Collusion Along the Learning Curve: Theory and Evidence From the Semiconductor Industry*

I study the effectiveness of collusion during an international cartel in DRAM, a type of semiconductor characterized by learning-by-doing and multiproduct competition. First, by exploiting time and firm-level variation in cartel activity, I estimate that cartel participants cut output more on the oldest product generation than on newer generations. This is consistent with a hypothesis that higher learning rates in newer generations make defection from collusive equilibria more attractive. Second, I formulate a test for defection from collusive equilibria in learning-by-doing industries. Third, I formalize these results in a theoretical framework and discuss implications for antitrust policy in high technology markets.     

It's OK to pay well,if you write well: The effects of remuneration disclosure readability

We examine whether, and how, shareholders’ votes in the Say-on-Pay (SOP) are affected by the readability of the Compensation Discussion and Analysis (CD&A). Despite the SEC's Plain English requirement, qualitative disclosures on executive remuneration are generally long and complex. Extant evidence on whether low readability results in higher or lower shareholder dissent in the SOP, however, is ambiguous. We resolve this debate by demonstrating that the effects of readability on SOP voting are heterogeneous; while obfuscation may reduce dissent when CEO compensation is close to “normal” levels, diminished readability results in increased scepticism when pay levels are clearly excessive. The moderating role of readability is most pronounced for firms with less sophisticated shareholders, consistent with readability acting as a heuristic cue. Our results are robust to propensity score matching, and are less pronounced (1) when shareholders have less time to review the CD&A, and (2) when shareholders are distracted by competing AGMs, suggesting they are driven by readability, directly. Overall, our results highlight that greater use of Plain English in remuneration disclosures can have a substantial persuasive impact on shareholders.     

Social media integration in electronic human resource management: Development of a social eHRM framework

Social media has dramatically changed how we communicate both in life and in business. Accordingly, I conducted a qualitative analysis of electronic Human Resource Management (eHRM) practices involving social media. The sample consists of 16 organizations varying in size (e.g., Fortune 500 vs. small enterprises), industry (e.g., product vs. service‐based) and sector (public vs. private). Based on the review, I developed a Social Participation Framework involving two dimensions—openness and stratification— that are reflective of variations in the user domains associated with a given application. The combination of these dimensions yielded four alternative models of social media eHRM implementations: open, internal, specialized, and segmented. These in turn tended to be associated with different types of eHRM goals. A best practice example of each model is provided, and opportunities for future research are identified. Copyright © 2016 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Retrospective reports of strategic-level managers: Guidelines for increasing their accuracy

Strategic management studies frequently involve obtaining retrospective data from strategic-level managers. The use of this data acquisition methodology has received relatively little codification and little critical review or comment. This seems unfortunate, as discussion and codification of the methodology could be useful for those academic researchers and corporate staff who study strategic decisions and organizational processes and for those managers who may be asked to provide the retrospective data. This paper is an attempt to remedy the current state of affairs. In particular, the paper reviews several sources of the data inaccuracies that commonly affect retrospective data and offers guidelines for reducing the occurrence or magnitude of these inaccuracies.     

EBT: A tool for electronic brainstorming researchers

EBT is a stand‐alone electronic brainstorming tool designed specifically for researchers. It can be used for face‐to‐face as well as dispersed groups, and will work in a typical college computer lab LAN environment. Its features include anonymous and nonanonymous idea‐generation modes, the ability to run multiple simultaneous sessions, and the option of generating a session logfile which indicates the originator and time of each idea generated during a session. EBT is available to researchers on the Internet via anonymous ftp.