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Article
Publication date: 1 February 2002

Susan J. Linz

What impact did privatization have on employment in Russian industry? Utilizes data collected from a panel of 6,205 civilian manufacturing firms in the Central, Volga, North…

737

Abstract

What impact did privatization have on employment in Russian industry? Utilizes data collected from a panel of 6,205 civilian manufacturing firms in the Central, Volga, North Caucasus, Northern and Western Siberian regions of Russia to explore in more detail the relationship between changes in ownership and employment in Russian industry between 1992 and 1995. In particular investigates whether change in ownership structure is relatively more important than industry, region, or the competitive position of the firm in explaining variation in the employment response to changing output conditions during the initial stage of Russia’s transition from plan to market.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 23 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

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Article
Publication date: 6 September 2011

Susan J. Linz and Ilya Rakhovsky

Did the Soviet development strategy of according high priority to firms in heavy industry give these firms an advantage during Russia's transition to a market‐oriented economy…

889

Abstract

Purpose

Did the Soviet development strategy of according high priority to firms in heavy industry give these firms an advantage during Russia's transition to a market‐oriented economy? This paper seeks to answer this question.

Design/methodology/approach

To document industry variation in efficiency between priority and non‐priority sectors, the paper uses firm‐level data collected in 1992 and 1995 to estimate a stochastic frontier production function for 11 industries. It then aims to investigate which firm characteristics contributed to variation in technical efficiency between 1992 and 1995.

Findings

Firms in low‐priority sectors exhibited higher efficiency in 1992 than firms in high‐priority sectors; by 1995, efficiency differences diminish. Efficiency gains were relatively higher in industries which experienced the largest percentage output declines. Non‐state ownership tends to improve efficiency, but the ownership effect varies by industry and over time. The paper rejects the hypothesis that export experience increases efficiency, and this result is especially strong in 1995. Location in Moscow proved to be a positive factor, and the benefit grew over time.

Research limitations/implications

Panel data were not used because near‐hyper‐inflationary conditions and changes in capital valuation methods make it impossible to accurately adjust output and capital values between 1992 and 1995; and because firms that divided into multiple units or changed industry classification between 1992 and 1995 would need to be dropped, reducing sample size considerably and making industry‐level analysis impossible.

Practical implications

The paper provides a baseline for analyzing the impact of the transition on the performance of Russian manufacturing firms. It evaluates the influence of location (capital city effect) on firm performance, and demonstrates that privatization alone is not sufficient to improve efficiency.

Originality/value

This is the first study to examine the initial impact of transition on the efficiency of Russian firms across 11 industries, with focus on differences between former priority and non‐priority sectors. The results underscore the magnitude of structural dislocation caused by planners' preferences in the former Soviet economy.

Details

Journal of Economic Studies, vol. 38 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3585

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Article
Publication date: 1 July 2006

Susan J. Linz, Linda K. Good and Patricia Huddleston

Despite unanimous agreement in the existing literature that morale influences employee performance, no well‐defined measure of morale exists. In Russia, identifying the factors…

4490

Abstract

Purpose

Despite unanimous agreement in the existing literature that morale influences employee performance, no well‐defined measure of morale exists. In Russia, identifying the factors that contribute to employee morale is particularly important since firms face difficult financial challenges imposed by the decade‐long economic and political transition that began in January 1992. The study aims to develop a robust measure of morale and focuses on the factors that influence morale among Russian workers.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data were collected from Russian employees at two different points in time, 1995 and 2002, in five Russian cities (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Taganrog, Rostov and Azov). The study used regression analysis to assess the influence of expected rewards on employee morale.

Findings

The paper finds that among the workers participating in the study, expectation of receiving a desired reward contributes to high morale, with expected monetary rewards having a higher influence that expected non‐monetary rewards, but praise for a job well done and a feeling of accomplishment also contribute positively to employee morale. There is a significant correlation between positive attitudes toward work and morale, and a positive correlation between performance assessment and morale. Demographic characteristics (age and gender) have no discernable influence on morale when controls are included for work experience.

Research limitations/implications

Data are cross‐sectional rather than longitudinal and sampling is purposive rather than random.

Practical implications

The research suggests that if companies are not financially able to provide monetary rewards, managers can focus on developing a work environment that is friendly and fosters mutual respect. Managers have control over praise and it costs nothing to praise employees for a “job well done.”

Originality/value

No study to date has examined Russian worker morale nor tested morale measures developed in developed market economies on Russian workers. The study develops three reliable measures of morale.

