Beyond the Union‐Centred Approach: A Critical Evaluation of Recent Trade Union Elections in China

Many Western scholars have regarded union democracy and elections as affairs that are internal to trade unions and unconnected with outside forces. Going beyond the mainstream union‐centred approach, this study critically assesses one significant type of union election that has been emerging in China since 2010 and that has been driven by different forces from previous elections. Previous workplace union elections had been ‘top‐down’ — initiated by the party‐state or its apparatuses, or else transnational corporation‐induced — but this newer type of election has been driven by workers' strikes. This study illustrates how the dynamics among the quadripartite actors — party‐state, higher‐level trade unions, capital and labour — have shaped these strike‐driven elections. Contrary to the claim that these elections have been ‘direct’ and ‘democratic’, our case studies show that they have been indirect and quasi‐democratic in nature.     

Context‐bound configurations of corporate HR functions in multinational corporations

Considerable attention has focused on how multinational corporations (MNCs) deal with the simultaneous pressures of globalization and localization when it comes to human resource management (HRM). HR function activities in this process, however, have received less focus. The study presented here identifies configurations of the corporate HR function based on international HRM (IHRM) structures, exploring how issues of interdependency shape corporate HR roles. The study is based on 248 interviews in 16 MNCs based in 19 countries. The findings are applied to develop a contextually based framework outlining the main corporate HR function configurations in MNCs, including new insights into methods of IHRM practice design. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Diagnosing Unforeseeable Uncertainty in a New Venture*

New ventures often do not correctly foresee real market opportunities or the best way to address them. How to cope with unforeseen, unpredictable factors, also referred to as unknown unknowns, is critical for new ventures. Findings in the fields of innovation and project management have shown that dealing with the unpredictable requires management approaches different from those used for classical plan‐and‐achieve‐the‐target projects. Management approaches for novel initiatives include a combination of trial‐and‐error learning (i.e., flexible redefinition of the new venture business model as new information emerges) and selectionism (i.e., running multiple parallel trials and choosing the best performing approach ex post). The management approach must be chosen when the venture is set up. This requires a venture management team to diagnose at the outset whether unknown unknowns are present (or possible), although unknown unknowns cannot be identified initially by definition because they emerge over time. Anecdotal testimony from experienced venture managers and project managers suggests they have a feeling for where their knowledge is limited. However, such a claim is controversial. Some researchers think the concept of diagnosing unforeseeable influence factors is an oxymoron. Thus, the research question in this article is this: How can unforeseeable influence factors in a new venture be diagnosed at the outset? Research to date has insufficiently addressed the a priori identification of the type of uncertainty faced by a new venture. Based on models from decision theory, this article suggests dividing the overall problem of structuring the venture into subproblems for which the management team can identify knowledge gaps. Using a case study, the article describes how knowledge gaps were identified for the subareas of a new venture in a real situation and how this diagnosis was used to correctly identify the areas where unknown unknowns lurk. These areas were managed in a different way (i.e., with learning and experimentation) than the other subproblems (i.e., with targets and deadlines). As a result, the venture could successfully respond to unforeseeable events. The results of this study suggest that a decomposition of the overall venture management problem into subproblems is feasible and natural to managers, that a qualitative assessment of knowledge gaps and vulnerability to unknown unknowns is possible, and that a structured, process‐like approach can be used to identify subproblems, to determine their uncertainty profiles, and to update the uncertainty profiles. These results are immediately useful to venture management and venture capitalists in setting up the venture's structure for effective response to uncertainty. The results advance research about uncertainty management by offering a systematic set of questions for the diagnosis of unknown unknowns before they can be formally described. The usefulness of this process can be tested further in more formal empirical research.     

Analysis of Blogs and Microblogs: A Case Study of Chinese Bloggers Sharing Their Hong Kong Travel Experiences

Blogs and microblogs became popular in recent years among people who would like to share their travel experiences online. This is a phenomenon which marketers are interested in but know very little about. This exploratory study analyzes blog and microblog contents created by mainland Chinese visitors sharing their Hong Kong experiences, with the objective of gaining insights into how bloggers communicate their travel experiences and how this could help market a destination. Three hundred blog posts and 300 microblog posts are analyzed. Research results indicate a generally positive image of Hong Kong as a destination among the mainland Chinese bloggers. The study also profiles the bloggers by their usage pattern and identifies opportunities for using the social media for destination marketing purpose. While the case study is about Hong Kong, the research method and blogging patterns identified would also apply in other destination situations.     

The HR department's role in organisational performance

Research into how HR contributes to organisational performance is plentiful yet plagued by challenges. Alongside the ‘black box’ issue between HRM and performance, the time‐lag effect and the range of performance indicators applied, the role of the HR department in this relationship is critical although often ignored. A longitudinal case study is presented here that focuses particularly on this issue, and shows a complex picture of improving HR department importance alongside high‐level financial performance, but declining employee commitment and morale. The article suggests that the tensions between the rhetoric of HRM strategy, the grim reality of the employee experience and a lack of focus on human capital meant the outstanding financial performance was not sustainable in the longer term. The inherent conflict in serving both management and employees in process‐and peopleorientated roles is highlighted.     

Uncovering competitive and institutional drivers of HRM practices in multinational corporations

Current international human resource management (IHRM) literature focusing on multinational corporations (MNCs) presents evidence of both similarities and differences in the HR practices adopted in different global locations. However, the drivers behind this duality require more detailed investigation. This article focuses on exploring why MNCs position themselves within global markets as they do, exploring how extant theory can help explain the drivers behind both global and national HR practices. Based on a worldwide sample of in‐depth interview‐based case studies of well‐known MNCs, we explore the ways in which different firms react to both institutional and competitive pressures in selecting their approach to HRM. The findings uncover a differentiation between external global competitive isomorphic pressures, external national institutional isomorphic pressures, and internal processes of strategic choice and competitive differentiation. It is suggested that MNCs face all three drivers of HRM simultaneously, leading to different patterns of practice adoption, adaptation and innovation.     

Assisting problem gamblers in the gaming venue: An assessment of practices and procedures followed by frontline hospitality staff

This study examined how frontline hospitality staff respond to patrons with gambling problems in gaming venues. Personal interviews with 48 staff in Queensland Australia yielded rich in-depth data. While overall, staff were confident they could identify signs of problem gambling and procedures to follow if patrons ask for assistance with a gambling problem, uncertainty and unresolved challenges persist over how to respond to problem gamblers who do not request assistance. While better training, systems and processes may improve staff interventions, continued reliance on human judgement and discretion are likely to see the vast majority of problem gamblers in venues ignored.