In this study, we integrate three concepts: perceived organisational climate, knowledge transfer and individual innovation. Relationships of organisational climate with innovation have been studied mainly in Western countries. We test three sets of hypotheses that compare two groups of Chinese research and development (R&D) professionals: those working for Chinese companies (CCs) and those working for China-based subsidiaries of US companies (ACs). The findings support two conclusions: (1) organisational climate constructs show relevance in China and (2) company origin matters: the two groups of Chinese professionals show somewhat different patterns of climate–knowledge transfer–innovation relationships.

https://commons.ln.edu.hk/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1046&context=hkibswp

Perceived organisational climate, knowledge transfer and innovation in China-based research and development companies

Outsourcing partners have the potential to learn from each other by discussing effective practices and to use these discussions to improve their business performance. However, there are significant barriers to trusting, open, and integrative communication. Results from 95 largely domestic outsourcing partnerships in China support the hypotheses that cooperative, but not competitive or independent, goals are a foundation upon which partners share their effective practices openly and directly with each other and that this kind of discussion promotes improved business results. Specifically, the structural equation analysis supported the reasoning that cooperative goals foster open discussion of effective practices that, in turn, results in business development. Findings were interpreted as providing support that cooperative interdependence is a foundation for effective interaction and learning between outsourcing partners in China and perhaps in other countries as well.

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Managing outsourcing to develop business: Goal interdependence for sharing effective business practices in China

There is growing evidence that consumers are influenced by online product reviews when making a variety of purchase decisions. Firms are therefore tempted to monitor and manipulate online product reviews on the company’s website or forum to influence consumer perceptions by anonymously posting positive reviews, hiding or deleting unfavorable reviews, or offering rewards to consumers who post favorable reviews. Our review of the literature has revealed a surprising shortage of work directed at the development of an integrative theoretical framework or rigorous empirical studies on the effectiveness and the exact impact of such activities on the payoffs to various parties. This study fills a void in the online marketing and information manipulation literature by studying consumers’ suspicion, awareness and evaluation of specific manipulation tactics through in-depth interviews with 16 experienced online shoppers in China. We adopt a grounded theory approach to analyze the qualitative data and end up with a series of research propositions (research framework) for further testing and verification. The findings about consumers’ views of online manipulations would provide valuable insights to industry associations and policy makers on whether and how to regulate online manipulation activities to ensure the healthy development of the e-commerce.

/pdf/what-do-seller-manipulations-of-online-product-reviews-mean-3sy2k9bs7v.pdf

What do seller manipulations of online product reviews mean to consumers

The study examines three alternative specifications for the employment-output equation: the standard employment-output equation; a specification that introduces forward-looking expectations by utilizing business survey data; and a specification that allows technical progress to follow a stochastic trend. The purpose of the study is, hence, to investigate whether the modifications related to the use of business survey data or stochastic trends, which are found to be of considerable importance in explaining movements in employment in recent U.K. studies, contribute also to the Finnish employment-output equation, whereas the contribution of the stochastic trend variable to the model is found to be negligible. Copyright 1992 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Survey expectations and stochastic trends in modelling the employment — output equation

Representational predicaments refer to situations in which job incumbents believe that dominant authorities are holding incomplete or otherwise incorrect work-related assumptions about them. We carried out qualitative interviews with a diverse and gender-balanced sample of 55 Hong Kong Chinese job incumbents, from whose perspective we identified three broad categories of representational predicament: (1) doing unvalued work; (2) doing thankless work; and (3) being subject to distorted representation. Each category of representational predicament was reported both by female and male informants, with females reporting more representational predicaments than males. Stories of unvalued work referred either to unnoticed and unvalued work, which entailed voluntary care work, or to noticed but unvalued work. Stories of thankless work fell into four subcategories: carrying out a superior’s request believed to be illegitimate; pacifying uncivil service recipients; dealing with subterranean internal obstacles; and conducting informal negotiations with troublesome service recipients/suppliers. Stories about being subject to distorted representation fell into six subcategories: being publicly ridiculed or humiliated; having flaws spotlighted but merits downplayed; receiving misattributed blame; being subject to false or misleading uncorrected allegations; suffering prejudicial stereotyping; and receiving reprimands perceived as unfounded. All but two of the representational predicament stories alleged or implied at least one type of ethical problem that concerned breaches of interpersonal justice; violations of, or threats to procedural justice; or indifference toward, or neglect of, the ethics of care. It is inferred that representational predicaments are symptoms of poor ethical climates.

/pdf/ethical-issues-concerning-the-experience-of-representational-3e60msh6t8.pdf

Ethical issues concerning the experience of representational predicaments at work

/pdf/further-sufficient-conditions-for-an-inverse-relationship-2ikujcj0io.pdf

Kit Pong Wong

Papers

Further sufficient conditions for an inverse relationship between productivity and employment