Scholarly Work - Business

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Alcohol taxes and beverage prices
(National Tax Association, 2002-03) Bielinska-Kwapisz, Agnieszka; Young, Douglas J.
Alcohol involvement in auto crashes, homicides, and teen drinking is an important policy concern, and the price of alcohol may have significant effects on these behaviors. Are alcohol taxes quickly and fully passed on to consumers? Given the difficulties of accurately measuring beverage prices, are beer taxes a good empirical proxy for the price of alcohol? Using pooled cross section–time series data on state and Federal alcohol taxes and beverage prices, beer taxes are found to be poor predictors of alcohol prices. Controlling for state and period effects, excise taxes appear to be over–shifted: Retail prices rise by more than the amount of the tax, and the rise occurs within 3 months.
The Role of Transformational and Transactional Leadership in Creating, Sharing and Exploiting Organizational Knowledge
(2003) Bryant, Scott E.
Strategy scholars have argued that managing knowledge effectively can provide firms with sustainable competitive advantages. Leaders are central to the process of managing knowledge effectively. Managing knowledge includes three key processes: creating, sharing, and exploiting knowledge. Leaders are central to each of these processes at multiple levels of the firm. Examining the role of leadership in converting knowledge into competitive advantages is important to our understanding of leaders and organizations. Transformational leadership may be more effective at creating and sharing knowledge at the individual and group levels, while transactional leadership is more effective at exploiting knowledge at the organizational level. This paper begins to integrate the transformational leadership literature with the organizational knowledge literature.
Alcohol consumption, beverage prices and measurement error
(Alcohol Research Documentation, Inc., 2003-03) Young, Douglas J.; Bielinska-Kwapisz, Agnieszka
Alcohol price data collected by the American Chamber of Commerce Researchers Association (ACCRA) have been widely used in studies of alcohol consumption and related behaviors. A number of problems with these data suggest that they contain substantial measurement error, which biases conventional statistical estimators toward a finding of little or no effect of prices on behavior. We test for measurement error, assess the magnitude of the bias and provide an alternative estimator that is likely to be superior. Method: The study utilizes data on per capita alcohol consumption across U.S. states and the years 1982-1997. State and federal alcohol taxes are used as instrumental variables for prices. Results: Formal tests strongly confirm the hypothesis of measurement error. Instrumental variable estimates of the price elasticity of demand range from -0.53 to -1.24. These estimates are substantially larger in absolute value than ordinary least squares estimates, which sometimes are not significantly different from zero or even positive. Conclusions: The ACCRA price data are substantially contaminated with measurement error, but using state and federal taxes as instrumental variables mitigates the problem.
Interactive Effects of Impression Management and Organizational Politics on Job Performance
(2004-08) Zivnuska, Suzanne; Kacmar, K. Michele; Witt, A.; Carlson, Dawn S.; Bratton, Virginia K.
The purpose of this research was to explore the interactive effect of organizational politics and impression management on supervisor ratings of employee performance. We hypothesized that the negative relationship between organizational politics and supervisor-rated performance is weaker among employees who are high in impression management than among those low in impression management. Data were collected from a matched sample of 112 white-collar employees and their supervisors. Results indicated that the interaction of organizational politics and impression management explained a significant incremental amount of variance in supervisor ratings of employee performance. These findings demonstrated that the extent to which an individual engaged in impression management in a non-political atmosphere may have been a key component to receiving favorable performance ratings.
Situational and Dispositional Factors as Antecedents of Ingratiatory Behaviors in Organizational Settings
(2004-10) Kacmar, K. Michele; Carlson, Dawn S.; Bratton, Virginia K.
This study examined both situational and dispositional antecedents of four ingratiatory behaviors: other-enhancing, opinion conformity, favor rendering, and self-promotion. The two situational variables (i.e., role ambiguity and leader-member exchange) and the four dispositional variables (i.e., self-esteem, need for power, job involvement, and shyness) were considered as antecedents to each of the ingratiatory behaviors. Results from a sample of 136 full-time employees suggested that each of the ingratiatory behaviors had a unique set of antecedents and that the dispositional variables explained significant additional variance beyond the variance explained by the situational variables.
