Constructing institutional performance: a multi-level framing perspective on performance measurement and management

Research on performance measurement and management (PMM) informed by institutional theory has proliferated over the past two decades. Much of this research has concentrated on the institutional effects on organisational PMM practices and their consequences for organisational behaviour and has only recently started to pay more focussed attention to the effects of such practices on the construction of the very conceptions of performance that come to dominate institutional fields. To further integrative theory development, I pull these strands of research together into an analytical framework pivoting on the concept of institutional performance. Institutional performance is defined as the socially constructed conceptions of organisational performance that become firmly institutionalised as legitimate aspects of achievement in institutional fields. Adopting a multi-level framing perspective, I develop a set of research propositions reflecting how contradictory PMM practices, emerging in response to the institutional complexity attributable to heterogeneous and competing constituency demands, shape such conceptions of performance and how this contributes to reducing or reinforcing institutional complexity over time. I discuss the implications of applying this framework in empirical research and the contributions to institutional research on PMM as well as institutional theory, more generally, that may emerge from such research.     

Determinants of M&A success in the European insurance industry

This research analyzes the success of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) for European acquiring insurers using a stock market perspective. In contrast to previous papers that use an event study approach, our analysis is based on the stochastic dominance methodology, in which we analyze short and long term capital market reactions following an M&A announcement. In addition, we examine firm- and transaction-specific determinants associated with superior M&A success. Using a sample of 102 European insurance M&A transactions over the period 1993–2009, our results indicate that acquiring insurers are second-order dominated by their benchmark portfolio in the short term. In the long run, we find no evidence of stochastic dominance compared to their non-acquiring counterparts. Moreover, we find that geographically diversifying acquirers are rewarded by the market, and that transactions in which the acquirer and target have a business relationship before the M&A announcement outperform transactions without pre-M&A participation in the short-term. Finally, we detect a positive relationship between cash payment and acquirers’ M&A success.     

Five caveats for risk–risk analysis

Risk analysis should be symmetrical in the sense that when evaluating an option for decision-making, we assess the risks that it may increase in the same way as those that it may decrease. However, implementing such symmetry is not always easy. In this contribution, five complications that have to be dealt with are introduced and briefly discussed: (1) We need to take all types of advantages and disadvantages into account, not only the risks. (2) There is more than one way to weigh risks against each other. (3) Decision-makers may legitimately put more weight on the direct effects of their decisions than on more indirect and uncertain effects, in particular, if the latter fall outside of their area of responsibility. (4) When a trade-off between risks is unsatisfactory, we should search for innovative solutions that make the trade-off unnecessary. (5) An exclusive focus on risks does not solve the incommensurability problem.     

German export performance

The Federal Republic of Germany's exports in 1980 represented approximately 23% of GNP. Germany's share of total world exports, however, declined throughout the seventies. What are the factors influencing German export performance? What is the outlook for the future?     

The Value of Brand and Convenience Attributes in Highly Processed Food Products

Researchers have long sought to better understand consumer preferences for various packaged foods and their attributes. Beyond price and taste, brand names, convenience, and increasingly diet‐health‐related cues are regarded as key attributes in attracting consumer demand. This paper applies a hedonic pricing model to a large panel of consumer packaged food products to estimate monetary value of brand, convenience, and other quality attributes in processed meat and seafood products using 2000–06 Nielsen aggregate weekly scanner data. We find evidence of consumer preferences for perceived “natural” and health attributes over products with higher degrees of processing. The results further indicate that the process of adding value to food products is intricate and dependent on multiple other indicators of product quality, not least health. As such, frozen natural chicken and seafood products may be considered by certain consumers as substitutes for fresh meat and seafood. This finding may carry further implications for the pricing and marketing of lower‐value products. Les chercheurs tentent depuis longtemps de mieux comprendre les préférences des consommateurs pour divers aliments emballés et leurs attributs. Outre le prix et le goût, la marque, l’aspect pratique et les logos santé sont considérés comme d’importants attributs pour accroître la demande des consommateurs. Dans le présent article, à l’aide de données scanographiques agrégées hebdomadaires obtenues auprès de Nielsen pour la période de 2000 à 2006, nous avons appliqué un modèle hédonistique des prix à un large éventail de produits alimentaires de consommation courante pour estimer la valeur monétaire de la marque, de l’aspect pratique et d’autres attributs de qualité dans le cas de produits de viande et de la mer transformés. Les résultats indiquent que les consommateurs ont une préférence pour les produits dits « naturels » et « santé» par rapport aux produits hautement transformés. Les résultats indiquent également que le processus d’ajout de valeur aux produits alimentaires est complexe et tributaire de nombreux autres indicateurs de qualité, y compris la santé. Certains consommateurs considèrent même les produits de la mer et le poulet naturel surgelés comme des substituts de viande et de produits de la mer frais. Cette observation peut avoir des incidences sur l’établissement des prix et la commercialisation de produits de faible valeur.     

