Evolving research on expatriates: what is ‘known’ after four decades (1970–2012)

The purpose of this paper was to provide a comprehensive review of the evolving research on a still key challenge for human resource management (HRM) in the globalized business of today: the expatriates and their impact on business performance. Research of four decades was reviewed to show what was known and what was not yet known. A bibliometric analysis was conducted to build a conceptual map of the evolving research. Up to 438 papers published in 104 different journals by 233 authors were analyzed. Most of the literature studies and research does not show a systematic approach, so this review may be useful for scholars and practitioners in the field of HRM and International Business Management in order to advance into the next stage of development on how to deal with and take advantage of hiring expatriates. Even after more than four decades of intensive research, the literature on expatriation is still nascent and requires higher order content. New contexts and organizations should be included in the research agenda, while an effort must be made in systematic approaches and in building higher order content in the international HRM field.     

Human resource management in China revisited: introduction

This introduction attempts to provide an overview of the Special Issue of the IJHRM on ‘Human Resource Management in China Revisited’. It deals first with the economic background of the recent changes in the PRC from 1978 to the present day, exploring the change from a command economy to a more market-led one, as well as the demise of ‘iron rice bowl’ policy dominated by a model to Soviet-inspired personnel management in favour of one gradually being characterized by possibly Japanese-/Western-influenced human resource management (HRM), albeit with ‘Chinese characteristics’. It then introduces the main debates in the field before summing up, at some length, the empirical contributions based on ‘state of the art’ field research contained in the papers submitted. Last, it deals with the comparative setting of the contributions on China vis-à-vis the national HRM systems of Japan and South Korea.     

The Status of Training and Development in U.S.-People's Republic of China Joint Ventures

Abstract

A random sample of 177 U.S.-People&s Republic of China joint ventures was selected from 705 such undertakings identified. The questionnaire was based on three forms of Training Magazine&s annual survey. It was translated into Chinese, and cross-translated to insure accuracy, after validation by U.S. managers with experience in China and Chinese business experts. After many follow up efforts, a response rate of 36% was achieved. The survey revealed types of training currently offered and planned during the next two years, and the methods used. Comparisons were made with similar studies conducted in the United States and the Republic of Korea.     

SME Foreign Direct Investment: An Examination of the Joint Venture Experiences of German and U.K. Small and Medium Sized Firms in China

Joint Ventures (JVs) have become popular vehicles for foreign market servicing, but few studies have focused on the joint venturing activities of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). This article examines the activities of 9 U.K. and 12 German SME joint ventures in China. Based on a questionnaire survey and in-depth case interviews, it reveals that the JVs, though successful, are not without their problems and the experiences are similar to those of large multi-national enterprises. As the key to success is the choice of the joint venture partner, assistance is required to help SMEs identify and select appropriate partners.     

Management of Sino-Sino Joint Ventures

Abstract

Since China's implementation of its open-door policy in 1979, the most effective way to obtain a foothold has proved to be to create joint ventures (JV) with a Chinese business partner. The foreign partner provides the transfer of technology, management skills, financing and access to international markets, whilst the Chinese partner contributes a production base with cheap land and labor, contacts with central and local government officials and access to the domestic Chinese market. The Chinese economy has benefited to a large extent from the creation of joint ventures in the past two decades. Hong Kong firms have used China as a production base for many years, usually with great success and to the mutual benefit of both. However, although Hong Kong firms had considerable experiences in running business and manufacturing operations in China, several have suffered substantially from their investment in joint ventures with Chinese partners. This paper evaluates various issues relating to the performance of equity joint ventures in China. The evaluation is based on a case study of four Sino-Hong Kong joint venture manufacturing firms in the electronics industry, and the findings of this paper indicate that there are number of important factors affecting the stability of joint ventures in China. Foreign investors' experiences in other areas may not be applicable to their investment in China because the operation of a joint venture in China is inevitably faced with a variety of problems that the foreign firms may not have encountered before.     

