Building long-term orientation in buyer–supplier relationships: The moderating role of culture

This research investigates buyer–supplier relationships in international markets. Research and practice have shown that buyer–supplier relationships benefit when partners to the relationship exhibit a long-term orientation. The extant literature suggests that a buyer's trust of a supplier and the supplier's performance affect the buyer's long-term orientation toward the relationship. We propose that the relative effects of trust and performance on long-term orientation are moderated by culture – specifically the individualism/collectivism dimension. Hypotheses are tested on data from two individualist and two collectivist cultures, using responses from over 600 purchasing professionals in the United States, Anglophone Canada, Francophone Canada and Mexico. Taken together, empirical findings suggest that cultural differences warrant consideration in developing successful purchasing strategies.     

Organizational work–family support as universal remedy? A cross-cultural comparison of China,India and the USA

In both industrialized and emerging countries, organizations increasingly seek to support employees’ efforts to maintain a healthy work–family balance. Research has identified two types of organizational support in this context: formal work–family programs and informal work–family cultures. This study examines the relative effects of work–family programs versus work–family culture on employees’ job satisfaction and performance in various cultural environments. Drawing on the individualism–collectivism cultural dimension introduced by Hofstede, it is argued that employees’ cultural background may affect family models, which in turn determine employees’ need for formal organizational work–family support, but are not related to employees’ need for informal support. In line with this notion, the results from comparisons of an industrialized country (the USA) with two emerging countries (China and India) show that work–family culture has positive effects in all three contexts. However, formal work–family programs positively affect job satisfaction and job performance only in India and the USA, whereas they exhibit no significant effect in the more collectivist setting of China.     

Otra Empanada en la Parilla: Examining the Role of Culture and Information Sharing in Chile and Australia

One of the biggest assets of a firm is its information base. Included in this information base is a knowledge of prior errors and failures. Extant research suggests that while the propensity to share “bad news” (i.e. a prior error) is dependent on the cost of sharing, the perceived value of that cost may be culturally dependent. One area of interest that has received substantial attention in the prior literature has been cross‐cultural differences in negative information sharing in general, as well as the particular context in which the individual's superior is either present or absent during the information‐sharing process. Our study examines the role of the two cultural values (individualism/collectivism and to a lesser extent power distance) in explaining national differences in information sharing. By focusing on a sample from Chile and Australia, we were able to remove the regional cultural dimension of face, which has been inherent in prior studies that used Greater China as the representative of a collectivist society. Results from our quasi experiment show that when a supervisor is present during information sharing, collectivist Chilean decision‐makers are more willing to share negative information with their colleagues than their counterpart and individualist Australian decision‐makers. Our results also show that when a supervisor is absent, both Australian and Chilean decision‐makers are willing to share more negative information but the increase in the Australian propensity is significantly greater than that of the Chileans.     

Customer motivations for sustainable consumption: Investigating the drivers of purchase behavior for a green‐luxury car

The purpose of the study is to investigate the effect of status motivation on customers' purchase intention of a green‐luxury car associated with owning a green‐luxury car, and whether materialism and horizontal–vertical individualism/collectivism moderate this relationship. The quantitative research methodology using online survey technique was used to collect cross‐cultural data from respondents (507) from China and Germany. Purposive sampling technique was used to identify and collect data from current and prospective customers of the BMW brand. Collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results demonstrated that materialism and cultural value (horizontal–vertical collectivism and vertical individualism) can serve as moderators of the effects of status motivation and purchase intention of the green‐luxury car. Although some studies have explored the factors involved in customer purchasing behaviour for green‐luxury products, our results theoretically and empirically show that materialism, vertical individualism, horizontal collectivism, and vertical collectivism enhance the positive effects of status motivation on customer purchasing behaviour for a green‐luxury car.     

