ARTICLE 1

Dynamics between social norms and corporate governance: Insights from a Survey of French and Saudi firms during the subprime crisis

Résumé :

The global financial crisis 2006-2008 has attracted considerable attention among both investors and academics in all countries damaged or not by such financial failures. Firm is often concerned to resist increased social and environmental regulation, preferring voluntary or soft-law approaches to global governance. Our survey is conducted on French and Saudi firms during the subprime crisis. It highlights the importance of social norms to strengthen the corporate governance quality and to limit the adverse effects of the subprime crisis. Shareholders are more sensitive to these norms; they give greater trust and confidence to the managers who respect them.

par Hanene Ezzine
Assistant Professor - HDR
ESC of Sfax University
(Tunisia)

ARTICLE 2

Implementing a well-suited management control system in professional services firms:
evidence from the notary public offices sector

Résumé :

This paper examines the problematic of implementing management control systems in professional services firms through the case study of the French notary public sector. The results presented were obtained through observation in the course of intervention-research carried out in 350 notary public offices. These findings were then supplemented by a quantitative study. They show that in 75% of the tested cases, setting up management control systems improved performances of very small professional services firms such as notary public offices. Furthermore, they showed that one of the key variables of successful set-up is involvement on the part of the company CEO during the set-up phase.

par Laurent Cappelletti
Professeur Titulaire de Chaire
CNAM Paris
(France)

ARTICLE 3

Reconciling entrepreneurship with
motherhood in France

Résumé :

This paper is about work-life balance among a cohort of young mother entrepreneurs in France who left stable employment to start their own business. Contrary to expectations, these women experienced business ownership as an opportunity to reconcile motherhood and professional aspirations thanks to a better locus of control. Suggestions for government policies that would support young parents creating start-ups are put forward. Theoretical implications on mechanisms linking work and family among entrepreneurs are also presented.

par Pierre Chaudat
Maître de Conférences - HDR Université Clermont –Auvergne (France)
Marina Bourgain
Enseignante - Chercheure Groupe ESC Clermont (France)
Kevin Metz
Enseignant - Chercheur Groupe ESC Clermont (France)

ARTICLE 4

A discursive framework for research in
management consulting

Résumé :

Our study presents a research framework derived from critical discourse analysis that is intended to illuminate differences among management consulting methods. We resurrected the strong sense of discourse, that connected to the exercise of power. An exploration of the theoretical foundations of the sub-field of quality process improvement consulting revealed three grand narratives and applied discourses that became sensitizing concepts. The resulting discursive framework offers new insight to discern rhetoric from substance for research in management consulting.

par Yue Cai Hillon
PhD - Associate Professor of Management
Western Carolina University (USA)
Geraldine Kisiel
PhD AK Research & Training (USA)
Mark E. Hillon
PhD Lafayette Institute (USA)