Struktur und Entwicklung der Rechnungslegungsforschung in deutschen wissenschaftlichen Zeitschriften

Against the dynamic background of the convergence of German financial accounting standards to its international counterparts as well as an increasingly internationally oriented accounting research, the authors of this article seek to present a contribution to improve our understanding of the structure and development of German financial accounting research. To this end, they analyse the co-citation patterns of 681 research articles on financial accounting topics published between 1970 and 2007 in four leading German academic journals. The study’s findings show that while the structure of German financial accounting research has experienced profound change over time it is still different from that in international accounting research.     

West Germany's efforts to escape its current technological stagnation

In 1982 the Federal Republic of Germany has had about two million unemployed; it has become enmired in stagflation; it suffers from declining industrial productivity; and it faces loss of markets from rising import restrictions abroad. These are the symptoms of the prevailing economic malaise. The causes are several: first, the shortage of engineers was probably caused by the implementation of the school reform of the 1970s, which permitted youngsters to avoid taking mathematics, physics and sciences and still graduate from the gymnasium and qualify for university. Second, labor unions, on account of high unemployment, advocate slowing down the technological advance. Third, W German industry did not computerize its machine-building industry rapidly enough and is failing to compete in world markets. Finally, the anti-business milieu has become a suppressive force.     

Ein Forschungsleistungsranking auf der Grundlage von Google Scholar

Regarding the evaluation of academic research performance, the currently predominant method of judging an individual paper according to the academic journal it was published in implies a few drawbacks: Monographs and edited volumes cannot be assessed, and estimating the quality of an individual article by looking at the journal it was published in is problematic. Based on the work of Harzing (The publish or perish book: your guide to effective and responsible citation analysis. Tarma Software Research, Melbourne, 2010), this article applies a different approach by measuring the individual impact of each researcher. As a data source we use Google Scholar because it offers the best coverage available in the field of German academic literature in business administration. However, Google Scholar implies qualitative shortcomings that deserve a careful inspection and revision. We analyse all recent publications (2005–2009) of all members of the German Academic Association for Business Research (VHB). Among the researchers, the citations are distributed highly unequal and follow Pareto’s Law: Few scholars gather a large part of all citations. Between the different subfields of business administration there exist large differences regarding their publication and citation cultures. This should be considered carefully when interpreting the results of the ranking.     

Effect of Perceived Crisis Response on Consumers' Behavioral Intentions During a Company Scandal – An Intercultural Perspective

In the context of a multi-national company scandal, namely Volkswagen's Dieselgate, we examine the effect of customers' perception of organizational crisis response on their revenge and avoidance intentions in different cultural settings. Using data collected in the US and in Germany, we are able to show that the perception of appropriate crisis response reduces customers' revenge as well as avoidance intentions. However, due to the domestic bias of German respondents, the mechanism linking perception of the organization's crisis response to the respective outcomes differs between Germany and the US. Our results demonstrate for the first time that domestic bias is not always associated with being an amplifier of positive factors; rather, in the context of an organizational scandal, it dampens the effects of organizational crisis response.     

Unterstützungsbedarfe ausländischer Existenzgründer/innen mit akademischem Hintergrund – eine explorative Studie

Academic migrant company founders have not been in the focus of entrepreneurship research in Germany so far. The Project “StartMiUp—support for academic entrepreneurs with migration background” is dealing with this target group in the context of the German IQ-Network. In an empiric study the project investigates the specific challenges in starting up business and the support requirements of academic migrant founders. The study includes the perspective of start-up consultants and entrepreneurs from the target group. The results point out the necessity to increase the intercultural awareness and the competence orientation of existing start up consultancy institutions.     

Stemming the downturn: How ambidexterity and public policy influence firm performance stability during economic crises

A key question confronting policy makers during economic crises is how they can support firms to maintain their performance levels until the economic storm has passed. The present study bridges insights from the ambidexterity and public policy literatures to examine how firm-internal responses (that is, ambidexterity) and external public policy incentives (that is, demand-pull policies) affect the stability of firms’ performance in a recessionary economic context. Using data from private German renewable energy firms at a time following the global financial crisis, we find that only firms with low ambidexterity achieve performance stability in light of demand-pull policies. This research draws attention to the relevance of stability as a policy-relevant performance measure during times of economic crises. Further, we suggest that greater insight into the interplay of managerial and political factors is necessary to enable policy makers to support the stability of certain industries during crises.     