新兴经济体发展对国际社会的影响力研究

当今世界经济呈现多极化趋势,新兴经济体成为世界经济增长的主要动力,对世界政治经济格局产生深刻影响。本文阐述新兴经济体在政治、经济、社会等各方面发展状况,分析新兴经济体的发展对国际社会的影响力。新兴经济体的发展促进了世界经济、国际贸易的稳步发展和产业结构调整,为消除世界范围的贫困和维护世界和平做出了积极的贡献,为发展中国家加快发展和加强“区域化”多边合作提供了可借鉴模式,同时对全球治理结构转型和国际秩序重塑产生一定影响。     

中国输入型通货膨胀特征研究:程度、来源及渠道

在经济转轨与产业升级的历史进程中通货膨胀一直是焦点问题。本文将中国分别纳入与代表性发达经济体和发展中经济体构成的经济系统,提炼双向通胀溢出特征,认知中国输入型通胀的程度、来源和主要传导渠道。实证结果表明：中国受到来自发达经济体和发展中经济体两个方面的通胀影响,与内源性形成四六开格局;输入型通胀的影响在三个季度到一年的时间段尤为突出;并且来自贸易渠道的影响强于来自外国直接投资的影响。     

Moral judgment and ethical leadership in Chinese management: the role of Confucianism and collectivism

Moral judgment and ethical leadership are considered as two of the most important aspects in modern businesses in China. In this context the role of Confucianism and collectivism are highly significant in terms of increasing the path of development of Chinese society, culture, and economy. Confucianism and collectivism are together helping the country to a great extent to create a stronger society and culture by establishing a positive relationship with various issues related to moral judgment in the Chinese management system. The study explores the nature of Confucianism and describes the proposition that Confucianism leads to a strong perception in Chinese cultural context. The research also describes the role of collectivism in Chinese Management and develops the proposition that collectivism leads to a strong perception of Chinese management. By exploring the role of moral judgment, the paper develops the proposition that Confucianism and collectivism are positively related to Chinese management’s moral judgment. Finally, the study develops the proposition that Confucianism and collectivism are positively related to ethical leadership in Chinese management by describing the role of ethical leadership in Chinese management.     

Individualism and collectivism revisited: a study of black and minority ethnic women

This article seeks to add discussion of the intersection of gender and ethnicity to the debates on individualism and collectivism. In doing so, it challenges the prevailing view, in these debates, of the rise of individualism and the decline in collectivism. Through a study of black and minority ethnic women trade unionists, it shows how a differentiated workforce, rather than leading to individualism at work, may contribute to union renewal and inspire more creative forms of collectivism.     

北京、上海、广州固定资产投资结构比较研究

固定资产投资结构调整演化与调整经济增长方式、经济发展紧密联系。本文利用Moore值作为分析固定资产投资结构调整演化的方法,对2005-2012年北京、上海、广州固定资产投资结构调整演化程度和态势进行了比较研究,并提出了对策建议。     

Cultural values and definitions of career success

This paper examines how national culture relates to the ways that individuals define career success. Data are drawn from interviews with 269 professional services employees in 15 countries. Interviews are content coded and linked with country‐level Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness measures of cultural values. We test our hypotheses using a multilevel multinomial logit model. The results demonstrate that the ways in which employees define career success vary across countries, due in part to differences in cultural values after controlling for gender, occupation, job level, and national economic development. We find that employees from countries high in future orientation, uncertainty avoidance, and performance orientation are more likely to define career success in terms of interpersonal outcomes, and those from countries high in collectivism (institutional and in‐group), humane orientation, and gender egalitarianism are more likely to prefer intrapersonal outcomes. We find that employees from countries that are high in assertiveness, uncertainty avoidance, and performance orientation are more likely to define career success in terms of achievement‐oriented outcomes. Finally, we find that employees from countries high in power distance report career success definitions in terms of safety and security outcomes. We discuss the implications of these findings for theories of cultural differences in careers across countries.     

