Research on asian cultures and management: Some epistemological issues

This paper highlights the major issues raised in the conference Culture and Management Styles in Southeast Asian countries and discusses the espistomological and methodological problems of doing comparative management research in general as well as in the region.The paper identifies the themes which emerged from the conference discussions as (1) the fundamental rationale for research and the apparent weakness in making it explicit, (2) the questions of epistomology as regards causation, and the (3) more mundane issues faced in conforming to standard research paradigms. These issues are discussed under the following headings: What is to be included, subjects' espoused theory or theory in use, idiographic versus nomothetic approaches, more universal variables, problems of defining culture. The implications and significance of different approaches and disciplines concerning these issues are considered, and guidelines for future research in the area are suggested.Professor Gordon S. Redding is with the Department of Management Studies, University of Hong Kong.     

The role of the ideal organization in comparative management: A cross cultural perspective of Japan & Korea

It is popular to talk of the Confucian Work Ethic when explaining the successes of Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. This is not an accurate impression. The authors of this article found significant differences in management practices — both actual and ideal — between Japan and South Korea.Professors Lane Kelley, Reginald Worthley and Harry Lie are from the College of Business Administration, University of Hawaii while Professor Arthur Whatley is from the College of Business Administration & Economics, New Mexico State University.     

China's Labour-Management System Reforms: Breaking the ‘Three Old Irons’ (1978–1999)

This article systematically examines the fundamental changes that have taken place in China's labour-management system since China embarked on its economic reforms in 1978. The system was, from the 1950s onwards, characterized by what were called the three old irons, i.e. life-time employment (the iron rice bowl), centrally administered wages (the iron wage), and state-controlled appointment and promotion of managerial staff (the iron chair). This study reviews the degree to which the reform process is breaking these three old irons and is arguably replacing them with a hybrid human resource management model, albeit with Chinese characteristics, that reflects the influence of foreign multinational corporations (MNCs) that have invested in China.     

History and managerial culture in Singapore: “Pragmatism”, “openness” and “paternalism”

This paper examines the historical evolution of culture and management in Singapore, the existence of cultural fluidity in the society and the openness of Singapore to foreign management in relation to the changes in the environment resulting from modernization and development. Management in Singapore has always been multinational in origin. It has also been influenced considerably by the Chinese family system. It is in a state of flux; new and foreign practices are continually assimilated and adapted. Inspite of the wide variations in management practices, Singapore management remained characteristically pragmatic and open as well as paternalistic.Dr. Chong Li Choy is Senior Lecturer in the School of Management, National University of Singapore.     

Corporate Governance and Firm Capabilities: A Comparison of Managerial, Alliance, and Personal Capitalisms

Incentive structures embodied in different systems of corporate governance produce firms with inclinations towards the development of particular capabilities and strategic assets and disinclinations towards the development of others. To the extent that there is an excessive dependence upon any particular type of governance, an economy as a whole will be endowed with both its benefits and costs. As such, governance reform in East Asian economies may be better aimed at cultivating alternative governance institutions alongside existing relational institutions, rather than in converting these governance systems into facsimiles of the so-called Anglo-American model.     

Paths to Common Ground? A Rejoinder to Dewey's Response

While subsequent discussion in this Review has failed to reconcile the merger policies proposed by Dewey and Keyes, it has suggested that they are not as far apart as they seemed at first reading. It now appears that both writers advocate a serious critical consideration of the efficiencies claims advanced by proponents of otherwise unacceptable mergers. Moreover, there may be a possibility that Dewey's special large-firm merger control could be defended on grounds which would not conflict with Keyes' proposal but would simply complement it.     

Transcending Paradox: The Chinese “Middle Way” Perspective

Western thought is noted for its strengths in categorization and analysis; Eastern, or Chinese thought, is noted for its integrative and encompassing nature. This article seeks to bridge the two. Specifically, it aims to enrich Western thinking and the existing body of paradox literature by proposing the idea of paradoxical integration, a concept derived from the Chinese middle way philosophy. Paradoxical integration, the notion that two opposites (such as self and other) may be interdependent in nature and together constitute a totality (integration), is introduced as one means of transcending paradox and the conventional Western conceptualization of exclusive opposites. It suggests how we can apply the concept of interdependent opposites in a both/and framework to foster reconciliation of the apparent polarities of such dichotomies as competition and cooperation. The article concludes with a discussion of the broad implications of the concept of paradoxical integration upon both academic research and business practice.An erratum to this article can be found at     

The state of East Asian banking structure and activities in the United States

This paper examines the structure and activities of East Asian banks in the USA in terms of their institutional components, legal environment, asset size and market structure, loan activities, geographical distribution and area of specialization. The discussion includes 10 Asia Pacific countries. The final section presents prognoses on the domination of Japanese banks as well as those of the two Chinas.Faramarz Damanpour is a Professor of Finance and International Business at James Madison University, U.S.A.     

