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What does it mean to be a “smart” negotiator? Few scholars have paid much attention to this question, a puzzling omission given copious research suggesting that cognitive ability (the type of intelligence commonly measured by psychometric tests) predicts individual performance in many related contexts. In addition to cognitive ability, other definitions of intelligence (e.g., emotional intelligence) have been proposed that theoretically could influence negotiation outcomes. Aiming to stimulate renewed attention to the role of intelligence in negotiation, we develop theoretical propositions linking multiple forms of intelligence to information acquisition, decision making, and tactical choices in bargaining contexts. We outline measurement issues relevant to empirical work on this topic, and discuss implications for negotiation teaching and practice.

This chapter combines quantitative studies of the connections between stressors and performance in accounting settings and identifies the mediators and moderators of stressors–performance relationships. Using meta-analyses and path analyses, this research compiles 72 studies to investigate the relationships of stressors with accountant and auditor performance. As hypothesized, bivariate meta-analyses results indicate that work-related stressors negatively affect performance, and burnout and stress are negatively related to performance, whereas motivation is positively related to performance. Moreover, a meta-analytical structural equation modeling indicates that role stressors have significant direct and indirect effects (through burnout and stress) on job performance. Accumulation of multiple samples through meta-analysis bolsters statistical power compared to single-sample studies and thus reveals the sign of residual direct effects of role stressors on job performance in accounting settings.

Recently, we (Judiesch, Schmidt, & Mount, 1992) concluded that the Schmidt et al. (1979) SDy estimation procedure results in downwardly biased estimates of utility. This conclusion led us to propose a modification of the Schmidt et al. method that involves estimating SDy as the product of estimates of the coefficient of variation (SDy/ Y) and an objective estimate of the average value of employee output (Y). The present article reviews the rationale underlying our conclusion that this modification of the Schmidt et al. method of estimating SDy results in more accurate estimates of SDy, and hence, utility.

This paper comprises a theoretical study of factors influencing the utility of organisational downsizing. Companies downsize in order to adapt to lower demand or as a means to improving efficiency, i e to improve their performance/cost ratio. With perfect information and no legal or ethical restrictions, management would remove employees with the lowest utility. This information is normally lacking and downsizing is instead based on a headcount or on total salary cost reduction. The efficiency of such measures will then be a function of the correlation between salary and utility. Different downsizing outcomes are calculated on the basis of different assumptions; some of these outcomes increase efficiency while others would probably lead to continued decline. Many companies are subject to legal restrictions such as Last In First Out tenure requirements. This leads on to an analysis of relationships among utility, salary and period of employment. Break‐even analyses are computed showing on what terms it would be worthwhilefor management to offer longterm employees early retirement.

This paper provides a quantitative review of the literature on the repercussions of idiosyncratic information on firms’ cost of equity (CoE) capital. In total, I review the results of 113 unique studies examining the CoE effects of information Quantity, Precision and Asymmetry. My results suggest that the association between firm-specific information and CoE is subject to moderate effects. First, the link between Quantity and CoE is moderated by disclosure types and country-level factors in that firms in comparatively weakly regulated countries tend to enjoy up to four times greater CoE benefits from more expansive disclosure—depending on the type of disclosure—than firms in strongly regulated markets. Second, a negative relationship between Precision and CoE is only significant in studies using non-accrual quality proxies for Precision and risk factor-based (RFB)/valuation model-based (VMB) proxies for CoE. Third, almost all VMB studies confirm the positive association between Asymmetry and CoE, but there is notable variation in the conclusions reached when ex post CoE measurers are used.

An alternative method of utility analysis based on tenure, rather than dollar value performance, is presented. The standard deviation of employees' tenure with an organisation becomes the individual differences parameter, rather than SDy, and mean dollar value performance (Y) provides the scaling onto dollars. Results suggest that the new model produces utility estimates that are not significantly different from the classic Brogden‐Cronbach‐Gleser model.

This paper examines both theoretically and empirically the application of utility theory to downsizing decisions. It is shown that residual efficiency after downsizing can differ greatly, depending on whether a company uses a headcount, utility or payroll reduction and that the correlations among employee age/period of job tenure, individual utility and salary all contribute to these differences. Companies are often restricted by legal and ethical considerations when deciding who will leave during downsizing. Using the above conceptual framework it is shown that companies can determine a financial break‐even point where it would be worthwhile to offer some categories of employees a severance package in order to have freedom of action during downsizing. Data are used from an empirical study of a large financial services company to illustrate the practical application of the model. It is concluded that only limited amounts of information in addition to that normally available to HR managers is required in order to apply the models developed in this study and that utility theory can make a valuable contribution to decision‐making in the downsizing process.

Business ethics provide a potent source of competitive advantage, placing increasing pressure on organizations to create and maintain an ethical workforce. Nonetheless, ethical breaches continue to permeate corporate life, suggesting that there is something missing from how we conceptualize and institutionalize organizational ethics. The current effort seeks to fill this void in two ways. First, we introduce an extended ethical framework premised on sensemaking in organizations. Within this framework, we suggest that multiple individual, organizational, and societal factors may differentially influence the ethical sensemaking process. Second, we contend that human resource management plays a central role in sustaining workplace ethics and explore the strategies through which human resource personnel can work to foster an ethical culture and spearhead ethics initiatives. Future research directions applicable to scholars in both the ethics and human resources domains are provided.

Meta-analysis has been relied on relatively infrequently in strategic management studies, certainly as compared to other fields such as the medical sciences, psychology, and education. This may be unfortunate, as there are several aspects of the manner in which strategic management studies are typically conducted that make them especially appropriate for this approach. To this end, we provide a brief foundation for meta-analysis, an example of meta-analysis, and a discussion of those elements that strongly recommend the efficacy of meta-analysis for the synthesis of strategic management studies.