Management of corporate culture through local managers’ training in foreign companies in China: a qualitative analysis

Corporate culture is a complex phenomenon in foreign companies located in the People's Republic of China. For the management team of an international enterprise, it is a challenging task to manage cultural differences. Education and training provided to local managers might be one of the important solutions. Therefore, this study explores the effects of local managers’ education and training on corporate culture in foreign companies in China. Using qualitative research, this paper presents different training forms existing in foreign companies. Furthermore, the training in general in terms of establishment of corporate culture was evaluated. General training is classified as formal and informal training or coaching in accordance with training purposes. Formal training refers to training that is indispensable to the survival and development of the corporation, while informal training is concerned with the training that happens without deliberate design or purposes. The two kinds of training can develop local managers in a complementary way. It is argued that these elements exert a complementary influence on the corporate culture with an emphasis on values and rituals.     

我国福费廷业务存在的问题和对策

福费廷是商业银行对出口商持有并经银行担保的债权凭证无追索权购买的金融服务活动。福费廷业务在国外相当活跃,使用范围相当广泛。我国20世纪90年代才开始引进福费廷业务,尚处于摸索阶段,经验不足。因此,应针对我国福费廷业务存在的问题,借鉴国际经验,采取相应策略,开展我国的福费廷业务。     

Foreign assignment for female German managers

Foreign assignments are considered as an important instrument of management development from German companies. Professional expertise in foreign markets and cultures is becoming an increasingly important factor in advancement. It is significant that in the past only male managers have been given the chance for a foreign assignment. Consequently female German managers very seldomly have international working experience. An empirical research study in 13 German multinational companies investigated the role of German women as expatriate managers from the perspectives of personnel managers. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The role of communication competencies in international business relationship development

Effective communication between international business partners is critical for global success. Underlying national and organizational cultural differences in international business relationships creates hurdles to effective communication, hindering performance. To assist managers in understanding this issue, a model of communication effectiveness for international relationship development, derived from industry examples, theory, and a dataset consisting of 123 qualitative interviews conducted with American, Canadian, Chinese, and Japanese managers is presented. Further, in order to assist managers in the task of developing more effective communications, a six-step process aimed in directing managerial action is presented. By proactively managing its communications, a firm can develop stronger international business relationships facilitating the rapid response to market opportunities and challenges.     

Can returnee managers promote CSR performance? Evidence from China

With growing economic globalization, returnee managers who have obtained education or work experience overseas play a much more crucial role in corporations, especially in emerging economies. Using hand-collected managerial background data from a sample of firms listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges from 2010 to 2014, this paper investigates the impact of returnee managers on corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance. We find that returnee managers can promote CSR performance. Further analyses show that the impact of returnee managers on CSR is more pronounced when managers have a foreign study background compared to managers with foreign work experience. The impact only holds when managers obtained their experience in developed economies. When enterprises face greater information asymmetry, returnee managers are more willing to use CSR as a tool to convey a positive image to stakeholders. CSR can help managers reduce information asymmetry and improve firm value. The results are robust through a series of robustness checks including a propensity score matching (PSM) procedure and a Heckman two-state sample selection model. This paper contributes to growing studies on the economic consequences of returnee managers and advances our understanding of the determinants of CSR at the individual level. The results also have implications for government and enterprises attracting talents with overseas experience.     

中西文化差异与商务英语教学

语言是文化的载体,同时也是文化的一种形式。文化意识的培养在当今商务英语教学中是至关重要的,通过提高教师素质,明确教学指导思想,具体教学过程中加强学生商务文化意识的培养,可以培养出跨文化交际能力强、适应市场需求的复合型外语人才。     

The demand for business and management education in Hong Kong beyond 1997

In this contribution, the future market of business and management education in Hong Kong is investigated, bearing in mind that Hong Kong reverted to Chinese sovereignty. Hong Kong is expected to continue its prosperity, but the emigration of large numbers of Hong Kong professionals wanting to secure a safety net by acquiring a foreign passport has further created demands for better and more business and management education in an attempt to develop more professional managers. The study starts by discussing the current state of the Hong Kong economy and the phenomenon of the ‘brain drain’. In addition, it analyses a survey of the current state of business and management education in Hong Kong so that a market need can be identified to match economic growth. Finally, the study suggests a future research direction for Hong Kong's business and management education.     

