Cultural barriers in the transferability of Japanese and American human resources practices to developing countries: the Turkish case

Multinational enterprises can be expected to increase their chances of success by understanding the socio-cultural systems of the regions in which they operate. This paper examines the applicability of Japanese and American human resources management practices in Turkey within a socio-cultural perspective. Emphasizing the contextual differences between developing and industrialized countries and comparing work-related values of the three countries, the paper argues that Japanese human resources practices are more compatible with Turkish societal characteristics than are their American or Western counterparts.     

Constructive Pressures And Incentives To Reform: Globalization and its impact on public sector performance and governance in developing countries

Contrary to widespread pessimism regarding the effects of globalization on nation states and the quality of governance in developing countries, this contribution stresses that several of its features can be made instrumental, and be beneficial, in terms of public policy making and state capability. Four ‘constructive pressures’ stemming from globalization could be seized constructively by citizens and governments in the developing world: First, better informed and better connected citizens, and an emerging global civil society, demand improvements in service delivery, transparency, and participation. Second, subnational governments, often backed by local NGOs and businesses, and keen to attract foreign investment, increasingly exert pressure vis-à-vis central governments. Third, global investment strategies by private businesses increase the demand for appropriate institutional arrangements within developing countries as well as credible government policies. Although with mixed results, forth, International Organizations, in particular IFIs, have been addressing public sector modernization in developing countries, also sponsoring global public policy networks in critical areas. Moreover, policy coordination and cooperation among states increases significantly, constraining arbitrary action by governments. Globalization, thus, advances the discussion about, and the demand for, new institutional arrangements, clearly with new opportunities for improvements in state capability and governance.     

Foreign direct investment and small firm employment in northern Mexico: 1987-1996

This study analyses the impact of foreign direct investment on small business employment along the border in Mexico between 1987 and 1996. During this period, unprecedented levels of foreign direct investment flowed to Mexico, most notably to the northern border region. At the same time, it appears that internal migration of workers from the interior to the border occurred in response to employment generated by this investment. Utilizing 1987 and 1996 data from the Encuesta Nacional de Empleo Urbano, bivariate probit models of employment and small/ large firm employment for the border and interior regions are estimated. The results suggest that the increased employment share captured by large firms in the border may have hindered growth in the small business sector. A better understanding of the impact of FDI flows on small businesses may help policymakers in developing countries as they strive to create broad-based economic growth.     

Expatriate compensation and its link to the subsidiary strategic role: a theoretical analysis

This paper focuses on the strategic design of expatriates' salaries. Unlike standard expatriation literature that assumes a lack of connection between strategy and international managers' compensation, we use the theoretical concepts from the international strategic management research to discuss how different international strategies affect the way expatriates are compensated. In this respect, the paper proposes a series of hypotheses on how expatriate compensation systems take shape according to the role that the expatriates may play in the internationalization process. The hypotheses refer to the type of incentives offered to encourage acceptance of the assignment, the type of criteria used to evaluate their performance and the reference unit used to establish variable compensation.     

The impact of Universal Service Obligations and International Cross-subsidies on the dispersion of telephone services in developing countries

This paper re-evaluates the telecommunication policies often applied to create regional dispersion of services in developing countries. We observe that failure to consider the complexities of the regional telecommunication systems in creating policies and investment strategies has increased the telecom gap between urban and rural regions worldwide. In particular, the teledensities of rural telecommunications in developing countries have remained very low in spite of support through universal service obligation fees and cross-subsidization from international services. As traditional methods for economic analysis and modeling have failed to identify mechanisms that improve telephone dispersion in these countries, we use a system dynamics modeling approach to deal with complexities of the situation in order to evaluate how Universal Service Obligations (USOs) and International Cross-Subsidy (ICS) policies affect telephone densities. We demonstrate that these policies may be counterproductive due to the structure of the telecom system itself. We also show that, when market-clearing pricing is combined with USOs once the urban telephone density reaches a minimum threshold, the dispersion of rural telecommunications can be considerably improved.     

Human resource management in developing economies: a comparison of India and Thailand

This paper reports the results of surveys of firms that were conducted both in India and Thailand. The surveys centred on a wide range of human resource management practices (staffing, training, compensation and evaluation). The sample consisted of both the subsidiaries of multinational corporations and locally owned companies. Statistical analysis suggests pronounced differences in employment practices between India and Thailand in some areas, while considerable similarities in other areas. The study controls for a variety of organizational factors (e.g., firm size, ownership (foreign versus domestic), union status).     