A Dynamic Theory of Expertise and Occupational Boundaries in New Technology Implementation: Building on Barley's Study of CT Scanning
(2004-12) Black, Laura J.; Carlile, Paul R.; Repenning, Nelson P.
In this paper, we develop a theory to explain why the implementation of new technologies often disrupts occupational roles in ways that delay the expected benefits. To explore these disruptions, we construct a dynamic model grounded in ethnographic data from Barley's widely cited (1986) study of computed tomography (CT) as implemented in two hospitals. Using modeling, we formalize the recursive relationship between the activity of CT scanning and the types and accumulations of knowledge used by doctors and technologists. We find that a balance of expertise across occupational boundaries in operating the technology creates a pattern in which the benefits of the new technology are likely to be realized most rapidly. By operationalizing the dynamics between knowledge and social action, we specify more clearly the recursive relationship between structuring and structure.
An Examination of the Dysfunctional Consequences of Organizational Injustice and Escapist Coping
(2004-12) Zellars, Kelly L.; Lui, Yongmei; Bratton, Virginia K.; Brymer, Robert; Perrewé, Pamela
This field study examined the role of procedural justice on escapist coping at work, affective outcomes, and intentions to quit. Results indicated that even after controlling for problem-solving coping, escapist coping mediated the effects of procedural justice on job satisfaction. Further, lower job satisfaction and higher strain mediated the effects of escapist coping on intentions to turnover. Managerial implications and suggestions for future research are offered.
The Impact of Peer Mentoring on Organizational Knowledge Creation and Sharing: An Empirical Study in a Software Firm.
(2005-06) Bryant, Scott E.
Managing organizational knowledge creation and sharing effectively has become an important source of competitive advantage for firms. Peer mentoring is becoming increasingly common and may be an effective way to facilitate knowledge creation and sharing. This article provides an empirical test of the relationship between peer mentoring and knowledge creation and sharing in a high-tech software firm. Results suggested that a peer mentor training course increased perceived levels of peer mentor knowledge and skills. Results also indicated that higher perceived levels of peer mentoring were related to higher perceived levels of knowledge creation and sharing.
Does Emotional Intelligence – as Measured by the EQI – Influence Transformational Leadership And/or Desirable Outcomes?
(2006) Brown, William F.; Bryant, Scott E.; Reilly, Michelle D.
Purpose – This study aims to examine the possibility of relationships between and among emotional intelligence (EI), leadership, and desirable outcomes in organizations. Design/methodology/approach – Using a sample of 2,411 manufacturing workers, engineers, and professional staff, the study empirically examined the impact of EI, as measured by Bar‐On's Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQI), on organizational outcomes; the well documented ability of transformational leadership to predict those outcomes, and the relationship between EI and transformational leadership. Findings – The results confirm previous studies of the extraordinary effectiveness power of transformational leadership in predicting organizational outcomes. However, in this study no support was found for hypothesized relationships between EI and desirable outcomes or a significant relationship between EI and transformational leadership. Originality/value – EI may be a useful concept in understanding leadership and social influence; however, unlike previous studies no indication was found that EI as operationalized and measured by the EQI is of particular value in that exploration.
Alcohol prices, consumption and traffic fatalities
(Southern Economic Association, 2006) Bielinska-Kwapisz, Agnieszka; Young, Douglas J.
We examine the relationships among alcohol prices, consumption, and traffic fatalities using data across U.S. states from 1982 to 2000. Some previous studies have found large, negative associations between alcohol taxes and fatalities. However, commonly used price data suggest little or no connection between alcohol prices and fatalities. These apparently conflicting findings may result from measurement error and/or endogeneity in the price data, which biases ordinary least squares estimators toward a finding of no price effects. Using alcohol taxes as instrumental variables, fatalities are found to be negatively related to prices. In addition, alcohol consumption is strongly positively related to fatalities. However, biases may still remain, because taxes are not entirely suitable as instruments.
Has Strategic Management Shed the Normal Science Straightjacket?: Revisiting Bettis' (1991) Critiques
(2006-09) Crook, T. Russell; Bratton, Virginia K.; Street, Vera L.; Ketchen, David J.
