Different Forms Of Organization Research Articles

The New Culture of Archives in Early Modern Spain

What sort of progress took place in the archives of Spain from the late fifteenth to the early seventeenth century? This is the question which this article seeks to answer by reflecting on the nomenclature assigned to various repositories of documentary memory, from ‘chest of privileges’ to ‘archival chamber’, whilst also focusing on the process of ‘archival consolidation’ which took place in different political and institutional spheres, from the Monarchy to municipal government. With this aim in mind, the article will also review a series of official regulations, beginning with the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella, which sought both to rein in the disorder and dispersion of royal documents, and to promote the preservation of municipal and notarial papers. Given that no archive can exist without a basic system of order, this study also seeks to address the different forms of organization and control of documentary memory, emphasizing the diverse systems that were adopted and their purposes. This raises a final question, that of the uses of archives, which ranged from serving the needs of different levels of governance and administration, to the organization of an ever-growing body of information and its simultaneous use in the writing of history, as reflected in the work of diverse chroniclers in a period that was increasingly characterized by the practice of local historiography.

Transaction costs and the organization of CFEs: Experiences from ejidos in Quintana Roo, Mexico

Forest areas owned by indigenous people, families, and communities are increasingly linking to markets and attempting to harness the benefits of timber commercialization by setting up community forestry enterprises (CFEs). The interaction between markets and commonly owned forests is only until now enjoying greater attention from researchers. Common property scholarship has normally been used to study community natural resource management but currently it is deemed insufficient for understanding market interactions. This paper adds to this growing area of scholarship through the application of transaction costs economics (TCE) to the organization of community forest enterprises. TCE proposes that under certain circumstances and depending on the nature of the production process and context of exchange, different forms of organization play a role in reducing transaction costs in market exchange. Through fieldwork carried out in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico, this paper finds that hierarchical, collective organization is not the only way to reduce transaction costs for CFEs. Although market transactions can expose communities to opportunistic behaviour and hazards in many jurisdictions, capacity-building and skilling will decrease information costs and asymmetries for CFEs of organizational forms that rely on market contracting for production. Additionally, this research found that CFEs and their business partners value relationships that reduce the range of transaction costs even if this represents trade-offs in prices and making concessions such as informal loans. We recommend that policy should not focus on driving specific organizational forms in communities that attempt to eliminate intermediaries, contractors and service providers. Efforts should concentrate primarily on creating enabling environments by reducing transaction costs, particularly information costs and asymmetries that hinder productive relations between CFEs and their exchange partners. Better commercial relationships, social innovation and entrepreneurship can develop in conditions in which both CFEs and trading partners stand on even footing. Transaction cost theory should further investigate the role of learning in reducing transaction costs and its effect on organizational choice. It should consider that transaction costs may be experienced differently by individuals with different skills and abilities.

Effectiveness of case management as a cross-sectoral healthcare provision for women with breast cancer.

Case management (CM) programs are intended to improve care coordination for cancer patients. This quasi-experimental, controlled study evaluated whether such a program was effective in improving health-related quality of life and reducing the psychological distress of breast cancer patients. For the study, 126 patients with CM and 118 patients with treatment as usual (TAU) were surveyed at baseline, a 6-month follow-up and a 12-month follow-up. Comparisons of the two groups with regard to quality of life (Short Form-8, European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer-11; primary outcome) and psychological distress (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, distress thermometer; secondary outcome) were conducted. Univariate t-tests regarding the primary and secondary outcomes demonstrated improvements in the relevant outcomes at the 6-month and 12-month follow-ups for the intervention group as well as for the control group. An analysis of covariance revealed that the controls showed a higher level of physical quality of life at the 12-month follow-up than the other time points and no differences at 6months after the baseline. The tested CM model did not improve the quality of life or psychological well-being of the patients beyond treatment as usual. Possible reasons include that the treatment was already of high standards in the control group or that there are possibly different impacts than found in the literature regarding different forms of organization in CM. The need for and the tailoring of this CM model as well as the transfer of CM to other oncological indications remain to be clarified. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Organizational Forms and Internal Capital Market: Evidence from the U.S. Property and Liability Insurance Industry

