The influence of executive age,career horizon and incentives on pre-turnover earnings management

In this paper we hypothesize that CEOs will be motivated to manage earnings prior to a turnover decision. This motivation comes from the horizon problem for CEOs nearing retirement age and for CEOs whose profit-based bonus is a large portion of their total compensation. We find that firms in which CEOs are nearing retirement age have large discretionary accruals in the year prior to turnover. Although we find firms with a larger proportion of profit-based bonus pay have larger discretionary accruals, this result is not robust with the inclusion of control variables in the regressions.

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Governance of open source software: state of the art

In this overview of governance mechanisms developed within open source software (OSS) circles, three types of governance are studied: ‘spontaneous’ governance, internal governance, and governance towards outside parties. Moreover, two main ways in which lessons from OSS can be applied elsewhere are explored: peer production of products other than software, and embedding ‘peer-produced’ products and peer processes into existing institutions (‘coupling’).

Diesseits von Coaching und Mentoring: Kollegiale Praxisberatung

Zusammenfassung  Die Methode der kollegialen Beratung eignet sich gut für Menschen in Organisationen, die vor der Herausforderung stehen, ihr Prozesswissen in neuen, unbekannten Kontexten anzuwenden. Schnelligkeit und konkreter Praxisbezug sind dabei wesentliche Faktoren für eine akzeptierte Lernform. In diesem Artikel wird eine Anpassung der Grundmethode der kollegialen Beratung, die kollegiale Praxisberatung, vorgestellt, die diese Anforderung der Praktiker erfüllt. Die dabei auftretenden Prozesswirkungen und Lernerfahrungen werden anhand zweier Praxisbeispiele aus der Industrie illustriert und Chancen sowie Grenzen der Methode diskutiert.

Strangers in a Strange Land: Shock,Disappointment, and Adjustments Experiences of Expatriates in Central Asia

Increasing globalization is driving an increase in diversity and interaction. A more mobile and international workforce frequently requires that individuals try to understand the norms of their “new” society. This paper provides a preliminary exploration of the types of issues and concerns raised by expatriates working in a new foreign environment. In particular, the paper uses a hybrid survey/interview methodology to identify specific issues raised by expatriates working in Kazakhstan, Central Asia.

Responsive Public Officials and Engaged Citizens: Myth or Reality? A Case Study of Water Rights Policy in Colorado

In the past decade nearly 20 Colorado communities have constructed kayak courses to provide recreational amenities and attract tourists. These projects were followed in some cases by applications for a new form of recreational water rights, which differs dramatically from traditional forms of water rights in Colorado. This paper investigates the role that citizens played in the legal and legislative battles that resulted in this policy change. Findings indicate that citizens demanded the construction of kayak courses across Colorado, to which local officials responded. Citizens generally were indifferent to water rights applications once kayak facilities were constructed, however. Government officials sought the water rights to protect their economic investment and their newfound tourist revenue.

From social ties to embedded competencies: the case of business groups

Our current views of economic competition are still rooted in the imagery of the isolated firm that transacts with its buyers, suppliers, and competitors via largely anonymous factor and product markets. Yet this view is fundamentally at odds with the growing importance of business groups in the global economy. We thus need a reconceptualized version of our idea of economic competition, which is capable of explaining competitive advantage at the group-versus-group rather than firm-versus-firm level of analysis. In the present paper we build on insights derived from organizational sociology and organizational economics to develop a business group-level theory of competition and competitive advantage based on embedded competencies.

Measuring Citizen Satisfaction with Aspects of Public Services from a Local Authority and Determining Their Importance: A Case Study

The measurement of service quality is a theme of great importance to service providers, particularly public agencies. Over the years their role has been changing by providing more and more high quality services, away from basic ones. In this paper the service quality of a local government is analyzed through the measurement of customer satisfaction. The analysis, based on a questionnaire survey, identified and classified the most essential factors that make up the customer satisfaction with the services provided by the Demographic Department of Gioia del Colle, a town in southern Italy.

Das 360-Grad-Feedback zur Unterstützung der Kompetenzerweiterung von Führungskräften

Zusammenfassung:  Der Beitrag beschreibt die Einbettung des 360-Grad-Feedbacks in ein Programm der Führungskr?fteentwicklung. 360-Grad-Feedback ist eine Voraussetzung für die systematische Kompetenzentwicklung der Führungskr?fte eines Unternehmens. Darüber hinaus k?nnen die Entwicklungs- und Lernm?glichkeiten, die ein individuelles Coaching bietet, durch ein vorheriges 360-Grad-Feedback optimiert werden. Die bei ThyssenKrupp Services mit dem F?rderprogramm „best-for-best“ gesammelten Erfahrungen zeigen deutlich, dass die Kombination von einem 360-Grad-Feedback mit gezielten Coaching-Angeboten ein echtes Erfolgsmodell darstellt.

Bureaucratic Power: Security and the National Response Plan

The National Response Plan was created by the Department of Homeland Security for the purpose of organizing disaster relief services by coordinating activities of cabinet departments and independent agencies. A case study of the Plan's creation shows that the Department has skillfully used its sources of administrative power to build a latent control network with little or no oversight, raising questions of accountability and ultimate security. Variables discussed here promote building of a theory of bureaucratic power.

