Research article: Look after they leap: illustrating the value of retrospective reports in employee turnover

The prevailing methodology for studying employee turnover is limited because it emphasizes prediction rather than understanding. This paper critiques this methodology and draws out the implications of an alternative: retrospective self-reporting, by actual leavers. Retrospective self-reporting has three main advantages. First, it allows direct assessment of actual incidents of turnover, so interventions can be informed by accounts of real events, instead of being based on inference. Second, it offers insight into the dynamic character of decisions to quit, which are often unpredictable or precipitated by sudden events. Third, it allows for assessment of the role of non-work factors. This makes a methodological contribution, allowing greater insight into the decision to quit, which is ontologically, socially and dynamically complex. It has implications for how we construe and manage turnover. The argument is illustrated by a recent study of 352 UK National Health Service nurse leavers but has wider implications for turnover in the public sector.     

Linking organizational learning and customer capital through an ambidexterity context: an empirical investigation in SMEs1

Ambidexterity is an organization's context to achieve alignment and adaptability simultaneously within the organization learning processes. This paper examines the relationship between and significance of two key factors of organization learning (exploration and exploitation of knowledge) and two possible control factors (company size and sector) on the ambidexterity context, and their effects on the creation of customer capital. These relationships are examined through an empirical investigation of 269 Spanish SMEs from two different sectors (Optometry and Telecommunications), using structural equation modelling validated by factor analysis. The results indicate that the effects of exploration and exploitation of knowledge on customer capital are mediated through an ambidexterity context, which in this study is not affected by the size of SMEs but might be related to the sector in which they operate.     

Accrual output based budgeting systems in Australia The rhetoric-reality gap

This paper describes accrual output based budgeting (AOBB) systems and examines their adoption in Australia. An analysis of claims made about AOBB systems by central agency reformers is set out, and the conclusion offered that these claims are fundamentally rhetorical in their characteristics. These rhetorical claims are contrasted against a critical analysis which suggests that despite the claims made by reformist elements in favour of the adoption of these systems, the structural and empirical elements of AOBB systems as implemented in Australia raise considerable doubts as to whether suggested benefits will be realised in practice.     

Communicating culture change

Using a case study of a large public sector department the relationship between communication and change in a public sector department and the human resource implications of that relationship are considered. Senior administrators of the department signified their intention to change the culture from one that was considered to be bureaucratic, technically oriented and inward-looking to one more outward-looking, continually learning, more relationship-oriented internally and inclusive of broader ‘whole of government’ objectives such as commercialization, the environment, social justice and community relations. Findings from the research indicate that, despite an objective of shifting to a state of continual change with the mode of communication becoming two-way and dialogic, the communication mechanism has faltered due to a failure to address the need of lower-level staff for a set vision and stated future direction. Implications of these findings are drawn for public sector organizations in general.     

SOX法案给中国公司治理的启示

在内部控制和财务报告领域,当前全球最热门的话题莫过于SOX法案(即Sarbanese-OxleyAct,又称萨班斯法案、萨宾法案)。本文认为虽然SOX法案仅对在美上市公司具有法律约束力,但它对我国公司财务报告和公司治理却同样有着重要的参考意义。     

财务核心能力研究

财务核心能力是财务活动中能够为企业不断创造价值、提供持续竞争优势的财务能力的集合体,主要包括CFO才能和制度安排、财务战略管理能力、财务运营管理能力、财务应变能力和财务创新能力。本文在回顾现有文献的基础上,提出了财务核心能力的概念,分析了财务核心能力的构成要素,并提出了培育和提升企业财务核心能力的具体措施。     

我国房地产金融业存在的问题和对策

我国房地产金融存在的问题主要归结为制度缺陷,集中表现在资金来源渠道单一、房地产金融体系不完备、资金融通效率低下和风险高度集中。这些缺陷很大程度上制约了中国房地产业的长期健康发展,应该通过金融体制的改革,建立开放统一的房地产金融体系。同时,在房地产金融体系不完备的情况下,政府应谨慎出台房地产调控政策,以保护房地产业健康发展。     

Financial development,portfolio investments and the real economy in Africa

According to the conservative view, capital flows enhance economic growth. Focussing on Africa’s real economy, this study investigates the linkage between portfolio investments and real sector growth, and whether financial sector development strengthens this association. The study covers 30 countries over the period 1990–2017. We adopt the Lewbel instrumental variable general method of moments (IV-GMM) two-step robust estimator, which relies on heteroscedasticity for identification, while dealing with instrument insufficiency, unavailability, endogeneity and omitted variable bias. We found that portfolio equity has no growth impact on Africa’s real sector. Debt flows deter the growth of the overall real sector as well as the manufacturing and industrial sectors, but have no impact on agriculture and service growth. We found that financial development does strengthen the positive association between capital flows and economic growth, but this is dependent on the type of sector and portfolio investment, as well as on the degree of financial development. We control for known determinants of economic growth.     

Government support and bank performance during the 2007–2008 financial crisis

Though previous studies suggest a state participation has a negative impact on banks, this paper highlights the potential benefits of state ownership for confidence and stability in the post-crisis period that can outweigh the inefficiencies and potential for corruption of political intervention. We find that the state guarantees are valuable during the crisis. The negative (positive) relation between state ownership and bank profitability (risk) is mitigated in the post-crisis period. Financially troubled banks that receive a transfer payment or capital injection experience improved performance during the post-bailout period.