Theorizing the organization and management of non-governmental development organizations

This article uses a case study of public recruitment in Nepal as the vehicle for a discussion of the value of three current public management models: an anticorruption model, a psychometric selection model and the new public management (NPM) model. The political context of Nepal and the role and functions of the Public Service Commission (PSC) are described. The article argues that, in contrast to current NPM doctrine, preserving the current remit of the PSC as a central agency responsible for recruitment is necessary to preserve the integrity of recruitment, which is an important element in an anticorruption strategy. The article also reviews the case for selective introduction of psychometric methods of selection. The article implies an increased importance for public recruitment in development thinking, and argues for the vital role of Service Commissions in limiting corruption. While recognizing the reality of the problems which the NPM model was developed to tackle, the article provides evidence for rejecting its claim to universality.     

NPM merger mania Lessons from an early case

A central doctrine of NPM requires the adoption of commercial management techniques to address the espoused goals of saving money and improving collaboration and service co-ordination. This article examines the evidence base for NPM mergers and uses study data to explain how two ingrained features of professional work helped to produce unintended outcomes at an early UK case involving a specialist mental health provider and an acute trust. The emergence of a de facto mental health trust within the merged entity arose from senior professionals' capacity to ‘buffer’ the work of colleagues from the rationalizing spectre of the merger. The persistence of ‘loosely coupled’ practices and structures restricted improvements in collaboration and service co-ordination. It is argued that these two enduring characteristics of professional organization will shape the outcomes of future NPM mergers in mental health care e.g. the creation of social care trusts and mental health ‘super-trusts’) and in other fields such as higher education.     

National Health Service Boards of Directors and Governance Models

Abstract

This article reports the findings of a year-long research project focused on the activity of boards of directors of twenty-two trusts from the British National Health Service (NHS). The evidence gathered through the use of semi-structured interviews, focus groups, workshops, feedback questionnaires and document analysis indicates that the behavioural dynamics of boards, affected by the dominance of the expert model, act as antecedents of their statutory functions and the implementation of different governance models. Only a portion of the boards involved has effectively incorporated in its modus operandi post-New Public Management (post-NPM) principles of governance.     

Multi-cultural leadership teams and organizational identification in international joint ventures

Many international joint ventures (IJVs) fare poorly. An important factor is that members of an IJV top management team (TMT), which generally comprises people from different cultures, often find it difficult to work together. In this paper we argue that social identity theory and organizational identification processes can help us understand why this is so. We propose that factionalism in a TMT is a significant hazard posed by member identification with different parents. In addition, identification with both the IJV and a parent firm can lead to significant role conflict for IJV top managers. Factionalism and role conflict in turn can result in poor intra-TMT communications and inefficient decision making. Literature in social identity theory and organizational identification suggests that the relative status and power of parents as well as successes of IJVs can affect TMT members' identification with the IJV or the parent company. Preliminary field interviews provide general support for these propositions. Our analysis suggests that organizational identity and identification can be a valuable tool to facilitate the understanding of TMT functioning and IJV performance.     

New product introduction with costly search

In the usual model of product market search, a low search cost can turn out to have detrimental incentives on new product introduction as the low search cost erodes firms’ market power, attenuating the profit from innovation. This paper studies a model of monopolistic competition with costly search, where the point of departure is that of a fixed cost of initiating search. In this environment, a low search cost could turn out to be favorable to innovation. At a low search cost, more consumers may decide to start searching, possibly resulting in higher profits for firms in the larger market, despite the erosion of market power.     

高等商学教育国际标准的变化趋势——AACSB新标准对中国商学教育的启示

介绍了AACSB标准变化情况,通过对AACSB新旧标准的对比研究,分析高等商学教育国际标准的变化趋势,指出未来我国的商学教育发展需要强调创新与特色、重视教学与科研的平衡与联系、重视学术与实践的联系、重视社会影响与商业伦理.     

基于对冲基金的投资组合新架构研究

本文在分析传统的投资对冲基金组合架构存在不足的基础上,提出了新的资产组合构架模型,并通过美国市场的数据论证了对冲基金为何不是一个纯粹超额收益的制造者而更多是一个风险溢价的提供者以及将对冲基金与传统资产有机整合到一起的好处,为投资者优化资产投资组合提供了新的方法。     

城市化进程中新农村建筑景观的更新与发展研究

随着农村城市化的进程,农村居民对居住环境有了更高的要求,许多传统民居建筑在功能上已不能完全适应现代生活的需要,然而在新农村建设过程中富于个性特色的农村景观也在遭到不同程度的忽视,甚至对农村景观产生破坏作用.本文重点探讨农村物质空间和人文空间的变动,如何使文脉得以延续重新建构,在改造和发展新农村中取得新旧和谐,创造宜人的具有农村空间特色的环境景观.     

新会计准则背景下会计信息质量特征研究

会计信息质量一直是我国会计界研究的重要课题,相关性和可靠性是会计信息质量的重要特征。本文在总结国内外研究的会计信息质量特征的基础上,重点分析了我国新会计准则对会计信息质量的相关性和可靠性的影响,以期为提高会计信息质量提供参考。