Business Commons^™

Interpersonal Counterproductive Work Behaviors: Distinguishing Between Person-Focused Versus Task-Focused Behaviors And Their Antecedents, Violet Ho

Management Faculty Publications

Purpose – This study proposes a nuanced perspective for conceptualizing interpersonal counterproductive work behaviors (ICWBs) by distinguishing them into behaviors that hinder other workers’ task performance (task-focused ICWBs), and those that are personal in nature (person-focused ICWBs). A relational stress perspective is adopted to examine work-based dependence relational stressor and negative-affect relational stressor as predictors of each category of behavior, with trait competitiveness as a moderator.

Design/methodology/approach – Deductive and inductive approaches were used to generate items measuring each type of ICWBs, and the two-factor ICWB structure was validated using data from 136 respondents. Data from a different sample of …

Top Athlete Pay, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

The US has a history of discussing the pay of the relatively well-paid. This is partly because pay levels of some are revealed publicly (e.g., CEOs of publicly traded companies). Americans are also characterized as being celebrity-obsessed. So discussing the pay of superstars seems inevitable. However, they do not have quality data on the compensation of the relatively highly paid in many organizations and professions. When the author speaks about compensation in front of large groups, someone (and in many cases, many people) gets incensed over what they term "outrageous" or "egregious" levels of executive compensation. Athletes are rarely mentioned. …

Amazon.Com: Offering Everything From A To Z, Stephanie Lang, Logan Tinder, Jarett Zimmerman, Jeffrey S. Harrison

Robins Case Network

Amazon’s focus on customer service has led to an impressive record of growth and profitability. However, late in 2012, the company posted a quarterly loss. This asks whether the company may be sacrificing profits in the interest of growing rapidly. It also explores the incredibly competitive environment Amazon faces.

Leukemia And Lymphoma Society, Jeffrey S. Harrison, Patrick Desmarteau, Brittany Hamilton, Sarah Patthoff

Robins Case Network

The mission of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is to “cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.” As a not-for-profit organization, LLS is structured differently from most for-profit companies. It’s unique structure allows it to focus on its mission, but also puts the organization in direct competition with other charitable fundraising organizations, and especially the American Cancer Society and Susan B. Komen for the Cure. Economic problems have made fundraising more difficult for all companies in the industry. LLS is also in the position of partnering with big …

The Delimitation Of Corporate Social Responsibility: Upstream, Downstream, And Historic Csr, Judith Schrempf-Stirling

Management Faculty Publications

The dissertation abstract and the reflection commentary present the work of Judith Schrempf. The dissertation examines the latest trends in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and advances a social connection approach to CSR to understand and explain those recent trends. The dissertation abstract provides an overview of the research questions and conclusions of the three-article dissertation. The reflection commentary discusses the author’s views of research process as a junior scholar (see Appendix).

Economic Effects Of The Minimum Wage, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

The US minimum wage, at almost 75 years old, remains the topic of many academic studies and much policy debate despite the fact that only about 5% of hourly employees are currently paid at or below the federal minimum. There are many possible and interesting economic effects of the minimum wage. The issue that has received by far the most attention is whether increasing the minimum wage has a negative effect on employment, and if so, for whom and by how much. Economists first approach this question through the basic theory of a perfectly competitive labor market where all workers …

Groupon, Inc., Kevin Beiles, Trip Humphrey, Ed Solarz, Jeffrey S. Harrison

Robins Case Network

Groupon’s CEO Andrew Mason made a terrible mistake when he refused to accept Google’s $6 billion dollar offer to acquire his company. About a year after its IPO in 2011, Groupon’s market capitalization was only $2.5 billion, and its main product was coming to be thought of as junk e-mail. The company has pursued growth through expanding into new services and products, with the goal of becoming an e-commerce platform that “locks in” the business of local merchants.

