bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Two scenarios for productive learning environments in the workplace
Authors: Collis Betty , Winnips Koos
Published: March 2003

Productive learning is defined as learning that can be reused, in application to new problem situations in an organisation or for assimilation and reflection in structured learning situations such as courses. An important but underexploited form of productive learning relates to the capture and reuse of the tacit knowledge of members of an organisation. Two approaches for this reuse of tacit knowledge are discussed, along with instructional strategies and technologies to support the knowledge capture and reuse process within each of the approaches. In one of the illustrated approaches the emphasis is on how those in mentor or supervisor positions can more systematically support the diffusion of their own tacit knowledge to those of their mentees and in the process create new knowledge for reuse in other situations. In the second illustration, a change in orientation from knowledge transfer to knowledge creation and sharing in the formal training programmes of the organisation is the focus. An underlying database as well as easy‐to‐use tools for resource entry and indexing are key elements in facilitating the reuse of experience‐based resources within and across both informal and formal learning.
Email use in elementary school: an analysis of exchange patterns and content
Authors: Van Der Meij Hans , Boersma Kerst
Published: March 2003

Email was embedded in a project in design and technology education in elementary school. During four lessons children worked in groups on building a flying object. These groups communicated through email with groups of children from another school. The analyses of the emails, as viewed from distributed cognition theory, focus on the exchange patterns and content. Two characteristic exchange patterns are stacking and compounding. In stacking emails are sent out quickly enough to afford a “just‐in‐time” exchange of information. In compounding the emails transcend lessons. An “old” section of the email reacts to the partner’s email about a previous lesson. A “new” section deals with the current lesson.

Question‐answer exchanges accounted for only about 15% of the communications. Connected discourse with explicit or implicit references to the partner’s email was likewise scarce. Groups mainly connected to each other through adoption, leading to shared scenarios of “We tell you our story—You tell us yours”. The conclusion discusses the impact of the task on the children’s communication. Among others, a precise definition and teaming of the task is deemed necessary to favour embedded email use. Because the genre of email use in elementary school is yet to be defined the authors caution against imposing many constraints on what children write to each other.
Personalised knowledge representations: the missing half of online discussions
Authors: Chen Der–Thanq , Hung David
Published: March 2003

In this paper, we highlight a concern with using online discussion for learning. We argue that there is a lack of technological support for the development of personalised knowledge representation for most online discussion forums. Analyses of existing discussion forums suggest that there is a range of collective knowledge representation mechanisms which support a group or a community of learners. However, such mechanisms may not necessarily lead to learners’ internalisation of collective knowledge into personalised knowledge. We discuss how internalisation can be facilitated through the notion of knowledge objects, while externalisation can be mediated by idea artefacts. These notions are translated into technological supports and suggestions of how online discussions can be designed differently from the common threaded discussion.
The amazingly patient tutor: students’ interactions with an online carbohydrate chemistry course
Authors: Littlejohn Allison , Suckling Colin , Campbell Lorna , McNicol David
Published: March 2003

Many multimedia chemistry courses fail to reach their full educational potential as they do not engage the learner in a meaningful task or give appropriate feedback. Though molecular modelling is a recognised technique widely used in chemistry to enable students to grasp difficult concepts, tutorials often do not afford students either the time or scope to learn by experimenting with molecular structures. In this paper we describe the educational development of a web based organic chemistry tutorial which aims to enable students to learn chemical concepts through the manipulation of structural formulae and the provision of appropriate feedback. An online chemical structure modelling tool was developed to enable molecules to be drawn online and to provide feedback. The aim of this study is to address key issues relevant to the development of educational resources of this nature. It will be of particular interest to teachers and lecturers working within Science and Engineering, audio–visual staff and educational developers.
Maximising the educational affordances of a technology supported learning environment for introductory undergraduate phonetics
Authors: Sullivan Kirk , Czigler Peter
Published: March 2003

New technologies afford a range of opportunities that can transform teaching techniques and offer enhanced possibilities for learning. This potential is often not grasped by the technologist or the educationalist when introducing new technologies into the learning situation and a situation arises which can be described as “New technology, no new pedagogy” This paper examines why this situation arises, before progressing to suggest a set of target areas the affordances of new technology ought to transform when introduced into the socio–cultural learning environment (Vygotsky, 1978). This set of target areas is illustrated through the presentation of a technology supported learning environment for introductory undergraduate phonetics. Each course module is discussed in relation to these targets and how the affordances of new technology are used to meet them. The student and lecturer reflections on the course indicate that the use of new technology as applied in this introductory undergraduate phonetics course was appropriate, although not always 100% successful.
A cognitive model for non–linear learning in hypermedia programmes
Authors: Chen Sherry
Published: March 2003

