bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Employee Voice in Union and Non‐union Australian Workplaces
Authors: Benson John
Published: March 2003

The fall in unionism and the rise in the non‐union workplace over the past two decades raises the question as to whether workers now have a reduced capacity to initiate issues and articulate grievances. For some commentators independent unions are the only source of genuine voice. Others have argued that the adoption of the HRM paradigm within an enterprise will provide workers with adequate voice mechanisms. This paper addresses the issue by comparing employee voice in non‐union and unionized Australian workplaces.
The Influence of Leadership and Member Attitudes in Understanding the Nature of Union Participation
Authors: Metochi Melvina
Published: March 2003

There has been a growth of interest among industrial relations scholars in the functions of union leadership at both national and local levels. This paper presents a survey‐based analysis of the impact of union leaders on member participation in Cypriot public‐sector trade unions. It indicates that active leaders promote participation both directly and indirectly, through their influence on members’ attitudes towards the union. The study emphasizes the importance of leadership in facilitating further understanding of member participation in trade unions.
Ronald Reagan and the Politics of Declining Union Organization
Authors: Farber Henry S. , Western Bruce
Published: March 2003

New union members in the United States are typically gained through workplace elections. We find that the annual number of union elections fell by 50 per cent in the early 1980s. A formal model indicates that declining union election activity may be due to an unfavourable political climate which raises the costs of unionization, even though the union win–rate remains unaffected. We relate the timing of declining election activity to the air–traffic controllers’ strike of 1981, and the appointment of the Reagan Labor Board in 1983. Empirical analysis shows that the fall in election activity preceded these developments.
Comparing Youth and Adult Desire for Unionization in Canada
Authors: Gomez Rafael , Gunderson Morley , Meltz Noah
Published: March 2003

Survey data for Canada indicates that youths have a stronger preference than adults for unionization. We show that most of that difference reflects the stronger desire of youths to have unions deal with workplace issues rather than a greater exposure of youths to these issues. In particular, youth preferences for unionization are influenced to a greater degree than for adults by social capital (e.g, familial union status and peer–group attitudes). The possible role of progressive HRM practices and legislative protection in substituting for unionization is also highlighted. Finally, implications of the findings for the future of unionization and organizing youth are discussed.
The Hype and Hope of Interdisciplinary Management Studies
Authors: Knights David , Willmott Hugh
Published: March 2003

Demand for multi‐, if not interdisciplinary, research is currently strong, especially from funding bodies. But it often leaves little more than a shrill echo within the corridors of management departments and business schools. Academic respectability still seems to remain with the single disciplinary approach of economics, finance, sociology, etc. and also increasingly with those management subjects such as marketing, human‐resource management or operations research that depend upon other social sciences for their existence, although the latter have considerable difficulty in gaining recognition and respect from those in the disciplines from which they draw their theoretical inspiration. As academics struggle to find ways of bridging their separate and distinct disciplines, practitioner divisions are being questioned and eroded as they are increasingly regarded as dysfunctional in achieving the flexibility and speedy responses demanded of the modern corporation. This paper seeks to develop an analytical understanding of the obstacles to the development of interdisciplinary research and teaching in management.
Supply‐Chain Strategy: Organizational Influence Through Supplier Alliances
Authors: Stuart F. Ian
Published: March 2003

The role of supply‐chain management as an integral element in corporate strategy has been discussed in prior research, mostly at a broad conceptual level with relatively little empirical validation. This paper uses data from a longitudinal study of buyer‐supplier relationships to evaluate the impact from firms' recent initiatives in developing strategic supplier alliances on the role played by the supply management effort in the corporate hierarchy. Contrary to anticipated results, the use of an alliance approach did not lead to any appreciable improvement in status and respect for supply management's role in developing corporate strategy. While several suggestions are offered to explain these results, the major conceptual models of supply‐chain strategy are reassessed and a more appropriate and grounded framework for study is proposed. Further research is called for to empirically verify the link between strategic consideration for supply issues and firm success.
Strategic Investment Decision Processes and Organizational Performance: An Empirical Examination
Authors: Papadakis Vassilis M
Published: March 2003

The central question that this paper aims to answer is whether there is a relationship between organizational performance and the characteristics of strategic investment decision (SID) processes. To do so, it adopts an empirically derived nine‐dimensional framework for classifying SID processes and employs a set of objective and perceptual measures of performance.

