically, we examined the reaction of 408 unionised employees to a newly introduced performance appraisal system. Reactions examined included appraisal satisfaction, job satisfaction, appraisal fairness, goal setting and the perceived purpose of the system. Satisfaction with the appraisal system was higher when (a) employees perceived it as being fair, (b) it was used primarily for developmental purposes and (c) it allowed them to participate in goal setting. Of additional importance, perception of a developmental focus in the appraisal partially mediated the relationship between appraisal satisfaction, and each of job satisfaction, appraisal fairness and goal setting.     

Problem-Based Teaching in International Management: A Political/Economic Risk Assessment Exercise

This article draws from the current literature to examine problem-based learning (PBL) as a management education tool, and provides an example of how to incorporate PBL into an undergraduate international management course. Also included are an explanation of, and specific guidelines for, a PBL exercise focused on the analysis of “country risk” (political/economic risks) for potential foreign direct investment. Additionally, the benefits and unique challenges of successfully implementing this type of exercise are discussed.     

The Influence of CEO Gender on Market Orientation and Performance in Service Small and Medium‐Sized Service Businesses

This study examines the effects of CEO gender on market orientation and performance (growth and profitability) among a sample of small and medium‐sized service businesses. Gender was found to have significant indirect effects (via market orientation) on both market performance (growth) and financial performance (profitability). That is, female‐led service SMEs perform significantly better due to their stronger market orientation relative those led by males. The findings further suggest that female‐led firms were slightly better than their male‐led counterparts in transmitting market performance into financial performance, although the differences were not statistically significant.     

Compative robustness of six tests in repeated measures designs with specified departures from sphericity

In this article we examine the behaviour of six univariate statistics for analyzing the data of a Split-plot factorial design. Except for the univariate analysis of variance, which assumes that the dispersion matrix underlying the data is spherical, the other five procedures assume absence of sphericity. However, they do so with a clear distinction between two alternatives, insofar as three of them presuppose an arbitrary correlation between the data and two presuppose serial autocorrelation. These six approaches were compared with regard to their robustness under multivariate normality in the absence of sphericity, both when there was serial autocorrelation and when there was underlying arbitrary correlation. In general, Monte Carlo comparisons show that when underlying the data there is a autoregressive stationary or decreasing structured non-stationary autoregressive process, the Hearne, Clark and Hatch procedure is the most robust. In the rest of the conditions studied, i.e., increasing structured non-stationarity autoregressive and arbitrary non-stationarity (autoregressive and with arbitrary correlation), the Greenhouse-Geisser and Lecoutre statistics display the best behaviour.     

Inference in a synchronization game with social interactions

This paper studies inference in a continuous time game where an agent’s decision to quit an activity depends on the participation of other players. In equilibrium, similar actions can be explained not only by direct influences but also by correlated factors. Our model can be seen as a simultaneous duration model with multiple decision makers and interdependent durations. We study the problem of determining the existence and uniqueness of equilibrium stopping strategies in this setting. This paper provides results and conditions for the detection of these endogenous effects. First, we show that the presence of such effects is a necessary and sufficient condition for simultaneous exits. This allows us to set up a nonparametric test for the presence of such influences, which is robust to multiple equilibria. Second, we provide conditions under which parameters in the game are identified. Finally, we apply the model to data on desertion in the Union Army during the American Civil War, and find evidence of endogenous influences.     

The role of cross‐cultural absorptive capacity in the effectiveness of in‐country cross‐cultural training

Based on the theory of absorptive capacity, this study examines the following question. In the context of cross‐cultural training, can the amount of previously accumulated cultural knowledge affect the ability of a trainee to absorb further learning about a new culture, thus enhancing total knowledge and presumably cross‐cultural adjustment? In‐country cross‐cultural training was hypothesized to be more effective when the training components are divided and the sessions are distributed over time – resulting in increased cultural knowledge and greater cross‐cultural adjustment. Results from an experimental design suggested that in‐country cross‐cultural training can increase cultural knowledge, when distributed over time. The results also suggested that the training group had greater differences between pre‐training and post‐training scores on cross‐cultural adjustment, but the differences were not statistically different. The results, methodology and conclusions can be generalized to a variety of populations (e.g. international managers and expatriates) and organizations (e.g. multinationals). For international managers and expatriates, the results showed that in‐country cross‐cultural training, like predeparture cross‐cultural training, is also a viable intervention for knowledge acquisition.     

Realistic recruitment practices in organizations: The potential benefits of generalized expectancy calibration

Realistic Job Previews (RJPs) have been studied by researchers and utilized by practitioners to attenuate early turnover by providing both positive and negative information about a job and organization to job applicants. Historically, RJPs have suffered from several criticisms including modest effect sizes, cost of development, and potential self-selection effects. Recently, the expectancy lowering procedure (ELP: Buckley, Fedor, Veres, Wiese, & Carraher has been developed and tested to address these limitations of the RJP. The purpose of this review is to provide historical foundations and persistent limitations of the RJP, and to extend propositions supporting the ELP as an effective alternative procedure.