The Influence of Spiritual Traditions on the Interplay of Subjective and Normative Interpretations of Meaningful Work

Journal of Business Ethics - This paper argues that the principles of spiritual traditions provide normative ‘standards of goodness’ within which practitioners evaluate meaningful work....     

Emotional and Motivational Correlates of Leadership Styles: A Comprehensive Framework for Understanding Effective Leaders

It is widely believed that contemporary leaders must possess highly developed interpersonal, motivational, social, and emotional skills. However, empirical evidence documenting the specific role emotional intelligence (EI) and motivational constructs play in leadership is equivocal to date (e.g., Harms & Crede, 2010; Lindebaum & Cartwright, 2010; Walter, Cole, & Humphrey, 2011). The current study examined a proposed working leadership model based on four distinct leadership styles LSs; i.e., servant, transformational, transactional, and passive/avoidant) that could be viewed on an autonomy‐sophistication continuum based on readiness and strengths of both leaders and followers. Participants included 535 male and female junior college and high school students at a military academy. Cluster analysis (CA) results revealed four unique LS profiles that capture different combinations of the four LS styles. LS profiles were compared on a range of motivational and EI dimensions. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) results revealed support for hypothesized profile differences, including: (a) all three social motivation subscales, (b) both learning and capacity ability beliefs, (c) task but not ego motivational orientation, and (d) three revised EI subscales created when exploratory factor analysis failed to confirm the hypothesized Emotional and Social Competence Inventory factor structure for this cadet sample.     

Shopper Response to Front-of-Package Nutrition Labeling Programs: Potential Consumer and Retail Store Benefits

A myriad of front-of-package (FOP) nutrition labeling systems have been developed by both food retailers (e.g., Walmart, Safeway, Hannaford) and manufacturers (e.g., Kellogg's, General Mills) to help consumers identify more healthful options at the point-of-purchase. Given the uniqueness of these different approaches, two studies examine the effects of alternative FOP systems on shoppers’ product evaluations, choices, and retailer evaluations. When a single food item is evaluated in isolation, both the reductive and evaluative systems had a positive effect on product evaluations. However, when several choice options are presented simultaneously in a realistic retail environment, the evaluative (reductive) system has a stronger (weaker) influence on product evaluation and choice. Results also show that FOP nutrition labeling systems have both direct and moderating effects on attitude toward the retailer and perceived retailer concern for shoppers. These retailer-related outcomes, in turn, mediate the effects of the labeling system on shoppers’ intentions to patronize the retailer. Results suggest that FOP nutrition labeling may help retailers build a non-price competitive advantage.     

“Reading” whiteness in consumer research

The concept of whiteness has been widely debated in the social sciences and humanities but has rarely surfaced as a theme in consumer research. This paper introduces whiteness theory as an additional theoretical perspective available to consumer researchers to add to those that are well established. The empirical section of the paper comprises a textual analysis of articles published in the Journal of Consumer Research from 1974–2004. The findings suggest that consumer research is dominated by “white faces” and “white spaces,” resulting in many investigators consciously or unconsciously performing whiteness. The ways whiteness can be re‐articulated to stimulate more interest within consumer research are discussed.     

Market responses to qualitative information from a group polarization perspective

This study examines the predictions of group polarization in response to the receipt of qualitative information (i.e., good or bad news) in a laboratory market. Qualitative information induces varying beliefs within the market because such information is interpreted using the relevant knowledge possessed by the recipients. Findings from the group polarization literature suggest that individuals who subsequently hold the most extreme price beliefs will influence the market to a greater extent than individuals holding the most conservative beliefs. Group polarization research also suggests that participation in a market will accentuate risk preferences so that good news produces a cautious shift in prices (i.e., towards lower prices) whereas bad news produces a risky shift (i.e., towards higher prices). The results confirm the predictions of group polarization and further suggest that if extreme reactions to information reflect recency, so too may the market price.     

The Determinants of Credit Ratings in the United Kingdom Insurance Industry

This paper examines the determinants of external credit ratings attained by insurance firms in the United Kingdom (UK) and of the likelihood that insurers will have such an assessment. Using panel data relating to A.M. Best‐rated and Standard and Poor's (S&P)‐rated insurers over the period 1993–1997, a trichotomous logit model and an ordered probit model with sample selection are employed to show that the factors which influence the likelihood of having external credit assessments not only vary between the two agencies but also differ from those which determine the ratings themselves. Our results are shown to be of potential interest to participants in the insurance industry and policy‐makers alike.     

Consumer preferences for GM food and other attributes of the food system

While qualitative surveys regarding consumers' attitudes about gene technologies and their application to food production are plentiful, quantitative studies are less so. The present paper reports choice modelling methods to examine the conditions under which Australian consumers are willing to purchase genetically modified (GM) foods, if at all, and examines those preferences within the context of the food system as a whole. This allows us to compare consumer attitudes towards gene technology to consumer preferences for other features of the food they consume. The results of the choice modelling analysis suggest consumers require a discount on their weekly food bill before they will purchase GM food. Gene technology using animal as well as plant genes was found to be more objectionable to respondents than that using plant genes alone, especially among women. Age seems to affect the preferences for a certain type of food, with older people generally more accepting of the use of gene technology.     

Corporate Decisions,Information and Prices: Do Managers Move Prices or Do Prices Move Managers?

Seasoned equity offerings involve two significant events: registration followed by the decision to complete the issue or withdraw the registration. We present an empirical analysis of the interaction between seasoned equity issues, insider trading and the incorporation of information in prices around these two events. We find that the manager moves prices through corporate decisions but not personal ones. Specifically, the market reacts to the registration and the registration triggers information acquisition by the market, which is shown to influence the manager's final decision. Trading by managers during this interval does not, however, move prices.
(J.E.L.: G14, G23, G32) .     

Optimisation and the selection of conservation contracts*

This paper explores alternative techniques for the selection of conservation contracts under competitive tendering programs. Under these programs, purchasing decisions are often based on the benefits score and cost for proposed projects. The optimisation problem is to maximise the aggregate benefits without exceeding the budget. Because the budget rarely permits all projects to be funded, there is a binary choice problem, known in the operations research published work as a knapsack problem. The decision‐maker must choose which projects are funded and which are not. Under some circumstances, the knapsack problem can be unsolvable because computational complexity increases exponentially with the number of projects. This paper explores the use of several decision rules for solving the optimisation problem including the use of advanced meta‐heuristics. It is shown that commonly applied techniques for project selection may not be providing the optimal solution. Improved algorithms can increase the environmental programs benefits and staying within budget. The comparison of algorithms is based on real data from the Western Australian Conservation Auction.