Following unique logics despite institutional complexity: An inductive study of academic inventors and institutional logics

This paper examines how institutional complexity, due to the availability of multiple logics, influences the behavior of academic inventors during an innovation process. Based on four case studies of medical technology innovations, this paper identifies three logics influencing academic inventors’ behavior: academic, market, and care logics. We identify several patterns that characterize the practices of academic inventors in a context with multiple institutional logics. Despite the availability of multiple logics, we observe a strong pattern of academic inventors predominantly following the market or the care logic. As for the influence of multiple logics, we find very limited interaction between logics (i.e., reinforcing, complementary and conflicting interaction), with the prevalent pattern being “no interaction” between institutional logics. Thus, instead of following several logics, academic inventors’ specific practices are mostly guided by a “unique” logic. This influence of logics leads to a clear pattern of “dominant” influence on behavior, reflected in individual strategies of “entrenching,” that is, a strategy based on building one’s behavior on a “unique” logic. However, the same available logics can also generate "aligned" influence, entailing behavior guided by several logics. But this occurs only if the academic inventor faces uncertainty regarding the exploitation of the intellectual property. With these findings, we add to the ongoing discussion concerning institutional complexity and individual behavior by elucidating in detail how institutional complexity can entail behavior guided by “unique” logics.     

机构投资者持股与上市公司违规行为的实证研究

本文采用部分可观测的Bivariate Probit估计方法,对2001年至2009年中国1729家上市公司进行回归检验,发现机构投资者持股比例降低了公司违规行为倾向,同时增加了公司违规行为被稽查的可能性。该结论在控制了机构投资者变量内生性的因素后仍旧稳健。进一步研究表明,相比公司经营违规,机构投资者对信息披露违规倾向的影响更强。另外,相比证券机构投资者,养老保险基金、社保基金、企业年金持股的公司中违规公司比例更低。除此以外,机构投资者对公司违规的抑制与检举作用并不受其它公司治理变量的影响。本文的研究表明中国机构投资者在预防与打击上市公司违规行为方面发挥了重要的作用,并且也为上市公司与监管部门提供了治理和防范企业违规的线索。     

The influence of patent protection on firm innovation investment in manufacturing industries

Countries enact various mechanisms, such as patent protection, to encourage, protect, and reward firm innovation. The degree to which these mechanisms afford firms protection over their intellectual property influences the innovation strategy that firms pursue and innovation investments they make. To date, empirical evidence on the relationship between patent protections and firm innovation is lacking, despite the relationship being the subject of intense theoretical and policy debate. To further consider the influences on firm innovation, we test the influence of a country's patent rights and changes in them on firm-level investment in innovation. Data for 706 firms competing in ten manufacturing industries across 29 countries were gathered and analyzed. Even after controlling for various firm, industry, and national factors, there is a strong positive influence of patent rights and changes in patent rights on a firm's propensity to invest in innovation. In addition, we consider the sensitivity of this result to alternative measures of patent and other intellectual property protection. We also find that the influence of patent rights on firm-level innovation varies across industries for example, the impact appears greatest in the scientific instruments and industrial chemicals industries.     

Agent or Steward: The Target CEO in a Hostile Takeover: Can a Condemned Agent be Redeemed?

This article examines the differences, tensions and overlaps between agency and stewardship theories of corporate governance. The context is a hostile bid for Blue Circle Industries, a FTSE 100 company, and the focus is upon its Chief Executive Officer’s actions in response. CEOs occupy a position of pivotal importance during such takeover bids, and it is salient to examine their resultant motivations and payoffs. While agency theory suggests that CEOs may act in self-interested ways, diverging from the interests of shareholders, ongoing stewardship theory sees CEOs as fundamentally honest and caring about their company and shareholders’ interests. The hostile bid is an opportunity for the target CEO to fight at any cost, or to act in the best interests of stakeholders.In examining the target CEO’s actions, this article suggests there is more complexity than these two theories acknowledge and the relationship between them is not one of simple opposition. The article identifies a framework for making sense of CEO/stakeholder relationships, and highlights the importance to boards of understanding how CEOs manage differential stakeholder pressures over time.     

The impact of human resource management on organisational performance: Theory and research

This article by Jean-Marie Hiltrop, considers some of the models which have studied the link between HRM and organisational performance. As yet, there is little real evidence, but it is growing and indicates that corporate HRM policies and practices - including ‘best’ practices - are associated with high (financial) performance, and can encourage employee behaviour and attitudes towards strengthening the competitive strategy of an organisation. But such ‘best’ practices can vary widely and even contradict each other. Questions are raised in the article about these ‘best’ practices.The first part of the article looks at the relevant theoretical models, and the second part reviews the findings of recent empirical studies which have evaluated the effects of distinctive HR practices on organisational outcomes.     

