IE University

About: IE University is a education organization based out in Segovia, Castilla y León, Spain. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Corporate governance & Context (language use). The organization has 527 authors who have published 1709 publications receiving 64682 citations.

The Research-Practice Gap in Human Resource Management: A Cross-Cultural Study

Abstract: In this study, we examine the cross-cultural differences in human resource (HR) managers’ beliefs in effective HR practices by surveying HR practitioners in Finland (N=86), South Korea (N=147), and Spain (N=196). Similar to previous studies from the U.S., the Netherlands, and Australia, there are large discrepancies between HR practitioner beliefs and research findings, particularly in the area of staffing. In addition, we find that interpersonal-oriented aspects of HR practices tend to be more culturally bound than technical-oriented aspects of HR practices. We interpret the differences using Hofstede’s cultural dimensions (Power Distance, Individualism versus Collectivism, Masculinity versus Femininity, Long-Term Orientation versus Short-Term Orientation, and Uncertainty Avoidance). We discuss the overall nature of the science-practice gap in HR management, and the implications for evidence-based management.

Depression and smoking: a 5-year prospective study of patients with major depressive disorder

Abstract: Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) and smoking are major public health problems and epidemiologically strongly associated. However, the relationship between smoking and depression and whether this is influenced by common confounding factors remain unclear, in part due to limited longitudinal data on covariation. Methods In the Vantaa Depression Study, psychiatric out- and inpatients with DSM-IV MDD and aged 20–59 years at were followed from baseline to 6 months, 18 months, and 5 years. We investigated course of depression, smoking, and comorbid alcohol-use disorders among the 214 patients (79.6% of 269) participating at least three time points; differences between smoking versus nonsmoking patients, and covariation of MDD, smoking, and alcohol-use disorders. Results Overall, 31.3% of the patients smoked regularly, 41.1% intermittently, and 27.6% never. Smokers were younger, had more alcohol-use disorders and Cluster B and C personality disorder symptoms, a higher frequency of lifetime suicide attempts, higher neuroticism, smaller social networks, and lower perceived social support than never smokers. Smoking and depression had limited longitudinal covariation. Depression, smoking, and alcohol-use disorders all exhibited strong autoregressive tendencies. Conclusions Among adult psychiatric MDD patients, smoking is strongly associated with substance-use and personality disorders, which may confound research on the impact of smoking. Rather than depression or smoking covarying or predicting each other, depression, smoking, and alcohol-use disorders each have strong autoregressive tendencies. These findings are more consistent with common factors causing their association than either of the conditions strongly predisposing to the other.

Cost Accounting in Early Regulated Markets: The Case of the Royal Soap Factory of Seville (1525-1692)

Abstract: Regulated markets and state-owned monopolies characterized the economies of many Southern European territories around the end of the Middle Ages and during the Renaissance. Although this economic form was of considerable importance in implementing public policy at the time, investigation into the functioning of cost accounting in such contexts has been consistently neglected in accounting research. In this paper, we examine the role of cost systems in early regulated markets by focusing on the case of the soap production and distribution monopoly in the City of Seville, Spain. In 1423, the King of Castille granted the soap monopoly to the Duke of Alcala as a reward for his war achievements, but pricing decisions rested in the hands of the local government. Disputes between the Duke of Alc ala and the local government (the parties) about the fair price of a pound of soap were negotiated after the development of tests that replicated the soap production process and determined its cost through complex calculations.

Collaborative Benefits and Coordination Costs: Learning and Capability Development in Science

Abstract: We examine the effects of team structure and experience on the impact of inventions produced by scientific teams. Whereas multidisciplinary, collaborative teams have become the norm in scientific production, there are coordination costs commensurate with managing such teams. We use patent citation analysis to examine the effect of prior collaboration and patenting experience on invention impact of 282 patents granted in human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research from 1998 to 2010. Our results reveal that team experience outside the domain may be detrimental to project performance in a setting where the underlying knowledge changes. In stem cell science, we show that interdepartmental collaboration has a negative effect on invention impact. Scientific proximity between members of the team has a curvilinear relationship, suggesting that teams consisting of members with moderate proximity get the highest impact. We elaborate on these findings for theories of collaboration and coordination and its implications for radical scientific discoveries. Copyright © 2013 Strategic Management Society.