June M.L. Poon

Effects of self-concept traits and entrepreneurial orientation on firm performance

This study examined relationships among three self-concept traits, entrepreneurial orientation, and firm performance using survey data from 96 entrepreneurs. We used path analysis to test the direct and indirect effects of the trait variables on perceptual measures of firm performance. Entrepreneurial orientation - operationalized to reflect the dimensions of innovativeness, proactiveness, and propensity to take risks - was used as the mediating variable for explaining the relationship between self-concept traits and firm performance. The results indicated that internal locus of control was positively related to firm performance, and entrepreneurial orientation did not play a mediating role in this relationship. In contrast, generalized self-efficacy had no direct effects on firm performance; however, it influenced firm performance positively through its effect on entrepreneurial orientation. Finally, self-attributed achievement motive was not significantly related to entrepreneurial orientation or firm performance. Implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Situational antecedents and outcomes of organizational politics perceptions

A model of perceptions of organizational politics was developed and tested using a sample of 208 Malaysian employees from diverse occupations and organizations. Results of a path analysis on the survey data showed that job ambiguity, scarcity of resources, and trust climate were significant predictors of perceptions of organizational politics. Perceptions of organizational politics, in turn, mediated the effects of these situational antecedents on job stress, job satisfaction, and turnover intention. Specifically, employees who perceived a high level of politics in their workplace reported higher levels of stress, lower levels of job satisfaction, and higher levels of intention to quit than did employees who perceived a low level of politics. Implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Career commitment and career success: moderating role of emotion perception

This study examined the moderating effect of emotion perception – a basic component of emotional intelligence – on the relationship between career commitment and career success. White‐collar employees from a diverse set of occupations and organizations in Malaysia were surveyed. Moderated multiple regression results showed that career commitment predicted objective career success (i.e. salary level) only for employees with average to high emotion perception but not for those with low emotion perception. Emotion perception, however, did not moderate the effects of career commitment on subjective career success (i.e. career satisfaction). Implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Trust‐in‐supervisor and helping coworkers: moderating effect of perceived politics

Purpose – This study sought to examine the relationship between trust‐in‐supervisor and willingness to help coworkers as well as the moderating effect of perceptions of organizational politics on this relationship.Design/methodology/approach – A field survey using a structured questionnaire was used to gather data from 106 employees of a medium‐sized company that had businesses in the manufacturing, travel, and education industries. Participation was voluntary and employees completed the questionnaire anonymously.Findings – Moderated multiple regression results indicated that trust‐in‐supervisor was positively related to employee willingness to help coworkers among employees perceiving low levels of organizational politics but not among those perceiving high levels of organizational politics.Research limitations/implications – The limitations of this study include reliance on cross‐sectional data collected using self‐reports from employees of a single organization. Future research should examine other for...

Effects of alternative instructional approaches on cross-cultural training outcomes

Abstract We investigated the (a) effectiveness of cross-cultural training in promoting cultural awareness and (b) differential effects of didactic and experiential approaches on cultural awareness and trainee reaction. MBA students (N = 105) participated in a cross-cultural training program structured to allow for a pretest-posttest experimental design. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three instructional conditions: integrative, video, and experiential (BaFa BaFa). Trained participants reported a significantly higher level of cultural awareness, but there were no significant differences among training conditions on this variable. Experientially-trained participants, however, reacted more positively to the training. Implications of the results and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Moderating effect of perceived control on perceptions of organizational politics outcomes

This study examined the moderating effect of perceived control on the relationship between perceptions of organizational politics and two outcome variables: job stress and intent to quit. Survey data from 103 employees of a company in Malaysia were analyzed using moderated multiple regression. The results showed that perceived politics had adverse effects only on employees with low perceived control. Specifically, in a work environment that is perceived to be political, employees with low levels of perceived control reported experiencing more job stress and expressed greater intention to quit their job than did employees with high levels of perceived control. Implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Effects of benevolence, integrity, and ability on trust-in-supervisor

Purpose – This study aimed to examine the predictive effects of trustworthiness attributes (i.e. benevolence, integrity, and ability) on trust‐in‐supervisor.Design/methodology/approach – A field survey using a structured questionnaire was used to gather data from 107 white‐collar employees from diverse organizations in Malaysia. The data were analysed using hierarchical multiple regression analysis.Findings – The results showed that perceptions of supervisor benevolence, integrity, and ability predicted trust‐in‐supervisor both directly and interactively. Further analysis revealed that integrity and ability interacted in a compensatory manner to predict trust‐in‐supervisor when benevolence was high but not when it was low.Research limitations/implications – Study limitations include the use of self‐report cross‐sectional data. The findings underscore the importance of looking beyond statistical models that test only for main and two‐way interaction effects in research examining trustworthiness attributes....

Propensity to trust as a moderator of the relationship between perceived organizational support and job satisfaction

This study examined the relationship between perceived organizational support and job satisfaction as well as the moderating effect of propensity to trust on this relationship. White-collar bank employees (N=108) were surveyed. The results of multiple regression analyses on the data collected showed that perceived organizational support was positively related to job satisfaction. The relationship between perceived organizational support and job satisfaction, however, was stronger among employees with a low propensity to trust than among those with a high propensity to trust. Implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed

What shapes HRM? A multivariate examination

The link between business strategy and human resource management (HRM) practices has received considerable attention from researchers. It is generally believed that integrating strategy and HRM will result in positive organizational outcomes. The empirical evidence for the strategy‐HRM relationship is, however, still inconclusive. For example, it is still unclear as to how these two variables are linked and what other variables are involved. Therefore, this study sought to test a model of the relationships among competitive strategy, HRM practice, quality management approach, and management orientation. Data from a survey of 108 manufacturing companies were analyzed using path analysis. The results indicated that management orientation predicted quality management approach, competitive strategy, and HRM practice. In addition, quality management approach and competitive strategy mediated the relationship between HRM practice and competitive strategy. Implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Effects of instructional method and personal need for structure on cognitive and affective learning: a small-scale pilot experimental study

The primary purpose of this small-scale pilot experimental study was to examine whether or not matching instructional method to personal need for structure (PNS) would enhance learning outcomes. Master of Business Administration students of a large public university in Malaysia were randomly assigned into a lecture-method condition (n = 11) and a case-method condition (n = 10). Correlation results indicated that students taught using the lecture method acquired more declarative knowledge than did those taught using the case method. Moderated multiple regression results showed that instructional method interacted with PNS to predict cognitive and affective learning, but the nature of the interaction did not conform to our prediction.