We examine how organizational forms affect the performance of internal capital markets (ICMs), one of important activities in the business group setting. Specifically, we study the difference in the size and efficiency of ICMs between mutual and stock firms. We measure the size of ICMs using net reinsurance ceded to affiliated companies and evaluate the efficiency of ICMs by investigating the relationship between ICM transfers and investment in lines of high and low profitability. We find that mutual firms have smaller size of ICMs. Mutual firms’ ICMs have lower ability to facilitate investment in highly profitable lines of business. The evidence indicates the heterogeneity of ICM efficiency across different forms of organization in P&L insurance industry.

Una aproximación al papel de las organizaciones y su incidencia en el desarrollo y el ejercicio de las libertades

<p align="justify">Este artículo presenta los resultados de investigación relacionados con el objetivo de identificar las características y propiedades de las formas de organización social para el agenciamiento de problemas públicos. Toma como enfoque teórico el desarrollo y el ejercicio de libertades. La metodología es cualitativa y las técnicas son la revisión e investigación documental. Los hallazgos tienen relación con la identificación de factores y elementos que potencian el desarrollo y que son reiterados en distintas formas de organización. En cuanto al problema, el incremento de las brechas sociales y la persistencia de los círculos de pobreza son algunas de las externalidades negativas que ha traído consigo el crecimiento económico, especialmente en países en vías de desarrollo. Como respuesta a estas problemáticas, la sociedad civil ha aumentado su apuesta por una participación más activa en los procesos sociales, razón por la cual, este artículo se acerca al rol que desempeñan las organizaciones sociales y a su agenciamiento en el desarrollo humano y el ejercicio de las libertades individuales.</p>

Теория и практика делового туризма в городе Иркутске в контексте территориального развития дестинации

This article continues the author´s researches of resources and prospects of business tourism in Irkutsk and Irkutsk region. The author states the basic theoretical and practical conclusions of the five years’ monitoring researches of business tourism market. Particular attention is paid to the geographical component as an integral part of the global factor, which specialization of a territory. Business tourism has different forms of organization: congresses, exhibitions, fairs, discussions and seminars. All participants of the events have different purposes of the visit according to their interests, capabilities and types of business. Most expressed the requirement of a mobile infrastructure to carry out the adaptation of the premises to the needs of particular organizers. According to research results, Irkutsk as a center of business tourism has great potential in this sphere of recreation. The article shows the main theoretical approaches and practical methods for determining the capacity of congress and exhibition market. The 8 main development trends of Irkutsk are identified, and the latest information about the tourist state of the city and region is presented. The city is a main transit center, where there is the distribution of tourist flows, following from west to east and back. Irkutsk also has a distinctive competitive advantage - its proximity to Lake Baikal, which certainly makes it stand out from other Russian cities. Thus, the specificity of the business tourism, considered in this article, consists in the integrated approach to satisfaction needs of tourists who travel for business purposes.

Micro y pequeña empresa, actores sociales y contextos desde la perspectiva del desarrollo local

La importancia de la micro, pequeña y mediana empresa para la generación de empleo y para el desarrollo nacional, regional y local es reconocida en los ámbitos académico, gubernamental e internacional. La gestión del desarrollo exige considerar que existen en cualquier país diversos tipos de empresarios, diferentes formas de organización y distintos contextos. Empresarios, empresas, contextos y sus interrelaciones condicionan los procesos de desarrollo no sólo a nivel nacional sino, sobre todo, subnacional (región, estado, municipio). En esta perspectiva, en el trabajo se sistematizan referentes conceptuales y se proponen elementos para entender a la micro y pequeña empresa (Mipe), a sus directivos y sus interrelaciones con otros actores sociales (contextos) como protagonistas del proceso de desarrollo de su entorno inmediato. Se analizan los atributos esenciales de los empresarios, de las empresas como organizaciones y de los diversos contextos que favorecen la gestión del desarrollo y deriva en el mejoramiento contínuo del nivel y calidad de vida de la población local.

