Which Leadership Constructs Are Important for Predicting Job Satisfaction,Affective Commitment,and Perceived Job Performance in Profit versus Nonprofit Organizations?

As an integrative research effort, the present study critically analyzed the relative importance of six leadership constructs—(1) transformational, (2) transactional, (3) laissez‐faire, (4) consideration, (5) initiating structure, and (6) leader‐member exchange (LMX)—as predicting indicators of leadership effectiveness in the for‐profit versus the nonprofit sector. Based on data from seven samples from the for‐profit and nonprofit sectors, the unique effects of the six leadership constructs were tested on three criteria of leadership effectiveness on the individual level: job satisfaction, affective commitment, and perceived job performance. The results for the for‐profit samples revealed that LMX was the most important aspect for explaining variance in job satisfaction, and initiating structure was most important for commitment. In the nonprofit samples, LMX was the most important aspect of job satisfaction and transformational leadership for commitment. In both for‐profit and nonprofit organizations, initiating structure had the strongest unique impact on perceived job performance. We discuss implications for current leadership research and practical implications.     

Wer spielt, hat schon verloren?

How actors decide to value goods is a central research question in economic sociology. The demand for lottery tickets is of particular interest because it poses a specific paradox: the expected monetary value of a ticket is about half of its purchasing price. The demand for lottery tickets thus seems to be economically irrational. Nevertheless, millions of people buy national lottery tickets every week. How can there be such a large demand in this market? On the basis of representative sruvey data, we test empirical findings using four different theoretical approaches explaining the demand for lottery tickets. We show that socially mediated states of tension and network influences are strong explanatory factors. In the conclusion we discuss implications for the sociology of markets.     

A Simple Derivation of r* for Curved Exponential Families

For curved exponential families we consider modified likelihood ratio statistics of the form r_L=r+ log( u/r)/r , where r is the signed root of the likelihood ratio statistic. We are testing a one-dimensional hypothesis, but in order to specify approximate ancillary statistics we consider the test as one in a series of tests. By requiring asymptotic independence and asymptotic normality of the test statistics in a large deviation region there is a particular choice of the statistic u which suggests itself. The derivation of this result is quite simple, only involving a standard saddlepoint approximation followed by a transformation. We give explicit formulas for the statistic u , and include a discussion of the case where some coordinates of the underlying variable are lattice.     

Rationalising inefficiency: Staff utilisation in branches of a large Canadian bank

In this paper we consider staffing decisions in branches of a large Canadian bank. The bank has well-developed staffing models and the branches work in a highly competitive environment. One would therefore expect limited ‘inefficiency’ in the sense of wasted resources and over-staffing. Using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) we nevertheless find considerable ‘inefficiency’ which raises the question whether this is best interpreted as waste or if the apparent inefficiency may serve other purposes. To investigate this, we invoke the theoretical framework of rational inefficiency (Bogetoft and Hougaard [8]).     

Developing a manufacturing vision

The concept of a manufacturing vision is introduced as a company specific, commonly shared, holistic picture of the way in which future manufacturing in the company will function. First is presented what a manufacturing vision is, and then is presented a five-step framework in which such a manufacturing vision may be developed. A manufacturing vision is regarded as a bridge between the mission, goals, and strategies of an industrial enterprise and the detailed design of a manufacturing system. Such a bridge may ensure that manufacturing is able to make a relevant strategic contribution to developing and sustaining the competitiveness of the company and may serve as a guide for innovation and integration of the various elements of a manufacturing system. The paper rests on action research projects in more than ten industrial companies, and the experiences gained are discussed in a section on issues related to the development process including experimentation without fear of losing face, participation and involvement of managers and employees, and finally the outset for a manufacturing vision. To give an example of a manufacturing vision the paper also very briefly introduces a case of a medium-sized supplier of welded parts and equipment for a number of different industries.     

Signaling NBER turning points: a sequential approach

The dates of the U.S. business cycle are reported by the National Bureau of Economic Research with a considerable delay, so an early notion of turning points is of particular interest. This paper proposes a novel sequential classification approach designed for timely signaling these turning points, using the time series of coincident economic indicators. The approach exhibits a range of theoretical optimality properties for early signaling, moreover, it is transparent and easy to implement. The empirical study evaluates the signaling ability of the proposed methodology.     

Boundary and Bias Correction in Kernel Hazard Estimation

A new class of local linear hazard estimators based on weighted least square kernel estimation is considered. The class includes the kernel hazard estimator of Ramlau-Hansen (1983), which has the same boundary correction property as the local linear regression estimator (see Fan & Gijbels, 1996). It is shown that all the local linear estimators in the class have the same pointwise asymptotic properties. We derive the multiplicative bias correction of the local linear estimator. In addition we propose a new bias correction technique based on bootstrap estimation of additive bias. This latter method has excellent theoretical properties. Based on an extensive simulation study where we compare the performance of competing estimators, we also recommend the use of the additive bias correction in applied work.     

Third Sector Organizations and Migration: A Systematic Literature Review on the Contribution of Third Sector Organizations in View of Flight,Migration and Refugee Crises

Long before the current refugee crisis, third sector organizations (TSOs) have played a pivotal role in dealing with the multifaceted challenge of migration. Researchers have analyzed this role in many ways. What is missing, however, is a comprehensive overview of how the third sector contributes to dealing with migration. To close this gap, we conduct a systematic literature review (SLR) that maps the scholarly debate on TSOs and migration. Our SLR identifies four domains of TSO migration engagement: first, the direct provision of basic services and social welfare; second, migrant-oriented capacity development; third, system-oriented advocacy; and fourth, complementary research activities. We propose a conceptual framework that highlights the contribution of TSOs with regard to individual-oriented and system-oriented services that are necessary for a successful integration of migrants. A key implication of our derived framework is to understand migration as a holistic challenge that requires contributions by different actors on different levels, thus highlighting the need for coordination and communication between the TSOs, the state and other stakeholders.