Employer perceptions of self-initiated expatriate employability in China

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Makkonen
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
The Other ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Employer Perceptions ◽  
Employer Perspective ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to offer an employer perceptive on the employability of self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) by contrasting SIEs with other identified staffing groups available for the staffing of MNC subsidiaries in China. Design/methodology/approach – This qualitative study is based on in-depth interviews with 24 Westerners with direct staffing responsibilities in subsidiaries of western MNCs located in China. The employability of each identified staffing group was assessed using the person-to-environment fit approach from four-fit perspectives (person-to-job and to-group, organisation and cultural context). Findings – The study revealed how from the employer perspective SIEs do not form a heterogeneous group, but instead there are two groups with different fit profiles. The study illustrates how western SIEs are an uncommon and under-used staffing group in cross-cultural staffing settings in China due to their low employability in comparison to alternative staffing groups. The study also revealed the prevalent bipolarity (the Westerners vs the Chinese) and heterogeneity within the identified staffing groups. Research limitations/implications – The study recognises the lack of employer perspective in SIE literature and also that SIEs are an under-represented group in the staffing literature. Practical implications – The findings help explain how MNC staffing is culturally bound and how the staffing process should incorporate more than just an assessment of job-related qualifications. The findings also help explain the challenges SIEs can experience in cross-cultural career settings. Originality/value – The study is one of the first to provide an employer perspective on SIE careers and contrast SIEs to the other alternative staffing groups available to MNC subsidiaries in China.

Thinking orientation and preference for research methodology

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 437-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feisal Murshed ◽  
Yinlong Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Research Methodology ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Marketing Research ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
The Other ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Holistic Thinking ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This research aims to investigate how preference for marketing research methodology (quantitative vs qualitative) is contingent on the thinking orientation (analytic vs holistic) of the researchers. Design/methodology/approach Thinking orientation was measured and then manipulated in laboratory experiments. Cross-cultural evidence was sought by comparing Western and East Asian participants. Findings Results demonstrate that researchers with an analytic (holistic) thinking orientation tend to perceive quantitative (qualitative) methodology more favorably. Further, the need to offer reasons in support of the choice strengthened the effect of thinking orientation. Practical implications Understanding researchers’ preferences for one research methodology over the other has broad relevance for external constituents, as it involves a great deal of managerial commitment in terms of time and money and can affect the results of the research. Originality/value This is the first study to investigate factors that underlie researchers’ choice regarding research methodology, and it also extends the literature on analytic versus holistic thinking orientation in the marketing field.

Getting to Yes in the cross-cultural-context: ‘one size doesn’t fit all’ – a critical review of principled negotiations across borders

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raphael Schoen
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Context ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Western World ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cultural Negotiation ◽  
Lower Likelihood ◽  
Alternative Approaches ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Negotiation Literature

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the implicitly assumed universality of the best seller negotiation literature Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury. Design/methodology/approach Existing cross-cultural negotiation literature was systematically searched for findings indicating either a higher or lower likelihood of successfully applying the authors’ advice in different cultural environments, as defined in the Hofstede framework or The Globe Study. The findings were aggregated, categorized into a matrix, synthesized and analyzed. Findings This paper finds that the assumed universality of the method of Getting to Yes and its single principles is not supported by research. Instead, a dichotomy of the four principles’ applicability along the Individuality dimension of Hofstede was found. Hence, the western orientation of Getting to Yes is reality, inhibiting its use in non-western cultures. However, in one principle – Invent options for mutual gain – the findings refute a successful application in western cultures. Additional findings and research gaps are presented. Practical implications Practitioners should apply Getting to Yes with caution, if at all, in a non-western environment. For the teaching of negotiations, alternative approaches for conducting negotiations in the non-western world are needed. Originality/value Although widely used in research, scholars only addressed sporadic comments concerning the limitations of Getting to Yes across cultures. Often the universality of Getting to Yes is either implicitly or explicitly assumed in research and practice. This paper approaches this topic systematically by providing evidence that Getting to Yes is not universal and conceptually sees negotiations through a western shaped perspective that provides considerable implications for research, practice and teaching.

Revisiting the patient–physician relationship under the lens of value co-creation and defensive medicine

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Riotta ◽  
Manfredi Bruccoleri
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Defensive Medicine ◽  
The Other ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Physician Relationship ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis study formulates a new archetypical model that describes and re-interprets the patient–physician relationship from the perspective of two widespread phenomena in the healthcare delivery process: value co-creation (VCC) and defensive medicine (DM).Design/methodology/approachGrounded in the existing literature on VCC and DM, the authors designed and conducted 20 in-depth interviews with doctors (and patients) about their past relationships with patients (and doctors). After putting the recorded interviews through qualitative analysis with a three-level coding activity, the authors built an empirically informed model to classify patient–physician relationships.FindingsThe authors identified four archetypes of patient–physician relationships. Each archetype is described along with its representing characteristics and explained in terms of its consequences as they relate to VCC and DM.Research limitations/implicationsThis research contributes to the literature on both VCC in healthcare and DM, in addition to the patient–physician's relationship literature.Practical implicationsBeing aware of patient–physician relationship mechanics, building long-term relations with patients and investing in service personalization and patient-centred care can effectively mitigate the risks of DM behaviours on one side while increasing the likelihood of VCC actualization on the other.Originality/valueAlthough strictly linked to the interactions between patients and doctors, VCC and DM are typically considered disentangled. In this research paper, the authors identified four archetypes of patient–physician relationships in relation to these two phenomena.