Auditory distraction and perceptual organization: Streams of unconscious processing

Perceptual organization is key to understanding auditory distraction. In order to achieve a fundamental understanding of distraction it is necessary to understand how auditory stimuli are perceived; specifically, how they are organized into entities that do not map directly onto simple single stimuli as defined by the experimenter. It is important not to mistake some arbitrary unit of analysis, such as the word, as the correct unit for understanding auditory processing; rather, the unit of the auditory object and its relative position to other auditory objects is the key to understanding distraction (as well as the whole of auditory cognition more generally). Here I provide two illustrative examples of auditory perceptual organization showing the superlative power of organizational principles: streaming by similarity and stimulus capture. I go on to show how these have been used to refine our understanding of distraction, and of the effects of distraction from sequences of sound, from single sounds, or single changes within a sequence. A common feature of work described here is that it compares the effects of different forms of organization: The nominal stimuli themselves are largely unchanged but the way they relate to each other can change distraction appreciably. That is, it is not the mere presence of sound that causes distraction but its organization and the way that relates to the currently prevailing activity.

CAPOEIRA: A MEMÓRIA SOCIAL CONSTRUÍDA POR MEIO DO CORPO

O objetivo desta pesquisa foi compreender, por meio de uma análise de elementos da história da capoeira, alguns mecanismos de busca por legitimação no seu universo, bem como suas diferentes formas de organização e manifestação preservadas na memória e cultura brasileira. Utilizamos a memória social como instrumento analítico reflexivo, para compreender melhor os processos de formação das identidades em uma nação. O texto traz as diferentes memórias construtoras das vertentes da capoeira brasileira em diálogo com seu recente registro como patrimônio imaterial da cultura brasileira.

Social interaction and economic organization: Toward an integrative microeconomic model

In the context of increasingly complex economies, with information more and more complicated to handle, social interaction may allow spontaneous co-operation and be more efficient than market or state regulations to overcome co-ordination and information problems. This article provides a theoretical model that compares three “pure forms” of economic organization: state-controlled production, unregulated market, and voluntary organization. We model the behavior of agents who are embedded in a social structure that is characterized by three parameters: the intensity of socialization, the size of individual social space, and the overall level of trust in society. We then study how social interaction parameters influence the relative efficiency of the three different forms of organization.

Knowledge, learning, and innovation: research and perspectives

PurposeThis introduction paper to the special issue on “The twenty‐first century knowledge‐based value drivers of innovation and sustainable development” aims to focus on such relationships between knowledge, learning, capabilities, innovation and competitive advantage in different forms of organization: businesses, clusters and regions. The purpose is to point out the conceptual pillars and contribute to the ongoing debate on: how knowledge assets impact organizational performance, what are the characteristics of such value‐generating processes, what factors affect the process of building organizational capabilities and distinctive competences, and how organizations translate specific capabilities into sustainable competitive advantages.Design/methodology/approachThe article is based on a thorough analysis of the management literature addressing the nature, role and relevance of knowledge, organizational capabilities, learning and knowledge management for organization competitiveness. The conceptual background sets the foundations for a better understanding of the strategic importance of knowledge‐based value drivers for innovation and sustainable organizational value creation.FindingsAs knowledge management is establishing itself as a research discipline, it is fundamental to define the conceptual pillars grounding the application of knowledge management initiatives for innovation and business performance improvements. This paper provides a framework summarizing the key assumptions at the basis of understanding the strategic relevance of knowledge‐based value drivers for growth and competitiveness.Research limitations/implicationsIn addressing some of the questions posed, this article provides some implications for future research that build on different perspectives and emphasize the importance of adopting multi‐disciplinary approaches to disentangle the complexities of how organizations convert knowledge resources to a long‐lasting competitive advantage.Originality/valueThis editorial presents the key conceptual pillars explicating the role of knowledge resources as building blocks of organizational capabilities and how firms can develop and maintain their competences by promoting and nurturing learning processes. The value of this paper is the definition of a conceptual framework outlining the relationships between knowledge management, organizational capabilities, organizational learning and competitiveness.