The empirical results stemming from the process‐performance relationship, suggest that higher performance is strongly related to more rational decision‐making processes (DMPs); more financial reporting activities; broader participation both in terms of departments and in terms of hierarchical levels. Furthermore, our data suggest that long‐term performance appears to be more strongly related to SID processes than short‐term performance and the ‘structural’ characteristics of the DMPs (i.e. rationality, financial reporting) are mainly related to long‐term objective performance, while such ‘behavioural’ characteristics of the DMPs, as problem‐solving dissension, reveal some interesting associations with short‐term performance. In light of these findings, implications for theory and future research are advanced
The Impact of the Multi‐divisional Structure on Organizational Slack: The Contingency of Diversification Strategy
Authors: Riahi‐Belkaoui Ahmed
Published: March 2003

This study examines the relationship between multi‐divisional (M‐form) structure and organizational slack. Findings based on longitudinal analysis data from 62 firms indicate that M‐form implementation increases the firm's capacity to manage absorbed slack in the cases of vertically integrated and related diversified firms, and unabsorbed slack in the case of unrelated diversified firms.
Managing Organizational Culture: Compliance or Genuine Change?
Authors: Ogbonna Emmanuel , Harris Lloyd C.
Published: March 2003

The issue of managing culture is of key importance within management theory and practice. A number of extant studies have found that attempts to ‘manage’ culture frequently degenerate into the enforcement of espoused behaviours. The objective of this paper is to provide empirical evidence and discussion of the consequences of management attempts to change culture. The paper reviews existing theory pertaining to organizational culture change and presents the desire to control as the rationale for management attempts to modify culture. After a brief discussion of the research design and methodology employed, the findings of a single case study are presented. The findings suggest that within the case study organization, a recent change initiative had resulted in changes to material manifestations, behaviours and in some cases values. However, it is noted that modifications to values could be the result of ‘instrumental value compliance’. The paper culminates with conclusions, implications and suggestions for further research.
Stress and Unemployment: A Comparative Review and Research Model of Female and Male Managers
Authors: Fielden Sandra L. , Davidson Marilyn J.
Published: March 2003

This paper presents a multifaceted approach to unemployment stress experienced by male and female managers, in the form of a literature review and comparative research model. In order to develop a working model which can be applied to both male and female managers, the paper covers a substantial range of the literature pertaining to the processes and effects of unemployment for managers. Previous studies often provide conflicting data which generally results from differential approaches taken to the study of unemployment. In addition, it is important to note that the majority of studies focus on blue‐collar male workers and that the vast majority are based on a male model of work. The proposed model highlights sources of stress, moderators of stress and stress outcomes that may affect unemployed managers, and distinguishes areas in which gender differences are likely to be found. However, these differences are only hypothesized from the current literature and require in‐depth research if they are to be fully understood.
Buyer–Supplier Performance: The Role of Asset Specificity, Reciprocal Investments and Relational Exchange
Authors: Artz Kendall W.
Published: March 2003

This paper argues that the extent and balance of transaction specific assets, and the presence of relational norms in a buyer–supplier relationship are important factors affecting partnership performance. Hypotheses were tested using data from 393 manufacturing firms. Results revealed that while specific investments by one participant in the relationship negatively impacted the indicators of performance, offsetting investments by the other party effectively increased performance. Relational‐exchange elements were positively related to performance.
Grasping the Nettle: Possibilities and Pitfalls of a Critical Management Pedagogy
Authors: Reynolds Michael
Published: March 2003

The focus of the paper is a review of the more problematical aspects of introducing a critical perspective into the practice and content of management education. As an introduction, the author summarizes the arguments for critical reflection in the education of managers, the characteristics which distinguish it from ‘reflection’– the more familiar concept in the literature – and ‘critical thinking’. The ways that a critical perspective can be reflected in educational method as well as in the content of the curriculum are also elaborated before describing the problems and complications of implementing such an approach from accounts in the literature of adult and management education. The paper outlines the reasons why critical reflection might be resisted, the mental or social disruption which can result from its application and the implications of both for the practice of management teachers.
A ‘Rhizomic’ Model of Organizational Change and Transformation: Perspective from a Metaphysics of Change
Authors: Chia Robert
Published: March 2003

We are not good at thinking movement. Our instinctive skills favour the fixed and the static, the separate and the self‐contained. Taxonomies, hierarchies, systems and structures represent the instinctive vocabulary of institutionalized thought in its determined subordinating of flux, movement, change and transformation. Our dominant models of change in general and organizational change in particular are, therefore, paradoxically couched in the language of stasis and equilibrium. This paper seeks to offer an alternative model of change which, it is claimed, affords a better understanding of the inherent dynamic complexities and intrinsic indeterminacy of organization transformational processes.
What it Means to Succeed: Personal Conceptions of Career Success Held by Male and Female Managers at Different Ages
Authors: Sturges Jane
Published: March 2003

