Opportunism in Corporate Management

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/0208-6018.345.04

Keywords:

new institutional economics, opportunism, corporate governance, management, trade unions

Abstract

A growing interest in the phenomenon of economic opportunism can be mainly explained by new institutional economics (NIE). It has changed the limitation of that phenomenon into the main method of increasing the efficiency of business entities. Opportunistic attitudes and behaviour can be particularly observed in a business entity. A tendency towards opportunism should be considered both while entering contracts and while developing a strategy for a company. The article is aimed at presenting the essence of opportunism and at defining its place in new institutional economics.

It is also aimed at identifying opportunistic attitudes in corporate operation and at indicating the ways to limit such attitudes.

While analysing the role of opportunism in corporate management, the main focus shall be set on opportunistic interdependencies in corporate governance. Opportunistic attitudes may be presented not only by the management board of a company but also by its other stakeholders. They may use incompleteness of agreements that have been entered into or asymmetry of information in order to increase their gain at the expense of others. The article provides a more detailed analysis of opportunistic attitudes presented by employee organisations in highly developed countries as well as in post‑communist countries, where opportunism is manifested in demanding attitudes or in protection of monopolist positions.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Bednarski M. (2010), Partycypacja pracownicza. Perspektywa ekonomiczna, [in:] J. Wratny, M. Bednarski (eds.), Związki zawodowe a niezwiązkowe przedstawicielstwa pracownicze w gospodarce posttransformacyjnej, Instytut Pracy i Spraw Socjalnych, Warszawa.
Google Scholar

Bosworth D. L., Dawkins P. J., Stromback T. (1996), The Economics of the Labour Market, Longman, Harlow.
Google Scholar

Bowling C. (2014), Interest Based Negotiations Cheat Sheet, “Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy”, vol. 0, Article 37.
Google Scholar

Brown J. R., Krishen A. S., Chekitan S. D. (2014), The Role of Ownership in Managing Interfirm Opportunism: A Dyadic Study, “Journal of Marketing Channels”, no. 21, pp. 31–42.
Google Scholar

Casson M. (2000), The Economics of International Business, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham.
Google Scholar

CBOS (2017), Działalność związków zawodowych w Polsce. Komunikat z badań, no. 87.
Google Scholar

Czajka Z. (1998), Związki zawodowe wobec polityki płac w okresie transformacji, Instytut Pracy i Spraw Socjalnych, “Ekspertyzy‑Informacje”, no. 1, Warszawa.
Google Scholar

Donaldson T., Preston L. E. (1995), The Stakeholders theory of the Corporation: Concepts, Evidence, and Implications, “Academy Management Review”, no. 20(1), pp. 65–91.
Google Scholar

Elliott R. F. (1990), Labor Economics: A Comparative Text, McGraw‑Hill Book Company, London.
Google Scholar

Gallanger W. E., Einhor H. J. (1997), Motivation Theory and Job Design, “Journal of Business”, no. 49, pp. 367–373.
Google Scholar

Gancarczyk M. (2012), Koncepcja sieci z perspektywy teorii kosztów transakcyjnych, “Współczesne Zarządzanie”, no. 3, pp. 61–69.
Google Scholar

Gardawski J. (2009), Związki zawodowe w teorii ekonomii i w gospodarce, [in:] J. Gardawski (ed.), Polacy pracujący a kryzys fordyzmu, Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar, Warszawa, pp. 443– 460.
Google Scholar

Grudzewski W. M., Hejduk I. K., Sankowska A., Wańtuchowicz M. (2007), Zarządzanie zaufaniem w organizacjach wirtualnych, Difin, Warszawa.
Google Scholar

Hambrick D. C., Werder A., Zajac E. J. (2008), New Directions in corporate governance research, “Organization Science”, no. 19(3), pp. 381–385.
Google Scholar

Hart O. D. (1998), Incomplete contracts, and the theory of the firm, “Journal of Law, Economics and Organization”, no. 4(1), pp. 119–139.
Google Scholar

Hodson G. M. (2004), Opportunism is not the only reason why firms exist: why an explanatory emphasis on opportunism may mislead management strategy, “Industrial and Corporate Change”, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 401–418.
Google Scholar

Jensen M. C., Meckling W. H. (1994), The Nature of Man, “Journal of Applied Corporate Finance”, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 4–19.
Google Scholar

