The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Organizational Studies

The popular and professional press is filled with discussions of major changes on the organizational landscape, including organizational design experiments at entrepreneurial firms as well as at major corporations, the slashing of corporate staffs, the downsizing, delayering and revitalization of firms, the emerging electronic organization, mergers and acquisitions, failures of high reliability organizations, and time-based competition. Each of these issues has been associated with the redesign of organizations, yet these redesigns seem far removed from academic research, and they do not typically utilize the academic body of knowledge. Although the field has progressed enormously in new methods and insights during a century of research, it seems to us that organization studies have been a source of recurrent disappointment for practitioners and academics alike (Bedian 1989; Cummings 1983; Luthans 1986; Slocum 1984). For example, Miner (1984) analyzed 32 established organizational science theories and concluded that with the exception of theories of motivation there is no relationship between usefulness and validity. Is the field of organization studies irrelevant? Organizations have become the dominant institution on the social landscape. Yet the body of knowledge published in academic journals has practically no audience in business or government. Unlike a field such as economics, research on organizations has not typically focused on problems relevant to business and government organizations, and the real world of organizations has not drawn on the work undertaken by organizational scientists. From colleagues within our field and in allied disciplines, we hear complaints that manuscripts espousing radical ideas, or topics outside the mainstream, are difficult to publish. Reviewers for established journals seem to value papers whose theses are anchored in established theories or that use "legitimate" methods, thus implicitly creating a publication barrier for research that falls outside mainstream topics or methods. Moreover, we observe that scholars with interests in organizations span many disciplines and fields of inquiry such as anthropology, economics, history, information science, communication theory, artificial intelligence, systems theory, psychology, sociology, political science, policy sciences, as well as organization behavior, strategic management and organization theory. We sense that a new discipline of organization science is evolving and we envision that a new journal can become a forum for a discipline defined more broadly. The purpose of this essay is to discuss these issues and the need for reorienting research away from incremental, footnote-on-footnote research as the norm for the field. Although current research approches have made solid contributions, they do not

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Scapegoating in Baseball

Dans le cadre de la hierarchie sociale aux Etats-Unis, prenant en compte les facteurs de classe, d'ethnicite, de race, et de sexe, etude des relations entre femmes blanches ou de couleur et homme blancs, et de l'impact de ces relations sur le mouvement feministe blanc et de couleur

Occupational segregation of women is a major reflection of the generalized segregation that characterizes all aspects of Western social life. It is the visible sign of a massive institutional substructure on which we are most likely to founder unless we are able to find a way around it. Two of the papers in this section deal with macrosociological segregation patterns that link different institutional sectors of society: Safilios-Rothschild addresses the question of sex segregation in the articulation between the institutions of the family and the occupational world; Gates explicates the ways in which the legal institutions buttress the segregation of the domestic and occupational domains. The Laws paper, operating on a different level of analysis, looks at different theoretical approaches to women's segregated involvement in the labor force.

Social and economic activities, like religion, entertainment, education, research, and the production of other goods and services, are carried on by different types of organizations, for example, corporations, proprietorships, partnerships, mutuals and nonprofits. There is competition among organizational forms for survival. The form of organization that survives in an activity is the one that delivers the product demanded by customers at the lowest price while covering costs. The characteristics of residual claims are important both in distinguishing organizations from one another and in explaining the survival of organizational forms in specific activities. This paper develops a set of propositions that explaim the special features of the residual claims of different organizational forms as efficient approaches to controlling agency problems. © M. C. Jensen and E. F. Fama, 1983 Michael C. Jensen, Foundations of Organizational Strategy Chapter 6, Harvard University Press, 1998. Journal of Law & Economics, Vol XXVI (June 1983) This document is available on the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) Electronic Library at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/paper.taf?ABSTRACT_ID=94032 AGENCY PROBLEMS AND RESIDUAL CLAIMS

Future‐proofing <i>IJMR</i> as a leading management journal: Reach, relevance and reputation

