Productivity and energy price differentials

In taking account of the interrelationship between energy and other primary resources, labour and capital, this paper presents a methodology for quantifying regional efficiency differentials using Taylor series approximations to profit functions representing regional economies. The resulting formulation makes it possible to decompose labour productivity into its contributing factors which now include energy price differentials in addition to such traditional variables as differentials involving capital-employee ratios and the quality of labour. This approach is applied to Canadian regional data from 1962 to 1978. On average, between 5.2% and 9.2% of Canadian regional productivity differentials can be attributed to regional energy price differentials.     

Measuring returns to scale and technological change in co-operative banks: A provincial analysis of Canadian credit unions and caisses populaires

In Canada economies of scale in credit unions come not only from large single office arrangements but from external economies realized from belonging to central provincial credit unions. Making use of aggregate provincial time series and cross-sectional data, this study begins by employing a sequential Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) test to select the most appropriate model. This procedure permits the isolation of economies of scale from technological change effects. For all provinces, economies of scale are discovered to be significantly different from 1, and for five of the eight provinces examined, technological change was statistically significant from zero. The larger the provincial organization, as illustrated by the Quebec caisses populaires, the higher we find estimates of returns to scale and technological change. An implication may be that both expansion and more centralization should be encouraged and that other provinces may be able to increase efficiency by imitating some of Quebec's operational and administrative practices.     

Author Index Volume 37 (2003)

Quality &; Quantity -     

INPUT PRICE UNCERTAINTY,INVESTMENTS IN FLEXIBILITY AND COMPETITIVE INDUSTRY EQUILIBRIUM

This paper assumes that firms can respond to input price uncertainty by selecting a flexible technology. A simple model of industry equilibrium is used to examine the choice of flexibility. It is shown that the industry equilibrium is not characterized by excess capacity. This contrasts with the result in the previous literature dealing with equilibrium under product demand uncertainty. It is also shown that the effect of an increase in input price dispersion on the optimal level of flexibility and the equilibrium number of firms depends on the interaction between flexibility and the optimal size of the firm.     

Costing Effective versus Ineffective Work Relationships: A Method and a First Look

Effective work relationships have been considered a critical component of organizational effectiveness, but the benefits and costs have not been documented in dollar amounts. This study offers a method and a first look at costing the consequences of effective versus ineffective interaction between employees. Results indicating the considerable costs of ineffective interaction underscore the central role of relationships in organizations and their contribution to an organization's success. These costs also suggest that organizations have an opportunity to save money by reducing destructive interaction. The expense of ineffective interaction suggests needed managerial action and future research. Résumé Des relations de travail efficaces chez les employés constituent, semble-t-il, un des principaux éléments responsables de l'efficacité générale d'une entreprise. Une valeur précise n'y a cependant jamais été rattachée. Cette étude présente pour la première fois une méthode permettant d'évaluer comparativement les coǔts rattachés à l'efficacité de měme qu'à l'inefficacité des relations entre employés. Les résultats, qui indiquent les coǔts importants qu'entraǐnent les relations inefficaces entre employés, soulignent leur rǒle central au sein de l'entreprise de měme que leur contribution à son succès ou à son échec. Il est également suggéré qu'une entreprise peut réduire ses coǔts en réduisant les instances d'interaction négative entre employés et suggère la nécessité d'intervention de la part de la direction et de recherches plus poussées sur la question.     

Corporate Groups in Australia: State of Play

While a number of studies and reports (for example, CASAC 2000 ; Clarke and Dean 2007 ; Ramsay and Stapledon 1998; 2001 ) have identified the importance of corporate groups on the commercial landscape, both in Australia and internationally, little is known about the nature, incidence, composition or rationale for commercial enterprises to adopt specific types of group structures. Understanding the differences in the accounting for each separate company within a group and the process of consolidated group enterprise data used in most empirical works is a prius for researchers undertaking large‐scale empirical work. It underpins the ability to generalise about findings based on samples of publicly listed companies, arguably randomly selected from the population of listed corporate groups. This paper reports findings of an extensive empirical study using 2007 data in order to illuminate the current situation in relation to the nature, incidence and composition of corporate groups in Australia. It adopts a similar structure to that used by Ramsay and Stapledon (1998; 2001) . The current data will allow tests of stability regarding the way corporate groups are structured.     

Requisite expertise,firm reputation,and status in venture capital investment allocation decisions

Drawing together research in the upper echelon perspective, strategy, and organizational sociology, this paper examines (1) the relationship between the finance expertise of a venture capital (VC) firm's management team and investment selection, and (2) the moderation of this relationship by the VC firm's social position. We find that while finance expertise is associated with a lower proportion of early-stage investments, this relationship is weaker for firms with high reputation and stronger for firms with high status. We conclude with a discussion of the importance and nuances of external image considerations on investment decisions as well as insights into the importance of the requisite nature of expertise.     

The Bathsheba Syndrome: The ethical failure of successful leaders

Reports of ethical violations by upper level managers continue to multiply despite increasing attention being given to ethics by firms and business schools. Much of the analysis of these violations focuses on either these managers'lack of operational principles or their willingness to abandon principles in the face ofcompetitive pressures. Much of the attention by firms and business schools focuses either on the articulation of operational principles (a deontological approach) or on the training of managers to sort their way through subtle ethical dilemmas in the face of competitive pressure (a utilitarian approach). While valuable, these approaches alone are incomplete. This paper suggests that many ethical violations by upper managers are the by-product ofsuccess — not of competitive pressures. Our research suggests that many managers are poorly prepared to deal with success. First, success often allows managers to becomecomplacent and to lose focus, diverting attention to things other than the management of their business. Second, success, whether personal or organizational, often leads toprivileged access to information, people or objects. Third, with success usually comes increasinglyunrestrained control of organizational resources. And fourth, success can inflate a manager's belief in his or her personalability to manipulate outcomes. Even individuals with a highly developed moral sense can be challenged (tempted?) by the “opportunities” resulting from the convergence of these dynamics. We label the inability to cope with and respond to the by-products of success “the Bathsheba Syndrome,” based on the account of the good King David (a story familiar in a variety of traditions). Recognition of this phenomenon implies that we change or broaden our approach to the teaching of business ethics. It also implies that organizations must re-evaluate and change structures, procedures, and practices which enhance the likelihood of managers falling victim to the Bathsheba Syndrome.