Edward J. Inderrieden

The influence of stated organizational concern upon ethical decision making

This experimental study evaluated the influence of stated organizational concern for ethical conduct upon managerial behavior. Using an in-basket to house the manipulation, a sample of 113 MBA students with some managerial experience reacted to scenarios suggesting illegal conduct and others suggesting only unethical behavior. Stated organizational concern for ethical conduct was varied from none (control group) to several other situations which included a high treatment consisting of a Code of Ethics, an endorsement letter by the CEO and specific sanctions for managerial misconduct. Only in the case of suggested illegal behavior tempered by high organizational concern were managers influenced by organizational policy to modify the morality of their actions. However, the responses to the illegal scenarios were significantly “more ethical” than the reactions given to the unethical (but not illegal) situations. The implications of these findings are then discussed.

Research Notes: Using Relative Deprivation Theory to Explain Satisfaction With Income and Pay Level: A Multistudy Examination

This article reports four studies in which we applied relative deprivation theory to the prediction of satisfaction with income and pay level. The proposed model specified both social comparisons a...

Predictors of employee satisfaction with the performance appraisal process

Several studies have documented the importance of the performance appraisal interview in the appraisal process. However, interactions between the rater and ratee prior to the end of the performance evaluation period have been given little attention. The present study investigated the impact of several aspects of the appraisal process on three outcome measures: satisfaction with the appraisal process, fairness of ratings and motivation to improve performance. The findings suggest the importance of viewing the performance appraisal process from a systematic perspective, rather than as a single event.

Gender Differences in Pay of Young Management Professionals in the United States: A Comprehensive View

We conduct a comprehensive examination of the gender differences in pay focusing on multiple perspectives emanating from economics, social psychology, and gender studies. Data are drawn from surveys of MBA students conducted by the Graduate Management Admissions Council Although women in both samples earn significantly less on average than men, when the effects of the study’s variables are considered via multiple regression analysis, no significant difference in annual salary is observed. Our results show the importance of simultaneously considering the impact of human capital, job and firm characteristics, demographics, and cognitive skills. Structural differences are noted in the models estimated separately for men and women. However, the results from decomposing salary differentials are quite consistent with estimates from the single-equation models.

Growth versus retrenchment strategies in marketing. The Australian experience

Abstract This study is based on a cross-sectional survey of 211 top level managers whose organizations have operations in Western Australia. Utilizing a custom model of competitive strategy developed from the organizational theory and policy, regression analysis is used to evaluate the influence of the external business environment upon growth/expansion and retrenchment strategies as well as corporate performance. Significant relationships are discussed along with their implications for the analysis of competitive and marketing strategy. Directions for future research efforts are also provided.

Determinants of R&D expenditures and expectations

Abstract This study investigated the impact of individual, organizational and environmental factors on: (a) expectations of future success in research and development (RD and (b) changes in expenditures for R&D activities. Data was collected from executives in fifty-five organizations in Western Australia. Past performance in R&D emerged as the most powerful predictor of expectations for success but was not a significant predictor of R&D expenditures. Organizational and environmental variables emerged as significant predictors, while individual characteristics of the decision maker had no impact on R&D expenditures.

An Exploratory Investigation of the Relationship between Leaders' Characteristics and Dimensions of Work Groups

To study the relationship between personality characteristics of work-group managers and aspects of the work-group including task, contextual and structural dimensions, work groups from three organizations were investigated. Results indicate that personality characteristics of the managers were most strongly related to those work-group characteristics assessing work responsibilities. Implications for further research in leadership are discussed.