Factors affecting family firms’ communication behaviour: a cross-cultural study

This study explores heterogeneity in family firms’ communication behaviour across cultures. The authors propose that variations in the background of family firms, including culture, industry, public or private status, and age, influence their propensity to reference their family identity on their corporate web communications. Websites have become an increasingly important medium of marketing communications in today’s interconnected world. Yet, limited research has been done to understand firms’ web communication behaviour. Based on a study of 432 family firms from 41 countries across the world, this research empirically demonstrates that family firms which are from collectivist cultures and publicly traded are significantly less likely to reference their family identity in online marketing communications compared to their counterparts. In addition, the research shows that there is an inverted-U curvilinear relationship between a family firm’s age and the likelihood of referencing their family background. Contributions and implications of the research and findings are discussed.     

How store attributes impact shoppers’ loyalty: do different national cultures follow the same loyalty building process?

This paper takes a first step toward verifying the robustness of a comprehensive loyalty building model across different national cultures, according to Hofstede’s distinction between individualist and collectivist countries. To this end, we test a two-stage model. After collecting data from 12 countries with different cultural traits, we test the two models in two macro groups: individualist and collectivist countries. The study’s results show that the intensity of some core loyalty model paths – particularly the relationships between store loyalty and its main drivers (perceived value and customer satisfaction) – are contingent on the country’s culture. In particular, the impact of customer satisfaction on store loyalty intention is greater in collectivist countries than in individualist countries. By contrast, the impact of perceived value on store loyalty is greater in individualist than in collectivist countries. Moreover, the cultural dimension moderates the impact of the stores’ environment and promotions on satisfaction. By contrast, some other paths show robustness to national culture.     

Bribery in International Business Transactions

Globalization leads to cross-border business transactions between societies with very different norms and regulations regarding bribery. Bribery in international business transactions can be seen as a function of not only the demand for such bribes in different countries, but the supply, or willingness to provide bribes by multinational firms and their representatives. This study addresses the propensity of firms from 30 different countries to engage in international bribery. The study incorporates both domestic (economic development, culture, and domestic corruption in the supplying country) and international factors (those countries’ patterns of trade and involvement in international accords) in explaining the willingness to bribe abroad. The propensity to provide bribes was the lowest when corruption was not tolerated in the multinational firms’ home countries, when the firms’ countries were signatories of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) anti-bribery convention, and when those countries traded heavily with wealthier nations. Further, these findings are maintained when controlling for levels of economic development and cultural values in the supplying country. In terms of culture, firms from high power distance countries showed a somewhat greater propensity for providing bribes in transactions with less-developed nations.     

Loafing in the 21 century: Enhanced opportunities—and remedies—for withholding job effort in the new workplace

The electronic workplace, a greater emphasis on knowledge work and teams, and the increased relevance of managing impressions of work performance are among factors that relate to higher levels of withholding effort among problem employees in the 21^st century. This article considers these three factors in the context of dominant organizational forms—low-cost operators, global competitor corporations, and high-involvement firms—and how each can lead to lower on-the-job effort. Remedies are offered for new forms of withholding effort such as cyberloafing, as well as hiding lack of effort in virtual teams and through impression management. In addition, a different way of considering the problem of lower job effort is proposed through examination of how a work ethic and a leisure ethic can be synthesized to enhance organizational creativity, innovation, and performance.     

Cross-Cultural Perceptions of Business Ethics: Evidence from the United States and China

A number of empirical studies have examined business ethics across cultures, focusing primarily on differences in ethical profiles between cultures and groups. When managers consider whether or not to develop a business relationship with those from a different culture, their decision may be affected by actual differences in ethical profiles, but potentially even more so by their perceptions of ethicality in the counterpart culture. The latter issue has been largely ignored in extant empirical research regarding cross-cultural ethical profiles. In this study, we employ a design that allows for a more complete analysis of cross-cultural perspectives, examining both the manner in which selected cultures view themselves and the manner in which those same cultures perceive the ethical profiles of others. To this end, we surveyed master’s students in business fields at several universities in the United States and China—two countries/cultures that engage in a significant amount of business transactions—and examined differences in personal ethical profiles across cultures, differences in one group’s ethical profile and the way it is perceived by the other group, and differences in perceived ethical profiles across cultures; that is, differences in how groups view each other. Findings suggest meaningful discrepancies in the ethical perceptions formed toward the counterpart culture. Results support a role for ethical perceptions in future research, and further examination and inquiry into the development and adaptation of ethical perceptions in cross-cultural business dealings.     

