Global managers’ perceptions of cultural competence

To work effectively in the global business arena, managers need a strong set of intercultural management skills. When dealing with clients, co-workers, and other stakeholders at home or abroad, managers with cross-cultural competence have a distinct competitive advantage in the multicultural marketplace. Although generally accepted as a valuable asset for doing business, cross-cultural competence defies easy definition. This study attempts to conceptualize the complex term from the practitioner's point of view. What does cross-cultural competence mean to global managers? From their perspective, which aspects of culture do business people need to understand? From the universe of cultural beliefs, values, attitudes, and country-specific information, what should an executive, with limited time, focus on to develop a basic level of cultural competence? This study asked Mexican managers what they needed to know about culture to do business with the U.S. In the process, they consistently identified certain basic components of cultural competence. Responses were surprisingly similar among the managers, indicating they had a clear picture of which cultural essentials were most important for global executives to learn. The results of the study reveal a working definition of cultural competence for global managers. This research also provides trainers and business educators a content framework for a short-term training program, based on the global managers’ perceptions of cross-cultural competence.     

韩国在华企业国际化经营中人力资源管理的实证分析

企业国际化经营中的人力资源管理问题一直是业界管理者讨论的一个热点问题,也是学术界研究的重要课题。跨国公司能否成功地对当地员工进行管理,对其经营成果有着重要的影响。本文以韩国企业在华开展国际化经营中的人力资源管理方面遇到的问题为引子,采用了问卷调查与实际考察相结合的方法,建立了研究模型,提出并验证了假设,最后在理论与实践相结合的基础上揭示了中国员工的劳动价值观及其本质,向在华韩国企业提出了制定和推行有效人力资源管理方案的科学依据及进行跨文化管理的方法。     

Unpacking the “skill – cross-cultural competence” mechanisms: Empirical evidence from Chinese expatriate managers

International management (IM) literature identifies several important skill sets (namely, self-maintenance, perceptual, interpersonal, language and communication skills) that are important for expatriates’ cross-cultural management. However, how skills influence each other and work synergistically towards expatriate competence has not been well examined. Based on the theoretical perspectives of learning, social dynamics and the IM stream, we develop an integrative model to investigate the joint effects of skills on cross-cultural competence (CCC), by surveying and interviewing Chinese expatriate managers. We find that self-maintenance skills, interpersonal skills, and language skills do not relate to CCC directly, while perceptual skills contribute to CCC mainly through communication skills. Our study demonstrates that competence goes beyond understanding local culture and lies in the ability to effectively interact and communicate within the host context. This study contributes to expatriate literature not only by revealing the skill – CCC mechanisms, but also by extending knowledge into an emerging market context which provides theoretical and practical guidance for competence-building of expatriates from China.     

The Global Awareness Curriculum in International Business Programs: A Critical Perspective

Designing educational sequences that enhance the cognitive, behavioral, and critical skills of a diverse learning community seeking global competencies, requires mindfulness of different international educational models, a tailored curriculum designed to build different types of awareness learning, and clarity in targeted outputs keeping in mind a range of potential occupations and life situations in which such skills will be used. This article outlines conceptual frameworks for global awareness sequences in international management programs, building on existing cross-cultural research, training literature, and comparative analysis of different higher education models. It updates global competence learning frameworks to include recent advances in cultural intelligence, critical reflexivity, and post-colonial perspectives on management education. It calls attention to changing student demographics as a catalyst for moderate curriculum reform, especially a rehabilitation of core global awareness knowledge components eclipsed by cross-cultural courses and humanities requirements. A curriculum for business students with a sequential and/or simultaneous implementation of three pedagogical dispositions (knowledge, behavior, and critical acculturation) is discussed.     

Global talent management: Shaping the careers of internationally educated talents in developing markets

In the context of globalization, country‐level actions to manage global talent (e.g., development of immigrant‐friendly policies, policies to attract back skilled diaspora, or investment in the international education of youth) have been underresearched. The aim of this article is to analyze the impact of a country‐level global talent management practice on the careers and career success of its talents in the Republic of Kazakhstan, a developing country in Central Asia. Using qualitative methods, this study introduces new dimensions of career success evaluation for internationally educated talents in developing markets: use of knowledge acquired abroad and international aspect of the job. Based on these dimensions, it develops a model of career types. The career types predict the varying degrees of talents' career success and their involvement in sharing and capitalizing on knowledge, ideas, and international experience, which may have an impact on society. The study contributes to the field of global talent management and career success by providing empirical evidence on an underresearched topic in the underresearched context of developing markets.     

