Comparing the success of male and female expatriates from a US-based multinational company

This paper examines the differences between male and female expatriate employees along three criteria of global assignments: (1) cross-cultural adjustment, (2) desire to terminate the assignment and (3) supervisor-rated performance. Participants were ninety-eight expatriate employees from a US-based multinational organization. The countries to which these expatriates were assigned varied along the four work values proposed by Hofstede (1980). These dimensions were used first to determine which of the underlying cultural work values are associated with the number of women in managerial positions. The results suggest that all of the dimensions, except masculinity, were related to the participation of women in managerial roles. Second, these dimensions were used to examine whether these work values differentially affect male and female expatriates' success. Two work-values (power distance and masculinity) negatively affect the cross-cultural adjustment of expatriate women (compared to their male counterparts). These results suggest there are no significant differences between men and women in either supervisor-rated performance or desire to terminate the assignment, regardless of cultural values. The implications for why certain work values may negatively affect women's cross-cultural adjustment are discussed.     

The theory of met expectations applied to expatriate adjustment: the role of crosscultural training

This study will test two hypotheses to determine whether the formation of expectations (prior to the global assignment) affects expatriates' adjustment. This study utilized a sample of seventy-three expatriates who completed questionnaires approximately ten months after arriving in their host countries. All the expatriates had predeparture cross-cultural training, but the training varied in perceived relevance. The expatriates were assigned either to countries where their native language was spoken (e.g. Americans in the UK) or to countries where their native language was not spoken (e.g. Americans in France). The results of the mediated regression analysis suggest that the more tailored and relevant the pre-departure cross-cultural training, the more expectations were either met or positively exceeded. Analyses suggest that both cross-cultural training and the language spoken in the host country affect the accuracy of expatriates' expectations prior to the assignment - and that having accurate expectations, in turn, positively affects cross-cultural adjustment. The results from this study encourage organizations to develop programmes that will ensure their expatriates have realistic expectations prior to their global assignments (e.g. through tailored cross-cultural training).     

American repatriate employees' retrospective assessments of the effects of cross-cultural training on their adaptation to international assignments

With 10 to 50 per cent of expatriates curtailing their assignments early, and the cost of foreign placement estimated at $500,000, training for expatriates needs to be improved. This study investigates different methods of training, and the results as perceived by repatriates. Repatriates were asked about the amount and type of cross-cultural training they had received and their effectiveness and productivity during the overseas assignment. Repatriates' responses included specific comments about their individual and familial experiences. It was hypothesized that managers who receive rigorous cross-cultural training before and during the assignment will not suffer intense culture shock and will become effective more rapidly than managers who have not had cross-cultural training. The results demonstrated that integrated cross-cultural training does reduce the time necessary to adjust and to achieve cultural proficiency and reduces the time necessary to become effective and productive in the assignment.     

Expatriate adjustment and commitment: the role of host-unit treatment

This article tests the hypotheses that perceived host ethnocentrism will impact negatively on expatriates' work adjustment, host commitment and parent commitment as well as increase the desire to return early from overseas assignments. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed on survey data from 250 international assignees controlling for a wide range of personal, organizational and locational characteristics. As predicted, perceptions of local ethnocentrism had a negative effect on work adjustment and commitment to the host unit, particularly when cultural distance was low. We also found that European expatriates were more likely to react negatively to perceptions of host ethnocentrism than were their American counterparts. In general, there was no support of the hypothesized links between perceived host ethnocentrism and parent-firm commitment or the desire to return early.     

The shifting boundaries of global staffing: integrating global talent management,alternative forms of international assignments and non-employees into the discussion

Abstract

Global staffing has been a key theme in research in IHRM for a number of decades. Our review confirms that it continues to be an important contemporary area of research in IHRM. In the current paper, we review three key contemporary issues in global staffing research, namely, the emergence of global talent management and potentially a more strategic approach to global mobility, specifically changing patterns of global mobility, and the emergence of the non-employees as key alternatives in the global staffing literature. The paper also charts a future research agenda in each of these areas.     

A model for the influence of social interaction and social support on female expatriates' cross-cultural adjustment

This paper offers a model to describe the way in which female expatriates develop relationships and utilize those relationships to become cross-culturally adjusted. This model includes three predictive components affecting cross-cultural adjustment. The first includes the factors affecting whether a woman is able to form relationships on the expatriate assignment. These antecedents can include the female expatriate's personality, the cultural norms towards women, her language skills and the availability of possible opportunities for interaction. The second component includes the various sources of social interaction and social support (e.g. family members, and host national colleagues). The third component describes the nature of a female expatriate's social interaction and social support (e.g. emotional, informational and instrumental). Practical considerations for multinational organizations sending female expatriates are offered.     

The impact of external constraints on labour rights: the case of the Philippines

Today, conventional wisdom suggests that integration into the global economy provides the best opportunity for economic growth and that such growth will, inevitably, benefit all sectors in society. However, if one looks beyond the economic indicators, the project of integrating into the global economy, particularly through export-oriented industrialization, carries high social costs in terms of violations of labour rights. This article argues that external constraints in the global economy prevent national governments from pursuing both integration through export-oriented industrialization and satisfactorily protecting workers. By focusing on the case of the Philippines, this study demonstrates how external constraints lead to specific violations of labour rights. The evidence suggests that practices such as labour-only contracting and 'no union, no strike' policies are best explained in terms of external constraints emanating from the global economy.     