Towards sound environmental behaviour: Exploring household participation in waste management

The article reports a study of household participation in waste management. The empirical material stems from a long-term experiment with local composting carried out in a suburb of the city of Göteborg, Sweden. Fifty-two households of a population of 180 voluntarily participated in the field experiment where three makes of compostors were tested. The aim of the paper is to shed light on some critical factors that are of importance when introducing and evaluating new waste management systems that rely on active participation by households. The motives behind the initial decision to participate, as well as factors influencing continuation or discontinuation, are identified and analysed. Data were collected through three interviews carried out in the homes of participating families during the experimental period of one year. Amongst the results reported it can be seen that a general environmental concern was a common factor behind the decision to participate in the project. The positive attitude towards composting was strong throughout the experiment, although composting behaviour in the implementation phase declined in such a way that less material was composted due to lack of knowledge, technical misfits, and problems related to internal household dynamics. Another important result found was that the obstacles perceived by prospective participants prior to the commencement of the composting were not those that in fact proved to be decisive.

---

In Richtung auf umweltverträgliches Verhalten: Die Untersuchung der Beteiligung von Haushalten an Abfalltrennung und Müllvermeidung

Zusammenfassung Das empirische Material der Studie, über die der Beitrag berichtet, stammt aus einer Langzeituntersuchung in einem Stadtteil von Göteborg in Schweden, bei der es um lokale Kompostierung von Müll ging. 52 Haushalte aus einer Population von 180 Haushalten nahmen freiwillig an einem Feldexperiment teil, bei dem drei verschiedene Fabrikate von Kompostieren verglichen wurden.Der Beitrag möchte einige kritische Faktoren beleuchten, die bei der Einführung und Evaluierung solcher Müllsysteme von Bedeutung sind, die die aktive Teilnahme der Haushalte voraussetzen. Analysiert werden die Motive zu einer solchen Teilnahme ebenso wie die Faktoren, die gegebenenfalls einen Abbruch der Teilnahme bewirken. Die Datenerhebung erfolgte durch drei Interviews, die in den Haushalten der teilnehmenden Familien während der Untersuchungsdauer von einem Jahr durchgeführt wurden.Zu den Ergebnissen gehört der Befund, daß ein allgemeines Umweltbewußtsein ein allgemeiner Faktor ist, der hinter der Entscheidung, am Projekt teilzunehmen, seht. Von Bedeutung ist ebenfalls eine positive Einstellung gegenüber dem Kompostieren, obwohl das Kompostierungsverhalten während der Untersuchungsphase aus mehreren Gründen nachließ, unter anderem wegen Wissensmängeln, wegen technischer Pannen oder interner Haushaltsprobleme. Ein anderes wesentliches Ergebnis war, daß die Hindernisse, die die prospektiven Teilnehmer vor dem Beginn der Kompostierung zu erkennen glaubten, nicht die waren, die sich als entscheidend herausstellten.

---

---

Helena Åberg is doctoral candidate and Helena Shanahan is associate professor at the Department of Hand Craft and Home Economics at the University of Göteborg, Box 12204, S-402 42 Göteborg, Sweden. Sven Dahlman is associate professor at the Department of Consumer Technology at Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg. Roger Säjö is professor at the Department of Communication Studies, Linköping University, S. 581 85, Linköping, Sweden.The research reported here was financed by the Swedish Council for Building Research, the REFORSK Foundation, the Swedish Association of Housing Companies, and the National Board for Consumer Policies.     

Interfirm resource integration in destination contexts

ABSTRACT

In a co-producing tourism destination context, interdependent firms providing the destination product need to coordinate their relationships to achieve resource integration. We focus on two key dimensions of resource integration: (1) interfirm resource complementarity and (2) adaptation of activity structures. Survey data from tourism firms at Norwegian mountain destinations show that both resource complementarity and adaptation of activity structures are a function of trust, authority-based governance, and interfirm learning. Trust and learning have overall stronger effects on resource integration than authority-based governance, in particular on the development of resource complementarity. Authority-based governance has a significant effect on the adaptation of activity structures and a borderline significant effect on resource complementarity.