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The past 30 years have been a period marked by extensive modernisation programmes in the public sector. Principles taken from the New Public Management agenda have been adopted, and market solutions have been implemented across a broad range of service areas. These reforms have challenged the existing organisational culture of many public sector institutions. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether there has been a detectable change in the dominant values found in professional organisations within the public sector over the past decade, and if so, what challenges the leaders are faced with as a result of these changes.

The empirical data are based on a quantitative survey of leaders in a large Norwegian municipality with a total population of 189 such leaders. Of these, 155 returned the questionnaires, giving a response rate of 82 per cent.

The results of the study show that two central values connected to the New Public Management agenda have gained increased importance over recent years – namely “meeting the needs of individual users”, and “renewal/innovation”. Of the listed values perceived as having become more important, these were ranked as the top two. At the same time, values traditionally associated with the public ethos continue to enjoy a strong position, whereas purely economic values remain relatively insignificant.

All in all, this study shows that the landscape of values in the public sector is changing, and there are strong indications that traditional values have come under pressure from new values embedded in the on‐going institutional reforms.

The paper shows that in a situation where values are changing, leaders may need to put greater emphasis on value‐based leadership.

Ever since its introduction, the concept of organisational slack has constituted the basis for a considerable body of research within behavioural science. A great deal of this research has concentrated on budgetary slack, and within the field of public administration the focus has been on the slack‐ or budget‐maximising bureaucrat. As the reduction of slack is the purpose of many of the techniques which are part of the new public management, there is a need to focus on how to measure changes in the level of slack. The objective of this paper is to discuss the relationship between three central concepts within the research on slack: organizational slack, budgetary slack, and the discretionary budget; to assess whether these concepts are suitable for public organizations; and to discuss problems of measurement.

In the present study a model based on trust relations and transaction cost analysis has been applied to explain the make‐or‐buy decision for accounting services. The present model of efficient boundaries, which combines the focus on trust relations with the transactional focus on frequency and asset specificity, has predictive power of the governance of accounting services. The effects of asset specificity on the make‐or‐buy decision of accounting services were substantially overshadowed by the relational attribute of trust and the transactional attribute of frequency. The study reveals strong support for the hypothesized positive link between trust and the buy alternative and the negative association between frequency of accounting transactions and the buy alternative. The present model has predictive power for an overall correct classification of the make‐or‐buy decision for accounting services.

The success enjoyed by some of the alternative agrifood movements has led to a dual process: on the one hand, their mainstreaming and cooptation; while on the other hand, their institutionalization into public regulation and law. This dual process is the result of the influence these movements have had on consumers and politicians and serves to demonstrate the constant exchange between the spheres of public and private regulation, a feature that characterizes the neoliberal model of governance. In turn, this has led to the appearance of new alternative initiatives which may converge with or diverge from founding initiatives when these are the result of divisions within a movement. The question that arises here is obvious: despite these evident achievements, by working within the market and using the tools of neoliberal regulation, have these movements managed to generate the social change they intended from the outset? This chapter will attempt to answer the question by offering a reflection on two of the most widely discussed aspects of this strategy: first, the private and/or public space where these movements develop and the citizen-consumer duality of the actors to whom they appeal; and second, their ability to generate standards, norms, and certification systems, that is, their ability to establish the rules of the game.

This research applies the stimulus-organism-behavior-consequence framework to explore how blockchain-enabled traceability influences trust in organic food producers and retailers, which impacts consumers’ purchase behaviors and subsequent outcomes.

Using a purposive sample of 5,326 Vietnamese consumers, multiple linear and polynomial regression with response surface analysis were employed to examine the hypotheses.

Blockchain-enabled traceability significantly enhances trust in both producers and retailers, which congruently and incongruently influences organic food purchase behaviors. This behavior also drives consumers’ word-of-mouth and repurchase intentions. Serial mediation analysis confirms blockchain’s impact through trust and purchase behaviors.

Stakeholders should adopt blockchain to boost transparency and trust, which increases consumer engagement. Policymakers can support this transition through regulations and incentives to enhance food security and sustainability.

This study expands on blockchain research by applying the stimulus-organism-behavior-consequence framework in the organic food supply chain, showing how blockchain-enhanced trust synergistically affects consumers’ purchase behaviors, word-of-mouth and repurchase intentions.

Outlines the underlying rationale for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between Canada, Mexico and the USA; and evaluates its impact from 1987 to 2000. Examines statistics on trade between the three countries and discusses changes in trade patterns and growth rates, providing a breakdown of US exports by state and industry. Shows an improved pattern and volume of trade, considers the impact on employment and admits that assessment of NAFTA’s costs and benefits is difficult. Sees Mexico as its main beneficiary so far, but predicts that this will change in the long run.

Involving employees in making management decisions is a powerful way to enhance organizational performance. However, employee involvement (EI) might exacerbate psychosocial stress at work. This paper aims to investigate this issue, illuminating the implications of EI on work-related stress.

Secondary data were collected from the third wave of the European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks. A conditional process analysis based on ordinary least square regression and bootstrap sampling was accomplished to obtain evidence of the implications of EI on psychosocial risks (PSR) at work, taking into consideration the mediating role of organizational health promotion initiatives (HPI).

EI increased the sources of psychosocial stress at work, adding to individual job demands. Involving employees was positively related to a greater organizational concern for HPI, which, in turn, lessened psychosocial strain.

Although it contributes to organizational performance, EI propels work-related stress, which undermines individual and collective wellbeing. Involvement practices should be coupled with tailored HPI to address the PSR at work triggered by involvement, empowering people to cope with strain.

Scientific literature emphasizes the positive implications of EI on organizational performance, but little is known about its side effects on work-related stress. The paper provides original insights into this topic, arguing that HPI are necessitated to address the drawback of involvement on work-related stress.

Many managers and scholars agree that diversity is a positive factor that leads to competitive economic advantage for organisations. However, this assertion remains largely untested. To examine the implied relationship between firm performance and diversity, performance at minority‐friendly organisations was compared to that at other organisations within the same industry. Results indicated that minority friendly firms significantly outperformed the market, indicating that diversity in organisations may be related to economic success. This finding has significant strategic implications.

Nobody concerned with political economy can neglect the history of economic doctrines. Structural changes in the economy and society influence economic thinking and, conversely, innovative thought structures and attitudes have almost always forced economic institutions and modes of behaviour to adjust. We learn from the history of economic doctrines how a particular theory emerged and whether, and in which environment, it could take root. We can see how a school evolves out of a common methodological perception and similar techniques of analysis, and how it has to establish itself. The interaction between unresolved problems on the one hand, and the search for better solutions or explanations on the other, leads to a change in paradigma and to the formation of new lines of reasoning. As long as the real world is subject to progress and change scientific search for explanation must out of necessity continue.