Integrity and Global Leadership

This paper addresses the role of integrity in global leadership. It reviews the philosophy of ethics and suggests that both contractarianism and pluralism are particularly helpful in understanding ethics from a global leadership perspective. It also reviews the challenges to integrity that come through interactions that are both external and internal to the company. Finally, the paper provides helpful suggestions on how global leaders can define appropriate ethical standards for themselves and their organizations.     

A Global Analysis of Orientation,Coordination, and Flexibility in Supply Chains

Global supply chains are growing rapidly, and the ability to manage cross border logistics operations has become a necessity to maintain a competitive advantage in a dynamic environment. This research addresses current gaps in the literature by investigating the buyer–supplier integration dynamics in a global context with a focus on the antecedents and outcomes involved in the process. Empirical data from 320 U.S. based manufacturing companies that source from overseas was collected and used to test the framework. In addition to providing empirical evidence for the importance of orientation on collaboration, operational coordination, and integration this research explains how manufacturing companies can enhance the flexibility of their global suppliers and how that impact their logistics as well as overall firm performance. Managerial and research implications are provided as well as areas for future research.     

Antecedents of Belief in Global Citizenship: A Two-Country Empirical Investigation

ABSTRACT

This research contributes to the existing literature by investigating the antecedents of belief in global citizenship. Previous literature in global brand management has provided strong evidence of the importance of perceived quality and social prestige of global brands in influencing consumers’ evaluations of global brands. Accordingly, the authors’ model focuses on the perceived quality and social prestige of global brands as antecedents of consumers’ belief in global citizenship. In addition, they examine the direct and indirect effects of consumer ethnocentricity and cultural openness on consumers’ belief in global citizenship. They empirically examine this framework within a rich cross-cultural context using samples from the United States and India (developed and developing countries). The proposed model suggests that perceived quality and social prestige of global brands are mediators of the relationship between ethnocentricity and cultural openness and consumers’ belief in global citizenship. They followed Gerbing and Anderson's two-step approach to develop a measurement model with an acceptable fit to the data and then conducted a structural model to test the hypothesized relationships. The authors conducted χ² difference tests to examine the structure of their hypothesized relationships across the United States and India. The results support partial mediation for perceived quality and social prestige of global brands on the relationship between ethnocentricity and cultural openness and consumers’ belief in global citizenship. Furthermore, they demonstrate some interesting differences in the relationships in the model across the two samples.     

Revisiting a Theory-Supported Approach to Teaching Cross-Cultural Management Skills

Abstract

Cross—cultural skills are a major criterion for success in the global business environment. For American managers in multinational organizations, this means learning to manage cultural difference at three levels: self, interpersonal, and organizational. Since literature indicates that training programs based on cross—cultural and learning theories are more effective, this paper examines a training program that Serrie first reported in a 1992 issue of JTIB. The five related and synergistic activities discussed in the paper give participants experience in dealing with and solving real—world problems in cross-cultural management at all three levels. The process is reassessed in terms of recent theory, and to confirm the efficacy of this approach, a pretest—posttest experiment was conducted with a treatment group and control groups. Results show that the treatment group was the only one to show a significant (at p < 0.05) increase in intercultural expertisea measure of cross—cultural skill. Limitations and implications are discussed.     

浅析高职国际物流人才英语能力培养策略

物流活动伴随着商流活动区域的扩展日趋国际化,英语也被广泛应用在物流活动中的各个领域,针对高职物流专业英语教学普遍存在的学生学习效果、效率和主动性不佳的问题,探索通过以能力为本位的"首要教学模式"(又称"五星教学模式"),以提高物流英语的教学效能,强化学生在国际物流活动中的英语实际运用能力。     

Use of a Parallel-Emic Research Model and Key-Word-In-Context Indexing Tool to Develop an Instructional Exercise to Promote Student Global Mindedness

ABSTRACT

Educators have long sought how to prepare students to develop a global mind set and to work under conditions of complexity and uncertainty common in many world markets. The purpose of this study was to support educators in this cause by providing them with a “hands-on” exercise readily adaptable across the business curriculum to identify how culture shapes business concepts/practices of interest. Details are presented in a step-by-step procedure based upon a recognized “parallel-emic” research model developed to study cross-cultural differences to ensure analytical rigor. A Key-Word-In-Context (KWIC) indexing tool was employed to add precision and efficiency to the search process to help students readily identify common (etic-derived) and unique factors (emic-specific) shaping business concepts/practices cross-culturally.     