Towards an integrative framework of strategic international human resource control: the case of Taiwanese subsidiaries in the People's Republic of China

This study integrates the resource-based view of the firm, the resource dependence model, institutionalism theory and the cybernetic system model into a framework to investigate the determinants of international human resource (IHR) control at the subsidiary level. The effects of competitive strategies and the mediating effects of inter-organizational interdependencies on three different dimensions of IHR control (input, behaviour and output) were studied by using a sample of 101 Taiwanese subsidiaries operating in the People's Republic of China (PRC). Four notable associations were found: (1) a robust direct relationship between the adoption of a low-cost strategy and two dimensions of IHR control (behaviour and output) was testified; (2) an indirect effect of a low-cost strategy on IHR input control through dependence on the parent's resources was found; (3) the direct relationship between local differentiation strategy and IHR input control could not be testified because a positive mediating effect of dependence on local resources counteracted the negative mediating effect of dependence on parents resources; (4) the direct effects of dependence on local resources on the IHR input control and dependence on parent's resources on IHR input control and behavioural control were testified.     

Antecedents and effects of emotions in strategic decision-making: a literature review and conceptual model

Individual emotions are essential driving forces in strategic decision-making. Nevertheless, the current state of research on emotions and their effects on strategic decision-making is fragmented and inconsistent. Therefore, this paper presents a narrative literature review that aims to bring some structure into current research and to advance an agenda for a future research on emotions in the strategic decision-making context. Based on cognitive appraisal theory and affective events theory this review focuses on organizational and individual antecedents for the development of emotions in the strategic decision-making context as well as on the effects of emotions on the strategic decision-making process. The paper concludes with a conceptual framework that summarizes the findings of this review and indicates possible directions for future research.     

走向三方合作的伙伴关系:西方城市更新政策的演变及其对中国的启示

西方城市更新政策经历了从1970年代政府主导、具有福利主义色彩的内城更新,到1980年代市场主导、公私伙伴关系为特色的城市更新,向1990年代以公、私、社区三向伙伴关系为导向的多目标综合性城市更机关报转变.一个内涵更加多元化的城市更新现念,以及一个以多方伙伴关系为取向、更加注重社区参与和社会公平的城市更新管治模式,正代表着城市更新政策的新路向.这对我国制定城市更新政策有重要启示,包括:要提高对城市更机关报多维本质的认知,加强社区民众参与,建立以人为本的城市更新制度,以及强化政府在城市更新中的协调、引导和促进功能,等.     

How mass layoffs are related to lower job performance and OCB among surviving employees in Chile: an investigation of the essential role of psychological contract

This study aimed to investigate how mass layoffs impact surviving employees in organizations. More specifically, this study ascertained the relationships between mass layoffs and employee work behaviors. It was theorized that mass layoffs will be negatively related to employee performance and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) through its relationships with job insecurity and psychological contract breach. Moreover, it was expected that perceived manager support would buffer against the negative relations of contract breach with employee performance and OCB. A study among 615 employees in multiple Chilean organizations showed support for the hypotheses: job insecurity and psychological contract breach mediated the relationships between mass layoffs and employee performance and OCB. We also found moderating relationships of manager support, but the relations of breach with performance and OCB were particularly negative when manager support was high, indicating feelings of betrayal among high-support employees in response to contract breach. Moreover, the relation of contract breach with performance was positive for low-support employees, and non-significant for high-support employees. Our study advances understanding of the processes underlying how mass layoffs influence employee behavior in the workplace, through introducing the psychological contract as a way of understanding the relationships.     

Towards a cross-cultural framework of strategic international human resource control: the case of Taiwanese high-tech subsidiaries in the USA

Due to the growing expansion of newly emerging multinational companies (MNCs) in the USA market, it seems pertinent to explore how to manage their Western industrialized subsidiaries in terms of human resource management. This study combines the institutionalism, resource dependence perspective, and control theory to provide an integrative framework in an attempt to investigate the cross-cultural determinants of strategic international human resource control over MNCs' subsidiaries. By a qualitative analysis of 10 Taiwanese top high-tech manufacturing companies operating in the USA, our findings are as follow: In order to perform subsidiary's value-added activities, multinationals need to identify the value and capabilities need for these activities. At the same time, subsidiaries also need to compare the cultural advantage of the home country in terms of these activities. In addition, from the perspective of cross-cultural influence, input control is designed to respond to high integration and high adaptation; output control is executed in the case of low integration and high cultural adaptation; while behavioural control is used to respond to high integration and low adaptation, simultaneously in the case of low value of subsidiary's activities.     