Accounting students and cheating: A comparative study for Australia,South Africa and the UK

This paper reports the results of a study of accounting students in three countries who self-reported on their propensity to engage in cheating behaviour when presented with specific rewards, risks and penalties. The professed behaviour examined is indicative of the ethical values held by persons aspiring to the accounting profession and is relevant to the design of their educational experiences. Empirical results show marked differences across the three countries, in the ethical propensities of respondents. In all cases, there is cause for concern, that professed unethical behaviour in the university environment might be replicated in the workplace.     

Where does ESG pay? The role of national culture in moderating the relationship between ESG performance and financial performance

This study investigates the moderating role of a country’s culture as an external contingency factor in the relationship between a firm’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance and financial performance. Using ESG performance data of 4978 firms from 48 countries for 17 years, we argue that the financial return from engaging in ESG varies depending on the countries’ cultural aspects because stakeholder evaluations and appreciations for a firm’s ESG performance differ across nations. We find that a country that espouses a culture of high individualism or masculinity tends to appreciate and reflect on this more explicitly, strengthening the relationship between a firm’s ESG performance and financial performance. Contrastingly, in a country with a culture of high power distance or uncertainty avoidance, firms’ ESG efforts are less likely to be associated with financial performance. Our findings have important implications for multinational enterprises facing various cultural environments when dealing with heterogeneous stakeholder demands across countries.     

The effect of culture on consumers' willingness to punish irresponsible corporate behaviour: applying Hofstede's typology to the punishment aspect of corporate social responsibility

This paper explores the relationship between attitudes to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the cultural dimensions of business activity identified by Hofstede & Hofstede using a sample of nearly 90,000 stakeholders drawn from 28 countries. We develop five general propositions relating attitudes to CSR to aspects of culture. We show that the propensity of consumers to punish firms for bad behaviour varies in ways that appear to relate closely to the cultural characteristics identified by Hofstede. Furthermore, this variation appears to be understandable in terms of the standard interpretation of the Hofstede dimensions, suggesting that cultural variation in the attitudes of consumers may play an important role in helping us to understand variations in CSR across countries. This in turn has implications for how managers of multinational companies should implement CSR strategies in different cultural contexts.     

Organizational culture relationships with creativity and other job-related variables

The relationship between three types of organizational cultures and managerial creativity, motivation, and other job-related variables were examined. Respondents were 165 managers in a western metropolitan area (69 females, 96 males). Bureaucratic culture combined with high need for power was found to have significant positive relationships to job satisfaction and involvement, and negative connections to propensity to leave. Innovative culture combined with high need for achievement was significantly and positively related to job satisfaction and significantly and negatively to propensity to leave. Supportive culture combined with high need for affiliation was significantly and positively related to job satisfaction and negatively related to propensity to leave.     

Affective and Normative Motives to Work Overtime in Asian Organizations: Four Cultural Orientations from Confucian Ethics

Asian workplaces are often characterized by cultures that require more overtime than other cultures. Although predictors for overtime work have been rigorously studied, it is still meaningful to investigate specific aspects of Eastern cultural values that stem from Confucian ethics and may influence overtime work among Asian employees. We suggest that four major Confucian orientations are positively associated with employees’ affective and normative motives, which in turn affect working overtime. This article extends management literature on the subjects of cultural ethics and workaholism. It also suggests how Eastern cultural values lead to working overtime. We hope that our research effort on Confucian cultural value and its associations with other managerial outcomes and theories is a small cornerstone that allows management researchers to explore interesting and meaningful ways to apply Confucian culture and orientations in the workplace.     

The Role of Culture in Creative Execution in Celebrity Endorsement: The Cross-Cultural Study

ABSTRACT

In advertising literature, an area rarely explored is cross-cultural studies on celebrity endorsements. A good deal may be learned from understanding how a culture's communication style can shape the type of advertising most effective for that culture. This study examines the creative styles (creative executional factors) found in the advertising of Korea and America. The two countries represent two distinct cultures—Korea being a collectivistic culture and the United States being individualistic. Both cultures affect the norms and rules that guide their inhabitants’ behavior, directly affecting communication styles. The study finds that embedded in the use of celebrity endorsement are cross-cultural characteristics. The details of these findings will be useful to international advertisers executing celebrity endorsement campaigns in different cultural settings.     

