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How can managers reduce information asymmetry in dyadic manager-external stakeholder relationships in a complex and evolving environment? Addressing this question has significant implications for firm survival, growth, and competitive advantage.

We have adopted a multiparadigm approach to theory building, known as metatriangulation. We integrate the dynamic capabilities, sensemaking, and evolutionary theory literatures to theorize how managers can relate to stakeholders in a complex and evolving environment.

We propose, via a conceptual framework and three propositions, “evolutionary sensemaking” as the managerial metacognitive dynamic capability that helps managers hone their understanding based on the evolutionary changes in the stakeholder’s interpretations of information quality preferences. The framework unfolds across three evolutionary stages: sensing preferences' variation of the stakeholder, seizing preferences, and transforming for complexity alignment and retention. The propositions focus on managing complexity in stakeholder information quality preference, employing cognitive capabilities to simplify, interpret, and align interpretations for effective information asymmetry reduction.

To develop the metacognitive dynamic capability of evolutionary sensemaking, managers need to train for and foster the underlying complex cognitive capabilities by enhancing their (1) perception and attention skills, (2) problem-solving and reasoning skills, and (3) language, communication, and social cognition skills, focusing specifically on reducing the complexity embedded in stakeholder cognition and diverse stakeholder preferences for information quality. Contrary to the current advice to “keep things simple” and provide “more” information to the stakeholders for opportunism reduction, trust-building, and superior governance, our framework suggests that managers hone their cognitive capabilities by learning to deal with the underlying complexity.

The proposed framework and propositions address research gaps in reducing information asymmetry. It enriches the dynamic capabilities literature by recognizing complexity (as opposed to opportunism) as an alternative source of information asymmetry, which needs to be addressed in this stream of research. It extends the sensemaking literature by identifying the complexity sources – i.e. stakeholder preferences for diverse information quality attributes and the associated cognitive preference interpretation processes. The article enhances evolutionary theory by delving into microprocesses related to information asymmetry reduction, which the existing literature does not thoroughly investigate.

The objective of this research is to present a causal model of the influence of stock options on psychological contract and employee attitudes, and report results of an initial empirical examination of this model.

To test the model, data were collected using a survey methodology from 98 employees in a large financial services firm. Multiple‐regression equations were used to derive the path coefficients.

The psychological contract variable of met expectations mediated the relationships between stock options and tenure intent and organizational commitment thus providing support for the intrinsic value model. Equity perceptions mediated the relationship between stocks exercised and met expectations. Equity perceptions, however, did not mediate the relationship between stock options and employee attitudes. Similarly, stock earnings also had a direct effect on external career intent indicating that employees who had exercised their stock options were looking for outside career opportunities contrary to our hypothesis.

Future studies should attempt to reconcile the intrinsic versus extrinsic value stock options may have on employee attitudes. These results should be considered tentative and interpreted with caution due to the cross‐sectional nature of data. The support for the intrinsic model suggests that organizations that use stock options may expect positive attitudes from their employees.

This is believed to be the first study that attempts to develop and test a causal model.

Presents 31 abstracts, edited by Johanthan Morris and Mike Reed, from the 2003 Employment Research Unit Annual Conference, held at Cardiff Business School in September 2003. The conference theme was “The end of management? managerial pasts, presents and futures”. Contributions covered, for example, the changing HR role, managing Kaizen, contradiction in organizational life, organizational archetypes, changing managerial work and gendering first‐time management roles. Case examples come from areas such as Mexico, South Africa, Australia, the USA, Canada and Turkey.

This paper explores the issue of transferring western human resource management (HRM) practices to Algeria. Drawing on a case study of a large industrial company, the research identifies the motives for the transfer and examines the selection and implementation process of western HRM practices in Algeria. Evidence generated from the case study reveals that while management justifications for the transfer of western HRM practices capture the economic and technical rationale for western HRM practices, they fail to identify local conditions under which these HRM practices might be transferred. The applicability of western HRM is hindered by the unplanned and haphazard importation of western HRM practices.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate subjectivity issue, particularly sensitivity variance and fatigue effect, in human sensory evaluation, as well as review the feasibility of human-independent quality system, using E-tongue and E-nose.

