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1 – 10 of 90Francisco Santos Cesário, Maria José Chambel and Carlos Guillén
The aim of this study is to investigate the relationships among expatriates’ perceived human resource management practices (HRMP), psychological contract fulfilment (PCF) and…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study is to investigate the relationships among expatriates’ perceived human resource management practices (HRMP), psychological contract fulfilment (PCF) and turnover intention (TI).
Design/methodology/approach
The study sampled 100 expatriates from a Portuguese company through a survey questionnaire. The paper used structural equation modelling (SEM) analyses to explore relationships between the variables and to test its hypotheses.
Findings
Data showed that expatriates’ perceived fulfilment of their psychological contracts was negatively related to TI. The study also finds a positive relationship between HRMP and the fulfilment of psychological contract. Moreover, expatriates’ perceived fulfilment of psychological contract was found to be a mediator between HRMP and TI. Thus, a subjective perception of PCF is an important predictor of TI, but this perception is related with the HRMP developed by the organisation during the mission.
Research limitations/implication
First, the study is limited due to the sample nature and the lack of longitudinal design not allowing causal relationships to be established between the variables. Second, all variables were measured using self-reported data, raising the question of whether the results may have been contaminated by common method variance.
Practical implications
An important implication from this research is that organisations should develop appropriate HR practices during the mission and maintain open communications with their expatriates to ensure clear understanding of the agreement existing about the international mission.
Originality/value
Few research studies are available to the authors’ knowledge to assess HRM practices with specific measure to expatriation context and with a Portuguese sample.
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Daniela Diaz-Alonso, Mario Moreno-Moreno, Carlos Zuñiga, Joel Molina, Wilfrido Calleja, Juan Carlos Cisneros, Luis Niño de Rivera, Volodymir Ponomaryov, Felix Gil, Angel Guillen and Efrain Rubio
This paper aims to purpose the new design and fabrication scheme of Touch Mode Capacitive Pressure Sensor (TMCPS), which can be used in a wireless integrated resistor, inductor…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to purpose the new design and fabrication scheme of Touch Mode Capacitive Pressure Sensor (TMCPS), which can be used in a wireless integrated resistor, inductor and capacitor circuit for monitoring pressure in biomedical applications.
Design/methodology/approach
This study focuses on the design, simulation and fabrication of dynamic capacitors, based on surface micromachining using polysilicon or aluminum films as the top electrode, both structural materials are capped with a 1.5 μm-thick polyimide film.
Findings
The design of microstructures using a composite model fits perfectly the preset mechanical behavior. After the full fabrication, the dynamic capacitors show complete mechanical flexibility and stability.
Originality/value
The novelty of the method presented in this study includes two important aspects: first, the capacitors are designed as a planar cavity within a rigid frame, where two walls contain channels which allow for the etching of the sacrificial material. Second, the electromechanical structures are designed using a composite model that includes a polyimide film capping for a precise pressure sensing, which also protects the internal cavity and, at the same time, provides full biocompatibility.
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Carlos Enrique Torres-Aguilar, Pedro Moreno-Bernal, Jesús Xamán, Ivett Zavala Guillen and Irving Osiris Hernández-López
This paper aims to present an evolutionary algorithm (EA) to accelerate the convergence for the radiative transfer equation (RTE) numerical solution using high-order and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present an evolutionary algorithm (EA) to accelerate the convergence for the radiative transfer equation (RTE) numerical solution using high-order and high-resolution schemes by the relaxation coefficients optimization.
Design methodology/approach
The objective function minimizes the residual value difference between iterations in each control volume until its difference is lower than the convergence criterion. The EA approach is evaluated in two configurations, a two-dimensional cavity with scattering media and absorbing media.
Findings
Experimental results show the capacity to obtain the numerical solution for both cases on all interpolation schemes tested by the EA approach. The EA approach reduces CPU time for the RTE numerical solution using SUPERBEE, SWEBY and MUSCL schemes until 97% and 135% in scattering and absorbing media cases, respectively. The relaxation coefficients optimized every two numerical solution iterations achieve a significant reduction of the CPU time compared to the deferred correction procedure with fixed relaxation coefficients.
