Why do health and social care providers co-operate?

Within Europe, although there are numerous examples of poor co-ordination in the delivery of integrated care, many providers do co-operate. We wanted to know why providers are moved to co-operate. In terms of systematic research, this is a new field; researchers have only begun to theorise about the rationales for co-operation. Practically, the issue of achieving co-operation attracts much attention from policymakers. Understanding the reasons for co-operation is a prerequisite for developing effective policy in support of integrated care. Our aim is to explore the comparative validity of different theoretical perspectives on the reasons for co-operation, to indicate directions for further study and for policy making. We used data from three successive studies to perform pattern matching with six established theoretical perspectives: transaction costs economics, strategic choice theory, resource dependence theory, learning theory, stakeholder theory and institutional theory. Insights from the studies were compared for validating purposes (triangulation). The first study concerned the evaluation of the Dutch 'National Home Health Care Programme' according to the case study methodology. The second and third studies were surveys among project directors: questionnaires were based on the concepts derived from the first study. Researchers should combine normative institutional theory, resource dependence theory and stakeholder theory into one perspective, in order to study relationship formation in health and social care. The concept of institutions (rules) is the linchpin between the theories. Policy makers must map the institutions of stakeholders and enable integrated care policy to correspond with these institutions as much as possible.

“Outside” directors in SME boards: A call for theoretical reflections

Good governance for SMEs is critical for economic development and growth in both developed and developing economies. In this paper we focus on boards and governance in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) by investigating the role and contribution of “outside” directors in this setting. By contrasting board role theories against different types of SMEs, firms are expected to recruit “outside” board members for various reasons. Illustrated by 52 empirical studies of “outside” directors in SMEs we show how agency theory, resource based view of the firm, and resource dependence theory can be applied to understand the multiple roles that “outside” directors can play in family firms, venture capital-backed firms and other SMEs. The illustration shows that the concept “outside” director is not the same in different theories and in different empirical settings. Based on this finding, we argue for the need to have a conscious and balanced use of theories for understanding the role and contribution of “outside” directors in SMEs.

Der Einfluss versunkener monetärer und zeitlicher Kosten auf Ressourcenallokationen

Zusammenfassung. Entscheidungen sollten gemäß des ökonomischen Postulats ausschließlich aufgrund der Abwägung von zukünftigen Kosten und Nutzen getroffen werden. Dagegen beschreibt der Sunk-Cost-Effekt das Phänomen, dass auch vergangene Investitionen Entscheidungen beeinflussen. In der vorliegenden Studie wurde der Sunk-Cost-Effekt bei vergangenen monetären Aufwendungen repliziert. Zudem konnte erstmals auch ein Sunk-Cost-Effekt bei zeitlichen Aufwendungen nachgewiesen werden. Bankangestellte hatten bei insgesamt vier Entscheidungsszenarien die Wahl zwischen zwei Alternativen. Eine der Alternativen wurde jeweils gegenüber der anderen als eindeutig ökonomisch vorteilhafter dargestellt. In die ungünstigere Alternative wurden entweder monetäre oder zeitliche Mittel investiert, wogegen für die objektiv bessere Alternative keine bisherigen Investitionen getätigt worden waren. Die Mehrzahl der Befragten entschied sich in mehreren Fällen für die objektiv schlechtere Alternative, ließ sich also von den bereits erfolgten Aufwendungen leiten.

Unpacking firm effects: modeling political alliances in variance decomposition of firm performance in turbulent environments

In this paper, firm heterogeneity in turbulent environments is addressed. It is argued that previous studies have not taken into account effects of a turbulent environment, like the Brazilian context, in which firms must face a weak and erratic government. In such an environment, the large portion of variance usually attributed to firm effects may be explained, not by the usual assumptions of mainstream scholars, but by a more political view of firm differences, namely, the ability to manage valuable political alliances. To account for these differences, a multivariate performance measure was construed and a new factor, politics effects, has been introduced to the usual model. Company donations for campaign funds in elections was used as a proxy for this factor. A sample of 607 observations, of 177 firms in 15 sectors was used. Results suggest that the presence of politics effects were found to be not significant (using COV and Hierarchical ANOVA). However, different from previous studies, transient industry effects appear to be more important than stable effects. Findings also indicate that a better model specification for turbulent environments is needed and highlight the importance of the cost of capital.

