泰山之遇

“登泰山而小天下”是中国最伟大的思想家、教育家孔子的一句名言。因为圣人的这句话,我很早就知道泰山,也很早就想来中国登泰山。这个愿望在今年我61岁的时候终于实现了。泰山的有名不是在它的高度上,而是因为它的文化价值,至少我是这样想的。我不知道2000多年前孔圣人是否真的用自己的脚登到了泰山顶上,但对于我这个缺少运动、又高又胖的加拿大人来说,泰山实在是太高了。如果不是同行的朋友帮我背着提包,又时常取来冰凉的山泉水为我降温取凉,我恐怕连走到经石峪的能力都没有。登泰山的那一天是8月14日,听说是济南夏天最热的时候,刚刚走到…     

Co-operation in Risky Environments: Evidence from Southern Ethiopia

The semi-arid and arid rangelands of Sub-Saharan Africa arecharacterised by high variability and by heavy reliance of herderson access to common resources, predominantly pasture and water.In these systems, the capacity of the community to co-operateover resource management is critical and the effectiveness ofmanagement has a direct impact on exploitation rates and landallocation patterns. In this paper, we develop a model to capturethe impact of climatic variability on capacity to co-operateand on resulting land use and allocation patterns, and applythe model to data collected from communities located on theBorana Plateau in southern Ethiopia. Results indicate that rainfallvariability has a negative impact on stock densities, consistentwith risk-averse producer behaviour, but has no statisticallysignificant impact on land allocation patterns in this marginalarea. Furthermore, co-operation has a direct negative impacton stock densities and land allocated to private pastures. Theresults support the hypothesis that individual incentives toovergraze and encroach on common pastures can be mitigated incommunities with high co-operative capacity.     

Public–Private Sector Comparisons of Nurses’ Work Harassment Using Set: Italy and Australia

Using Social Exchange Theory, this study compared the impact of nurses’ workplace relationships with management and colleagues upon nurses’ work harassment, psychological well-being, and engagement within the public and private sectors in both Australia and Italy. Using survey data from 1,587 nurses, SEM findings indicated that public sector nurses in Australia had the lowest satisfaction with supervision, higher work harassment, and lower engagement and psychological well-being, than the other groups. The implications include that poor workplace relationships enable work harassment and therefore management upskilling is required along with changes in performance measures to ensure greater nurse well-being and engagement.     

Lesbian and gay expatriation: opportunities,barriers and challenges for global mobility

The research presented in this paper addresses an important gap in the expatriation literature in examining perceptions of opportunities, barriers and challenges for expatriation of lesbian and gay (LG) expatriates. This is an area that is under-researched despite such individuals representing a growing sector of the global talent pool. Based on an analysis of interviews with 20 LG expatriates, the study draws on social capital theory as a lens for highlighting LG expatriates' unique attributes and networks. The research is significant in suggesting that the expatriates' sexual minority status is viewed as both a disabler and enabler in expatriation. We suggest that there is a corporate ceiling for LG expatriates, and that they experience discrimination and stereotyping, and oftentimes limited organizational and host-country support. Significantly, the findings also extend research in suggesting that LG workers may have more opportunities in global staffing than previously thought and a valuable role in contributing to inclusivity debates and policy development on the global business stage. Furthermore, LG expatriates may be accepted in host countries when homosexuality is deemed legally or socially unacceptable for locals, and legal and financial independence within LG partnerships may provide them with more mobility than their heterosexual counterparts.     

Estimation of the East African Community's trade benefits from promoting intra‐regional trade

In the literature on economic integration, the optimum currency area (OCA) theory says that there should be a high degree of trade between potential members of a monetary union for them to benefit from the use of a single currency. This study uses an augmented gravity model of trade to estimate the East African Community's (EAC) trade effects, as this community decided to participate in a monetary union by 2024. The study uses the fixed effect filter (FEF) estimator, which follows a two‐step approach and outperforms the standard fixed effects (FE) estimator. The results indicate that EAC has the potential to increase trade among partner states by 122% more than expected from the normal trade levels. The study, therefore, supports the ongoing East African Monetary Union process. However, to improve the likelihood of creating a more sustainable monetary union, the study recommends these countries to primarily focus on the full implementation of the customs union and common market steps. The main contribution of this study is that it provides robust estimates of the EAC's effects on intra‐regional trade using more recent data and updated econometric techniques.     

Workplace bullying,workplace relationships and job outcomes for police officers in Australia

One alleged consequence of new public management (NPM) methods and practices, bullying, is seriously under-researched. The authors examined the impact of workplace relationships on police officer bullying and job outcomes. The quality of supervisor relationships seemed to buffer officers’ perceptions of bullying and, hence, their job outcomes. The consequences of the present post-NPM management practices are problematic, with negative implications for police officers in forming effective workplace relationships, which then negatively impact job outcomes, thereby affecting the quality of services delivered to the public.     

Ethical judgment in business: culture and differential perceptions of justice among Italians and Germans

This study focuses on the cultural context of ethical decision making by considering the relationship between power distance and ethical judgment. Specifically, we propose that this relationship exists because of the influence of peers on ethical judgment and perceptions of justice. Considering the importance of peers in stage three of Kohlberg's model of moral development, we argue that peers are the basis for social comparisons, social cues and social identification and, hence, are critical to an individual's beliefs about justice. Using scenarios developed by Reidenbach and Robin, data were collected from German and Italian graduate business students. Germany and Italy differ substantially in power distance, but not in the three other cultural dimensions of Hofstede. Results show that the ethical assessment of the respondents from the two countries differs when justice criteria are used. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.     

Value Creation in the Mobile Market

In recent years competitive pressure in mobile markets has increased remarkably. New business models and thus new actors have entered the market. This contribution analyzes the reconfiguration of value structures and strategies in mobile markets. For this purpose, mobile network operators’ service portfolio is analyzed on the basis of a worldwide survey, and the relevant current and future value creation activities are identified with consideration of additional actors and influence factors. On that basis, roles are developed, linked with regard to value flows and combined to a reference model for the mobile market value net. Subsequently, scenario planning is used to develop a set of criteria for the construction of corresponding future scenarios and the application of the reference model is demonstrated with such a scenario.     

The Impact of Children on the Lifetime Earnings of Australian Women: Evidence from the 1990s

This article presents estimates of the consequences of having children for the lifetime earnings of Australian women in the late 1990s.