HRM systems between control and commitment: occurrence,characteristics and effects on HRM outcomes and firm performance

In the literature, it is often assumed that traditional, control‐oriented HRM systems are increasingly being replaced by commitment‐based HRM systems because the latter generally result in higher firm performance. However, an HRM system's effectiveness may depend on an organisation's external and internal context, and neither control nor commitment HR systems are without disadvantages. Thus, the empirical validity of this claim is not clear ex ante. This paper analyses the empirical diffusion and determinants of control and commitment HRM systems in Germany as well as their impact on HRM outcomes and firm performance. The findings indicate that between the two extreme forms of high‐control and high‐commitment HRM systems, there are two hybrid forms (long‐term‐oriented control system and regulated commitment system) that combine elements of both ‘pure’ systems. Commitment HRM systems outperform the high‐control HRM system concerning many HRM outcomes and firm performance measures. However, in direct comparison, the high and the regulated commitment HRM systems do not show substantially different outcomes, indicating that there is no one best way.     

The Effects of Personality Composition and Decision‐making Processes on Change Preferences of Self‐managing Teams

Team decision‐making on organizational and strategic changes is pervasive. Yet, little is known about determinants of teams' change preferences. We analyze how composition with respect to personality traits associated with (pro‐)active behavior (locus of control and type‐A/B behavior) influences self‐managing teams' preferences for the likelihood and magnitude of changes, and whether participative decision‐making and team monitoring as core features of group decision‐making counteract or reinforce change tendencies. Results from a business simulation with 42 teams largely support predictions. Stronger type‐A orientation increases the likelihood of (drastic) changes. Teams dominated by internal locus of control members are highly responsive to performance feedback in their change preferences. Participative decision‐making encourages, whereas team monitoring restricts tendencies towards extreme magnitudes. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stock market volatility around national elections

This paper investigates a sample of 27 OECD countries to test whether national elections induce higher stock market volatility. It is found that the country-specific component of index return variance can easily double during the week around an election, which shows that investors are surprised by the election outcome. Several factors, such as a narrow margin of victory, lack of compulsory voting laws, change in the political orientation of the government, or the failure to form a government with parliamentary majority significantly contribute to the magnitude of the election shock. Furthermore, some evidence is found that markets with short trading history exhibit stronger reaction. Our findings have important implications for the optimal strategies of institutional and individual investors who have direct or indirect exposure to volatility risk.     

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.