Josephine E. Olson

Top-25-Business-School Professors Rate Journals in Operations Management and Related Fields

I obtained quality ratings and rankings of 39 journals in operations management and related disciplines through surveys of faculty members at top-25 US business schools in 2000 and in 2002. I also computed five-year impact factors for 29 of these journals and developed a ranking based on these impact factors. I found evidence of some change in journal quality ratings over the two-year period. Ratings also differed by research area but not by professorial level. In addition, I ranked the journals based on the number of academics who rated their quality, calling this a visibility measure. Finally, I compared my ratings to ratings in earlier survey and citation studies. The quality ratings were more consistent than the citation ratings.

Working Beyond 65: Predictors of Late Retirement for Women and Men MBAs

Comparisons of those who planned to continue working after the age of 65 with those who did not were made for 145 women and 414 men working in managerial fields. All received MBA degrees between the years of 1973 and 1982. About 20% definitely wanted to work after age 65. More positive views of work were predictive of wanting to continue working as was having nontraditional gender-role attitudes. Men who planned to continue working were particularly likely to have a spouse wanting to work past the age of 65. Several other factors appeared to operate differently for women and men.

Forecasting foreign exchange rates: an expert judgment approach

Studies have indicated that forecasts by market experts can be more accurate than time series forecasts. This article describes a process for structuring an expert foreign exchange forecast using Saatys Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The specific example developed is a forecast of the yen/dollar spot exchange rate from the standpoint of a company considering the desirability of arranging for forward exchange cover.

Economic Influences on Ideals About Future Jobs in Young Adults in Formerly Socialist Countries and the United States

University students today in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) confront a world in which old ideals learned under state socialism are being questioned. Despite initial difficulties after the end of socialism, most of these countries now have more stable market economies. This article investigates how macroeconomic variables relate to ideals for future work in samples of students from eight CEE countries and the United States. Results indicate there are some significant relationships between macroeconomic factors and job values. Wanting a job that pays well is associated with poorer economic conditions, whereas wanting a career is associated with better economic conditions. Results for wanting a job that allowed time for family are mixed, with higher GDP per capita a positive predictor but economic growth a negative predictor. Economic predictors of wanting a job helping others are weak, with a significant effect of growth found only when U.S. data are added.

Economic Growth in Latin American Countries: Is It Based on Export-Led or Import-Led Growth?

Using a data cointegration panel with error correction, we analyze the principal theories of international trade and economic growth—export-led growth (ELG), growth-led exports (GLE), and import-led growth (ILG)—for Latin American countries. The results demonstrate that exports drive growth of gross domestic product (GDP). Although the effects of imports on growth are generally negative, in our disaggregated analysis by country, we find results for eight countries support the ELG theory, results for five countries support the ILG theory, results for one country support both theories and results for one country support neither theory. An interesting finding is the negative correlation between the impacts of exports and the impacts of imports on GDP growth, which implies that, in theory, ELG and ILG cannot exist simultaneously in a country.

Evaluating a Short-Term, First-Year Study Abroad Program for Business and Engineering Undergraduates: Understanding the Student Learning Experience.

The authors describe a short-term study abroad program for business and engineering students at the end of their freshman year, and then present the results of a later survey of the participants as upperclassmen that was conducted to determine whether the program met its objectives. The primary objectives of this first-year program were to influence participants to pursue additional study abroad opportunities later in their college career, inspire them to further study foreign language and culture, and encourage them to become involved in additional international activities. Improvement in teamwork and cross-cultural skills were also goals.

Perceptions of Success in Work Environments

Before it is possible to make an attribution for the cause of a particular success or failure event, it is first necessary to define the event as one that was successfully accomplished or not. This chapter examines this definitional issue as it occurs within work settings. Using empirical data from our own research as well as theoretical work within the domain of social cognition and organizational behavior, we examine the ways people describe the successes they encounter at work and the steps they feel they must take to become successful. The chapter concludes with suggestions for expanding attributional process models to consider organizational success perceptions and how the interact with individual conceptions.

U.S. Budget deficits: Empirical and policy issues

The issue of federal budget deficits, particularly of their current magnitude, is of great concern to policy makers, the general public and scholars a like. In this paper, we first briefly survey some recent literature on the empirical relationships between federal deficits or debt on the one hand and several macroeconomic variables such as GNP, inflation, and particularly interest rates on the other hand. We then simulate a number of scenarios in which certain deficit reducing measures are applied to an aggregate econometric model developed by Fair, and examine their resulting impact on those macroeconomic variables which are of great importance to our economy.