The Effect of Smileys As Motivational Incentives on Children'S Food Choices: a Field Experiment in European Primary Schools

This study investigates the efficacy of a simple, motivational incentive-a smiley stamp-in promoting vegetable and salad consumption among primary school children. We conducted a field experiment in 10 primary schools in five European countries using one control and one treatment school per country. [to cite]

Local R&D and technology transfers: A comparative analysis of foreign and local firms in Indian industries

Seminar delivered at Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE), Pune (India) on 15 January 2016This study examines how inter-firm heterogeneities in technology modes and intensities are linked to ownership of firms in India; using a panel dataset of 2000 odd Bombay Stock Exchange listed firms for the period from 2003 to 2014 drawn from the PROWESS database of CMIE. For the analysis, foreign ownership is categorized according to the control exercisable by them as defined under the Companies’ Act of India. A comparative analysis of domestic and different categories of foreign firms was conducted at two time periods: the global boom period of 2004-2008 and post crisis period of 2008-2014. The propensity score matching (PSM) analysis reveals that the majority owned foreign companies spend less on R&D and more on technology transfers than their local counterparts. Overall, threshold equity holding and global conditions matter. A panel data regression analysis on matched sample confirms the findings and validates the PSM findings. A horizontal cluster analysis on 3-digit industry level data shows that foreign firms cluster in high technology industries

Scholarly Publishing and Open Access: Searching for Understanding of an Emerging IS Phenomenon

Scholarly publishing is concerned with the distribution of scholarly information through journals and conferences and other information media. As such scholarly publishing can be understood as a specific part of the information industry. With the advent of advanced information technologies many possible technologically enabled futures have been posited for scholarly publishing. This paper describes the current systems, processes and actors. While technological advancements appear to be enabling access to scholarly publications, economic conditions appear to limit access. In addition, a number of alternatives, such as open access are currently in play and there is uncertainty regarding the future of the scholarly publishing system. The system appears to be in the process of being reassembled. Conceptual models of the traditional, the electronic, and some possibilities for future developments in scholarly publishing are proposed, as are topics for future research in the information systems domain

Stata do-file for the paper informal legacy and exporting among Sub-Saharan African firms

Stata do-file for the paper informal legacy and exporting among Sub-Saharan African firms. Published in Organization Science (2022). Abstract paper Around the world and especially in areas of widespread poverty, firms start their operations without registering with relevant authorities (i.e., in the informal economy). We explore whether firms that initiated their operations in the informal economy but later register have a higher propensity to export than firms that register at the time of their foundation. We reason that the experience of having operated informally provides formally registered firms with the advantage of low-cost and flexible exploration but also a domestic legitimacy liability. We suggest that these factors likely contribute to making foreign export markets more attractive after registration. Based on a comprehensive sample of Sub-Saharan African firms, we find that conditional on registration, firms with an informal legacy have a higher propensity to initiate exporting than firms that started their operations formally. We contribute with theoretical and policy-oriented insights on the dynamics of informality and exporting. This stata do-file lists all commands that have been executed in the data management and analysis process. The main data source is the World Bank Enterprise Survey. World Bank Enterprise Survey Data is available through the World Bank for researchers after registration. Reference: Larsen, M. M., & Witte, C. T. (2022). Informal Legacy and Exporting Among Sub-Saharan African Firms. Organization Science

Stata do-file for the paper informal legacy and exporting among Sub-Saharan African firms

Stata do-file for the paper informal legacy and exporting among Sub-Saharan African firms. Published in Organization Science (2022). Abstract paper Around the world and especially in areas of widespread poverty, firms start their operations without registering with relevant authorities (i.e., in the informal economy). We explore whether firms that initiated their operations in the informal economy but later register have a higher propensity to export than firms that register at the time of their foundation. We reason that the experience of having operated informally provides formally registered firms with the advantage of low-cost and flexible exploration but also a domestic legitimacy liability. We suggest that these factors likely contribute to making foreign export markets more attractive after registration. Based on a comprehensive sample of Sub-Saharan African firms, we find that conditional on registration, firms with an informal legacy have a higher propensity to initiate exporting than firms that started their operations formally. We contribute with theoretical and policy-oriented insights on the dynamics of informality and exporting. This stata do-file lists all commands that have been executed in the data management and analysis process. The main data source is the World Bank Enterprise Survey. World Bank Enterprise Survey Data is available through the World Bank for researchers after registration. Reference: Larsen, M. M., & Witte, C. T. (2022). Informal Legacy and Exporting Among Sub-Saharan African Firms. Organization Science

A Meta-Analysis of Frontline Employees’ Role Behavior and the Moderating Effects of National Culture

