Associate Professor Michelle Arthur, Anderson Schools of Management, recently had an article recognized as one of the top 20 research papers for the annual Rosabeth Moss Kanter Award for Excellence in Work-Family Research.
Arthur’s paper, “Share Price Reactions to Work-Family Initiatives: An Institutional Perspective,” was selected for the top 20 by a committee of more than 40 scholars from eight countries and more than 2,000 articles published in 52 leading English-language journals in North America and Europe. Sixty papers were nominated in the initial round and the top 20 were identified during a second round of interviews.
“The study was selected because it was one of the first studies to show a relationship between work-family programs and firm value,” said Arthur. “I am delighted to have my paper selected for the award, especially as the body of work addressing work-family issues continues to grow and become more sophisticated.
“Researchers have suggested that work-family programs allow firms to attract, retain and increase the efficiency of employees. This research goes a step further by showing that work-family programs affect the bottom-line. In doing so, this study may provide an added incentive for firms to adopt work-family programs.”
Arthur’s research consisted of a study of 130 announcements in the Wall Street Journal that illustrated a significant, positive relationship between work-family human resource initiatives and share price. Institutional theory provided the theoretical underpinning for such a relationship. Share price reactions occurring both before and after “legitimation” of a program were examined.
Arthur found the work-family initiative and shareholder return relationship was higher in high-tech industries and, to a lesser extent, in industries with higher proportions of female employees. Implications of the results were discussed and suggestions for future research presented in the paper.
The award, sponsored by the Center for Families at Purdue University and the Boston College Center for Work and Family, is named for Rosabeth Moss Kanter, identified by leading scholars as the person having the most influence on the modern research literature on work and family. The proposals contained in her 1977 monograph “Work and Family in the United States: A Critical Review and Agenda for Research and Policy” remain timely almost a quarter-century later.
The award is given to the author(s) of the best research paper published during a given year and raises awareness of high quality work-family research among the scholar, consultant and practitioner communities. It also helps to foster debate about what the standards of quality for work-family research should be, and ultimately will raise those standards. And it identifies the “best of the best” on which to base future research.
Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821
Posted by scarr at March 16, 2005 02:40 PM