Shareholding structure, depoliticization and firm performance

In this study we use a dataset that provides information on Chinese Communist Party grassroots organizations’ political control over decision‐making in China's listed firms. Specifically, we examine how different types of shareholders affect (1) the party's level of decision‐making power and (2) the implications of party control for firm performance. We obtain two major results. First, we find that the proportion of shares held by domestic individual shareholders is negatively related to the party's level of decision‐making power. Second, we find that the existence of large institutional investors is associated with a reduced negative performance effect of party control. Our results suggest that both the exit and the voice channels may offer mechanisms for depoliticizing China's listed firms and improving their performance. This study both addresses an important corporate governance issue relevant to China's listed firms and offers interesting information in terms of comparative studies of corporate governance and reform strategies in transitional economies.     

Evaluations of branding alliances between non‐profit and commercial brand partners: the transfer of affect

• There is growing interest in the trend towards co‐branding alliances between non‐profit and commercial entities,which are undertaken by these organisations to transfer associations and affect between each brand partner. Certainly, it makes sense that commercial entities want to gain more from their brands and that non‐profits want secured funding, however, in the same way that the joining of two brands can be beneficial, it can also bring with it major risks when the brand alliance is not well received and evaluations of the alliance are not favourable.
• This research supports the notion that both commercial entities and non‐profit organisations can benefit from a branding alliance, however, an understanding of how these brand alliances are evaluated is important. This research investigates evaluations of brand alliances and the resulting spillover effects for original brand partners that result from brand alliances.
• This research provides empirical support relating to reactions to brand alliances between a non‐profit organisation and a commercial business in terms of how original brand attitudes, familiarity of original brands and perceived brand fit impact on evaluations. While collaboration is important and has potential benefits for each partner—they rest on partner selection and fit between alliance partners. Managerial implications and future research directions are also provided.

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The role of country-of-origin,ethnocentrism and animosity in promoting consumer trust. The moderating role of familiarity

The objective of this study is to present empirical evidence on the extent to which socio-psychological variables (ethnocentrism and animosity) and the reputation of firms associated to a country-of-origin (COO) are related to an important relational exchange factor (trust). Furthermore, the study tests the moderating effects of familiarity. Data were collected from 202 automobile owners in a large Spanish region. Path and multi-group analyses were performed using a structural equation modelling approach. This paper investigates the effects of reputation of firms associated to a COO and animosity on trust, which have not been commonly used as a dependent variable of these concepts before. Moreover, this study explores the moderating role of familiarity. This study supports the view that reputation of firms associated to a COO can safeguard international transactions and create trust in foreign firms, and thus may decrease due to interrelated emotional consumer reactions such as animosity and ethnocentrism.     

A sampled literature review of design-based learning approaches: a search for key characteristics

Design-based learning (DBL) is an educational approach grounded in the processes of inquiry and reasoning towards generating innovative artifacts, systems and solutions. The approach is well characterized in the context of learning natural sciences in secondary education. Less is known, however, of its characteristics in the context of higher engineering education. The purpose of this review study is to identify key characteristics of DBL in higher engineering education. From the tenets of engineering design practices and higher engineering education contexts we identified four relevant dimensions for organizing these characteristics: the project characteristics, the role of the teacher, the assessment methods, and the social context. Drawing on these four dimensions, we systematically reviewed the state-of-the-art empirical literature on DBL or DBL-like educational projects in higher engineering education. Based on this review we conclude that DBL projects consist of open-ended, hands-on, authentic and multidisciplinary design tasks resembling the community of engineering professionals. Teachers facilitate both the process of gaining domain-specific knowledge and the thinking activities relevant to propose innovative solutions. Teachers scaffold students in the development from novice to expert engineers. Assessment is characterized by formative and summative of both individual and team products and processes and by the use of a variety of assessment instruments. Finally, the social context of DBL projects includes peer-to-peer collaboration in which students work in teams. The implications of these findings for further research on DBL in higher engineering education are discussed.     

How do additional alternatives affect individual choice under uncertainty?

Abstract .  We show, in an artefactual field economics decision-making experiment, that the addition of an alternative to a choice set can affect the measurement of farmers' risk preferences in rural Peru. We found that an alternative that would normally be considered irrelevant was chosen in Peru, and that it affected choice between other alternatives. In Montreal, the irrelevant alternative was not chosen, but also affected choices between other alternatives. Comparing choices made in Peru with those made in Montreal, we identify beliefs and cultural characteristics that are likely to lead to these results.