Managerial hubris, firm expansion and firm performance: Evidence from China

Examining Chinese publicly traded firms from 2002 to 2005, we find managerial overconfidence to be positively correlated with the rate of firm expansion. In particular, overconfident managers tend to internally expand firms in an aggressive manner. We also find a negative, though not statistically significant, relationship between managerial overconfidence and M&A activity. Lastly, we examine the relationship between managerial overconfidence and firm performance, finding that managerial overconfidence decreases firm profitability due to overinvestment.     

The Effects of Perceived Frequency of Organizational Change on Role Clarity and Job Satisfaction of Public Sector Employees

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of organizational change upon role clarity and job satisfaction for a sample of 580 public sector employees. This study introduces a previously untested variable, perceived frequency of organizational change into the relationship between role clarity and job satisfaction. Findings provided support for the negative impact of lack of role clarity and job satisfaction. Public sector employees appeared to prefer low frequency of change and high role clarity in their work situations.     

The effect of information system utilization and education and training on organizational innovation in public social welfare officers: Focused on the moderating effect of organizational trust

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of information system utilization and education and training on organizational innovation for public social welfare officers in Seoul and verify whether organizational trust plays a role as a moderator variable in these relationships. First, information system utilization and education and training have positive effects on organizational innovation. Second, as a result of investigating the moderating effects of organizational trust, organizational trust has a positive effect on the relationship between information system utilization and organizational innovation, as well as education and training and organizational innovation. Therefore, it is found that information system utilization and education and training are important for innovation of public welfare service. The stronger relationship we have, the higher organizational trust we acquire. Therefore, in order to innovate the organization, it is necessary to strengthen the education training that can utilize the network and the expertise to share information and communicate. It is also necessary to focus on enhancing organizational trust such as mutual consideration, information sharing, and assistance within an organization.     

Third Sector In Transition – A Question of Sustainability for Community Service Organizations and the Sector?

Third sector organizations are transitioning towards entrepreneurial and managerial models as a result of quasi‐market strategies. This paper reports on the research findings of a survey of nonprofit disability organizations in Queensland and Victoria impacted upon by quasi‐market reform. Enterprising organizations were found to have made substantial change to organizational structures and systems, whilst more traditional organizations made few changes. All organizations demonstrated commitment to a social justice ethos. However across the organizational archetypes there were reports of an organizational ‘fragility’. It is argued that the problems of sustainability of community service organizations that existed prior to quasi‐market reforms remain. This implies community service organizations will experience ongoing difficulties in the post‐market era without further rationalization and change. A conceptual framework for sustainability of the community service sector is presented at the policy and organizational level.     

高校教育管理工作者工作状态及影响因素分析

高校教育管理工作者在高校人才培养过程中发挥着重要作用,他们的工作状态影响着高校教育教学质量。工作满意感、工作投入、组织承诺构成高校教育管理工作者工作状态测度的指标体系。运用SPSS统计软件对高校教育管理工作者的工作状态进行研究分析表明：不同性别、不同职称、不同职务、不同编制身份的人在工作状态方面均存在显著差异,工作性质、工作条件、人际关系、组织氛围、晋升发展的满意度以及对工作的投入程度对工作状态有正向影响,其中,晋升发展对管理人员的工作状态影响最大,其次为组织承诺。高校管理者应该从性别、职称、职务、编制方面改善高校教育管理工作者的工作状态,以营造积极向上、和谐融洽的组织文化氛围。     

Managing Human Services in a Market Environment: What Role for Social Workers?

Correspondence to Karen Healy, Department of Social Work, Social Policy and Sociology, Building A26, University of Sydney 2006, New South Wales, Australia. Summary International research suggests that the market reform of humanservices is leading to reduced opportunities for social workersto achieve organizational management positions. This paper exploresthe future of social workers as managers of human service organizations.It examines the tensions between the social justice principlesthat guide social work and the emerging contexts of social welfaremanagement. The exploration draws on in-depth interviews withthirty-four social welfare managers working in the non-profitsector in Australia. These managers were identified by theirpeers as progressive, that is, as championing social justicevalues such as access, equity and social inclusion. This paperwill report on their approaches to social welfare managementand their perceptions of the threats and opportunities for progressivemanagement practices in a climate of public sector reform. Thepaper will consider how social work educators can better prepareservice professionals for social welfare management positions.     