The role of risk preferences and flexibility for risk management: lessons from a custom manufacturing environment

In this paper, we study the management of financial risks of a custom manufacturer in the specialty chemicals industry arising from increased volatility of profits caused by market uncertainty and growing competitive pressure due to globalization. We argue that such risk management can be established either by creating and utilizing flexibility or by adjusting the risk preferences. Using a model-based approach, we operationalize flexibility and risk preferences to show their effects on the profit/risk and the decision making of a firm through a stylized example motivated by the specialty chemicals business.

Promoting Public Trust in Public Organizations: Explaining the Role of Public Accountability

This paper is aimed at explaining the role of public accountability in promoting public trust in public organizations. Initially a conceptual model was developed. Then, the model was tested empirically in Iran. The result shows that public accountability influences the public trust by improving citizens’ satisfaction. In other words, legal, ethical, financial, functional, and utmost political accountability affect public trust through influencing citizens’ satisfaction. This study also confirms that changes in social trust, citizens’ trust in government, and media will moderate trust in public organizations.

Benford’s Law: an instrument for selecting tax audit targets?

We consider whether Benford’s Law can be used to improve target selection prior to the start of on-site tax audits, thus increasing effectiveness and efficiency of fiscal enforcement. Laboratory experiments are conducted to obtain manipulated data and compare these to data which are known to be unmanipulated. We find that Benford’s Law can be used as a tool for audit selection, but that auditors must be cautious to ensure that Benford’s Law can be expected to apply to unmanipulated data of the prospective audit target. We also find that subjects cannot adapt sufficiently to Benford’s Law during tax fraud activity.

Organizational Justice and Job Satisfaction in Coaching

This study explored organizational climate perceptions within high school athletic departments from the point of view of coaches. Five key facets of job satisfaction and satisfaction with the job in general were assessed as well as the relationship between each facet and three distinctive dimensions of organizational justice. High school coaches (N = 392) indicated that their athletic departments maintained a fair operating climate and were satisfied with each of the five facets and their jobs in general. Also, a linear relationship (p ≤ 0.05) was found between each of the three fairness dimensions and each of the job satisfaction facets as well as the job itself.

In—Credible Government: Legitimacy, Democracy, and Non-Governmental Organizations

This article analyses emerging trans-global networks of governance that are coming to light within a post-democratic form of governance that relies upon specific technologies of credibility building, as opposed to universalistic mechanisms of representation. Using the NGO sector as a model, and using examples from fieldwork conducted in the unraveled contexts of Bosnia and Croatia, and the unraveling context of Ecuador over the past decade, we show how intervention within the global south and post conflict realms, although often couched using such master terms as democracy, development and freedom, are in fact geared towards the generation of political legitimacy and influence through relationships based upon the exchange of credibility.

The Organization of Factions: Interest Mobilization and the Group Theory of Politics

Theories of interest group mobilization are central to political science but current research on interest organizations has not proven useful for scholars in related fields. I argue that, by adapting organizational theory to account for the particular function of interest organizations, scholars can build a widely applied theoretical framework. The key step is an analysis of the role that organizations play in the mobilization of influence: they are intermediaries, reliant on their constituents and their lobbying targets. Reviewing research on ethnic politics and political economy, I demonstrate that this intermediary view of interest organizations encourages theoretical ideas to travel between subfields.

Empowerment as a success factor in start-up companies

In this paper, we develop a theoretical model of employee empowerment in start-ups by integrating different management-oriented approaches in the literature. To test this model, we use recent survey data from start-up companies in high-growth industries based in Germany. In particular, we examine the degree to which employee empowerment as a modern concept of delegative leadership contributes to a higher organizational effectiveness within the firm and eventually to higher growth.

Student Selection and Incentives

The paper discusses the impact of performance based selection in secondary education on student incentives. The theoretical approach combines human capital theory with signaling theory. The consideration of signaling offers an explanation for observed performance of educational systems with a standard peer effect argument. More specifically it can be optimal to select students according to ability even if selective systems do not outperform comprehensive systems in tests. Selection achieves the same output with lower private costs for the students. The paper questions the strong focus on educational tests to measure the efficiency of selective systems as long as these tests provide no information about a student’s incentives and private costs.

Politics−Bureaucracy Relationship in Bangladesh: Consequences for the Public Service Commission

The paper attempts to analyze the consequences of political pressure placed on the Public Service Commission (PSC) of Bangladesh. Through extensive literature review and empirical research, the authors conclude that the independence, efficiency and effectiveness of the PSC largely depend on the politics–administration relationship. Furthermore, this relationship is affected by regime types and it regulates the optimum functioning or malfunctioning of the institution.

Making corporate governance count: the fusion of ethics and economic rationality

Corporate governance codes extensively appeal to ethical standards of conduct. Rather than being articulated alongside economic axioms, ethical and moral precepts are intertwined within neo-classical economic argumentation across corporate governance standards. This paper explores the fusion between ethics and modern economic rationality and reflects on the scientisation of economics and ethics in academic discourse. The argument is then made that the enlistment of ethics within the epistemologically privileged posture of economics characterises corporate governance codes. The UK Combined Corporate Governance Code of 2006 is analysed to draw out the paper’s contention.

Democracy and Private Property: Governance of a Three-Party Public–Private Partnership

This paper contributes to the study of efficient governance of public–private partnerships (PPPs) through an inductive comparative case study of three riding schools in Sweden. Each school is a three-party PPP between a private firm, a democratic nonprofit association, and a municipality. The results indicate that efficient PPPs mixing private, collective, and communal interests can be established through an adaptive governance strategy. The private firm can shield the democratic association from market influence through adapting to market conditions; the municipality can create a governance strategy; and the democratic association can focus on providing riding services and fostering democratic governance.