Differences in managerial discretion across countries: how nation‐level institutions affect the degree to which ceos matter

The concept of managerial discretion provides a theoretical fulcrum for resolving the debate about whether chief executive officers (CEOs) have much influence over company outcomes. In this paper, we operationalize and further develop the construct of managerial discretion at the national level. In an empirical examination of 15 countries, we find that certain informal and formal national institutions—individualism, tolerance of uncertainty, cultural looseness, dispersed firm ownership, a common‐law legal origin, and employer flexibility—are associated with the degree of managerial discretion available to CEOs of public firms in a country. In turn, we show that country‐level managerial discretion is associated with how much impact CEOs have on the performance of their firms. We also find that discretion mediates the relationship between national institutions and CEO effects on firm performance. Finally, we discuss two inductively derived institutional themes: autonomy orientation and risk orientation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

证券监管自由裁量权及其制约机制研究

缘于证券法律的不完备以及证券监管技术性和效率性的要求,证券监管及其自由裁量权的存在有其必然性。由于行使过程中有一定的自由裁量空间和个人判断,证券监管自由裁量权可能会被滥用,表现为证券监管机构拖延甚至不履行职责、在具体证券监管行为中监管措施前后不一、滋生权力寻租等。为维护社会秩序的公正与公平,将证券监管自由裁量权被滥用的可能性降到最低,需要完善实体法和程序法来限制证券监管自由裁量权的范围与幅度,强化行政和司法监督机制对证券监管自由裁量权的制约。     

Disaggregating and reaggregating work: Workers,management and the struggle over creating coherency and purpose in a context of work degradation

The article argues that whilst there is a growing sense of degradation and worsening conditions (disaggregation) of work in the cleaning sector in general, there are some important contradictions which require complex organisational responses. In the main, there is a growing sense of isolation in this work, yet also a growing perception of autonomy and workers having to use discretion in new and challenging ways. This article focuses on these issues and management responses to reaggregate the nature of such work, creating new forms of identity and activities intended to enhance (or address) the levels of stability and sustainability at work as well as in operational processes. This management conundrum means that they need to deal with a range of job‐related, skill‐oriented worker learning and also representation issues. These responses bring to the fore the contested nature of such forms of work and how they are changing.     

行政裁量基准之上的个性化正义

行政裁量基准在我国发展迅速,但也呈现出僵化趋势,有必要采取适当措施恢复裁量的能动性和生命力。应当充分利用我国行政裁量基准的特殊属性,并发挥我国特有的检察监督职能,构建以裁量基准为核心,裁量公开机制与检察监督相辅助的裁量控制体系,保障形式正义的同时,兼顾个案实质正义。     

Notes on contributors

Abstract

Today, many public professionals feel estranged from the policy programmes they implement; that is, they experience ‘policy alienation’. This is of concern as, for satisfactory implementation, some identification with the policy is required. We conceptualize policy alienation based on the sociological concept of work alienation, and show how this can be used in policy implementation research. Studying a Dutch case of professionals implementing a new work disability decree, we observe how NPM practices increase policy alienation because of a perceived dysfunctional focus on efficiency and results. A large number of policy changes and stricter implementation rules further increased policy alienation.     

CEO tenure and ownership mode choice of Chinese firms: The moderating roles of managerial discretion

Based on upper echelon theory, this study has explored how CEO tenure affects ownership mode choice of Chinese firms investing abroad, and how some organizational factors, such as firm size, firm age and CEO duality, moderate this relationship. Using secondary data, this study finds CEO tenure has a positive relationship with the choice of full control mode, CEO duality can reinforce this relationship, but firm size and firm age have no significant moderating effect.     

行政裁量权滥用司法审查的瓶颈与突破--兼以《行政诉讼法》第5条与第54条为研究对象

“裁量权像斧子一样,当正确使用时是件工具,它也可能成为伤害或谋杀的凶器”[1]。行政裁量权所具有的主观性、灵活性和选择性的特点决定着其存在滥用的风险,所以应当对行政裁量权进行合理规制。上个世纪90年代,我国初步建立行政裁量权滥用的司法审查制度,但模糊的审查标准导致行政裁量权滥用的司法审查常被“束之高阁”。文章首先阐明行政裁量权滥用司法审查所面临的困境,分析造成这种困境的根源。并在尊重行政裁量权价值的基础上,确立合理性审查原则、比例原则和行政裁量权滥用的情形,以此进一步完善行政裁量权滥用的司法审查制度。     

公务出国考察的冷思考

近年来公务出国已成愈演愈烈之势,然而无论是制度安排还是干部个人的胆大妄为,将出国考察视为旅游福利,都是公权滥用的表现。因此我国应当从根本上查找原因,对公务出国考察建立一套有效的评估机制,实行最严格的限制和管理,从而有效的规制变相考察所造成的对国家财政收入的滥用。     

我国刑罚模糊裁量的弊病与对策研究

我国刑罚模糊裁量方法(即传统的综合估量的量刑方法)导致我国刑事审判长期存在着"重定罪轻量刑、重经验判断轻理性决策、重定性分析轻定量分析"的弱点,导致相同案件因法官不同而量刑轻重悬殊的形式上"合法而不合理"以及在量刑的过程中法官的自由裁量权过大的现象,从而引发量刑擅断、司法腐败。在刑罚模糊裁量引入模糊集合中隶属度函数的方法,可结合具体案件,把模糊的量刑情节和法定刑幅度数值化,从而为法官断案提供一个可资借鉴的相对客观的量刑参考,减少由于个人因素对断案带来的偏差。     

Strategic reward systems: a contingency model of pay system design

A limited number of studies have addressed the idea of ‘strategic’ reward systems—the matching of compensation systems to a firm's strategy. Prior research on this topic has been confined to U.S. firms, however, and a number of key questions remain unanswered. Using a sample of 917 employees from two large Swiss financial institutions, we found that pay systems are linked with divisional strategic orientation, but in a different form than prior studies. Additionally, we identify hierarchical position as an important variable in the tailoring of reward systems. Hierarchy has a significant main effect on pay plan design, and an interactive effect with strategic orientation. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.