Diversity‐related employee attitudes and perceptions in Bangladesh: A case study on the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee

Bangladesh is perceived as homogenous, often resulting in hidden discrimination for those considered to belong to minority groups. Little research has been conducted on the characteristics of diversity as predictors of work attitude and behavior in relation to organizational commitment and job performance in Bangladesh. This study examines conditions in a leading international, non‐governmental development organization, the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC). The purpose of this study is to explore employees' perceptions and work attitudes and how these relate to organizational commitment and job performance. A phenomenological research strategy was used to understand the unique culture of Bangladesh and workplace diversity at BRAC. Data was collected through in‐depth interviews with BRAC employees currently working in the head office, using a purposive, convenient sampling method. Both positive and negative feelings and perceptions were revealed: positive factors include gender sensitivity in the workplace, positive organizational support, organizational goodwill, organizational culture, and longer tenure and seniority; negative factors include job insecurity, dissatisfaction with salary grades and gaps, promotions, and issues pertaining to disabilities, ethnicity, and supervisors' evaluations. These results have implications for organizational and governmental policy.     

Relationship between quality of work life and organizational commitment among lecturers in a Malaysian public research university

Committed employees are known as a fundamental and vital resource for the success performance of organizations. In this regard, quality of work life is being as one of the interest subject as a fundamental issues on fostering employees’ commitment. By the same token, this study aimed to investigate the level and relationship between quality of work life and organizational commitment amongst academic staff in a public research university in Klang Valley, Malaysia. This study was designed based on quantitative methods. The population of current research was consisted about 2,902 lecturers of the examined university according to the university's official website. For the purpose of data collection, 330 sets of questionnaire were distributed among the academic staffs of all faculties and a total of 315 questionnaires were used for statistical analysis. The obtained results via correlation and linear regression showed that there is a high significant relationship between quality of work life and organizational commitment. This study contributes to the existing literature and suggests some human resource development strategies on how the related ministry and universities could improve their employees’ commitment.     

Change of attitude toward culture: pre- and post-expatriation experiences of managers

Cultural adjustment and intercultural effectiveness strongly influence international managerial issues, such as organizational success in a local firm, assignment completion, cost of expatriation, and repatriation. Therefore, employees assigned to work in another country need to prepare by learning about that country’s culture before expatriation. Much research has been conducted in the last few decades on the role of culture in expatriation. This study examines how the attitude of expatriate managers toward the importance of culture changes between the pre- and post-expatriation periods. This study is structured as a two-step investigation: (1) pre-expatriation cultural preparation and (2) thoughts on the importance of culture after expatriation. The research sample was South Korean expatriate managers working in Turkey or the US. All participants were reached by the trace method, and the interview data were analyzed in QSR NVivo software with content analysis. The results showed that expatriate managers’ attitude toward the importance of culture changed as a result of expatriation. Pre-expatriation, some participants did not prepare for the new culture. However, after the expatriation experience, all agreed that an understanding of the host culture was important during the assignment. An overseas experience allowed participants to understand the significant role played by culture in their adjustment to the new environment.     

Performance Management,Caseloads and the Frontline Provision of Social Services

Caseloads and performance management are important working conditions of workers delivering public social services in street‐level organizations. The literature on these working conditions argues that high caseloads and performance management have considerable consequences for workers' performance in terms of the quality of services they provide and the results they realize. This article empirically investigates and compares these consequences, drawing on the results of a quantitative study of frontline workers in 14 local welfare agencies in the Netherlands. These workers are responsible for the delivery of welfare‐to‐work policies to social assistance recipients. The findings show that high caseloads do, indeed, have a detrimental effect on workers' performance, whereas the impact of performance management is more modest, though confirming some of the findings reported in other studies on performance management. The results also show that by focusing service provision on a proportion of their caseload, workers are able to reduce the negative impact of high caseloads somewhat. Overall, the article finds that the negative impact of high caseloads is more pervasive than that of performance management. The article concludes that the recent focus in the literature on performance management and its consequences for public services should not turn scholars' attention away from the ‘traditional’ public administration problem of high caseload sizes.     

