Dual Agent Distortions in Real Estate Transactions

This article investigates price distortions in dual agent real estate transactions. Consistent with the literature, we find that, on average, dual agent has a null effect on sale price. However, dual agent distortions on sale price emerge after controlling for the ownership of the property. Dual agent is associated with a 6.35% price premium on agent‐owned properties, but a 25.10% price discount on government‐owned properties and a 5.14% discount on bank‐owned properties. In addition, market conditions also play an important role in such price distortions.     

Interfirm Alliances in the Small Business: The Role of Social Networks

In light of the increasing importance of strategic alliances in shaping competition, this study explored whether the social network of small firm executives can be leveraged to facilitate the establishment of interfirm alliances. Analyses are based on a mail survey of 149 small manufacturing firms in the northeast United States. Results indicate that the social networks of senior executives account for 11–22 percent of the variance in the degree to which firms engage in alliances, depending on the type of alliance. Results also show that the number of interfirm alliances is positively related to several networking properties (propensity to network, strength of ties, and network prestige). Findings are discussed in the context of network theory, social embeddedness, and the overall implications for management researchers and practitioners.     

Ethical ideology and ethical judgment regarding ethical issues in business

Differences in ethical ideology are thought to influence individuals' reasoning about moral issues (Forsyth and Nye, 1990; Forsyth, 1992). To date, relatively little research has addressed this proposition in terms of business-related ethical issues. In the present study, four groups, representing four distinct ethical ideologies, were created based on the two dimensions of the Ethical Position Questionnaire (idealism and relativism), as posited by Forsyth (1980). The ethical judgments of individuals regarding several business-related issues varied, depending upon their ethical ideology.Tim Barnett is Assistant Professor of Management at Louisiana Tech University. He has published in such journals asPersonnel Psychology, theJournal of Business Research, andHuman Relations. His research interests include ethical decision making and ethical issues in HRM.Ken Bass is Assistant Professor of Management at East Carolina State University. He has articles published in several journals, including theJournal of Personal Selling and Sales Management. His research interests include ethical decision making, ethical strategy, and methodology.Gene Brown is Associate Professor Marketing at Louisiana Tech University. He is published in such journals as theJournal of Retailing, the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, theJournal of Business Research, Psychology and Marketing, and Industrial Marketing Management. His main interests include personal selling, retailing, ethics, and methodology.     

A model of destination image formation

Image has been shown to be an important influence in the selection of vacation destinations. A model that represents the important determinants of destination image formation was developed based on previous studies in a number of fields. The research reported in this article presents the results of an empirical test of the model using path analysis. A major finding of the study was that a destination image is formed by both stimulus factors and tourists' characteristics. The results of this investigation provide important implications for strategic image management and can aid in designing and implementing marketing programs for creating and enhancing tourism destination images.     

Innovation and competitiveness: a review

Increasing interest has been shown by governments in maintaining the competitiveness of their economies by the use of policies designed to encourage advances in science and technohgy, and the adoption of new tachniques by industry. This paper is the result of a literature review and a sumvey of researchers on the concepts of innovation and competitiveness, the relationships between them and the efficiency ofpolicies to promote them. Those policies an considered in the context of alternative economic perspectives, as is the (rather limited) empirical euidence available. Conclusions are drawn on the current stab of the art of innovation policy research.     

Managed Trade in Non-traditional Products: Emerging Issues for Canada's Specialised Livestock Sectors

The specialised livestock industry is poised for excellent growth and development in both Saskatchewan and Canada. … Specialised livestock have the potential to meet market demands in other parts of the world as well as local opportunities for healthy and exotic foods. (Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food, 2000).
… there are now 4000 deer farms in New Zealand. They are running 1.8 million animals, in a country somewhat smaller than Saskatchewan! (Haigh 2000).
There are domestic and export markets for venison and export offers the best returns. Over 80% of Australian-produced venison is now exported … They are large markets with limited Australian market penetration because of the current small size of our industry and our inability to provide the volume required (Mackay 2000).
…the behaviour of new enterprises follow a very predictable pattern. Unfortunately, despite the highly predictable nature of these issues and problems, the same mistakes are made over and over (McKinna 1999).     

Top management team diversity,group process,and strategic consensus

This study integrated concepts from upper echelons, group process and social cognition theories to investigate how demographic diversity and group processes influence strategic consensus within the top management team (TMT), where strategic consensus is defined as the degree to which individual mental models of strategy overlap. Data from 76 high‐technology firms in the United States and Ireland were used to examine three alternative models. The results showed that while demographic diversity alone did have effects on strategic consensus the overall fit of the model was not strong. Adding two intervening group process variables, interpersonal conflict and agreement‐seeking, to the model greatly improved the overall relationship with strategic consensus. For the most part, TMT diversity had negative effects on strategic consensus. The model with superior fit showed both direct and indirect effects of diversity on strategic consensus. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An analysis of management buy-out failure

Management but-outs are an important aspect of corporate restructuring. In order to understand their longer-term impact there is a need to examine their effects in recessionary conditions. In this context, the paper analyses the factors which lead to management buy-out failure using both financial and non-financial information. The evidence is consistent with the view that some mechanisms introduced to deal with agency cost problems, particularly management incentives and undertaking restructuring activity in a timely fashion are associated with a lower probability of failure. Excessive leverage and delays in restructuring are associated with a higher probability of failure.     

PURCHASING AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT: INTERACTIONS,POLICIES AND OPPORTUNITIES

The mechanisms are examined by which environmentally informed business practices and technologies may diffuse through industry as a result of the ‘greening’ of purchasing and supply. The efforts of official bodies in the UK to raise environmental awareness among industrial purchasers are reviewed. It is then argued that the supply chain model is an important way of interpreting the industrial landscape from a green perspective and that it is in some ways a more hopeful and positive starting point for achieving industrial transformation. The results of an analysis of some UK companies practices in using their purchasing policies to ‘green’ their supply chains are presented and opportunities for further research indicated.