In the past decade, hypermedia programmes have gained attraction for the purposes of teaching and learning. These programmes provide students with freedom of navigation. On the other hand, students are required to develop learning paths by themselves. Empirical evidence indicates that not all of learners can benefit from hypermedia learning. In particular, they have problems to deal with non–linear learning. Research into individual differences suggests cognitive styles have significant effects on student learning in hypermedia programmes. In this study, a cognitive model is presented to illustrate how students with different cognitive styles react to non–linear learning within hypermedia programmes by analysing the findings of previous studies. Implications for the design of adaptive hypermedia learning programmes are also discussed.
A learner–centred approach to developing team skills through web–based learning and assessment
Authors: McLoughlin Catherine , Luca Joe
Published: March 2003

In traditional face–to–face classrooms, collaborative learning has been endorsed as an effective pedagogy that fosters skills of analysis, communication and higher order thinking. Increasingly, as online learning environments for tertiary learners make use of course support systems, there is greater recognition of the potential of communications technologies to foster dialogue, networking and team skills among learners. Such skills are now among the recognised core attributes that graduates are expected to develop. In face–to–face classroom students learn the skills of collaboration and teamwork by engaging in tasks defined and supervised by a teacher. In online environments teacher presence is often limited to task definition, management and feedback functions. Team skills and collaboration therefore need to be supported though different pedagogies and processes such as establishing a climate of trust and openness, communication protocols, resolution of conflict and group processes that provide sanctions and support. In this paper we describe an innovative approach to building the skills of decision–making and conflict resolution, leadership and clarity in goal setting and communication. A case study of tertiary learners illustrates how the essential aspects of task definition, resources to support group learning and integrated online assessment foster team skills.
Payment by Results Systems: British Evidence
Authors: Heywood John S. , Siebert W. S. , Wei Xiangdong
Published: March 2003

A model of the firm's decision to adopt a payment by results system is developed and tested with British establishment data. The model maintains that payment by results systems have larger set‐up costs but lower supervision costs than time rates, particularly for short‐tenure workers who are not well motivated by deferred compensation. The evidence confirms the model's predictions by showing that payment by results systems substitute for supervision, and that larger establishments and those with shorter‐tenure workers are more likely to adopt payment by results. In addition, both the presence of a payment by results system and the new adoption of such a system are shown to exert a positive influence on measures of establishment performance.
Colliery Closures and the Decline of the UK Coal Industry
Authors: Glyn Andrew , Machin Stephen
Published: March 2003

In the 10 years after the 1984–5 miners' strike, employment by British Coal and the number of pits it operated fell by more than 90%. In this paper data for each of British Coal's collieries are used to analyse the pattern of pit closure. The pits that closed were systematically smaller, less productive and less profitable than those that survived. A model is estimated to capture the degree to which closure decisions reflect performance variables, and it is found that low productivity was the most important indicator of vulnerability to closure. However, closures were by no means exclusively concentrated on the worst performers, and many of the pits that were closed at the end of the period had achieved very large increases in productivity over the years preceding closure.
Large Non‐Union Companies: How Do They Avoid a Catch 22?
Authors: Flood Patrick C. , Toner Bill
Published: March 2003

Large non‐union companies might be expected to enjoy extensive work‐force flexibility deriving from their high‐wage, high‐involvement strategies. However, where there is a strong local union presence, this might be expected to exert a strong dampening effect on the levels of internal flexibility achieved. Such companies, fearful of union organization, could not then enjoy the freedoms that might be associated with a non‐union strategy. Research conducted in the Republic of Ireland on large non‐union US companies operating in the electronics industry suggests a conceptual framework indicating how a Catch‐22 situation is avoided in these companies.
Managerial Strategies, Labour and Employment Relations and the State: the Canadian Case and Beyond
Authors: Godard John
Published: March 2003

This paper addresses: (1) the extent to which changes appear to have occurred in managerial strategies and labour and employment relations in Canadian firms, and (2) the role of the state relative to anonymous economic forces in accounting for Canadian developments. The general findings are that, while there have been a number of significant changes, these have been more moderate than expected by ‘transformation’ theory; furthermore, the Canadian case is consistent with the argument that state actions play a major role relative to more anonymous economic ‘forces’ in accounting for developments in labour and employment relations. It also suggests an alternative model to that typically assumed by transformation theory, one in which state policies and economic conditions are considered to be important not only for their direct effects on employer policies, but also for their indirect effects, through their implications for worker expectations and union militancy. Although these conclusions are tentative and call for more systematic, comparative research, they are consistent with arguments by Burawoy and others that state actions can serve as an important source of labour regulation at the level of the firm.
Why Do People Join Unions in a Period of Membership Decline?
Authors: Waddington Jeremy , Whitston Colin
Published: March 2003