Temporal Dynamics of Crossvergence: Institutionalizing MNC Integration Strategies in Post-Crisis ASEAN

This study utilizes the temporal lens afforded by the unprecedented pace of the Asian financial crisis to re-conceptualize the convergence-divergence-crossvergence (CDC) framework. Grounded at the Western-headquartered ASEAN subsidiary, CDC is hypothesized as a dialectical progression comprising Western corporate culture (convergence) ASEAN societal culture (divergence) and ending with the institutionalization of these forces (crossvergence) as a transient re-equilibrium. Against a backdrop of increasing macro-level turbulence, the CDC dialectic is then fed through a dyadic cycle of environmental shocks and organizational responses. Managerial implications are discussed along with suggestions for future research.     

Strategic turnarounds in organizations: An analysis of regulatory change

The article analyses major strategic shifts in eight regulatory agencies in the United States. The study underlines the influences of multiple factors in these strategic shifts and shows the usefulness of studying organizations' strategy-making cycles longitudinally. The relevant information on the eight regulatory agencies are analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively, paying attention to organization — environment interactions over time. Thirty strategic turnarounds in the eight agencies seemed to follow a consistent pattern, and it is concluded that there is a sequential order of progression from defensive to growth through rational strategies.The author is a Professor in the Faculty of Administration, University of New Brunswick.     

Testing for Competitiveness of Markets for Long Distance Telephone Services: Competition Finally?

Telecommunications regulatory policy is driven by rhetoric and myth concerning the competitiveness of long-distance service. Relying on behavioral tests for competitiveness, this review brings up to date analytical work establishing the pattern of competition or the lack of competition since the 1984 AT & T divestiture. Through mid 1997, the three large long-distance carriers in setting their price-cost margins have managed to carry through on a previously established strategy of tacit collusion in both message toll services and WATS-type business services. The remarkable results have been that price-cost margins increased while sales concentration declined. This general pattern is not contradicted by the most recent offering of 15-cent per minute one price on new discount plans since that too implies an increase in carriers' price cost margins as concentration continued to decline.     

Location and Implementation Issues in Support Function FDI: The Globalisation of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

This research looks at foreign direct investment in support functions such as R&D and employee training facilities, through a study of the globalisation of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Linkages among investments are highlighted. Centripetal forces are identified which pull later-stage FDI to the sites of initial investments, resulting in the creation of integrated, self-contained value chains overseas. Specific examples of R&D and employee training FDI suggest that while the purpose of support function FDI is to gain cost or differentiation benefits, successful implementation requires effective knowledge creation and transfer capabilities.     

Social categorisation in Philippine organisations: Values toward collective identity and management through intergroup relations

The popularity of American-style management techniques in the Philippines implies an inevitable transition from the traditional values rooted in interdependent collectivism to the modern values of independent individualism. It is argued that an indigenous style of Filipino management is viable and imperative, which recognises the salience of collective identities in organisations. Based on a theory of social categorisation, a conceptual model of management through intergroup relations is presented. The main contention is that, in place of a dysfunctional conflict between Americanised management tactics and contemporary Filipino values, organisational effectiveness could ensue from a synchronic synergy between Filipino-style management tactics and the social categorisation effects of intragroup convergence and intergroup divergence.     

The NCAA Cartel and Competitive Balance in College Football

The NCAA regulates college football player recruiting, eligibility, and compensation. The economic theory of cartels suggests that one consequence may be reduced competitive balance. The enforced restrictions inhibit weak teams from improving, and protect strong teams from competition. A stratification is implied which should be evident over time as less churning in national rankings and conference standings, and fewer schools achieving national prominence. I test this general hypothesis by comparing various competitive balance measures for about 25 years before and after NCAA enforcement began in 1952. The hypothesis is supported by all measures at both the national and conference levels.     

Problem-solving in teaching/learning packages for Technology

In the project Technology in Secondary Education: Problem-solving in Teaching/learning Packages, two experiments regarding a construction problem and an explanation problem were conducted, in which two variants of a teching/learning package (strongly structuredvs. weakly structured) were compared. Only with the strongly structured instructional variant of the package for the explanation problem did the pupils come to a quick solution of the problem. In both experiments, the factors that influenced the problem-solving processes of the pupils were investigated. The results are of importance for curriculum developers and the authors of teaching/learning packages for Technology but further research into the factors influencing the problem solving process of pupils is necessary.     