跨国公司文化管理

随着世界经济一体化的进程,跨国公司在世界经济生活中的作用日趋明显。同时,跨国公司的跨文化管理问題也成为了国际化经营管理中的重要课题。不同的国度有不同的文化观念,跨国文化的差异引起了跨国公司内部之间以及跨国公司与外部环境的文化冲突,那么,跨国公司文化管理就是在跨国经营中,对不同种族、不同文化类型、不同文化发展阶段的子公司所在国的文化冲突进行协调和融合,创造出公司独特的文化管理过程以维系不同文化背景的员工共同的行为和观念准则。     

Nationality and work role interactions: A cultural contrast of Israeli and U.S. entrepreneurs' versus managers' needs

The globalization of business ventures and the parallel search for sources of international competitive advantage have stimulated research relating cultural differences to entrepreneurial and managerial behaviors. Recent work by McGrath, MacMillan, and Scheinberg (1992) encouraged studies of managers and entrepreneurs in different cultures, suggesting that these comparisons may “… shed additional light into the interrelations between social structure, wealth creation, and cultural beliefs” (McGrath el at. 1992, p. 116). This study follows that advice.Cultural differences are powerful determinants of behavior, and many studies support the notion that managerial behavior must adapt to the national cultural setting to achieve success. A growing stream of entrepreneurial behavior research has explored differences in motivational needs between entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs of different countries, and found parallel differences across cultures. Given these views, we might expect to find need differences between entrepreneurs and managers within countries however, some entrepreneurship researchers have concluded that U.S. managers and entrepreneurs are more alike than different.To better understand need profile differences between and within cultures, we use a theory that suggests that culture is an important determinant of work behavior. The process through which culture affects work behaviors is described in “Cultural Self-representation Theory” (Erez and Earley, 1993). Based upon this theory, inferences from the entrepreneurial archetype, and analysis of the contrast between the cultures of Israel and the U.S., we propose that: (1) entrepreneurs and managers have different motivational needs within some national cultures, and (2) across national cultures there are systematic differences in motivational needs. Based on these premises, an interaction hypothesis between work role and nationality is suggested because of the importance of both culture and work role in determining motivational need differences. Data are collected from over 370 Israeli and U.S. entrepreneurs and managers.Results support cultural self-representation theory for the Israeli-U.S. and entrepreneur-manager case, because interactions between nationality and work role are exposed for various needs. This finding suggests that cultural differences are indeed important for understanding management motivational needs in different nations, and that the effectiveness of entrepreneurial approaches to management may be culture-sensitive. The study illustrates work-role differences between Israeli managers and entrepreneurs. We confirm past conclusions about U.S. entrepreneur-manager need similarities, and suggest that these need similarities are supported by the individualistic culture within U.S. organizations.     

中国反倾销的贸易保护效应:基于产品进口倾向性的比较研究

反倾销所引发的贸易保护效应是学者们重点关注的贸易问题,本文则从进口倾向性角度研究反倾销所引发的不同的贸易保护效应。本文首先对中国所发起的47起反倾销案例依据进口倾向指数区分为高进口倾向产品和低进口倾向产品;通过对高进口倾向和低进口倾向产品的描述性分析可以看出高进口倾向产品反倾销的贸易限制效应低于低进口倾向产品反倾销的贸易限制效应,而两类产品均存在贸易转移效应,但是两类产品的贸易转移效应没有非常显著的差异;实证模型的检验结果进一步验证了不同进口倾向产品的反倾销所引发的贸易效应存在一定差异。     

Examining the impetus for internal CSR Practices with digitalization strategy in the service industry during COVID-19 pandemic

