Beyond the line: exploring the HRM responsibilities of line managers,project managers and the HRM department in four project-oriented companies in the Netherlands,Austria, the UK and the USA

The topic of what human resource management (HRM) responsibilities are devolved from the HRM department to line managers has attracted much interest in recent years. We report findings from a study on the devolution of HRM practices in four project-oriented companies (POCs) and argue that although HRM practices are carried out beyond the HRM department, they are also carried out beyond the line. While the literature on devolving HRM responsibilities to line management is burgeoning, the HRM responsibilities of managers beyond the line organization are neglected. We make two contributions to the literature. Firstly, our study reveals that some HRM practices are the domain of the project manager rather than either the line manager or the HRM department. The complex interplay of the roles of the HRM department, line management and project management creates challenges and pitfalls where people are managed across the boundaries of the permanent and temporary organization. We identify a potentially powerful role for the HRM department in both monitoring and guiding the different players from the line and the project organizations, and in protecting the well-being of employees whose work traverses these organizational boundaries. Our second contribution is that we map the diversity of practices in different POCs for managing the interplay between the three main parties delivering HRM practices and offer project orientation as a contextual indicator that contributes to diversity in HRM practices.     

Hierarchies and Groups in DEA

Conventional applications of data envelopment analysis (DEA) presume the existence of a set of similar decision making units, wherein each unit is evaluated relative to other members of the set. Often, however, the DMUs fall naturally into groupings, giving rise first to the problem of how to view the groups themselves as DMUs, and second to the issue of how to deal with several different ratings for any given DMU when groupings can be formed in different ways. In the present paper we introduce the concept of hierarchical DEA, where efficiency can be viewed at various levels. We provide a means for adjusting the ratings of DMUs at one level to account for the ratings received by the groups (into which these DMUs fall) at a higher level. We also develop models for aggregating different ratings for a DMU arising from different possible groupings. An application of these models to a set of power plants is given.     

Idiosyncratic risk and the cross-section of stock returns: Merton (1987) meets Miller (1977)

Merton [1987. A simple model of capital market equilibrium with incomplete information. Journal of Finance 42, 483–510] predicts that idiosyncratic risk should be priced when investors hold sub-optimally diversified portfolios, and cross-sectional stock returns should be positively related to their idiosyncratic risk. However, the literature generally finds a negative relationship between returns and idiosyncratic risk, which is more consistent with Miller's [1977. Risk, uncertainty, and divergence of opinion. Journal of Finance 32, 1151–1168] analysis of asset pricing under short-sale constraints. We examine the cross-sectional effects of idiosyncratic risk while explicitly recognizing the confounding effects that dispersion of beliefs and short-sale constraints produce in the Merton framework. We find strong support for Merton's [1987. A simple model of capital market equilibrium with incomplete information. Journal of Finance 42, 483–510] model among stocks that have low levels of investor recognition and for which short selling is limited. For these stocks, the relation between idiosyncratic risk and expected returns is positive, as predicted by Merton [1987. A simple model of capital market equilibrium with incomplete information. Journal of Finance 42, 483–510].     

Effects of spatial density on veterinarian income: where are all of the veterinarians?

With increased numbers of veterinarians in the market, it is critical to understand how this increased competition affects income potential at multiple levels. This study presents an empirical approach that incorporates local and nonlocalised spatial competition of firms into one model. By analysing the market for veterinarians using a spatial weight matrix approach, we are able to quantify localized and nonlocalised competition which assists in defining relevant market areas for veterinarians. Specifically, increased density within their county and surrounding counties decreases veterinarian income. Thus, the potential market area for veterinarians is larger than the local/county market in which they practice. This is important for veterinarians when choosing a location to practice, as they must consider the competition and demand in local and non-local areas.     

Rural and Regional Australian Public Accounting Firm Services: Service Provision,Concerns and Tensions

Public accounting firms provide a necessary and important service for rural and regional areas. However, the provision of high‐quality services is hindered by a number of factors. This paper reports the findings from a large‐scale survey of professional accounting firm practitioners located in rural and regional Australia, identifying factors causing concerns and tensions and quantifying their scope and importance. Prominent concerns and tensions identified include adverse effects arising from the employment market, communications technology developments and legislation such as the Corporate Law Economic Reform Program (Audit Reform and Corporate Disclosure) Act 2004 and the Financial Services Reform Act 2001.     