Drawing on a large survey of new members, this paper examines the reasons why people join unions and the methods of their recruitment. It shows that collective reasons remain central to union membership and that individual services are secondary in the recruitment process. While there is little variation in reasons for joining across industry, occupation and sex, there are marked differences in the methods used to recruit new members. These findings are used to examine existing explanations of membership decline and to assess the efficacy of the different recruitment policy options available to unions.
The Effects of Multi‐unionism: a Survey of Large Manufacturing Establishments
Authors: Dobson John R.
Published: March 2003

Multi‐unionism is a distinctive feature of British industrial relations, which is often criticized for reducing the effectiveness of trade unions and also for reducing the efficiency of British business. It is commonly argued that multi‐unionism increases strikes, leads to inefficient working practices and complicates the conduct of collective bargaining, although evidence to support this is sparse. This article investigates the process by which multi‐unionism reduces business efficiency by a random sample survey of large manufacturing establishments in the North‐West of England. Semi‐structured interviews with the manager responsible for dealing with trade unions were held in those establishments that were multi‐union. It was found that the typical pattern of multi‐unionism is for each union to represent distinct groups of workers, rather than competing to represent the same group of workers, and this restricted union competition for members. Even in the minority of establishments that did experience union competition for members, the nature of this competition meant that multi‐unionism did not reduce competitiveness. Nor did multi‐unionism prevent most employers from introducing efficient working practices. The main implications of multi‐unionism are for the conduct of collective bargaining, but any view that this necessarily reduces a firm’s efficiency is far too simplistic.
The Effect of International Unions on Wage Determination in Canada
Authors: Budd John W.
Published: March 2003

This article uses collective bargaining agreement wage data spanning 1964–92 to analyse the effect of international unions on wage determination in Canadian manufacturing. Real wage levels for international unions relative to domestic unions are estimated to decline from approximately 4 per cent higher in the 1960s to 4 per cent lower in the 1990s. International unions are also found to be more responsive to US economic conditions. Finally, affiliation with different union federations is a significant determinant of real wage outcomes with AFL–CIO affiliated unions having lower real wages, on average.
Industrial Relations Systems and US Foreign Direct Investment Abroad
Authors: Cooke William N. , Noble Deborah S.
Published: March 2003

Five readily distinguishable industrial relations systems are identified based on differences in education levels, hourly compensation costs and various government and collective bargaining constraints placed on management’s freedom to set the terms and conditions of employment. A model of foreign direct investment (FDI) that incorporates these key industrial relations variables is then specified and tested against US FDI across a sample of nine industries and 33 industrialized and developing countries. The industrial relations system variables significantly influence US FDI abroad. In particular, education is negatively related to FDI across low skill–low wage countries but is positively related to FDI across high skill–high wage countries. Higher hourly compensation costs (apparently capturing higher productivity) are associated with greater FDI. Whereas government restrictions on layoffs, union penetration and centralized negotiation structures are negatively related to US FDI, the ratification of ILO standards and works council policies are positively related to US FDI. Based on these findings, the FDI attractiveness of industrial relations systems are compared and policy implications discussed.
Evading Surveillance and Making Time: an Ethnographic View of the Japanese Factory Floor in Britain
Authors: Webb Mike , Palmer Gerry
Published: March 2003

A core element of the debate surrounding Japanese manufacturing transplants is the capacity of management to suppress employee resistance. This paper reports a study based on an eight‐week period of participant observation of a particular form of resistance, fiddles. It argues that the opportunity for fiddling stems from the organization’s inability to control its buyer–supplier relationships, temperamental technology, and the ability of workers to manipulate standard operating procedures. Moreover, it suggests that fiddles operate mainly with the consent of supervisors, and ultimately are not in conflict with interests of management as they contribute to production targets.
The Statutory Union Recognition Procedure in the Employment Relations Bill: A Comparative Analysis
Authors: Wood Stephen , Goddard John
Published: March 2003

