Sneaking through the minefield of talent management: the notion of rhetorical obfuscation

In spite of the growing popularity of talent management in practice, there has been a distinct lack of theoretical attention paid by scholars to such a strategically important innovation. To address this shortfall, we conducted an in-depth case study of a multinational enterprise to examine and conceptualise the rhetorical underpinnings of its efforts in implementing a talent management programme. Based on our findings, we propose the notion of rhetorical obfuscation to conceptualise the intentional use of persuasive language to selectively project and communicate organisational agenda as a means of directing and reinforcing relevant stakeholders' commitments and conforming behaviours. In particular, we found that rhetorical obfuscation was used extensively in the case organisation to cover up inconsistency in practices and lack of legitimacy during the institutionalisation of talent management. Our contributions are threefold. Firstly, this study has provided a necessary theoretical grounding to conceptualise talent management. Secondly, by introducing the theory of rhetorical practice to human resource (HR) innovation research, our account has demonstrated the usefulness of rhetorical practice and created a launch pad for other HR researchers to build upon. Thirdly, by exploring the rhetorical underpinnings related to the adoption of talent management, we have added to the rich intellectual tradition of rhetorical practice by presenting the notion of rhetorical obfuscation.     

Turnaround user acceptance in the context of HR self-service technology adoption: an action research approach

Growing advancement in electronic human resource management (e-HRM) in general, and human resource (HR) self-service technology in particular, has afforded transformational opportunities in changing the design and delivery of HR services. Despite their importance, our understanding of how acceptance of these technologies can be improved remains limited. To address this shortfall, this study utilises the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to consider how HR can drive and influence the adoption of HR self-service technology in an organisation. Utilising an action research approach, this study documents and reflects on the experience of a UK building society in introducing a new version of HR self-service technology, and analyses how interventions can be used to reshape users' perceptions. Our findings show how HR can play a more proactive role in shaping and reshaping users' perceptions towards accepting such a technology by better understanding how systematic interventions can be developed, used and evaluated. Our contributions are not only limited to the theorisation of HR self-service technology based on TAM, but also lie in demonstrating how action research, although currently underused, can be a valid and valuable approach for HR research and practice.     

EXPLOITING UNCERTAINTY—INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES AS REAL OPTIONS: A NEW WAY OF THINKING IN ENGINEERING ECONOMICS

A new trend in corporate planning is to exploit uncertainty by taking investment opportunities as real options. This options approach is to complement the conventional net present value (NPV) criterion in evaluating risky investments. In this paper, we take a broad look at the real options approach to various engineering economic decision problems, laying out how it provides an immediate and important perspective on value creation in an uncertain world. Unlike financial options, real options analysisdeals with investments in real assets, which is one of the primary interest areas in engineering economics. For that reason, we believe that any advancement in the real options decision framework will benefit the field of engineering economics.     

FOREIGN THREATS,TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS AND THE RISE AND DECLINE OF IMPERIAL CHINA

This paper addresses why technological progress occurred off‐and‐on in Imperial China but came to a standstill at around the time of the European Renaissance, leading to the decline of Imperial China. We suggest that the threat of war could have induced innovative activities as well as the accumulation of public capital, which led to the development of a modern sector in Imperial China. Using numerical simulation, we find a stagnated equilibrium in an agrarian economy under low threats of war and another with a high level of technological knowledge, public capital and a vibrant modern sector under strong threats. Long periods of peace would have the opposite effect. Some supportive historical evidence from urbanization is provided.     

CORPORATE DEBT RESOLUTION AND THE ROLE OF FOREIGN CAPITAL IN THE POST‐CRISIS RESTRUCTURING OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA

The outbreak of the financial crisis in the Republic of Korea in 1997 exposed the structural weaknesses in the country's economy. Heated debates have failed to generate definitive answers on just what caused the financial crisis. Considering the importance of restructuring the corporate sector, this paper analyzed how the resolution of corporate debts was accomplished and examined the role of foreign capital in Korea's post‐crisis corporate restructuring. Special attention was given to the measures devised to recover nonperforming loans for the liquidation of corporate debts, to the foreign capital inflows through cross‐border M&As or privatization processes, and to the changes in control through corporate governance reforms. This paper concluded that the resolution of corporate debts has been satisfactory and successful and that foreign capital contributed significantly to effective corporate restructuring and debt resolution in the post‐crisis restructuring of Korea.