The economic and non-economic dimensions of social entreprises’ moral discourse: an issue of axiological and philosophical coherence

This paper focuses on the ethical frameworks of social enterprises, out of two basic organizational documents which are unveiling the corporate moral discourse (codes of ethics and values statements). Three types of well-known social entreprises have been chosen : (1) charitable clubs and associations ; (2) cooperatives and mutuals ; (3) conventional private sector foundations. The main contribution of the article is to present the basic connections between social enterprises’moral discourses and some philosophical schools of thought. The paper show how the moral discourse of social entreprises is more or less philosophically coherent. Rational coherence could be applied to values (axiological coherence), or to the philosophical grounds of the discourse (philosophical coherence). The ethical framework of social entreprises is conveying business concerns as well as socially-focused and philosophically-rooted concerns. It is both enhancing economic (business-focused) and non-economic (social) aims. The philosophical challenge of social entreprises is to build up sense of collective identity, without having an ambiguous moral discourse. The moral discourse of social entreprises should have an inner coherence : the various documents (such as the code of ethics and the values statement) should enhance the same set of values. Moreover, if social entrepreneurs are unable to provide a basic philosophical orientation to their corporate moral discourse, then they will not contribute to any social change, since their moral discourse will not be trusted by anyone who is carefully reading the main organizational sources of corporate moral discourse.     

Developing and validating an instrument for measuring managers’ attitudes toward older workers

Three studies were carried out to develop and validate an instrument for measuring managers’ attitudes toward older workers. In the first study we explore (a) managers’ attitudes toward older workers, and (b) retirees’ perceptions about their last experiences before retirement. In the second study, 51 items emerging from the first study and from the literature were developed. The corresponding questionnaire was then applied to a sample of 224 Portuguese managers who were also invited to make decisions in three scenarios involving younger and older workers. The third study replicated the second one with a sample of 249 Brazilian managers. The main findings are: (a) five types of managers’ attitudes toward older workers were identified (adaptability, value of older workers’ competencies, organizational conscientiousness, social capital/generosity and performance); (b) these attitudes predict how managers select older vs. younger workers in hiring and selecting employees to participate in training; (c) the empirical patterns identified in the Portuguese and Brazilian samples are similar; (d) in spite of recognizing positive qualities in older workers, managers discriminate against them; (e) managers develop different attitudinal profiles toward older workers, which has consequences for how they make decisions about those workers.     

An Empirical Assessment Of The Zeithaml,Berry And Parasuraman Service Expectations Model

The study empirically evaluated the Zeithaml et al. model of service expectations. Data on. service reliability was gathered from 267 auto repair service personnel who bought auto parts from manufacturer dealerships and independent suppliers. The model was partially successful in explaining customer perceptions of service quality and satisfaction. A significant finding was that buyers appear to tolerate a range of service performance and the size of this range is linked to service quality perceptions.     

On the globalization of stock markets: An application of Vector Error Correction Model,Mutual Information and Singular Spectrum Analysis to the G7 countries

This paper analyzes stock market relationships among the G7 countries between 1973 and 2009 using three different approaches: (i) a linear approach based on cointegration, Vector Error Correction (VECM) and Granger Causality; (ii) a nonlinear approach based on Mutual Information and the Global Correlation Coefficient; and (iii) a nonlinear approach based on Singular Spectrum Analysis (SSA). While the cointegration tests are based on regression models and capture linearities in the data, Mutual Information and Singular Spectrum Analysis capture nonlinear relationships in a non-parametric way. The framework of this paper is based on the notion of market integration and uses stock market correlations and linkages both in price levels and returns. The main results show that significant co-movements occur among most of the G7 countries over the period analyzed and that Mutual Information and the Global Correlation Coefficient actually seem to provide more information about the market relationships than the Vector Error Correction Model and Granger Causality. However, unlike the latter, the direction of causality is difficult to distinguish in Mutual Information and the Global Correlation Coefficient. In this respect, the nonlinear Singular Spectrum Analysis technique displays several advantages, since it enabled us to capture nonlinear causality in both directions, while Granger Causality only captures causality in a linear way. The results also show that stock markets are closely linked both in terms of price levels and returns (as well as lagged returns) over the 36 years analyzed.     

