POSITIVE SELF‐IMAGE IN TOURNAMENTS*

This article analyzes the implications of worker overestimation of productivity for firms in which incentives take the form of tournaments. Each worker overestimates his productivity but is aware of the bias in his opponent's self‐assessment. The manager of the firm, on the other hand, correctly assesses workers' productivities and self‐beliefs when setting tournament prizes. The article shows that, under a variety of circumstances, firms can benefit from worker positive self‐image. The article also shows that worker positive self‐image can improve welfare in tournaments. In contrast, workers' utility declines due to their own misguided choices.     

Project Decision Chain

To add value to project performance and help obtain project success, a new framework for decision making in projects is defined. It introduces the project decision chain inspired by the supply chain thinking in the manufacturing sector and uses three types of decisions: authorization, selection, and plan decision. A primitive decision element is defined where all the three decision types can be accommodated. Each task in the primitive element can in itself contain subtasks that in turn will comprise new primitive elements. The primitive elements are nested together in a project decision chain.     

Environmental Conservation NGOs and the Concept of Sustainable Development

On the background of the widely known and controversially discussed concept of sustainable development and the ever increasing influence of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on social, environmental and economic issues, this article focuses on how NGOs, specialised in environmental protection and conservation issues, reacted to the holistic societal concept of sustainable development which aims at finding solutions not only to environmental, but also to social and economic issues. For this purpose, the article investigates whether and to what extent the sustainability concept has been adopted by three worldwide leading environmental conservation NGOs: Greenpeace International, WWF International and IUCN International. The research, conducted in early 2006, reveals that the three organisations integrated the sustainability concept to different degrees depending on the organisations’ dominant value set. The more an organisation is bound to the idea of environmental protection, the less it is inclined to adopt strategies stemming from the sustainability concept whose implicit value system contradicts a strong bio- or eco-centric position. This finding adds evidence to the assumption that the holistic sustainability concept is most likely to be reduced and adapted when addressed by a specialised societal actor such as an NGO. Such insight into the influence of value systems on the actual actions of pressure groups might also be valuable in the light of the ever increasing number of strategic partnerships between NGOs and the private sector. To be familiar with each others’ action-leading key assumptions can significantly contribute to establishing a sound basis for a fruitful and rewarding collaboration.     

Employee voice mechanisms for lesbian,gay, bisexual and transgender expatriation: the role of Employee-Resource Groups (ERGs) and allies

Abstract

Recent literature on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) expatriates has largely taken an employee perspective. Less attention has been devoted to organizational mechanisms supporting LGBT voice opportunities for global mobility. In this study, we use respondent data from 15 LGBT employees in combination with data from five global mobility managers to examine the role of Employee Resource Groups. Using the depth, scope and level of voice to frame the study in relation to stereotype threat theory, the findings show that discrimination and stigmatization are prevalent features affecting voice. The findings advance three distinct contributions concerning marginalized (LGBT) employee voices about expatriation: the importance of ‘informal’ social dialogue, the shallow ‘depth’ to voice decision-making roles about LGBT expatriation, and a consideration of ‘silence’ in voice literatures.     

Casino management: Exploring gender-based differences in perceptions of managerial work

This study provides an exploratory analysis of gender differences in perceptions of male and female managers during strategy implementation within the Nevada casino industry. Specifically, the study explores whether male and female managers differ with respect to the relative emphasis placed on a variety of factors related to successful strategy implementation. Considering women's preference for transformational leadership and an interactive management approach based on personal power, it was expected that women would emphasize different factors than men.     

Using social marketing to increase breast cancer screening among African American women: perspectives from African American breast cancer survivors

• Despite progressive preventative techniques, intervention programs, and guidelines to help reduce breast cancer mortality, African American women (AAW) remain affected by breast cancer in greater numbers compared to Caucasians. As rates of breast cancer mortality continue to increase among AAW, a greater need for change emerges, which should include crafting culturally specific social marketing programs that promote breast cancer awareness among AAW. This exploratory study focuses on social marketing strategies to promote this awareness. The research underscores several social marketing strategies from the perspective of AAW (N = 130) breast cancer survivors. Qualitative data were collected from focus groups regarding social marketing strategies needed to promote breast cancer awareness. The discussions revealed social marketing campaigns that are culturally sensitive and unswerving are more likely to increase behavior modification. Furthermore, messages from other AAW tailored toward a specific market are more beneficial for promoting breast cancer screening.

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

How Comprehensive is Comprehensive Income? The Value Relevance of Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments

Prior empirical research has been unable to forge an unambiguous link between foreign currency translation adjustments, which are an element of “other items of comprehensive income,” and firm valuation. This study adds to the existing literature by empirically testing the value relevance of foreign currency translation adjustments in an earnings and book value model. Interaction terms, which serve as proxies for the theoretical sources of exchange rate exposure, are included in the estimating equation. The main finding of this study is that foreign currency translation adjustments are significantly value relevant when their parameter estimates are allowed to vary in the cross‐section.     

Assisting the Long-Term Unemployed: Results from a Randomised Trial

Welfare reform in Australia centres on both economic and social participation. The policy concern is that people who fail to participate in economic and social life may become entrenched in disadvantage. In 2000–2001, a randomised trial was conducted by the Department of Family and Community Services to assess whether an intensive interview with follow-ups would result in increased participation for long-term recipients of income support. Participation in the trial led to a reduction in average hours worked, but increased hours spent in study or training. We find evidence of increased social integration associated with participation in the trial.     

Evidence of the effect of domicile on corporate average effective tax rates in the European Union

We estimate (worldwide) corporate average effective tax rates (ETRs) from financial statements for companies domiciled in European Union (EU) member states during 7 years from 1990 to 1996. Our objective is to compare the tax rate effectively experienced by each company with the corporate statutory tax rate (STR) in the EU country in which each company is domiciled. The difference between the corporate statutory tax rate and the financial statement-based corporate average effective tax rate provides information on the magnitude of tax incentives provided by governments within the EU. These tax incentives come on top of the directly observable differences in statutory tax rates between EU member states. We find (1) that the use of tax incentives, over and above differences in STRs, differs substantially between EU member states (corporate domiciles) and (2) that the provision of tax incentives does not have the effect of equalizing corporate ETRs between EU member states (corporate domiciles).