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21 – 30 of over 2000Eric F. Rietzschel, Carsten K.W. De Dreu and Bernard A. Nijstad
Psychologists have created highly specific and elaborate models of the creative process and the variables affecting creative performance. Unfortunately, much of this research has…
Abstract
Psychologists have created highly specific and elaborate models of the creative process and the variables affecting creative performance. Unfortunately, much of this research has tended to take either an overanalytical or an underanalytical approach. By overanalytical we mean that researchers have studied single, isolated stages of group creativity, such as idea generation. By underanalytical we mean that researchers have tended to treat “creative group performance” as a single, unitary construct. However, we argue that it would be better to approach creativity as a multidimensional sequence of behaviors. In support of this argument, we discuss research on individual as well as group creativity showing that, firstly, there are multiple routes toward creative performance (e.g., flexibility and persistence), which may be pursued alone or in combination. It is likely that these different routes are subject to distinct influences. Secondly, we argue and show that different stages of the creative process (problem finding, idea generation, idea selection, idea implementation) are not necessarily affected by the same variables, or in the same way. We highlight some new questions for research, and discuss implications for the management of groups and teams.
J. David Hacker, Michael R. Haines and Matthew Jaremski
The US fertility transition in the nineteenth century is unusual. Not only did it start from a very high fertility level and very early in the nation’s development, but it also…
Abstract
The US fertility transition in the nineteenth century is unusual. Not only did it start from a very high fertility level and very early in the nation’s development, but it also took place long before the nation’s mortality transition, industrialization, and urbanization. This paper assembles new county-level, household-level, and individual-level data, including new complete-count IPUMS microdata databases of the 1830–1880 censuses, to evaluate different theories for the nineteenth-century American fertility transition. We construct cross-sectional models of net fertility for currently-married white couples in census years 1830–1880 and test the results with a subset of couples linked between the 1850–1860, 1860–1870, and 1870–1880 censuses. We find evidence of marital fertility control consistent with hypotheses as early as 1830. The results indicate support for several different but complementary theories of the early US fertility decline, including the land availability, conventional structuralist, ideational, child demand/quality-quantity tradeoff, and life cycle savings theories.
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J. Lantaires, G. Forster, M.S. Setty and Nihal Sinnadurai
The venue for this year's ISHM‐Benelux Autumn Conference and ‘table‐top’ display meeting on 12 October will be the Institut Supérieur Industriel de l'Etat, Mons, Belgium.
Pernilla Gripenberg, Charlotta Niemistö and Carla Alapeteri
The purpose of this paper is to explore gender differences in career prospects and changes in attitudes to international assignments over recent decades in Finland. This is…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore gender differences in career prospects and changes in attitudes to international assignments over recent decades in Finland. This is relevant in light of the international immobility trend among staff with which MNCs especially are struggling, coupled with the persistent unequal ratio of male to female expatriates. The paper aims to increase the understanding of how gender and family relations affect international career prospects and what changes have evolved over time.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper compares differences and changes in opportunities to and preferences for long-term international assignments between male and female business graduates in Finland. It uses survey data on attitudes to expatriation from 1994 to 2008.
Findings
A general shift from individual career centeredness towards family centeredness was detected between the two points in time. Paradoxically, this research shows that while gender equality seems to be increasing between spouses, it seems to be decreasing in who is being offered international assignments. The results give valuable insights into how the trend of international immobility has occurred and how the gender relations and gendered values are developing in society.
Practical implications
While the international immobility trend persists, women apparently remain as an under-utilized resource when searching for employees to send on long-term expatriate assignments. Global HR professionals should pay more attention to whom expatriate assignments are offered and to how dual career couples and families can be better supported in the expatriation process.
Originality /value
The paper contributes to the understanding of gendered careers and women's opportunities in international assignments with a unique comparison of changes over time.
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The purpose of this chapter is to identify African financial management practices, highlight their origin and explain how they differ from their Western counterparts. The study…
Abstract
The purpose of this chapter is to identify African financial management practices, highlight their origin and explain how they differ from their Western counterparts. The study identified indigenous African financial practices using literature review, archival sources and library research covering the five areas of Africa comprising Northern Africa, Eastern Africa, Central Africa Western Africa and Southern Africa. The study found out that pre-colonial indigenous African financial management features prevalent use of trade finance, trade credit management, investment management and accounting. While there is also evidence of modification of Western financial management practices to suit African contexts, it is on the whole scarce. This is suggestive of the fact that they were in existence in the first instance. The clear conclusion is that many indigenous African financial management practices pre-dated and foreshadowed their Western counterparts. Yet, it is confounding that this has been largely lost sight of, and both scholars and financial management practitioners depict the former as inferior. There is clearly a need to remedy this situation. Educators need to focus on incorporating ethno-finance concepts into the entire curricula chain from basic to higher education. The anchor point for such curricula is Ubuntu philosophy. Financial management practitioners, on their part, need to shed notions that the indigenous practices are inferior and seek to journalise their day-to-day work experiences to build a body of documented practice.