Unions and Income Inequality: A Heterogeneous Panel Co‐integration and Causality Analysis

Although a large body of research has examined the effects of unions on the wage distribution, surprisingly little attention has been devoted to the effects of unions on the distribution of income. This paper examines the long‐run relationship between unionization and income inequality for a sample of 20 countries. Using heterogeneous panel co‐integration and causality techniques, we find that (i) unions have, on average, a negative long‐run effect on income inequality, (ii) there is considerable heterogeneity in the effects of unionization on income inequality across countries (in 40 per cent of the cases the effect is positive) and (iii) long‐run causality runs in both directions, suggesting that, on average, an increase in unionization reduces income inequality and that, in turn, higher inequality leads to lower unionization rates.     

Commitment to the union: a survey of research and the implications for industrial relations and trade unions

This paper presents an overview of the literature on union commitment. The aim is to survey the main approaches, findings and implications of the research. The nature and dimensionality of union commitment are examined, and the antecedents and consequences of union commitment are discussed in detail, including a review of the implications for union participation. There is also a discussion of the possibility of dual commitment to union and employer, and of the 'multiple constituencies' view of commitment. An attempt is made to link the union commitment findings to the wider industrial relations literature on, for example, why people join unions and the 'union renewal' thesis. The article concludes by discussing the implications of the literature for union–management relationships and for unions themselves, and with some suggestions for future research.     

A Social Welfare Theory of Trade Unions

There have been recent advances in the understanding of trade unions by modeling union objectives as maximizing a neoclassical utility function. While this literature is most relevant for autonomous and homogeneous local unions, there are also numerous large, heterogeneous trade unions in many countries. This paper illustrates that social choice theory presents a more realistic framework for explicitly modeling the aggregation of potentially diverse preferences within trade unions.     

Twenty Years after the Hot Autumn: Work and Politics in Italy from Rupture to Change

Abstract. In the first paper the authors make a critical analysis of the interpretations and models generally used for it caso italiano(the Italian Case) and propose explanations that are not one-sided, and that take into account all the elements of continuity which characterised the various phases of these last twenty years. The second paper examines the institutional features of the Italian industrial relations system, and underlines its ‘constant characteristic’. that is. its under-institutionalisation. The author emphasises the negative effects of these institutional shortcomings, and shows concern that the much exalted ‘flexibility’ of the Italian system could be detrimental, rather than positive, as it derives from these shortcomings. The note by Guido Romagnoli. attempts to use some theoretical statements on union behaviour, as the key to interpret the events of the Italian case. The author then indicates some aspects and reasons for the crisis of Italian unions. The fourth paper examines the relationship of the unions with the Italian political system over the last twenty years. This article suggests that it is characterised by considerable continuity in stabilising this political system, both in phases of strength and in times of weakness. This stabilising role has. however, not been reciprocated; in fact, not only has the political system not stabilised the unions and industrial relations, but has become a major obstacle to their strategic reorientation. The last paper in this group of essays on the Autunno Caldo offers what could be termed an ‘institutional’ explanation of union continuity, analysing the various phases of collective mobilisation. political exchange and flexibility, and examines the relationships between the social actors during these phases. The selection of papers published here is in memoriam of our colleague and friend Guido Romagnoli, who suddenly died shortly after the conference. For this reason it includes the outline that he presented at that conference which he could not develop into a full article.     

The impact of the board of directors characteristics on corporate performance and risk-taking before and during the global financial crisis

Over recent years, the effectiveness of good corporate governance practices has received considerable attention by the financial literature. In the current global finance crisis, several practitioners, academic and regulators argue that mechanisms of corporate governance have not served their purpose to safeguard equitably the interest of stakeholders, increasing the corporate risk-taking without proper management. This research contributes to the empirical literature, analyzing the impact of board characteristics and the capital structure on corporate performance and corporate risk-taking, in two different economic contexts: in an economic growth and in an economic recession. The methodology implemented takes into account the bidirectional causality and addresses endogeneity problem using a simultaneous equations system with three-stage least squares estimation method. The results show that the effectiveness of the board is sensitive to the economic period and the capital structure leads to reduce the levels of corporate risk-taking during the crisis. This research suggests that good corporate governance mechanisms should mitigate excessive corporate risk-taking and protect the interest of stakeholders in both periods: before and during the global financial crisis.     