This paper analyses the provisions for union recognition contained in the British Employment Relations Bill in the light of problems with the system in operation in the 1970s and with its US counterpart. First, it establishes that these problems may be attributable largely to defects in design rather than fundamental flaws, and that this is demonstrated by the relative success of the Canadian system. Second, the paper evaluates the Bill's provisions, finding that it avoids many weaknesses of the 1970s and US systems but lacks a number of the Canadian system's strengths. Consequently recognition may be readily attainable if the union already has a majority, but there could be undue delays and opportunities for employer interference if this is not the case, and in general union recognition may not translate into effective collective bargaining. However, if the provisions do help diffuse the partnership model as the government envisages, apparent weaknesses in the Bill may yet prove to be the hallmarks of a distinctive system.
Contractual (In)Security, Labour Regulation and Competitive Performance in the Port Transport Industry: A Contextualized Comparison of Britain and Spain
Authors: Saundry Richard , Turnbull Peter
Published: March 2003

Spanish ports have traditionally been derided for poor performance and acrimonious labour relations. This situation has been reversed in recent years through a programme of reform that has (a) created a more congenial organizational ecology in which firms co‐operate as well as compete; (b) ensured the collective provision of vital production inputs such as training and social peace; and (c) co‐ordinated investment in new port capacity and equipment. Spanish ports now match the performance of Britain's privatized and deregulated port transport industry, where co‐operation is more notable by its absence, insecurity is rife and price competition intense. Through a contextualized comparison of labour regulation in the two countries, it is possible to demonstrate that an ‘institutionally saturated’ and ‘politically bargained’ system of production and employment is compatible with, if not a necessary condition for, competitive performance in the international port transport industry.
The Employment Contract: From Collective Procedures to Individual Rights
Authors: Brown William , Deakin Simon , Nash David , Oxenbridge Sarah
Published: March 2003

The article analyses the institutional basis and form of the employment contract in Britain using the 1998 Workplace Employee Relations Survey. It assesses the extent to which collective bargaining still regulates pay and non‐pay aspects of employment. While collective procedures have declined in importance, there has been an increase in legal governance of the employment relationship. Logistic regression analysis establishes that both contractual formalization and legal compliance are greater in larger organizations and where trade unions are present. Trade union activity is also associated with superior fringe benefits. Collective bargaining thus appears to facilitate both access to and improvement on statutory rights.
Rhetoric and Employment Relations
Authors: Hamilton Peter M.
Published: March 2003

The term ‘rhetoric’ is widely utilized within writings on employment relations, typically to signify emptiness, manipulation or as a contrast with reality. This paper critiques such usage and argues for employment relations to engage with the discipline of rhetoric. In outlining the parameters of rhetorical analysis in relation to the indeterminacy of the employment relationship and significance of persuasion, it describes how rhetorical studies have featured within the field of industrial relations. The paper ends with a consideration of the social constructionist implications of focusing on discourse and on how rhetorical studies could be further developed.
Labour Market Regimes and Worker Recruitment and Retention in the European Union: Plant Comparisons
Authors: Morton Jane , Siebert W. S.
Published: March 2003

We analyse worker recruitment and retention outcomes, contrasting production worker skill profiles in the UK subsidiaries of five multinationals with, in each case, a matched plant in another EU state. From personnel records we build up plant distributions of worker pay, age, schooling, prior experience and tenure. We find evidence of local management discretion, with differences in unit labour costs and in recruitment/retention outcomes between the matched subsidiaries. UK plants have a ‘hire and fire’ environment and a less skilled worker mix. Such outcomes can be linked to the UK’s lower labour costs and less regulated labour market.
Reconceptualizing Local Union Responses to Workplace Restructuring in North America
Authors: Frost Ann C.
Published: March 2003

To date no clear consensus has emerged about how industrial relations scholars ought to conceptualize union responses to workplace restructuring. Yet, local union responses to management‐initiated workplace change can differ markedly and can have important implications for the outcomes of restructuring. This study examines the experiences of three local unions engaged in workplace restructuring in the North American steel industry and suggests a reconceptualization of local union responses, away from a simple ‘militant’–‘cooperative’ dichotomy towards a conceptualization based on the process by which local unions engage with management over restructuring.
Industrial Relations in Privatized UK Mining: A Contingency Strategy?
Authors: Wallis Emma , Winterton Jonathan
Published: March 2003

This paper explores variations in the pattern of colliery level industrial relations following the privatization of British Coal in four pits operated by the largest coal mining company in the UK. Differences are explained in terms of the competing institutions representing mineworkers and, most significantly, in relation to whether the mode of acquisition of the colliery required the management to maintain existing terms and conditions as a result of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981.
The Determinants of Racial Harassment at the Workplace: Evidence from the British Nursing Profession
Authors: Shields Michael A. , Wheatley Price Stephen
Published: March 2003