Consumer value creation through WhatsApp use

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 455-471
Author(s):  
Jorge Cruz-Cárdenas ◽  
Jorge Guadalupe-Lanas ◽  
Ekaterina Zabelina ◽  
Andrés Palacio-Fierro ◽  
Margarita Velín-Fárez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Instant Messaging ◽  
Role Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Value ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand in-depth how consumers create value in their lives using WhatsApp, the leading mobile instant messaging (MIM) application. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts the perspective of customer-dominant logic (CDL) and uses a qualitative multimethod design involving 3 focus groups and 25 subsequent in-depth interviews. The research setting was Ecuador, a Latin American country. Findings Analysis and interpretation of the participants’ stories made it possible to identify and understand the creation of four types of value: maintaining and strengthening relationships; improving role performance; emotional support; and entertainment and fun. In addition, the present study proposes a conceptual model of consumer value creation as it applies to MIM. Practical implications Understanding the way consumers create value in their lives using MIM is important not only for organizations that offer MIM applications, but also for those companies that develop other applications for mobile phones or for those who wish to use MIM as an electronic word-of-mouth vehicle. Originality/value The current study is one of the first to address the topic of consumer behavior in the use of technologies from the perspective of CDL; this perspective enables an integrated qualitative vision of value creation in which the consumer is the protagonist.

Haunted by the past: transformations and daily challenges of China's prosthetics

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-124
Author(s):  
Chunchun Wang
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Institutional Pressures ◽  
Rehabilitation Center ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Daily Experiences ◽  
History Of ◽  
Depth Interviews

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the transformations of prosthetic practices in China, as well as the daily experiences and dilemmas arising from the everchanging practices since 1949. On the basis of materials, this paper explores an everyday perspective to review the history of technology.Design/methodology/approachEthnography was collected with the application of participant observations, informal interviews and in-depth interviews during a 13-months study at a rehabilitation center in Chengdu, China. The literature on prosthetic manufacturing was also reviewed for this paper.FindingsChina's prosthetic technology seems to evolve from traditional to modern. However, this progressive narrative – innovation-based timeline (Edgerton, 2006, xi) – has been challenged by daily practices. Due to institutional pressures, prosthetists are in a dilemma of selectively using their knowledge to create one kind of device for all prosthesis users with a certain kind of disability, thereby regulating the physical and social experiences of prosthesis users. Besides, prosthesis users are accustomed to prostheses made with old techniques, and must correct themselves from old experiences to the daily practices recognized by the selected techniques.Originality/valueThis paper provides a cross-cultural case to reexamine Edgerton's criticism of the progressive and orderly innovation-centric technological narrative. More importantly, it reviews the history and practices of China's prosthetics from daily experiences rather than Edgerton's concentration on technology; therefore, it provides an everyday perspective for future research on technological transformations.

Measuring the service gaps in the roles of quantity surveyors in the emerging market

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 1111-1131 ◽  
Author(s):  
AbdulLateef Olanrewaju
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Markets ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
The Other ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Survey Questionnaires

Purpose – The opportunities that the emerging markets present to the players in the construction industry means that the players need to expand on the scope and size of their responsibilities and duties to the stakeholders. Each of the professionals now demands more specialised and sophisticated services from one another. The other players in the construction industry now require more emerging responsibilities and duties from the quantity surveyors. The purpose of this paper is to examine the roles that “modern” quantity surveyors play by measuring the gaps that exist in the services that the quantity surveyors provide. Design/methodology/approach – Primary data are collected through survey questionnaires. In total, 23 roles played by modern quantity surveyors are identified and addressed to the respondents to rank the rate at which quantity surveyors provide these “emerging” services. The collected data were analysed statistically. Findings – The results of the findings led to the conclusion that the quantity surveyors were not meeting the expectations of other players. Therefore, for competitiveness, quantity surveyors need to better meet demand expectations. Research limitations/implications – This findings of this research are constrained to the services or functions that the quantity provide in the construction industry. Practical implications – This knowledge is valuable to academic institutions that offer quantity surveying programmes, to practicing quantity surveyors, governments, and other players in the construction industry. It will allow quantity surveyors to reconcile supply and demand expectations. Originality/value – There is no known conclusive empirical study on services offered by quantity surveyors in any emerging markets. Therefore, the findings offer a fresh understanding on the services of quantity surveyors not only in Nigeria but elsewhere. While some of the services are common, others are peculiar to emerging markets.