Breast cancer: a review of the literature

This article presents a comprehensive review of the Breast Cancer literature examining epidemiology, diagnosis, pathology, "benign" breast disease, breast carcinoma in situ syndromes, staging, and post-treatment surveillance among many topics. Breast cancer remains the most commonly occurring cancer in women. Breast cancer detection, treatment, and prevention are prominent issues in public health and medical practice. Background information on developments in these arenas is provided so that medical directors can continue to update their approach to the assessment of breast cancer risk.     

Examining the dimensions of technology

The meaning of technology seems simple. Most people have little difficulty expressing some notion of what it is. Technology is machine, automobile, computer, tool ... the list goes on and on.For some, technology is defined in contrast to other academic disciplines such as science or engineering. It is clear that science and technology are woven throughout a larger complex of human activity which is oriented around a mix of economic, political, humanitarian, and cultural means and ends. However, it is also clear that the knowledge base, processes, and goals of technology are distinctly different from science.This paper depicts technology as consisting of four distinct conceptual dimensions. These are (a) artefact, (b) knowledge, (c) process, and (d) volition (Mitcham, 1979). The goals are to clarify and explore the conceptual complexities of technology in order to provide a conceptual foundation for the study of Technology Education for all.A central mission of education should be to orient people to the cultures within which they are living and making decisions. Given that technology and technological systems are important in every culture around the world, it is absolutely essential that they become a primary focus of study.Rodney L. Custer is Assistant Professor of Technology and Industry Education at the University of Missouri-Columbia where he graduated with the Doctor of Philosophy in Practical Arts and Vocational and Technical Education. His research interests include the philosophy of technology, implications of cognitive science for understanding problem-solving, and critical skills for employment in the 21st century. Custer is currently co-editing a book entitled Technology and the Quality of Life, which will be published in 1966 by the Council on Technology Teacher Education. The book will explore the ways in which cultures have influenced the development of technology as well as the positive and negative impacts which technology has had on social and cultural values. He is currently on leave from the University of Missouri for the 1995–96 academic year, working as a Program Officer for the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Washington, DC.Rodney L. Custer, University of Missouri-Columbia, 103 London Hall, Columbia, MO 65211, Fax Number: 314-442-6056, Electronic Mail: PAVTROD@showme.missouri,edu, Work Number: 314-882-3082.     

PROXIMITY AND VOTING FOR PROFESSIONAL SPORTING STADIUMS: THE PATTERN OF SUPPORT FOR THE SEAHAWK STADIUM REFERENDUM

This paper evaluates voting behavior on the Seahawk Stadium referendum in the State of Washington. For our empirical strategy, we implement both the linear probability model and a group logit model, which gives greater weight to voting areas with greater number of votes cast. We find that voting support was lowest among those living closest to the proposed stadium site, while voting support was highest among those within “easy access” of the stadium. This nonlinear distance effect differs from the typical “proximity” effect found in most professional sporting stadiums in the United States; however, it is consistent with a referendum‐voting outcome for a professional soccer stadium in Germany and public projects such as national forests. (JEL R53, H71, L83)     

Comment on ‘Jointness of growth determinants’ by Gernot Doppelhofer and Melvyn Weeks

Doppelhofer and Weeks ( 2009 ) present a statistic designed to indicate the probability that pairs of regressors appear together or individually in a Bayesian model averaged linear regression. This comment presents an alternative measure that is designed to overcome some of the limitations of Doppelhofer and Weeks' statistic. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Business Processes and Networks in University Incubators: A Review and Research Agendas

While the technology aspects of university incubators in university science parks (USPs) receive considerable attention and development, as the primary force in the creation of incubator businesses, the business and social inputs (entrepreneurial networks) are less well defined. Anchoring to the resource-based view of the firm (RBV), it is argued that a business process perspective is useful to conceptualize the deployment of key resources in USPs—namely business support and social support (entrepreneurial networks). This paper reviews existing literature in relation to university incubator business processes and networks. In particular, the paper seeks to link the process and network concepts to define research agendas.