Individualism/collectivism,charitable giving,and cause‐related marketing: a comparison of Chinese and Americans

• With the global expansion of cause‐related marketing (CRM), advertisers need to know whether and how cultural and societal differences impact attitude toward CRM across markets. To add to that knowledge, the present study identifies two consumer traits, that is, individualism/collectivism and perception of individual charitable giving as a social norm, and investigates and compares their influence on attitude toward CRM. By conducting surveys with Chinese and American samples, the present study found that gender, horizontal collectivism (HC), and perception of individual charitable giving as a social norm were significantly associated with attitude toward CRM in the American sample, whereas horizontal individualism, HC, and vertical collectivism were significant predictors of attitude toward CRM in the Chinese sample. Theoretically, these findings suggest that associations between one cultural dimension and the attitude toward CRM are independent to relationships involving other dimensions. And the particular circumstance of a local market may determine which consumer traits will actually have a significant association with attitude toward CRM. Practically, the findings suggest that advertisers may want to choose social causes that have national impact in China because there is a tendency of achieving egoistic enhancement through individual charitable giving whereas social causes that are relevant to female consumers are better strategic choices in the USA.

Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Doing Business in Vietnam

Abstract

As Vietnam opens up its economy through a series of economic reforms, entrepreneurs from both Western and Asian economies are flocking to the country to share in its rapid growth. In view of the growing foreign interest in conducting businesses in Vietnam, this paper attempts to provide an overview of the political, economic and business environments in the country. Although the country is full of opportunities, it may pose several problems and challenges to new players as well. Thus, this paper will further discuss the possible investment issues and challenges facing foreign companies which are considering venturing into Vietnam. Some cultural characteristics and operating rules during business interactions in Vietnam are discussed. Common mistakes committed by foreign companies entering the country are also highlighted. It is hoped that this paper will provide an in-depth understanding of the Vietnamese business environment and help improve the likelihood of the successful venture performance of international investors, thus benefiting both the foreign investor and the growth of Vietnam in the global marketplace.     

The influence of cultural context on the relationship between gender diversity and team performance: a meta-analysis

The impact of gender diversity on team performance has become a central topic in the field of human resource management for researchers and practitioners alike. Extant research provides conflicting evidence on the relationship between gender diversity and team performance. To resolve these contradictory findings, we meta-analyze the relationship between gender diversity and two performance outcomes, namely task performance and contextual performance. Grounded in categorization-elaboration model, we simultaneously consider the positive and negative aspects of gender diversity. We further examine the effect of cultural context as a moderator on the relationship between gender diversity and team performance. Based on 71 independent samples from 68 studies published between 1996 and 2013, we find a significant negative relationship ( ? 0.10) between gender diversity and contextual performance. Additionally, we find that the cultural dimensions gender egalitarianism and collectivism have significant moderating influences on the relationship between gender diversity and task performance.     

Internationalization strategies of frontier Lusophone-African multinational enterprises: Comparative case studies of Angola and Mozambique

Internationalization theories suggest that enterprises from emerging and frontier markets will adopt different entry modes than those in advanced economies. Very few studies to date, however, examine the process of how multinational enterprises (MNEs) from frontier markets internationalize or evaluate which factors influence their mode of entry into global markets. This research investigates the internationalization strategies of Lusophone Africa MNEs from Angola and Mozambique, more specifically their entry mode, to expand the framework for entry mode strategies to include the motivations and issues of MNEs from emerging and frontier economies. Surveys, as well as in-depth, in-country, qualitative interviews reveal that these frontier and emerging market MNEs opted for equity-based investment strategies as their preferred mode of entry. A significant second group opted for e-commerce/e-business strategies, and direct and indirect exports. Finally, a smaller portion of the interviewees chose Greenfield investment as a mode of entry. Many of these MNEs could be classified as born global/INV.     