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Seeks to investigate the adjustment of business relocatees to their host environment. It explores the facets of the relocatees’ adjustment in the following three regions: Germany…
Abstract
Seeks to investigate the adjustment of business relocatees to their host environment. It explores the facets of the relocatees’ adjustment in the following three regions: Germany as the home country and destination for domestic assignments, Western Europe and other countries. It further investigates the stress levels the relocatees display and their motives for accepting or actively seeking relocation. If the results of this survey suggest the existence of Western Europe as a distinct assignment location, these findings will form a valuable basis for the development of policies for intra‐European personnel transfers, particularly in the area of selection, training, development and compensation.
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Md. Harun Ur Rashid, Md. Sha Alam Buhayan, Md. Abdul Kaium Masud and Adrian Sawyer
The study examines the effects of governance quality and religiosity on tax evasion (TE) in the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries. Further…
Abstract
The study examines the effects of governance quality and religiosity on tax evasion (TE) in the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries. Further, the study investigates which government qualities and religiosities affect TE significantly. Ordinary least squares has been used to analyze the data gathered from 36 OECD countries covering the period of 2002–2015 based on the latest data of TE. The results show the negative impact of governance quality and religiosity on TE; it implies the higher level of governance quality and religiosity, and the lower level of TE across the countries. Among the governance qualities, the higher the government effectiveness (GE), the rule of law (RL), and regulatory quality (RQ), the lower the level of TE as they have a negatively significant impact on TE. On the contrary, the positive impact of the voice of accountability (VA) and political stability (PS) on TE implies that with increasing the VA and PS, TE also increases. Moreover, during the investigation of religiosities on TE, the study found that Catholics (CATH) have a significant and negative effect on TE, while Muslim (MUSL) is found to be positively significant. Overall findings of the study suggest the government of the OECD countries to emphasize enhancing the governance quality and practicing of peoples' religious activities freely, which demotivates people to evade tax.
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Arthur Seakhoa-King, Marcjanna M Augustyn and Peter Mason
Globalization creates a turbulent, stressful environment for groups, organizations, and communities (cities, states, nations). With rapid communication, affordable long‐distance…
Abstract
Globalization creates a turbulent, stressful environment for groups, organizations, and communities (cities, states, nations). With rapid communication, affordable long‐distance transportation and the opening of borders, every institution worldwide feels the strain of adapting to a rapidly changing environment. To survive and prosper, social systems (groups, organizations, communities) need to develop their capacities for rapid, adaptive responses. Analyzing studies of highly effective and stable teams, organizations, and communities through the lense of complexity theory suggests a common, parsimonious set of design principles for sustainable social systems.
The techniques available for the repair of historic masonry structures are extremely wide ranging. The advantages and disadvantages of each type of repair can be evaluated in…
Abstract
Purpose
The techniques available for the repair of historic masonry structures are extremely wide ranging. The advantages and disadvantages of each type of repair can be evaluated in terms of cost, time and quality as with modern projects. It is however, important to realise that when repairs to historic buildings are selected they must conform to building conservation philosophy, or an ethical and principle based evaluation. The purpose of this paper (part 2 of 2) is to establish what is meant by principles in this context and wherever possible apply practical examples to illustrate these concepts.
Design/methodology/approach
Evaluative literature review of the principles encapsulated within building conservation philosophy utilising them to stimulate discussion on practical repair interventions.
Findings
It has been shown that the principles of building conservation philosophy must be considered prior to making decisions relating to masonry repair. These repairs have varying degrees of defensibility, and will ultimately lead to good or bad conservation approaches. This paper briefly discusses the principles, highlighting some of the issues that may be initially confusing to the practitioner.
Originality/value
The evaluation of building conservation philosophy for masonry repair, and more specifically the “principles” have been little studied. The importance of this cannot however be over stated, as far from being an esoteric concept it affects every practical repair. This work brings together the study of the philosophical and practical, enabling practitioners to better understand the ramifications of building conservation philosophy for their projects. It must however be emphasised that as with any aspect of philosophy, there is not necessarily a right or wrong answer, only higher levels of defence for the selected repairs.
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