The management of Chinese small-business enterprises in Malaysia

This paper traces the development of Chinese business enterprises in Malaysia, a multiracial country where the Chinese comprise 30 per cent of the population. Most of the Chinese enterprises are very small. Reference is made to the sixteen Principles of Good Business Practices which originated from ancient China. It is argued that the strengths of the small Chinese organization such as strong family ties, sharing and pooling of resources, efficient use of manpower, practice of thrift, use of low gearing, flexibility of operations, etc., may become weaknesses if the business expands. ThePok Chow or labour contracting system, and the role of the Chinese business associations and guilds are also discussed. Since the promulgation of the new economic policy in 1970, there is greater urgency for Chinese enterprises to modernise, so as to adapt to changes in Malaysia.This paper has been submitted as a chapter of a forthcoming book entitled Managing in an Asian Plural Society. As one of the authors of this book, the writer of this paper is indebted to Tan Sri Datuk Hamzah Sendut and Mr. John Madsen, the other two authors, for permitting him to present this material at this conference.Professor Gregory Thong Tin Sin is chairman of the Division of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya.     

Lysine and Price Fixing: How Long? How Severe?

In October 1996 the Archer Daniels Midland Company(ADM) pleaded guilty to criminal price fixing withrespect to sales of lysine and agreed to pay a $70million fine. Earlier, in August 1996 two Japaneseproducers and a Korean producer of lysine had agreedto plead guilty to criminal price fixing charges. Andearlier still, in July 1996 ADM and the two Japanesecompanies settled the civil suits filed by some harmedbuyers by agreeing to pay a sum of $45 million.It is this last event that serves as the focus forthis paper. The adequacy of the settlement amount wasa major area of dispute. Connor (1996, 1997, 1998)has claimed that the trebled damages to lysinepurchasers were an order of magnitude larger. Crucialto Connor's conclusions are his assumptions as to thetime period during which the conspiracy had an effecton prices and the but for price that otherwise wouldhave prevailed in the absence of the conspiracy. Thispaper will argue that Connor substantiallyover-estimated the period of the conspiracy andunder-estimated the but-for price.     

Cultural dimensions in management and planning

The nature of management skills is such that they are culturally specific: a management technique or philosophy that is appropriate in one national culture is not necessarily appropriate in another. The paper describes the scope of (work-related) cultural differences as they were revealed by research in more than 50 countries around the world and discusses how these differences affect the validity of management techniques and philosophies in various countries within the functioning and meaning of planning.The author is with the Institute for Research on Intercultural Cooperation, the Netherlands. This paper is a shorter version of the first part of a report MAN DEV/28. Culture and Management Development, written on behalf of the UNDP/ILO Interregional Project Co-operation among Management Development Institutions and published by the International Labour Office, Management Development Branch, Training Department, Geneva 1983.     

Technology Education as Solo Activity or Socially Constructed Learning

There is a continuing perception that current educational arrangements for technology education in modern liberal democracies are at odds with its actual delivery in the classroom (Dakers & Doherty 2003). The technè versus poiesis tension (explained later) is one major contributor to this perception. Equally, the practice of transmission versus constructivist pedagogies contributes to the mismatch between policy and practice.This paper will investigate how factors relating to these two contributions affect the delivery of technological education. It will begin by discussing the derivation of the word technology and how its modern incarnation has become not only amorphous, but confusing for technology education, in that the term can be taken to mean production on the one hand or process on the other. It will then explore technology teachers perceptions (and misperceptions) of what constitutes technology education, and discuss why this can lead to confusion. It will further consider how this can affect the pedagogy adopted. It will then examine two pedagogical frameworks which result from teachers perceptions of technology education as either; a process of internalisation of technological skills and functions as representations exclusively within the mind and unique to the individual, thus solo, or; a process of technological skills and functions embedded in sociocultural activity in which cognition is distributed across the internal mind and the external environment. Finally, the paper will offer a framework for the delivery of technology education set within a community of learners paradigm.     

Science,technology and engineering: Building lifelong bridges

In response to what is envisaged as a crisis in scientific and technological literacy, various organizations and governmental agencies have put forward recommendations for enriching students' science and technology experiences in formal and informal learning environments. This paper examines one such organization — the Professional Engineers Ontario — and their Innovators in the School initiative. Through this student outreach programme, engineers, scientists and technologists volunteer their time to visit elementary and secondary level students, encouraging them to pursue science, technology and engineering careers. In particular, this research identifies issues that the Innovators (interestingly, over half are women) consider to be important for promoting a positive image of science to young people. First, the paper considers what an image of science might potentially be. Second, it addresses the question of how Innovators and other educators (teachers, policy-makers, curriculum planning teams) might promote this positive image in the classroom and school.