Changing HRM systems in two Russian oil companies: Western hegemony or Russian spetsifika?

We contrast attempts to introduce what were seen as sophisticated Western-style human resource management (HRM) systems into two Russian oil companies – a joint venture with a Western multinational corporation (TNK-BP) and a wholly Russian-owned company (Yukos). The drivers for Western hegemony within the joint venture, heavily influenced by expatriates and the established HRM processes introduced by the Western parent, were counteracted to a significant degree by the Russian spetsifika – the peculiarly Russian way of thinking and doing things. In contrast, developments were absorbed faster in the more authoritarian Russian-owned company. The research adds to the theoretical debate about international knowledge transfer and provides detailed empirical data to support our understanding of the effect of both organizational and cultural context on the knowledge-transfer mechanisms of local and multinational companies. As the analysis is based on the perspective of senior local nationals, we also address a relatively under-researched area in the international HRM literature which mostly relies on empirical data collected from expatriates and those based solely in multinational headquarters.     

The Campus Parking Game: A Demonstration of Price Discrimination and Efficiency

This article presents a classroom game that allows students to directly experience the welfare improvements that can result from price discrimination. The demonstration uses a very familiar decision-making scenario, campus parking, to introduce the concept of price discrimination as well as reinforce the concepts of opportunity cost, consumer surplus, and search costs. This game can be used in a variety of classes, including principles, intermediate theory, industrial organization, or environmental economics, and can be conducted in a 50-minute class period with follow-up discussion in the next class.     

The Institutional Foundations of Public Policy: A Transactions Approach with Application to Argentina

Public policies are the outcomes of complex intertemporal exchangesamong politicians. The political institutions of a country constitutethe framework within which these transactions are accomplished.We develop a transactions theory to understand the ways in whichpolitical institutions affect the transactions that politicalactors are able to undertake, and hence the quality of the policiesthat emerge. We argue that Argentina is a case in which thefunctioning of political institutions has inhibited the capacityto undertake efficient intertemporal political exchanges. Weuse positive political theory and transaction cost economicsto explain the workings of Argentine political institutionsand to show how their operation gives rise to low-quality policies.     

Authentic Program Planning in Technology Education

This paper reports on the needs identified by three teachers during an investigation into their first experiences of implementing technology in their primary classrooms. One part of one teacher's case is presented in detail to illustrate that the meanings the teachers made of their experiences were related very closely to their beliefs about teaching and learning, to their understanding of technology as a phenomenon and to the place they saw technology having within the whole curriculum. One particular outcome of the investigation was that the teachers experienced a lack of knowledge of the scope and breadth of the technology learning area, and as a consequence, faced challenges in planning for the successful implementation of activities. In response to this particular need and to the many issues emanating from current research literature in technology education, the paper then presents two models for conceptualizing and planning units of work in technology in primary classrooms. The models form frameworks that may be useful to help structure thinking for authentic classroom planning and sequencing of lessons or learning experiences. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Expanding the Tension‐Reduction Model of Work Stress and Alcohol Use: Comparison of Managerial and Non‐Managerial Men and Women*

abstract The tension‐reduction model that links workplace stress to alcohol use and problems has received mixed support in previous investigations. Following recommendations that this model include moderated mediated relationships ( Frone, 1999 ) using more specific forms of workplace stress, we examine the impact of gender ratio, generalized workplace abuse, and stereotype threat in an effort to predict alcohol use and problems particularly for managerial women. A total of 1410 (57 per cent response rate) employees completed a survey containing items on job stress, escapist reasons for drinking, and alcohol consumption and problems, and SEM analyses were conducted separately for managerial and non‐managerial men and women. Results revealed that: (a) these three workplace stressors were differentially related to general workplace stress for the four groups; and (b) the contributions of the three stressors and of general work stress to the alcohol‐related variables varied by group.     

Can Banks in Emerging Economies Benefit from Revenue Diversification?

This paper investigates the effect of revenue diversification on bank performance and risk. Using a panel dataset of 226 listed banks across 11 emerging economies and a new methodological approach, System Generalized Method of Moments estimators (System GMM), the results in this paper provide empirical evidence of the impact of the observed shift towards non-interest income generating activities on insolvency risk and bank performance. The core finding is that diversification across and within both interest and non-interest income generating activities decrease insolvency risk and enhance profitability. The results also show that these benefits are largest for banks with moderate risk exposures. By extension, these results have significant strategic implications for bank managers, regulators and supervisors who share a common interest in boosting bank performance and stability.     

How did a network of marine protected areas impact adjacent fisheries? Evidence from Australia

Marine‐protected areas (MPAs) are an effective means of improving habitat quality and biodiversity in the world’s oceans. While the advantages of MPAs as a mechanism for conservation and biodiversity are well established, the potential improvements to fishery performance resulting from a network of MPAs are still being established. Countries around the world have committed to establishing networks of MPAs within their waters by 2020, in response to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. This, coupled with the increasing global demand for seafood and heavy reliance on fishery resources as a source of economic development for many coastal communities, means that an understanding of how these networks can be expected to impact fishery performance is extremely important. We use a difference‐in‐difference modelling approach to isolate the change in the fishery performance associated with the south‐east marine reserve network in Australia. We find no evidence that the economic performance of adjacent fisheries was negatively impacted by the network. This lack of impact is likely due to a network design explicitly intended to avoid effort displacement in key fisheries, along with fishery management changes intended to remove excess fishing capacity.