Business Legitimacy among Business Students in the United States, Great Britain, and South Africa

This study compares attitudes toward business legitimacy in three countries. Positive attitudes toward business legitimacy exist when there is a congruence between organizational activities and societal expectations. Businesses are concerned about the extent to which negative attitudes toward business legitimacy will lead to increased government regulation. The results suggest that business students in all three countries are similar in their attitudes toward business legitimacy; however, blacks have more negative attitudes toward business legitimacy than do whites. This study resulted in the validation of a scale that can be used to measure attitudes toward business legitimacy on a cross-cultural basis. Business legitimacy is a major concern in South Africa as the predominately white business community seeks to give the emerging black majority a stake in the existing economic system. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Business values in the Republic of South Africa and the United States: A tale of two countries

This paper reports on a study of the values of two samples of South African managers over a ten year period. It then compares those values to a group of U.S. entrepreneurs, using the same instrument, the Allport-Vernon-Lindzey Study of Values, for both groups. The comparison with the early sample of South African managers noted similarities between the value systems of the two groups. The comparison with the most recent group of managers indicates a shift in the values of the South African managers. There appeared to be little difference between the values of the latter group of managers on the basis of age. This was similar to the findings in the U.S. sample as well as the earlier South African sample. There were differences in the strength of the values, but less of a difference in the pattern of values exhibited based on industry backgrounds. The reasons for these shifts are discussed, including the potential impact on the education process in South Africa.     

深化企业环境理论研究的几个问题

立足中国实际,深入研究企业环境理论及分析方法,探索具有中国特色的管理理论,既是我国企业管理实践的急需,也是管理理论发展与创新的需要。企业环境理论伴随着管理理论产生和发展,它大体经历了封闭系统观、开放系统观2个时期和产生、发展(理论丛林)、尝试融合3个阶段。迄今为止,国内外对企业环境的研究存在着8个方面的缺陷。探索建立具有自身特色的企业环境理论体系,从而探索具有中国特色的管理理论,要着重从企业环境的研究对象、一般概念的定义、中国企业环境及企业与环境的关系特征、企业与环境的动态分析与调适方法等方面进行深化研究。     

IT环境下企业集团财务集中管理模式创新策略

本文从新的角度对集团公司财务集中管理进行探讨,以价值链理论为基础,通过信息技术优化价值链,提出IT环境下优化价值链的信息集成策略,实现企业集团财务集中管理,提高集团整体利益以及管理水平。     

Modeling the Airborne Infection Risk of Tuberculosis for a Research Facility in eMalahleni,South Africa

A detailed mathematical modeling framework for the risk of airborne infectious disease transmission in indoor spaces was developed to enable mathematical analysis of experiments conducted at the Airborne Infections Research (AIR) facility, eMalahleni, South Africa. A model was built using this framework to explore possible causes of why an experiment at the AIR facility did not produce expected results. The experiment was conducted at the AIR facility from August 31, 2015 to December 4, 2015, in which the efficacy of upper room germicidal ultraviolet (GUV) irradiation as an environmental control was tested. However, the experiment did not produce the expected outcome of having fewer infections in the test animal room than the control room. The simulation results indicate that dynamic effects, caused by switching the GUV lights, power outages, or introduction of new patients, did not result in the unexpected outcomes. However, a sensitivity analysis highlights that significant uncertainty exists with risk of transmission predictions based on current measurement practices, due to the reliance on large viable literature ranges for parameters.     

复杂多变环境下和谐管理理论与企业战略分析框架

针对当前环境复杂多变的特征,运用和谐管理理论阐述了战略分析的基本思路.在和谐管理理论看来,战略是企业在某个时期内相对稳定、具有全局影响的发展主题与和谐机制共同作用的结果,环境、组织与领导者构成了发展主题的决定因素,而和谐机制由和则、谐则共同构成,通过不确定性消减与优化两条路径及其交互作用,保证主题有效实现与不断调整.当环境、组织与领导者中某些因素发生重大变化时,将引起主题漂移,企业根据新的发展主题,选择建立新的和谐机制.     

Risk Averse Decisions in Business Planning

Second-order stochastic dominance is used to determine preferences among various investments for any risk-averse decision maker. On the other hand, when faced with choosing between different insurance policies or disaster plans, a risk-averse decision maker should use a type of stochastic dominance called variability ordering. In this situation, second-order stochastic dominance has been used in previous research and is incorrect.     