全球供应链管理与外贸企业核心竞争力构建

随着贸易自由化及经济全球化趋势的不断加强,我国外贸企业必将受到国际竞争者的严峻挑战,因此,外贸企业必须重新审视自己的业务模式和发展战略.文章在界定全球供应链概念的基础上,探讨全球供应链管理与外贸企业核心竞争力的关系、外贸企业业务模式的动态演化路径,提出构建我国外贸企业核心竞争力的二个关键要素:服务功能链的提升、虚拟供应链的构建.     

Managerial competency appraisal: A cross-cultural study of American and East Asian managers

This paper reports on the use of managerial commpetency assessment method to appraise 1436 managers from four East Asian countries and 3193 managers from the United States. The results of this research suggest that the assessed competencies of managers from the different nationalities are subject to cultural factors that shape personality and behavioural choices. Outcomes of assessed managerial competencies are likely to be influenced by perceptions of status, the need for consultation and the degree of openness of communication between managers and their subordinates. The study also points to the need for organisations to distinguish the more stable technical skills from the culturally-sensitive people skills when assessing and developing managers of different nationalities and cultures.     

From cross-cultural management to global leadership: Evolution and adaptation

We provide a quasi-historical review of how the field of global leadership evolved. In doing so, we conceptually map an overall trajectory of the field of global leadership, discussing the nature of its origins in the field of cross-cultural management. We trace evolutionary trends in the field of cross-cultural management from 1960 to the present, and explore how these trends influenced the formation of the global leadership literature. After reviewing the primary domains of the global leadership field, we conclude with a discussion of the implications of our analysis for future research and managerial practice.     

Achieving and Managing Global Brand Equity: A Critical Analysis

ABSTRACT

According to some experts, brand equity is a company's most important asset. In this article, the authors first study the durability of brand equity in the long run. Then they examine the maintenance of that brand equity. The study analyzes the relative position of the top 50 most important global brands. Rank correlations indicate that, in the short run, the top 50 brands maintain strong equity levels, but in the longer run, this equity dissipates. In order to empower global brands in the long run, the authors put together a general global brand strategy model that would achieve and maintain brand equity. The model has three important components: strategic action, generating brand power, and achieving sustained brand equity. Such a model could balance the success in achieving brand equity globally both in the short and long run.     

Introduction to the Special Issue: Management in Africa in the Global Context 1

ABSTRACT

The primary focus of this introductory article is to provide a synoptic peek into the challenges and opportunities facing the countries of Africa in today's global economy and in their attempts to develop their national economies to achieve what is commonly termed the Millennium Development Goals. While foreign direct investment (FDI) is seen as a way to attain these goals, FDI flows to African countries remain extremely low. If Africa is to attract diversified FDI inflows, not just those focused on extractive/natural resources, African countries need to develop a system of management that is effective and efficient, internationally oriented and nationally focused, culturally inclusive and institutionally supportive and reliable, and one that promotes business growth and economic development with a sense of social responsibility.     

资本流动突然中断的影响因素分析

采用1978—2007年共90个国家数据,分别建立Logit和Probit模型,对影响资本流动突然大幅度减少的因素进行分析。结果发现:经常账户/GDP的变化量极其显著地影响着SS的发生,汇率的变化率仅对所设定的SS的其中一个指标显著。     

Transnational organization and symbolic production: Creating and managing a global brand

In recent years, there has been sustained debate pertaining to how global markets should be conceptualized, enacted, and addressed. The purpose of this study was to expose the pivotal managerial thought processes and practices of senior managers at Guinness and the actions of symblic workers involved in the reconciliation of trends toward increasing global cultural convergence and a need for local cultural differentiation within the “global culture industry.” Our findings reveal the strategic processes and mechanisms involved in the creation of a series of polysemic, multi‐vocal texts positioned to allow multi‐level interpretation of the brand in ways that permit simultaneous engagement with, and negation of, local idiosyncrasies.     

管理者如何应对企业危机

危机事件有损于企业形象甚至影响企业的发展与生存,提升管理者的危机处理能力是企业应对危机的重要技能。应对企业危机,要求管理者有突出的信息收集、处理能力和管理沟通能力。管理者更应积极主动承担应有的责任,及时采取补救措施,积极做好预防及评估工作,完善企业管理机制,使企业走可持续性发展道路。     

Improving International Marketing Programs to Reflect Global Complexity and Risk: Curriculum Drivers and Constraints

This article looks at the curriculum redesign of a master's-level program in international marketing from a UK perspective. In order to ensure that the program would be more fit-for-purpose for future managers working under conditions of complexity, uncertainty, and within regimes often very different from the home market, the team began the curriculum redesign process with the view that international programs need to have a more broad and cross-disciplinary curriculum. Both drivers and constraints for the curriculum redesign are considered as well as the rationale for including a 30-week module on political and economic risk in the program.