Person-environment fit and emotional control: Assigned expatriates vs. self-initiated expatriates

Studies exploring the difference of assigned expatriates (AEs) and self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) have recently started to emerge. However, so far few results have been connected to theory developed in this area. In the current study, we use responses from 324 business expatriates in China and take departure in the two elements of the person-environment fit theory, supplementary fit and complementary fit. We use the supplementary fit element of this theory to explain why emotional control (low dispositional anger and high self-control) increases performance and satisfaction in China. We rely on the complementary element of person-environment fit theory for understanding why this effect may vary between AEs and SIEs. Our argument is that as opposed to SIEs, AEs could add contact and knowledge from the parent company to the local organization thus complementing it. Our findings, with regard to supplementary fit, show that self-control has a positive association with both job performance and job satisfaction while trait anger has a negative effect on job satisfaction. In relation to complementary fit, also as expected, we found a buffering moderation effect of being AE, meaning that the negative effect of their trait anger on job satisfaction was diminished for this group.     

Why do self-initiated expatriates quit their jobs: The role of job embeddedness and shocks in explaining turnover intentions

Retaining self-initiated expatriates is a challenge for many organizations. Self-made expatriates tend to be mobile. They are willing to manage their own careers and to take up opportunities to live and work in countries of their own choice. Despite their importance as a source of human capital there are few studies on the work experiences of self-initiated expatriates and on the factors that affect their decisions to stay or leave their jobs. This article examined the effects of both job embeddedness and shocks on the turnover intention of self-initiated expatriates. Drawing on a sample of 204 self-initiated expatriates working in public healthcare organizations in the United Arab Emirates we found that both on-the-job embeddedness and shocks played a key role in predicting turnover intentions. The study also revealed that off-the-job embeddedness moderated the relationship between shock and turnover intentions such that self-initiated expatriates were more likely to consider leaving their organizations when they were firmly embedded in their community. We discuss the practical and theoretical implications of these findings.     

Knowledge embeddedness and the transfer mechanisms in multinational corporations

This paper reports a qualitative study conducted at four Japanese subsidiaries in China and Vietnam about their process of international knowledge transfer. Building on the literatures concerning the diverse types and characteristics of knowledge in multinational corporations (MNCs), we explore the broad mechanisms adopted and locally generated by the host country subsidiaries for transferring the foreign knowledge and putting the locally embedded knowledge into practical use at the local settings. The findings indicated (1) the limitations of applying a standardized and universal set of knowledge transfer mechanisms without considering local idiosyncrasies and (2) the contributions of local agents and institutions throughout the process of local knowledge adaptation and development.     

Enhancing knowledge sharing from self-initiated expatriates in Vietnam: the role of internal marketing and work-role adjustment in an emerging economy

This study is an empirical exploration of whether internal marketing activities can positively influence self-initiated expatriate’s (SIE’s) work-role adjustment and knowledge sharing. Leader–member exchange is considered in developing a moderated-mediation model. Using data collected from 140 SIEs in Vietnam, the findings support the mediation model and specifically indicate that internal marketing activities can increase the degree of work-role adjustment which, in turn, influences SIEs’ knowledge-sharing. However, moderated-mediation analyses fail to support the role played by leaders in the implication of internal marketing activities. This model is intended to present an agenda for future research. Some theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.     

Knowledge transfer in collaborations between foreign and indigenous firms in the Nigerian oil industry: The role of partners' motivational characteristics

Previous empirical studies on determinants of interfirm knowledge transfer have been largely focused on knowledge transfer between symmetrical partners, where there are relatively similar levels of knowledge sophistication and complementary knowledge‐transfer motives. Determinants of knowledge transfer between partners in asymmetric “market‐exploitation” alliances, where there are large differences in capabilities, and in motives, of the collaborating partners, have been understudied. This article presents a qualitative case study‐research of knowledge transfer in such collaborations in the Nigerian oil industry. Four cases of interfirm collaborative arrangements between foreign and local indigenous firms in the industry were studied and analyzed. Based on the results of the case study research, this article highlights the dominant role of partners' motivational characteristics, as against, their cognitive characteristics in the knowledge‐transfer process of asymmetric market‐exploitation alliances. It develops a set of theoretical propositions to expand the understanding of the key determinants of learning and knowledge transfer.     

Knowledge outflows from foreign subsidiaries and the tension between knowledge creation and knowledge protection: Evidence from the semiconductor industry

This paper analyzes the MNC subsidiaries’ trade-off between the need for knowledge creation and the need for knowledge protection, and relates it to the extent of knowledge outflows generated within the host location. Combining research in International Business with Social Theory, we build a conceptual framework suggesting that subsidiaries that extensively draw on external knowledge sources are also more likely to generate knowledge outflows to local firms. We argue that this may be explained by the subsidiaries’ willingness to build the trust that facilitates the establishment of reciprocal knowledge linkages. However, when the value of the subsidiary's knowledge stock is very high, the need for knowledge protection restrains reciprocity mechanisms in knowledge exchanges, thus reducing the extent of knowledge outflows to the host location. This study contributes to the literature on the firm-level antecedents of FDI-mediated local knowledge outflows, as well as to the broad IB literature on the relationship between subsidiaries and their host regions. The implications for managers and policy-makers are also discussed.     