The Entrepreneurial Organization of Heterogeneous Capital*

abstract Transaction cost, property rights, and resource‐based approaches to the firm assume that assets, both tangible and intangible, are heterogeneous. Arranging these assets to minimize contractual hazards, to provide efficient investment incentives, or to exploit competitive advantage is conceived as the prime task of economic organization. None of these approaches, however, is based on a systematic theory of capital heterogeneity. In this paper we outline the approach to capital developed by the Austrian school of economics and show how Austrian capital theory provides a natural bridge between theory of entrepreneurship and the theory of the firm. We refine Austrian capital theory by defining capital heterogeneity in terms of subjectively perceived attributes, the functions, characteristics, and uses of capital assets. Such attributes are not given, but have to be created or discovered by means of entrepreneurial action. Conceiving entrepreneurship as the organization of heterogeneous capital provides new insights into the emergence, boundaries, and internal organization of the firm, and suggests testable implications about how entrepreneurship is manifested.     

How cultural dimensions,legal systems,and industry affect environmental reporting? Empirical evidence from an international perspective

Past research has paid little attention to the impact of stakeholder engagement, cultural, legal, and industrial contexts on environmental disclosure. Thus, the aim of this paper is to explore how these three institutional factors affect the reporting of environmental information by companies in different countries. This research draws on institutional theory: normative isomorphism, coercive isomorphism, and mimetic isomorphism. This study uses the generalised method of moments procedure. The findings show that the legal system and certain cultural dimensions such as individualism, uncertainty avoidance, long‐term orientation, and indulgence are determinants of voluntary disclosure of environmental information (individualism and indulgence—negatively; uncertainty avoidance and long‐term orientation—positively), particularly when companies belong to industries with high environmental risk.     

北京市固定资产投入效率的空间分布

固定资产投入对一个城市的经济社会发展起着举足轻重的作用。以北京市作为研究对象,选择国外较为成熟的C-D生产函数、超越对数生产函数、CES生产函数三种生产函数进行比较,从而确定最优的分析模型,对北京市及各区县固定资产投入实际增长速度对经济发展的贡献程度进行了剖析。根据计算结果,总结了其空间分布规律,并根据各区的功能定位进行了分析。     

The use of executive share-based compensation in Poland: investigating institutional and agency-based determinants in an emerging market

In this paper we investigate the under-researched topic of the use of executive share-based compensation in Poland, and we analyse empirically whether theoretical explanations developed and applied mainly in the context of developed countries also hold in this specific context. Building on agency and institutional theories we study the determinants of using executive share-based pay in 362 companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. As a result, we highlight the role of the state in Polish firms and the need to consider specifically principal–principal conflicts typical of emerging economies in post-state-socialist organisational research. Our findings not only reflect particularities of the institutional environment in the country studied but also highlight the limits of the traditional principal–agent lens applied in emerging economies.     

Asymmetric information and inside management trading in the Chinese market

Insider trading incentives have been widely examined in stock markets, but mainly in developed countries. Given the fact that the volatility of stock exchange markets in emerging economies is typically even higher, there is a need for research to explore the extent to which information asymmetry plays a role in management trading incentives in emerging economies. To address this research need, this study examines management trading incentives in relation to investment efficiency in Chinese listed firms on the main board and on the small- to medium-enterprises (SME) board in the period 2006 to 2017. We find that executives buy shares when firms’ investments are more efficient. The frequency of management buying also increases with investment efficiency. However, managers do not sell their shares according to firms’ investment efficiency. Moreover, executives of firms listed on the main board trade more on the asymmetric information of investment efficiency than those on the SME board.     

THE DECOUPLING OF EMERGING ECONOMIES: THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL PUZZLE

With the growing importance of the emerging economies (EEs) in the international scene, a lively debate has begun on whether the national economic cycles are converging or the cycles of EEs and advanced economies (AEs) are becoming disconnected, the so-called ‘hypothesis of decoupling of EEs from the AEs’. Given the important practical implications that decoupling could have, for example, on the definition of national and international economic policies and on business strategies aimed at investment diversification and risk management, the question kindles not only the interest of academics but also policymakers and practitioners are very interested in the issue. The decoupling question has been long debated in different circles and from different points of view. This survey aims to retrace the steps of this debate and to provide some suggestions for future empirical researches.