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The purpose of this study is to add to the existing literature on the impact of organizational changes on psychological contracts by examining the exchange between employer and employee obligations and organizational commitment and intention to turnover in a causal model.

Psychological contracts of 450 health care workers were assessed in a three‐wave longitudinal design, covering a one‐year period. The Tilburg Psychological Contract Questionnaire measures perceived obligations with respect to Job Content, Career Development, Social Atmosphere, Organizational Policies and Rewards (perceived organizational obligations) and In‐role and Extra‐role Obligations (perceived employee obligations). Linear structural equation modeling was used to test the changes in psychological contracts and outcome variables over time, and also to investigate the changes in the relationships between the dependent and independent variables over time.

The results show that organizational changes negatively affect the fulfilment and violation of perceived organizational obligations. However, perceived employee obligations are not affected. The perceived fulfilment of Organizational Policies and violations of the psychological contract in general are most strongly affected.

Empirical longitudinal field research on the effects of organizational changes on psychological contracts is virtually non‐existent. This study is a valuable contribution to psychological contract research, because of the longitudinal nature of the study and the linear structural equation models that are used.

The objective of this chapter is to compare the measurement bases of income and expenditures found in International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) used in Public Accounts with those in the statistical rules used in National Accounts/Government Finance Statistics (GFS). Both frameworks apply an accrual methodology, but, while some governments appear dubious about adopting the IPSAS framework, the National Accounts framework is more ‘tried and tested’ for government financial reporting on an international scale. The practical application of the accrual methodology in the two frameworks differs to a certain extent. These differences provide learning opportunities for both frameworks.

This paper aims to examine pricing differences regarding contingencies presented in statements of financial position or notes, which are considered an area for creative accounting.

The authors have chosen two countries with different cultural environments to test the exploratory study. The sample includes companies using the International Accounting Standard (IAS) 37, which requires recognition of provisions while contingent liabilities are only disclosed, implying different impacts from underlying judgement related with contingencies. The authors apply a regression model based on the Ohlson equity-valuation framework.

The most important conclusion is that market participants in both countries follow different patterns when incorporating information about provisions and contingent liabilities. More precisely, the results suggest that provisions are value-relevant, but incrementally less negative in Portugal. Contingent liabilities seem to have no value relevance. However, an exception exists for Portuguese companies having a risk committee board, in which case a significant market valuation of contingent liabilities is found and discounted in share prices. The existence of a risk committee corroborates the value relevance of this board, which is positively valued by market participants in both national cultures.

The findings may make a contribution to the IASB research project on the IAS 37 and possible amendments to it (suspended until the revisions to the conceptual framework are finalized) and to the IASB prioritization of communication effectiveness of financial statements to all users.

Value relevance of contingencies differentiating countries from two different national cultures and firms with a risk committee on the board of directors.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the obligations and responsibilities of librarians, working in Greek academic libraries and to investigate whether there are significant differences among various institutions.

The survey was based on a questionnaire containing 161 duties performed by academic librarians, classified into five main categories which are: general management, collection management, materials organization, user service and system management. The respondents were 31 managers at Greek academic libraries, who were asked to assess their duties according to importance, difficulty and frequency, and whether such tasks were deemed professional, para-professional or non-professional. A two-way ANOVA was applied to determine whether performed duties significantly differed according to institution size and/or type.

The results revealed no significant differences regarding importance of duties while many differences were detected across all main categories regarding difficulty. Differences were also recorded concerning the frequency of duties for some of the subcategories under general and collection management, materials organization and the subcategory cultural events and programs. Finally, professional duties represented 86 percent of total duties, indicating the necessity of professional librarians for the effective management of their responsibilities.

These findings, which are first recorded in Greece and refer to academic librarians’ duties, will be particularly useful for decision makers to reach the right decisions regarding the implementation of human resource practices, taking into account the individuality of the institutions under consideration. Also these outcomes can be viewed as a valuable guide for adapting the indicated decisions under the rapidly introduced technological changes and properly tackling problems stemming from the economic recession.

We examine and compare funding status, actuarial assumptions and asset investment allocations of defined benefit pension plans in the public and private sectors across time, using information as reported under GASB and FASB. We find that pension plans in both sectors are underfunded and that inferences about pension funding in the public sector would be different if pension assets' fair values were required in the computation of funding status. Actuarial assumptions of public employee plans appear to be both more optimistic and less variable than those of private sector plans. Finally, we document that public sector plans allocate invested assets somewhat differently than in the private sector, although our findings do not confirm anecdotal reports of riskier pension investment strategies relative to the private sector.

The purpose of the paper is to present research into the employment relationship in small firms and to examine its link to high performance. A psychological contract framework is adopted, it being argued that this supports a more nuanced analysis than existing perspectives on the small firm employment relationship which are limited and do not give sufficient insight into performance issues.