Ungoverned Spaces. Alternatives to State Authority in an Era of Softened Sovereignty. Edited by Anne L.Clunan and Harold A.Trinkunas. Stanford Security Studies. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2010. 310 pp., $23.00 paperback (ISBN 078-0-8047-7013

Ungoverned Spaces. Alternatives to State Authority in an Era of Softened Sovereignty. Edited by Anne L. Clunan, Harold A. Trinkunas . Stanford Security Studies. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2010. 310 pp., $23.00 paperback (ISBN 078-0-8047-7013-2). Governance Without a State? Policies and Politics in Areas of Limited Statehood. Edited by Thomas Risse . New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 2011. 297 pp., $40.54 hardcover (ISBN 978-0-231-15120-7). Studies of governance arrangements beyond the state have opened new vistas to theory building, substantive research, and policy relevance. Governance in the European Union (EU), the first to be labeled multilevel governance, has generated key findings. These findings have challenged traditional notions of state sovereignty and state impermeability; they have tackled a broad range of substantive issues from agriculture and foreign policy to subregional development and cultural affairs; and they have policy implications for the new generation of EU decision makers. The proliferating global governance literature has studied various arrangements, encompassing such actors as international governmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, MNCs, foundations, and more recently networks and multistakeholder actors. The findings of much of this research are that, indeed, there are a multitude of governance arrangements out there, even though they may be hierarchical arrangements. States and governmental bureaucracies may be key participants, but they act in coordination with public and private “others” to provide alternative authority relationships. Even when the state is absent, nonexistent, or failed, governance occurs—governance without the state. These two edited books contribute to this broader literature by focusing on ungoverned spaces (Clunan and Trinkunas volume) and on areas of limited statehood (Risse volume). Both volumes suggest that the paradigm of an international system with state sovereignty is a fiction, misleading to scholars and decision makers alike. In actuality, state sovereignty has softened; the state is joined by numerous other actors, some benign and others malign, which provide different forms of organization (Clunan, p. 6). In many areas, there is limited statehood, where governance occurs through steering via cooperative networks of public and private actors and rule making (Risse, p. 9). Thus, the goal in each volume is to explore theoretically and empirically these spaces and examine the alternative authority and governance structures that have arisen. Both …

Organisation and management in a historical context

Although organisation and management of organisations (management) have evolved as a separate scientific discipline relatively lately, organisation and management of organisations are one of the earliest achievements of human civilisation. They have emerged with the advent of man, as biological and social beings, and along with their development, they have also developed. People have always been referred to different forms of organisation and without them they simply cannot survive. Since the earliest stages of its development, mankind has been forced to identify paths in order to make life significantly easier in a ruthless battle with the harsh reality of nature, which has constantly threatened him. The way to achieve this goal was to associate with other people into different forms of organisation.

The Lists of W. G. Sebald

The Lists of W. G. Sebald

Bankruptcy Risk, Costs and Corporate Diversification

This paper studies the impact of diversification on firms that file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Prior research suggests that diversification affects both the probability and costs of distress. Treating bankruptcy as a special case of distress, we find that diversification reduces the likelihood of bankruptcy and liquidation in Chapter 11, which is consistent with the coinsurance hypothesis. However, we observe higher bankruptcy costs as measured by time spent in Chapter 11 and inefficient segment investment for diversified firms. Our evidence is consistent with the idea that diversification provides benefits to managers in terms of job security rather than to firms. Our findings may help firms to make diversification decisions and creditors determine lending policies toward different forms of organizations.

