HRM System Strength and HRM Target Achievement—Toward a Broader Understanding of HRM Processes

For some time, HRM researchers have paid attention to the process dimensions of HRM systems, especially to the question of how HRM system strength impacts on HRM outcomes. However, contributions tend to be theoretical, and empirical analyses are still rare. This article contributes to the discussion on HRM system strength by empirically analyzing the links between HRM system strength and HRM target achievement. We differentiate between single components of strength and their partial effects on two HRM target groups: the targets focusing on employee attitudes and the targets focusing on availability and effectiveness of human resources. Findings from a German data set with more than 1,000 observations indicate that HRM system strength has a positive influence on average HRM target achievement. Expectations regarding the differentiated effects of single components of HRM system strength are only partially supported. Nevertheless, our analyses give reason to consider a broader conception of HRM system strength than what has been explored to date. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A two-period model with portfolio choice: Understanding results from different solution methods

Using a stylized two-period model we compare portfolio solutions from two local solution approaches–the approach of Judd and Guu (2001) and the approach of Devereux and Sutherland (2010, 2011)–with the true nonlinear portfolio solution.     

The Impact of the Corporate Mind‐set on New Product Launch Strategy and Market Performance

In the last decade, there has been an increasing interest in the link between new product launch strategy and market performance. So far, new product launch research has focused on this performance relationship without giving much attention to background factors that can facilitate or inhibit successful launch strategies. However, investigating such antecedents that set the framework in which different strategic launch decisions enable or prevent the market performance of new products is useful for enhancing the current state of knowledge. Drawing on the concept of a firm's orientation, the present study discusses the influence of the corporate mind‐set on new product launch strategy and market performance. It is hypothesized that the capability to successfully launch new products is based on the interplay between a firm's mind‐set (i.e., an analytical, risk‐taking, and aggressive posture) and its strategic launch decisions on setting launch objectives, selecting target markets, and positioning the new product. A research model with mediating effects is proposed, where the corporate mind‐set determines the launch strategy decisions, which in turn impact market performance. The model is tested with data on 113 industrial new products launched in business‐to‐business markets in Germany using a multiple informant approach. The results support the mediated model as the dimensions of the corporate mind‐set have a significant impact on most strategic launch decisions, which in turn significantly contribute to market performance. It is found that while an analytical posture relates to all three strategic launch decisions, risk taking and an aggressive posture have a significant impact on two, respectively one, launch strategy elements. These findings confirm the importance of investigating antecedents for a successful new product launch, as the corporate mind‐set serves as a background resource that sets the framework for successful new product launch decisions. In the final section implications for research and managerial practice as well as limitations of this research are provided.     

Pressemitteilungen 2.0 �C eine Resonanzanalyse im Internet

With the development of the Social Web, companies and organizations are now able to communicate via Online PR not only with journalists but also with their stakeholders. Therefore, the press release, initially an instrument of media relations, is now applicable for reaching other spheres as well. Using an input-output analysis, the study examines in the tradition of determination research how much resonance (i.e. reactions such as copies or identifiable references) press releases generate online in different public spheres (journalists, organizations, individuals). As a first step (input analysis) we examined n?=?32 press releases from small and medium-sized companies or nonprofit organizations which were available online, coding different possible factors of success (characteristics of the press releases such as journalistic quality and news factors, organization characteristics, and the number of channels used for publishing the release). Secondly, we identified all n?=?382 reactions to these releases on the internet (output analysis). We found that the press releases generated an average of twelve reactions online. Six of them were manual reactions and not automatically produced. This corresponds to a resonance quote of 69%, i.e. about two out of three press releases got at least one reaction from somebody else. More than a quarter of reactions came from individuals and could be predicted less by news value than the reactions coming from of journalists.     

Water scarcity and the impact of improved irrigation management: a computable general equilibrium analysis

Increasing water scarcity combined with an increasing demand for food and water for irrigation call for a careful revision of water use in agriculture. Currently, less than 60% of all the water used for irrigation is effectively used by crops. Based on the new version of the GTAP‐W model we analyze the effect of potential water savings and the welfare implications of improvements in irrigation efficiency worldwide. The results show that a water policy directed to improve irrigation efficiency led to global and regional water savings, but it is not beneficial for all regions. The final effect on regional welfare will depend on the interaction of several different causes. For instance, higher irrigation efficiency changes opportunity costs and reverses comparative advantages, modifying regional trade patterns and welfare. For water‐stressed regions the effects on welfare are mostly positive. For nonwater scarce regions the results are more mixed and mostly negative. The results show that exports of virtual water are not exclusive of water abundant regions.     

Export Behavior and Firm Productivity in German Manufacturing: A Firm-Level Analysis

This paper examines the causal relationship between productivity and exporting in German manufacturing. We find a causal link from high productivity to presence in foreign markets, as postulated by a recent literature on international trade with heterogeneous firms. We apply a matching technique in order to analyze whether the presence in international markets enables firms to achieve further productivity improvements, without finding significant evidence for this. We conclude that high-productivity firms self-select themselves into export markets, while exporting itself does not play a significant role for the productivity of German firms. JEL no. F10, F13, F14, D21, L60