Institutional transitions,global mindset,and EMNE internationalization

Recently revised theoretical explanations of the internationalization process have been offered to specifically account for the propensity of Emerging Market Multinationals (EMNEs) to engage in accelerated internationalization. However, this literature stream has yet to consider how the fundamental institutional transitions occurring in emerging markets promote the individual and organizational level global mindset that helps account for this accelerated, proactive international expansion. Our dynamic multi-level conceptual framework examines the influences of both the home country institutions and intra-organizational mindsets on the development of EMNE outward FDI decision making. This framework contributes to extant literature by integrating conceptualizations of national culture with the informal and formal institutions offered by institutional theory, while examining how fundamental shifts in these influence the intra-organizational context. Furthermore, our conceptual framework adopts a multi-level perspective of global mindset as an antecedent of firm decision making and adds to the global mindset literature by arguing that institutional transition is a macro level antecedent of global mindset.     

A new framework of firm-level innovation capability: A propensity–ability perspective

One of the critical topics in contemporary innovation management literature concerns what constitutes innovation capability (IC) at the firm level. There have been many attempts to conceptualize and operationalize this capability. Still, they either fail to discriminate the elements that characterize IC or to present consistent, comparable elements across distinct models or frameworks. This paper reports the results of a systematic approach to formulate a firm-level IC framework. To do so, the authors conducted an extensive systematic literature review, screened 19,589 papers, and analyzed in detail 186 documents that directly address empirical or theoretical elements of IC. The researchers cross-analyzed these papers for direct and indirect references to ICs (and related concepts, such as innovation orientation, innovation competence, and innovativeness) and generated thematic categories. We drew on a hybrid approach moving between inductive and deductive coding and theme development. We adopted an ex-ante theoretical perspective of the propensity/ability axis built upon the willingness–ability approach and the dynamic capability lens. The proposed synthetizing framework is coherent with Teece’s (2014) ordinary and dynamic capabilities. It comprises two sets of elements: on one hand, structural and contextual antecedents that characterize an organization's propensity toward innovation and, on the other hand, actions and resource-related capacities that act as causal mechanisms that, articulated within functions—sensing, seizing, and transforming—constitute the ability to generate innovation.     

Exploring the link between human resource practices and turnover in multi-brand companies: The role of brand units’ images

Using exploratory qualitative research undertaken in a multi-brand fashion company, this article investigates the role that brand units’ images play in the link between human resources management (HRM) practices and employee internal and external turnover. Our results suggest that the existence of imbalanced and differently attractive brand units’ images might weaken or remove the effectiveness of corporate HRM practices in keeping internal and external turnover rates low. This because employees may be interested in transferring to the most appealing brand(s) or, if not possible to do so, leaving the company. This article contributes to the debate regarding the use of HRM practices in multi-brand companies, especially in industries where both the brand and the product have a highly-symbolic content. Based on our conclusions, we recommend that brand units with less prestigious images compensate for their lower attractiveness with specific brand unit HRM practices to attract and retain their employees. Theoretical and policy implications of the findings are discussed.     

Reshaping state/local communities relations in Tunisia: The socio-cultural and institutional challenges of the decentralization project

International development agencies believe that by adopting institutional reforms based on the best practices that have proved effective elsewhere, so-called « developing countries » could take their places in the globalised economy. Based on a case study carried out on the implementation challenges of a decentralization project in Tunisia, I will argue by using an interpretive approach that this thesis is not sustained. This article shows that institutions cannot be reduced to their technical functions but that they are based on particular collective imaginaries that ground what is legitimate or not and structure the relationship of individuals to power and the meaning given to their actions. It encourages the consideration of cultural framework of meaning; these local cultural references structure the governance modalities of a society, understood in terms of the modalities of exercise of power in a given group (state, company, local authority, etc.). It advocates the necessity to move from a technic-prone approach in the implementation of institutional changes towards a socio-cultural approach that integrates the local expectations of what “good governance” should be and on which depends the legitimacy of institutions and their appropriation by local populations.     

The View from the Top: Senior Executives' Perceptions of Changing Management Practices in UK Companies1

There is a growing literature which suggests that the 1980s witnessed significant, even unprecedented changes in the management of organizations. This paper contributes to that literature by providing questionnaire and interview-based evidence of senior managers' perceptions of recent changes in management practice in large and medium-sized firms in the UK. The findings cover three main areas: the changing context of management practice; change initiatives in the areas of human resource management (HRM) and management levels; and the degree of success in managing change. Our findings suggest that senior managers perceive rapid and continuous change within the UK corporate sector. We conclude by suggesting that the changes reported appear to be of degree rather than a radical break with past management practices and that inconsistent means of facilitating change are seemingly being deployed.     