Understanding discontinuance: Towards a more realistic model of technological innovation and industrial adoption in Britain

The paper outlines the ideas and theory behind a recently begun research project. The project consists of an investigation of the complexities, and particularly the problems, inherent in introducing technological innovation into production systems in industry. The practical and theoretical need for work of this kind is examined and the character and focus of the proposed investigation sketched. The concept of “discontinuance” is analysed and seen to apply both to the cessation of innovation production by a supplier and the termination of innovation usage by an adoptor. Rogers and Shoemaker's (1971) division of adoptor discontinuance into “replacement” and “disenchantment” discontinuance is considered and reformulated using the terms “replacement adoption”, “negative changeover effects” and “regressive discontinuance”. Finally, a number of models both of innovation development and innovation adoption are considered, synthesized and revised. An initial framework for the comprehension of innovation development and adoption is sketched and some of the potentially important issues therein are highlighted.     

New technology,human resources and competitiveness in developing countries: the role of technology transfer

Technology transfer is widely seen as an important means by which developing countries can both acquire the technologies and develop the human resources needed to compete internationally. However, there are different types of technology transfer which may stimulate or inhibit local human resource development. Foreign direct investment may inhibit local human resource development unless the foreign partner is committed to the indigenous enterprise becoming internationally competitive. Technology transfer through licensing and off-the shelf purchase allows greater indigenous management autonomy which, together with the more direct exposure to international competitive forces, may be more conducive to indigenous human resource development.     

Ethnicity,nationality and gender: a cross-cultural comparison of business ethical decisions in four countries

Data from 513 subjects in China. Korea,. Mexico and the USA are analysed to explore the effects of ethnicity, nationality and gender on responses to a variety of business ethical dilemmas. Responses are analysed with respect to the

ethical theories of Utilitarianism (Act and Rule), Justice, and Individual Rights. Implications for human resource management are discussed.     

Urbanization and the City Image in Lowry at Tate Britain: Towards a Critique of Cultural Cityism

This article explores cultural cityism at a time when a more expansive, ‘planetary’ urbanization is argued to have superseded ‘the city’ as the dominant urban form. It takes an essentially Lefebvrian problematic and works this through an examination of one aspect of contemporary metropolitan culture, the L.S. Lowry exhibition at Tate Britain, held in the summer of 2013. The article scrutinizes the juxtaposition of Lowry's images of the industrial city with the image of ‘global’, corporate London provided by Tate Britain itself. The exhibition is presented as evidence of Lefebvre's argument that although the urban core has imploded and exploded, through images the city ‘can perpetuate itself, survive its conditions’. Taking stock also of the preponderance of city images in culture more widely, it is argued such images make a fetish of the city, producing also an ‘urban pastoral’ that obscures the defining characteristics of urban life today. Finally, Benjamin's concept of the ‘dialectical image’ and Rancière's notion of the ‘sentence image’ are invoked to capture the flashing together of past and present city images and the opportunities for critical reflection this constellation presents.     

新区产业功能定位和城市发展战略的耦合关系——以北京市海淀新区为例

以北京市海淀新区产业功能定位为实例,分析了城市空间发展战略和城市新区产业功能定位之间耦合关系的客观性、存在方式和利用途径.认为在新区的发展过程中,二者既互为基础,又相互支撑.在新区产业功能定位和城市空间发展战略制定过程中,应当注意把握这种耦合关系,改进规划方法.     

城镇弱势群体就业的社区支持与政府责任——扬州市社区帮扶弱势群体就业情况调查

通过对扬州市社区帮扶弱势群体就业情况的调查,发现造成弱势群体就业困难的主要原因是个人素质低、家庭状况差和政策执行不到位.此外,关于失业问题认识上的误区也影响了政策成效.政府在解决失业问题时要尊重个人的选择,在制定和执行就业政策时应认识到就业并不是目的,满足个人和家庭需要并获得较高的满意度才是人的追求.帮助弱势群体就业不仅是政府的责任也是社区的职责.政府应当在准确掌握这一群体动态变化情况和真实需求的基础上,兼顾眼前和长远发展,制定出科学的政策并采取有效的方法和手段确保政策执行到位.政府要加大力度促进社区建设,调动社区在帮助弱势群体就业中的积极性,充分发挥社区在这方面的优势.