Social Work at the Crossroads

Summary The contribution of social work to society has always been contested.Social workers work with some of the most psychologically damagedand socially disadvantaged people, and are susceptible to publicdevaluing of the services they provide. Indeed, social workhas been subjected to an ever-increasing volume of public debateand criticism, and its claims to professional status are underthreat. Recent years have seen a constant attack on its valuesand principles, which has taken place at political, organizationaland professional levels. Social work practice has been subjectedto increased managerial control and social workers' levels ofautonomy have been reduced. This has created a sense of crisis,which has been experienced particularly within social servicesdepartments (SSDs), the main source of employment for socialworkers. The paper will argue that its survival as a recognizableprofessional activity is dependent on the extent to which itcan redefine its role within society, and re-establish clarityabout its overall purpose and function.     

THE IMPLICATIONS OF CHANGING EDUCATION AND GENDER INPUTS FOR POLICE DECISIONMAKING AND SUPERVISORY ROLES

This article reports the results of a survey of 43 Queensland police officers, half in supervisory roles and half immediately prior to induction. The purpose of the survey was to identify gender and educational differences between groups, and to identify any effect that these differences may have had on attitudes toward decision-making within the sample. The results were compared to a similar survey of American police chiefs. Attitudes toward decision-making were found to be similar among all groups with the exception of the perception of the ability to implement change. This was found to be significantly higher among women and those with a tertiary education. It was also suggested that female officers have the potential to excel in police managerial positions due to higher education levels, but they are currently seriously under-represented in supervisory and managerial positions.     

Partnerships, Power and the "New" Politics of Community Participation in British Health Care

Multi–sectoral approaches to health improvement in its broadest sense have entailed an emphasis by the British government upon partnership working in and around community involvement in planning processes. New service planning and delivery organizations in the health service—primary care groups and primary care trusts—thus have to ensure that public and patient involvement strategies reflect a coordinated, if not integrated, multi–sectoral approach to such involvement. But how are these enforced partnership arrangements shaping the approach taken by primary care groups and trusts to the issue of public and patient involvement? More particularly, is the traditional dominance of health service managers and the medical profession in decision–making processes under challenge? This article draws on a study of primary care groups and trusts in three districts in order to gauge perceptions and calculations with regard to partnerships for involvement. Results appear to suggest that health service managers and practitioners continue to exercise considerable influence in comparison to that of patients and citizens. But, if the findings are viewed in the broader contexts of government managerialist strategies of surveillance and accountability and the growth of service–user and advocacy organizations, partnerships may offer significant scope for “lay” challenges to managerial and medical power.     

Balancing Efficiency and Legitimacy: Institutional Changes and Rural Health Organization in China

The aim of this article is to contribute to the understanding of the institutional arrangements within which China's rural health facilities are embedded and of the contribution of policy to the creation of these arrangements. Information collected through field observations and in‐depth interviews with the managers, staff and patients of a township health centre indicates that with the gradual evolution of markets, encouraged by state policies, health care in rural China took on more of the characteristics of a commodity. In order to adapt to this change, the health centre and its employees are adjusting their behavioural norms and reconstructing an institutional network within which daily activities of simultaneously fulfilling public health responsibilities and pursuing economic gain are legitimized. This article focuses on the interwoven relationship between politics and markets at the micro level and examines the negotiations between stakeholders in constructing new institutional arrangements. It also describes how health sector managers are creating regulations to influence the performance of their facility. The article argues that while government policies play a crucial role in shaping the direction of development, institutional arrangements strongly influence the attempts by rural health organizations to implement them. It concludes that it is critical to take institutional factors into account in analyzing China's rural health‐care reforms.     