This paper describes the findings of a qualitative study which analyses how managers define career success for themselves on their own terms. In exploring career success from the perspective of the individual, not the organization, the research attempts to fill an identifiable gap in the career literature. The paper examines the criteria which individuals use to describe what career success means to them, and expresses them by means of a series of orientational categories – Climbers, Experts, Influencers and Self‐Realizers – which classify the different ways in which managers talk about career success. The variations in the way that the male and female, and older and younger, research participants describe what career success means to them are discussed and compared. The women managers and older managers who took part in the study appear less inclined to define career success in terms of hierarchical and financial progression: the paper considers the implications of this for individuals and for organizations.
Silent Running: Tacit, Discursive and Psychological Aspects of Management in a Top UK Advertising Agency
Authors: Hackley Chris
Published: March 2003

In old American World War II movies submarine commanders called for ‘silent running’ when the enemy were near. No orders were issued but anarchy did not ensue. Everyone knew what to do. This paper describes a research study of one of the top five UK advertising agencies, in which management appeared silent in the sense that explicit, overt, bureaucratic, sanction‐backed directive corporate authority was not evident. But this agency is one of the most successful, serious, creative, effective, least showbizzy agencies in the industry. It is a good example of an organization which manages and sells knowledge: knowledge about advertising, about consumers and about creative craft. The research used critical discourse analysis to explore the ways in which power, authority and professional identity were discursively reproduced in the service of corporate instrumentality. As a real, concrete source of authority and direction, ‘management’ seemed silent, yet as a discursive construction its controlling presence was psychologically pervasive
Strategic Integration and Devolvement of Human Resource Management in the UK Manufacturing Sector
Authors: Budhwar Pawan S. , Budhwar Pawan S.
Published: March 2003

This paper analyses the practices of ‘integration’ of HRM into the corporate strategy and ‘devolvement’ of responsibility for HRM to line managers in six British manufacturing industries. The findings are based on a questionnaire survey, in‐depth interviews and cognitive mapping methodologies. The results show that over 50% of the firms under study practise a high level of strategic integration. On the other hand, over 61% of the sample firms practise a low level of devolvement practices. Interestingly, both the practices of integration of HRM into the corporate strategy and devolvement of HRM to line managers are more determined by a number of organizational policies than traditional contingent variables. The adoption of the mixed methodology has been useful. The findings contribute to strategic HRM literature, and also have some key messages for policy‐makers in the field. The cognitive maps developed in the paper could be used to give feedback and training to managers.
The Impacts of Alliance Purpose and Partner Similarity on Alliance Governance
Authors: Pangarkar Nitin , Klein Saul
Published: March 2003

It is generally recognized that the governance structure of an alliance has an impact on its probability of success. In this study, we examine the choice between two alternative alliance governance structures: equity and non‐equity. Drawing from transaction cost economics, two sets of factors, namely alliance purpose (R&D or marketing) and cultural distance between partners, are hypothesized to influence the above choice. We further hypothesize that collaborative R&D alliances, where both parties contribute technical knowledge, are more likely to lead to the formation of equity alliances than non‐collaborative research agreements, where only one partner may be doing the research work. Based on a sample of 2407 alliances formed in the global biotechnology industry, we find partial support for the hypothesized relationships. Specifically, we find that collaborative R&D alliances are more likely to be equity alliances, whereas non‐collaborative R&D alliances do not have any impact on the choice of the governance form. We also find that alliances formed with a marketing purpose are less likely to be equity alliances. We did not find any relationship between cultural distance and the choice of equity alliances.
The Efficacy of Action at a Distance as a Control Mechanism in the Construction Industry When a Trust Relationship Breaks Down: an Illustrative Case Study
Authors: Woodward David , Woodward Thérèse
Published: March 2003