Career satisfaction antecedents of professional accounting returnees in international workplaces: an employee experience perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nga Thi Thuy Ho ◽  
Hung Trong Hoang ◽  
Pi-Shen Seet ◽  
Janice Jones ◽  
Nhat Tan Pham
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Career Satisfaction ◽  
Home Country ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Cultural Work ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Employee Experience ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the determinants of career satisfaction of professional accounting returnees who have studied and/or worked abroad and then returned to work in different types of international workplaces in their home country.Design/methodology/approachA survey of professional accounting returnees in Vietnam was undertaken and multiple regression analysis was applied to test the proposed relationships.FindingsThis study finds that career satisfaction is affected by career fit, career sacrifice, types of international workplaces (domestically headquartered firms versus globally headquartered firms) and cross-cultural work readjustment. Further, cross-cultural work readjustment partially mediates the effect of career fit and career sacrifice on career satisfaction.Practical implicationsThe research provides the basis for designing career-related employee experiences to support career satisfaction of professional accounting returnees.Originality/valueThis study integrates dimensions of career embeddedness with cross-cultural work readjustment and employee experiences, which are normally studied separately, in different types of international workplaces. It contributes to the limited research on contributors to well-being in the form of career satisfaction among professional returnees in an emerging economy.

Framing the development and directions of business sustainability efforts

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 709-725 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nils M. Høgevold ◽  
Göran Svensson
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Business Networks ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Sustainability ◽  
The Status ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Over Time

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to frame the development and directions of business sustainability efforts. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative study was undertaken with respect to a convenience sample of reputable companies in Norway, which have implemented significant business sustainability efforts within their organisations, their business networks, the marketplace and in the society, beyond the level of mere compliance. Findings Different directions are associated with the development of corporate efforts in connection with business sustainability. Business sustainability efforts are not static, but dynamic and based upon continuous flexibility to changes and adaptations over time. Research Limitations/implications The current study highlights the need for further research into the development and directions of corporate efforts in connection with business sustainability in the marketplace and society. A key suggestion for further research is to further explore the existence of other directions. Practical Implications The directions reported, provide a framework to assess the development or the status of companies’ business sustainability efforts in the marketplace and society. Corporate efforts in connection with business sustainability develop over time as experiences are gained and personal impressions move the identified directions forward. Originality/value This study contributes to seven interconnected directions of corporate efforts in connection with business sustainability that are both relevant and potentially fruitful to both scholars and practitioners.

Framing the local food experience: a case study of a Finnish pop-up restaurant

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inari Aaltojärvi ◽  
Maija Kontukoski ◽  
Anu Hopia
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Context ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Regional Identity ◽  
Research Setting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Food Experience ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse how Finnish customers at the pop-up restaurant event Trip to Province, which took place in South Ostrobothnia, Finland, make sense of the locality. Design/methodology/approach The data consist of 3 group interviews and 18 respondents, whose responses were analysed using a frame analysis. Findings Locality is discussed in the context of three frames: the immediate surroundings, the Finnish national ethos and the global discourses of food enthusiasts. The results show that, in terms of local food events, locality comprises not only food, but also place, people and cultural context conveying national and global elements. Research limitations/implications The data of this study are limited in size, and limited to the Finnish context. Practical implications Local food events could be promoted to locals and nearby residents, not just to tourists. With the design of the eating environment (music and visuals), the local food experience can be enhanced. Social implications Local food events strengthen the residents’ regional identity. Originality/value The research setting for this paper is original; the study takes part in the scarce discussion about gastronomic tourism in Finland. The study broadens the view that local food is just about food; regarding local food events, locality also entails place, people, nationality and globality.

The anatomy of the inconspicuous luxury fashion experience

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marian Makkar ◽  
Sheau-Fen Yap
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Behavior ◽  
Relationship Marketing ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Symbolic Consumption ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address the following questions: how do consumers construct meaning around their inconspicuous luxury fashion experiences? What desires do inconspicuous consumers strive to fulfill? What sentiments do they associate with their inconspicuous luxury fashion consumption? Design/methodology/approach This exploratory research begins with a netnographic study of 11 online luxury blogs followed by in-depth interviews and home observations of ten luxury consumers with inconspicuous preferences in Dubai. Findings Inconspicuous choices are not simply for associative or dissociative motivations but several symbolic consumption schemas come into play. A typology of inconspicuous luxury fashion consumers has emerged: fashion influencers, trendsetters, fashion followers, and luxe conservatives. Practical implications The findings have potential to yield important managerial implications for fashion retailers and brand communications. The typology of inconspicuous consumers provides a basis for developing a more targeted relationship marketing program for luxury fashion brands. Originality/value This research advances luxury knowledge in fashion and consumer behavior research by unveiling how consumers construct meanings around their inconspicuous consumption. The typology developed in this study marks the starting point for further extensions to explore the complexities of inconspicuous luxury consumers, which are grounded in the roles they take on in society, how they plan their luxury consumption journey and how they eventually use these possessions for self-identification and communication to others.

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