How Business Interests and Government Inaction Led to the Humidifier Disinfectant Disaster in South Korea: Implications for Better Risk Governance

Humidifier sterilizers were regarded as innovative and health-promoting products; they were widespread in South Korea until 2011. However, hospitals reported mysterious deaths, and a legal investigation in April 2016 found that hundreds of people have died due to use of the sterilizing disinfectant. This article takes up that topic, discussing the government's role in dealing with the risk regarding the humidifier disinfectant. We pay particular attention to the unequal nature of the uncertainty produced by the distorted socioeconomic structure. Through in-depth interviews with key informants and an examination of relevant documents from the government, civic groups, and newspapers, we find that the government had increasingly acknowledged the risk, yet their inaction failed to stop the high number of casualties, and they have only recently responded proactively. The uncertainty of the risk was unevenly distributed between companies, the government, experts, and citizens. We argue that the proactive and transparent role of the government with the precautionary principle could fix the unequal structure of knowledge production and preserve public health.     

电子商务环境下新商务生态系统研究

介绍了商务生态系统的基本思想,分析了商务生态系统的研究状况及其与当前其它管理思想的区别,结合案例,研究了电子商务环境下新商务生态系统的特点.     

Chemical Leasing Business Models—A Contribution to the Effective Risk Management of Chemical Substances

Chemicals indisputably contribute greatly to the well-being of modern societies. Apart from such benefits, however, chemicals often pose serious threats to human health and the environment when improperly handled. Therefore, the European Commission has proposed a regulatory framework for the Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH) that requires companies using chemicals to gather pertinent information on the properties of these substances. In this article, we argue that the crucial aspect of this information management may be the honesty and accuracy of the transfer of relevant knowledge from the producer of a chemical to its user. This may be particularly true if the application of potentially hazardous chemicals is not part of the user's core competency. Against this background, we maintain that the traditional sales concept provides no incentives for transferring this knowledge. The reason is that increased user knowledge of a chemical's properties may raise the efficiency of its application. That is, excessive and unnecessary usage will be eliminated. This, in turn, would lower the amount of chemicals sold and in competitive markets directly decrease profits of the producer. Through the introduction of chemical leasing business models, we attempt to present a strategy to overcome the incentive structure of classical sales models, which is counterproductive for the transfer of knowledge. By introducing two models (a Model A that differs least and a Model B that differs most from traditional sales concepts), we demonstrate that chemical leasing business models are capable of accomplishing the goal of Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals: to effectively manage the risk of chemicals by reducing the total quantity of chemicals used, either by a transfer of applicable knowledge from the lessor to the lessee (Model A) or by efficient application of the chemical by the lessor him/herself (Model B).     

高管团队垂直对特征与企业盈余管理行为研究

本文在管理者异质性基础上,运用相似吸引理论,研究了高管团队垂直对特征与企业盈余管理行为之间的关系,以及两种关系如何受到管理者权力和激励、控制人性质的影响.结果表明,董事长—总经理性别和学历差异会导致企业盈余管理行为的发生,董事长—总经理任职时间差异则有助于抑制企业盈余管理行为,而董事长—总经理年龄差异则不会对企业盈余管理行为产生影响.进一步研究发现,董事长—总经理垂直对特征与企业盈余管理行为之间关系受到了总经理权力和激励、控制人性质的影响.本文为盈余管理行为研究提供了新的视角,同时,对提高上市公司会计信息质量、完善公司治理结构乃至促进资本市场持续发展都有一定的启示意义.     

Business Ethics and Business History: Neglected Dimensions in Management Education

This article highlights two large gaps in the business school curriculum: the neglect of historical and ethical dimensions. An overview is provided of progress made so far in the UK in the evolution of business history as an academic discipline; and also of the take–up of business ethics in university teaching. Both have had some success, but overall the response to these areas has been somewhat lacklustre — at least in the UK. A justification is provided for adding both components to a fully relevant business education. When the two are combined, the result can be a highly rewarding combination that provides insights that may not be possible for management writers, who work only in the present. Corporate ethics, the social responsibility of companies, disclosure, the environment, the actions of multinational companies overseas, the dilemmas of whistle–blowing, the impact of lobby groups and health and safety issues can all be understood more fully by students if they approach these subjects from an ethical and historical standpoint.     

领导环境的特点及其与管理环境的区别

物质 决定 意识 。 领 导者 主 观 能动 性 的发 挥, 直接 取 决 于其 对 领 导环 境 的认 识。 而要 有 效 地认 识 领 导环 境 ,必 须先 认识 领 导 环境 的 本 质含 义 和 特 点 及 其 与 管 理 环 境 的 区别 。 一、领 导 环境 的含 义 领 导 环 境 有 广 义 和 狭 义 之 分 。狭 义 的领 导环 境, 是 指 领导 者 所 在组 织 的内 部情 境。广 义的 领导 环 境,则 是 指组 织内 部情 境 和 组织 赖 以 存在 和 发展 的外 部条 件 的 总和 。 我 们这 里 取广 义的 概念 。 具体 地说 ,领 导环 境 ,是 指 独 立于 领 导者 之外 并能 …     

