Emerald | Management Research: The Journal of the Iberoamerican Academy of Management

The downsizing effects on survivors: a structural equation modeling analysis

2011-11-15 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – The extant scholarly research has been delving into several effects of downsizing, such as job insecurity, organizational commitment and innovative behavior. The purpose of this paper is to develop a model proposing organizational commitment as a mediator between job insecurity and innovative behavior. Downsizing survivors – or the individuals who remain when others exit a firm – may have higher job insecurity and lower organizational commitment post-downsizing, thus lowering their innovative efforts. Design/methodology/approach – The authors collected 224 questionnaires from Portuguese employees and analyzed simultaneous relations with a structural equation modeling. Findings – The analysis of mediating effects suggests that the lack of commitment is not a mediating construct between job insecurity and innovative behavior. However, downsizing directly affects both organizational commitment and innovative behavior. Practical implications – The innovative behavior seems to be directly affected by job insecurity, raising implications regarding the use of downsizing as a short-term practice, without acknowledging the long-term impact on organizational innovative capabilities. Originality/value – The paper contributes by testing the moderating role of organizational commitment in the relationship between job insecurity and innovative behaviors.

Internet interacted: 1991-2003

Veneta Andonova, Antonio Ladrón de Guevara, Eric Brousseau — 2011-11-15 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how the market potential for internet services interacted historically with the diffusion process of fixed line and mobile telephony. Design/methodology/approach – The authors evaluate the historical interactions between internet, fixed line and mobile telephony using the International Telecommunications Union data set from 1991 until 2003 for 214 countries. Findings – It was found that between 1991 and 2003 mobile and internet services were fully complementary; fixed line facilitated the diffusion of internet service, but internet diffusion did not affect fixed line telephony. The authors discuss the implications of these results in the light of current developments of the telecommunications industry. Research limitations/implications – Internet adoption should be analysed in close relation to the adoption of other telecommunication services, such as fixed line and mobile telephony. Originality/value – The paper shows the interconnectivity of the internet with other telecommunication services and emphasizes the asymmetric nature of these interactions. Telecommunication services interactions are discussed in the light of recent industry developments.

Do emotions matter?: The role of emotional intelligence competences in cross-cultural adjustment for international assignment

Rachel Gabel-Shemueli, Simon Dolan — 2011-11-15 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose emotional intelligence (hereinafter EI) competences as a key predictor for overall cross-cultural adjustment of managers and professionals in its three respective dimensions: work, interaction and non-work adjustment. This explorative study contributes to the assessment and selection of potential professionals for international assignments by identifying the combination of soft competences and selected pre-existing personal factors that can predict cross cultural adjustment beyond traditional technical or functional skills. Design/methodology/approach – Data were gathered via a pre-validated multi-item questionnaire. The latter was administered in two languages: English and Spanish and two steps of multiple hierarchical regression analyses were conducted, in addition to the main variables (i.e. main effect). A total of 16 individual, organisational and context-related control variables were used in this study. Findings – The main findings indicate that EI is related to overall cross-cultural adjustment measured in its three dimensions. However, EI was most strongly related to interaction adjustment following overall cross-cultural adjustment. Furthermore, by isolating some important variables, the predictive role of EI on cross-cultural adjustment above and beyond these control variables was shown. Research limitations/implications – EI is still a new and debatable construct. Researchers are continuing to explore this construct from different angles. Moreover, there is keen interest in ascertaining whether the findings reported herein are sustainable. With the exception of one external source (culture distance), all data for the current study were collected via a self-reported questionnaire and although additional effort was made to reduce some potential method-variance problems, they cannot be entirely ruled out. The authors encourage future studies to improve the design by gathering data from multiple sources and from diverse settings. Practical implications – The paper reviews the possible advantages of including EI assessment in international postings selection process. Originality/value – This paper fills the need to study the predictive role of key soft skills in understanding cross-cultural adjustment of international assignees. This study analysed the role of emotions in cross-cultural settings by specifically examining a set of competences stemming from the EI construct. Although EI has been extensively used in the organisational behaviour literature, to the best of the authors' knowledge, there is still a need to empirically explore the relationships of this construct within the context of overseas postings and cross cultural encounters.

To, from and beyond the margins: Business models: towards an integrative framework

Luis Vives, Silviya Svejenova — 2011-11-15 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an integrative framework on business models that combines and connects concepts pertinent to the literatures of strategy, entrepreneurship, and organization. Design/methodology/approach – The paper describes the framework's theoretical development. Findings – The framework enriches the discussion on business models by providing a life cycle perspective. Research limitations/implications – This paper aims at advancing the theoretical grounds of business models by integrating and extending the existing literature. In the future, further research needs to evaluate the use of this integration. Originality/value – The paper integrates a number of disparate contributions to the understanding of business models from the fields of strategy, entrepreneurship and organization theory.

Editor’s introduction

2011-11-15 00:00:00.0