K?nnen Studienbeitr?ge die Lehre in der BWL verbessern?

The introduction of tuition fees by some German universities raised fears about possible negative effects, which scientific research has not substantiated, though. Meanwhile, little attention has been paid to positive effects tuition fees might entail. This is surprising as universities are obliged to use tuition fees to improve study conditions. Business programs are highly frequented with limited academic staff. More assistance would therefore improve study conditions substantially. Tutorials funded by fees can be introduced quickly and, unlike faculty positions, do not tie up money in the long run. This makes them ideal to cope with the one-time enrollment peak due to the shortening of secondary education. We show that tutorials improve both satisfaction and study outcomes. We use data from an introductory course characteristic of business programs, where tutorials have been introduced. This course is attended by about 750 students per term and the data cover several terms. We control for a number of effects, including general academic ability. Increased satisfaction and improved study outcomes show that tutorials enhance both the objective and perceived study conditions. This makes tutorials an example of how tuition fees can be used to produce positive effects.     

RANKINGS OF ACADEMIC JOURNALS AND INSTITUTIONS IN ECONOMICS

We conducted a worldwide ranking of academic institutions that produce research in a list of thirty top research journals in economics. We also computed journal rankings for the same period and hence we do not rely on weights that were computed for research carried out in earlier periods. The United States is clearly the dominant force in the top‐fifty group, but European academic institutions are well represented in the group of the top 200 universities worldwide as are universities from Asia and the Far East in particular. (JEL: A14, A10)     

Multinational corporations and industrial relations research: A road less travelled

While there is a large body of academic debate surrounding human resource management issues in multinational corporations (MNCs), industrial relations (IR) issues often fail to receive the same degree of attention. This paper attempts to move the debate forward by critically reviewing some of the key debates surrounding IR in an international context. First, some key themes surrounding the comparison of industrial relations across borders and IR in multinational companies are delineated and defined. Then, the reasons why an international IR (IIR) perspective has been under‐represented in the literature to date are considered. The paper then explores the contribution which an IIR perspective can bring to the study of management practices in MNCs. This is discussed in terms of IIR's potential contribution as an alternative analytical approach and also differences in its substantive coverage. The impact of IR systems on MNC location and relocation decisions, key issues for employees, trade unions and managers of MNCs, is then discussed as an example of the former. The potential for, and evidence of, international collective bargaining as a potential counter‐balance to the power the MNC in the global environment is then considered as an example of a differing area of substantive coverage of IIR. Finally, some avenues for potential study are outlined.     

Is there a physician union in your future?

Physician unions are in the news. Patient management and patient care decisions are increasingly being taken out of the hands of physicians and put into the hands of "The Suits." To take their case for a return to physician-driven patient care to the people, some physicians are joining unions. Some are even collectively bargaining for salary and other issues that are historically more closely associated with unions. The simple fact is that physician unions exist and the number of physicians joining them is expected to increase. What are the pros and cons of unionization? What motivates physicians to join unions, and what potential negative and positive factors are associated with physician unionization? This article reviews the pros and cons and the issues related to physician unions, for physicians attempting to answer the question, "Is there a union in my future?"     

Solving the crisis: When agency is the preferred leadership for implementing change

Glass-cliff research shows that female leaders are preferentially selected in a crisis to signal change and not for their leadership qualifications. In parallel, the management literature urges for agentic “masculine” leadership to turn around organizations in crisis. We hypothesized that, regardless of their gender, agentic leaders should be preferred to communal leaders if leadership qualifications and actual change potential motivate leader selection. Three experimental studies demonstrated that agentic (vs. communal) candidates were perceived to match poorly-performing (vs. strongly-performing) companies. This effect was accounted for by perceptions of agentic candidates' higher suitability, higher task-orientation (versus person-orientation), and higher change potential. We discuss that women face ambiguity as to why they become leaders in crisis contexts: because they are perceived as signaling change, stereotypically linked to their gender, or for their perceived agentic qualities as leaders. In contrast, men become crisis leaders due to their perceived agentic change potential.     