Knowledge assets and firm international performance

This paper investigates how intangible knowledge assets impact upon firm international performance through the analysis of a sample of 290 European listed companies. We draw upon the knowledge-based view of the firm, and argue that more knowledge assets have a positive impact on foreign sales intensity, but only a up to a point. The inverse quadratic relationship found suggests that it is necessary to balance knowledge assets with complementary assets in order to achieve a higher degree of international performance. Furthermore we also suggest that externally-generated knowledge assets may have a positive impact upon international performance, but that the impact will be mediated by the possession of internally generated knowledge assets.     

Influence of country and company characteristics on international business decisions: A review,conceptual model,and propositions

This research advances four propositions and a conceptual model of country and company characteristics influencing key International Business Decisions (IBDs). The IBDs in this study are country selection and evaluation, entry mode, segmentation-targeting-positioning, and the marketing mix – the first two in the international business domain, and the latter two in the international marketing field. The conceptual model and related four propositions are advanced, based on an extensive literature review and subsequent in-depth review of 169 published research papers on major IBDs and their determinants, namely, country characteristics, including opportunities, risks, and various distances between the host country and home country, and company characteristics, which include international business experience, assets/resources, and expansion/growth strategies. Managerial implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

中国保险公司治理研究:基于知识和创新的视角

中国保险公司治理的基本特征是"股东单边治理",本文基于知识和创新的视角指出,股东单边治理的根本缺陷在于无法对经理层进行有效的内部制衡和市场制衡,上述缺陷导致中国保险公司内部治理结构失衡.不同国家采用不同方式对股东单边治理缺陷进行弥补.通过理论推导和国外实践,本文指出中国保险公司治理发展只能走利益相关者内部治理主导模式.     

Knowledge stock, exploration, and innovation: Research on the United States electromedical device industry

This study applies the knowledge-based view of the firm to examine the relationships between exploration, characteristics of knowledge stock, and innovative performance. The article argues that the effectiveness of exploration on innovation is contingent upon two dimensions of knowledge stock: knowledge depth and knowledge breadth. Empirical findings from the US electromedical device industry between 1990 and 2000 provide support for this contingency argument.     

Addressing skills mismatch: Utilizing talent supply chain management to enhance collaboration between companies and talent suppliers

Talent management continues to be a topic of interest for employers who face significant challenges dealing with the uncertainty of the supply and demand of talent in organizations. In particular, employers often speak of a talent gap that exists between the skills possessed by applicants and the skills needed in organizations. Supply chain management (SCM), a field that focuses on matching product supply with consumer demand, offers several concepts and models that could apply to and help resolve issues related to the skills mismatch. In order to address this issue, we base our conceptual development on a theoretical framework used in SCM called the collaborative, planning, forecasting, and replenishment (CPFR) approach. We use this approach to develop a comprehensive model of talent supply chain management (TSCM) that applies concepts related to the field of SCM to managing the development and flow of talent. We further go on to describe how organizations can utilize TSCM to enhance connections with talent suppliers to get their labor demands fulfilled with individuals who have the necessary skills for success.     

Managing global knowledge transfer: Inpatriate manager embeddedness and firm innovation

The purpose of this study is to explore the role of tacit knowledge transfer in a particular type of global manager - the inpatriate manager who is typically relocated from the MNC’s subsidiary to headquarter. To do so, we draw on social embeddedness theory. Our paper suggests that if an inpatriate manager becomes embedded within the MNCs headquarter, tacit knowledge transfer will occur resulting in innovative practices and a global mindset within the MNCs headquarters. This study takes the unique approach of studying the barriers that inpatriate managers face in the transfer of tacit knowledge and highlights the role of human resources in facilitating the transfer of knowledge across the MNC. The paper articulates the implications for policy and practice and a future research agenda.     

Knowledge transfer, regulatory support, legitimacy, and financial performance: The case of foreign firms investing in China

This study aims to link the knowledge-based view and the legitimacy perspective in order to explore the determinants of knowledge transfer and regulatory support. We then examine their consequences within a systematic framework drawing upon the institutional view. Examining a sample of 102 Taiwanese manufacturing firms operating in China, the study finds that both knowledge transfer from local suppliers and regulatory support from local governments help foreign firms to enhance their financial performance. The combination of trusting relationships with local suppliers, a foreign firm's knowledge stock, and agglomeration encourage local suppliers to transfer knowledge. Additionally, foreign firms’ knowledge stock is significantly related to regulatory support.     