Firm-level correlates of emergent green supply chain management practices in the Chinese context

Greening the supply chain is increasingly a concern for many business enterprises and a challenge for logistics management in the 21st century. Of particular concern is how to arouse organizational environmental awareness and put environmental activities into practice in the logistics activities of their supply chains. This paper investigates the correlation of two major factors, organizational learning and management support, with the extent of adoption of green supply chain management (GSCM) practices in Chinese manufacturing firms, where their inbound and outbound logistics activities are potential polluters to the environment. Organizational and operational learning was derived from the firm's experience with programs such as total quality management and environmental management systems. Management support included support for GSCM ideas and practices from top and middle-level management and cooperation across organizational functions. We find significant positive relationships between organizational learning mechanisms, organizational support and the adoption of GSCM practices, after controlling for a number of other influences including regulations, marketing, supplier, cost pressures, industry levels of the relevant practice and organizational size. Implications of our findings on logistics management are discussed.     

Telework: What Does it Mean for Management?

This article develops the first resource-based analysis of telework impacts on large organizations. We adopt an ‘integrative’ approach that goes beyond the immediate and easily quantifiable effects of telework adoption. This approach takes into account both top-down considerations (managerial preoccupations with strengthening the organization’s competences) and bottom-up demands (employee needs). We identify several telework impacts on a variety of resource-domains, including effects on the strategic development and operational functioning of the human capital resource-base, the organization’s broader productive efficiency, the external linkages of the organization, and finally, a number of externalities. We observe that the teleworkers themselves do not experience the negative effects on job satisfaction observed in earlier research, with the exception of a reduction in professional interaction. Broader human resource management practices appear to have adjusted well to the specific requirements of telework adoption.We also observe a strong divergence between the views of adopters and non-adopters, with the latter having less positive expectations across the board, as compared to the former. We thus demonstrate that broader strategic considerations, beyond immediate impacts on the bottom-line, do influence the choice to adopt this practice. The difference in employee perceptions between adopters and non-adopters suggests that the latter lack confidence in their firm’s broader HRM practices to adapt appropriately to the requirements of effective telework implementation.     

New contributions from old sources: Recovering Barnard’s science and revitalizing the Carnegie School

Scholars have called for the Carnegie School to revisit fundamental ideas such as decision, behavioral plausibility (Gavetti, Levinthal, & Ocasio, 2007, p. 531), and the individual (Cohen, 2007). In essence, these calls urge greater realism, beyond the School’s founding concepts such as satisficing and bounded rationality, which differentiated organization science from economics. This paper argues that revisiting the School’s ties to Chester Barnard advances work along these lines because of Barnard’s experiential method and his findings on the subjective and objective nature of, and on the personal and impersonal forces entailed in, organization. The paper begins by discussing the insufficient recognition of the School’s ties to Barnard and the emphasis on Herbert Simon’s translation of Barnard at the expense of the original Barnard. Then, based on Barnard’s unpublished and lesser known works (O’Connor, 2012, p. 112–170), it shows the scope and depth of Barnard’s contributions: a new “organic applied social science” (Barnard’s phrase, Wolf, 1995a) founded on a subjective relationship to scientific knowledge and ordinary action that Barnard called “personal responsibility.” Likewise, this science emerged from Barnard’s relationship to his own experience, specifically, his pursuit of a science to explain his and others’ experience of organization.     

Individual differences in working hours,work perceptions and accident rates in veterinary surgeries

This study addresses an under-researched outcome of occupational stress, namely the frequency of accidents at work and car accidents. A large, random sample of 778 vets and their auxiliary personnel was assessed in relation to socio-demographic variables, work perception and accident involvement. The study, involving veterinary practices in Germany, revealed that work-related injuries/accidents experienced during the previous 12-month period were significantly related to individual differences in job-related stress and job satisfaction. The average yearly number of car accidents was predicted by age, working climate and job satisfaction. Furthermore, driving accidents going to or from work during the previous year were calculated against distance travelled. Vets working in excess of 48 h/week displayed significantly more driving accidents when visiting clients. Results indicate heterogeneous correlations both between and within the two categories of car and work accidents, suggesting that these are different phenomena, each with its own associated personal and work factors. Results also suggest that work perceptions may act as intermediary influences on accident rates.     