Perhaps the most vigorous movement in administration in recent years has been directed toward the development of a comprehensive theory capable of generating both hypotheses for guiding research and principles for guiding practice. Despite many specific advances in special areas, such as hospital administration, public administration, business administraton, and educational administration, there still is no general conceptual framework for systematizing and interrelating our knowledge within and among these areas. It is still impossible to speak of administration in terms that would be acceptable to, or for that matter even readily understandable by, students and practitioners in the several special fields. This failure to conceptualize administration on a general theoretical level has been a major obstacle to the development of administration as a rigorous discipline, and the elaboration of theory is accordingly receiving increased attention both in "research" and "applied" administrative settings. The purpose of the present paper is twofold: (a) to describe a socio-psychological theory of social behavior having broad application to the area of administration and (b) to illustrate the application of the theory to major issues in administration. The four major issues considered here are: the problem of institutional and individual conflict; the problem of staff effectiveness, efficiency, and satis-

This contribution introduces the vision, aims and scope of our new journal, Progress in Industrial Ecology: An International Journal. We introduce the seventeen papers of this "massive" triple issue – the first issue of the new journal – as well as discussing their connections and shared messages in making progress in the transition towards a more sustainable global society. Our vision for this new journal is to bridge the material and energy flow analysis and studies of industrial ecology to business, management and organisational studies, including the now established discipline of corporate environmental management. This journal aims to contribute not only to the ecological, but also to the social, cultural and economic dimensions of industrial ecology. Thus, we hope to make a significant contribution towards these interdependent and very important dimensions of sustainable development. Following our discussion of the papers, which are presented in four sections, and our attempt to bridge their joint message, we arrive at conclusions at the end of each section. Based on these observations, we hope the researchers in the field and also in other related fields are able to expand and define more explicit themes for a research agenda for our journal. Finally, we are keen for you our readers to participate and contribute to the development of this journal, that will potentially produce very innovative ideas for ensuring progress in industrial ecology, and we also outline avenues for you to do so.

What Is Third‐Wave Feminism? A New Directions Essay

An important component of the Chinese government's strategy to modernize China entails enhancing the social and political status of a new moneyed urban middle class, particularly white-collar professionals and private entrepreneurs.1 In many ways, this strategy has been remarkably successful. In contrast to urban young people of the 1980s, who were often "searching for life's meaning", contemporary youth are success-oriented and openly seek "the good life".2 A recent ten-province survey by the State Statistical Bureau among people with income levels above 60,000 yuan a year revealed that the largest cluster was in the 30-40-year-old age bracket3-China's yuppies-and they have become the new publicized role models (no longer "model workers" unselfishly serving the Party and the state). The newly affluent have enthusiastically embraced this and have become eager consumers in the global marketplace, which has become a core aspiration also of China's urban young people. The following pages will examine the effects on popular attitudes of the regime's emphasis on performance and material success as a source of status-including the acceptance of growing social stratification. I will argue that "value", in a material sense, has become a key indicator of worth. Thus, as will be seen, upwardly mobile people are reluctant to interact with those from the lower strata, for fear that such contact will tarnish their image. Money has also become essential for success across generations, by way of an increasingly commercialized educational system where access to schooling has become increasingly dependent on one's family's wealth. What is striking is the open acceptance of these changes by the government. Parallel to this reshaping of regime norms, individuals are now much more willing to acknowledge their selfish motivations, and even more the selfish motivations of others.4 Stratification, Pragmatism and Materialism A decade ago, although they were already engaged in extensive surveys on the topic, social scientists in China were generally restricted from openly publishing revealing details on the increasing stratification of Chinese society. As administrators at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences told me at the time, such public discussion was not considered conducive to social stability. In the last few years, however, there has been a virtual cottage industry of books and articles precisely on the new strata that make up Chinese society, replete with extensive statistical, survey and public opinion data, A particularly prominent theme has been the rise of the middle class, especially those in white-collar professions.5 In addition to the academic press, popular magazines have widely reported on the new stratification patterns, usually with an emphasis on the incomes and lifestyles of the wealthiest strata and individuals.6 Some scholars, having conducted content analyses of the media, have railed against the extensive coverage of CEOs and general managers of companies on the one hand and film stars, singers and sports stars on the other, with an almost complete lack of concern for the common people.7 Some prominent Chinese sociologists and social critics have gone further, warning that increasing inequalities and skewed patterns of stratification have already begun to produce a "fractured" (duanlie) society, in which people in the same country live in different technological ages.8 This open discussion of stratification patterns, which now includes an authoritative list of the different strata making up Chinese society and their characteristics, has been reflected in the more openly expressed attitudes and behaviour of upwardly mobile Chinese youth. As I will show below, in key areas of political and social life such as recruitment into the Party, finding a job, obtaining and valuing wealth, choosing schools and so forth, youth have become less reluctant to acknowledge openly that instrumental, success-oriented values take precedence. …

