Missing Variables in Theories of Strategic Human Resource Management: Time, Cause, and Individuals

Much progress has been made with regard to theory building and application in the field of Strategic Human Resource Management (HRM) since Wright and McMahan’s (1992) critical review. While researchers have increasingly investigated the impact of HR on economic success within the Resource Based view of the firm, and have developed more middle level theories regarding the processes through which HR impacts firm performance, much work still needs to be done. This paper examines how future theorizing in SHRM should explore the concepts of time, cause, and individuals. Such consideration will drive more longitudinal research, more complex causal models, and consideration of multi-level phenomena

Using Matching Estimators to Evaluate the Effect of Unit-Based Pricing on Municipal Solid Waste Disposal

The delivery of municipal services for the collection, transfer, and disposal of household solid waste is often provided by local governmental units; typically at the town or city level. Unit-based pricing, also known as pay-as-you-throw (PAYT), is a residential solid waste collection program requiring households to pay a fee per bag of trash disposed. Unit-based pricing represents a significant departure from the historical practice of financing solid waste service from property tax revenues in which the marginal cost to a household for disposing solid waste is effectively zero. Local governments are motivated to adopt unit-based pricing for the purpose of creating a financial incentive for households to reduce the quantity of solid waste disposed and concurrently increasing the level of recycled materials. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of unit-based pricing of household solid waste disposal. A counter-factual model is used to estimate the program effect. The study area for this paper consists of the 234 incorporated towns and cities in the state of New Hampshire. As of 2008, 40 towns had adopted a form of unit-based pricing of household solid waste. Results from propensity score matching suggest there is an average annual reduction of 466 pounds of household solid waste due to unit-based pricing.Propensity score matching, unit-based pricing, pay-as-you-throw, municipal solid waste, Environmental Economics and Policy,

Response of Nesting Lapland Longspurs (Calcarius lapponicus) to Burned Tundra on the Seward Peninsula

The response of breeding Lapland longspurs to burned sedge tussock-shrub tundra was studied in 1978 on the Seward Peninsula in an area burned by lightning-ignited fires during 1977. In late May and mid-June 1978, plant standing crop in burned tundra was <5% of standing crop in unburned tundra. Lapland longspurs were less abundant in burned than unburned tundra. An average of 1.4 longspurs/h were recorded in burned tundra, whereas 4.6 longspurs/h were seen in unburned tundra. One longspur nest was found in 5 ha of burned tundra; three were found in 5 ha of unburned tundra. Nest locations in burned and unburned tundra were similar though nests in burned tundra generally had less protective cover. Several factors may be involved in the reduced abundance of Lapland longspurs in burned tundra.Key words: Lapland longspur, burned tundra, Alaska, abundance, nest sitesMots clés: bruant lapon, toundra incendiée, Alaska, abondance, emplacement de nid

Measurement Error in Research on Human Resources and Firm Performance: Additional Data and Suggestions for Future Research

Gerhart and colleagues and Huselid and Becker recently debated the presence and implications of measurement error in measures of human resource practices. This paper presents data from three more studies, one of large organizations from different industries at the corporate level, one from commercial banks, and the other of autonomous business units at the level of the job. Results of all three studies provide additional evidence that single respondent measures of HR practices contain large amounts of measurement error. Implications for future research are discussed

Organizational Strategy and Staffing

In this chapter, we draw linkages between theory and research from strategic human resource management (and its focus on predicting unit/firm performance) with the key issues and empirical findings from the staffing and selection literature (and its focus on predicting individual performance). We organize the chapter around the fit and flexibility framework (Wright & Snell, 1998) to discuss the dual concerns of fitting staffing and selection systems to strategic needs while simultaneously enabling flexibility to respond to future demands. Implications for research and practice explain how such an approach may alter and enhance conventional views regarding staffing system characteristics such as the types of criteria, knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs), and selection methods that are considered

The Dynamical Mass and Three-Dimensional Orbit of HR7672B: A Benchmark Brown Dwarf with High Eccentricity

The companion to the G0V star HR7672 directly imaged by Liu et al. (2002) has moved measurably along its orbit since the discovery epoch, making it possible to determine its dynamical properties. Originally targeted with adaptive optics because it showed a long-term radial velocity acceleration (trend), we have monitored this star with precise Doppler measurements and have now established a 24 year time baseline. The radial velocity variations show significant curvature (change in the acceleration) including an inflection point. We have also obtained a recent image of HR7672B with NIRC2 at Keck. The astrometry also shows curvature. In this paper, we use jointly-fitted Doppler and astrometric models to calculate the three-dimensional orbit and dynamical mass of the companion. The mass of the host star is determined using a direct radius measurement from CHARA interferometry in combination with high resolution spectroscopic modeling. We find that HR7672B has a highly eccentric, $e=0.50^{+0.01}_{-0.01}$, near edge-on, $i=97.3^{+0.4}_{-0.5}$ deg, orbit with semimajor axis, $a=18.3^{+0.4}_{-0.5}$ AU. The mass of the companion is $m=68.7^{+2.4}_{-3.1}M_J$ at the 68.2% confidence level. HR7672B thus resides near the substellar boundary, just below the hydrogen-fusing limit. These measurements of the companion mass are independent of its brightness and spectrum and establish HR7672B as a rare and precious "benchmark" brown dwarf with a well-determined mass, age, and metallicity essential for testing theoretical evolutionary models and synthetic spectral models. It is presently the only directly imaged L,T,Y-dwarf known to produce an RV trend around a solar-type star.Comment: accepted to Ap