The integration–differentiation puzzle: a resource-capability perspective in international human resource management

This paper is concerned with the management of the human resource agenda in international business. It begins by examining the critical question of how to balance the organizational need for co-ordination and control (integration) at the centre and the increasing pressures for sensitivity and flexibility (differentiation) at the subsidiary or unit level. A resource-capability (RC) view is then offered to re-examine the integration–differentiation (IN–DI) debate, proposing how firms might resolve some of the dilemmas inherent in IN–Dl decisions by cultivating their stock of knowledge and expertise. This perspective also enables us to assess the underlying paradigmatic foundation upon which strategic decisions in international human resource management are based.     

State vs. market in search of good governance: The case of Sri Lanka telecommunications industry reforms

This research investigates the relationship between the state and the market under independent regulation that accompanied telecommunications‐sector reforms in Sri Lanka. It assesses whether the telecommunications regulator has been functioning in line with market principles. Building on the findings of an exploratory study undertaken for a doctoral degree in 2006–07, the study finds that the regulator has been performing under a plethora of constraints: institutionally, politically, legally, and socially. Institutionally, the regulator is affected by its own internal problems, a lack of capability and capacity, and a complexity created by the other agencies. Politicians have become exceptionally powerful, affecting every function of the regulator. Legal provisions have proven inadequate. Socially, regulatory functions are affected, causing delays. It is important to highlight the fact that these are interconnected; one creates or influences another. The findings suggest that the environment in which the regulator operates affects the credibility and effectiveness of a regulatory framework. The authors, with their extensive expertise, argue that such blockages could be overcome through various measures proposed in the conclusion. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Long-run stock performance following stock repurchases

Studies examining long-term performance after stock repurchases provide mixed results. I point out two substantive problems in samplings of early studies. First, we should distinguish whether or not firms actually repurchase shares following announcements of repurchase programs. Second, as some firms frequently announce repurchase programs, we should consider overlapping announcements during the performance estimation period to avoid any confounding effects. Using a sample that corrects for these problems and the calendar portfolio regression method, I find strong evidence that firms that announce repurchase programs infrequently and repurchase shares actually experience significant long-term abnormal returns. These findings provide an explanation of why some previous studies failed to find significant positive long-term performance.     

Evidence on the Relationship between Low Income and Poor Health: Is the Government Doing Enough?

The government's report, Opportunity for All: Tackling Poverty and Social Exclusion (Department of Social Security, 1999), identified poor health as one of the major problems associated with low income. However, much of the available evidence on the relationship between income and health is of little help in forming policies to reduce health inequalities, as it has tended to be based on cross‐section surveys and is therefore unable to shed much light on causal effects. Here, we make use of two British longitudinal datasets to examine the longer‐term influences of income on health within a life‐course perspective. We then use the results of our analysis to provide a brief critical assessment of the likely success of the government's anti‐poverty strategy in reducing health inequalities. A more detailed assessment of government policy in this respect can be found in Benzeval et al. (forthcoming).     

Innovation Process and Outcomes for Large Japanese Firms: Roles of Entrepreneurial Proclivity and Customer Equity

The authors investigate the structural relationships among entrepreneurial proclivity, innovation process characteristics (technological strength, marketing strength, and marketing–R&D integration), and customer equity in achieving business growth and financial return in the Japanese context. Following field interviews and a pilot test, survey data are collected from 207 pairs of marketing and R&D executives from strategic business units (SBUs) of large manufacturing companies in Japan. Based on the partial least squares analysis of data, the authors find nuanced effects of organizations' entrepreneurial proclivity on the critical organizational process, resource, and business performance. The study theorizes and empirically supports the idea that customer equity is a potent intermediary outcome that contributes to both top‐line (growth) and the bottom‐line (ROI) of a business. Specifically, the study shows that: (1) entrepreneurial proclivity directly and positively influences technology strength, marketing strength, and marketing‐R&D integration; (2) entrepreneurial proclivity's effect on business growth and financial return is positive and mediated by customer equity; (3) marketing–R&D integration has a moderating effect on the positive impact of technology strength on customer equity; and (4) customer equity is a strong driver of business growth and financial return. There is a dearth of research on entrepreneurship in Asia; very few empirical studies have been reported from Japan in particular. This study contributes to boundary testing of the theoretical relationships. Although entrepreneurial proclivity appears to be an inspirational concept, its actual adoption remains an important question for many Japanese companies. Those Japanese firms that aspire to be entrepreneurial need to be mindful what innovation processes and resources it takes to fulfill the positive influences of entrepreneurship.     