Entrepreneurship of dietetic program graduates

Successful dietetic program graduates must have an entrepreneurial mindset and skills to respond to environmental changes and consumer trends. The purpose of this study was to determine current or intended entrepreneurship by graduates of a Dietitians of Canada accredited university program, as influenced by self-efficacy stemming from entrepreneurial experiences in education or early career, as well as by internal and external factors. This study employed an exploratory descriptive methodology with a questionnaire mailed to a discrete sample. Ninety graduates completed and returned the questionnaire for a response rate of 55%. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, two-way table analysis, the chi-square test for independence, and Fisher's exact test. Significant relationships were found between self-efficacy scores and entrepreneurial action, specific entrepreneurial experiences and entrepreneurial intent and action, dietetic internship and intent, and belief in the importance of business skills and intent. Those with entrepreneurial intent and/or action identified creativity, dietetic education/internship, persistence, business skills, and family/friend support as helping factors. These results suggest that undergraduate, internship, and continuing education programs for dietitians should incorporate activities that develop entrepreneurial skills and contribute toward an entrepreneurial mindset.

The relationship of entrepreneurial traits, skill, and motivation to subsequent venture growth

Previous research on entrepreneurship as well as goal, social-cognitive, and leadership theories has guided hypotheses regarding the relationship between entrepreneurial traits and skill (passion, tenacity, and new resource skill) and situationally specific motivation (communicated vision, self-efficacy, and goals) to subsequent venture growth. Data from 229 entrepreneur-chief executive officers and 106 associates in a single industry were obtained in a 6-year longitudinal study. Structural equation modeling revealed a web of relationships that impact venture growth. Goals, self-efficacy, and communicated vision had direct effects on venture growth, and these factors mediated the effects of passion, tenacity, and new resource skill on subsequent growth. Furthermore, communicated vision and self-efficacy were related to goals, and tenacity was related to new resource skill.

Afiliação religiosa e empreendedorismo étnico: o caso dos brasileiros nos Estados Unidos

O presente artigo discute as relações entre empreendedorismo étnico e religião em comunidades imigrantes. Enquanto o impacto das redes sociais no empreendedorismo étnico tem recebido atenção da literatura, os efeitos da afiliação a organizações religiosas são ainda um tópico pouco pesquisado. O presente estudo mostra que diferenças na estrutura institucional de comunidades religiosas, nas formas de financiamento de suas atividades, nas tarefas dos sacerdotes e pastores e no conteúdo de seus discursos são fatores importantes a serem considerados no estudo do impacto da religião no empreendedorismo étnico. A análise é feita a partir de dados qualitativos obtidos em comunidades brasileiras nos EUA e sugere que as igrejas protestantes criam um ambiente mais favorável para o empreendedorismo étnico. Nosso principal objetivo é chamar a atenção de pesquisadores brasileiros sobre a importância da questão étnica e das redes religiosas nas iniciativas empreendedoras.

Examining IT professionals' adaptation to technological change

This paper examines the challenge of adapting to technological changes in IS departments. It develops a set of hypotheses about how two personal attributes (tolerance of ambiguity and openness to experience) will be associated with IT professionals' ability to adapt to a technological innovation. It also examines the literature on gender in the IT profession, positing that women IT employees will exhibit some differences in job performance (relative to men), but no differences in terms of job satisfaction or turnover intentions. Based on a mixed-method study of two firms that were adopting client/server development, the paper first describes the different implementation strategies employed by each firm, and then analyzes employees' responses to the change. In combining the insights from both case studies and surveys, the results showed that four out of eight hypotheses were fully supported and two received partial support. Women reported lower job satisfaction on a dimension that captures job stress, and this effect was exacerbated in the firm that expected its IT employees to demonstrate considerable initiative to master the innovation. In contrast, the women at the second firm, while showing no differences in job stress (relative to their male peers), nevertheless exhibited a very different pattern of job skills and performance than the men. Finally, the personal attribute that was strongly associated with employees' job satisfaction (openness to experience) was negatively correlated with one aspect of job performance - directly opposite to what was hypothesized. The paper concludes with insights for IS researchers and managers interested in IS personnel and technology implementation.

EMBODYING CORPORATE ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN STRATEGIC ORIENTATION FOR TECHNOLOGY FIRMS

The study of entrepreneurial activities and behavior in corporations is considered important as it is viewed as a means for sustained corporate competitiveness. This challenge is particularly crucial for technology firms which face dynamic competition due to rapid technological changes. This highlights the need to adopt a suitable strategic orientation which embraces entrepreneurship. However, there appears to be a fragmented understanding as to what constitutes corporate entrepreneurship. This paper therefore attempts to provide clarity to the definition of corporate entrepreneurship by first determining what essentially 'entrepreneurship' is and subsequently contextualizing entrepreneurship in the corporate setting. Based on a clear understanding of corporate entrepreneurship, the paper then conceptually develops a strategic orientation that embodies corporate entrepreneurship applicable to technology firms.