Influence behaviors and employees’ reactions: An empirical test among six societies based on a transactional–relational contract model

Organizational and task commitment are central drivers of firm performance as they affect employees’ willingness to exert effort for the organization. This paper argues that supervisors who consistently use socio-emotional and supportive influence strategies are likely to enhance subordinates’ immediate commitment to the tasks as well as their psychological attachment to the organization. Drawing on the transactional–relational contracts framework, we develop and empirically examine the effects of supervisors’ influence behaviors on two types of commitment. Data collected from 1150 respondents from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Germany, United States and Brazil provided support for the positive relationship between the persuasive influence strategy and both immediate task and organizational commitment. Exploratory analyses of the cultural differences in our sample reveal differences in assertive and relationship-based individual tactics. We thus identified potentially universally endorsed as well as culturally contingent influence tactics in predicting the two types of commitment.     

Evaluation of an intervention on socio cultural communication skills of international nurses

International nurses face a myriad of challenges in their transition, adaptation, and integration into the U.S. health care environment. This pilot intervention study examined socio-cultural competence regarding communication in a sample of international nurses working in two community hospitals in southern Nevada. Significant improvement in communication behaviors of the sampled international nurses with regard to socio-cultural skills of communication after the workshop intervention were not found. Similarly, there were no remarkable differences in standardized patient comments for most items on the checklist. However, the sampled international nurses demonstrated some highly desirable qualities such as being very personable, caring, and compassion that appeared to lay a foundation for an effective nurse-patient relationship.     

The role of operational flexibility in the expansion of international production networks

Volatile factor cost developments urge manufacturing firms to increase production efficiency by building up facilities in multiple countries. Differing from previous work that examines the quality of individual locations for investment, the study evaluates the net present value, the growth option value, and the operational flexibility value of the existing production network to predict the establishment of a new site. The results on a sample of 352 German manufacturing firms suggest that the direction, uncertainty, and diversity of labor cost movements in the extant locations influence the propensity to set up a new production subsidiary. Analyzing the international production network after the expansion shows that the new location increases the value of the network regarding these dimensions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Supply-chain corporate venturing through acquisition: Key management team retention

Acquisitions are often used as a way to engage in corporate venturing. The value of these ventures tends to reside in the knowledge and capabilities of the key management team members who have and maintain key inter-organizational relationships. Because their knowledge and/or relationships may be tacit and therefore difficult to transfer, retaining the key managers in the acquired organization is often a critical issue for the human resource management of the acquiring organization. They are also frequently thought to be critical elements in the future performance in global supply chains and therefore, should be a key concern of human resource management after the acquisition has been culminated. Using a unique dataset of corporate acquisitions in supply-chains, we examine how the development of the psychological contract elements affects retention of critical key global managers. We find that higher retention of the key management team members leads to higher performance after acquisition. We also find that the development of the psychological contract has a positive impact on the retention of key managers with global supply-chain relations.     

Unemployment,marriage and divorce

In this article, we examine whether the business cycle plays a role in marriage and divorce. We use data on Spain, since the differences between recession and expansion periods across regions are quite pronounced in that country. We find that the unemployment rate is negatively associated with the marriage rate, pointing to a pro-cyclical evolution of marriage; however, the response of the divorce rate to the business cycle is mixed. Results show the existence of different patterns, depending on geography: divorce rates in coastal regions are pro-cyclical, while in inland regions divorces react to unemployment in a counter-cyclical way.     

Divorce and the Birth Control Pill in the US, 1950–85

This paper explores the relationship between the advent of the birth control pill and divorce rates. Women using the pill can decide when and whether to have children and whether to maintain their attachment to the labor force. This ability may increase women's autonomy, making divorce more feasible. The pill's effects are identified through a quasi-experiment exploiting differences in the language of the Comstock anti-obscenity statutes approved in the late 1800s and early 1900s in the United States. Empirical evidence from state-level data on US divorce rates 1950 to 1985 shows that sales bans of oral contraceptives have a negative impact on divorce. These findings are robust to alternative specifications and controls for observed (such as women's labor force participation) and unobserved state-specific factors, and time-varying factors at the state level. Results suggest that the impact of women's control of hormonal contraception on their autonomy is important in divorce decisions.     

The impact of country-of-origin on the acceptance of foreign subsidiaries in host countries: An examination of the ‘liability-of-foreignness’

This paper examines the relationship between an organization's country-of-origin and the acceptance into a host country environment by constituents such as vendors, suppliers, and distributors. This study contributes to the literature by proposing the examination and ultimate measurement of various tangible and intangible sources of the ‘liabilities of foreignness’. Additionally we show that are these sources are internal and external moderators of perceived acceptance in the host country. Manager must recognize the country-of-origin strategic options to address the negative overshadowing of the liability-of foreignness. We conclude that not doing so can create a stigma that may be attached to the overall organization, its image, products, brands, and to its employees. Further, negative attribution may be caste upon all the identifying characteristics of the foreign entity. The management of the firm must note the potential resistance to accept the organization and its products/services and must develop a proactive set of strategies to address the negativism of the host country constituents.     

The “Dominos” that Need to Fall into Place for a Reunification of Korea: Making Sense of a United Korea

With the death of North Korea leader Kim Jong-il, the level of uncertainty will dramatically escalate in an already highly uncertain market. The question becomes, is there a market opportunity for Western organizations, and when should Western organizations attempt to enter North Korea? In addition, there is a large question looming over the potential changes in the country, that being, if and when reunification with South Korea will occur. This article examines the potential of a unified market on the Korean peninsula.