The sensitivity level is evaluated by measuring the threshold of Acesulfame-K, while the fatigue effect is evaluated by measuring the accuracy level of evaluation through the time. The experiment was administered to six trained sensory panelists.

The experiment result shows that each panelist has a different level of sensitivity and tendency in evaluating samples containing Acesulfame-K. Furthermore, by simulating the panelists’ daily inspection, the fatigue effect is also found in one out of six panelists. The use of E-nose and E-tongue, may eliminate the subjectivity issue, supporting the development of human error-free quality system.

The research findings indicate the needs of human substitution-built into the quality system to avoid both of subjectivity and error judgment while defining the products quality. However, the small numbers of panelists as well as the unvalidated substitute instruments application in the target workcenter were the main limitation of this study. Human-independent quality system could be applied only when the instruments have been calibrated to human response in perceiving taste and odor.

The research finding supports the theory of human panels’ tradeoffs in a sensory analysis in terms of sensitivity level variance and fatigue. It has provided additional contributions to the existing theories as well as developed effective strategies for the development of the human-independent quality system.

In wireless sensor networks, improving the network lifetime is considered as the prime objective that needs to be significantly addressed during data aggregation. Among the traditional data aggregation techniques, cluster-based dominating set algorithms are identified as more effective in aggregating data through cluster heads. But, the existing cluster-based dominating set algorithms suffer from a major drawback of energy deficiency when a large number of communicating nodes need to collaborate for transferring the aggregated data. Further, due to this reason, the energy of each communicating node is gradually decreased and the network lifetime is also decreased. To increase the lifetime of the network, the proposed algorithm uses two sets: Dominating set and hit set.

The proposed algorithm uses two sets: Dominating set and hit set. The dominating set constructs an unequal clustering, and the hit set minimizes the number of communicating nodes by selecting the optimized cluster head for transferring the aggregated data to the base station. The simulation results also infer that the proposed optimized unequal clustering algorithm (OUCA) is greater in improving the network lifetime to a maximum amount of 22% than the existing cluster head selection approach considered for examination.

In this paper, lifetime of the network is prolonged by constructing an unequal cluster using the dominating set and electing an optimized cluster head using hit set. The dominator set chooses the dominator based on the remaining energy and its node degree of each node. The optimized cluster head is chosen by the hit set to minimize the number of communicating nodes in the network. The proposed algorithm effectively constructs the clusters with a minimum number of communicating nodes using the dominating and hit set. The simulation result confirms that the proposed algorithm prolonging the lifetime of the network efficiently when compared with the existing algorithms.

The proposed algorithm effectively constructs the clusters with a minimum number of communicating nodes using the dominating and hit sets. The simulation result confirms that the proposed algorithm is prolonging the lifetime of the network efficiently when compared with the existing algorithms.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the combined effects of the deterministic surface roughness and porous structure on the lubrication property of the multi-layer bearing.

Digital filtering technique and Kozeny-Carman equation are used to simulate the random Gauss surface and the internal pore structure of the porous bearing, respectively. Effects of surface morphology, structure and pores on the lubrication property are discussed by using the finite difference method.

Results show that the lubrication performance of the multi-layer bearing increased with the increase of the surface roughness. Also, the transverse surface is better than that of the longitudinal surface. Moreover, lubricating property is getting worse with the increase of the height of each layer and the porosity. The lower permeability surface is beneficial to improve the lubrication performance when the total porosity is certain.

The effect of the Gauss roughness parameters on the detail of lubrication performance are analysed, such as the migration of the oil film rupture point position, the expansion of the pressure distribution region and the fluctuation of the pressure distribution curve with the roughness parameters. The combined effects of surface roughness, multi-layer structure and the internal pore parameters on the hydrodynamic behaviours of multi-layer porous bearing are analysed. This work is beneficial for the analysis of the tribological property and the structural design of multi-layer bearing.