Managing cross-border knowledge transfer for innovation: An introduction to the special issue

This introduction to the special issue maps the extant research on managing crossborder knowledge for innovation and classifies it into four clusters: knowledge spillovers and location, international alliances and R&D networks, knowledge transfer and absorptive capacity, and learning organization and capabilities. The eleven articles that compose the special issue are introduced, and a future agenda for international business research is proposed.     

The influence of underlying philosophies on talent management: Theory,implications for practice,and research agenda

In order to explain how and why talent management can contribute to a firm's sustained competitive advantage, we need to gain insights into the philosophies about talent that underpin talent management. This article introduces four talent philosophies that vary in their perception of talent as (a) rare (exclusive) or universal (inclusive), and (b) stable or developable: the exclusive/stable; exclusive/developable; inclusive/stable; and inclusive/developable talent philosophy. We discuss basic assumptions, talent-management practices, opportunities, and challenges for each of the four philosophies. Based on this discussion, testable propositions for future research are developed.     

Knowledge absorptive capacity: New insights for its conceptualization and measurement

The processes for absorbing external knowledge become an essential element for innovation in firms and in adapting to changes in the competitive environment. Despite the huge growth in the absorptive capacity literature, a methodological gap still remains about a certain ambiguity in the definition of the construct specifying its theoretical domain and dimensionalization, and a lack of validation of the construct in most studies. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the literature on absorptive capacity through the creation and validation of two scales, justified with a thorough analysis of the literature, to measure the key components of the absorptive capacity construct: potential and realized absorptive capacities. The study includes confirmatory factor analysis on a sample of 952 Spanish firms to verify that the scales meet the psychometric properties the literature requires. The study results confirm the validity of the proposed scales and support their consolidation as a commonly used instrument with which to measure absorptive capacity.     

HRM practices affecting extrinsic and intrinsic motivation of knowledge receivers and their effect on intra-MNC knowledge transfer

This paper explores why and how human resource management (HRM) matters for knowledge transfer within multinational corporations. It is built on the premise that there are certain HRM practices influencing extrinsic and intrinsic motivation of knowledge receivers. It is found that complementarity among HRM practices exists but does not always have a positive effect on knowledge transfer. Three hypotheses derived from these arguments are tested on data from 92 subsidiaries of Danish multinational corporations located in 11 countries.     

The search for skills: Knowledge stars and innovation in the hiring process

The effective utilization of knowledge has become an important part of how firms gain competitive advantage in the marketplace. However, the recruitment, search, and selection processes used to obtain workers who would develop and deploy that knowledge have not materially changed for many years, with human resources (HR) frequently automating legacy procedures. We believe that the hiring processes for exceptional knowledge workers, whom we call knowledge stars, must adapt to the current business environment. Using the framework of architectural innovation, we propose that HR’s recruitment of knowledge stars should begin before specific jobs are announced, should be done in partnership with line managers, and should be done in coordination with implementation of other workplace innovations such as the development of communities of practice and participative management. We conclude by discussing how changes in the search processes for knowledge stars fit in context with some other ongoing challenges for HR personnel.     

The search for global competence: From international HR to talent management

This article describes the evolution of the search for global competence through a 50-year content analysis and review of published research in the field of International HR Management (IHRM), and more recently, Talent Management (TM), with special emphasis on the Journal of World Business. We present a detailed examination of the IHRM/TM content of the Journal of World Business from its inception in 1965 through 2014. To put the results of that review into perspective, we review key themes in global business and strategy from 1965 to the present, noting where IHRM/TM research and business trends correspond, diverge, and lag. Next, we present a brief history of IHRM and TM, showing how the emerging theme of TM offers challenges and promise for connecting future IHRM/TM research with emerging business, strategy, and social trends. We conclude with the implications of our findings for future research, and the importance of the search for global competence.     

The supply-side of environmental sustainability and export performance: The role of knowledge integration and international buyer involvement

Most of previous studies seek to understand buyer perspectives in green supply chain relationships and devote inadequate attention to the strategic role of upstream suppliers. Drawing on a market-oriented approach to sustainability, this paper examines the enabling factors and processes that underpin how export suppliers from emerging economies leverage their strategic intent to develop knowledge integration capacity for achieving improved export performance. The results from a sample of Chinese exporters show that the relational capacity of knowledge integration mediates the performance impact of market-oriented environmental sustainability, and such a mediating process of leaning is further enhanced by international buyer involvement. We reveal that relationship efforts should be directed at developing integrative capacity involving key partners for implementing proactive environmental strategy in international business-to-business (B2B) markets. This study contributes to the research of supply chain sustainability in a global context.