The effect of experience and absorptive capacity on foreign market knowledge

Learning about foreign markets often occurs through collaboration with other firms who have this knowledge. In this paper, we focus on one aspect of foreign market knowledge, which is the knowledge a partner in a dyadic relationship, has of the other partner and of their respective business network relationships. The concept ‘absorptive capacity’ [Admin. Sci. Q. 35 (1990) 128] is used to describe the firm’s ability to use its prior related knowledge and diverse background to identify the value of new information and to develop this into something creative. We develop and empirically test a model of how depth and diversity of experience affect absorptive capacity, and how this absorptive capacity affects the way a lack of foreign market knowledge is perceived as an obstacle in carrying out the ongoing business activity.The results show that the lack of foreign market knowledge in the ongoing business is determined both by the firm’s absorptive capacity generated in dyadic relationships with foreign customers and the customer’s network. The dyadic and network absorptive capacities, however, appear to be used differently in the ongoing business. Dyadic absorptive capacity seems to decrease the lack of foreign market knowledge, whereas customer network absorptive capacity seems to increase it.     

ARCELOR, an Impressive Example

Arcelor ,who has recently be come Arcelor-Mittal ,as most global companies,wishes to establish a presence in the ＂BRIC＂countries;Brazil,Russia,India and China.     

50 years of research on international standardization and adaptation—From a systematic literature analysis to a theoretical framework

When going and operating abroad, firms face the challenge of finding the optimal balance between standardizing and adapting their marketing strategies across national borders in order to be successful. In this contribution, we present the major results of a systematic literature analysis in the field of international marketing standardization/adaptation. Based on our findings, we introduce a theoretical framework combined with the concept of situation-strategy fit. This framework serves as a basis for providing theoretically grounded and empirically testable recommendations regarding performance-enhancing strategies of international product standardization/adaptation in given situations. We argue that a high degree of international product standardization is likely to enhance foreign product profit, as compared to all alternative strategies, if there is (1) a high cross-national homogeneity of demand, (2) a high potential for cross-national economies of scale, (3) a high cost of product modification, (4) a high foreign price elasticity of demand, (5) a small perceptual error of the managers, and (6) a high quality of strategy execution. By presenting the state-of-the-art knowledge in the field and by introducing a novel theoretical framework, our paper has important implications for both scholars and managers in the fields of international marketing and international business.     

The dilemma of managerial cooperation in Sino‐Western business operations

Chinese foreign trade suffered during the Asian financial crisis, but in 1999, trade rebounded. However, even as China prepares for the 10th Five‐Year Plan and entry into the WTO, rising unemployment coupled with persistent deflationary pressure and continuing declines in foreign direct investment suggest that hard adjustments will have to be made. Just the same, the role that foreign invested firms play in the foreign trade sector and the economy is one of the bright spots on the macroeconomic scene. However, communications problems plague Sino‐Western operations, as indeed they bedevil most cross‐cultural joint ventures. In the Chinese case, the origin lies in the conflict between western universalistic values and Chinese particularistic values in business situations, thus giving rise to difficulties in establishing trust and effective interpersonal cooperation between Chinese and Western managers in Western subsidiaries in China. Using this framework, we develop a model that suggests that the best possible condition for cooperation under these circumstances exists when appearance, i.e., paying attention to human relations, is particularistic and substance, i.e., the way of running the business, is universalistic. The implication for Western managers is that they should both understand and acknowledge the realities of these key value differences and accept what may seem to be a sub‐optimal operational style in order to get the job done. This outcome may pose a dilemma for managers who are con‐ditioned to work toward optimal, maximizing outcomes. Nevertheless, the stakes—and potential benefits—are high. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Foreign subsidiaries' status: Distinctive determinants and implications for subsidiary performance

The purpose of this article is to develop a theoretical framework for understanding what determines foreign subsidiaries' status, and how status affects their performance. The basic argument is that foreign subsidiaries have several unique characteristics that distinguish them from local firms in terms of the factors determining organizational status and the implications status has for subsidiaries' performance. This conceptual article first reviews the three existing determinants of organizational status as theorized by existing status research and makes the case for an extension of the three determinants to account for the special situation of foreign subsidiaries. Having examined the determinants of subsidiary status, this study explores the effect of organizational status on firm performance, and finds that it reduces the liability of foreignness (LoF) that foreign subsidiaries encounter. The study contributes to multiple research streams, including organizational status, LoF, country of origin (CoO), and the international business literature in general. Practically, this study highlights the importance of obtaining high organizational status and provides valuable suggestions for multinational managers in general and subsidiary managers in particular.     