Bankruptcy risk, costs and corporate diversification

This paper studies the impact of diversification on firms that file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Prior research suggests that diversification affects both the probability and costs of distress. Treating bankruptcy as a special case of distress, we find that diversification reduces the likelihood of bankruptcy and liquidation in Chapter 11, which is consistent with the coinsurance hypothesis. However, we observe higher bankruptcy costs as measured by time spent in Chapter 11 and inefficient segment investment for diversified firms. Our evidence is consistent with the idea that diversification provides benefits to managers in terms of job security rather than to firms. Our findings may help firms to make diversification decisions and creditors determine lending policies toward different forms of organizations.

Industriousness and development of the school‐system in the eighteenth century: the experience of Norwegian cities

This article discusses how the Norwegian urban school system was developed during the eighteenth century. In the cities, there were laws for Latin as well as Danish schools. During the eighteenth century, schools for poor children were established, while towards the end of the century the importance of the school system in relation to the economic functioning of society was discussed. A broader range of schools was developed in most cities, meant for children of different social origins and social prospects, and different for boys and girls. The article argues that the school system was used to make the population more industrious during a period when trade capitalism made the social division in society sharper and different forms of organisation of labour were attempted. The attention on children’s education was turned from consideration of the children’s spiritual future to their preparation for a working life that served economic ends.

Disturbing structure: Reading the ruins

In this paper, we look at buildings from the ‘disturbing’ perspective of ruin and ruination. The relationship between buildings and ruins appears to be an antithesis, one between organisation and disorganisation: a dyad of mutually exclusive opposites. However, we try to show how the relationship between buildings and ruins is more complex and multifaceted so that rather than being the play of opposites, it is one which is mutually enacting and inextricably entwined. We explore three aspects of the relationship of mutuality between building and ruin. The first is a consideration of ruins and their relationship to structuring and de‐structuring. Second, we look into the multiplicity of meanings that ruins engender, their inherent ambivalence. Finally, we argue that ruin and ruination are as related to construction and re‐ordering as they are to destruction, since they are not the absolute annihilation of building and organisation, but are themselves different forms of organisation and organising. Thus, the paper is not so much about ruins themselves, where ruins are seen as obliteration or the absence of form. Rather, it is about what ruins and ruination tell us about buildings, structure and the processes of organising.

Masculinities and the International Division of Care: Migrant Male Domestic Workers in Italy and France

Drawing on ethnographic data concerning migrant male domestic workers, this article examines the gendered dimensions of the process of racialization in Italy and France. First, it shows that specific racialized constructions of masculinity are mobilized by the employers as well as by training and recruitment agencies. These constructions of masculinity are related to different forms of organization of the sector in each country and to different ideologies about the integration of migrants. Second, the data presented reveal the strategies used by migrant male domestic workers to reaffirm their masculinity in a traditionally feminized sector. In doing so, this article intends to explore the connections between international migration and the gendering of occupations, with regard to the construction and management of masculinities in domestic service. Finally, by examining men’s experiences, this article aims to contribute to a more complex definition of the international division of care work.

The regulatory reform of water infrastructure in Italy: overall design and local variations

In 1994, the Italian Parliament passed a reform which aimed to radically change the economic regulatory institutions of the water sector in the country. The implementation of the reform, which lasted about twelve years, resulted in a new regulatory regime which combined selected features of public ownership, franchise allocation, and discretionary regulation. The reform was implemented in different ways across the country, resulting in different forms of organisation and management of water services at the local level. Drawing from this case, this paper aims to discuss two issues, namely why water regulatory reforms are designed as ‘hybrids’ between different regulatory ‘models’, and why, within a given regulatory institutional framework, water regulatory reforms may be implemented in different ways at the local level. This paper, therefore, aims to contribute to a broader scholarly discussion regarding the rationales for institutional variety of water infrastructure regulation at the national and sub-national levels, and regarding the practical implications for managing the implementation of water regulatory reforms.