Leader Power and Agency-Communion Orientations as Moderators of the Effects of Organizational Characteristics on Workplace Bullying

Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal - This conceptual paper suggests that the distinction between an autocratic and democratic leadership orientation may serve as an important moderator of...     

Ethics in International Value Chain Networks: The Case of Telenor in Bangladesh

The spotlight in the CSR discourse has traditionally been focused on multinational corporations (MNCs). This paper builds on a burgeoning stream of literature that has accorded recent attention to the relevance and importance of integrating small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the CSR debate. The paper begins by an overview of the CSR literature and a synthesis of relevant evidence pertaining to the peculiarities and special relational attributes of SMEs in the context of CSR. Noting the thin theoretical grounding in the literature on offer, the paper then presents relevant CSR theoretical perspectives that could be useful in conducting further research on SMEs. In light of this framework, the paper outlines the findings of an empirical study highlighting the peculiar CSR orientations of SMEs in a developing country context in comparison to some of their MNC counterparts. The study is qualitative in nature, capitalizing on a comparative research design to highlight differences in CSR orientations between SMEs and MNCs. The findings are presented and implications are drawn regarding the peculiar relational attributes of SMEs in the context of CSR generally, and developing countries more specifically, and how this inclination can be further nurtured and leveraged.     

Emerging issues in smallholder organic production and marketing in South Africa

This paper presents a synopsis of emerging issues in smallholder organic production and marketing in South Africa. The pros and cons of organic production for smallholder agriculture are demonstrated in a discussion of the reasons for adopting organic farming and the opportunities for and constraints on smallholder farmers in Africa. Also discussed are agro-ecological considerations; the process, requirements and costs for converting to certified organic production; and the information and decision-making required for smallholder organic production. Research and policy considerations are suggested.     

Rating versus ranking: What is the best way to reduce response and language bias in cross-national research?

We propose solutions to two recurring problems in cross-national research: response style differences and language bias. In order to do so, we conduct a methodological comparison of two different response formats—rating and ranking. For rating, we assess the effect of changing the commonly used 5-point Likert scales to 7-point Likert scales. For ranking, we evaluate the validity of presenting respondents with short scenarios for which they need to rank their top 3 solutions. Our results – based on two studies of 1965 undergraduate and 1714 MBA students in 16 different countries – confirm our hypotheses that both solutions reduce response and language bias, but show that ranking generally is a superior solution. These findings allow researchers to have greater confidence in the validity of cross-national differences if these response formats are used, instead of the more traditional 5-point Likert scales. In addition, our findings have several practical implications for multinational corporations, relating to issues such as selection interviews, performance appraisals, and cross-cultural training.     

A Human Capital-Based Theory of Postmarital Residence Rules

In premodern societies, the residence of a newly wedded coupleis often decided by custom. We formulate a theory of optimalpostmarital residence rules based on contracting problems createdby the nature of premarriage human capital investments. We arguethat a fixed postmarital residence rule may mitigate a holdupproblem by specifying marriage terms and limiting possibilitiesfor renegotiation; the trade-off is that the rule may prohibitbeneficial renegotiation of postmarital location. A point ofinterest of our approach is that the magnitude and directionof transfers accompanying marriage are endogenous. We applyour theoretical results to understanding cross-cultural postmaritalresidence patterns. We find some predictive ability in variablesrelated to outside options, control over the environment, andpotential degree of social control.     

What really works: HR's role in building the 4 + 2 organization and an introduction to the case studies in the HR leadership forum

Leading in HR means building organizations that consistently and predictably outperform their competitors. In order to understand how HR can best contribute to enhancing firm performance, more than 60,000 pages of information from 200 firms in multiple industries over ten years were analyzed. These firms varied in size, and we complemented these broad extensive analyses with focused, in‐depth exploration of issues of special interest. Only four foundation practices (focused strategy, execution, performance culture, and fast and flat organization) and four secondary practices (securing talent, committed leadership, industry‐transforming innovation, and growth through mergers and partnerships) were found to be necessary to produce extraordinary returns to shareholders. Specifically, success required performing well in all four foundation areas, plus at least two of the secondary areas—we call this the 4 + 2 formula for sustained business success. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The social sector of the Expanded Public Works Programme as a strategy to alleviate poverty amongst vulnerable groups in Gauteng

This article presents findings of a mixed-methods research study undertaken to evaluate the sustainability of the social sector of the Expanded Public Works Programme as a poverty alleviation strategy targeting women, youth and persons with disabilities. The study revealed that the social sector of the Expanded Public Works Programme has made a contribution to poverty alleviation, but may not be sustainable in the long term because of its reliance on volunteers, who receive a stipend. The programme is also limited by the fact that its implementation is focused mainly on one ethnic group. The article makes recommendations which may strengthen the social sector of the Expanded Public Works Programme to facilitate its sustainability.     

Temporary and permanent migrant selection: Theory and evidence of ability‐search cost dynamics

We integrate two workhorses of the labor literature, the Roy and search models, to illustrate the implications of migration duration—specifically, whether it is temporary or permanent—for patterns of selection. Consistent with our stylized model, we show that temporary migrants are intermediately selected on education, with weaker selection on cognitive ability. In contrast, permanent migration is associated with strong positive selection on both education and ability, as it involves finer employee–employer matching and offers greater returns to experience. Networks are also more valuable for permanent migration, where search costs are higher. Labor market frictions explain observed network–skill interactions.     

My money or yours: house money payment effects

This paper reports the results of an experiment designed to study how subjects’ decision making may be affected by the timing of participation payments (or show-up fees). The experiment follows Davis et al. (J. Econ. 30:69–95, 2004) where subjects were asked to make a sequential purchase decision and were given the opportunity to purchase information about the value of a good prior to a decision to purchase the good itself. There, subjects purchased information less often than expected which was interpreted as risk-seeking behavior. Here, we test a payment hypothesis by varying the timing of the participation payment. Payment of a show-up fee before the decision-making stages of the experiment increases information purchase, which we interpret as an increase in risk-averse behavior.