Revenue Management in Business Services

A significant portion of the services industry is focused on providing services (medical, legal, financial, personal, and travel) to individuals. However, studies have shown that a less visible but rapidly growing segment of the service sector comprises firms that provide business functions to other businesses. The sector covers tasks such as payroll processing, procurement, and information systems management, as well as business consulting, technical support, call center operations, and software development. Firms may choose to purchase, rather than perform, these business functions to reduce costs, to mitigate risk, or simply to focus on their processes that provide marketplace differentiation. Transferring a business function from within a firm to an outside supplier is often called “outsourcing”; when the supplier provides the service from a lower‐cost country, it is called “offshoring.” The risks and benefits of outsourcing to the firm purchasing a business service have been studied in some detail by both academics and consultants. In this paper, we outline revenue management issues faced by business service providers and describe some new opportunities for the use of analytic methods in the service science sector.     

Foundational Issues in Risk Assessment and Risk Management

In spite of the maturity reached by many of the methods used in risk assessment and risk management, broad consensus has not been established on fundamental concepts and principles. The risk fields still suffer from a lack of clarity on many key scientific pillars. The purpose of this article is to point to this situation and through some illustrating examples discuss the challenges that the fields here face. Moreover, the purpose of the article is to reflect on how to improve the present situation and enhance the risk fields. We argue that the establishment of some common scientific pillars as well as a strong and continuous research focus on foundational issues are critical success factors. The article specifically addresses the role of the peer‐reviewed journals and the international standards in the fields. We hope that the article can contribute to a revitalization of the discussion of foundational issues in risk assessment and risk management.     

Foundational Issues in Risk Assessment and Risk Management

This is a perspective article on foundational issues in risk assessment and management. The aim is to discuss the needs, obstacles, and challenges for the establishment of a renewed, strong scientific foundation for risk assessment and risk management suited for the current and future technological challenges. The focus is on (i) reviewing and discussing the present situation and (ii) identifying how to best proceed in the future, to develop the risk discipline in the directions needed. The article provides some reflections on the interpretation and understanding of the concept of “foundations of risk assessment and risk management” and the challenges therein. One main recommendation is that different arenas and moments for discussion are needed to specifically address foundational issues in a way that embraces the many disciplinary communities involved (from social scientists to engineers, from behavioral scientists to statisticians, from health physicists to lawyers, etc.). One such opportunity is sought in the constitution of a novel specialty group of the Society of Risk Analysis.     

Social Amplification of Risk in the Internet Environment

This article analyzes the dynamic process of risk amplification in the Internet environment with special emphasis on public concern for environmental risks from a high‐speed railway tunnel construction project in South Korea. Environmental organizations and activists serving as social stations collected information about the project and its ecological impact, and communicated this with the general public, social groups, and institutions. The Internet provides social stations and the public with an efficient means for interactive communication and an open space for active information sharing and public participation. For example, while the website of an organization such as an environmental activist group can initially trigger local interest, the Internet allows this information to be disseminated to a much wider audience in a manner unavailable to the traditional media. Interaction among social stations demonstrates an amplifying process of public attention to the risk. Analyses of the volume of readers’ comments to online newspaper articles and public opinions posted on message board of public and nonprofit organizations show the ripple effects of the amplification process as measured along temporal, geographical, and sectoral dimensions. Public attention is also influenced by the symbolic connotations of risk information. Interpretations of risk in religious, political, or legal terms intensify public concern for the environmental risk.     

公司治理与企业财务风险防范

席卷全球的金融危机对企业带来的冲击,使我们认识到,公司治理不仅具有改善公司业绩的作用,更应该具有风险效应.本文基于已有的研究文献,在分析公司治理对企业财务风险影响的基础上,提出了防范企业财务风险的对策.     

The Rise in Union Wage Premiums in South Africa

The earnings premium received by African, urban, male union members in South Africa, as compared to other regular, urban male employees, is explored using two national sample surveys conducted in 1985 and 1993. The historical setting of this change is of particular interest, in the light of the transformation from the apartheid regime. Union membership grew very rapidly during this interval, as earlier prohibitions on African unions were lifted. Subsequently, the high rates of unemployment and segmentation of the labor force have been issues of central concern to the new government, elected in 1994. In this context, the paper extends prior methodology, by systematically comparing possible approaches to estimation, in addition to contributing fresh empirical results. Four approaches to estimation are adopted, allowing for: a single earnings regime with union dummy variable; the possibility of different earnings regimes among union members as compared to non‐members; endogenous switching between such regimes; sample selection arising from lack of employment and from division between regular and informal work. A series of tests on nested specifications indicate the importance of recognizing endogenous switching between differing pay structures in the covered and uncovered sectors. However (as with previous research on the South African labor market), no sample selection is detected with respect to employment status. The results suggest that collective bargaining resulted in wage compression among the expanding union membership while significantly widening the gap between members and non‐members. The latter widening gap cannot be attributed to the changing composition of union membership as reflected in observed characteristics of employees.