Originality/value
The proposed EA approach for the RTE numerical solution effectively reduces the CPU time compared to the DC procedure with fixed relaxation coefficients.
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Miguel Angel Moliner-Tena, Juan Carlos Fandos-Roig, Marta Estrada-Guillén and Diego Monferrer-Tirado
The purpose of this paper is to analyze consumer trust during a financial crisis, studying its antecedents and consequences. The perceptions of older and younger consumers are…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze consumer trust during a financial crisis, studying its antecedents and consequences. The perceptions of older and younger consumers are also compared.
Design/methodology/approach
The theoretical model of trust formation is tested on a random sample of 634 individuals from the three largest Spanish cities, Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia, in a period of economic crisis. Structural equation models were used to verify the global hypothesized relationships. Additionally, the total sample was divided into two groups (younger and older consumers) in order to test the moderating effect of age in the proposed relationships.
Findings
In a period of financial crisis, older consumers’ trust is protected by an emotional and experiential shield from the effects of negative news in the surrounding environment. In contrast, trust, although important, is not the core variable for the younger segment, whose preferences are the consequence of a broad range of cognitive and emotional variables.
Research limitations/implications
This research was carried out on financial services. Emotional, relational and experience-linked variables acquire greater importance as the individual gets older, in contrast to more cognitive evaluations. The difference between the younger and the older segments is that the cornerstone of older consumers’ attitudinal loyalty is trust, whereas for younger people, it is positive switching costs or rewards. Further research on the proposed conceptual model across different industries and countries is needed to determine the generalizability and consistency of the findings from this study.
Practical implications
This paper has significant managerial implications. The authors believe that the best strategy for a bank during a period of crisis is to follow a customer-friendly orientation, as in the case of banks that took a long-term vision to look after their brand image. The study draws banking companies’ attention to the importance of using age as a segmentation criterion.
Originality/value
Based on the life-course paradigm, a theoretical model of trust formation is performed. In a period of economic crisis, trust becomes the key variable in determining older consumers’ preferences.
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Carlos Enrique Torres-Aguilar, Jesús Xamán, Pedro Moreno-Bernal, Iván Hernández-Pérez, Ivett Zavala-Guillén and Irving Osiris Hernández-López
The purpose of this study is to propose a novel relaxation modified factor to accelerate the numerical solution of the radiative transfer equation (RTE) with several…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to propose a novel relaxation modified factor to accelerate the numerical solution of the radiative transfer equation (RTE) with several high-resolution total variation diminishing schemes. The methodology proposed is denoted as the X-factor method.
Design/methodology/approach
The X-factor method was compared with the technique deferred-correction (DC) for the calculations of a two-dimensional cavity with absorting-emiting-scatteting gray media using the discrete ordinates method. Four parameters were considered to evaluate: the absorption coefficient, the emissivity of boundary surface, the scattering albedo and under-relaxation factor.
Findings
The results showed the central processing unit (CPU) time of X-factor method was lower than DC. The reductions of CPU time with the X-factor method were observed from 0.6 to 75.4%.
Originality/value
The superiority of the X-factor method over DC was showed with the reduction of CPU time of the numerical solution of RTE for evaluated cases.
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Manuel Guillén Parra, Álvaro Lleó de Nalda and Ginés Santiago Marco Perles
The aim of this paper is to propose a wider and more humanistic understanding of the phenomenon of trust and “trust building” through a dialogue between ethics and social sciences.
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to propose a wider and more humanistic understanding of the phenomenon of trust and “trust building” through a dialogue between ethics and social sciences.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper offers a constructive critical review of the explanation of trust proposed by Mayer et al. in their 1995 seminal article, and expands this by considering the ethical dimension and the role of virtues.
Findings
The integrative model of organizational trust by Mayer et al. lacks a specific reference to the role played by human will and the ability to make free choices. When assessing the trust built in a relationship, an explicit consideration of human will should be included in the related model, and specifically, reference to moral virtues and practical wisdom as elements involved in this trust‐building process.
Practical implications
It improves the understanding of the dynamics of trust in human relationships, which is key, as numerous studies in management carried out over the past decades show. Having an increasingly clear and complete understanding of trust is fundamental to understand, analyze, develop and manage interpersonal relationships within organizations.
