Does the Group Leader Affect Repayment Performance Differently?

Theoretical models of group lending assume that all group members are identical in terms of their effect on repayment performance. In practice, however, this may not be true. We use a unique data set obtained from a survey of 160 borrowing groups in Jordan to investigate the impact of joint liability, screening and monitoring activities, and social ties of the group leader and other group members on repayment performance as measured by the intensity of default using a negative binomial II model. Our results suggest that the joint liability and screening activities of the leader are more strongly related to repayment performance than the same variables for the rest of the group members. Social ties of all members have a significant effect on repayment, while monitoring activities have no effect.     

THE FINANCIAL REPRESSION‐LIBERALIZATION DEBATE: TAKING STOCK,LOOKING FOR A SYNTHESIS

Financial repression and liberalization became the object of fierce debates between academics and policy makers since the early 1970s. As of the late 1980s, financial liberalization became also part of the ‘Structural Adjustment Programs’ sponsored by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. However, the literature on financial repression and liberalization remains controversial on its theoretical conclusions and policy implications. Given its importance for both the theory and policy of economic development and growth, this paper looks for a possible synthesis. After reviewing the theoretical contributions and empirical studies under the headings of the McKinnon–Shaw and new structuralists models, the survey concludes that a new synthesis might be found in the Post‐Keynesian attempt to take an institutional perspective within a globalised financial and economic environment.     

High-performance work practices and nurses’ intention to leave: the mediating role of organizational cynicism and the moderating role of human resource management-related educational background

Recently, an increasing stream of research has examined high-performance work practices in the health care context. In this vein, high-performance work practices have been shown to be related to various employees’ attitudes and behaviors including intention to leave. This study attempted to improve our understanding of the relationship between high-performance work practices and intention to leave by jointly examining mediating and moderating mechanisms. Results from a sample of 299 private nurses supported our moderated mediation model thus demonstrating that organizational cynicism mediated the relationship between high-performance work practices and intention to leave and further that this indirect effect is dependent on nurses’ human resource management-related educational background.     

Networks, Interlocking Directors and Strategy: Toward a Theoretical Framework

Research on inter-organisational networks reflects their acknowledged and growing importance. Strategy research, however, is only beginning to investigate the nature of networks and how network participation can affect organisational performance. Networks embody a relational view of the organisation and their study draws attention to the mechanisms by which relationships are secured and managed. Board of directors interlocks are a principal traditional indicator of network ties, yet little has been written on the role of interlocks in different types of networks and their potential effects on performance. We develop a typology of inter-organisational networks based on the key dimensions of organisational interdependence and network durability; a micro-typology of embedded networks in East Asia based on formalisation of ties and networking scope; suggest that key aspects of directors' roles differ based on the type of network in which they are engaged; and develop specific propositions for further investigation.     

董事会压力“离间”CEO？

一项新的研究结果表明,董事会收紧控制权对管理层产生了一个意想不到的“副作用”：首席执行官开始吝啬于向自己的同行提供战略决策方面的建议。     

Strategy and organization at Singapore Airlines: Achieving sustainable advantage through dual strategy

Singapore Airlines has consistently outperformed its competitors throughout its history, in the context of an unforgiving industry environment. We examine how Singapore Airlines has achieved its outstanding performance and sustained its competitive advantage, through effectively implementing a dual strategy: differentiation through service excellence and innovation, together with simultaneous cost leadership in its peer group. We examine the organizational elements that have allowed the company to do so, illustrate its strategic alignment using a vertical alignment framework, and conclude by highlighting the significant challenges ahead.     

State Ownership, Privatization and Performance in Singapore: An Exploratory Study from a Strategic Management Perspective

This paper considers the ownership debate with regard to state-owned enterprises (SOEs) performance, that is, whether superior performance of SOEs can be achieved under state ownership. While the traditional belief has been, supported by empirical work, that private ownership is generally associated with superior performance, the experience of Singapore is a clear example to the contrary. We outline global privatization trends and discuss the impact of privatization programs. We then discuss Singapore Telecom as a case where state ownership combined with several contextual and firm-related factors, especially firm strategy, has led to sustained world-class performance. We develop a theoretical framework for this analysis based on the strategic management field. We lastly outline some theoretical and practical implications of the analysis.     

A Tale of Three Discourses: The Dominant,the Strategic and the Marginalized*

abstract This study drew from a structurational view of discourse and employed a discourse analysis approach based on rhetoric and hermeneutics to analyse the organizational discourses operating in the UK operations of a global human resources consulting firm, People Associates. The aims were firstly to understand in what sense we can speak of ‘modes of discourse’ in organizational settings; secondly to explore the potential existence and nature of interrelations among different modes of discourse; and thirdly to explore the constructive potential of modes of discourse on their social and organizational contexts. The results suggest that modes of discourse can usefully be seen as rhetorical enthymemes constituted of relatively stable, normative structures and flexible, action‐oriented structures; that modes of discourse can interrelate through their deeper structural features, and can have mutually co‐optive or antagonistic relationships; and lastly that the constructive potential of discourse is based primarily on its deeper structures, and on the consonance of surface communicative actions with these structures. This research thus sheds light on fundamental definitional and substantive issues in organizational discourse; in particular offering a novel conceptualization of the nature of discourse, a further understanding of discursive interrelations, and finally one way to understand its constructive effects on social organizations.