A paper published by one of the authors (Woodward and Squires, 1996), described a situation where the accounting information system used by a geographically‐remote project manager to report progress on a project to his headquarters proved inadequate for that task. The inadequacy was particularly relevant in the reported case, in that the object project was one of considerable significance to the company, being the largest and most complex it had ever undertaken. While the earlier paper concentrated initially upon identifying the perceived shortcomings in the organization’s accounting information system, and subsequently upon delineating the proposal for a ‘workable’ solution thereto, the purpose of the present paper is rather to analyse the situation earlier reported, in the context of a perceived breakdown in the trust relationship existing between the project manager and his superior, the company’s managing director. The managing director trusted his subordinate, although it seems apparent retrospectively that the trusting relationship existing was abused. While the underpinning precept of trust is thus fundamental to the present analysis, it is additionally necessary to utilize as relevant concepts: the veracity of the company’s control mechanism (via the concept of action at a distance) to adequately report what was happening remote from headquarters; the assumption that the project manager, as agent, had the potential to abuse his position; and, finally, that the project manager’s professional affiliation was probably insufficiently strong to sustain self‐control based upon ‘clan’ considerations. It also emerges from the analysis that multiple, rather than single, trust relationships were at work.
Conceptualizing the Development of Strategic Ideas: A Grounded Theory Analysis
Authors: Schwarz M. , Nandhakumar J.
Published: March 2003

This paper presents the findings of a grounded theory study on the development of strategic ideas in a multinational organization. By drawing on the rich data generated from this longitudinal in‐depth field study, this paper provides a theoretical framework for the development of strategic ideas. The theoretical framework developed offers an interesting and useful way of understanding and explaining the complex process of the early steps of the strategic decision process. This research illustrates the development of strategic ideas through strategic debate, the key theme that emerged from the study and the interaction of its four constituent themes: strategic warriors, patterns of interaction, strategic language and strategic syntheses. Drawing on the empirical findings, this study also discusses some implications for developing strategic ideas in managerial practice.
The Conventions of Management Research and their Relevance to Management Practice
Authors: Kelemen M. , Bansal P.
Published: March 2003

This paper recognizes the failure of management research to communicate with practitioners, and speculates over the reasons why this may be the case. It is possible that the researchers’ interests may not always coincide with management practitioners’; however, even when such interests are congruent, it seems that relatively little management research is published in practitioner journals. We suggest that this is because academic research is written in a style that tends to alienate most practitioners. This paper isolates the stylistic conventions associated with research targeted to academics (typically published in academic journals) and research targeted to practitioners (typically published in practitioner‐oriented journals). Such stylistic differences are illustrated through a study of organizational change whose findings have been published in both academic and practitioner format, namely in the Administrative Science Quarterly and the Harvard Business Review. We suggest that the gap between these two types of research could be narrowed through processes of translation (i.e. academic jargon could be translated in practitioner language). In addition we might consider greater use of Mode 2 research over Mode 1 research (academic). Mode 2 research presupposes that teams of academics and practitioners assemble to define the research problem and methodology in terms appropriate to a particular context and in a way that accounts for all existing interests so that translation processes are seamless. However, Mode 2 creates its own gap in that the knowledge is more contextual and may not reach a wide audience.
A Step in the Right Direction? Investors in People and the Learning Organization
Authors: Bell E. , Taylor S. , Thorpe R.
Published: March 2003

Investors in People (IiP), the state‐sponsored workplace training initiative, has been interpreted as a tool which managers can apply towards developing a learning organization. In this paper we seek to evaluate the validity of this claim on the basis of a qualitative study of six case‐study organizations which explores the social and micro‐political aspects of IiP from the viewpoints of senior managers, personnel and line managers and employees involved with the standard. We suggest that implementation of IiP involves negotiating a central paradox – the tension between the hard, content‐focused nature of the IiP framework and the softer, process‐focused nature of much workplace learning. In particular, the administrative aspects of implementation associated with the standard can obscure the social processes of sense‐making and collective negotiation of meaning, which are integral aspects of organizational learning. This can lead to an objectification of learning and may not allow for the participatory negotiation of meaning crucial to forming a community of practice. IiP continues to form a central part of the British government’s workplace learning agenda and it is now also being developed as an international standard. We conclude, however, that this institutionalization of practice has the potential to inhibit organizational learning.
The Logic of Political Action: an Experiment with the Epistemology of the Particular
Authors: Buchanan David A.
Published: March 2003

The first objective of this paper is to develop understanding of organizational political behaviour in the context of change implementation, through a constructivist approach grounded in the interpretations of the initiating actor. The basis of this exploration is the concept of ‘logic of action’, which describes the cognitive schema that an actor brings to behavioural choices linking means to ends. The second objective of the paper is to demonstrate strengths and inadequacies in current conceptualizations of political behaviour, and to develop a framework to guide further research in this area. These aims are achieved through analysis of an account of political behaviour from a single initiator, who is responsible for a specific organizational change, in relation to a single target individual, who is blocking or subverting that change. This account thus represents an experiment with the ‘epistemology of the particular’. Methodological concerns surrounding the external validity of single case accounts are therefore explored, and the concepts of analytical and naturalistic generalization are deployed in contrast with statistical generalization. The main elements in the logic of action identified include characteristics of the organizational context, formal and tacit warrants for managerial action and political behaviour respectively, the variety of ongoing political tactics, the interrelated mix of personal and organizational outcomes being pursued, and the reputation of the initiator of political behaviour, which in turn hinges on the ability to generate acceptable public accounts of one's behaviour. A revised approach to the ‘defining elements’ of organizational political behaviour is advanced based on this analysis.
Maintaining Masculinity: Men who do ‘Women's Work’
Authors: Lupton Ben
Published: March 2003