Details

Journal of Managerial Psychology, vol. 21 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-3946

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Article
Publication date: 1 September 2003

Susan J. Linz

Are Russian workers satisfied with their jobs? If not, why does it matter and what can be done? Empirical evidence based on studies of US workers suggests that job satisfaction…

15185

Abstract

Are Russian workers satisfied with their jobs? If not, why does it matter and what can be done? Empirical evidence based on studies of US workers suggests that job satisfaction tends to correlate positively with labor productivity and negatively with labor turnover, both of which influence firm performance. Improving firm performance without substantially increasing costs is uppermost in the minds of many Russian managers. This paper analyzes the nature and scope of job satisfaction among Russian workers, using survey data to: identify the level of job satisfaction expressed by 1,200 survey participants in response to questions about satisfaction with the job and satisfaction with the work that is done in the job; investigate the variation in job satisfaction explained by differences in worker characteristics – both objective characteristics (age, gender, education, work experience, supervisory responsibilities, unemployment experience, marital status, recent change in workplace, number of jobs held at the time of the interview, for example) and subjective characteristics (attitude toward work); ascertain the link between job satisfaction and select intrinsic and extrinsic job characteristics; and evaluate the extent to which job satisfaction is correlated with alternative measures of organizational commitment. While endogeneity and simultaneity preclude establishing causality, these cross section data do permit evaluation of factors highly correlated with job satisfaction. The specific aim of the paper is to identify factors that increase the probability that a worker will express a high level of job satisfaction. The results will prove useful in designing effective reward structures and/or reducing turnover, as well as establishing management‐training programs to promote more effective teamwork.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 24 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

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Article
Publication date: 1 February 1999

Keith E. Klaviter, Victor Prybutok and Richard E. White

U.S. academic centers for quality and productivity provide many benefits for academic and business communities. The centers support the diffusion of new technologies and business…

69

Abstract

U.S. academic centers for quality and productivity provide many benefits for academic and business communities. The centers support the diffusion of new technologies and business practices that allow U.S. businesses to improve their competitiveness. These centers also provide opportunitiesto improve the education process through innovative research, leading edge course work, and student involvement and compensation. Although establishing and operating academic quality and productivity centers provides many challenges for involved faculty, the U.S. economy and culture typically embrace academic centers and associated activities. Now, changes in the Russian economy are paving the way for consideration of academic centers in Russia. Academic centers for quality and productivity can provide Russian businesses with assistance in their efforts to compete in the global economy. However, the Russian economy does not provide the same infrastructure and support for academic centers as the U.S. does, and the introduction of academic centers in Russia may be faced with impediments unfamiliar to their U.S. counterparts. A case involving the establishment of academic centers at a Russian university is discussed to provide insight into some of these issues.

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Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal, vol. 9 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1059-5422

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Article
Publication date: 4 September 2017

Yu-Wei Luke Chu and Susan Linz

The purpose of this paper is to find whether non-cognitive traits contribute to the gender gap in supervisory status and promotion.

498

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to find whether non-cognitive traits contribute to the gender gap in supervisory status and promotion.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use a large employer-employee matched data set collected from six former socialist countries to assess the link between non-cognitive traits and upward mobility.

Findings

Controlling for workplace heterogeneity, the authors find that gender differences in locus of control, the preference for challenge vs affiliation, and adherence to work ethic together can explain about 7-18 percent of the gender gap in supervisory status and promotion.

Originality/value

Overall, non-cognitive traits provide an important, though modest, explanation for the gender gap in upward mobility.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 38 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

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Article
Publication date: 5 May 2015

Susan Linz, Linda K Good and Michael Busch

– The purpose of this paper is to empirically assess the link between worker loyalty and expected rewards, with special attention to reward desirability.

2802

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically assess the link between worker loyalty and expected rewards, with special attention to reward desirability.

Design/methodology/approach

Using employee-employer matched data collected from over 10,880 employees in nearly 670 workplaces in six culturally and economically diverse former socialist countries, the authors investigate the link between worker loyalty and expected rewards, taking into account reward desirability. Worker loyalty is measured using a composite of four variables related to participant’s commitment to staying at his/her organization. The authors employ both OLS and fractional logit regression analysis, clustering at the firm level, and restricting the pooled sample to include only those participants who responded to all questions used in this analysis. In the basic model, the authors include expected rewards, with an extensive set of worker and workplace controls; in the extended model, the authors add reward desirability and the corresponding interaction variables.

