International management challenges of professional service firms: a synthesis of the literature

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ciara O’Higgins ◽  
Tatiana Andreeva ◽  
Nekane Aramburu Goya
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
International Management ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to identify what international management challenges professional service firms (PSFs) face and why they face them. Design/methodology/approach This study carries a focussed thematic literature review of 102 empirical articles. This paper uses content analysis to extract and aggregate challenges identified by researchers in their fieldwork and then analysed this data using qualitative and quantitative methods. Findings This study identifies 10 international management challenges that PSFs face and a number of causes for these challenges. The analysis also suggests that the distinctive characteristics of PSFs generate some of the international management challenges for PSFs. Practical implications This study helps PSF managers understand the international management challenges they may face depending on the specifics of their company, thus helping them better prepare their internationalisation. Originality/value This study contributes to providing a greater understanding of what is holding PSFs back in their internationalisation and why. It demonstrates that distinctive characteristics of PSFs may predict the challenges that PSFs will face, thus paving the way for further research on international management in PSFs and for the development of the diagnostic tool for practitioners that could help them to identify which challenges they should prepare for most.

scholarly journals Gen Y recruitment

2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 560-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Warmerdam ◽  
Ioni Lewis ◽  
Tamara Banks
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gen Y ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Tpb Model ◽  
Explained Variance ◽  
Graduating Students ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) framework, the purpose of this paper is to explore whether the standard TPB constructs explained variance in Generation Y (Gen Y) individuals’ intentions to join their ideal organisation. Design/methodology/approach – A mixed methods approach was used featuring qualitative and quantitative methods. Findings – The overall TPB model accounted for a significant 51.6 per cent of the variance in intention to join one’s ideal organisation in the next six months with the significant predictors in the model being subjective norm and perceived behaviour control but not attitude. Research limitations/implications – Using graduating students from a single Australian university sample may mean that the current findings may not extend to all Gen Y individuals. The current study has demonstrated the explanatory utility of the TPB in relation to graduate Gen Y’s intention to join their ideal organisation, providing further evidence of the robustness of the TPB framework in an organisational setting. Practical implications – These findings have implications for enhancing understanding of the most effective recruitment processes for Gen Y students entering the workforce. The findings could inform recruitment policies and strategies to attract Gen Y applicants. Originality/value – To the authors’ knowledge this study is the first application of the TPB to this topic. The current research extends the recruitment literature with a theoretically based investigation. Identification of factors which inform organisational recruitment strategies, allow organisations to stand out from their competitors and potentially achieve a larger application pool from which to select the best human capital and sustain competitive advantage.

Gendered work and leisure mobilities of Polish migrants in the North East of England

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
pp. 1025-1037 ◽  
Author(s):  
Basagaitz Guereno-Omil ◽  
Gergina Pavlova-Hannam ◽  
Kevin Hannam
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Polish Migrants ◽  
Gendered Work

Purpose Contemporary mobilities research has demonstrated a fundamental blurring between work, leisure and tourism practices for migrants as they seek to construct new lifestyles whilst maintaining connections with their homelands. The purpose of this paper is to present some of the results of a research project that analysed the work and leisure experiences of Polish migrants living in the North East of England using a mobilities theoretical approach. In this paper, the authors focus on the reasons influencing their migration and their leisure and tourism mobility practices. Design/methodology/approach The results are based upon a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods gathering a sample of 90 questionnaires and 11 focus groups. Findings Based upon a statistical analysis of the questionnaires using SPSS and textual analysis applied to the focus group transcriptions, different gendered work, leisure and tourism mobilities were identified relating to family attachments and social ties. Research limitations/implications The authors argue that seemingly mundane leisure and tourism practices can often be a catalyst for greater mobility, and this mobility has significant gender dimensions. Originality/value This paper thus provides new insights into the interweaving of different gendered work and leisure mobility practices based upon empirical findings of Polish migrants to the North East of England.

