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dc.contributor.advisorLee, Hugh
dc.contributor.advisorKapsis, Ilias
dc.contributor.authorWiegmann, Thomas
dc.date.accessioned2020-03-05T14:16:49Z
dc.date.available2020-03-05T14:16:49Z
dc.date.issued2019
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10454/17676
dc.description.abstractIn professional partnerships, partners have to agree how to split their income between each other. Such a profit sharing system (PSS) must be perceived as being fair and motivating to ensure the enduring success of the partnership. Surprisingly, quite different systems are in use today in otherwise comparable firms. The understanding of a “fair share” and how to motivate best varies con-siderably. Existing literature on professional service firms rarely discusses in which circumstances the different PSS types are adequate; non-economic per-spectives are scarce. Using semi-structured interviews with senior partners from large German law firms, this study evaluates their understanding of trust, fairness and motivation, and how that links to their respective PSS’s. It adds the otherwise missing peer-to-peer perspective to existing organisational research on fairness, trust and motivation. The findings include the presence of both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation through money, but also through peer pressure. Different fairness ideals clearly link to PSS types. Mutual trust, based on knowing each other, is key in all but one PSS type. An important, but yet overlooked differentiator between PSS’s is whether profit distribution decisions are made based on algorithms or on human (committee) decisions. A new framework is developed that links the beliefs and values of the partners with the specific characteristics of the PSS, which are systematically assessed for the first time. This framework offers partners from law firms and potentially other professional service firms a methodical approach to identify and discuss their needs and to identify the most appropriate PSS for their specific situation.en_US
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.rights<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/3.0/88x31.png" /></a><br />The University of Bradford theses are licenced under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/">Creative Commons Licence</a>.eng
dc.subjectFairnessen_US
dc.subjectJusticeen_US
dc.subjectTrusten_US
dc.subjectMotivationen_US
dc.subjectProfessional service firmsen_US
dc.subjectLaw firmsen_US
dc.subjectGermanyen_US
dc.subjectProfit sharing system (PSS)en_US
dc.titleFairness, trust and motivation in Profit Sharing Systems within German law firms. A qualitative analysis of law firm partner needs in a peer-to-peer contexten_US
dc.type.qualificationleveldoctoralen_US
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Bradfordeng
dc.publisher.departmentFaculty of Management, Law & Social Sciencesen_US
dc.typeThesiseng
dc.type.qualificationnameDBAen_US
dc.date.awarded2019
refterms.dateFOA2020-03-05T14:16:49Z


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