Lissowska M. (2008), Instytucje gospodarki rynkowej w Polsce. Institutions for Market Economy. The Case of Poland, Wydawnictwo C. H. Beck, Warszawa.
Google Scholar

Love J. H. (2005), On the opportunism‑independent theory of the firm, “Cambridge Journal of Economics”, no. 29, pp. 381–397.
Google Scholar

Love J. H. (2010), Opportunism, Hold‑Up and the (Contractual) Theory of the Firm, “Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics”, vol. 166, no. 3, pp. 479–501.
Google Scholar

Łupnicka A. (2016), Paradygmaty w naukach o zarządzaniu. Potrzeba uściślenia versus bogactwo ujęć paradygmatycznych jako wartość, “Studia Oeconomica Posnaniensia”, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 18–33.
Google Scholar

Madhok A. (2006), Opportunism, Trust and Knowledge: The Management of Firm Value and the Value of Firm Management, [in:] R. Bachmann, A. Zacheer (eds.), Handbook on Trust Research, Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, pp. 107–123.
Google Scholar

Mitchell R. K., Agle B. R., Wood D. J. (1997), Toward a theory of stakeholder identification and salience: Defining the principle of who and what really counts, “Academy Management Review”, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 853–886.
Google Scholar

Mysen T., Svensson G., Payan J. P. (2013), The key role of opportunism in business relationship, “Marketing Intelligence & Planning”, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 436–449.
Google Scholar

Noorderhaven N. G. (1996), Opportunism and Trust in Transaction Cost Economics, [in:] J. Groenewefen (ed.), Transaction Cost Economics and Beyond, Kluwer Academic Publisher, Dordrecht, pp. 105–128.
Google Scholar

Pfeffer J., Salancik G. R. (2003), The External Control of Organizations: A Resource Dependence Perspective, Stanford University Press, Stanford.
Google Scholar

Piórkowska K. (2013), Strategie behawioralne wyznacznikiem sukcesu organizacji, “Zarządzanie i Finanse”, vol. 4(2), pp. 333–341.
Google Scholar

Rudolf S. (2007), Pośrednie formy partycypacji pracowniczej w nowych krajach UE, [in:] S. Rudolf (ed.), Perspektywy rozwoju partycypacji pracowniczej w Polsce w warunkach Unii Europejskiej, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego, Łódź, pp. 161–178.
Google Scholar

Rudolf S. (2008), Udział przedstawicieli załogi w radach nadzorczych spółek w nowych krajach Unii Europejskiej, [in:] S. Rudolf (ed.), Rola nadzoru korporacyjnego w kreowaniu wartości przedsiębiorstwa, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego, Łódź, pp. 393–408.
Google Scholar

Staniek Z. (2017), Ekonomia instytucjonalna. Dlaczego instytucje są ważne, Difin, Warszawa.
Google Scholar

Sullivan T. (1986), Trade Unions, Labour Markets, Productivity and New Technology: Theory and Policy, University of Manchaster, Working Paper no. 128.
Google Scholar

Verbeke A., Greidanus N. (2009), The End of Opportunism vs Trust Debate: Bounded Reliability as a New Envelope Concept in Research on MNE Governance, “Journal of International Business Studies”, vol. 40, no. 9, pp. 1471–1495.
Google Scholar

Werder A. (2011), Corporate Governance and Stakeholders Opportunism, “Organization Science”, vol. 22, no. 5, pp. 1345–1358.
Google Scholar

Williamson O. E. (1998), Ekonomiczne instytucje kapitalizm. Firmy, rynki, relacje kontraktowe, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa.
Google Scholar

Williamson O. E. (2005), Transaction Cost Economics, [in:] C. Menard, M. M. Shirley (eds.), Handbook of New Institutional Economics, Springer, New York, pp. 41–65.
Google Scholar

Wratny J. (2010), Przedstawiciele pracowników w radach nadzorczych spółek, [in:] P. Urbanek (ed.), Nadzór korporacyjny w warunkach kryzysu gospodarczego, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego, Łódź, pp. 371–385.
Google Scholar

Downloads

Published

2019-12-30

How to Cite

Rudolf, S. (2019). Opportunism in Corporate Management. Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Oeconomica, 6(345), 75–91. https://doi.org/10.18778/0208-6018.345.04

Issue

Section

Articles