Employee performance management across borders: A review of relevant academic literature

The purpose of this paper is to survey the emerging academic literature on employee performance management (PM) from an international perspective. The primary information source was a search of electronic databases. Two criteria were used to determine which studies to include in the literature survey: (1) those published in an English-language blind refereed academic journal, and (2) those focused on employee PM or performance appraisal (PA) from an international/global perspective. Sixty-four articles, published between 1985 and 2005, met the criteria. A preliminary scheme was developed for classifying the existing academic research into conceptual and empirical articles. The empirical articles were further classified by their foci and themes. In addition to classifying the articles, the paper presents a summary of what can be learned from the major findings of the empirical studies. The major conclusion is that the academic literature on cross-border PM is relatively atheoretical and exploratory in nature and that the design and substance of the research studies are weak. With regard to themes, there are a number of foci in the literature with only scant attention paid to the central concern with the PM of expatriates as expressed by firms. The empirical articles look at the disparate components of PA and are interested mainly in cultural differences as an intervening variable. Several recommendations are presented for researchers to help focus future research on cross-border PM.     

Unternehmenserfolg, Wechsel im Vorstandsvorsitz und Disziplinierung von Finanzvorständen

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is often referred to as a company’s No. 2 on contemporary management boards; yet corresponding empirical evidence is scarce. As a result, academic literature has not yet investigated whether CFOs—like CEOs—are dismissed more frequently if corporate performance is poor and to what extent forced Chief Executive Officer (CEO) turnover also influences disciplinary action towards CFOs. Therefore, in this paper we examine the antecedents of forced CFO departures in the largest German corporations between 1999 and 2006. Building on principal-agent theory, we expect respective relationships between the board of directors, the CEO, and the CFO. Moreover, we propose that principals also take team-specific and firm-specific human capital into consideration when disciplining agents. We find that poor corporate performance and forced CEO turnover both independently increase the likelihood of CFO dismissal. In addition, we find indications for a close team relationship between CFOs and CEOs. In summary, our results support the prominent role of CFOs alongside CEOs on contemporary management boards and suggest a more detailed consideration of CFOs in future research on performance consequences of managerial successions.     

Politics and Power within Multinational Corporations: Mainstream Studies,Emerging Critical Approaches and Suggestions for Future Research

Given the increased public interest in the use and misuse of power in multinationals in the aftermath of the financial crisis, it is notable that power relations in multinational corporations (MNCs) have not gained enhanced attention in the academic community. What is missing so far in the study of MNCs is a systematic examination of how power and politics within MNCs have been addressed in mainstream international business (IB) and sociological research studying the MNC. This paper starts by critically reviewing these two mainstream approaches in the study of MNCs as organizations and seeking to understand the shortcomings of former research. Next, it reviews new emergent critical perspectives, which the authors call socio‐political studies of MNCs, where power and politics are addressed not just more prominently, but also differently, from a more bottom‐up and actor‐centred perspective. After reviewing this emergent stream of research, the authors propose that future studies should take a more micro‐political perspective and focus in more detail on the micro‐foundations of power relations. In the concluding section, the authors show how future studies of MNCs can learn from both critical interactionist and discursive theories when analysing organizational politics and power relations. A framework is proposed for the study of micro‐level political game‐playing in MNCs, based on a three‐dimensional framework for organizational power (episodic, rules of the game and domination), and some key research questions for future studies are suggested.     

Intercultural differences in issue interpretation: Effects of emotions and framing

The interpretation of strategic issues as threats or opportunities influences strategic actions and firm performance. The extant research identifies cultural differences as an important driver of strategic issue interpretation. Specifically, research from a socio-cognitive perspective shows that differences in cognitive styles across cultures lead to differences in the interpretation of strategic issues by East Asian and Western managers. Based on cross-cultural research on emotions and decision-making, we argue that cultural affordances also lead to differences in emotional experiences and behavioral consequences across cultures which affect the strategic issue interpretation of managers from East Asian and Western cultures in different ways. We theorize that Chinese managers are similarly affected by fear and happiness in their strategic issue interpretation, while German managers are only affected by fear. For German managers, this effect is moderated by issue framing, which is not the case for Chinese managers. A vignette-based decision experiment involving 194 German and 174 Chinese executives offers support for our hypotheses. These findings have implications for cross-cultural research on strategic issue interpretation and for cross-cultural research on strategic decision-making in general.