Climate change knowledge influences attitude to mitigation via efficacy beliefs

Theories proposing climate change apathy is explained by inadequate knowledge do not account for why many informed and concerned Americans fail to act. While correlations between knowledge, efficacy for climate change, and attitude to mitigation have been observed, few studies have examined efficacy for climate change as a mediator. This study aimed to investigate the influence of specific climate change knowledge on attitude to mitigation via efficacy beliefs. A cross-sectional survey of 205 US adults recruited from Amazon's Mechanical Turk assessed participants’ climate change knowledge, efficacy for climate change, and attitude to mitigation. Indirect effects of self-efficacy for climate change were observed in three mediation models, suggesting efficacy for climate change explains some of the relationship between specific climate change knowledge and attitude to mitigation. The findings suggest risk communication can motivate pro-environmental attitudes with interventions that deliver information about climate change and develop efficacy for mitigation behavior.     

Manufacturing Practices and Strategy Integration: Effects on Cost Efficiency,Flexibility, and Market‐Based Performance

Manufacturing plant managers have sought performance improvements through implementing best practices discussed in World Class Manufacturing literature. However, our collective understanding of linkages between practices and performance remains incomplete. This study seeks a more complete theory, advancing the idea that strategy integration and enhanced manufacturing capabilities such as cost efficiency and flexibility serve as intermediaries by which practices affect performance. Hypotheses related to this thesis are tested using data from 57 North American manufacturing plants that are past winners and finalists in Industry Week's“America's Best” competition ( Drickhamer, 2001 ). The results suggest that strategy integration plays a strong, central role in the creation of manufacturing cost efficiency and new product flexibility capabilities. Furthermore, strategy integration moderates the influences of product‐process development, supplier relationship management, workforce development, just‐in‐time flow, and process quality management practices on certain manufacturing capabilities. In turn, manufacturing cost efficiency and new product flexibility capabilities mediate the influence of strategy integration on market‐based performance. These findings have implications for practice and for future research.     

Consumer trust in e-commerce in the United States,Singapore and China

This study examines the antecedents and consequences of consumer trust in the United States, Singapore and China. The results show that reputation and system assurance of an Internet vendor and consumers’ propensity to trust are positively related to consumer trust. Consumers’ trust has a positive relationship with attitude and a negative relationship with perceived risk. Implications of the results are discussed.     

Management’s causal reasoning on performance and earnings management

We investigate the association between the intensity of causal reasoning on performance in a firm’s annual management commentary and its earnings management propensity. Anticipated earnings management concerns are argued to constitute a significant accountability predicament, bringing management to offer more intense causal reasoning in order to mitigate investors’ earnings management concerns. We use computer-intensive techniques to measure causal reasoning intensity as a generic disclosure quality in the management commentary of a large sample of US firms from 1999 to 2007. We find that accruals earnings management (signed discretionary accruals) is positively associated with causal reasoning intensity. The positive association holds for alternative specifications of accruals earnings management (an earnings management dummy model and an analyst expectations model) and in a change model. Our results are consistent with the assertion that firms strategically use causal reasoning on performance to establish appropriateness and cognitive legitimacy, increase perceived plausibility of reported performance and mitigate performance-related concerns of investors.     

Treason or Reason? Psychoanalytical Insights on Whistleblowing

This paper critically examines and reviews the dominant and mainstream perspectives and literature on whistleblowing and offers a new approach to understanding this complex phenomenon using a psychoanalytical lens. Almost all studies on whistleblowing perceive it as an ethical, moral or altruistic act on the part of the whistleblower and overlook the whistleblower's subjectivity in question. This paper offers an in‐depth review of the literature to explore this and addresses the emergent but nascent discourses on whistleblower's subjectivity, offering an alternative perspective suggesting that not all whistleblowers may be prompted by moral compulsion or desire to speak truth to power. It suggests that underlying emotional and unconscious dynamics such as narcissism, in particular narcissistic rage, disillusionment and a sense of betrayal, can be possible factors in deciding to ‘blow the whistle’. Furthermore, the concept of psychological defences and defence mechanisms is discussed in depth and is used to illustrate the dynamics above. In doing so, this paper draws upon extant literatures to challenge and shift existing paradigms on normative whistleblowing literature, offering novel and significant theoretical contributions and an alternative strategic platform for new directions in research and practice.     

Entrepreneurial Orientation in low- and medium-tech industries: The need for Absorptive Capacity to increase performance

The implications of Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) for firm performance in low- and medium-tech (LMT) industries are largely unexplored and seem to be limited. In this paper we seek to address this research gap studying how Absorptive Capacity can act as a key factor determining the effectiveness of EO in such a context. Specifically, we adopt the knowledge-based view of the firm and explore the moderating effects of Absorptive Capacity’s Potential and Realized dimensions on the EO–performance relationship in LMT industries. Our regression results based on a lagged dataset of 103 medium-sized firms based in Italy confirm our hypotheses that, in LMT industries, EO has a positive effect on firm performance when coupled with high levels of both Potential and Realized Absorptive Capacity.