This paper examines which individual and work‐related characteristics increase the probability of an employee being racially harassed at the workplace using a unique sample of NHS nurses. The reported incidence of racial harassment at the workplace is staggeringly high — 8.9 per cent of all nurses report such episodes involving work colleagues and 22.4 per cent have experienced such abuse from patients (or their families). Nurses who are young, male or from the ethnic minorities are the most likely to be affected. The findings have important implications for equal opportunities policies and the retention of nursing staff in the NHS.
Worker Turnover, Job Turnover and Collective Bargaining in Spain
Authors: Garcia‐Serrano Carlos , Malo Miguel A.
Published: March 2003

This paper analyses the relationship between the presence of organized labour in firms (approximated by the scope of collective bargaining) and the extent of gross worker and job flows. According to the voice theory of Freeman, those firms having a union presence will have lower worker mobility. However, there is no analysis of the effects of the presence of organized labour on gross job flows. Using a Spanish data base, we find evidence of the existence of a voice effect on gross worker flows but not clear support for a voice effect on gross job flows.
Wage‐fixing Behaviour of Managers in Australia
Authors: Rich Judith , Teicher Julian
Published: March 2003

Researchers have conducted surveys of firms in an attempt to test various theories of wage rigidity. The survey of Australian firms reported in this paper found strong support for the view that hiring and training costs are important reasons why employers do not reduce wages, consistent with the surveys of Blinder and Choi (1990), Bewley (1995, 1999) and Kaufman (1984). All the surveys find pervasive support for the notion of fairness as an explanation for wage rigidity. Qualified support was found for the idea that fear of unemployment motivates worker effort.
Broad‐based Employee Stock Options in US ‘New Economy’ Firms
Authors: Sesil James C. , Kroumova Maya K. , Blasi Joseph R. , Kruse Douglas L.
Published: March 2003

This paper compares the performance of 229 ‘New Economy’ firms offering broad‐based stock options to that of their non‐stock option counterparts. A simple comparison of these firms reveals that the former have higher shareholder returns, Tobin’s q and new knowledge generation. Multivariate analysis using panel data also suggests that the adoption of a stock option plan results in higher levels of value added per employee. However, we do not find evidence that these plans result in superior growth in Tobin’s q or new knowledge generation.
Stuck in the Middle with You?
Authors: Lilley Simon
Published: March 2003

This paper examines similarities between the worlds of managers and critical management researchers. It attempts to illustrate the practices of division in which both sets of actors are engaged. Through a comparison of the contexts of managerial and critical managerial action, coupled with the use of Burke's (1969) notion of the scapegoat, the paper suggests that battles between academic disciplines and across the academy/practice divide may be more productively recognized as essential resources for identity work and self care. The paper concludes with a brief consideration of the value of the approach suggested.
Researching the Roles of Internal‐change Agents in the Management of Organizational Change
Authors: Hartley Jean , Benington John , Binns Peter
Published: March 2003

There has been relatively little empirical research on the roles played by internal‐change agents in the processes of developing and managing organizational and cultural change, or on their learning needs. There is a particular dearth of research on these issues in the public‐service sector. This paper discusses an innovative methodology for studying the work of internal‐change agents within local government. It describes an action‐research project, the learning laboratory, which the authors piloted with a small group of senior managers involved in developing programmes of corporate organizational and/or cultural change in their own local authorities. Using a variety of action‐research and action‐learning techniques within the laboratory, together with before and after interviews with the participants and their line managers in their authorities, the project was able to explore the roles, perceptions and learning needs of these internal‐change agents. The research makes a contribution to the study of internal‐change agents in their organizational context, and draws attention in particular to the implications for change agents of the political context of public‐service organizations. The value of the learning‐laboratory methodology for assessing the learning needs of internal‐change agents is also assessed.
Attributes of Successful and Unsuccessful Acquisitions of US Firms
Authors: Hitt Michael , Harrison Jeffrey , Ireland R. Duane , Best Aleta
Published: March 2003

Acquisitive growth strategies continue to be popular, in spite of increasing evidence that they often do not enhance the financial performance of acquiring firms and may adversely affect innovation. However, some acquisitions are associated with both increases in financial performance and a strengthened commitment to R&D while others experience decreases in both. Multiple theories have been offered to explain acquisitions and their outcomes, but few have received strong empirical support.

