Time,Space, Confucianism and Careers: A Contextualized Review of Careers Research in China – Current Knowledge and Future Research Agenda

Career studies attract significant attention, but most of the theories and concepts were developed and tested in Western contexts. Based on a systematic review and analysis of 95 articles published in the field of careers that focus on China in the period between 1991 and 2017, this paper identifies emerging trends and outlines a profile of the current development of careers research in the Chinese context. Using a time and space analytical framework, the review evaluates the theoretical and empirical career lenses embedded in the unique Chinese cultural, institutional and organizational contexts and confirms that research on Chinese careers is significantly underdeveloped. Through a theoretical lens of Confucianism, we propose a need to consider context‐specific factors, in particular time and space, when conducting Chinese careers research, and present implications for future research on careers in China.     

Supplier involvement in integrated product development: evidence from a group of Italian SMEs

Integrated product development (IPD) is gaining increased attention from practitioners and the academic community as a source of innovation and competitive advantage. However undeniable the importance of the issue is as to how the different actors involved in the process interact among themselves and the supporting factors not being well understood even in the SME context, the availability of empirical research and a comprehensive framework to drive this research remains unavailable. This article contributes to these research gaps by providing theoretical and empirical findings. First, a research framework on IPD is identified. The proposed framework represents a conceptualisation of IPD principles as consisting of three groups of integration enablers, which aim to achieve high internal (among departments) and external (with suppliers and customers) integration: (a) organisational enablers, (b) technological enablers and (c) methodologies. Then, a multiple case study approach is used in order to empirically explore external integration with suppliers in product development in 22 SMEs from the machine tool sector.     

3 Merger and Acquisition Transactions and Executive Compensation: A Review of the Empirical Evidence

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to review the existing empirical evidence and provide an integrative framework for the growing body of literature that is situated at the intersection of two highly debated topics: merger and acquisition (M&A) activities and executive compensation. The proposed framework structures the literature along two dimensions, such as M&A phases and firm's role in a M&A deal, allowing us to identify three main streams of research and five different conceptualizations of causal relationships between M&A transactions and executive compensation. Making a comprehensive review of empirical studies conducted to date we aim at shedding more light on the current and emerging knowledge in this field of investigation, discussing the inconsistencies encountered within each stream of research and suggesting promising directions for further exploration.     

Outsiders favor the most: Status and the heterogeneity of audience coverage in M&A deals

Uncertainty experienced by market audiences is the fundamental premise for status to take effect. Whereas prior research usually assumes that uncertainty is evenly distributed among audiences, this study emphasizes the heterogeneity of audiences. Audiences usually differ in the scope of firms they cover. They acquire more information and confront less uncertainty when evaluating firms under their coverage than those not. Status may thus exert different effects across audiences. My theoretical development is situated in the context of M&A. In particular, I hypothesize that although an acquirer's status is generally beneficial, it is more appealing to investors who do not cover the acquirer, as compared to covering investors. Results of the empirical analysis on the U.S. deals between 1990 and 2014 provide considerable support for my framework.     

创业研究回顾与展望

创业实践因新兴技术驱动的经济社会环境变革而发生了重大变化,涌现出了不少组织和战略理论甚至是创业研究也难以回答的新现象和新问题,这些现象和问题在中国情境下表现得非常突出,但并没有引起学者们的足够重视。基于此,本文采用扎根理论的编码设计,开展2008~2018年间发表的1842篇国际顶级创业研究文献的统计分析,在描述和评价研究主题发展态势和进展基础上,归纳出以创业前因、创业实施、创业结果与创业情境为体系的创业研究主题框架,进一步提出未来研究趋势和中国情境下开展创业研究的建议。研究结果对于推动我国创业研究的深化发展并开展具有国际学术影响力的高水平研究有着重要的理论价值。     

Online Customer Experience: A Review of the Business‐to‐Consumer Online Purchase Context

Customer interactions with an organization's website create opportunities for positive experiences that can lead to long‐term relationship building. The range of potential interactions is now quite diverse, including product information search, purchase transaction and/or service delivery. The domain of customer experience (CE) is well developed in the face‐to‐face context, but little attention has been paid to exploring the concept in the online context. The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the online consumer literature in order to inform understanding of the antecedents and consequences of online customer experience (OCE) in the purchase context. The paper offers four important contributions for both academics and practitioners. First, it adds to understanding of OCE in the purchase context and, second, specifically recognizes and discusses the antecedents of OCE by drawing on existing literature relating to online consumer purchase. Third, it proposes the potential consequences of OCE and provides a framework for future testing. Finally, the paper addresses a problem of relevance to both academics and practitioners, and proposes future research and managerial implications.     

