This dissertation comprised of three essays provides justification for the need to pursue research on multinationality and performance with a more fine-grained approach. Essay one is a conceptual response to an article written by Jean-Francois Hennart in 2011 which questions the need and approach toward future research in this domain. I argue that internalization theory does not render multinationality and performance research meaningless and identify key areas where methodological enhancements can be made to strengthen our research findings with regard to Hennart’s call for more content validity. Essay two responds to the need for more-fine grained research on the consequences of multinationality by introducing non-traditional measures of performance such as social and environmental performance and adopting a more theoretically relevant construct of regionalization to capture international diversification levels of the firm. Using data from the world’s largest 600 firms (based on sales) derived from Bloomberg and the Directory of Corporate Affiliates; I employ general estimating equation analysis to account for the auto-correlated nature of the panel data alongside multivariate regression techniques. Results indicate that regionalization has a positive relationship with economic performance while it has a negative relationship with environmental and social performance outcomes, often referred to as the “Triple Bottom-Line” performance. Essay three builds upon the work in the previous essays by linking the aforementioned performance variables and sample to corporate reputation which has been shown to be a beneficial strategic asset. Using Structural Equation Modeling I explore economic, environmental and social signals as mediators on relationship between regionalization and firm reputation. Results indicate that these variables partially mediate a positive relationship between regionalization and firm reputation. While regionalization positively affects the reputation building signal of economic performance, it aids in reputation building by reducing environmental and social disclosure effects which interestingly impact reputation negatively. In conclusion, the dissertation submits opportunities for future research and contributes to research by demonstrating that regionalization affects performance, but the effect varies in accordance with the performance criterion and context. In some cases, regional diversification may produce competing or conflicting outcomes among the potential strategic objectives of the firm.

The manner by which courts view performance appraisals in relation to the outcome of case is certainly a topic worthy of discussion. Utilizing the framework used within the work of Werner and Bolino (1997), the following study was able to accomplish two main goals: (1) update the information of Werner and Bolino (1997) by evaluating modern cases, and (2) to evaluate new data regarding age discrimination utilizing the same framework as Werner and Bolino (1997). Utilizing chi-square analysis to test all of the hypotheses, it was demonstrated that there was statistical significance in performance appraisals with the presence of a job analysis regarding court outcome. Other variables such as appraisal basis (trait, behavioral, MBO), triangulation, and appraisal frequency did not have any statistical significance. Out of the six new hypotheses tested, all showed statistical significance except for one. These hypotheses showcased the immense differences in how different forms of discrimination are viewed by the court even with respect to the performance appraisal. This was especially true with age discrimination in comparison to every other form of discrimination. In conclusion the following study accomplished its two main goals by displaying consistency with Werner and Bolino’s work and successfully evaluating new variables to support the hypotheses that involve differences between different forms of discrimination and the outcome of the court case.

Companies have taken the initiative to be socially responsible over the years. In the past, the focus for companies has been on maximizing wealth. With the growth of corporate social responsibility (CSR), there has been many debates regarding its benefits. More companies are beginning to realize the value of being socially responsible and how critical it is to business function. This paper researches past studies on the relationship between corporate social responsibility and financial performance. This relationship is then tested using a reliable source of data on corporate social responsibility performance. This study uniquely looks at the accounting and market-based measurements of financial performance. The dataset includes most of the S&P 500 firms and covers years 2005-2014. An empirical model is constructed which includes factors that were found significant in the works of Capon, Farley, and Hoenig (1990). The relationships are tested using cross-sector/panel data time-series regressions. Results indicate that CSR and the accounting measurements of financial performance are positively related. CSR and the market-based measurements of financial performance are negatively related. This suggests that CSR positively affects a company’s profits and negatively affects future stock returns. One interpretation of this result is that socially responsible stocks have a lower required rates of return. The results indicate that since investors are more willing to invest in CSR stocks, these firms end up experiencing lower future stock returns. The results are consistent with past studies and support the hypotheses.