In a 1991 essay, Bettis challenged strategic management researchers to break free of a ''normal science straightjacket." We consider the extent to which strategy research has addressed Bettis' five critiques in the intervening years. Based on examining 725 studies, we conclude that significant progress has been made in addressing two critiques, but that substantial challenges remain. Turning to the present, we identify two limitations in current research. Specifically, we suggest that conceptual fragmentation and methodological issues inhibit knowledge accumulation in the field.
Consumer‐based brand equity: Comparisons among Americans and South Koreans in the USA and South Koreans in Korea
(2008-02) Jung, Jaehee; Sung, Eunyoung (Christine)
Purpose – The purpose of this study is to measure and compare the consumer‐based brand equity of apparel products by three consumer groups across cultures – Americans in the USA, South Koreans in the USA, and South Koreans in Korea. Also examined was cross‐cultural effects of brand equity on purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 300 college students were recruited for the survey from local universities and organizations in the USA and South Korea. The MBE and OBE models were used to measure brand equity of the three apparel brands (i.e. Polo, Gap, and Levi's). Findings – Among the elements of brand equity, the perceived brand quality and brand awareness/association reported by American college students were significantly greater than those reported by South Koreans in the USA and Korea. For both South Korean groups, brand loyalty was the most important element of brand equity. In the relationship between elements of brand equity and purchase intention, brand loyalty showed positive correlation with purchase intention across all three consumer groups. Research limitations/implications – Further research might include more apparel brands in different price points. An investigation of the prices of various apparel brands in different countries will be useful for cross‐cultural comparisons. Originality/value – With a lack of brand equity studies on fashion products and even fewer studies of cross‐cultural comparisons in brand equity, this study should be valuable information for firms branding their products and making marketing strategies from the global perspective.
Knowledge Sharing and Trust in Collaborative Requirements Analysis
(2008-11) Luna-Reyes, Luis F.; Black, Laura J.; Cresswell, Anthony M.; Pardo, Theresa A.
Many information technology projects fail due to problems in requirements definition. Possible leverage points in improving requirements analysis lie in collaborative processes crossing functional and organizational boundaries, in which stakeholders learn about the problem and together identify possible solution requirements. Establishing trust among parties is critical to collaborative work, particularly in the early stages of information systems projects. However, there are few guidelines on how to establish trust among project participants. This paper draws on empirical work from the Center for Technology in Government facilitating interagency groups and system dynamics to generate a simple model of the role of knowledge sharing in building trust during the requirements analysis phase of a complex information systems project. Analysis of the model suggests that trust can depend on the pace of knowledge sharing among participants. More broadly, this examination offers a closer look at some of the “soft” variable dynamics that play critical roles in project progress.
Defining Political Will
(2010-08) Post, Lori Ann; Raile, Amber N. W.; Raile, Eric D.
Although frequently invoked as a rhetorical tool in political discussions, “political will” remains ambiguous as a concept. Acknowledging the centrality of political will to policy outcomes, the authors propose a pragmatic and systematic approach to definition. This approach facilitates analysis by identifying particular shortcomings in political will. This identification in turn permits the application of appropriate theoretical frameworks from various disciplines and the effective construction and use of ameliorative measures. The authors also address fundamental issues like the specification of contexts. The analytical approach includes a conceptual definition dissected into essential components, along with corresponding means of operationalization and targets for assessment. Among the major definitional components are requirements that a sufficient set of decision makers intends to support a particular initiative and that such support is committed. The latter condition is difficult to ascertain, but various signals, influences, and constraints on action are observable.
Robust Optimization Model for a Dynamic Network Design Problem Under Demand Uncertainty
(2010-09) Chung, Byung Do; Yao, Tao; Xie, Chi; Thorsen, Andreas H.
This paper describes a robust optimization approach for a network design problem explicitly incorporating traffic dynamics and demand uncertainty. In particular, we consider a cell transmission model based network design problem of the linear programming type and use box uncertainty sets to characterize the demand uncertainty. The major contribution of this paper is to formulate such a robust network design problem as a tractable linear programming model and demonstrate the model robustness by comparing its solution performance with the nominal solution from the corresponding deterministic model. The results of the numerical experiments justify the modeling advantage of the robust optimization approach and provide useful managerial insights for enacting capacity expansion policies under demand uncertainty.
The Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Accuracy of Self‐awareness and Leadership Performance
(2011-03) Bratton, Virginia K.; Dodd, Nancy G.; Brown, F. William
Purpose: This research paper aims to follow a line of research that examines the impact of elements of emotional intelligence (EI), particularly those related to self‐awareness, on self‐other agreement and performance. Design/methodology/approach: This is a quantitative study that employs the same methodology as Sosik and Megerian to analyze survey data gathered from a matched sample of 146 managers and 1,314 subordinates at a large international technology company based in North America. Findings: The analysis revealed that the relationship between EI and leader performance is strongest for managers who underestimate their leader abilities. Underestimators earn higher follower ratings of leader performance than all other agreement categories (In agreement/good, In agreement/poor, and Overestimators). The analysis also suggests that there appears to be a negative relationship between EI and leader performance for managers who overestimate their leader abilities. Research limitations/implications: Implications of the counterintuitive findings for underestimators as well as the imperative for further study utilizing alternative measures of EI are discussed. Originality/value: Previous empirical work in this area used an ad hoc measure of EI. This study extends this work by utilizing a larger, business sample and employing a widely‐used and validated measure of EI, the Emotional Quotient Inventory. Results further illuminate the nature of the relationship between EI and self‐other agreement and provide a potential selection and development tool for the improvement of leadership performance.
Alcohol consumption and its adverse effects in Poland in years 1950-2005
(Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 2011-05) Bielinska-Kwapisz, Agnieszka; Mielecka-Kubien, Zofia
This study examines changes in alcohol consumption and its adverse eﬀects in Poland from 1950 to 2005. First, we estimate the total alcohol demand function and test Becker and Murphy’s (1988) rational addiction model. Next, we explore substitution eﬀects between beer, wine, and spirits and report income and own- and cross-price elasticities of demand for beer, wine, and spirits. Finally, we examine some adverse eﬀects of alcohol consumption: traﬃc accidents, suicide rates, and vandalism rates. In particular, the eﬀect of lowering the blood alcohol level limit (BAC) on traﬃc accidents is estimated.
Twenty Years after Reunification: Comparing Young Consumer Decision-Making Processes for Electronic Products in the Former East and West Germany
(2011-07) Sung, Eunyoung (Christine); Huddleston, Patricia; Uhrich, Sebastian
This article measures and compares influences on purchasing decisions for electronic products among consumers from the former East and West German states. The study is framed using Cohort Theory. To investigate whether changes in the economic system influences consumer behavior, two consumer groups are included: Germans in the former East Germany and former West Germany. The study found that the former West Germans are more likely to be influenced by the opinions of others than East Germans. Brand loyalty is influential for both of the two German groups. In addition, the two German groups had more similar attitudes toward advertising compared to their parents' cohort groups of 20 years ago. The study also found that Inglehart's Cohort Theory applies to the case of German reunification.
Is Higher Better? Determinants and Comparisons of Performance on the Major Field Test in Business
(2012-01) Bielinska-Kwapisz, Agnieszka; Brown, William F.
Student performance on the Major Field Achievement Test in Business is an important benchmark for college of business programs. The authors’ results indicate that such benchmarking can only be meaningful if certain student characteristics are taken into account. The differences in achievement between cohorts are explored in detail by separating the effect of high-achieving students choosing certain majors (characteristics effect) from the effect of the returns on these characteristics that students realize during their college educational experience (return effect).
Learning from Our GWAS Mistakes: From Experimental Design to Scientific Method
(2012-01) Lambert, Christophe G.; Black, Laura J.
Many public and private genome-wide association studies that we have analyzed include flaws in design, with avoidable confounding appearing as a norm rather than the exception. Rather than recognizing flawed research design and addressing that, a category of quality-control statistical methods has arisen to treat only the symptoms. Reflecting more deeply, we examine elements of current genomic research in light of the traditional scientific method and find that hypotheses are often detached from data collection, experimental design, and causal theories. Association studies independent of causal theories, along with multiple testing errors, too often drive health care and public policy decisions. In an era of large-scale biological research, we ask questions about the role of statistical analyses in advancing coherent theories of diseases and their mechanisms. We advocate for reinterpretation of the scientific method in the context of large-scale data analysis opportunities and for renewed appreciation of falsifiable hypotheses, so that we can learn more from our best mistakes.