This paper examines the ways in which men manage their gender identity on entry into occupations traditionally undertaken by women. Drawing on in‐depth interviews with men in non‐traditional occupations the paper demonstrates how men who enter “female” occupations face a range of challenges to their sense of ‘masculinity’. It is argued that gender identity and occupational identity become misaligned during this transition. The paper shows how men attempt to realign these two identities, either by a reconstruction or rationalization of the nature of their occupations, or by renegotiation of their own conception of what it means to be a man. The article concludes that the first of these approaches has important implications for the nature of occupations and the way in which work is carried out, while the second may be one of the key processes at work in the desegregation of the labour market.
The Consolations of Organization Theory
Authors: Kilduff Martin , Kelemen Mihaela
Published: March 2003

The call for greater relevance in management research leads us to examine the remedies offered by organization theory to organizational problems. In contrast to Starkey and Madan (2001), we argue that research engagement with other academic disciplines helps produce broadly useful knowledge. Installing practitioners in central places in the research process may focus research on short‐run rather than deep‐seated processes. We illustrate the relevance of organization theory through two examples of how apparently esoteric knowledge (produced through cross‐disciplinary collaboration) can have surprising application. First we show how the social network perspective proved useful in rescuing a manager from the perils of unpopularity. Second, we show how deconstruction can uncover the institutionalized routines that disempower managers and workers. Neither the management training centers nor the web‐based learning initiatives admired by Starkey and Madan are likely to deliver insights that address deep‐seated processes of change within society. Collaboration with academics across the university can further our goals of research relevant to practitioners.
Rebels and Rebellions: Conservative MPs in the 1992 Parliament
Authors: Cowley Philip , Norton Philip
Published: March 2003

During the 1992 Parliament the Conservative Party lost its reputation for unity. The parliamentary party, said by some to be unusually rebellious, got the blame. This article places the levels of dissent in the division lobbies of the House of Commons in historical perspective, comparing the 1992 Parliament with those before. Contrary to received wisdom, Conservative MPs were not noticeably more rebellious after 1992. The article also considers the ideological and factional basis of the rebellions. Because the rebellions in Parliament focused almost exclusively on Europe, the party remained one of tendencies, albeit well-organised and cohesive tendencies, rather than factions; and the extent to which the rebellions cut across existing ideological cleavages has been overstated.
New Labour and the Politics of Depoliticisation
Authors: Burnham Peter
Published: March 2003

A number of commentators in the 1980s sought to explain the character of the Thatcher administration. By contrast, relatively little work has been produced that seeks to analyse the principles and governing strategies of the Blair government. Focusing primarily on economic management, this article offers a characterisation of statecraft under Blair in terms of the politics of depoliticisation. In summary, it argues that the Blair government has fused aspects of traditional economic management with new initiatives to create a powerful tool of governing organised on the basis of the principle of depoliticisation. Depoliticisation as a governing strategy is the process of placing at one remove the political character of decision-making. State managers retain arm's-length control over crucial economic and social processes whilst simultaneously benefiting from the distancing effects of depoliticisation. As a form of politics it seeks to change market expectations regarding the effectiveness and credibility of policy-making in addition to shielding the government from the consequences of unpopular policies.
Imagining Society: Constructivism and the English School
Authors: Reus-Smit Christian
Published: March 2003

This article critically examines the current relationship between constructivism and the English School. Scholars in each school have worked largely with stereotypes of the other, and this has greatly impeded productive dialogue and cross-fertilization. A more fruitful strategy is to treat both schools as bounded fields of debate, as rich and diverse realms of internally contested thought. Constructivism is characterized by three key axes of debate: between sociological institutionalists, Habermasian communicative action theorists, and Foucauldian genealogists; between unit-level, systemic, and holistic theorists; and between interpretivists and positivists. The English School is also divided between pluralists and solidarists, between those who identify the school with international society theory and those who see it as inherently multifaceted, and between those who emphasize interpretive or eclectic methodologies. Opening up each approach in this way enables us to identify new, more fruitful axes of dialogue between the two perspectives.
Second‐order Locally Consistent Equilibrium: An Extension*
Authors: D’Agata Antonio
Published: March 2003