In a time when Americans are waking up to the health consequences of consuming fast food, researchers have discovered that fast food restaurants seem to be located in greater concentrations near primary or secondary schools. While this phenomenon affects the food environments of some children and carries implications as to their short term and long term health (which has also been well researched), this paper focuses primarily on fast food restaurants that are within walking distance of schools. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to integrate geospatial, business, demographic, and food quality data, I use linear regressions to examine whether and which fast food restaurants achieve greater sales by being closer to schools. By including an interaction term in my regressions, I find that low-quality, unhealthy fast food restaurants are rewarded with higher sales when in proximity to schools than identical restaurants that are farther away. Conversely, higher-quality fast food establishments actually earn lower sales when in proximity to schools. This paper adds to the existing literature by using fast food sales near schools to infer the dietary choices of children, evaluate the success of location strategies employed by the fast food industry, and offer new insights to public health professionals.

Despite an abundance of research on the problem of insider threats, only limited success has been achieved in preventing trusted insiders from committing security violations. Virtue ethics may be an approach that can be utilized to address this issue. Human factors such as moral considerations impact Information System (IS) design, use, and security; consequently they affect the security posture and culture of an organization. Virtue ethics based concepts have the potential to influence and align the moral values and behavior of information systems workers with those of an organization in order to provide increased protection of IS assets. An individual’s character strengths have been linked to positive personal development, but there has been very little research into how the positive characteristics of virtue ethics, exhibited through the character development of information systems workers, can contribute to improving system security. This research aimed to address this gap by examining factors that affect and shape the ethical perspectives of individuals entrusted with privileged access to information. This study builds upon prior research and theoretical frameworks on institutionalizing ethics into organizations and Information Ethics to propose a new theoretical model which demonstrates the influences on Information Systems Security (ISS) trusted worker ethical behavior within an organization. Components of the research model include ISS virtue ethics based constructs, organizational based internal influences, societal based external influences, and trusted worker ethical behavior. This study used data collected from 395 professionals in an ISS organization to empirically assess the model. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling was employed to analyze the indicators, constructs, and path relationships. Various statistical tests determined validity and reliability, with mixed but adequate results. All of the relationships between constructs were positive, although some were stronger and more significant. The expectation of the researcher in this study was to better understand the character of individuals who pose an insider threat by validating the proposed model, thereby providing a conceptual analysis of the character traits which influence the ethical behavior of trusted workers and ultimately information system security.

An increasing number of researchers are recognizing the importance of the role played by employees in maintaining the effectiveness of an information security policy. Currently, little research exists to validate the relationship between the actions (behaviors) taken by employees in response to exceptional situations (antecedents) regarding an organization’s information security policy, the impact (consequences) those actions have on an organization, and the motives that prompt those actions. When these exceptional situations occur, employees may feel compelled to engage in behaviors that violate the terms of an information security policy because strict compliance with the policy could cause the organization to lose revenue, reputability or some other business advantage. To address this issue, this research study investigated how to design an effective information security policy for exceptional situations in an organization. In order to achieve this goal, this study explored how an information security policy should be designed with the critical components of clarity, comprehensiveness, ease of use and flexibility, in addition to including provisions for the work contingencies of employees. The aim of this proposed study was to demonstrate how the application principles of the prima-facie, utilitarian and universalizability design theories can aid in designing an information security policy that includes these essential elements. The research study explored the effectiveness of the policy's design and the effect it had on employee compliance with the policy in exceptional situations. A survey questionnaire was administered to a control group and an experimental group consisting of full-time and part-time employees who worked in various departments of a single organization. The survey employed a five-point Likert-type scale. The data gathered from the questionnaire was analyzed. Inferential statistics used the general linear model (GLM), including the t-test, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), regression analysis, and factor analysis with the latest SPSS version computer statistical analysis program. This study built to develop a model for designing an effective information security policy for exceptional situations in an organization. Based on the analysis of fit the model for designing an effective information security policy for exceptional situations in an organization was determine to be a success model. This study should provide many opportunities for future research, as well as providing information security practitioners and academics a solid roadmap for designing effective information security policies within an organization to apply during exceptional situations.

This research focuses on one of the least studied cultural dimension, “indulgence versus restraint” (IVR) and how it affects consumer behavior, international marketing, and global business operations in the U.S. and Mongolia. This project is the first research on IVR in Mongolia since the country is rarely studied and there is no available data for this cultural dimension. Samples of undergraduate business students (as consumers) from both countries were studied through surveys. The findings support that Mongolians and Americans are different regarding the “indulgence” cultural dimension. This paper has a significant contribution to the cross-cultural literature regarding the indulgence cultural dimension and its applications in global business and marketing and advertising strategies.