The paper employs a case study approach, carrying out 41 interviews involving both owner managers and employees in three firms. A critical incident technique (CIT) is adopted in the interviews.

The paper finds that high performance derives from a relational psychological contract and that transactional contracts impact negatively on performance. It is also demonstrated that, contrary to what is implied in much of the existing small firm literature, small firms are capable of building relational contracts.

The research in this paper is drawn from a small‐scale study and is not generalisable. It does, however, provide a basis for a more detailed study of the small firm employment relationship.

The research in the paper demonstrates the value of building a relational psychological contract in order to drive high performance. It also gives insight into how this can be done in the small firm context and the importance of the owner manager approach to this.

The paper presents more nuanced ways of exploring the small firm employment relationship than already exist and also considers the issue of performance, which is under‐researched in this context.

Drawing on the socioemotional selectivity theory and the volunteerism literature, this study aims to examine the influence of empathy, altruism and opportunity recognition, on social entrepreneurial intentions (SEI) of people who have retired from a full-time career. Furthermore, the study examines whether the above-mentioned relationships are mediated by moral obligation.

A set of hypotheses is tested by applying partial least squares structural equation modelling on a survey sample of 227 retirees in Oman, who had participated in an entrepreneurial leadership training after retirement. Using SmartPLS software, the path model is tested through bootstrapping.

The findings suggest that altruism and opportunity recognition do not have a direct relationship with SEI, however, they are significant only when mediated through moral obligation. Nevertheless, empathy has a significant direct association with SEI, and an indirect relationship through moral obligation.

The findings of this study demonstrate that to develop intentions to indulge in social entrepreneurship, among retirees who are approaching their senior years, the focus should be on driving their sense of moral obligation to society. Hence, policymakers and authorities connected to social wellbeing goals can fine-tune their initiatives, such as training, by emphasizing on moral obligation to address social issues through social entrepreneurship.

The novelty of this study is twofold. Firstly, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, it seems to be among the first empirical study that is at the crossroads of the senior entrepreneurship and the social entrepreneurship literature. Secondly, this study fills a gap in the extant literature by deploying the socioemotional selectivity theory to examine the antecedents of SEI of people who have retired from full-time employment in their early to late senior years.

Knight's Industrial Law Reports goes into a new style and format as Managerial Law This issue of KILR is restyled Managerial Law and it now appears on a continuous updating basis rather than as a monthly routine affair.

Based on the psychological contract (PC) theory, the purpose of this paper is to identify PC profiles, differentiating between permanent and temporary agency workers (TAW). Moreover, the authors analyzed whether different profiles presented different levels of work engagement.

A cross-sectional survey data analysis of 2,867 workers, of whom 1,046 were TAW, was analyzed using latent profile analyses.

Four PC profiles were identified, which differed quantitatively in terms of the overall dimension levels (i.e. balanced, relational and transactional) for PC (i.e. content and fulfillment). ANCOVAs showed that the relational/balanced dominant and transactional dominant profiles presented similar engagement levels for TAW, but for permanent workers the former profile showed higher engagement than the latter. However, for both permanent and TAW the fulfillment profile showed higher engagement than the unfulfillment profile.

The cross-sectional design and the reliance on self-report measures are the limitations of this study, although no causality was claimed and method biases were controlled.

Actions that increase PC fulfillment positively affect the employment relationship of TAW with the client organization.

Few studies have addressed PC typologies. Furthermore, most studies have focussed on temporary workers, but not on TAW and their contract with the client organization. Finally, this study emphasizes the crucial role played by the PC in the levels of work engagement.

The purpose of this paper is to show how purchasing behavior is approached as a customer‐perceived need to reciprocate for services received. The study seeks to examine involvement, knowledge, and identity as predictors of reciprocal consumer behavior. Two components of reciprocity – gratitude and obligation – are expected to mediate the relationships. The effect is expected to be different for men and women.

Wine was chosen as a product category to test the relationships in the models. Data collection was conducted via distribution of surveys to tasting room visitors at six wineries. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.

The impact of knowledge, identity, and involvement were important findings from the research. The differences between males and females with regard to their feelings of gratitude and obligation and the impact on purchasing are pronounced. Obligation to make a purchase had a stronger effect on the purchasing behavior of women. In contrast, gratitude (feeling appreciation and thankfulness to personnel) was a stronger reason for men to make a purchase.

Knowledge about different ways in which men and women reciprocate could be useful for researchers and practitioners. Free samples provided to potential buyers, tours of industrial factories where products are also sold, and a variety of service situations are all possible contexts where gratitude and obligation may occur. Purchases are likely to be the result at least in part because of these feelings.

The major contribution of this research is to highlight the role of gender in reciprocity research and to demonstrate the application of this effect in consumer behavior.