Edward Oczkowski

Are Market Orientation and Learning Orientation Necessary for Superior Organizational Performance

There exists contradictory theoretical arguments and counter-intuitive empirical results regarding the market orientation, learning orientation and organizational performance nexus. We ask, can we simplify relations in this nexus? This study analyzes data from Australian organisations and employs non-nested encompassing tests. Contrary to recent findings extolling the virtues of a learning orientation, our results suggest that a market orientation may be the pre-eminent strategy to achieve superior organizational performance.

Market orientation, learning orientation and organisational performance in international joint ventures

Purpose – Despite failure rates of around 30 per cent, international joint ventures (IJVs) continue to grow. It is argued that IJVs provide a platform for organisational learning, which facilitates organisational performance. Intuitively, IJVs that are learning oriented should have a positive impact upon organisational performance. However, it is unclear as to whether a firm in an IJV should focus more on being learning oriented, or market oriented. The paper aims to address this question.Design/methodology/approach – A survey of 168 senior managers involved in IJVs in Malaysia. Data were analysed using two‐stage least squares estimators for latent variable models.Findings – Results suggest that for IJVs, a market orientation has a more positive impact on organisational performance than a learning orientation. The non‐linear relationship between market orientation and performance suggest that larger gains in performance are achieved by firms who have low initial levels of market orientation. Thus, in the ...

A two-part sample selection model of British bilateral foreign aid allocation

The allocation of British bilateral foreign aid among developing countries is simultaneously modelled, focusing on allocations during the period 1980–87. Two aid allocation decisions are analysed using a variant of the Lee-Maddala econometric model. The first decision concerns the determination of developing country eligibility for aid, while the second concerns the amount of aid eligible countries are allocated. Given the implied two-part decision-making process, sample selection techniques are employed. It is hypothesized that British bilateral aid eligibility and amount decisions are based on Bristains humanitarian, commercial and political interests in developing countries. Results obtained indicate that these decisions are generally consistent with each of these interests, especially those relating to the political importance of Commonwealth members.

Service worker customer orientation, organisation/job fit and perceived organisational support

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between service worker customer orientation and several job response variables, including job satisfaction, organisational commitment and organisational citizenship behaviour-courtesy. We also examine the relationship between perceived organisational support and organisation fit within the service worker context. Using a questionnaire, data were collected from 170 employees of a major fast food restaurant. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling. For managers, this study suggests that hiring customer-oriented employees is only the beginning. There needs to be thought given to ensuring the employee is able to fit with the job and the values of the organisation, and that the organisation offers support to its employees.

Multinational firms and export performance in developing countries: Some analytical issues and new empirical evidence

Abstract In a given developing-country environment, are the affiliates of MNEs more export oriented than wholly domestic-owned firms? No clear conclusions emerge from the theoretical models or the few available empirical studies of this issue. This paper draws attention to methodological flaws of these studies and presents new empirical evidence through the application of a more appropriate econometric procedure to data from Sri Lanka. We find no significant relationship between MNE affiliation and the degree of export orientation of exporting firms. On the other hand, there is evidence that multinational affiliation is an important determinant of whether a firm is an exporter or not.

New management practices and enterprise training in Australia

The widespread implementation of new management practices (NMPs) in industrialised countries has had a significant impact on employee training. Examines five NMPs: the learning organisation; total quality management; lean production/high performance work organisations; teamworking; and business process re‐engineering. Focuses on the relationship between organisational change and training at the enterprise level. The research identified important findings in six key areas: small business; the use of the vocational education and training system; the importance of the individual; the nature of training; the importance of behavioural skills; and organisational change. The study confirmed that workplace change is a major driver of improved training provision in enterprises. It showed unambiguously that most NMPs are associated with higher levels of training. The integration of training with business strategy was found to be the most important factor in driving training across a wide range of training activities and appears to lead to an across the board boost to enterprise training in all its forms.

Wine Prices and Quality Ratings: A Meta-regression Analysis

This article examines the empirical support for the hypothesized hedonic theoretical relation between the price of wine and its quality. The examination considers over 180 hedonic wine price models developed over 20 years, covering many countries. The research identifies that the relation between the price of wine and its sensory quality rating is a moderate partial correlation of +0.30. This correlation exists despite the lack of information held by consumers about a wines quality and the inconsistency of expert tasters when evaluating wines. The results identify a moderate price-quality correlation, which suggests the existence of strategic buying opportunities for better informed consumers. Strategic price setting possibilities may also exist for wine producers given the incomplete quality information held by consumers. The results from the meta-regression analysis point to the absence of any publication bias, and attribute the observed asymmetry in estimates to study heterogeneity. The analysis suggests the observed heterogeneity is explained by the importance of a wines reputation, the use of the 100-point quality rating scale, the analysis of a single wine variety/style, and the employed functional form. The most important implication from the analysis is the relative importance of a wines reputation over its sensory quality, inferring that producers need to sustain the sensory quality of a wine over time to extract appropriate returns. The reputation of the wine producer is found not to influence the strength of the price-quality relationship. This finding does not contradict the importance of wine producer reputation in directly influencing prices.

Segmenting landholders for improving the targeting of natural resource management expenditures

Segmentation of landholders has rarely been undertaken in the natural resource management literature, yet it provides a rich set of information for planners to improve targeting of public investment and resources. Segmentation allows the identification of segments of landholders that are ‘investment ready’, their location and characteristics, and the land conservation incentive programmes that they would be most willing to participate in. Segments that are not investment ready are also identified, and the instances where they reside in critical ecological habitats. Further, segmentation analysis provides insight into constraints to participation among these segments. We report the results of a large-scale segmentation exercise involving qualitative research and a quantitative survey of 5904 landholders in Australia. Using several new constructs related to human capital, trust and social connectedness not previously used for segmentation, we find three mainstream and two lifestyle segments which differ substantially in their socio-demographics and their propensity to be involved in incentive programmes.

Determinants of Efficiency in Least Developed Countries: Further Evidence from Nepalese Manufacturing Firms

Using a translog stochastic production frontier and maximum likelihood econometric methods, we estimate and model the determinants of firm level efficiency in the Nepalese context. Our results are broadly in line with theoretical expectations. We find that large firms are more efficient and that a higher capital intensity leads to inefficiency. There is no statistical evidence to suggest that foreign participation leads to efficiency improvements. Also, we do not observe any link between export intensity and efficiency improvement. We find that higher protection leads to inefficiency. Overall, our results suggest that an outward looking industrial strategy, which relies on less intervention and permits the development of large-scale industries, is conducive to efficiency improvement in least developed countries (LDCs) like Nepal.

Organisational change and the management of training in Australian enterprises

This article presents the findings from a study of the impact of the introduction of new management practices on the organisation of training in Australian enterprises. The study investigated the impact of five common new management practices: teamworking, total quality management, lean production, business process re-engineering and the learning organisation, as well as a number of other organisational factors. The incidences of these practices were modelled against eight measures of the organisation of training in enterprises. The results confirm that organisational change, as represented by the five new management practices, has had a significant impact on the organisation of training. However, the most significant impact on the way training is organised appears to be on the extent to which training and human resource policy are integrated with business strategy.