Funding the story of hybrid ventures: Crowdfunder lending preferences and linguistic hybridity

Prosocial crowdfunding platforms are venues for individual lenders to allocate resources to ventures that specifically pursue economic and social value. In a setting where hybridity is expected, do crowdfunders respond positively to category-spanning ventures, or do they prefer to fund ventures that are more clearly situated within a single category? Drawing on theory rooted in category membership and spanning, our hypotheses test whether prosocial crowdfunding lenders will more quickly allocate resources to hybrid microenterprises that communicate their hybridity, or to those that communicate a single one of their dual aims. Our study demonstrates that even in such a setting, crowdfunders lend more quickly to microenterprises that position themselves within a single linguistic category in which the social is emphasized over the economic. This suggests that how hybrid organizations position themselves in their linguistic narratives has a significant impact on resource allocation by external prosocial audiences.     

A Content Analysis of Compatible Fit among Message Elements in Philanthropy Ads

This research examined philanthropy ad messages in terms of four key elements: philanthropy goal, beneficiary, expected fundraising impact, and how the suggested donation is appraised. A content analysis was carried out to systematically study ad messages from nonprofit organizations on the Philanthropy 400 list. Specifically, the frequency of appearance of each type of message elements was analyzed in terms of four theoretical concepts: regulatory focus (promotion vs. prevention goal), egoism/altruism (self vs. others as beneficiary), temporal orientation (present vs. future fundraising impact), and efficacy appraisal (self- vs. response-efficacy in how a donation is appraised). Since past research further suggests that persuasion may be enhanced when message elements are well matched in terms of “compatible fits,” this study further analyzed how the four message elements were combined in usage. The findings of this research show that while most nonprofit organizations actively utilized all four types of elements in their messages, the current practice did not follow the guidelines as would be suggested by compatible fits literature. In this respect, more research is needed to understand the discrepancy and provide better guidelines for future communication strategies in the nonprofit sector.     

After retrotopia? The future of organizing and the thought of Zygmunt Bauman

The main body of work of Zygmunt Bauman concerns his home discipline of sociology, but his insights have been influential also in the field of organization studies. In this text, we provide an overview of the extent of this influence, providing some additional context for positioning the other contributions to this special section. Afterwards, we explore in more detail two notions central for Bauman’s late thought: that of liquidity and retrotopia. The former constitutes the root metaphor for theorizing the current global predicament. In this text, we analyse how two modes of interpreting it, using the assumptions behind Kurt Lewin’s CATS model and the alchemical tradition underpinning Carl Gustav Jung’s conception of archetypes respectively, can help us theorize the alternative modes of organizing and managing encountered in a study of contemporary alternative organizations.These insights form the starting point for our second goal: to explore Bauman’s notion of retrotopia as a potentially fruitful starting point for discussing both the deficiencies of current visions of our future society, and the possibilities and vicissitudes of developing new forms of organizing and managing. Such new forms, both as practice and as theoretical constructs, are urgently needed if we are to face the numerous, and potentially catastrophic global challenges facing our society today.     

浅谈农村集体经济组织财务管理存在的问题及对策

随着我国社会的发展,人们对农村集体经济组织财务管理工作越来越重视。农村集体经济在财务管理工作当中存在很多问题,如财务管理不透明,资金管理不规范,债权及债务化解迫在眉睫,财务审批及收支结报管理问题较多等。这些问题对农村建设带来了很严重的影响,同时也给广大人民群众的利益造成了一定的损害。     

An organizational culture for all seasons? How cultural type dominance and strength influence different performance goals

Organizational culture might influence results, especially in public healthcare organizations characterized by strong professional control. This study investigates whether a specific culture type is most effective in fostering performances. We assess organizational culture through Competing Values Framework and use multivariate regression analysis to test the relationship between dominant culture and competitiveness and financial results. Based on 529 responses from senior managers of 59 organizations, we found that dominant rational and hierarchical culture types are associated, respectively, with higher competitiveness and better financial results. Enhancing a specific performance dimension might require cultural changes aimed to align values with targeted results.     

近代华北乡村教育的变迁

近代华北的乡村教育，经历了由旧式教育至新式教育的转变，其组织形式也发生了巨大的变化。旧式教育曾经对古典文化的传播起过不可替代的作用，然而，在近代，它已极不适应社会的发展，成为了新式教育的障碍。新式教育是在同旧式教育的斗争中发展起来的，这一过程也是农民对新式教育由敌视到接受的过程。总之，近代华北乡村教育仍然相当落后，要使乡村教育有重大发展，关键在于改善农民生活条件以及转变农民忽视教育的观念。     

Politicization and 'company-ization'—on institutional affiliation and confusion in the organizational world

The complexity of formal organizations in modern societies is explored by making reference to two institutionalized organizational types: The 'political organization' and the 'company'. These types differ to how organizational environments and inner workings are constructed. They regulate how actual organizations can be formed. But the regulation is far from perfect: many organizations contain elements from both types. Organizations are politicized and 'company-ized'. This 'institutional confusion' may arise by processes in which organizations imitate individual features of other organizations, in which they unsuccessfully try to realize one of the types or in which they adapt to changing external conditions.     

Perspectives on the implementation of employee rights programs

In the past decade, employee rights have been an increasingly important and complex issue. This paper examines the benefits of successfully implementing employee rights programs and outlines factors that influence effective implementation. This includes a discussion of three general organizational approaches to employee rights issues and contextual factors that influence successful implementation of employee rights programs.Never in American history has there been so much confusion over the prerogatives of managers to manage and the rights of their subordinates to be managed within limits. On this point, if nothing else, there is complete agreement... (Ewing, 1983, p. 1)     

THEORIES OF NON-PROFIT INSTITUTIONS

Abstract. As thoughtful modelling and empirical research of non-profit enterprises continues to grow, two general views of non-profit organizations are emerging: one view is that non-profit firms are inefficient and wasteful; another view is that non-profit firms are a response to market failure, and, thus, may improve efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to explore the theoretical and empirical work that represents the current divided state of thinking in this area.     

Using data envelopment analysis to measure the efficiency of non-profit organizations: A critical evaluation

This study examines the potential effects of variable set expansion and data variations upon the efficiency scores generated using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model. It was found that variable set expansion (either through disaggregation of existing variables or addition of new factors) should produce an upward trend in efficiency scores. In addition, ample opportunity exists for ‘decision-making units’ to increase their efficiency scores through manipulation of reported data. In real-world applications of DEA, these problems must be resolved as much as possible (e.g. increased audit of data) in order to improve DEA's practical usefulness and reliability.