The role of customer management capabilities in public–private partnerships

Commercial organisations are increasingly asked to perform tasks traditionally associated with governmental bodies, such as law enforcement. The rationale for these public–private partnerships is that there are synergies between traditional business skills and those required to achieve certain societal goals. However, there is a lack of research into whether this is, indeed, the case. This paper addresses this gap by investigating one particular type of public–private partnership: anti-money laundering (AML). The study explores the potential synergies between customer relationship management (CRM) and those required for AML. A quantitative survey-based approach is used to identify the overlaps and connections between these two areas of competence. The findings reveal tensions between financial institutions’ dual roles as both commercial organisations and players in the battle against money laundering. The consequences for these firms are explored, and the wider implications for other organisations supplying non-commercial services to government are considered.     

Colliding Interests – Age as an Automobile Insurance Rating Variable: Equitable Rate-Making or Unfair Discrimination?

Many private business relationships are increasingly characterized by claims that certain actions should not be permitted since particular right claims are involved. Such claims should be taken seriously, but are they always ethically legitimate? This paper analyzes one context, the use of age as a rating variable in the pricing of automobile insurance, where such claims are made. By identifying, evaluating and assessing the relevant basis for the differentiation, actuarial equity, it is concluded that there is an ethical basis for such a practice. The analysis also provides an equivalent means for considering other such analogous claims where actuarial equity is involved.     

None of our business: A lack of curricular internationalization on the Middle East at small to midsize colleges and universities in New England

Cross-cultural competencies are now specified as critical outcomes in U.S. higher education. Yet an analysis of accredited business programs in New England revealed that students frequently were not required to take courses about the Middle East. The study findings indicate that, for a region of economic and political importance to the United States, a gap exists between the curricular internationalization signaled by accreditation and how accreditors assess this internationalization.     

Strategies for regional development

Alden, J. and Boland, P. (eds.) 1996: REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES: A EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers Ltd, £16.95 paper.

Report of the Regional Policy Commission, 1996: RENEWING THE REGIONS: STRATEGIES FOR REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. Sheffield Hallam University, £9.99 paper.     

SOME EVIDENCE FOR AN INTERNATIONAL MANAGERIAL CULTURE

An analysis is reported of the relations between the semantic responses obtained from managers of four nationalities. A total of 365 expatriate and local managers in the Singaporean subsidiaries of 34 American, British and Japanese M.N.C.s assessed their own and each of the other groups along each of 18 adjectival antonym pairs. For each nationality the correlations between the semantic items are used as similarity data for multidimensional scaling of the adjectives. It is shown that the 18 adjectival pairs can be reduced to a two-dimensional circular map for each nationality, and that the placing of the adjectives on the circle agrees with a root mean square misfit of about 10° for the four nationalities. The results support the hypothesis that, for the groups considered, a shared international culture exists in the managerial context. The two dimensions on which the 36 semantic items can be mapped are interpretable as functional/dysfunctional and open/closed.     

DIRECT LABOUR COST ALLOCATION FOR A MULTI-PRODUCT HOSPITAL LAUNDRY

This paper discusses the application of correlation and regression methods to the analysis of productivity and allocation of costs in a laundry serving several hospitals, with several types of laundry being processed in the same production line. In particular, it is shown how the methods can be used to allocate the direct labour costs between the types of laundry. Analysis of residuals also permits investigation of temporal and product mix effects upon productivity. The regression paradox is discussed in relation to this problem, and it is shown that productivity is not a uniquely defined concept, because there is a difference between production being predicted from labour input and labour input being predicted from required production. Potential application of the model to other multi-product processes is discussed.     

Two Economic Applications of Sympathy

The notion of sympathy is analyzed in the setting of coordinationbetween duopolists and in the setting of the sale of a usedcar of possibly low quality. In both cases, the analysis suggestsa number of empirical regularities concerning the effects ofsocial interaction, physical distance, and psychological affinity.These regularities are confirmed by various historical accountsof collusion and by national survey results on used car purchases.     

An empirical analysis of the levers of control framework

The purpose of this paper is to use the levers of control framework to explore the antecedents of control systems – various facets of strategy that drive the use of controls; to explore the relations among control systems; and to explore the costs and benefits of control systems – costs in terms of consumption of a constrained resource (i.e., management attention) and benefits (i.e., learning). Using data from a survey of 122 Chief Financial Officers, this study tests a structural equation model that relates strategic risk and uncertainty to control systems (i.e., beliefs, boundary, diagnostic, and interactive control systems), which in turn are hypothesized to affect learning and attention, and ultimately firm performance. The evidence suggests that there are multiple inter-dependent and complementary relations among the control systems. I find that strategic risk and uncertainty drive both the importance and use of performance measures in diagnostic or interactive roles. Moreover, it appears that in certain strategic conditions information processing needs are such that firms use performance measures both interactively and diagnostically. Finally, I conclude that although there is a cost of control, there is a positive effect on firm performance.