Inventory routing problems in a context of vendor-managed inventory system with consignment stock and transshipment

The inventory routing problem involves the integration and the coordination of two components of the logistics value chain: the inventory management and the vehicle routing decisions. In fact, the aim is to jointly decide on the distribution tour, from a distribution centre to a set of locations, and on the inventory policy for each location. Although many research investigations show great interest in policies such as transshipment or dynamic routings on the distribution system performances, these approaches are often criticised in practice as being too restrictive. In this article, we consider the inventory routing framework in a supplier integration context, i.e. a vendor-managed inventory with a consignment stock policy. Under such framework, we show that the transshipment brings more benefits than the classical context. In particular, we consider the case of static routings and we numerically show that transshipment permits to better optimise the distribution tours and to improve the global performance of the supply network.     

Understanding indigenous leadership research: Explication and Chinese examples

Integrating the constructivist and positivist research traditions, we propose a three-step methodological framework and use a study of Chinese indigenous leadership practices as an example to illustrate how to utilize the framework to study indigenous leadership practices. We argue that indigenous leadership research is an ideal way to examine and interpret leadership practices in a specific social context because not all leadership practices are captured in dominant Western perspectives that utilize Western-built instruments, which often fail to account for perspectives and practices of leadership in non-Western contexts. Finally, we discuss implications of the proposed methodology on leadership research and offer suggestions on how to deal with challenges when conducting indigenous leadership research in various cultures.     

Social Activism in and Around Organizations

Organizations are frequent targets for social activists aiming to influence society by first altering organizational policies and practices. Reflecting a steady rise in research on this topic, we review recent literature and advance an insider-outsider framework to help explicate the diverse mechanisms and pathways involved. Our framework distinguishes between different types of activists based on their relationship with targeted organizations. For example, “insider” activists who are employees of the target organization have certain advantages and disadvantages when compared with “outsider” activists who are members of independent social movement organizations. We also distinguish between the direct and indirect (or spillover) effects of social activism. Much research has focused on the direct effects of activism on targeted organizations, but often the effects on non-targeted organizations matter more for activists goals of achieving widespread change. Drawing on this framework, we identify and discuss eight specific areas that are in need of further scholarly attention.     

Putting the individual and context back into national human resource development research: A systematic review and research agenda

Conceptualization of national human resource development (NHRD) emphasizes that it is an ongoing development process of the individual that is shaped by context. However, the extant literature has focused primarily on describing and evaluating NHRD policies and interventions in different countries with limited consideration of NHRD across the lifespan and the interaction of life stage with context. Using ecological systems theory (EST) and a lifespan development perspective (LDP), we present a systematic review of the NHRD literature based on 310 sources. We identify key themes and gaps in research across the lifespan and at distinct levels of the ecological system. We build on this review to suggest future research informed by both EST and an LDP. We propose a future research agenda focused on several key areas, including: the developing individual as the primary focus of NHRD; the dynamic relationship between NHRD microsystems and how this evolves over time; the exosystem and macrosystem, which provide the context of the NHRD development experience for the individual over their lifespan; and the imperatives of directing research attention to top-down and bottom-up influences within the ecological system. We also propose three methodological innovations to address many of the questions raised by our review, drawing on national archive databases, the use of historical methods and a focus on longitudinal data analysis. Finally, we highlight the practical implications of our analysis for ecosystem and microsystem NHRD actors.     

Managing White‐Collar Work: An Operations‐Oriented Survey

Although white‐collar work is of vast importance to the economy, the operations management (OM) literature has focused largely on traditional blue‐collar work. In an effort to stimulate more OM research into the design, control, and management of white‐collar work systems, this paper provides a systematic review of disparate streams of research relevant to understanding white‐collar work from an operations perspective. Our review classifies research according to its relevance to white‐collar work at individual, team, and organizational levels. By examining the literature in the context of this framework, we identify gaps in our understanding of white‐collar work that suggest promising research directions.     

Taking Stock of Temporary Organizational Forms: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda

This paper brings together the research on temporary organizational forms. Despite a recent surge in publications on this topic, there have been few attempts to integrate knowledge on what we know of such temporary forms of organization. In order to correct this, an integrative framework is proposed around four central themes: time, team, task and context. Within each of these themes, the paper offers an overview of the literature, the gaps in what we know, and what future directions might be taken by scholars hoping to contribute to this important and rapidly growing field.     

Situated Experiments in Organizations: Transplanting the Lab to the Field

Both laboratory and field experiments have limitations that likely account for the recent decline in their usage among organizational researchers. In this article, we introduce situated experiments as an experimental approach that optimizes the strengths of both laboratory and field experiments in organizational research while mitigating the weaknesses of each. We highlight four recently published studies using situated experiments. Drawing on these examples, we illustrate how the proper use of situated experiments can minimize threats to internal validity and ensure the ethical treatment of research participants.     

Wissensvermittlung in Beratungsprozessen

In the science of counseling there nearly has been no theoretical reflection on the phenomena of how knowledge effects the orderliness, structure and sequential patterns of interaction in counseling. In the scientific field of educational analysis, increasing attention has been given to the debates of knowledge societies and knowledge management. In the present discussions many concepts of ??knowledge?? are based on a cognitive model using terms like ??content?? and ??data??. In contrast to this theoretical view, a knowledge based framework to research micro-processes of guidance and counseling is developed. The method of qualitative Conversation Analysis, based on ethnomethodological principles, is used to establish an interpretive account of the interactional process in a counseling context. Based on this analysis, a model with four dimensions is developed identifying different action formations which illustrate not only ideal but also problematic aspects of career guidance and counseling.     

