The career concerns literature predicts that incentives for effort decline as beliefs about ability become more precise (Holmstrom, 1982/1999). In contrast, we show that effort can increase with belief precision when agents compete for promotions to better paid jobs that are assigned on the basis of perceived abilities. In this case, an intermediate level of precision provides the strongest incentive for effort, with effort increasing (decreasing) when beliefs are less (more) precise.
Recently, Cánovas et al. presented an interesting result: the argmin mapping of a linear semi-infinite program under canonical perturbations is calm if and only if some associated linear semi-infinite inequality system is calm. Using classical tools from parametric optimization, we show that the if-direction of this condition holds in a much more general framework of optimization models, while the opposite direction may fail in the general case. In applications to special classes of problems, we apply a more recent result on the intersection of calm multifunctions.
The early tenure of a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), also referred to as ‘the CEO post-succession process’, is a critical phase in the history of an organization, because it is associated with a high rate of organizational failure and CEO dismissal. Research on this important process has grown rapidly over the last decade, focusing particularly on the question of how the match between the CEO, the organization and the environment is created in the post-succession process. Yet, the respective literature is highly fragmented, which suggests that there is a need for a systematic review and evaluation of existing works. Adopting the conceptual vocabulary of the practice perspective, the authors review this literature in terms of what it reveals about (1) the practices adopted by new CEOs and other actors involved in the post-succession process, (2) the properties of the key practitioners involved, and (3) the practical context of the post-succession process. This review suggests that new CEOs are primarily involved in practices aimed at integrating the new CEO into the organization, and practices aimed at realigning the organization with its environment. The important insights that the existing literature affords are identified, and the gaps in this body of research are highlighted. On this basis, a concrete research agenda is developed in terms of topics, methodologies and theories.
The pay of metalworking apprentices is high in Britain, middling in Germany and low in Switzerland. We analyse these differences using fieldwork evidence and survey data, drawing on both economic and institutionalist theories. Several institutional attributes influence apprentice pay, partly by affecting supply and demand in markets for training places. Institutional support for apprenticeship training appears to involve important complementarities in both Germany and Switzerland, in contrast to Britain’s less coherent and more market-driven approach.
Despite increasing focus on research and practice linking CSR and HRM (CSR-HRM), a comprehensive examination of the relationship between these two constructs is yet to be undertaken. Depictions of CSR-HRM in extant literature tend to fall into two broad categories: CSR enacted though HRM (HRM practices used to involve employees in the implementation of CSR); and HRM enacted through CSR (CSR practices used to attract, retain and motivate employees). However, CSR-HRM scholars rarely explicate how they understand the connection between CSR and HRM, and what assumptions they make when exploring it. As a result, CSR-HRM scholarship tends to be ad hoc and chaotic, with negligible theoretical or conceptual development of the CSR-HRM relationship. By means of a systematic review of past and current writings linking CSR and HRM, we expose the diversity of understandings of CSR-HRM and provide a conceptual map for navigating and planning further research.
Studies on the management control system have evolved since its first work published. Management control is the process by which managers influence other members of the organization to implement the organization’s strategies. The guiding framework for this research is an instrument-oriented framework developed by Malmi and Brown, which represents the most intuitive and recent framework by synthesizing nearly four decades of research. To date, only one publication has used this management control system framework. This dissertation tackles different sections of the “MCS as a package” framework. Using quantitative meta-analysis, “Design parameters of the strategic planning process and organizational performance” examines empirical studies on the relationship between organizational performance and design parameters of the strategic planning process. Existing research on the effect of the top management team (TMT) in a firm on management control systems is scarce. “CEO Duality, TMT Composition, and Management Control in Low- and High-risk-taking Firms” clarifies the relationship between the composition of TMTs and the configuration of management control systems. Paper 3, “Management Control, Entrepreneurial Orientation, and Moderating Influence of Participation,” studies the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and management control systems. Management control systems, as a package, are an increasingly important topic in management accounting research. This dissertation strives to provide a strong contribution to this research stream.