This paper describes a multiple rater, multiple‐case study of acquisitions that had highly favourable outcomes and others that experienced highly unfavourable outcomes. All twelve of the high performing acquisitions studied were found to exhibit the dual characteristics of friendliness during acquisition negotiations and resource complementarities between the two firms. Additionally, debt played an important role in the success (low to moderate debt) or lack of success (high or extraordinary debt) in 21 of the 24 acquisitions studied. Inadequate target evaluation was a factor in 11 of the 12 acquisitions with low performance. Importantly, the results of both sets of acquisitions suggested that a configuration of attributes affected post‐acquisition performance. Other findings both supported and contradicted commonly held beliefs about acquisitions, as well as highlighted variables not typically associated with acquisition strategies. The study provides directions for future theory development and empirical research on acquisitions.
Configuration and Coordination at Subsidiary Level: Foreign Manufacturing Affiliates in the UK
Authors: Taggart James H.
Published: March 2003

This paper develops Porter's (1986) well‐known configuration/coordination paradigm for strategy at corporate level into a model that may be applied to identify and evaluate strategy at subsidiary level. Four strategy types are identified: detached subsidiary (corresponding to Porter's export‐based corporate strategy), autarchic subsidiary (corresponding to the country‐centred corporate strategy), confederate strategy (corresponding to high foreign investment with extensive coordination), and the strategic auxiliary (purest global strategy). Empirical data were obtained from a postal survey of 500 randomly chosen foreign manufacturing affiliates in the UK, of which 171 responded. The proposed strategy types were identified using cluster analysis and verified using analysis of variance. The four subsidiary strategy types were found to be separated by a number of operational variables including market scope, flows of material inputs and outputs, the nature of manufacturing technology employed and the degree of R&D complexity. The proposed framework was thus found to be useful and robust.
Predicting Advancement to Senior Management from Competencies and Personality Data: A Seven‐year Follow‐up Study
Authors: Dulewicz Victor , Herbert Peter
Published: March 2003

This study tracked the career progress of general managers over a seven‐year period. The main aim was to identify those competencies (skills, abilities, values) and personality characteristics assessed seven years ago which are associated with current success and rate of advancement. The sample consisted of 72 out of 100 managers who had been assessed on the Henley General Management Course in 1988/89. Comparisons were made between their current salary and responsibilities and the equivalent data gathered in 1988/89. Factor analysis revealed two main criteria of success: current seniority and rate of advancement. Correlations were computed between these two factors and assessments of competencies (by the managers and their boss) and their personality profiles derived from the occupational personality questionnaire. The sample was also divided into discrete groups of ‘high fliers’ and ‘low fliers’, based on their respective rate of advancement. Almost all of the ‘high flier’ group are now directors, and receive an average salary of £80 000 (compared to the mean for the total group of £29 000 in 1988/89). Ten characteristics differentiated the ‘high‐fliers’. These included: willingness to take risks; an exceptional ability to manage and motivate staff; a need to achieve really demanding targets and a strong competitive streak.
Relationships between Sales Management Control, Territory Design, Salesforce Performance and Sales Organization Effectiveness
Authors: Piercy Nigel F. , Cravens David W. , Morgan Neil A.
Published: March 2003

This research evaluates determinants of sales organization effectiveness in a sample of British companies, and contributes to an important new research stream by following recent empirical studies in the USA and Australia. We discuss a model of sales organization effectiveness determined by salesforce outcome performance and behavioural performance, as well as by the use of a behaviour‐based control approach. Sales territory design is also considered as a particularly important managerial variable, which has received little analytical attention in the traditional literature, but which appears to be an important influence on the effectiveness of the sales operation. Our exploratory path analytical model suggests that sales territory design has a large effect on sales organization effectiveness both directly, and indirectly through its relationship with salesforce behavioural performance. These findings are somewhat different to those in similar studies in other countries, and suggest some important implications for managers as well as for researchers in this field.
Critical Aspects of Organizational Learning Research and Proposals for Its Measurement
Authors: Lähteenmäki Satu , Toivonen Jouko , Mattila Merja
Published: March 2003

Based on an extensive literature review, this paper reveals several gaps in organizational learning (OL) research that need filling before we can really talk about a theory of organizational learning or verify the traits and very existence of learning organizations (LO) as a phenomenon. The critique, however, is not targeted at any single model or theory of organizational learning, but at theory building, which constantly drifts away with new definitions and approaches that break up rather than construct a theory. Despite the fact that numerous consultation tools for turning organizations into learning models have been developed and applied, the concept of organizational learning itself still remains vague and there is an urgent need for a holistic model of OL. Too much emphasis is put on studying the learning of individuals instead of concentrating on the learning of organizations. Since the theory is highly dispersed and does not really build on earlier findings, rich empirical studies are needed in order to validate measures of organizational learning. Modelling of the organizational learning process and clarification of how learning of individuals is turned into learning of organizations is needed. This paper introduces one set of OL measures developed to study whether organizational learning occurred during the operational and business culture change process of a single case company. Suggestions for further OL research are made on the basis of experiences gained when empirically testing this model.
Uniformity and Diversity in Turkish Business Groups: Effects of Scale and Time of Founding
Authors: Gökşen Nisan Selekler , Üsdiken Behlül
Published: March 2003

