Perceptions of the ethicality of favors at work in Asia: An 11-society assessment

We explore macro-level factors that shape perceptions of the ethicality of favors in Asian workplaces using the subordinate influence ethics (SIE) measure. We also expand and use the crossvergence model to examine the cross-level relationship between socio-cultural (i.e., traditional/secular; survival/self-expression; in-group favoritism) and business ideology influences (i.e., human development level, control of corruption) on perceptions of favor-seeking at work. This study examines the perceptions of a total of 4,325 managers and professionals in a diverse set of 11 Asian societies: China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Our investigation focuses on both the “softer” (image management) and “harder” (self-serving) sides of subordinate influence attempts to seek favors, as well as the degree of ethical differentiation across these societies. Key results based on hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) suggest that both the World Value Survey’s socio-cultural values as well as in-group favoritism contribute to our understanding of influence behaviors in Asia. Likewise, level of human development and control of corruption also appear to be promising predictors of influence ethics. In sum, our results suggest that widening the scope of the crossvergence conceptualization of socio-cultural and business ideology influences engender a better understanding of differences in attitudes toward subordinate use of favoritism across Asian societies.     

How family influence,socioemotional wealth,and competitive conditions shape new technology adoption

Research summary : In family businesses, investment decisions often involve both socioemotional wealth and economic considerations. Focusing on new technology adoption, we argue that multiple dimensions of socioemotional wealth contribute to complex effects within different types of family firms—depending on the level of family control—as well as in contrast to non‐family firms. Results based on cable TV operators from 1983 to 1987 confirm that family ownership correlates negatively with technology adoption, especially when family owners hold a minority rather than majority position. We also show contingencies based on performance improvements and competitive threats. Our arguments contribute new insights about the tensions between economic and socioemotional factors within minority family ownership that are absent from non‐family firms and more pronounced than in majority family firms. Managerial summary : We find evidence of greater reluctance toward new technology adoption among firms with minority family influence than majority family influence. This suggests that goals related to socioemotional wealth only partly explain the cautious decision‐making observed in family firms, with further caution arising from conflicting priorities between family and non‐family owners. Recent performance improvements help offset the reluctance to adopt new technology, albeit to a lesser degree among firms with minority family ownership. High levels of competitive threats also offset the reduction in new technology adoption, and contrary to expectations, to a greater extent among minority family firms. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

WAGE BARGAINING WITH A PRICE-SETTING FIRM

This paper examines the introduction of monopolistic competition into wage bargaining models: in addition to capital-labour substitution, we also consider a cost-push effect. The right-to-manage model requires strong restrictions on the objective functions and leads to problematic conclusions because the wage claims of the union are generally not compatible with the mark-up requirement contained in the firm's price equation. In the efficient bargaining model, the union negotiates also the employment level, which gives it a way of extracting part of the monopoly rent: the firm's commitment to an efficient wage-employment combination forces it to follow a pricing rule such that part of the surplus is transferred to the union.     

The effects of television advertising execution on recall,comprehension, and persuasion

The present study fills a gap in the advertising effects literature for a large-sample comprehensive study of the impact of general message factors on recall and persuasion measures of advertising performance. An analysis of executional factors in 1059 television commercials revealed that the presence of a brand differentiating message accounted for more variance in persuasion than other executional factors. Recall and persuasion performance were more closely related for new products than for established products. A brand differentiating claim in the commercial was the most important single executional factor affecting advertising effectiveness.     

Prose, Psychopaths and Persistence: Personal Perspectives on Publishing

The process of attempting to publish a paper in a refereed journal can be rather stressful. This paper presents a number of personal reflections on the publishing process, with the aim of helping aspiring journal authors to appreciate the nature of the challenge, and some of the requisites for success. The challenges in dealing with referees include the element of luck involved in securing sympathetic referees, the poor quality of the reports prepared by some referees, and the slowness of the review and editorial process. A number of examples from my experiences in agricultural economics journals are presented. These reveal that one of the most important characteristics that a journal author needs is persistence.
Publier un article dans un périodique scientifique s'avère parfois une tâche éprouvante. L'auteur nous fait part de ses réflexions sur le monde de l'édition, le but étant d'aider les auteurs en herbe à apprécier la nature du défi et de comprendre certaines conditions préalables au succès. Trailer avec un comité de lecture anonyme suppose une certaine intervention du hasard. En effet, il faut non seulement dénicher des lecteurs bienveillants mais aussi composer avec la piètre qualité de certains comptes rendus et la lenteur du processus de lecture et de correction. Suivent maints exemples tirés de périodiques d'économie agricole. Ces exemples révèlent qu'une des principales qualités des auteurs d'articles pour périodique scientifique est la ténacité.