Interpreting Structural Equation Modeling Results: A Reply to Martin and Cullen

This article briefly review the fundamentals of structural equation modeling for readers unfamiliar with the technique then goes on to offer a review of the Martin and Cullen paper. In summary, a number of fit indices reported by the authors reveal that the data do not fit their theoretical model and thus the conclusion of the authors that the model was “promising” are unwarranted.     

Women and work: what role do social norms play?

Against the background of the current (economic) research which concentrates particularly on individual and structural factors, this paper examines if and to what extent social norms (in terms of attitudes towards gender roles and work commitment) can make a complementary statement in explaining women’s employment status and number of working hours. The impact is presumed to be enhanced through norms shared by people belonging to the same households, peer groups, and by residents of the same region. The analysis relies on a rich German dataset and employs a probit model with sample selection. The results highlight, among other things, the importance of the ‘relevant others’ (particularly partners living in the same household and peers sharing similar social and work characteristics, but not necessarily geographical proximity) in explaining women’s employment status.     

Human resource management and performance in the Barbados hotel industry

This article measures the effect of human resource management (HRM) on performance in the hotel industry in Barbados. It used a quantitative survey covering 46 hotels out of a population of 75 hotels. The respondents were hotel's management, being either a general manager, human resource (HR) manager or line manager. Similar to Hoque's study of UK hotels, the impact of internal and external fit and the universal relevance of HRM were tested. The findings showed no major support for external fit, universal relevance and internal fit in the Barbados hotel industry. All the hotels perceived themselves as performing well, given the focus on quality and targeting high spending tourists. A quest for high service pushes the industry more towards best-practice ‘HRM’ rather than best fit.     

Quantifying central banks’ scientization: why and how to do a quantified organizational history of economics

ABSTRACT

A subset of research in the history of economics is organizational history – i.e. the study of the organizations producing, circulating and applying economic ideas. This article maintains that some research questions in organizational history call for quantitative methods because they ask about magnitudes. More precisely, we claim that quantitative methods should complement rather than replace other research methods when the research question is at least partly about magnitudes. We walk the walk with a study of one type of organization, central banks, and of its changing relationship with economic science. Our results point unambiguously toward a growing dominance of central banks in the specialized field of monetary economics. Central banks have swelling research armies, they publish a growing share of the articles in specialized scholarly journals, and these articles tend to have more impact today than the articles produced outside central banks.     

Local residents’ perceptions of the impacts of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 on Barbados: Comparisons of pre- and post-games

This study analysed Barbadians’ perceptions of the impacts on Barbados of jointly hosting the International Cricket Council Cricket World Cup 2007. The aim was to investigate the pre- and post-perceptions of Barbadian residents on the impacts (direct and indirect) of hosting the ICC CWC 2007. Statistically significant differences between pre- and post-games perceptions were found for all seven factors: benefits of cultural exchange, social problems, economic benefits, natural resource and cultural development, traffic congestion and pollution, price increases, and construction costs. While pre-games expectations were that the costs of hosting CWC 2007 would outweigh the benefits, after the games Barbadians perceived that the benefits had outweighed the costs. Within this context, it is recommended that there be a greater level of engagement with local residents prior to hosting a mega-event, to maximise benefits, minimise costs, and ensure successful outcomes.     

A social psychological account of absenteeism in Barbados

Using the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), we examined absence frequency within a developing market in the Caribbean. The objective was to understand the process underlying absence decisions. We merged survey data from 250 employees in five divisions of a Barbadian firm with company absenteeism records in order to assess whether the TPB fit the data. Results showed that the TPB fit the data well, with the exception of one path coefficient in the structural equation model. Implications for the TPB as well as absenteeism in the Caribbean are discussed, and future research directions offered.