In the Eye of the Storm: Civil Servants and Managers in the UK Department of Health

In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, the UK government faces some tough choices over public expenditure, and these choices will have important implications for both the future of health policy and the way in which health services are managed. In this article, we examine the organization and leadership of the UK Department of Health and weigh its suitability to meet such challenges. We find an organization that is culturally split between public servants and managers, highly reliant on the ability of its key personnel to bridge these divides, and extremely responsive to the political goals of government ministers. We explore the modern DH using three types of evidence. First, the history of the department shows clear political efforts to reduce civil service discretion and focus the DH on the management of the English NHS. Second, the recent organizational structures of the DH show a bifurcation between policy direction and NHS management tasks. Third, an analysis of the top ranks of the department since 2005 shows the implementation of political preferences that are consistent with managerialism but inconsistent with the perceived characteristics of traditional civil servants. The result is a department which has changed just as frequently as the health service it oversees – a department which has been moulded by successive ministers into one for the management of the NHS. Our findings raise important questions about the value and purpose of long‐term organizational knowledge in policy formulation.     

The Effect of the Mobbing on Organizational Commitment in the Hospital Setting: A Field Study

ABSTRACT

Mobbing includes any kind of systematic behaviors, such as threats, humiliation, and violence, committed by an employee against his or her colleagues, subordinates, or managers. In recent years, reoccurring and persistent mobbing behaviors that result in a power imbalance between harasser and victim are increasing. These unethical behaviors can affect organizational commitment, employee efficiency, motivation, job satisfaction, and potential staff burnout. To measure this concept a questionnaire was given to 320 administrative staff in a university hospital in Ankara, Turkey. Significance was noted between mobbing and affective responses and continuance of employment. In addition, findings support that the majority of the respondents (79%) reported experiencing mobbing and of these 32% reported that these behaviors continued for a duration of 2–5 years. Reasons for these types of behaviors in the work environment included: job stress, administrative/supervisor/management problems, and work performance. The majority of the respondents who were victims did nothing in response. In closing, a correlation analysis was conducted to specifically address the relationship between mobbing and organizational commitment and no significant relationship was found. Reasons for these responses are discussed along with suggestions and practice implications.     

Meeting the change challenge: managing growth in the nonprofit and public human services sectors

The current economic climate has been particularly hard on non-profit and public human services organizations, frequently resulting in managing organizational decline. The authors believe that the dominant concern should be with fostering organizational growth. To this end, they suggest that nonprofit board members and executives, as well as public sector leaders, need to concern themselves with the concurrent management of two agendas: Running the Shop and Meeting the Change Challenge. This can be done effectively through the use of strategic issue management, which is a set of techniques that represents a blend of traditional strategic management and change management approaches.     

供应链组织关系对于质量绩效影响的实证研究

供应链组织间的关系对产品质量绩效十分重要.文章通过供应链网络关系的特点,构建了供应链纵向合作关系、供应链横向竞争关系和产品质量绩效分析框架.研究结果表明供应链纵向合作关系由交流、协作、信任、承诺、适应性及权力等因素度量.供应链纵向合作关系与供应链横向竞争关系互相影响,二者均对质量绩效有正向影响,并且纵向合作关系对质量绩效的影响更大.     

Optimal Incentive Contracting with Ex Ante and Ex Post Moral Hazards: Theory and Evidence

Predictions concerning structure and performance for managerial incentive contracts designed to prevent accidents are developed and tested. The model predicts a step-function penalty with more costly, more reliable audits used for higher loss reports to control ex post exaggeration of the loss. In addition, the penalty induces nonreporting that is imperfectly controlled through random audits. An empirical contract implemented to control workers' compensation medical losses provides evidence consistent with these predictions. The contract reduces both accident frequency and total losses, but increases reported loss severity as managers evade approximately 40% of the accident penalty by underreporting small losses.