This note shows the existence of a second‐order locally consistent equilibrium in the game analysed in 1988 by Bonanno, under assumptions which are weaker and empirically more satisfactory than usual. An example of application to oligopoly theory is also provided.
A Note on the ‘Invariance of Market Innovation to the Number of Firms’*
Authors: Iidaka Yuki
Published: March 2003

This note disputes the claim by Sah and Stiglitz (Rand Journal of Economics, 1987, pp.  98–108) that their strong invariance result holds in a wide range of situations.
Strategic Trade Policy with Heterogeneous Costs
Authors: Leahy Dermot , Montagna Catia
Published: March 2003

The paper examines optimal strategic trade policy under a heterogeneous cost oligopoly. The first‐best policy involves a structure of firm‐specific export subsidies/taxes in which the government favours the most efficient firms only with a sufficiently low social cost of public funds.
The Returns to Academic and Vocational Qualifications in Britain
Authors: Dearden Lorraine , McIntosh Steven , Myck Michal , Vignoles Anna
Published: March 2003

This paper uses data from the 1991 sweep of the National Child Development Study (NCDS) and the 1998 Labour Force Survey (LFS) to provide a comprehensive analysis of the labour market returns to academic and vocational qualifications. The results show that the wage premia from academic qualifications are typically higher than from vocational qualifications. However, this gap is reduced somewhat, when we control for the amount of time taken to acquire different qualifications. This is particularly important for vocational courses, which generally take shorter time periods to complete. In the paper we also investigate how returns vary by gender, subsequent qualifications, and the natural ability of individuals. Finally, by comparing the NCDS results with those from the LFS, we estimate the bias that can result from not controlling for factors such as ability, family background and measurement error. The results reveal that the estimated returns in the NCDS equations controlling for ability, family background and measurement error are similar to the simple OLS estimates obtained with the LFS, which do not control for these factors. This suggests that the biases generally offset one another.
Understanding Stakeholder Thinking: Themes from a Finnish Conference
Authors: Carroll Archie B. , Näsi Juha
Published: March 2003

Discussion and debate on stakeholder theory continues unabated, but not a lot of people know that it first began in Finland in the 1960s, as this report of a recent Conference there shows. Archie B. Carroll, the well‐known writer on corporate social responsibility, is Robert W. Scherer Professor of Management at the University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA (e‐mail acarroll@uga.cc.uga.edu); and Juha Näsi is Professor of Management at the University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.
The Stakeholder Corporation
Authors: Metcalfe Chris E.
Published: March 2003

The stakeholder debate continues unabated in Britain in various arenas of public life and activity. “While recognising the societal holism of the stakeholder concept this article concentrates on the debate at a business level, discussing whether stakeholding is ethical, attainable, or even appropriate to business corporations”. The author is completing his MBA at London Business School and has a background of consulting in organisational and IT analysis.
Does size matter? The state of the art in small business ethics
Authors: Spence Laura J.
Published: March 2003

In this paper the exclusive focus on large firms in the field of business ethics is challenged. Some of the idiosyncrasies of small firms are explained, and links are made between these and potential ethical issues. A review of the existing literature on ethics in small firms demonstrates the lack of appropriate research, so that to date we can draw no firm conclusions in relation to ethics in the small firm. Recommendations are made as to the way forward for small firm business ethics research. Questions for investigation are suggested using micro, meso and macro perspectives. Much exploratory work needs to be done to lay the groundwork for this important area of social and commercial research in the future.
Small firm environmental ethics: how deep do they go?
Authors: Tilley Fiona
Published: March 2003

This paper explores the meaning of environmental ethics in the small firm domain. A distinction is made between two approaches: conventional ethical discourse based on shallow ecological principles and a new ethical discourse based on deep ecology principles. Using the literature in this multi‐disciplinary field of inquiry a link is made between small firms, ethics and the environment. Empirical research data based on the author’s doctoral work with firms in Leeds is discussed. The research results indicate that small firms from the study are predominantly operating a conventional ethic discourse and are framing their response to the environmental challenge using a shallow ecology ethic.
The study of business ethics: A case for Dr Seuss
Authors: Greenwood Michelle
Published: March 2003

