Jonathan Crush and Wade Pendleton
The paper presents the results and discusses the implications of a national survey of South African health professionals which found extraordinarily high levels of dissatisfaction…
Abstract
The paper presents the results and discusses the implications of a national survey of South African health professionals which found extraordinarily high levels of dissatisfaction with working and living conditions in the country. Emigration potential is very high, and retention strategies have been largely unsuccessful. The survey findings suggest that remedial efforts within South Africa will not slow the brain drain. This has serious negative repercussions for the quality and level of health care available to patients in the country. The only workable retention strategy is for Western countries to stop issuing immigration and work permits to South African health professionals, a policy that would be consistent with their attitude to most other South African workers. However, as long as health professional shortages continue in Western countries and their immigration policy remains divorced from their international development policy, this scenario seems unlikely.
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Yeongjoon Yoon and Sukanya Sengupta
In this research, the authors try to answer the question of when broad-based employee share ownership (ESO) is more likely to be used and how it can be managed more effectively…
Abstract
Purpose
In this research, the authors try to answer the question of when broad-based employee share ownership (ESO) is more likely to be used and how it can be managed more effectively from the vertical fit perspective in strategic human resource management (HRM).
Design/methodology/approach
The study analyzes an unbalanced panel sample of 614 organizations (1,601 organization-year data points) in South Korea, utilizing hierarchical linear modeling (HLM).
Findings
The analysis demonstrates that organizations are more likely to adopt broad-based ESO when they utilize the prospector and analyzer strategies as opposed to the defender strategy. The analysis also reveals that the relationship between broad-based ESO and labor productivity is positive only when organizations utilize the prospector strategy as opposed to other types of strategies (i.e. analyzer and defender strategies).
Practical implications
The findings first indicate that the decision to adopt a broad-based ESO in organizations should be informed by their business strategy if they want to enhance labor productivity. Specifically, the results demonstrate that only the prospector firms, rather than defenders or analyzers, can reap the productivity benefit of broad-based ESO. Second, since innovation is a major source of productivity for prospector firms, the findings demonstrate that a broad-based ESO can be a vehicle that drives innovation. As a result, firms may want to consider utilizing broad-based ESOs to foster innovation.
Originality/value
The findings emphasize the relevance of the “vertical fit” perspective in examining the broad-based ESO and firm productivity relationship. Most past research utilized the “horizontal fit” framework in refining the relationship between broad-based ESO and productivity. Thus, the study emphasizes the need to utilize the “vertical fit” perspective, and not only the “horizontal fit” perspective, in the broad-based ESO research. Through this, the study meaningfully extends the research on the productivity effect of broad-based ESO by adding an important moderator (i.e. strategy) to the model.
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Gloria J. Leckie and Lisa M. Given
The history of the public library is long and rich, and continues to reflect this institution's initial mission: to respond to the needs of an evolving democratic society. From…
Abstract
The history of the public library is long and rich, and continues to reflect this institution's initial mission: to respond to the needs of an evolving democratic society. From its early days as a subscription service for the middle-class, through its evolution to become an educational site for the lower-classes and new immigrants, the public library has served as a touch-stone for urban industrial society in North America (Lerner, 1998, p. 138; Shera, 1974). Over the past century, public libraries have evolved to respond to the growing needs of the communities they serve and continue to do so with recent advances in technologies (such as DVDs, electronic books, the Internet, etc.), and with a more global outlook on the ways that people seek and share information. Indeed, the public library's constituents today are exceedingly diverse, including children and adults from a broad range of socio-economic, cultural, and educational backgrounds, all of whom seek information for a variety of personal and work-related purposes. The fact that public libraries have been fulfilling patrons' information needs for well over a century is a testament to their enduring success and versatility as information providers, and also points to the overall effectiveness of public librarians as intermediaries in the provision process.