Sony Corporation: Reinventing Itself To Rediscover The Technological Edge, Chatterji Dheeman, Hayes Schildwachter, Jeffrey S. Harrison

Robins Case Network

Sony is a global conglomerate with a wide variety of businesses in its portfolio, but a heavy emphasis on electronics and related products. Due to a number of setbacks such as the earthquake in Japan and a weak global economy, the firm has experienced sales declines and negative earnings in recent years. In early 2012 the company announced a major restructuring and new strategy to regain its edge. However, Sony has an uphill battle.

The Walt Disney Company: A Corporate Strategy Analysis, Carlos Carillo, Jeremy Crumley, Kendree Thieringer, Jeffrey S. Harrison

Robins Case Network

Walt Disney is a completely integrated media powerhouse. Films provide material for theme parks and resorts, consumer products, and even a cruise ship. Network and cable broadcasting is also a part of the integrated Disney package. None of Disney’s competitors are as successfully integrated. Still, in spite of a long record of success, Disney is facing more competition on many fronts and, like other media and entertainment companies, must continue to adapt to a changing technological and social environment.

Nestle, Annie Stevens, Dustin Fosness, Josh Katz, Jeffrey S. Harrison

Robins Case Network

Nestlé has a worldwide presence in the food industry. In spite of its market strength associated with its well-known brands, the company has been experiencing declining overall sales for several years. This case describes Nestlé’s diversification strategy and business portfolio in depth, as well as its industry and major competitors. Solving the company’s problems is challenging because of complexity and dependence on so many external factors.

Integrated Block Sharing: A Win–Win Strategy For Hospitals And Surgeons, Robert Watson Day, Robert Garfinkel, Steven M. Thompson

Management Faculty Publications

We consider the problem of balancing two competing objectives in the pursuit of efficient management of operating rooms in a hospital: providing surgeons with predictable, reliable access to the operating room and maintaining high utilization of capacity. The common solution to the first problem (in practice) is to grant exclusive “block time,” in which a portion of the week in an operating room is designated to a particular surgeon, barring other surgeons from using this room/time. As a major improvement over this existing approach, we model the possibility of “shared” block time, which need only satisfy capacity constraints in expectation. …

Testing An Empathy Model Of Guest-Directed Citizenship And Counterproductive Behaviours In The Hospitality Industry: Findings From Three Hotels, Violet Ho, Naina Gupta

Management Faculty Publications

This research proposes and tests an empathy model of guest-directed discretionary behaviors (i.e., citizenship and counterproductive behaviors) using two studies conducted in three hotels. Building on the two-stage model of empathic mediation, we examined the mediating role of empathic concern in the relationship between perspective taking and both forms of discretionary behaviors in Study 1. Support for this mediated model was found in relation to citizenship behaviors but not for counterproductive behaviors. Study 2 was conducted to extend these findings using peer-reports of discretionary behaviors, and to apply an interactional psychology perspective to predict guest-directed counterproductive behaviors. We drew upon …

Ceos Off The Clock, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

There is new and interesting academic work on how executives spend their time and the personal choices they make to maximize utility. From a compensation point of view, one issue that has been at the forefront with respect to executives is perks. One CEO compensation perk that has also received increased scrutiny but is surviving better than club memberships is the use of private aircraft. In a related April 2012 paper, "Executives' 'Off-The-Job' Behavior, Corporate Culture and Financial Reporting Risk" (National Bureau of Economic Research working paper), Robert Davidson, Abbie Smith and Aiyesha Dey consider other off-the-clock behaviors of CEOs …

Vacation As Compensation, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

There is enormous variation in vacation time. Just as there are differences in what pay mix and workplace pract ices are normal, so are there differences in vacation time — across countries, occupations, companies and time.

