Religious minority in business history: The case of Old Believers

The role of the Old Believers (OB) in the development of Russian industry has been noted by many historians; however, empirical research on the topic is scarce. Using official censuses, archive sources, and industrial reports, the role of OB enterprises in the Moscow textile industry for the period 1832–1890 was examined. The analysis highlighted the rise and fall of the participation of OB in the textile industry, contrasting the findings of other researchers, which were often exaggerated. The findings can be explained by social networks and trust which arise from the minority status, whereas the relative decline is related to structural changes and preferences of OB to family-type of business.     

The effects of externalities and framing on bribery in a petty corruption experiment

Using a simple one-shot bribery game simulating petty corruption exchanges, we find evidence of a negative externality effect and a framing effect. When the losses suffered by third parties due to a bribe being offered and accepted are high and the game is presented as a petty corruption scenario instead of in abstract terms bribes are less likely to be offered. Higher negative externalities are also associated with less bribe acceptance. However, framing has no effect on bribe acceptance, indicating that the issue of artificiality may be of particular importance in bribery experiments.     

Public service motivation and public sector employment preference: Comparing Italian and British students

ABSTRACT

Previous research has suggested that an individual’s public service motivation (PSM) is positively linked to a preference for public sector employment. The authors explore this link using a sample of British and Italian undergraduate students. They found a positive relationship between PSM and public sector job preferences among Italian students but not with the British students. The UK has implemented more NPM-style reforms than Italy and this could be impacting on public sector recruitment. Implications for recruitment and retention the public sector are discussed.     

Strategic formulation of high technology projects using the support graph

The life cycle of technology projects comprises 10 phases: identification, conception, formulation, feasibility, evaluation, decision, realization, control, termination and post-evaluation. One of the most important phases is formulation, foar which an interdisciplinary tool, the 'support graph', was conceived and used for more than 200 high technology projects in such areas as chemicals, biotechnology, electronics, software (artificial intelligence), telecommuniocation, energy and aerospace. This paper descrones how to build an effective support graph. The general objective, the partial objectives, the tasks and the means are the principal components. The management of change during the implementation of high technology projects is largely facilitated by the use of the support graph. It also creates a common language between the technologists and the managers and gives information on when to alter the goals of a high technology project. Support graphs for an expert system and for a telecommunication project are used to illustrate the proposed approach.     

Intermediaries in corruption: an experiment

Anecdotal evidence suggests that intermediaries are ubiquitous in corrupt activities; however, empirical evidence on their role as facilitators of corrupt transactions is scarce. This paper asks whether intermediaries facilitate corruption by reducing the moral or psychological costs of possible bribers and bribees. We designed bribery lab experiment that simulates petty corruption transactions between private citizens and public officials. The experimental data confirm that intermediaries lower the moral costs of citizens and officials and, thus, increase corruption. Our results have implications with respect to possible anti-corruption policies targeting the legitimacy of the use of intermediaries for the provision of government services.     

Strategic evaluation and selection of R&D projects

The most important families of R&D project evaluation and selection methodologies and associated techniques are briefly reviewed. For each family, generally one or two methods were chosen to be analysed from the point of view of the integration with the strategy. But, first some definitions and some aspects of the new strategic role of the evaluation and selection of R&D projects, which were in mind during the interviews, are presented.
Finally, some empirical results of the use of these methodologies in France and Japan are presented. The strong and weak points of the most prevalent methods are described as they are considered by the users.     

Corruption and culture: An experimental analysis

Why do some people choose corruption over honesty and others not? Do the social norms and values prevailing in the societies in which they grew up affect their decisions? In 2005, we conducted a bribery experiment and found that, among undergraduates, we could predict who would act corruptly with reference to the level of corruption in their home country. Among graduate students we could not. In 2007, we replicated our result and also found that time spent in the UK was associated with a decline in the propensity to bribe, although this does not explain our inability to predict graduate behaviour. We conclude that, while corruption may, in part, be a cultural phenomenon, individuals should not be prejudged with reference to their country of origin.     

Strategic elements of Eastman Kodak's successful market entry in Russia

Eastman Kodak is a global imaging company with extensive reach and capabilities. This article examines Kodak's entry strategy in Russia. It explains that Kodak was able to succeed through strong personal relations with stakeholders and decisions to invest in local production. Kodak established consumer acceptance through open and frequent communications with their customers. This, combined with a multifaceted marketing strategy, helped them survive the Russian financial crisis. We argue that Kodak's success has been greatly facilitated by a set of policies that include appropriate adaptations of Western marketing and human resources practices. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Health workers’ behavior,patient reporting and reputational concerns: lab-in-the-field experimental evidence from Kenya

Experimental Economics - We examine the effectiveness of accountability systems that rely on patient reporting in Kenyan health clinics. Patients and health care providers from public and private...