Your search

In an effort to craft recommendations to managers regarding effective confidential information policies, the present paper reviewed 88 published grievance arbitration cases involving proprietary information, trade secrets, and confidential information. Most cases dealt with the application of managerial discipline for employee violations of company polices and collective-bargaining provisions. Themes that emerged included: the importance of a Management Rights clause (as well as specific Misconduct clauses and policies), clauses that address changing business conditions (such as subcontracting and new technology), employee insubordination, theft, falsification, conflict of interest, and the need for training. Additionally, arbitrators often considered specific laws that apply in health care, cable television, and telecommunications industries. Finally, several mitigating factors were noted such as: having permission from a supervisor to access confidential information, safety, and whistleblowing concerns. By attending to factors that influence arbitrator decision making, managers and their attorneys can use these identified factors to create better policies and negotiate robust collective bargaining provisions.

Not only does the flotsam and jetsam in the world’s oceans seem to be impacting the health of the world’s oceans and seas, but it appears that the warming climate and increasing CO2 emissions are impacting the global trade lanes evidenced by a greater-than-average number of lost maritime containers due to resultant rougher seas and stronger storms. We elucidate the evolution of containerized shipping and discuss the impact lost containers have on the seas and dangers to other ocean-going vessels. We also note the reciprocal effects between climate change and lost containers. The intent of our article is to shed light on these issues and we hope it sparks future research examining causal factors and their potential solutions.

Managing the impact of employees' personal and work-related difficulties on workplace productivity is becoming increasingly salient for organizations. Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are one approach to help improve the quality of life for employees and maximize their productivity. While EAPs have many benefits, potential negative ramifications and legal considerations must also be considered. This article highlights some important cases and the best practices for organizations to utilize in creating clear organizational policies that align with equal employment opportunity and privacy laws in collaboration with legal and human resources professionals and employee assistance providers to reduce or eliminate potential liability.

This paper examines the effect of market-entry timing on a firm’s speed and cost of entry in a setting where a firm needs to build a plant for market entry. Based on our developed analytical model, we provide seven scenarios of the market-entry timing effect on a firm’s entry speed and cost. We test hypotheses in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry. We use Wooldridge’s three-step instrumental variable (IV) approach to account for endogeneity bias. We find that a late entrant has (1) a shorter time-to-build and (2) a higher cost-to-build relative to an early entrant. Further, (3) the late entrant positively moderates the negative relationship of time-to-build and cost-to-build (i.e., the negative relationship of time-to build and cost-to-build becomes less negative for the late entrant). These empirical results are consistent with the prediction of when both revenue effect (i.e., revenue curve shift) and cost effect (i.e., cost curve leftward shift) exist.

Firm speed has long been a construct of interest among managers and researchers. Despite its importance, making a ceteris paribus comparison of speed can be challenging. In the current paper, we suggest an alternative to the conventional way of capturing the speed ceteris paribus. First, we illustrate the concept of faster speed in strategic management research. Second, we use numerical simulation data to illustrate the challenges of the conventional methodology, known as the nonlinear transformation of variables. We show that this method is difficult to apply and may produce an inaccurate measurement of the concept unless the exact functional form is chosen. Third, we suggest an alternative methodology, known as data envelopment analysis. This accounts for the challenges of the conventional methodology when we do not know the accurate functional form for nonlinear transformation, while performing as well as the best of the conventional approach. Finally, by using actual firm data, we show that our suggested methodology can be an effective alternative to the conventional approach of capturing a firm’s speed.

Conventional wisdom suggests that an increase in a firm’s operational effectiveness will increase its economic performance. However, we show that an increase in a firm’s operational effectiveness can decrease its economic performance. Specifically, a firm’s increase in operational effectiveness of its existing projects following a positive demand shock can limit its profitable growth as its strategic resources are not allocated to pursuing new projects, thereby incurring opportunity costs that can lower its economic performance. We corroborate this reasoning in the context of the liquefied natural gas industry, which experienced a positive demand shock in 2000 due to energy market liberalization. We find empirically that a firm’s operational effectiveness increases its Tobin’s Q in the pre-shock period and reduces it in the post-shock period.

Managers often need to stay motivated and effectively motivate others. Therefore, they should rely on evidence-based interventions to manage the daily routine of motivational dynamics at work. This research answered how self-determination-theory-based interventions change employees’ motivation and motivational consequences during short time frames (i.e., within an hour, within a few weeks/months). Field study one focused on assessing the effectiveness of a one-day training workshop in helping improve managers’ work motivation, basic psychological needs satisfaction/frustration, and changing managers’ needs-supportive/thwarting behaviors within a few weeks. Results supported the training effectiveness as managers were rated less needs-thwarting by their direct subordinates and self-reported improvement in needs satisfaction/frustration six weeks after completing the training program. Online study two used the mean and covariance structure analysis and tested the three types of basic psychological needs supportive/thwarting and control conditions (3x2x1 factorial design) on the situational motivation, vitality, and general self-efficacy for playing online word games within 30 minutes. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) confirmed the scalar measurement invariance, then latent group means comparison results showed consistently lower controlled motivation across the needs-supportive and thwarting experimental conditions. During a quick online working scenario, the theory-based momentary intervention effectively changed situational extrinsic self-regulation in Amazon MTurk participants. Supplementary structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses using experience samples supported the indirect dual-path model from basic needs satisfaction to vitality and general efficacy via situational motivation. We discussed the theoretical implications of the temporal properties of work motivation, the practical implications on employee training and organizational change programs, and the limitations.

This study provides a new perspective on the determinants of the spread of voluntary corporate social responsibility (CSR) adoption by incorporating the potential role of its adoption by industry competitors. We find supportive evidence that firms make CSR adoption decisions in response to competitive pressure as well as institutional mimetic pressures. Based on an event history analysis of longitudinal data from a sample of 711 Korean publicly traded firms over a 12-year period, our findings suggest that the CSR behavior of competitors is positively associated with a focal firm's earlier adoption of CSR, leading to the diffusion of CSR across firms. Specifically, this study shows that the pure rivalry-driven pressure from non-leader competitors has a stronger positive relationship with earlier CSR adoption. The results also indicate that a firm's CSR adoption decision is accelerated by competitive rivalry as well as social pressures arising from institutional mimetic isomorphism.

This case describes the difficult financial situation of Danbury Fair Mall, which is the second biggest shopping mall in Connecticut. After World War II, the shopping mall business had grown fast especially in suburban areas of the U.S. However, the increasing popularity of online shopping caused extensive damage to shopping malls. This case will provide students the chance to think about the past, the present, and the future of the shopping mall industry in the U.S

Historically business education has put greater emphasis on rational analysis and the acquisition of instrumental and technical knowledge, while paying relatively scant attention to developing business students’ soft skills such as self- and social awareness and emotional intelligence through contemplative learning. In light of the growing need for more open and diverse ways of knowing that are more holistic, emotional, and aesthetic in management education, the authors present a 2 × 2 framework of arts-based pedagogy which helps organize various arts-based practices currently used in management education. The authors also share their personal reflections on using artful practices, specifically focussing on two individual-level experiential learning activities (i.e. museum visits and e-portfolio projects) and one group-based participatory art project. The authors further discuss why creative thinking and innovative arts-based practices can open up a new possibility for filling the gaps in current management education, especially in regard to developing students’ self- and social awareness and environmental consciousness in a more creative manner.