Linda C. Wong and Brian H. Kleiner
Nepotism in management is an extremely sensitive and touchy issue inAmerican business. It has implications not only for managementdevelopment, promotion, and control, and not only…
Abstract
Nepotism in management is an extremely sensitive and touchy issue in American business. It has implications not only for management development, promotion, and control, and not only for the image and public relations of business, but also for executives who have, or would like to have, relatives in management positions. Nepotism has been criticized mostly as being unprofessional. Its opponents have claimed that the rise of an intellectual, analytical approach to management spells the decline and ultimate extinction of nepotism. However, nepotism is alive and on the march in American business and will continue to remain deeply ingrained in all industries simply because it pays to be related to the boss.
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Human resource management
Abstract
Subject area
Human resource management
Study level/applicability
This case is suitable for use for advanced-level undergraduate students (e.g. in their third or fourth year of study) and graduate-level students enrolled in human resource management, industrial relations, organizational behavior and legal courses (e.g. business law and ethics, employment law). It can be used also in training courses and sexual harassment workshops for employees, particularly those with supervisory responsibilities or who are involved in personnel, training, or industrial relations activities. The case has been class tested with MBA students enrolled in a course on organizational behavior.
Case overview
In March 2014, William Wong, the CEO of Zejaya Corporation faced a dilemma. He had just been told some disturbing news about Larry Pang, his executive director, which may or may not have legal implications for the company in relation to sexual harassment. Two of his managers had confided in him that Linda Tan, one of his managers who had recently resigned, had asked them to tell him about Pang's repeated attempts to court her in the past several months. He was undecided on how he should handle the problem.
Expected learning outcomes
This case was developed for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a management situation. The case provides students the opportunity to learn about the potential ethical and legal issues surrounding workplace romance and sexual harassment at work.
Supplementary materials
Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.
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Linda C. Ueltschy, Michel Laroche, Paulo Rita and Claudia Bocaranda
This study investigated the viability of using a Pan‐European approach for professional service offerings in Europe by first establishing measurement equivalence and then…
Abstract
This study investigated the viability of using a Pan‐European approach for professional service offerings in Europe by first establishing measurement equivalence and then exploring the influence of culture on service quality and customer satisfaction. Utilizing scenarios involving a dental office visit, respondents from Portugal, France, and Germany participated in a 2X2 factorial experiment in which the researchers manipulated both expectations (low/high) and service performance (low/high). Respondents from France and Portugal expressed similar levels of customer satisfaction and perceived service quality, which were significantly different from those of the German respondents except when both expectations and performance were low.
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Elliot Simangunsong, Linda C. Hendry and Mark Stevenson
The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate effective management strategies for 14 sources of supply chain uncertainty, with a particular emphasis on uncertainties or…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate effective management strategies for 14 sources of supply chain uncertainty, with a particular emphasis on uncertainties or strategies that involve ethical issues.
Design/methodology/approach
Manufacturing strategy theory, underpinned by alignment and contingency theory, is used as the theoretical foundation. Multi-case study data are collected from 12 companies in the Indonesian food industry, including four focal manufacturers, four first-tier suppliers, and four first-tier customers (retailers).
Findings
Within the context of appropriately aligned management strategies to address 14 sources of uncertainty, three ethical issues are empirically identified: first, collusion amongst suppliers to ration supplies and increase prices; second, unethical influences on government policy; and third, “abuse” of power by large retailers at the expense of smaller competitors. Joint purchasing is argued to be a key strategy for combatting the first of these ethical issues.
Research limitations/implications
The study is limited to the Indonesian food industry, and so further research is needed in other cultures/contexts.
Practical implications
Management strategies that aim to reduce an uncertainty at its source lead to better overall supply chain performance than strategies that merely cope with uncertainty, which only have an impact on firm-level performance.
Social implications
The ethical issues identified have implications for fair negotiations between customers and suppliers.
Originality/value
This study is unique in its in-depth case study-based empirical investigation of the management of multiple supply chain uncertainties; and in its discussion of ethical issues in this context.
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Linda Dye, Dougal Hare and Steve Hendy
Much of the discussion of capacity to consent has focused on how capacity can be assessed. However, in focusing on the assessment of capacity of people with learning disabilities…
Abstract
Much of the discussion of capacity to consent has focused on how capacity can be assessed. However, in focusing on the assessment of capacity of people with learning disabilities, information from studies of human judgement and decision‐making in the general population has been ignored. This paper reviews the main factors that affect an individual's capacity to consent and examines the integration of research into these factors in the general population with that of people with learning disabilities. A person's capacity to consent is considered to be affected by three main processes: comprehension (ability to understand and retain information), decision‐making (ability to weigh up information and reach a decision) and communication (ability to communicate the decision made). The difficulties people with learning disabilities may have in these processes are discussed, and possible ways of overcoming these limitations are suggested.