When the going gets tough: the influence of expatriate resilience and perceived organizational inclusion climate on work adjustment and turnover intentions

Abstract

Despite the strong evidence for the beneficial influence of resilience for employee stress resistance in domestic settings, the construct has not received much attention in the expatriation literature, where stress is considered a major factor for expatriates’ poor cross-cultural adjustment and turnover. Drawing upon conservation of resources theory, the present study examines resilience as an antecedent of expatriate work adjustment and turnover intentions. Furthermore, this study investigates the moderating role of perceived organizational inclusion climate as a resource-protecting organizational factor. Results from a survey of 175 expatriates in South Korea indicate that resilience is positively related to expatriate work adjustment and that these positive effects are more pronounced when expatriates perceive their organizational climate to be highly inclusive. Furthermore, findings suggest that work adjustment mediates the effects of resilience on turnover intentions and that this mediation is moderated by a perceived organizational inclusion climate. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.     

论领导行为，组织学习、创新与绩效间影响的实证研究

本研究提出一理论架构,将组织学习与组织创新作为解释领导行为与组织绩效间关系的主要中介变量。运用经济理论、管理理论和问卷调查研究方法,以台湾新竹科学园区的信息电子产业作为实证研究的对象,有效分析样本厂商共112家。分别以基本叙述统计、信效度分析、因素分析与典型相关分析等方法来进行实证并验证本研究所提出之各项假设。主要发现为:整体而言,本研究整体理论模式配置符合可接受的适合度检定水准,表示本研究的理论架构可获得支持,故组织学习与组织创新作为领导行为与组织绩效间的影响关系确实存在着。     

上海市生物医药产业技术创新平台运行绩效的影响因素实证研究

针对产业技术创新平台的功能定位将产业创新平台运行绩效分解为服务绩效和网络绩效,提出产业技术创新平台运行绩效影响因素的概念模型,以上海市生物医药产业为样本开展的实证研究发现：平台的资源条件、开放程度、信任水平、契约治理的规范性以及政策环境的完善程度对产业创新平台运行绩效具有正向作用;平台资源条件和开放程度对平台运行绩效的影响关系显著性地受到契约治理的调节作用。     

Organisational design implications of global sourcing: A multiple case study analysis on the application of control mechanisms

Global sourcing has become an intended practice for many multinational corporations. Organisational design implications of global sourcing are rarely considered although they are one of the main facets of a global sourcing strategy. By elaborating on the information processing perspective of contingency theory, we derive explanations for the application of different control mechanisms in the global sourcing context. Our findings from case studies at eight multinational companies suggest that variations in control mechanisms can be explained by two contingencies: (1) corporate organisational structure and (2) the distribution of purchasing expertise among subsidiaries. Based on these case study findings, we formulate ten propositions for future research.     

Measuring global flow of funds: focus on China,Japan, and the United States

ABSTRACT

This paper aims to establish a new statistical framework for measuring global flow of funds (GFF) based on its inherent mechanisms. It advances a previous theoretical discussion and develops a practical operational statistical matrix. Based on theoretical and practical possibilities the paper gets existing data from the International Investment Position, the Coordinated Direct Investment Survey, the Coordinated Portfolio Investment Survey, and International Banking Statistics are integrated for measuring GFF. The main outcome is a prototype GFF matrix that includes stock data geographically disaggregated by country/region and selected financial instruments. The paper presents a GFF Matrix compiled with the pattern of ‘Country vis-à-vis Country’ matrix, and through using the GFF matrix to analyze the basic status, mutual relationship and existing problems between China, Japan, and the United States in the external financial positions.     

城市女性休闲活动的影响因素及差异分析——基于休息日与工作日的对比

对女性休闲活动的研究是西方休闲研究中的重要主题,而国内针对女性休闲活动的直接研究较少.本研究利用2007年北京市民活动日志的第一手数据,建立女性参与休闲的多项logit模型,分析女性休闲活动的影响因素并探讨休息日与工作日影响因素的差异.     

协同机制下供应链剩余利润合理分配的影响因素研究

首先论述了供应链剩余利润以及该利润分配在协同供应链系统中的重要作用,分析了影响利润分配的系统外部和内部的各种因素,并利用层次分析法确定了供应链成员协作满意度和所担风险两个关键因素,指出了在有限条件下协同供应链剩余利润分配研究的重点。     

The effect of controversial global sourcing practices on the ethical judgments and intentions of U.S. consumers

Global sourcing has led to lower cost and more effective supply chains for many companies. However, when the cost-driven practices of many suppliers in these chains come to light there is often considerable debate over the ethics of these practices. This research uses the well-known Hunt–Vitell framework as the theoretical foundation for a structural equation model of the deontological and teleological evaluations used by consumers when making ethical judgments of a firm's controversial cost-driven global sourcing practices. Data from a large-scale U.S. consumer survey show the importance of deontological and teleological evaluations in forming consumers’ ethical judgments of global sourcing practices, and establish a strong relationship between ethical judgment and the intention of consumers to alter consumption of a firm's products. Extensions to the framework and demographic analyses for age, gender, and income provide insights as to how perceptions of these practices affect consumer evaluations of a company involved in global sourcing and how consumers actualize their resultant intentions.     

MST视角的GVT沟通影响因素案例研究

GVT作为一种新兴的团队组织形式,正以其低成本、高效率、响应迅速的优势被广泛应用于各个领域,但以信息与通信技术沟通为主的协作方式也为GVT管理带来了挑战。本研究以媒体同步性理论为基础,构建GVT沟通影响因素的初步理论模型,并以大连软件园两家软件公司中的4组团队为案例访谈对象,通过案例分析进一步修正和检验模型。分析结果显示：媒体同步性主要受传输速率和并行性影响;沟通过程与媒体同步性相适配的状态对沟通绩效有促进作用;GVT成员的语言能力、媒体经验和明确的沟通规范都会对沟通工具的使用产生重要影响。