THE following list of contracts placed by the Air Ministry during February is extracted from the March issue of The Ministry of Labour Gazette:—
The British Medical Journal observes that there is overwhelming evidence that the digestive disorders to which many young children are subject have resulted from the practice of…
Abstract
The British Medical Journal observes that there is overwhelming evidence that the digestive disorders to which many young children are subject have resulted from the practice of feeding them upon certain foods largely composed of starch. Hitherto no very great effort has been made to prevent these foods being sold, beyond the general advice which is given to mothers and nurses by doctors and health visitors as to the harmfulness of them. Our contemporary points out that the County Council of Rutland have, however, succeeded in obtaining a conviction before the local justices against a druggist for selling an infants' food which was found by the Public Analyst for the County to contain upwards of 70 per cent. of practically unaltered starch, and which was therefore held to be not of the nature, substance, and quality demanded by the purchaser. It appears that the preparation was described as being suitable for an infant only a few days old. A dessertspoonful of the mixture was directed to be put into a basin to be mixed to the thickness of a smooth cream with cold milk or water; to this was to be added half a pint of milk and water in equal parts, and it was then to be brought to the boil. It was contended by the vendor that the boiling would convert the starch into sugar, and this view was supported by a member of the “Society of Public Analysts and other Analytical Chemists.” The British Medical Journal further observes that there are some artificially prepared infants' foods, not containing 70 per cent of starch, in which the conversion of the starch into saccharine bodies may become complete, but considers that it is not very satisfactory that the harmfulness or otherwise of such preparations should be left to the decision of a local bench of magistrates—a course which may well be compared to our disadvantage with that which it is now possible to adopt in Queensland under the provisions of the Health Act of 1911. Section 17 of the Act enables the Health Commissioner to cause to be examined any food which is advertised, for the purpose of ascertaining its composition, properties, or efficiency. He may then report the result of the examination to the Government and publish his report in any newspaper which circulates in the colony. Moreover, the Governor in Council may, on the recommendation of the Health Commissioner, prohibit the advertising or sale of any food which, in the opinion of the Commissioner, is injurious to life or health. Until such an enactment is in force in this country it must be left to other public authorities to follow the example of the Rutland County Council.,
Jörn Obermann, Patrick Velte, Jannik Gerwanski and Othar Kordsachia
Although principal–agent theory has gained a prominent place in research, its negative image of self-serving managers is frequently criticized. Thus, the purpose of this paper is…
Abstract
Purpose
Although principal–agent theory has gained a prominent place in research, its negative image of self-serving managers is frequently criticized. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to examine how existing theories of agency and stewardship can be combined by using behavioral characteristics.
Design/methodology/approach
This study reviewed articles on the behavior of agents and stewards from the domains of finance, economics, management, corporate governance and organizational research. Additional theoretical and meta-analytical empirical literature from the fields of psychology and sociology was used to account for general patterns of human behavior.
Findings
The results indicate that goal congruency and the perception of fairness can serve as moderators distinguishing agency theory and stewardship theory. Goal congruency can be achieved by stipulating psychological ownership. The perception of distributive and procedural fairness is demonstrated by two major corporate governance mechanisms: performance-based compensation and board monitoring. The results are summarized in six hypotheses that allow a situational, customized corporate governance. These hypotheses can be tested in future research.
Originality/value
Prior work either focused on the merits of principal-agent theory or advocates the utilization of positive management theories, such as stewardship theory. However, little work has been done on bridging the gap between both constructs and develop a more extensive view of management theory.
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Nada K. Kakabadse, Andrew Kakabadse and Alexander Kouzmin
There are many ways to construct an incentive program. However, most compensation plans tend to be focused on profitability and profitability‐related accomplishments with little…
Abstract
There are many ways to construct an incentive program. However, most compensation plans tend to be focused on profitability and profitability‐related accomplishments with little or no incentive for corporate social responsibility. Director's compensation continues to climb with the United States leading and Britain following modestly behind. The question as to where fair pay ends and over‐compensation begins – and what that means for the community – is rarely raised. In order to understand the impact of fair and over‐compensated director's pay on other stakeholders, a geo‐political perspective is proposed that builds on knowledge of existing theories of the firm.