The State of Accounting and the State of the State

The purpose of this paper is to present a study of the evolution of accounting regulation within one country in the context of that country's historical development, the origins and motivations of the legal system and the state, and the subsequent outcomes in terms of accounting rules and regulations. The case in point is Greece. However, the paper neither describes specific regulatory practices in a systematic manner nor rules that exist for the preparation of the financial statements. It is concerned instead with the relationship between the state and corporate accountability.In the context of accounting regulation, Greece has recently attracted attention in the research literature. Papas (1993) and Ballas (1994) were among the first to describe to an international academic audience various institutional aspects of corporate accounting in Greece while Neal (1997) has attempted to describe the social and economic forces that have shaped its development. However, this study offers new insights into the institutional framework of accounting and in particular the relationship of the state to accounting regulation.     

IGLOO: An integrated framework for sustainable return to work in workers with common mental disorders

ABSTRACT

Current research on return to work (RTW) for employees with common mental disorders suffers from two limitations. First, research mostly focuses on the influence of resources during the absence period ignoring the resources which may facilitate sustainable RTW, i.e. employees continuing to work and thrive at work post-return. Second, research tends to view the work and non-work domains separately and fails to consider the interaction of resources at the individual, group, leader and organisational levels, once back at work. In the present position paper, we present an integrated framework and a preliminary definition of sustainable RTW. Based on current occupational health psychology theory and existing research on RTW, we develop ten propositions for the resources in and outside work, which may promote sustainable RTW. In addition to the individual, group, leader, and organisational levels, we also argue for the importance of the overarching context, i.e. the societal context and the culture and legislation that may promote sustainable RTW. Our framework raises new questions that need to be addressed to enhance our understanding of how key stakeholders can support employees with common mental health disorders staying and thriving at work.     

Board governance of Strategic Change: An assessment of the literature and avenues for future research

Boards of directors play a central role in governing corporate strategic change. We systematically review corporate governance research on strategic change published over the past 40 years, differentiating between strategic change types and board characteristics. We identify three developments: a focus on specific strategic change types, board composition and structure, and North American listed firms as a dominant study context. Yet, our analysis of the literature shows that research on board governance of interrelated strategic changes, on different board roles and behaviour, and on the governance of strategic changes across different contexts remains underdeveloped. To address these research gaps, we suggest three future research avenues: (1) examining how boards govern interrelated changes in a strategic change portfolio and its evolution over time; (2) studying the mediating relationship between board governance (particularly different board roles and behaviour), strategic changes, and corresponding outcomes; and (3) gaining a better understanding of the role of context in board governance of interrelated strategic changes. We contribute to corporate governance research by developing a framework that synthesizes extant research on the relationships between different board governance variables and strategic change types, highlights important research gaps, and outlines several future research directions to address these gaps. Our framework and literature overview serve as analytical tools to examine whether boards are well-designed and prepared to govern multiple and interrelated strategic changes.     

Decoupling thinking in service operations: a case in healthcare delivery system design

The notion of decoupling thinking has been well established in the manufacturing operations and supply chain management literature. This paper explores how this decoupling thinking can be applied in service operations and in particular in health care. It first reviews the relevant literature on decoupling fundamentals, the front- and back-office distinction, and new emerging decoupling thinking in service operations. Subsequently, a flow-based framework including content and process is developed for decoupling thinking in service operations. The framework provides an integrated perspective on customer contact, flow driver and flow differentiation (level of customisation). The framework hence, through flow differentiation, introduces the concept of standardisation versus customisation in a service context. This is followed by a health care case example to illustrate how the framework can be applied. The managerial implications are primarily in terms of a modularised approach to system design and management. The framework offers potential for benchmarking with other service systems as well as with manufacturing systems based on the shared foundation in decoupling thinking. Finally, suggestions are provided for further research opportunities derived from this research.     

Task-Structure Relationship of Information Systems Development Subunit: A Congruence Perspective*

Several studies have examined the influence of organizational context (e.g., organization size, environment, strategy) on information systems (IS) performance/success. But very few studies have examined IS structure, and those studies have focused on a particular element of IS structure (e.g., decentralization). Thus, the multidimensional structural configuration of IS as an organizational subunit has escaped research attention. Further, the nature of the task to be performed by the IS subunit as a contextual factor has been virtually ignored in the IS research literature. In this paper, we first develop a congruence model for the task-structure relationship in an information systems development (ISD) subunit setting. Then we test this model as a multivariate relationship followed by subordinate bivariate analyses. Analysis of data from 41 hospitals’ ISD subunits reveals that a congruence relationship between task context and the structure of an ISD subunit is present. Our findings also show that an exclusive association exists between uncertainty in the task environment and the decision-making structure. Likewise, the association between equivocality of task content and the control structure of the ISD subunit is also exclusive. Implications of these findings for decision makers and researchers are discussed.