Expatriates' hesitation and the localization of Western business operations in China

Many foreign firms intend to localize their business operations in China. The incumbent expatriates' ability and willingness to bring about their own replacement is crucial. However, expatriates could be less than enthusiastic about the prospect of making themselves redundant. They may not be mentally prepared for such an endeavour, considering themselves unable or unwilling to localize, impeding such a process. To examine this proposition, a mail survey was directed to Western business expatriates in China. Results showed that there was a negative relationship between localization and expatriates' unwillingness to localize, because they prefer to stay on or are of the opinion that localization is not necessary. However, expatriates' perceived inability to localize was not associated with localization. Considering oneself unsuitable to train locals or that it is not one's job to train local employees did not seem to obstruct localization as expected. Implications for firms intending to localize their business operations in China are discussed in detail.     

Corruption in the Context of International Business

Abstract

Corruption is widely accepted in the popular press as a problem for economic development and in conducting international business. Yet, it remains somewhat under-researched, particularly in an academic setting. This article describes corruption in the context of international business. It presents a critical evaluation of the conceptual and methodological issues associated with corruption. In doing so, it portrays the inherent complexities in studying this topic. The paper ends with recommendations for addressing the main concerns.     

Managing Competing Institutional Logics in Public–Private Joint Ventures

Abstract

Cross-sector inter-organizational partnerships, alliances and networks have become extremely popular. Yet, we may expect competing societal-level institutional logics to play an important role in cross-sector alliances, hence making their management central to alliance success. This article responds to the general research question: How do participants of public–private joint ventures manage competing institutional logics? Based on in-depth interviews we empirically characterize two competing logics in a cross-sector collaborative and identify two practices used to cope with them.     

Human factors in the transfer of the ‘Japanese best practice’ manufacturing system to Singapore

A detailed examination of the practices reported by managers in thirty-one affiliates of Japanese companies engaged in manufacturing in Singapore revealed a high degree of conformity with the Japanese best practice (also known as ‘lean production’) model in the way work is organized and in the shop-floor level manufacturing practices, but greater conformity to host country norms in the HRM practices applied to the local work-force. This is consistent with the patterns reported in the existing literature regarding Japanese transplants in other countries, including the US and the UK. Strong statistical relationships were found in the Singapore study among the work organization cluster, the manufacturing practices cluster, and the performance outcomes. No significant relationships were found between the HRM cluster and any of the ‘downstream’ variables (work organization, manufacturing practices or performance outcomes), but relatively heavy reliance on expatriates was found to be highly related to work organization, manufacturing practices and performance outcomes. These findings suggest that heavy reliance on expatriates may function as an alternative to Japanese-style HRM practices in situations where it would be unduly difficult or costly to extend the whole package of Japanese-style HRM practices to the local work-force.     

从PPG到VANCL网络服装销售的商业模式演进

作为国内网络服装销售行业的先行者,PPG凭借快速反应的供应链、更轻的渠道、重金打造的品牌,开创了一种与传统服装销售大不相同的新商业模式。但在取得巨大成功的同时,这种新模式中供应链的质量管理、缺失的客户体验,巨资投入的品牌推广,都为后来的失败埋下了隐患。作为一名跟随者,VANCL既借鉴了PPG的成功经验,又针对PPG的教训,通过供应商优选、自建物流、按销售付费的互联网推广等手段,对PPG的模式做出了改进,最终超越了先行者,成为了行业的新标杆。     

工程项目人力资源管理的研究

人力资源因素是影响工程项目建设诸多因素中最活跃和最有创造性的因素,人力资源管理是否科学合理直接关系到工程项目的进度、成本与质量,它是联系三大控制的桥梁.本文采用对比的方法讲解了现代人力资源管理与传统劳动人事管理的区别,并综合分析了工程项目人力资源管理的程序及实施过程中需要注意的问题和解决的方法.