This paper provides an example of how narrative literature can be used to teach management ethics within management education. The place of narrative literature in the study of organisations generally is considered, and it is suggested that such material can provide non‐traditional cases for teaching purposes. Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax is chosen as an example of a story with which students can empathise. The ‘case’ is analysed using an ethical decision‐making framework. As part of this analysis a number of theoretically based ethical issues are discussed so as to illustrate the range and depth of ethical issues that can be raised by such a simple narrative. It is concluded that although The Lorax is not a novel, it contains a richness of texture which makes it very useful for management education. Arguments for the legitimisation of the use of narrative fiction in conjunction with traditional cases for management education are presented in conclusion.
How new is socially responsible investment?
Authors: Taylor Robert
Published: March 2003

Much recent comment has been concerned with a perceived distinction between socially responsible investment (SRI) and the older style of ethical investment, which operates on the basis of exclusion criteria. However, the distinction between SRI and ethical investment is not as clear‐cut as some reports have implied, in that some of the longer‐established funds have SRI characteristics. An example is the CIS’s Environ Trust, established in 1990, the operation of which has recently assisted the CIS in the adoption of SRI schemes for all its funds. The application of SRI introduces to mainstream funds the principle of engagement with companies. Investment is then based on the selection of ‘best practice’ companies rather than on criteria of exclusion. This suggests that there is scope for applying the experience of specialised ethical funds to the encouragement of greater social awareness by large shareholders in general.
A content analysis of codes of ethics from fifty‐seven national accounting organisations
Authors: Farrell Brian , Cobbin Deirdre
Published: March 2003

The paper identifies in the literature two categories of codes of ethics, inspirational and prescriptive, and introduces new classification categories of allodial and decretal. The first classification is based on the identity of the ethics decision‐maker – the authors or the addressees of codes. The second classification is based on whether operational definitions are applied by the codes. Such concrete definitions may be in the rules themselves, in related documents or be known from shared knowledge. The second classification has importance if national associations of accountants use codes as a means for assurance of specific outcomes of defined ethical behaviours.

For the study, a survey of 57 codes of ethics issued by national associations of professional accountants was undertaken to determine the basic features of codes and to analyse their content. The areas of ethical concern in national associations were identified and compared to the IFAC model code for professional accountants. The paper reports that national organisations of accountants have promulgated decretal codes in 96% of cases examined. As these codes contain operational definitions, their outcomes can be scientifically measured and sanctions for breaches fairly and reasonably imposed.
Thirty years of social accounting, reporting and auditing: what (if anything) have we learnt?
Authors: Gray Rob
Published: March 2003

In an increasingly complex world with increasingly powerful organisations it seems inevitable that society – or groups in society – would become anxious about whether these organisations could be encouraged to match that power with an appropriate responsibility. This is the function of accountability – to require individuals and organisations to present an account of those actions for which society holds them – or would wish to hold them – responsible. And the history of social accounting, at its most fundamental, is a history of attempts to develop this accountability. It seems to me that the widespread and systematic practice of social and environmental accounting is a deeply essential element in any well‐functioning, complex democracy. The corollary is that the absence of such mechanisms raises fundamental questions about the nature of modern democracies. This article briefly outlines what I believe to be the three strands of social accounting. It then identifies a few of the lessons that we may be able to learn from current experience and, in particular, how social accounting is related to accountability, democracy and sustainability. The central issue of the tension between accountability and control is touched upon: I then illustrate how the stakeholder model can be used to help define the social account, and conclude with a few words on attestation.
Prolegomena for an economic theory of morals
Authors: Waldkirch Ruediger
Published: March 2003

Ethical theories have been largely focused on finding and clarifying certain amoral principles. However fruitful the communication of moral principles for providing orientation in modern society might be, a serious omission has been made in that the problem of implementation is not addressed. Two fundamental question have neither been raised nor answered: (1) Why should self‐interested individuals follow the proposed moral principles in their daily conduct? (2) Are societal institutions of such a design that is in the power of the individuals to follow these moral principles? It is shown in this article that an economic theory of morals does systematically address these two questions and therefore provides a firm basis for discussing the possibilities and boundaries of following the moral principles inherent in the long history of moral philosophy.
Economic contracts versus social relationships as a foundation for normative stakeholder theory
Authors: Hendry John
Published: March 2003

A number of the most influential presentations of normative stakeholder theory are based upon an economic model of the firm as a nexus of contracts. In this paper I argue that the use of such a model to address moral issues is both logically and practically problematic and effectively undermines the stakeholder position. I then sketch out the key characteristics of an alternative, social relationships model of the firm, and show how this might provide a basis for the development of a more relevant and robust version of normative stakeholder theory than has hitherto been proposed.
Analysing moral issues in stakeholder relations
Authors: Kujala Johanna
Published: March 2003