Many empirical studies have focused on understanding the frontline role process, which reflects the chain of effects including the antecedents and outcomes of frontline employees’ in-role behavior and extra-role behavior. A close examination of past findings reveals discrepancies across cultures. This meta-analysis provides insights into the moderating effects of national culture on the frontline role process. We build on role theory to consolidate role behavior’s antecedents to reflect the expectations emanating from four stakeholders of the frontline role: the organization, manager, peers, and customers. We formulate hypotheses on the moderating effects of national culture dimensions (i.e., power distance, individualism, masculinity, and uncertainty avoidance) and meta-analyze 105 articles, including 100 independent samples with 32,364 participants from 35 different countries, to test our predictions. The results show that customer expectations are the strongest antecedent to both in-role and extra-role behavior and furthermore confirm that the frontline role process differs across cultures. We offer managers advice on how to adapt expectations for sales and service employees across countries to enhance frontline performance evaluations, customer satisfaction, and ultimately the firm’s competitiveness. We also link our results to new frontline trends (e.g., service robots, artificial intelligence, remote service technology) and provide a future research agenda

Northern Uganda Literacy Project: Longitudinal Student Outcomes Data, 2013-2017

This file contains data on test scores in reading (Leblango and English), oral English and math from students participating in NULP from 2013 to 2017. The dataset consists of 73,441 student-year observations. Variable description: PupiID: Pupil identifier; allows for identifying students across years. SchoolID: School identifier. Group: Stratification group (School Level) Cc: Coordinating center School_Type: (1) School sampled in 2013 (38 schools); (2) School sampled in 2014 (90 schools); (3) Pure control schools (30 schools). Sample_Type: (1) Student sampled beginning of the year (baseline); (2) Student sampled end of the year (endline). Year: Year when tested Wave: (1) Tested in the beginning if the year (baseline); (2) Tested in the end of the year (endline) Grade_Level: Grade level when tested. Cohort: (1) student sampled in 2013; (2) student sampled in 2014; (3) student sampled in 2015; (4) student sampled in 2016. Stream: Stream Age: Student age. Gender: Student gender Leblango_EGRA*: Early Grade Reading Assessment (Leblango) English_EGRA*: Early Grade Reading Assessment (English). Oral_English*: Oral English scores Math*: Math scoresLiteracy is the foundation for an informed, skilled citizenry. But in East Africa, less than 1/3 of pupils possess basic literacy skills. Ugandan children perform the worst; only 44.5 percent pass basic literacy tests. Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) data from a Research Triangle Institute survey in northern Uganda in 2009 indicated that 82% of P2 pupils could not read a single word in the local language, compared to 51% of P2 pupils in the central region. Similar to other African countries there are many problems in Uganda's education system, including undertrained teachers, lack of materials and quality methods for teaching literacy, non-existent systems for tracking pupil performance, and parents, communities and local officials that lack the know-how to support and advocate for their children's education. Despite strong mother tongue education policies, due to underdeveloped orthographies and a lack of materials in many languages, implementing successful mother tongue literacy programs poses a significant challenge for African countries, including Uganda. While many educational interventions and literacy programs have been implemented in Africa, impacts have been minimal overall; moving to scale has also proven problematic as program effects reduce further. Since 2010 Mango Tree, a private, locally owned educational tools company, has been piloting a successful early literacy project in one language community in northern Uganda. The main goals of the Mango Tree program include increasing literacy rates, enhancing education quality through improved, effective materials and teachers, and fostering a culture of reading among pupils, parents and communities within a cost-effective and scalable framework. Compelling evidence for the large benefits and cost-effectiveness of the intervention comes from a pilot randomized evaluation of the program conducted by University of Michigan researchers in 2013 and 2014. The Literacy Laboratory Project (LLP) will scale up and evaluate the Mango Tree literacy program, whose model delivers better-quality teacher instruction, access to relevant literacy materials, inclusive approaches to learner assessment, parental and community engagement in schools and strengthening literacy infrastructure so that reading and writing, especially in local languages, becomes a meaningful part of daily life in households and communities. This scale-up will test a piloted and improved model to evaluate its effectiveness and test the mode of program delivery. Under the LLP, researchers from the University of Michigan will conduct a rigorous randomized control trial of the program in the Lango Sub-region over 4 years to measure the effectiveness of the instructional model, teacher training and support supervision innovations and literacy materials and methods on Primary 1- Primary 3 pupils' literacy achievement and explore public-private avenues for scale-up. We will study 128 schools, which are randomly assigned to either the full LLP implemented by Mango Tree's field officers, a partial-program implemented by Government Teacher Tutors, or a control group. The study will also randomize instructional materials to evaluate their contribution to effective teaching. The study will collect a rich set of pupil, parent, teacher, classroom, and school-level longitudinal data. Learning will be measured principally in terms of improvements in EGRA and Early Grade Writing Assessment scores. Our goals are to: 1) demonstrate that big effects on learning are possible (as the 2013 pilot evaluation results point toward); 2) show that with the right combination of training, teaching and learning materials and correct support, teachers can be supported to effectively teach literacy - even in rural, under-resourced, overcrowded classrooms; and 3) to test and evaluate economic approaches to implementation at scale to determine value-for-money impacts on pupil learning and teacher performance in African schools.</p