企业现代信息管理素质定性分析和定量评测

如何动态地组织和评价企业现代信息管理工作是目前企业管理者面临的一个重要问题。在界定信息时代的企业信息管理素质的基础上,遵循系统性和可测性原则,从企业信息资源管理、信息管理系统应用和人员素质的角度出发,通过员工结构比例测算,构建了具有实用性的企业现代信息管理素质测度体系和测度系数CI。     

Segmenting the Business Traveler Based on Emotions,Satisfaction, and Behavioral Intention

As travel is part of their work, business travelers are assumed to be focused on carrying out a work‐related task, rather than feeling emotionally stimulated during their trip. Due to this belief, there is limited research on consumer emotions within this segment of the travel market. However, not only is business travel an experience and therefore it involves emotions, but many business trips have a strong leisure component and business travel decision making is often emotionally charged. This paper segments the business travel market based on emotions, satisfaction, and behavioral intention. Using a sample of 400 managers in small‐ and medium‐sized companies, the study demonstrates that the relationship between emotions and satisfaction is not unidirectional as far as business tourism is concerned. For two of the four segments, the valence of emotions translated into an opposite level of satisfaction/intention. The segments were found to differ in personal and trip‐related variables.     

Political Risk and the Evolution of the Control of Foreign Business:

Extreme forms of government intervention such as expropriation, nationalization, and confiscation have received much attention in the business and academic communities. This paper argues that in the future governments will attempt to regulate foreign business activities by exercising control over marketing mis variables to achieve socioeconomic and political objectives. Therefore, international marketing managers should anticipate the likely effects of political risk on marketing mix variables and develop strategies accordingly.     

An Early Academic Enterprise: A Study of Technology Transfer

This article examines the foreign influence on the education of Norwegian business managers before 1940. As in other Scandinavian countries, Norwegian educational institutions were strongly inspired by German models. However, the first Norwegian business school was not established until 1936, and this study examines how managers were educated when institutions were weakly developed. It is argued that an efficient use of foreign institutions to train managers more than compensated for the lack of domestic institutions. This system of combining national and foreign educational institutions is related to the debate on the links between educational systems and economic development.     

发展循环经济 实现我国对外贸易的可持续发展

随着我国商品出口量的不断扩大，给我国带来了巨大的资源及环境压力。因此，为实现我国对外贸易的可持续发展，利用循环经济的理念来开展我国对外贸易已变得极为重要。同时，发展循环经济是实施可持续发展战略最重要和最现实的选择。我国更需要重视并采取必要措施来积极发展循环经济，以促进对外贸易的可持续发展，实现对外贸易与环境的共赢。     

Dimensions and outcomes of experience quality in tourism: The case of Port wine cellars

Ever since the notion that consumption has an experiential dimension, experience and its impact on business is receiving increased attention. Therefore, understanding experience quality, its drivers and outcomes becomes crucial, especially when experiences are the core of the service offering such as in tourism. However, research on tourism experiences remains sparse and largely conceptual. We develop a higher-order model of experience quality, validated in the wine tourism industry, outlining relevant dimensions and outcomes. Results support the six-dimensional structure of experience quality and its impact on loyalty, satisfaction and word-of-mouth. Overall, we validate a holistic multi-dimensional measure of experience quality and examine key nomological relationships, with important implications for tourism managers.     

Effects of warm-heartedness and reward distribution on negotiation

Research is needed to identify the conditions and dynamics by which foreign managers and local employees can negotiate their differences integratively. In an experiment with 120 participants in South China, employees with foreign managers who communicated warm-heartedness, compared to indifference, indicated that they had cooperative goals, a quality relationship, were confident in future collaboration, and concluded that their manager was an effective leader. Employees with foreign managers who structured mutual rather than independent or comparative rewards found their manager’s ideas reasonable and integrated them into their decisions. Results, especially if they can be replicated in field settings, suggest how foreign managers can negotiate effectively and develop their relationships with Chinese employees.