Remote working, management control changes and employee responses during the COVID-19 crisis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianluca F Delfino ◽  
Berend van der Kolk
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Data Source ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Employee Responses

PurposeThe authors examine the impact of the sudden shift to remote working, triggered by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis, on management control (MC) practices in professional service firms (PSFs). In addition, employee responses to these changes are explored.Design/methodology/approachThe authors carried out a field study of MC changes in PSFs in Italy, the first country in Europe that was severely impacted by COVID-19. Interviews with PSF employees form the primary data source. Pattern matching was used to identify similarities and differences and investigate how employees respond to the MC changes.FindingsAs a response to the shift to remote working, managers at PSFs made various MC-related changes. For instance, they increased the number of online meetings and made use of technologies to monitor employees from a distance. Employees reacted to this by engaging in “voluntary visibilizing practices”, i.e. by trying to make sure they got noted by their superiors, for instance by doing overtime. In addition, collected evidence suggests increased stress levels among employees, changes to employee autonomy, changed perceptions of hierarchies and a weakened sense of relatedness with others in the organization.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies to examine the impact of the sudden shift to remote working on MC. In addition, this paper contributes by exploring employee responses to the MC-related changes. The findings add to the growing literature on MC and motivation, and the notion of voluntary visibilizing practices is mobilized to warn against over-commitment and self-exploitation.

Managing international professional service firms: a review and future research agenda

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ciara O'Higgins ◽  
Nekane Aramburu ◽  
Tatiana Andreeva
Keyword(s):  
Research Agenda ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
International Management ◽  
The Body ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Research Agenda

PurposeResearch on international professional service firms (PSFs) has grown in recent years, reflecting the increasing relevance of these firms in the global economy. However, to date, no attempt has been made to systematically examine and integrate this literature. This study reviews the body of knowledge on the international management of PSFs and proposes a future research agenda that aims to strengthen the research on international PSFs, by applying the conceptual lens of PSF characteristics.Design/methodology/approachA systematic review of 108 empirical articles on the management of international PSFs was carried out.FindingsThe authors analyse where, how and what research was carried out on the international management of PSFs, and find that currently the field offers few opportunities to integrate findings or explain differences across different types of international PSFs. In recommendations for future research, the authors show how the lens of PSF characteristics can help overcome these issues and unveil promising avenues for future research that will lead to a more fine-grained theorising and understanding of the international management of PSFs.Originality/valueThe study provides a comprehensive state of the art of research on the international management of PSFs and a future research agenda, which builds on PSF characteristics to explore and better understand the heterogeneity of international PSFs, in order to develop more robust explanations of their behaviour and open new research avenues.

scholarly journals Risk factors for project success in the Chinese construction industry

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 850-866 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziyu Wu ◽  
Tahir Nisar ◽  
Dharm Kapletia ◽  
Guru Prabhakar
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Project Success ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Management Procedure ◽  
Representative Samples

Purpose To achieve project success, an effective project risk management procedure is inevitable. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of risk factors on project success in the Chinese construction industry context. Design/methodology/approach This study by way of utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods has examined risk factors that are closely linked to project success in the Chinese construction industry. Findings After a thorough survey and analysis, risk factors related to designer, contractor, subcontractor, client and government are shown to affect project success to some extent. Originality/value It is suggested that the present research may be made more generalizable by a larger, more representative samples across various industries and regions of China.

A comment to Gobo: the next challenge – from mixed to merged methods

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 195-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantal Hervieux
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Management Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Simple Count

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to further the discussion on points made by Giampietro Gobo, provide additional information on the place of qualitative research in management, and question the space of merged methods. Design/methodology/approach Use a conversational approach as well as a review of qualitative vs quantitative research in three top tier journals for the years 2013-2016 (by a simple count). Findings Quantitative methods remain very much mainstream in management research, yet one finds that for one of the journals, space is evenly shared between qualitative and quantitative methods. Research limitations/implications This is a viewpoint and does not offer a systematic review of all top tier management journals. Originality/value It is hope that with this viewpoint debate as to the space of qualitative research, and merged methods can be stimulated.

