ADVANCED MANAGEMENT JOURNAL
VOLUME 67  NUMBER 1  WINTER 2002

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Web Site Recruitment Characteristics: America's Best Versus America's Biggest 

In the past two years the Internet has come from nowhere to play a major role in the employee recruitment process since the corporate website is where the recruiting action is, the authors surveyed and compared web sites of a random sample of 100 of its best companies to work for list.  Not surprisingly, the "best" companies had more recruitment content on their sites.  But before an organization emulates these sites it should keep in mind that what attracts candidates today may be different tomorrow.
Thomas S. Brice and Marie Waung

Lies, Lies, and More Lies

Candidates eager or desperate for a job and companies eager or desperate to hire them can result in lies or omissions on resumes that go undetected.  Previous research suggests that at least one-quarter of all resumes contain lies or material omissions and that employers are often lax in checking resume data.  A survey by the authors provides new details about who is apt to li8e and what they are apt to lie about.  Organizations need to develop policies to protect themselves, including more rigorous verification and unequivocal rules regarding the consequences of lying on an application.
Tammy Prater and Sara Bliss Kiser

An Evaluation of Retraining Programs for Dislocated Workers in the Airline Industry

Even in good times, corporate restructuring and mergers can result in significant layoffs and job losses.  Fortunately, corporations and other organizations often provide retraining programs, but, unfortunately, these are uneven in quality and may not be particularly beneficial to the job seekers.  An analysis of attendees and programs of the Career Center for Dislocated Airline Workers in Jonesboro, Georgia, helps predict which employees are most apt to complete the training and sheds light on how such programs should operate to fill their mission successfully.
Michael H. Deis and Janice S. Scott

Determinants of Employee Support for the Strategic Plan of a Business Unit

Many strategic Plans are written, but research shows that almost three-quarters are never implemented.  One reason may be top management's reluctance to share knowledge of the plan with employees for fear of leaks to competitors or that morale will be damaged.  This is particularly true when the plan is for a low-cost strategy.  The authors tested some factors that could lead to successful implementation of such a strategy in two textile plants. Results were mixed: knowledge of the strategy did not result in widespread acceptance, for example, but organizational commitment correlated positively.
W. Robert Guffey and Brian J. Nienhaus

How Closely Are Temporary Workers Screened?  Results of a National Survey of Temporary Agencies

The short answer to the question is "not closely at all."  Checks on educational, employment, and possibly criminal backgrounds of temps are often cursory.  More shocking is that background information tends to be checked less for temps seeking positions in such fields as medicine or security than for those headed for clerical jobs.  Many businesses may be surprised to learn that they are as liable for actions of temps as for their own employees.  Before signing on with a temp agency, managers would do well to inquire about the agency's screening procedures.
Richard S. Allen, Joanie Sompayrac, and Charles S. White

Doing Business in Latin America: Managing Cultural Differences in Perceptions of Female Expatriates

A study involving undergraduate, degree-seeking business administration students in Chile found that overall perceptions of women as managers were relatively positive, but more so among women than men.  Key fundamental values affecting perceptions are the importance of the family, including the supremacy of the father, and the concept of machismo, or manliness.  Both could account for the greater difficulty experienced by women seeking respect in managerial jobs in Latin countries.  Nevertheless, careful preparation and orientation can help women cope with this problem.
Crystal L. Owen and Robert F. Sherer

Acquisition Strategy Within a Deregulated Environment: The Case of the U.S. Trucking Industry

Acquisitions are fraught with uncertainty, but successful ones may pave the way for growth.  Leverage acquisitions can succeed by increasing efficiency and resource use, and can perhaps prepare the firm for competence building acquisitions in the future.  Newly deregulated industries often go through a consolidation phase with many mergers and acquisitions.  Such was the case with trucking in 1980, and an examination of survivors versus non-survivors provides insights into acquisitions strategies.  Firms that never made competence-building acquisitions did not survive.
Michael L. Petus