There exist major disparities in issues concerning health, education, the environment, and other problems that affect overall well-being. Currently, government and nonprofit institutions do not sufficiently mitigate these problems. This thesis examines traditional corporate structures that uphold the profit-maximization dilemma and analyzes emerging corporate structures that encourage greater social enterprise. The alternative corporate structures provide greater flexibility for mission-driven companies. Such structures encourage─and legally require─increased awareness and investment in social and environmental enterprise. Executives must decide, to what extent, they will utilize the power and influence of business to do good works.

Amid increasing trends of market concentration and corporate political activity in the United States, this thesis takes a quantitative approach to evaluating Luigi Zingales’ political theory of the firm. Using data from the Economic Census and from the Center for Responsive Politics, I find that concentration as measured by four and eight largest firms’ share of establishments exhibits a significant positive relationship to corporate lobbying at the intensive margin. On the other hand, concentration as measured by four and eight largest firms’ share of employment exhibits a significant negative relationship on politically active firms’ decision to lobby at the extensive margin. Through drawing upon existing quantitative literature on this subject, I conclude that Zingales’ theory remains sound and its implications on the political economy of the United States are bleak. Further research should look into politically feasible policy solutions to this troubling relationship.

面對要做的事無限，但能力有限之困境，政府部門的發展之道大致可歸納為二：（一）建立與提昇政府的能力—此涵蓋採行廣泛措施、活動的概念，這些措施的目的在於提昇公民和政府的能力，冀望產生更有效及更有回應力的公共服務與財貨。（二）市政業務民營化或協力化—透過民營化或協力化機制（規劃者、協調者、整合者及推動者）統合、激發運用民間資源。 　　在面對資源稀少性下，可運用幾項策略：（1）推動民營化；（2）形塑公民意識；（3）採行減肥措施；（4）採行合夥措施；（5）採用第三部門等五種策略。其中採行合夥措施接近公私部門協力關係，基本上，推動公私部門協力關係需奠立於公民意識和參與基礎之上。因為若有堅固的公民意識和參與基礎，將能導引公共政策的走向，同時減輕政府沉重的負擔。 　　在面對沉重的財政壓力與政策需求下，政府已開始改變做事方式，大力倡導公私部門協力，並允許公私部門間的競爭（劉毓玲，民82）。整個公私部門關係的轉變，由陌生到競爭合作，這些作法乃至於政府主動尋求私部門的協力參與；其主要核心觀念是改造政府具有效率和品質的政府，公部門不再只強調公平性的原則，同時要提高公共服務的水準，以因應民眾需求。「公私部門的協力關係（或稱合夥關係）」（public-private partnership）已成為目前國家建設公共政策上非常重要的一種理念。 　　筆者認為公私部門協力關係是：公私部門以平等互惠、共同參與、責任分擔的原則，建立一個以公民參與為基礎，以公共責任為核心，以公共利益為目的，結合公部門、私部門、第三部門及公民，並以建立公私協力機制為連結的公共服務責任網（network of responsibility），它具有下列內涵:（1）公私部門協力是公私部門組織文化性和結構性的改變；（2）公私部門協力兼顧效率與公共性；（3）公私部門協力是一種組織的關係或網絡。 　　