This study aims to extend recent theoretical and empirical work that has begun to question the strong homogeneity argument in much of the macro‐institutional literature on nationally dominant forms of organizing. More specifically, the paper develops the proposition that intra‐national variety is likely to be greater in business strategies and structures than in governance patterns. Drawing upon macro‐institutionalist and contingency theories, testable hypotheses are derived from this proposition that postulate relationships between size and time of founding and organizational dimensions of strategy, administrative structure, and forms of governance. These hypotheses are then tested on a sample of business groups that have historically been the dominant form of large business organization in Turkey. Findings did show, as expected, that governance structures remained insensitive to size and time of founding effects. Variety associated with size was apparent in the case of central administrative structures, although features associated with vertical control remained invariant. Hypotheses concerning diversification and internationalization strategies received only partial, and in the latter case, rather weak support. The findings are indicative, however, of divergence resulting from differences in size and institutional conditions of founding.
The Elusive Market: Privatization, Politics and State–Enterprise Reform in China
Authors: Hassard J. , Morris J. , Sheehan J.
Published: March 2003

Although China’s largest state–owned enterprises (SOEs) are destined to remain state–owned for the immediate future, recent reforms have affected these SOEs’ property rights and ownership structures. Moreover, the government’s insistence that privatization is not implied by present reform programmes is increasingly contradicted by actual developments and managers’ attitudes at the enterprise level. This article explores some of the political and organizational tensions created by this present phase of SOE reform.
On Celebrating the Organizational Identity Metaphor: A Rejoinder to Cornelissen
Authors: Gioia Dennis A. , Schultz Majken , Corley Kevin G.
Published: March 2003

We disagree strongly with Cornelissen’s critique of the organizational identity metaphor on grounds that he: seriously underplays the generative strength of metaphor in the study of organizations; inappropriately applies the standards of assessment from one paradigm to the approaches of another; and raises false concerns about issues of self reference, reification and multilevel transference of concepts, among others.
Re‐imagining Relevance: A Response to Starkey and Madan
Authors: Grey Christopher
Published: March 2003

Starkey and Madan (2001) propose that changing conditions of knowledge production mean that business schools face an increasing relevance gap which, if they do not respond, will be filled by management consultants and corporate universities. In this response, I question the core assumptions of their analysis, suggesting that they misunderstand both the historical role and present practices of universities and business schools. In particular they fail to understand the complexities of knowledge production, its relationship to practice and the importance of ‘independence’ which is the unique contribution that universities make to society. I argue that their proposal to bridge the relevance gap would, if adopted, have the effect of leaving business schools with no defensible social role. Thus, ironically, their ‘solution’ to the challenges facing business schools would in fact exacerbate the problems they currently face.
The Two Pillars of New Management Research
Authors: Hatchuel Armand
Published: March 2003

Ken Starkey and Paula Madan’s report, Bridging the Relevance Gap (2001), advocates the development of collaborative networks between academics and organizations. Drawing on similar experiences, this article discusses two essential conditions of such programmes: a clarification of the scientific object of management research, and the design of research‐oriented partnerships. The scientific identity of management research should be distinguished from other social sciences: management sciences do not study economic or social facts, but ‘models of collective action’ which are then perceived and judged conventionally and historically as ‘economic or social phenomena’. Therefore, the essence and universality of management research is in understanding, criticizing and inventing ‘models of collective action’. In management research, as in other design sciences, the classical laboratory and field models of research are important. However, a third model of research based on partnerships is required, where knowledge does not transcend action but is integral to it. Yet research is not simply ‘doing better’ and requires theoretical and empirical control. Hence, the design of ‘research oriented partnerships’ is a crucial key of new management research. Inspired by existing experiences, the research community could lay down the rules and commitments expected from academics and companies in research‐oriented partnerships. Resting on these two pillars, research could contribute to the invention of new models of collective action adapted to contemporary issues and values and reduce misleading mimetic behaviour, blind compliance to gurus or fashion in management practice.
Management Research After Modernism
Authors: Pettigrew Andrew M.
Published: March 2003

