Managerial racial diversity, competitive aggressiveness and Firm performance: a moderated mediation model

We develop a moderated mediation theory of the relationship between managerial racial diversity and firm performance. Invoking the awareness-motivation-capability (AMC) perspective, we argue that managerial racial diversity relates to firm performance indirectly through its effect on competitive aggressiveness, but that external and internal contingencies moderate this indirect effect. We find that firms with racially diverse management in munificent environments are more able to develop and introduce new competitive actions and thus gain market share and profits. Contrary to our contingency predictions, diversity training was most beneficial for firms with low racial diversity rather than high racial diversity. We tested our model on a pooled time series sample consisting of 115 Fortune 1000 firms that initiated 20,618 actions over a three- year period. Implications for future research and practice are elaborated

Exploring the occupational injustices of human trafficking

Human trafficking is a complex global issue described as modern day slavery, and people who are trafficked can experience severe trauma with long term consequences impacting their health and well-being. Drawing on an occupational perspective, we discuss four case studies from the literature to examine occupational marginalisation, deprivation, imbalance, and alienation. Our analysis shows that across different types of exploitation, in diverse geographical locations, forced occupation and a lack of meaningful occupation, both have a negative impact on health. In addition, we argue that the individual experiences of exploitation reflect collective injustices. Human trafficking is therefore a violation of individual occupational rights, and a social and political issue of occupational injustice. Attention on human trafficking from an occupational perspective appears to have been absent from the occupational science literature.Emma George, Mandy Stanle

Alliance Network Centrality, Board Composition, and Corporate Social Performance

What critical characteristics do firms have that determine the scale and scope of corporate social responsibility activities they undertake? This paper examines two disparate predictors of corporate social performance. First, using the lens of the resource-based view, we examine the role of alliance network centrality on corporate social performance. We find that centrality enhances corporate social performance. Second, we investigate how board composition affects corporate social performance. Specifically, drawing on stakeholder theory, we find that the percentage of female directors predicts greater corporate social performance. In addition, we look at the influence of outside directors on this relationship. Our findings show that the presence of more outside directors positively moderates the relationship between female directors and corporate social performance

Exploring the Role of Diversity Management During Early Internationalizing Firms’ Internationalization Process

Despite their rapid internationalization, early internationalizing firms (EIFs) struggle to sustain their growth over time. Among the factors influencing their internationalization process, the diversity of human resources, and particularly its management, has yet to be studied. Building on different perspectives of diversity management, through the lens of the resource-based view, this study explores the role of diversity management during EIFs’ internationalization process. The results of a multiple-case, qualitative study of French EIFs show that prevailing perspectives on diversity management within EIFs change with the nature of diversity as a resource (strategic, ordinary, or negative), with different influences on the firms’ progress along the phases of the internationalization process. The findings highlight the importance of adopting a learning perspective on managing diversity, including specific management practices, during the transition between the entry and post-entry phases of EIFs’ internationalization process. This study thus suggests several propositions and theoretical contributions, along with managerial recommendations