因此，在本文中，首先探討公私部門關係，包括民營化方向及第三部門的參與，進而探討公私部門合作的新方向—公私部門協力關係。繼而論及公私部門協力理論，探討理論基礎—公民參與理論及新政府運動，再者論及公私部門協力運用策略、限制與解決之道。並以台北市社區大學的個案研究，探討公私部門在此一公共政策的合作關係。最後，希望作一理論與個案之整合，由公共利益與公共性的維護、公共責任的落實、公私協力機制的法制化探討公私部門協力關係的必要發展--公私協力機制的發展。此些觀念之內涵如下： 一、公共利益與公共性的維護 　　學者C.Ventriss(1991：12)曾言：「行政是政府的重心，而公共才是國家的核心」，一語點出「公共性」對於一個國家或政府的重要性，以及公共行政的核心價值所在。「公共性」積極意義的彰顯，也就是指人類共同事務必須經由社群成員的主動參與，以及成員間的相互溝通、意見表達，以形成共識，而這樣的共識及其付諸實踐的一切行動將有助於群體公益以及共同美善(common good)。 社區大學的成立，結合了政府部門、民間部門及社區團體及社區居民的共同參與而成立，其上課方式亦採取讓公民參與、公民自主的方式，充分展現了公共性的價值。 二、公共責任的落實 　　公私部門協力關係責任的承擔是由協力雙方共同承擔，這可由兩個面向探討之，一為政策議程設定，一為行政官僚組織人員。在議程的設定方面，有那些議題能被列入議程中討論，乃至於形成政策？以「參與式民主」（participatory democracy）的觀點而言，參與式民主意指（1）使政府行政人員的選拔過程更受一般平民的影響，此涉及政黨的民主化；（2）把許多與國家大致上無關的決策由地方政府或社會人民集會成立，以制衡中央過分集中的權力及行政官僚的勢力；（3）私人性組織的「民主化」等政策。參與式民主的觀點啟發了日後公共事務管理的新思維，如社區自覺與自治、公眾參與，以至於公私部門協力關係。因此，依據民主的意涵，議程設定的應然決策者應為人民，實現主權在民的理念。而公私部門協力關係亦可視為一種人民的參與和監督方式，藉由此種機制彌補議程設定的障礙，讓有些具有重要性、迫切性的議題或弱勢團體的需求，可以透過公私部門協力關係而予以處理。 　　在行政官僚組織探討上，一個健全的民主行政發展應考量以下幾個原則：（1）公共取向；（2）深思熟慮的抉擇；（3）公正正直的行為；（4）程序的尊重；（5）程序的尊重。 三、公私協力機制的法制化 　　公私部門協力關係的建立，並不意味協力雙方可以恣意作為而不受約束。公私部門協力關係不限於傳統的政治監督方式，可由具公信力的團體組織負責監督或用「誘因監督」方式由協力雙方根據預算和利益分配進行良性互動監督，即創造出一「公私協力機制」，以利永續經營發展。 　　就社區大學的未來發展而言，除須克服法令的限制外，另外尚須配合下列措施，以兼顧公平、正義與效率： 一、訂定類似委託民間辦理實施要點，逐步引進營利部門共同推動公共政策，以保障弱勢群體的權益，使其不致成為民營化的犧牲者。 二、積極輔導民間非營利部門健全發展，使服務供給市場能充分發展，增加民眾的選擇性，真正達到競爭、效率、高品質的目標，如此才能真正達到公私協力多元的供給體系目標。 　　台北市文山區社區大學的成立代表了兩層意義：一是它代表著將知識的喜悅帶出學術殿堂，培養公民大眾的批判理性，健全公共理性的論述機制，提昇競爭力及生活素質，並期許為社會重建的起點，建立終身學習社會的使命。二是文山區社區大學的設置係由民間社團、社區組織、台北市政府共同協力達成的，這不但突破現今教育部設置「大學」的法令限制，更是公部門與私部門協力完成的一個範例，它的成功與否將成為公私部門協力的研究一項重要指標。 目錄 第一章 緒論……..…..……………………………………………..1 第一節 研究動機與目的…………………………………………..1 第二節 研究途徑、方法與限制…………………………………..5 第三節 文獻檢視……………………………………………..……8 第四節 研究架構與流程………………………………………….20 第二章 公私部門關係之分析……..………………………….……27 第一節 公私部門關係探討….……………………………………27 第二節 公共事務民營化探討……………………………….……34 第三節 非營利組織與政府的互動關係………………………….37 第四節 公私部門合作的新方向………………………………….39 第三章 公私部門協力理論與策略分析..……………………….…45 第一節 公私部門協力理論……………………………………….45 第二節 公私部門協力策略……………………………………….51 第三節 公私部門協力理論限制與解決之道…………………….58 第四章 公私部門協力關係應用於台北社區大學之分析..……….70 第一節 台北市社區大學方案規劃過程………………………….70 第二節 台北市社區大學方案法制化問題……………………….76 第三節 台北市社區大學方案執行………………………..…...80 第四節 台北市社區大學方案評估…………..……………..….86 第五章 公私協力機制的建立…………………………………….…92 第一節 公共利益與公共性的維護……………………………...92 第二節 公共責任的落實………………………………………...97 第三節 公私協力機制的法制化……………………………....102 第六章 結論…………………………………………………………104 第一節 研究發現..……………………………………………..104 第二節 研究建議..……………………………………………..110 參考書目………………..….………………………………………117 附錄一 訪談紀錄 附錄二 台北市政府試辦社區大學實施要點 附錄三 台北市政府試辦社區大學委託大專院校或民間團體經營契約範本