Paying Professors, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

One of the most interesting quirks of academia is professional tenure. Many argue that tenure is necessary so that faculty can be protected by "academic freedom" to study the issues they find important without outside interference or pressures to conform. It is also, obviously, a nonmonetary reward and this security for life could offset higher salaries. Few accounts of the tenure system, however, recognize that while tenure essentially grants a job for life, it does not come with guaranteed lifetime raises. Some academic organizations, however, give roughly across the board annual raises. They don't seriously reward performance until a faculty …

Does Graduating In A Bad Economy Penalize Your Pay Tor Life?, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

Rigorous research has shown that the state of the economy when one graduates from college does matter. And, unfortunately, given the current slow-growth labor market, it matters not just for earning in the first job after college but also for compensation years in the future. Recessions are bad on graduates' pocketbooks, at graduation and in years to come. If that's not enough, it looks like recessions could be bad for these graduates' current and future health too. J. Catherine Maclean studies the effects of graduating from college during a bad economy on physical functioning, mental functioning and depressive symptoms on …

General Motors Company: Restructured To Rediscover American Innovation, Jeffrey S. Harrison, Stefan Michalski, Joel Winbigler, Trevor Wind

Robins Case Network

Many analysts predicted that General Motors was not salvageable. However, after a government-backed restructuring, the company seems to be doing much better. The big question is whether the turnaround is sustainable. The company is investing heavily in technology in an effort to continue its record of success. This case examines GM up to its reorganization and also details its current strategies.

American Airlines: Bankrupt, Like Every Other Legacy Airline, Jeffrey S. Harrison, Siri Kalburgi, Colleen Koch Reed

Robins Case Network

American held out to the end, being the last of the large legacy carriers to file for Chapter 11 protection. This case reviews the history of American from its inception through its filing. Current strategies and industry trends are also examined.

Lockheed Martin: Dealing With Dependence On A Single Customer, Timothy Kyle Benusa, Sam Gottwald, Jeffrey S. Harrison, John Reed

Robins Case Network

Lockheed Martin is a giant in the aerospace and defense industry, and obtains more than four fifths of its revenues from governments for national defense. Budget deficits have caused the United States and other governments to carefully evaluate the amount they allocate to defense, and sharp cuts are anticipated. What can Lockheed Martin do to deal with reductions in demand from its most important customer?

Governance And Executive Compensation In Nonprofits, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

Corporate governance has attracted much attention lately, justifiably many would argue. In the past couple decades, important legislative changes and public pressure have driven rapid changes in board governance and reporting, much focused on executive compensation, in particular. Still, there seems to be less focus on these issues in nonprofit organizations. This despite the fact that more than one-quarter of Americans volunteered through or for an organization last year, with the likely majority of these organizations being nonprofits. Adjusting for organization size, however, cash pay is not that different in for-profits and nonprofits. Resources exist for helping nonprofit boards govern …

Why Do We Tip?, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

Some economists may argue that the billions of dollars a year spent on tipping are difficult to understand. After all, there is no requirement to tip. In a recent article "Why Tip? An Empirical Investigation for Tipping Car Guards" (Journal of Economic Psychology, February 2010), Stephen G. Saunders and Michael Lynn summarize potential reasons for tipping as: to increase the probability of good service upon repeat business, to reward good work, to redistribute income to service workers, to avoid societal disapproval or gain societal approval and to conform to internalized norms. Tipping hair stylists and babysitters clearly fits into the …

Massive Kinked Bonuses, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

While most people are paid by the hour or with a yearly salary, some are also paid bonuses. And, some are paid very large, all-or-nothing bonuses. The author's favorite recent example is from last summer when golfer Darren Clarke earned a $3-million bonus from his sponsor. But it was how the payout was structured more than the amount that so intrigued him -- his sponsor's payout was all or nothing. How people are paid is fascinating. It is particularly interesting in this case of very, very large bonuses. The sports odds that Darren Clarke would win the tournament going into …

Do External Financial Statement Auditors Sufficiently Adjust Their Audit Plans For Automated-Control Deficiencies?, Daniel D. Selby

Accounting Faculty Publications

Shelton (1999) found that experience, based on rank, mitigates the influence of less-than diagnostic evidence in going concern assessments. But, numerous studies (e.g., Abdolmohammadi and Wright 1987) question the external validity of studies that use rank to determine experience. I suspect that specialized domain experience is a better measure because all auditor ranks do not have procedural knowledge in going concern decisions but many auditors may have procedural knowledge in audit planning (AICPA 2008) and automated controls (Hunton et al. 2004). I investigate whether external financial statement auditors (henceforth auditors) sufficiently adjust their audit plans for material-automated-control-weaknesses. I determine the …