If the duty of the intellectual in society is to make a difference, the management research community has a long way to go to realize its potential. The Starkey and Madan (2001) report is a useful entry point into the debate about what kind of management research, but it defines the issues too narrowly and seeks solutions too particularly. The big strategic issues about management research are about capacity, capability and delivery. In an era of knowledge production after modernism there is a more receptive context to meet the double hurdles of management research. Research without scholarly quality will satisfy no one and will certainly disable our capacity to meet the double hurdle of scholarly quality and relevance. A more contextualist and dynamic view of knowing needs to be supported by a re‐engagement of management researchers with social scientists and users, a re‐engagement between European management researchers and their colleagues in the USA and a period of experimentation and learning with all the potential partners out there waiting to engage with us.
Business Ethics and Social Theory: Postmodernizing the Ethical
Authors: Parker Martin
Published: March 2003

This exploratory paper is concerned with the conditions of possibility of business ethics from the viewpoint of social theory. The paper begins with a description of the tensions between moral philosophy and pragmatic managerialism that largely constitute the field of business ethics. It then explores some of the elements of this field – focusing particularly on the identity of ethics, the difference between ethics and morals and the tension between stories of nostalgia and modernization. The following section frames the problem of ethics in terms of modern and postmodern epistemologies which then leads into a (postmodern) attempt to undermine the notions of ‘decision’ and ‘judgement’ that must be central to any (modern) conception of ethics. The paper concludes with some speculations on the relevance and irrelevance of contributions like this to thinking, teaching and writing business ethics.
Presenteeism, Power and Organizational Change: Long Hours as a Career Barrier and the Impact on the Working Lives of Women Managers
Authors: Simpson Ruth
Published: March 2003

This paper discusses the results from a survey on the gendered impact of organizational change and the implications for workloads and working hours. These results suggest that restructuring leads to increased workloads and that the pressure of long working hours is associated with male‐dominated organizations. Restructuring is also associated with ‘presenteeism’ (the tendency to stay at work beyond the time needed for effective performance of the job) as fear of redundancy and uncertainty over promotion opportunities lead to a need to demonstrate visible commitment. Such presenteeism was found to be gendered: it is associated with a competitive masculine culture, it is seen by women as a form of ‘male resistance’ to their presence as managers and it imposes heavy costs on women as they attempt to meet the conflicting demands of work and home. This paper suggests that organizational restructuring can produce dysfunctional outcomes such as ‘competitive presenteeism’ (whereby managers compete over who stays longest in the office) and that such outcomes have important gender implications. It concludes that gender mix is a defining feature in how well women fit into the organization and how easily they accommodate to changes in organizational structures and managerial work.
Changing Biases in the Operation of the UK's Electoral System, 1950–97
Authors: Rossiter David , Johnston Ron , Pattie Charles , Dorling Danny , MacAllister Iain , Tunstall Helena
Published: March 2003

The biased outcomes of recent British general elections, whereby the two main parties (Conservative and Labour) would have achieved different percentages of the seats in the House of Commons for the same percentages of the votes cast, are explored, using a method of bias decomposition developed by a New Zealand political scientist. Overall, the situation changed markedly between 1950 and 1997: the biases in the system strongly favoured the Conservatives in the 1950s and early 1960s, but Labour in 1992 and 1997. Examination of the seven components of the bias measure shows that most of these moved in Labour's favour over the 50-year period, with a major shift between 1992 and 1997 because of the greater geographical efficiency of the Labour party's vote at the latter date: reasons for this are suggested.
The State of the Discipline in American Political Science: Be Careful What You Wish For?
Authors: Blyth Mark M. , Varghese Robin
Published: March 2003

This article is an attempt to survey and analyse current developments in American political science with particular reference to the current wave of institutionalist theory. The main thrust of this article is to argue that the current concerns of the field are hardly new issues, but rather perennial. We argue that the current ‘state of the discipline’ is in many ways more a function of recurrent intellectual dilemmas of a general social scientific nature than they are about the particulars of the current debates in the field. Most relevant to a British journal, we shall attempt to ‘step outside the hermeneutic circle', and suggest which aspects of contemporary American political science are most relevant to British political scientists.
New Labour: A Study in Ideology
Authors: Bevir Mark
Published: March 2003

A common view of ideologies reifies them to postulate an unchanging core of moral principles or debates that frame changing attitudes to particular policies. Thus, scholars have sought to map New Labour onto ideological traditions by comparing it with the core features of the traditions. In contrast, this article argues that ideologies are in a constant process of change, with every one of their elements being open to such change, and with change in one element having spillover effects on others. New Labour should not be compared with reified ideologies but rather traced historically as a refashioning of socialism to meet problems such as inflation, the underclass and the changing nature of the working class, where the consequent changes in policy have entailed further changes in ethical principles.