Exploration of kids ready to wear clothing brands for measurement and fit discrepancies

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepasri Prabhakar ◽  
Sudhakar Rajagopal
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Consumer Dissatisfaction ◽  
Perceptions And Expectations ◽  
Body Shapes ◽  
Apparel Manufacturers

Purpose This study aims to probe customers’ expectations and explore discrepancies across various domestic kids’ ready to wear (RTW) apparel brands for measurements, fit, shape and labelling/nomenclature. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through qualitative and quantitative methods. Interviews were held with the consumers to understand their perceptions and expectations with the kids’ wear brands for measurements, fit and labelling. The approach had a twofolded purpose of addressing the consumers’ dissatisfaction and the apparel manufacturer’s perspective. Findings The results indicated that 87% of consumers gave importance to well-fitted apparel. The apparel brands considered for the study showed inconsistency and discrepancies in the measurements, leading to consumer dissatisfaction and frustrations. Research limitations/implications The findings of the study may be useful for fashion academia, kids RTW apparel manufacturers and designers who can relate to the role of standard measurements and the varying body shapes in RTW apparel. They can work closer to develop innovative practices focusing on the fit challenges in kids RTW apparel. Originality/value The implication of the lack of any standard measurement for Indian kids for apparel is well-established in the study.

The cultural and religious animosity model: evidence from the United States

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morris Kalliny ◽  
Angela Hausman ◽  
Anshu Saran ◽  
Dina Ismaeil
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
The United States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Intention To Purchase ◽  
Model Evidence ◽  
Religious Constructs

Purpose The purpose of this paper is threefold: to extend the animosity model developed by Klein et al. (1998) by adding cultural and religious animosity constructs, to provide a tool with which to measure the cultural and religious constructs and to provide explanations, and thus an understanding, of how cultural and religious differences impact consumer intention to purchase. Design/methodology/approach Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to test the model. Findings The cultural and religion animosity scale is created. Originality/value This fills a gap in the literature where there is not currently a scale to measure cultural or religious animosity.

scholarly journals Segmentation of quantity surveying professional services for focus strategy and diversification

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 294-308
Author(s):  
Michael Adesi ◽  
De-Graft Owusu-Manu ◽  
Frank Boateng
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quantity Surveying ◽  
Focus Strategy

Purpose Notwithstanding that numerous studies have focused on strategy in quantity surveying (QS) professional service firms, there is a paucity of investigation on the segmentation of QS professional services. The purpose of this study is to investigate the segmentation of QS services for diversification and a focus strategy formation. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts the positivist stance and quantitative approach in which a simple random sampling technique was used to select participants. In total, 110 survey questionnaires were administered to registered professional QS, out of which 79 completed questionnaires were returned for analysis. Findings The paper identifies three main QS service segments characterised by low, moderate and high competition. In addition, this study found that the concentration of traditional QS services in the building construction sector is due to the unwillingness of QS professional service firms to diversify into the non-construction sectors such as oil and gas. The diversification of QS services in the low competitive segment requires the adoption of agile approaches. Research limitations/implications The study was limited to numeric analyses and so would be complemented by qualitative research in the future. Practical implications This paper is useful to QS professional service firms interested in diversifying their services into the non-construction sectors to enhance the pricing of their services. Originality/value Segmentation of QS services is fundamental to the formulation of focus strategy for non-construction sectors such as oil and gas and mining to enhance the pricing of QS professional services.

Identity, self-story and desistance from crime

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 219-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin O'Sullivan ◽  
Richard Kemp ◽  
David Bright
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Psychological Interventions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Narrative Study ◽  
Theoretical View ◽  
Desistance From Crime ◽  
Empirical Foundation ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to lay the groundwork for a narrative study of desistance that is both qualitative and quantitative. Design/methodology/approach – The review traces the strands of research that have made self-story an important theme in the study of desistance with particular reference to work since 2001. Findings – The importance of an agentic self-story in the process of desistance from crime came to prominence in the work of Shadd Maruna (1997, 2001). Since then authors have attempted to formulate: first, an integrated theoretical view of desistance incorporating agency; and second, a clinically useful understanding of how self-story is important. The clinical studies have almost always been qualitative, relying on extensive life history interviews which yield great richness of detail but few, if any, testable hypotheses. To date, such studies have not provided the empirical foundation on which to develop policy in correctional environments. Practical implications – If it is found that a measure of self-belief correlates with desistance from crime, it may be possible to devise psychological interventions to enhance and change self-belief. Originality/value – The paper proposes adding a quantitative approach to the measurement of self-concept in order to estimate the likelihood of desistance.

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