The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for analysing managers’ attitudes toward moral issues in stakeholder relations, and to operationalise the developed framework by defining statements to be used as empirical measures in survey research. The research question, how can moral issues in business be examined with the stakeholder approach, is answered by paying attention to both theoretical and empirical viewpoints. The paper reveals that by analysing a company’s stakeholder relations, we can discover the important moral issues in business. To validate the framework developed and the empirical measures which result, the development process is described in detail. The argument is that making the development process visible is an important task in validating empirical measures in survey research. As a result of the research process, a total of 50 moral issues in eight stakeholder relations are identified, and operationalised with 58 itemised statements. The final conclusion is that the empirical measures developed in this paper are suitable for measuring moral issues in stakeholder relations, and that they can later be used in analysing real life managers’ perceptions of moral issues in stakeholder relations.
Trends in ethics and styles of leadership in India
Authors: Sekhar R. C.
Published: March 2003

Leadership styles vary across the vast Indian sub‐continent and are in a state of flux and change. The norms are influenced by ancient mythology and by imprints of world‐wide movements of political liberalism, socialism and economic globalization. But through all these styles, one discerns basic values which are universal and can be intuitively grasped by multi‐national managers. The paper describes the various sources of leadership understandings in India and relates them to Western traditions, notably to Aristotle’s ‘virtue ethics’.
Mobility and loyalty in labour relations: an Israeli case
Authors: Lurie Yotam , Frenkel David A.
Published: March 2003

Employee mobility is a phenomenon that challenges workplace ethics. This paper argues that despite on‐going attempts by management and consultants to build and install employee loyalty, and despite the complexity of relationships between employees and their organization, employee mobility remains a common phenomenon in today’s market. Courts, at least Israeli courts, perceive the employee–employer relationship as almost purely contractual and thus strive to protect workers first, often ignoring deeper commitments such as loyalty. This results in a certain dissonance in the relationships between employees and employers.
Self Regulation and Statutory Regulation
Authors: Doyle Chris
Published: March 2003

With reference to both theoretical and empirical examples, this article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of various mixtures of statutory and self regulation. It seeks to define circumstances where statutory regulation works better than a self regulation, and vice‐versa. The author concludes that ideally both forms of regulation work best when they co‐exist and that, whatever the mix, the regulatory system must be able to respond to unforeseen events.
Made in Europe: Small Companies
Authors: Voss Chris , Blackmon Kathryn L. , Cagliano Raffaella , Hanson Philip , Wilson Frances
Published: March 2003

This is the third report on the ‘Made in Europe’ research programme. Earlier reports concentrated on the maturity of implementation of ‘best practice’ in both the design and manufacturing processes of larger European companies. Here, the authors shift the focus to small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) particularly in Britain and Italy. While few SMEs are in the world‐class category, small company practices are customer‐oriented, responsiveness‐focused and concerned with new products. SMEs’ competitive edge typically comes from speed, responsiveness and closeness to customers. SMEs exhibit a greater level of confidence than larger companies in their ability to make change, but neglect training and education. Within the SME sector there are sharp differences between micro (5–20 employees), small (21–50) and medium‐sized (51–200) companies while those which are subsidiaries of larger companies have significantly higher levels of best practice. There are differences between countries and regions.
International Competitiveness and the Single Currency
Authors: Taggart James , Taggart Jennifer
Published: March 2003

This article puts together the results of a five‐year comparative study of UK and Irish manufacturing exporters and discusses its implications for currency unions and particularly the Euro. Overall, the results indicate a positive linkage between exchange‐rate stability and individual firms’ competitiveness. Irish exporters have benefited from their government’s approach to European Monetary Union (EMU) and will continue to do so. The research identifies changes in firm‐level competitive activity that occur where the exchange rate is fixed, and argues that exchange‐rate stability leads to sustained long‐run competitive advantage for firms located within the currency area (over those that are not). European currency while existing Euro‐zone countries will be assessing whether they have benefited from it. At the same time, countries elsewhere in the world may need to consider abandoning their independent currencies in favour of the dollar, the Euro, or the Yen.
Evolving the E‐Business
Authors: Earl Michael J.
Published: March 2003

For most firms, becoming an e‐business is an evolutionary journey. Partly descriptive and partly prescriptive, this article identifies six stages for this journey, each of them determining the course of the next. The article concludes with six lessons representing an essential agenda for evolving the business.
Transformational Outsourcing
Authors: Mazzawi Elias
Published: March 2003

Outsourcing was once simply seen as a means of controlling costs. Now it is increasingly regarded as a means of achieving a step–change in performance and agility.