Originality/value
This article proposes a holistic conception of organizational trust, which allows for a more complete vision of the renowned model of Mayer et al. It does this by specifically considering the role of human will in both the trustor and in the trustee, and by incorporating an ethical vision which considers the trustee's perception on virtues and practical wisdom in the understanding of the phenomenon of trust.
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Jusuke J.J. Ikegami, Martha Maznevski and Masataka Ota
This paper challenges the assumption in cross-cultural research of liability of foreignness (LOF). The literature review demonstrates that LOF comes from pressures for…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper challenges the assumption in cross-cultural research of liability of foreignness (LOF). The literature review demonstrates that LOF comes from pressures for isomorphism, while asset of foreignness (AOF) can derive from the active process of breaking norms. The purpose of this paper is to explore how leaders can initiate and sustain AOF.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper analyzes the case of the Nissan revival led by Carlos Ghosn and the impact in the years after. The analysis is based on the authors’ interviews and discussions with Ghosn and senior leaders at Nissan and Renault, complemented with published interviews and assessments.
Findings
Analysis confirmed the potential for AOF, and further uncovered four patterns of behavior that created AOF virtuous cycles among Nissan leaders: initiating trust, shaping identity, anchoring and transcending common language, and acting positively on ignorance. The virtuous cycles were sustainable and transformed into new global strategic perspectives.
Research limitations/implications
The paper proposes a research model identifying moderators between foreignness and performance. Generalizability is limited by the focus on a single case study.
Practical implications
The four sets of behaviors can serve as guides to action for leaders when working in foreign contexts.
Originality/value
This research goes beneath the surface of a famous example to analyze leadership dynamics over time, and provides insight on positive aspects of foreignness.
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Araceli Almaraz Alvarado and Javier Vidal Olivares
The internationalization process in recent decades has been discussed from different approaches. In this chapter, we study the evolution of selected Latin American and Spanish…
Abstract
The internationalization process in recent decades has been discussed from different approaches. In this chapter, we study the evolution of selected Latin American and Spanish companies that have experienced a growing evolution from small or medium-sized enterprises to large corporations with participation in global markets and a strategic role played by the family organizations and small business groups. It is a study of multiple cases scope focused on two main lines of discussion. In one hand, the trajectories of internationalization and, and the other, the family firm organization and structure, correspondingly to sectorial aspects and the global situations that have encouraged the expansion of markets, the acquisitions of assets outside the countries of origin, and the outsourcing system. The group of companies selected to discuss the heterogeneity of the internationalization processes is based in case studies: Lojas Amerianas-Brazil, Crystal Lagoons-Chile, Despegar.com-Argentina, Sol-Meliá, Spain, Ferrovial, Spain, Talgo, Spain. Among the findings of this comparative study, the following stand out: (1) debates about the family business are alive, (2) multidimensional perspectives between countries are needed to understand not only internationalization but also the relevance of competitive learning, entrepreneurial vision evolution, and diversity of trajectories between sectors and companies, and finally (3) the importance of culture and immigration in business and family development from Small and Medium Enterprises (hereafter SME) to large businesses.
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Min Li, Xinming He and Carlos M.P. Sousa
Drawing on the resource-based view and institutional theory, this study explores how firms select export channels to realise the value of their product development capabilities…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on the resource-based view and institutional theory, this study explores how firms select export channels to realise the value of their product development capabilities (PDC) and improve export performance by aligning PDC, entrepreneurial orientation (EO), cultural-cognitive institutional distance (CCID) and channel selection.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted a quantitative design and used data collected from multiple respondents in 294 Chinese exporting ventures. Hypotheses were tested using logistic regression analysis and multiple regression analysis.
Findings
The results of the study suggest that PDC plays a vital role in export channel decisions. The results also show that there is a three-way interaction between PDC, EO and CCID regarding export channel selection. More importantly, this study suggests that firms using export channels that align with PDC, contingent on EO and CCID, generate superior export performance.
Originality/value
This study extends the export channel literature by looking at the different roles of important organisational capabilities (i.e. PDC and EO) on export channel selection. Further, it shows that firms need to align the exploitation of their PDC with the export channel selection, along with EO capabilities, and CCID to achieve better performance in the export market.
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