Eat or be eaten: a theory of mergers and firm size

We propose a theory of mergers that combines managerial merger motives and a regime shift that may lead to some value- increasing merger opportunities. Anticipation of the regime shift can lead to mergers, either for defensive or positioning reasons. Defensive mergers occur when managers acquire other firms to avoid being acquired themselves. Mergers may also allow a firm to position itself as a more attractive takeover target and earn a takeover premium. The identity of acquirers and targets and the profitability of acquisitions depend, among other factors, on the distribution of firm sizes within an industry.Bank mergers

The influence of organizational justice on salesperson responses to merit pay decisions: an empirical investigation

Merit pay is the most important component of extrinsic rewards received by sales employees. Its importance derives from the fact that satisfaction with merit pay has been linked to a number of important attitudinal and behavioral outcomes such as job satisfaction, organizational commitment, instrumentality and expectancy beliefs, and job performance. It is not surprising, therefore, that researchers have attempted to delineate the antecedent factors to merit pay satisfaction. A large number of antecedents have been identified in the literature thus far. These include individual differences, job characteristics, leadership characteristics, organizations structure, and other organizational climate factors. Only recently, however, have researchers begun to examine issues relating to fairness of merit pay decisions. These researchers have identified several facets of fairness, namely, procedural, distributive, and interactional, and have suggested that all these fairness aspects will influence how employees may evaluate the merit raises they get. No single study in the marketing literature has thus far attempted to evaluate the relevance of fairness factors for pay outcome evaluations of sales employees. The purpose of this study will be to fill this void. The study not only investigates the relationships between fairness dimensions and evaluation of pay outcome, it also examines whether fairness also determines global attitudes of employees toward their supervisors and the organization. Both normative and instrumental views of organizational justice are considered

Exploring the Impact of Sports Participation on Academic Achievement in a Middle School

The writer explores the correlation of sports participation and academic achievement in a middle school. Current and dated literature on the topic is reviewed. The method in which the research was conducted is detailed, as well as the reasoning for the research. The writer examines the findings and explains their importance. Finally, the author discusses suggestions for future research, how the findings can be utilized in counseling and closes with a summary of his findings

The impacts of EU accession on the agriculture of the Visegrad Countries

The Visegrad Countries (VC)2 joined the European Union in 2004, which has offered several possibilities and challenges for their agriculture. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the status of the sector in the light of latest available data as well as to identify the factors lying behind different country performances. Results suggest that EU accession has had a diverse impact on the Visegrad Countries’ agriculture and member states capitalised their possibilities in a different manner, due to initial conditions and pre- and post-accession policies

Understanding fans' responses to the sponsor of a rival team

Research Question What factors determine fans’ responses to the sponsor of a rival team? To what extent does higher in-group fan identification, more positive prior attitudes to the sponsor, and a more congruent fit between the sponsor and club, cause denigration or mitigate negative outcomes for the sponsor? Research Methods 300 questionnaires were collected from fans of English Premier League (EPL) football teams Newcastle United and Sunderland allowed us to test our model of sponsorship responses. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to evaluate each hypothesis. Results and Findings Brands will gain greater benefits from sponsorships deemed to be congruent with the rival team and where a higher pre-sponsorship attitude exists. More highly identified fans tend to pay greater attention to the sponsor of their rival team. We find that schadenfreude is a better predictor of affective and behavioural responses than fan identification, despite its popularity in recent research involving rival fans. Implications Brand managers concerned about the size and scope of out-groups can employ our findings to more effectively configure sponsorship activities

Don't Distract Me When I'm Media Multitasking: Toward a Theory for Raising Advertising Recall and Recognition

Media multitasking, such as using handheld devices like smartphones and tablets while watching TV, has become prevalent but its effect on the recall and recognition of advertising subject to limited academic research. We contend that the context in which multitasking takes place affects consumer memory for advertising delivered via the primary activity (e.g., watching television). Specifically, we identify the importance of the degree of (a) congruence between the primary and second screen activity and (b) social accountability of second screen activities. We test our typology empirically by examining the determinants of next day recall and recognition for billboard advertisers (perimeter board advertisements) of a televised football (soccer) match. In line with our theory, in most cases media multitasking leads to worse recall and recognition, however, in situations where there is congruence between primary and second screen activities and secondary activities have a higher level of social accountability attached to them, then advertising recall and recognition improves