Ever Expanding Responsibilities: Upstream And Downstream Corporate Social Responsibility, Judith Schrempf-Stirling, Guido Palazzo, Robert A. Phillips

Management Faculty Publications

The debate on corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been on the public and academic agenda for several decades. In general, CSR issues can be divided into production-related issues (along the supply chain - or how things are made) and consumption-related issues (towards the consumer and society at large - or how things are used). Following the terminology of Phillips and Caldweli, Z upstream CSR refers to the CSR debate along the supply chain, and downstream CSR refers to corporate responsibility towards consumers and society at large. The chapter examines current CSR issues, and proposes a social connection model to understand …

The Second Glass Ceiling Impedes Women Entrepreneurs, Douglas A. Bosse, Porcher L. Taylor Iii

Management Faculty Publications

The glass ceiling phenomenon that impedes the advancement of talented women professionals into senior executive roles inside large corporations is widely recognized in society, studied in the management literature, taught in business schools, and tangibly felt by many women executives. Outside the corporate setting, we show that a second glass ceiling exists for women entrepreneurs and women small business owners. This second glass ceiling is a gender bias that obstructs women-owned small firms from accessing the financial capital required to start new firms and fuel the growth of existing firms. This paper (1) defines the second glass ceiling phenomenon, (2) …

Managing For Stakeholders, Stakeholder Utility Functions, And Competitive Advantage, Jeffrey S. Harrison, Douglas A. Bosse, Robert A. Phillips

Management Faculty Publications

This paper integrates some of the central concepts of stakeholder theory with the literatures on organizational justice and trust to explain firm competitiveness. It provides a detailed explanation of factors that facilitate acquisition of knowledge about stakeholder utility functions. In addition, it offers a knowledge-based analysis of how firms that manage for stakeholders can enjoy sustainable competitive benefits. These explanations provide a strong rationale for including stakeholder theory in the discussion of firm competitiveness and performance.

Nothing Lasts Forever: A Different Way To Structure Severance, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

When a CEO receives a massive payout in the face of job cuts and a precipitous drop in stock price, should we really be surprised to see shareholders (and the public) get upset?

Worthy Work And Bowie's Kantian Theory Of Meaningful Work, Joanne B. Ciulla

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

Over the years, Norman E. Bowie has applied Kant’s ethics to several aspects of business ethics, but the one that I find the most compelling is his Kantian theory of meaningful work. He writes about it in his book Business Ethics: A Kantian Perspective (1999) and in an article ‘A Kantian theory of meaningful work’ (1998a). Bowie’s writing in this area demonstrates how Kant, perhaps more than any other philosopher, offers the most stringent and lucid account of what a moral employer/employee relationship should look like. Kantian ethics also provide Bowie with a foundation for explaining his idea of meaningful …

The Robins Center: Is Less More?, Randle D. Raggio, John Richardson

Marketing Faculty Publications

The Robins Center at the University of Richmond, home of Richmond’s men’s and women’s basketball teams, had hosted a Presidential debate in 1992, but at 38 years old it was time for a major renovation. In mid-March 2011, based on the success of the men’s basketball program over the past two seasons, a generous donor had agreed to contribute the total amount needed to renovate the Robins Center.

In late April, Jim Miller, Richmond’s Athletic Director, had to make a presentation to the board of trustees and the university president with his proposed renovations. One of his major decisions was …

An Empirical Examination Of University Intercollegiate Athletic Expenditures, Jeffery L. Stinson, Adam Marquardt, Joshua Chandley

Marketing Faculty Publications

To date, little empirical work has examined the institutional returns associated with athletic program investments. While intangible brand effects are commonly cited, such as athletics serving as the perceptual "front porch" of the institution, direct examination of the effects of athletic programs has often been narrow in scope. Within this study, we assess the contributions of investment in athletics as compared to other areas of institutional investment, on important institutional outcomes. Data for the study was collected from two datasets, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the Equity in Athletics dataset. Fixed effects models for NCAA Football Bowl …