Findings

Using pooled data, the authors find that loyalty is positively correlated with expected rewards, and most strongly linked to the intrinsic reward chance to accomplish something worthwhile. When reward desirability is taken into account, consequences of unmet expectations emerge, and the relative importance of respectful and friendly co-workers diminishes. Neither generational nor life-cycle differences in loyalty are evident.

Research limitations/implications

Due to financial constraints, country samples included in the pooled data are not nationally representative; nor are workplace samples representative. Personal contacts of local project coordinators and the snowballing technique used to expand the number of participating workplaces, as well as the requirement that participants be able to read the survey instrument, may contribute to selection bias. As such, the findings should be viewed as taking a preliminary or exploratory step toward developing a more global perspective of factors influencing worker loyalty and performance until longitudinal and nationally representative data become available.

Practical implications

The findings indicate a positive link between loyalty and expected rewards, and when reward desirability is included, the loyalty consequences associated with unmet expectations. While rewards identified as highly desired (bonus, job security, friendly co-workers) are positively linked to loyalty, the strongest link is associated with chance to accomplish something worthwhile. Promoting worker loyalty is linked to offering programs to develop more skills and more job autonomy among those employees who desire it, as well as meeting expectations related to promotion.

Originality/value

Unlike existing studies, the authors pool data from multiple countries and control for a wide variety of worker and workplace characteristics in the analysis of the loyalty-reward structure link.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 36 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

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Article
Publication date: 26 April 2013

Susan Linz, Linda Good and Michael Busch

Does worker loyalty benefit workers? This paper aims to address this question.

1705

Abstract

Purpose

Does worker loyalty benefit workers? This paper aims to address this question.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data collected from over 10,880 employees in more than 655 workplaces in six transition economies, the authors first document the nature of worker loyalty using three alternative measures. They use ordered probit regression analysis to investigate links between loyalty, expected rewards, and performance. Second, they use OLS regression analysis to identify the association between earnings and loyalty.

Findings

Among participants in this study, loyalty is positively associated with expected rewards and performance. Loyalty also is positively associated with earnings. In three cases, loyalty has larger influence on earnings than an additional year of experience.

Research limitations/implications

Country samples are not nationally representative; data are cross‐sectional rather than longitudinal.

Practical implications

What strategies might firms adopt to install or enhance worker loyalty?

Originality/value

This paper uses multiple loyalty measures and comparable data collected from culturally and economically diverse countries. It undertakes explicit consideration of benefits to workers associated with loyal behavior.

Details

Evidence-based HRM: a Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship, vol. 1 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2049-3983

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Abstract

Details

South Africa’s Democracy at the Crossroads
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80262-927-9

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Article
Publication date: 6 September 2013

Susan Linz and Anastasia Semykina

Do gender differences in expected rewards contribute to gender differences in job satisfaction?

3532

Abstract

Purpose

Do gender differences in expected rewards contribute to gender differences in job satisfaction?

Design/methodology/approach

This paper utilizes data collected from over 9,400 employees in five economically and culturally diverse former socialist economies, first, to determine whether there are gender differences in desired and expected rewards, and second, to assess whether the link between job satisfaction and expected reward varies by gender or reward desirability.

Findings

This paper finds that for women, job satisfaction is positively linked to both extrinsic and intrinsic rewards, but for men, job satisfaction tends to be positively linked to extrinsic rewards. When reward desirability is included, more often for women than for men, non‐monetary rewards are positively linked to job satisfaction regardless of whether they are viewed as desirable. Among men, the link between job satisfaction and a particular reward tends to be stronger if the reward is desired, although for job security this result holds for women as well. While own earnings tend to be positively linked to job satisfaction, comparison earnings are not statistically significant among most groups of respondents. Finally, we find that the magnitude of the estimated partial effect of increasing the expectation of receiving a particular reward tends to be greater for men than for women.

Research limitations/implications

By focussing on gender difference results that are common across these five diverse countries, we are able to add information that will prove useful in developing a more global perspective of factors influencing job satisfaction and worker performance.

Originality/value

This paper identifies gender differences in desired and expected rewards, both intrinsic and extrinsic, enabling us to more systematically explore gender differences in the link between job satisfaction, expectations, and reward desirability. Because our data come from employees in over 600 workplaces, we are able to control for an extensive number of worker, job, and workplace characteristics, which allows us to investigate in more detail, not only our primary objective – gender differences in the link between job satisfaction and expected rewards – but also several related topics: the proposition that women generally have lower workplace expectations, the link between job satisfaction and comparison earnings, for example.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 34 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

Keywords

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