Search results

This case study of the valuation of intangible assets compares an internally generated estimate of discounted cash flow (DCF) with an estimate of knowledge capital (KC). It describes Lincoln Re’s mortality research and development (R&D) capability, the knowledge management (KM) strategies used to leverage it and the management decisions that were made to create economic value. This paper reviews a theory of KM and a valuation approach with DCF measures. The decisions to invest in R&D and the Lincoln Mortality System, an expert system for product development, produced a 23.9 percent growth in DCF and created substantial value for Lincoln Re. Using Baruch Lev’s approach to KC, it is suggested that 0.45 percent is a good working figure for the return on asset for life insurance firms versus the previously published 10.5 percent due to the overwhelming percentage of financial assets on the balance sheet of financial companies and the fact that the return on financial assets is imbedded in product pricing. The correlation between DCF and KC measures is approximated by a DCF/comprehensive value ratio and the results show 70‐80 percent correlation at the enterprise, division and asset levels.

Business groups often contain banks or near banks that can protect group firms from economic shocks. A group bank subordinate to other group firms can become an “organ bank” that selflessly bails out distressed group firms and anticipates a government bailout. A group bank subordinating other group firms can extend loans to suppress their risk taking to default risk, preserving risk-averse low-productivity zombie firms. Actual business groups can fall between these polar cases. Subordinated group banks magnify risk taking; subordinating group banks suppress risk taking; yet both distortions promote business group firms’ survival. Limiting intragroup income and risk shifting, severing banks from business groups, articulating Business Group Law, or dismantling business groups may mitigate both distortions but also limits business groups’ internal markets, which are thought to be important where external markets work poorly.

This paper examines whether or not the close relationship between buyers and suppliers in the Japanese automotive industry was also the norm in the electronic equipment and office machine industries. The results indicate that it was not. In fact, the level of integration between buyers and suppliers in Japan was even lower than in the U.S. American buyers were more likely than their Japanese counterparts to provide technical, financial, and managerial assistance. American buyers and suppliers were also more likely to participate in joint R&D projects. However, Japanese buyers placed greater emphasis upon trust‐building activities such as developing long‐term relationships, dedicating funds to customized investments, and making frequent face‐to‐face contact. The research findings point to the danger in generalizing about the entire Japanese economy based upon the record of the Japanese automotive keiretsu. At the very least, the Japanese electronic industry does appear to be open to outside suppliers.

The analysis of manufacturer-supplier relationships in Japan has contributed significantly to the advancement of interorganizational theory. It has yielded broad evidence that long-term collaborative partnerships enable firms to exploit the incentive benefits of market-based exchange while reaping the learning and coordination benefits of internalization within a corporate hierarchy. In this paper, we go beyond the issues of trust and cooperation that have occupied much prior theory and research on supplier relations in considering another dimension along which collaborative agreements may be arrayed. We build on transaction and network theories, respectively, to propose two types of long-term collaborative ties: dyadic or bilateral governance and network embeddedness. A comparative analysis of collaborative relationships in product and process development between two Japanese TV manufacturing companies and their suppliers provides empirical evidence for the distinctive effect of network ties over dyadic relationships for collaborative knowledge-sharing.

Our understanding of Japanese supply relationships comes primarily from studying the automobile industry. This paper identifies three elements of the automobile industry that, although generally assumed to be widespread, are largely absent in the notebook computer industry, leading to a different pattern of supply relationships: a sizable pool of external suppliers; the feasibility of shukko and cross-shareholding to strengthen supply relationships; and the adequacy of these means to manage external supply relationships. This finding debunks the myth of a monolithic model of “Japanese-style” supply relationships and illustrates the importance of idiosyncratic elements of an industry’s environment on its supply relationships.

Korean organizations’ attempts to transplant home management practices directly to their overseas operations have not been received positively by foreign staff; the application of hierarchical Confucianist management principles has led to high reliance on expatriates in Korean overseas operations and failed integration with both local staff and local markets in host country. In this conceptual chapter, we examine the significance of strong informal social ties (based on the unique social psychology of jeong, woori and nunchi) as cultural control in the Korean workplace and develop this as a novel explanation for Korean management discomfort in overseas settings. Promotion of weak social ties with local staff is suggested as more appropriate for achieving goals of exploring local expertise and knowledge.

WE tell our students to concentrate on policy rather than practice, and this I propose to do here. But I am sure that librarians are interested in the way in which our policy is implemented, so there will be some account of our selection procedures. Some questions of principle will be examined as they arise from the facts given; others will be left to later sections of this paper.

To enhance our understanding of the optimal buyer‐seller dyad composition in different cultures, this study investigates differences in male and female buyers’ perceptions of male and female sales representatives in Pakistan. Data collected from 88 Pakistani buyers reveal that although male and female salespeople were perceived somewhat differently depending on the buyer’s gender, many similarities were also found. In addition, buyers did not perceive salespeople of the same gender more positively than salespeople of the opposite gender. Most of the male buyers did not perceive sales to be an appropriate career for Pakistani women. Overall, the results suggest female Pakistani sales representatives are more relationship‐oriented, and some male Pakistani buyers may prefer working with female salespeople.

Suspect interviewing in North America has evolved from coercive tactics to guilt-presumptive methods and, more recently, to information seeking dialogue-based (ISDB) approaches such as the PEACE model. Such approaches prioritize open dialogue and comprehensive suspect accounts over confession-driven strategies. These methods have been shown to reduce the risk of false confessions and enhance the quality of investigative information, though they are sometimes criticized for being “too soft” or insufficiently tested in real-world settings. This paper aims to explore the real-world application of an ISDB approach in the high-stakes interview of Adam Strong, who was ultimately convicted of first-degree murder and manslaughter.

Using PEACE as a framework, the authors detail how Detective Paul Mitton skillfully used rapport-building, strategic evidence presentation and open dialogue to elicit admissions without coercion or confrontation.

Although Strong did not confess to the homicides or discuss how the victims died, the admissions he provided during the 12-h interview were central to the court’s guilty rulings.

Though a single-case analysis, this paper underscores the necessity for further empirical research on ISDB approaches across diverse real-world scenarios.

This case highlights how an ISDB approach can generate critical evidence while meeting both investigative and legal standards. The authors believe it underscores that the future of suspect interviewing lies in the continued adoption and refinement of approaches that prioritize rapport-building and open, free-flowing dialogue while incorporating safeguards to ensure the admissibility of the interview.

This paper presents a unique and practical application of an ISDB approach, contributing valuable insights for practitioners and researchers into advancing ethical and effective suspect interviewing practices.

Addresses the standardization of the measurements and the labels for concepts commonly used in the study of work organizations. As a reference handbook and research tool, seeks to improve measurement in the study of work organizations and to facilitate the teaching of introductory courses in this subject. Focuses solely on work organizations, that is, social systems in which members work for money. Defines measurement and distinguishes four levels: nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio. Selects specific measures on the basis of quality, diversity, simplicity and availability and evaluates each measure for its validity and reliability. Employs a set of 38 concepts ‐ ranging from “absenteeism” to “turnover” as the handbook’s frame of reference. Concludes by reviewing organizational measurement over the past 30 years and recommending future measurement reseach.