Although research indicates e-commerce offers viable and practical solutions for organizations to meet challenges of a predominantly changing environment, the few available studies related to SMEs in developing countries reveal a delay or failure of SMEs in adopting ICT and e-commerce technologies. The various factors identified as causes for the reticence can be broadly classified as Internal Barriers and External Barriers. This paper presents a model for barriers to adoption of ICT and e-commerce based on the results of an exploratory pilot study, survey and interviews of SME intermediary organization. It identifies support for SMEs in Sri Lanka with regard to ICT and e-commerce. It also determines a strong need for necessary support and discusses the availability of the support.Keywords: e-commerce, SME, adoption, developing countries, barriers, support.doi: 10.4038/icter.v1i1.447The International Journal on Advances in ICT for Emerging Regions 2008 01 (01) : 3 - 11

The Effect of Big Five Personality Traits on Leader Member Exchange and Organization Citizenship Behavior in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Universities

n 1984 I visited Bangladesh to begin research on female garment workers. The image that remains deeply embedded in my consciousness is the dramatic change that characterized the streets of Dacca since I had left the country only eighteen months earlier. Perhaps most striking were the number of women who now walked along the road, often in groups of six or more, especially after a shift change at the recently opened garment factories that dotted the streets throughout the city. The image of women dressed in cotton saris leaving work in the early evening was in stark contrast to my earlier experience when I was one of only a few, if any, women walking quickly along these same roads. It also was a change from the time when I was the only woman in a government or commercial office, or in some of the smaller fresh produce or fish markets, unchaperoned by either an older or younger male companion. At first I could hardly make sense of this now strange and different place that had been my home for five years. Was I mistaken? Did I remember incorrectly? Did I get caught by the Western image of Bangladesh and Bangladeshi women dominated by purdah (female seclusion), only to confront the everyday lives of young women struggling to make a living? How was I to understand this apparently fantastic change in the course of a mere eighteen months? I have been challenged ever since to make sense of this dramatic reorganization of women's lives. Certain facts were self-evident: a growing number of garment factories were now part of the city, Dacca was an internationally recognized export-processing enclave, and thousands of women

At first glance, acute grief would not seem to be a medical or psychiatric disorder in the strict sense of the word but rather a normal reaction to a distressing situation. However, the understanding of reactions to traumatic experiences whether or not they represent clear-cut neuroses has become of ever-increasing importance to the psychiatrist. Bereavement or the sudden cessation of social interaction seems to be of special interest because it is often cited among the alleged psychogenic factors in psychosomatic disorders. The enormous increase in grief reactions due to war casualties, furthermore, demands an evaluation of their probable effect on the mental and physical health of our population. The points to be made in this paper are as follows: i. Acute grief is a definite syndrome with psychological and somatic symptomatology. 2. This syndrome may appear immediately after a crisis; it may be delayed; it may be exaggerated or apparently al)sent. 3. In place of the typical syndrome there may appear distorted pictures, each of which represents one special aspect of the grief syndrome. 4. By appropriate techniques these distorted pictures can be successfully transformed into a normal grief reaction with resolution. Our observations comprise tot patients. Included are (i) psychoneurotic patients who lost a relative during the course of treatment, (2) relatives of patients who uied in the hospital, (3) bereaved disaster victims (Cocoanut Grove Fire) and their close relatives, ( ) relatives of members of the armed forces.