Linda Dyer

Advising the Small Business Client

The context of the professional business advisor is explored, with specific focus on the culture, com m unication preferences and learning styles they prefer.The advisors rational and analytic world-view is contrasted with the inform al and idiosyncratic world of the typical sm all business owner. Interviews with ten professional advisors suggest that there is som e truth to the assum ption that advisors and owners have disparate world-views. Advisors do recognize this disparity, but recognition of the problem is only the first step. Even advisors who are m otivated to improve the advice relationship by im m ersing them selves in the world of the sm all business owner can expect to face challenges because of the dynam ic nature of the advisory relationship and of the firm s development.

The role of perceived organizational support, distributive justice and motivation in reactions to new information technology

Despite tremendous investments in information technology (IT), many technological interventions in organizations fail because employees do not fully accept and use IT. The present study explored how perceived organizational support and distributive justice affect employee reactions to new IT from a motivational point of view. Self-determination theory was used to understand how different motivational styles, varying in degree of self-determination, mediate the relationship of perceived organizational support and distributive justice with reactions to new IT. Results showed that perceived organizational support and distributive justice were associated with intrinsic and identified motivation to use the IT, but only POS was related to enjoyment and acceptance of the IT. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation were both associated with IT usage, but IT usage was associated with enjoyment and acceptance only when people were intrinsically motivated. Intrinsic motivation also mediated the effects of POS on enjoyment and acceptance. Moreover, intrinsically motivated users were less likely to use a paper-based appointment booking alternative than those who were not. Implications for managing IT implementations are discussed.

Employee Reactions to Paper and Electronic Surveys: An Experimental Comparison

Using a within-subjects field experiment, we tested the differences between paper-based and electronic employee surveys. Employees of a large organization were invited to respond to a paper survey as well as an identical electronic survey. Results from 134 employees who completed both questionnaires indicated that electronic surveys were seen as marginally easier to use and more enjoyable than paper surveys. However, the paper-based questionnaires produced a higher response rate. The self-reported likelihood that participants would respond to similar questionnaires in the future did not differ between the two formats. After comparing the answers on survey items that measured feelings of well-being and spending patterns, data quality also appeared to be equivalent across the two formats. Conceptual issues, as well as the implications for managers who are administering employee surveys, are discussed.

The “Clicker” Project: A Scholarly Approach to Technology Integration

How can we make larger classes more interactive, with all students (even those in the back row) feeling engaged, reflective, and questioning ideas being presented? How do we get students to read before coming to class and prepared to take an exam? How do professors get the most out of their lectures and class time? These are the kind of questions guiding a research study on “clicker” technology in the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. The purpose of this study is to evaluate systematically the use of clickers in a business classroom context.

Owner-employee relations in small firms

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the type of exchange relationship that small business owners establish with their employees. In particular, this study examines how the personality trait of “conscientiousness” among small business owners relates to relational “psychological contracts,” breach and violation that develop between owners and employees. Design/methodology/approach – This was a quantitative survey design conducted in Canada. Participants were 253 employees and the 50 small firm owners for whom they worked. Findings – Results indicate that owner conscientiousness was positively associated with a relational psychological contract with employees and perceived breach mediated a negative relationship between owner-rated relational contract obligations and feelings of contract violation among employees. Owner-rated relational contract obligations also mediated a negative relationship between owner conscientiousness and employee perceptions of breach and violation. Practical imp...