Interorganizational Information Systems and Business-to-Business Relationships: System Characteristics,Assistance, Performance,Satisfaction, and Commitment Model

We introduce the SAPSaC model to see how relationship characteristics influence the implementation and outcomes of a specific type of inter-organization information system—electronic data interchange (EDI). Using a relational exchange perspective, we examine the effects of interfirm system characteristics, target firm capabilities, and initiator assistance, on project outcomes. We explore effects of three system characteristics—relationalism, dependence, and tenure on initiator assistance. System characteristics and assistance are hypothesized to affect outcomes—project performance, satisfaction, and commitment to the relationship. We consider the target's task readiness an additional determinant of initiator assistance and performance. Using sample survey data from firms in the housewares industry, we find that initiator assistance stems from relationalism, not tenure. From the target's perspective, project performance derives from relationalism and tenure. Satisfaction is driven by relationalism, tenure, assistance, and performance. Commitment comes from relationalism, dependence, and satisfaction. A multi-industry study successfully replicates most of the results.     

Japanese trade unions at the crossroads: dilemmas and opportunities created by globalization

Japanese trade unions have contributed much to the economic stability and success of Japanese enterprises. Globalization has, however, placed substantial pressure on the Japanese industrial relations system and, in turn, upon the enterprise union system. Not all changes can be directly attributed to globalization. We contend, however, that the success of Japanese firms, both in exports and in overseas production, has made the Japanese economy reliant on a strong world economy. Economic downturns that have been witnessed in a number of countries in 1990s have weakened the demand for Japanese export products. This, in combination with the Japanese banking and financial crises, has created pressure for an overhaul of employment and human resource management systems. This article examines these pressures and the response by trade unions.     

Asian Women Managers: Participation,Barriers and Future Prospects

The economies of Asia have undergone a significant transformation over the past five decades as they moved from being primarily agrarian societies to more modern industrial states. What have these changes meant for women and, in particular, their position and progress in management? This contribution brings together the findings of the eight case studies presented in this collection. Using an explanatory model that incorporates individual, organizational and societal level analysis, women were found to be under-represented in management and faced considerable barriers in gaining management positions. Organizational factors underpinned many of these barriers but a range of cultural attributes contributed to this discrimination. Legislative changes were seen as one avenue to improve women's careers as were women's increased education levels, the changing approaches to human resource management, and a growing awareness of the inefficiencies and sub-optimal levels of organizational performance created by gender discrimination. This contribution concludes, however, that until there are major shifts in the role perceptions of women by individuals, organizations and society it is likely that change will occur only gradually and women will remain disadvantaged and under-represented in management     

A resource‐based perspective on human capital losses,HRM investments,and organizational performance

Reversing the focus on human capital accumulations in the resource‐based literature, the authors examine the issue of human capital losses and organizational performance. They theorize that human capital losses markedly diminish the inimitability of human capital stores initially, but that the negative effects are attenuated as human capital losses increase. They argue further that these effects are more dramatic when human resource management (HRM) investments are substantial. As predicted, Study 1 shows that the human capital losses (voluntary turnover rates)‐workforce performance relationship takes the form of an attenuated negative relationship when HRM investments are high. Study 2 shows stronger curvilinear effects of voluntary turnover rates on financial performance via workforce productivity under these conditions. Implications for resource‐based theory and strategic HRM are addressed.     

Toward rigor and parsimony: a primary validation of Kolvereid’s (1996) entrepreneurial attitudes scales

Questioning the validity of scholarly work is not a typical path to publication in the management field. However, although considerable scholarship assesses entrepreneurial attitudes and intentions models of behaviour, methodological weaknesses in scale development have hampered scholars’ ability to rigorously interpret and build upon their research findings. We review 20 years of research and discover that the pioneer measure of entrepreneurial attitudes as a predictor of self-employment intentions, has yet to be empirically validated. We show that construct and measurement differences, one-off modifications to existing scales and a lack of adequate justification may partially explain why studies in the entrepreneurship education domain have produced inconsistent results. We address this limitation by performing factor analytic techniques on data from two sets of English-speaking university students from two North American countries. The result is a more parsimonious and streamlined ‘mini-Kolvereid’ scale. We further demonstrate that this scale is an effective predictor of entrepreneurial intentions.     

Why the Doctor Will NOT See You Now: The Ethics of Enforcing Covenants Not to Compete in Physician Employment Contracts

When a physician employment relationship terminates, the physician–patient relationship may also be terminated by enforcement of a covenant not to compete, which typically forces the physician to leave the geographic area for a period of time. This gives rise to several ethical dilemmas. The public interest is compromised when enforcement of these covenants contributes to the shortage of physicians in the community, and individual patients are harmed when their physicians are no longer available. The authors undertook a unique study to explore physician perspectives concerning the ethics of banning a physician from practice and the impact of the ban on both the physician and the physician’s patients. The results identified harmful effects that have not been raised in prior scholarly articles or reported court opinions. After reviewing the legal background of covenants not to compete, this paper presents the results of that study and concludes that resorting to the legal system for enforcement of covenants not to compete is not always the ethical course of action.     

Full circle support: unpacking the relationship between women entrepreneurs’ family-to-work support and work interference with family

With an anchoring in conservation of resources theory, this study examines the mediating role of women entrepreneurs’ work-related emotional exhaustion in the relationship between their family-to-business support and work interference with family, as well as the moderating role of the entrepreneurial character of their company’s strategy in this process. Survey data collected from women entrepreneurs in Argentina indicate that a notable reason that business support received from the family diminishes work interference with that same family is that it abates the sense of being overburdened by work. This benefit of reduced exhaustion is especially prominent to the extent that women entrepreneurs pursue an energy-consuming, entrepreneurial strategy for their business. For entrepreneurship scholars and practitioners, this research accordingly reveals a critical channel through which supportive family relationships can decrease the probability that women entrepreneurs bring work challenges home (i.e., diminished depletion of work energy), and it shows how this explanatory factor varies with the strategic profile they adopt for their business.

     

CAPITAL STRUCTURES IN EMERGING STOCK MARKETS: THE CASE OF HUNGARY

This paper studies developments in the Hungarian capital markets during 1992–95 and investigates the determinants of the capital structures of companies listed on the Budapest Stock Exchange. Hungarian companies had very low leverage ratios. Empirical findings indicate that the negative relationship between leverage and proportion of tangible assets was primarily caused by the lack of long‐term debt financing. The relationship between leverage and the size of the company provides some indication of the importance of trade credits for the companies. The more profitable companies had less debt than less profitable ones. This is attributed to the firms’financial incentives aggravated by the segmentation of Hungarian credit markets and credit rationing within the financial environment. Manufacturing firms and firms with the state among their major shareholders enjoyed higher levels of debt financing relative to other companies.