The year 2020 began with a glimpse into the darkness with the onset of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. An invisible, threatening virus has forced many countries to practice restricted movement and impose lockdowns for the sake of their citizens’ safety and well-being. In response, many business organizations have implemented various remote-work arrangements. These arrangements have spurred the use of digitalization strategies and have landed many employees in the vulnerable virtual workplace. With employees facing all these uncertainties and vulnerabilities, their commitment to their workplace could come into question. At the same time, organizations facing tremendous challenges are searching for committed employees to navigate through this turbulent time. From a strategic management perspective, organizations could revisit their internal core competencies to prevail through internal corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices. Meanwhile, the rapidly growing pace of digitalization could further augment organizations’ survival and resilience. This research paper showcases the empirical outcomes of the promising match between internal CSR practices and digitalization strategy; and employees’ organizational commitment during times of crisis. The results reveal that internal CSR practices positively stimulate employees’ organizational commitment, while digitalization strategy intercedes in the nexus between internal CSR practices and affective commitment. The empirical outcomes shed light on business organizations and their ability to take a frugal approach in turbulent times.     

Workplace gossip and frontline employees’ proactive service performance

Managers are interested in promoting frontline employees’ proactive behavior because proactivity is crucial for organizational success. This study examined the link between perceived workplace gossip and employees’ (targets’) proactive service performance by focusing on the mediating role of employees’ harmonious passion and the moderating role of perceived job social support. Using time-lagged survey data from 218 supervisor-subordinate dyads in a commercial bank in China, we found that perceived workplace gossip negatively influences employees’ proactive service performance, and that this relationship is mediated by reduced harmonious passion. In addition, perceived job social support attenuates the negative relationship between perceived workplace gossip and harmonious passion, with harmonious passion having a mediating effect on the relationship between perceived workplace gossip and proactive service performance. These results provide new directions for understanding workplace gossip, harmonious passion, proactive service performance, and job social support. The theoretical and practical implications of our findings are discussed.     

Expatriates on the run: The psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on expatriates’ host country withdrawal intentions

Extant research on expatriation in high-stress environments where stress is caused by ongoing and unexpected natural crises remains limited. Drawing on stress theory, in this study, we develop a model to examine the stress-inducing effects of intra-family concerns and workplace discrimination on the intentions to leave the host country among expatriates in the high-stress environment of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We also explore whether gender and the level of work adjustment moderate the propensity of intra-family health concerns and workplace discrimination to induce psychological stress. Based on our analysis of 381 expatriates living and working in the United Arab Emirates, we find the model to be generally supported. We also reveal an intriguing moderating effect of work adjustment on the relationship between intra-family health concerns and psychological stress. Overall, the analysis is among the first ones to shed light on the role of natural crises’ stressors in defining expatriate outcomes.     

The Effect of Acculturation on Reparative Behavior in Shame and Guilt Cultures

As the number of immigration and their later generations grow in the workforce of more developed Western countries, understanding the processes and consequences of acculturation has gained a new level of importance. An old and re-emerging issue is the morality and reparative behavior in Western versus Eastern cultures, as well as its antecedents and consequences. We examined the effects of acculturation on the perception of psychological proximity, the intensity of moral emotions of shame and guilt, and the degree of compensation to victims of one＇s wrongdoing. Our sample was comprised of a collectivistic group from a shame culture, China, and an acculturated group of Chinese living in a much less collectivistic society of a guilt culture, Canada. Our results indicated that participants＇ perception of psychological proximity to other people and the level of compensation offered to the victims of transgression were significantly different among the two samples. Furthermore, shame and guilt mediated the relationship between perceived psychological proximity and the decision to compensate differently.     

Foreign ownership and the export and import propensities of developing‐country firms

This paper uses micro‐data from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys 2002–06 to investigate how foreign ownership affects the likelihood of manufacturers in developing countries to export and/or import either directly or indirectly. Applying propensity score matching to control for differences across firms in terms of labour productivity and other characteristics, we find that foreign ownership raises the propensity of a firm to export by over 17 and the propensity to import by more than 13 percentage points. The effects are even bigger for countries with the lowest per capita income and institutional quality.     

The Effects of Fear Appeal: A Moderating Role of Culture and Message Type

This study explores the moderating role that culture plays on the effects of fear-appeal advertisements on subjects’ message acceptance. Secondly, this study investigates the role of message type in two different cultures (South Korea and the United States). As predicted, culture played as a moderating variable in the process of fear-arousing, antismoking ads. The main difference, however, was found in the collectivistic culture; although no significant difference was found for the individualistic culture. Further, the findings also suggest that the different message strategy should be considered in the different cultures to increase message acceptance among people.