Training human resource champions for the twenty‐first century

Although universities have been the primary source of human resource talent for organizations, there is some question whether current university programs will be able to prepare human resource professionals for the expanded role that is needed in the future. These programs include the Masters of Business Administration (MBA), Masters of Human Resources and Industrial Relations (MHRIR), and Masters of Organization Development (MOD). Brigham Young University has also created a unique program called the Masters in Organizational Behavior (MOB). This article explores the differences among these programs and discuss their implications for training HR professionals. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Exploring complementarity in on‐ and off‐job training for apprenticeships

The differences between on‐ and off‐job learning environments continue to be the subject of much debate, and the notion of complementarity between them is a perennial issue for most forms of training and development. This paper grapples with this issue in relation to apprentices in the building industry in Australia. It analyses the different perceptions of complementarity held by apprentices, host employers and college teachers. It strives to understand the diverse meanings of complementarity within the context of communities of practice in which apprentices acquire not only vocational knowledge and skills, but also a sense of identity through internalising sometimes complementary but often contradictory messages from their different learning environments. Their development towards the status of ‘competent tradespersons’ heavily depends on their individual abilities to integrate and synthesise these messages.     

Prices and structural response in English agriculture, 1873–1896

This article examines an agricultural dimension of the `entrepreneurial failure' debate. It is often claimed that structural change in agriculture was retarded by the conservatism of agriculturalists in the south east who, allegedly, persisted with corn when price changes signalled a switch to meat and dairying. Existing price series and the price evidence as it appeared to farmers and landlords at the time are re-examined and shown to be neither clear nor consistent. The evidence suggests that contrasts in the fortunes of livestock and arable farmers have been exaggerated and that in this respect, even if not others, arable farmers were less irrational than their critics suppose.     

Crafting a Human Resource Strategy to Foster Organizational Agility: A Case Study

A decade ago, the Chief Executive Officer of Albert Einstein Healthcare Network (AEHN), anticipating a tumultuous and largely unpredictable period in its industry, undertook to convert this organization from one that was basically stable and complacent to one that was agile, “nimble, and change‐hardy”. This case study, while briefly addressing AEHN's approaches to business strategy and organization design, focuses primarily on the human resource strategy that emerged over time to foster the successful attainment of organizational agility. Although exploratory, the study suggests a number of lessons for those who are—or will be—studying or trying to create and sustain this promising new organizational paradigm. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

An Examination of Trust Dimensions across High and Low Dependence Situations

Purpose: Relationship marketing literature has provided support of a multidimensional trust construct; however, there is little consensus on its structure. This article builds on existing theory to propose and empirically test a three-dimensional trust construct including ability, integrity, and benevolence dimensions. Furthermore, the article examines this conceptualization of the construct across different relationship types as established by dependence form.

Methodology: We choose to use a scenario/survey data collection method to replicate specific relationship types for a national purchasing agent sample. This method allows us to obtain adequate sample sizes to compare the relative importance of trust dimensions using structural equation modeling.

Findings: We found empirical evidence to support a three-dimensional trust construct for use in further examination of buyer–seller relationships. In addition, we found differential importance of those dimensions across different relationship forms.

Research Implications: By providing empirical support for a multidimensional trust construct and further specifying the importance of each dimension in various relationship forms, we hope to provide a strong foundation on which to build further trust research.

Practical Implications: In examining trust among purchasing agents, we hope to provide a strong foundation for salespeople to understand how their actions impact their long-term relationships. Understanding that trust in a relationship involves more than simple integrity or completing promises should help boundary spanners develop stronger ties.

Contribution: The main contribution of the article is the concept that trust needs to be researched in ways other than simply asking “Do you trust your supplier?”     

Statistical analysis of Fourier coefficients in a restricted harmonic dial

Due to the physical nature of certain periodic data, the harmonic dial points (the Fourier coefficients obtained from harmonic analysis of the data) are sometimes restricted to circular regions in the dial plane. It is proposed that a circular normal distribution (CND) truncated outside a circular region be used to describe the probabilistic behavior of the random phenomena. Recurrence relations for the population moments of a CND truncated outside a circular region are derived. These recurrence relations are used to obtain consistent asymptotically (jointly) normal estimators of the unknown parameters of the distribution. A numerical example based on the harmonic dial points representing the 27-day recurrence tendency of the daily international magnetic character-figureC _i is given to illustrate the theory.