Religiosity,ethical ideology,and intentions to report a peer's wrongdoing

Peer reporting is a specific form of whistelblowing in which an individual discloses the wrongdoing of a peer. Previous studies have examined situational variables thought to influence a person's decision to report the wrongdoing of a peer. The present study looked at peer reporting from the individual level. Five hypotheses were developed concerning the relationships between (1) religiosity and ethical ideology, (2) ethical ideology and ethical judgments about peer reporting, and (3) ethical judgments and intentions to report peer wrongdoing.Subjects read a vignette concerning academic cheating, and were asked to respond to a question-naire concerning the vignette. Data were analyzed using structural equation methodology.Results indicated that religiosity was positively associated with an ethical ideology of non-relativism. Individuals whose ethical ideologies could be described as idealistic and non-relativistic were more likely to state that reporting a peer's cheating was ethical. In turn, individuals who believed reporting a peer's cheating was ethical were more likely to say that they would report a peer's cheating. Tim Barnett is Assistant Professor of Management at Louisiana Tech University. He has authored or coauthored articles appearing in Human Relations, Personnel Psychology, the Journal of Business Research, and the Journal of Business Ethics, among others. His current research interests include whistle-blowing and the ethical decision making process. Ken Bass is Assistant Professor of Management at East Carolina University. He has published articles in journals including the Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management and the Journal of Business Ethics. His research interests include ethical decision making, ethical strategy, and methodology. Gene Brown is Professor of Marketing at Louisiana Tech University, and received the Ph.D. from the University of Alabama. He has published in a variety of journals including the Journal of Marketing Research, the Journal of Business Research, the Journal of Business Ethics, and the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. His research intersts include personal selling, retailing, ethics, and methodology.     

Building a Tender Nation: Developing a Web Based Accounting and Business Ethics Community

This paper marks the launch of a new accounting and business ethics Web project called Tender Nation. The objective of the site is to provide an emotionally supportive resource and community for the discussion of accounting and business ethics issues by accounting practitioners and accounting students. The paper explains the rationale behind the development of the site and is split into five sections. Section one develops a short critique of the development of the Web and discusses the extent to which it provides an opportunity for critical engagement in the economic sphere. Section two reviews the Web based accounting and business ethics resources currently available and draws on some well established ethical theory to explain how the objectives of Tender Nation differ from other Web based attempts to critically and ethically engage with the economic sphere. Section three provides an outline of the structure and content of the site. Section four presents a survey of students' initial responses to the Web site and the concluding section discusses plans to develop the project further.     

Managing Middlescence

They make up more than half your workforce. They work longer hours than anyone else in your company. From their ranks come most of your top managers. They're your midcareer employees, the solid citizens between the ages of 35 and 55 whom you bank on for their loyalty and commitment. And they're not happy. In fact, they're burned out, bored, and bottlenecked, new research reveals. Only 33% of the 7700 workers the authors surveyed feel energized by their work; 36% say they're in dead-end jobs. One in three is not satisfied with his or her job. One in five is looking for another. Welcome to middlescence. Like adolescence, it can be a time of frustration, confusion, and alienation. But it can also be a time of self-discovery, new direction, and fresh beginnings. Today, millions of midcareer men and women are wrestling with middlescence-looking for ways to balance work, family, and leisure while hoping to find new meaning in theirjobs. The question is, Will they find it in your organization or elsewhere? Companies are ill prepared to manage middlescence because it is so pervasive, largely invisible, and culturally uncharted. That neglect is bad for business: Many companies risk losing some of their best people or-even worse-ending up with an army of disaffected people who stay. The best way to engage middlescents is to tap into their hunger for renewal and help them launch into more meaningful roles. Perhaps managers can't grant a promotion to everyone who merits one in today's flat organizations, but you may be able to offer new training, fresh assignments, mentoring opportunities, even sabbaticals or entirely new career paths within your own company. Millions of midcareer men and women would like nothing better than to convert their restlessness into fresh energy. They just need the occasion-and perhaps a little assistance-to unleash and channel all that potential.