Unpacking the “skill – cross-cultural competence” mechanisms: Empirical evidence from Chinese expatriate managers

International management (IM) literature identifies several important skill sets (namely, self-maintenance, perceptual, interpersonal, language and communication skills) that are important for expatriates’ cross-cultural management. However, how skills influence each other and work synergistically towards expatriate competence has not been well examined. Based on the theoretical perspectives of learning, social dynamics and the IM stream, we develop an integrative model to investigate the joint effects of skills on cross-cultural competence (CCC), by surveying and interviewing Chinese expatriate managers. We find that self-maintenance skills, interpersonal skills, and language skills do not relate to CCC directly, while perceptual skills contribute to CCC mainly through communication skills. Our study demonstrates that competence goes beyond understanding local culture and lies in the ability to effectively interact and communicate within the host context. This study contributes to expatriate literature not only by revealing the skill – CCC mechanisms, but also by extending knowledge into an emerging market context which provides theoretical and practical guidance for competence-building of expatriates from China.     

中国跨国公司员工外派管理探析

本文首先对中国企业FDI现状进行分析,发现中国企业处于较低的国际化发展阶段,使得员工外派成为企业人员配置的必然选择。其次,本文对中国企业员工外派管理现状进行分析,发现中国企业缺乏国际性人才、外派人员薪资缺乏公平性以及外派效果不良等成为中国企业国际化经营瓶颈。最后,本文提出了中国跨国公司员工外派管理对策建议。     

Facilitating expatriate adjustment: The role of advice-seeking from host country nationals

The expatriation literature consistently suggests that expatriates on assignment require a great deal of support to adjust to their new environment. This study examines the potential of host country national (HCN) coworkers as an important yet often overlooked source of support for expatriates. Analysis of survey data collected from 350 expatriates working in the U.S. indicated that expatriates who sought advice from HCN coworkers reported higher levels of work and interaction adjustment. This study also found that expatriates were more likely to seek advice from HCN coworkers they perceived as being credible and likable. Implications for research and managerial relevance are offered.     

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.     

Developing cross-cultural competencies through international corporate volunteerism

We propose three features of cross-cultural experiences, contextual novelty, project meaningfulness and social support, facilitate the development of cross-cultural competencies. Using a longitudinal design, the employees in Study 1 participated in an international corporate volunteerism program designed with all three features. These results found a positive change over time in cross-cultural competencies. Results of Study 2, also longitudinal, suggest that the participants’ post-assignment cross-cultural competencies are the highest: (1) when employees with higher baseline cross-cultural competencies work in high contextual novelty (i.e., international location) and (2) when employees with lower baseline cross-cultural competencies work in low contextual novelty (i.e., domestic location).     

How long will the marriage of Sino-Foreign JVs in China last? A theoretical and empirical investigation

This paper studies the factors affecting the longevity of international joint ventures (IJVs) in China and investigates the strategic interactions of the players in an IJV (foreign parent, local parent and IJV management) by adopting game theory and using empirical analysis based on national perceptions of time horizons. The theoretical part shows equilibria for the games played by the parents. The empirical evidence, based on a sample of Chinese-US and EU IJVs, as well as Chinese-Japanese and South Korean IJVs, is consistent with the propositions derived from our theoretical models. Our empirical findings show that the longevity of an IJV is affected by senior management control. Access to local knowledge is also a crucial factor affecting longevity. Furthermore, the degree of long-term orientation (LTO) of the parents influences the longevity of Sino-Foreign IJVs. The contributions made by both foreign and local parent firms are also found to influence the longevity.     

Network knowledge and business-relationship value in the foreign market

Based on the key assumptions that firms are opportunity seeking and that they gain critical knowledge operating in a network of relationships, this paper focuses on early expansion in foreign market networks. In particular, the paper examines the relation between experience and business-relationship value in a foreign market. While experience and experiential knowledge are central concepts in international business, little has been written about their effects on the value of business relationships. The paper formulates a set of interrelated hypotheses on the effects of international experience, experiential network knowledge and importance of customer and competitor knowledge on the value of business relationships in a foreign market. They are combined in a structural model, which is tested on a sample through LISREL. The main conclusion drawn from the study is that experiential network knowledge and knowledge about the importance of customers and competitors in the network influence the value of business relationships in a foreign market in different ways.     

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.     

Linking knowledge, entry timing and internationalization strategy

This paper contributes to the current internationalization theory by linking the characteristics of the firm's resource-base, its market-entry timing orientation and international growth orientation so as to shed more light on internationalization strategies. By employing multi-industry data, we find that the nature of the firm's knowledge, its entry timing orientation and international growth orientation are related to its internationalization strategy. Among other results, we find that the firm's accumulated expertise is positively related for both the international growth orientation and entry timing orientation. The international growth orientation, in turn, is related both to the path type of internationalization the firm employs as well as the geographical diversification in market entry. In other words, the results suggest that the firm's resource-base influences on both its entry timing orientation and to the internationalization strategy. These and other findings are discussed with regard to their scholarly and managerial implications.     

复合型广告人才培养模式研究

本文从培养复合型广告人才的角度出发,通过对师资力量、专业设置、教学运行、广告组织等在培养复合型广告人才过程中的重要性的阐述,试图解决高校培养的广告人才难以满足业界需求的难题,并且指出了广告行业在复合型广告人才的培养过程中所应承担的责任。     

Affective networks,informal ties,and the limits of expatriate effectiveness

Expatriate effectiveness research has so far rarely taken into account the influence of social networks on expatriate performance and adjustment. Likewise, antecedents of social networks remain poorly understood. We fill this research gap by exploring the situation of expatriates in South Korea. Based on expert interview data, we have discovered seven antecedents critical to expatriate effectiveness. Most antecedents hinder expatriate effectiveness due to the expatriates’ inability to become a part of so-called Yongo networks, a distinctive type of social tie in South Korea that is to a great extent determined by birth. As a consequence, it is in particular expatriates’ relational performance and interaction adjustment that is negatively influenced by Yongo. Based on the South Korean case, this study advises future research to more deeply study the nature and characteristics of the local social context, in particular affective ties, and extend research on expatriate effectiveness in this important dimension. Finally, we discuss practical implications important for multinational corporations and provide suggestions on how to better cope with exclusive informal social networks while on an assignment abroad.     

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.     

Generational challenges to talent management: A framework for talent retention based on the psychological-contract perspective

In this conceptual paper, we adopt a social-exchange theory perspective to explain the impact of talent management (TM) on the psychological contract and its outcomes. This relationship is supposedly moderated by generational effects and associated differences in work-related values and preferences. Thus, often-neglected individual-level variables are included in the analysis. A framework and testable propositions are provided. As a result, we propose that in contexts where a war for talent prevails, the strong interest of Generations X and Y in training, development, and career advancement makes highly engaged and extensive TM activities even more crucial for retaining talented individuals than is the case for the so-called Baby Boomer generation.