Kam Cheong Li, Linda Yin-King Lee, Suet-Lai Wong, Ivy Sui-Yu Yau and Billy Tak Ming Wong
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the implementation of mobile learning in a nursing course at The Open University of Hong Kong, and identify the potentials of, and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the implementation of mobile learning in a nursing course at The Open University of Hong Kong, and identify the potentials of, and constraints on, introducing mobile technologies in the instructional design of nursing education. The paper also considers the pedagogical implications of the expansion of mobile learning in the field of nursing.
Design/methodology/approach
The research adopts a qualitative approach to obtain the students’ and teacher’s experiences, opinions, and expectations on mobile learning. Two focus groups with 20 student participants were conducted and an in-depth interview with the course teacher was arranged. The Framework for the Rational Analysis of Mobile Education (FRAME) model was used as the research framework to support data collection and analysis.
Findings
The aspects of device usability, interaction learning, and social technology as suggested in the FRAME model were partly fulfilled in the study. Mobile technology enhanced the portability and accessibility of learning information, and networking tools facilitated interaction among students and between students and the teacher. However, the readability of text was limited due to constraints on the user interface and screen size, and concerns over the reliability of learning content were also raised, given the abundance of unfiltered online information. The difficulty in updating the content of multimedia materials and sourcing videos of an appropriate level, together with the problem of device networking, also limited the usefulness of mobile learning. Attention should also be paid to the perceptual differences between students and the teacher on the nature and functions of mobile learning.
Originality/value
This empirical study provides a detailed evaluation of the delivery of mobile learning in a nursing course. The findings reveal the strengths and limitations of using mobile technologies to support the nursing education.
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Claudia SP Fernandez, Ken Esbenshade, Carol Reilly and Linda C Martin
Launched in 2005, the Food Systems Leadership Institute (FSLI) is a 2-year leadership development program primarily focused on academic leaders. As of spring 2020, FSLI has…
Abstract
Launched in 2005, the Food Systems Leadership Institute (FSLI) is a 2-year leadership development program primarily focused on academic leaders. As of spring 2020, FSLI has enrolled 15 Cohorts, training a total of 347 Fellows. In 2020, a review of the graduated cohorts was undertaken to understand both the range of institutions served by FSLI and the career trajectory of the 319 graduated Fellows who participated in Cohorts 1-14. A total of 78 different organizations have enrolled FSLI participants, including 79% of the 1862 Land Grant Universities, 68% of the 1890 Land Grant Universities, and 12% of the 1994 Institutions, in addition to fewer participants from non-Land Grant public universities, government institutions, industry, and institutions located outside of the U.S. FSLI has served participants from 84% of the US and Territories. The review showed that 46% of Fellows in Cohorts 1-14 advanced into higher positions of academic administration and they filled 169 new hierarchical positions, including college-level, university-level and system-level administration positions in higher education. Similar trajectories were found in industry-organizations, although in smaller numbers. In all, 470 administrative and leadership positions have been filled in these organizations by the 319 members of the cohorts reviewed. While career progression is a limited measure of leadership success, this brief review supports the hypothesis that participation in the FSLI program contributes to the careers of the enrolled participants.
Arup Varma, Ekkirala S. Srinivas and Linda K. Stroh
In this empirical study, the authors compared the workings of LMX between two countries: India and the United States. Data from 162 supervisor‐subordinate dyads in India and 102…
Abstract
In this empirical study, the authors compared the workings of LMX between two countries: India and the United States. Data from 162 supervisor‐subordinate dyads in India and 102 dyads in the US was analysed to examine the impact of subordinate LMX ratings on their evaluation of supervisor performance. Results revealed significant differences in the workings of LMX in the two countries, especially as viewed from the subordinate’s point of view.
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Women leaders are critically underrepresented in academic leadership, and the leadership of diverse groups of women has been profoundly undervalued. Women of color leaders within…
Abstract
Women leaders are critically underrepresented in academic leadership, and the leadership of diverse groups of women has been profoundly undervalued. Women of color leaders within higher education face a double bind of racial and gender disparity and biases within the education workforce and their institutions. This chapter situates leadership in the education workforce and the process of women of color becoming leaders within an understanding of intersecting social identities and intersectionality. At all levels of higher education, women of color, particularly Black women, have increased over time and present an opportunity to understand how their intersecting identities, feminist standpoint, and collective community contribute to increased racial diversity, gender diversity, and inclusive workplaces.