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In the context of international assignments, repatriates are confronted with social, organisational and cultural challenges. However, the impact of community and social support on the reintegration process has gone unnoticed. The purpose of this paper is to identify the influencing factors on the reintegration process of expatriates who were sent to Asia, especially considering social support and the role of the community. In the context of the community, this paper discusses which factors influence the reintegration process after repatriates return to Germany.

In order to research reintegration problems as well as social support and the role of the community, seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with repatriates from Germany.

The central results of the study show that there are variables in different areas that influence the reintegration process of repatriates sent to Asia, which have both reintegration-promoting and reintegration-inhibiting effects. Furthermore, it was found that a lack of support from social networks in the home country has negative effect on the reintegration process causing repatriates to stay in known repatriate communities.

The results of the study demonstrate that social networks and communities in the home country represent crucial challenges in the reintegration process. Furthermore, it demonstrates the need for future exploratory research into this area to gain further insights into this topic.

Drawing on an organizational learning perspective, this paper examines the effect of levels of foreign market involvement (intensity and geographic spread) on internationalization outcomes recognizing that the moderating influence of entry-mode learning potential is not well documented in the literature on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The sample includes 180 SMEs evenly selected from three industries: biotechnology, software and clothing (60 firms in each industry). The sampled firms employ less than 250 employees and are equally distributed between three developed economies and three emerging economies. All were engaged in foreign business.

The authors find that there is a direct relationship between levels of foreign market involvement and internationalization outcomes. Entry-mode learning potential moderates the relationship between intensity of foreign market involvement and internationalization outcomes but not the relationship between geographic spread and internationalization outcomes.

This study reveals several new insights that help explain the pathway through which foreign market involvement activities are translated into internationalization outcomes.

The authors conclude that the positive relationship between intensity of foreign market involvement and internationalization outcomes is strengthened when SMEs also use an entry mode with a higher learning potential than exporting only.

Over the years, the impact of the business cycle on firm strategy has been neglected in the area of strategic management and remains one of the most important but least developed research streams in management scholarship. Studies in this area are scattered across time and domains, therefore, there is a need to consolidate this fragmented literature to provide a comprehensive review and thus avenues for further research. This study aims to address this gap.

In this study, the systematic literature review (SLR) method is used to select and examine research articles in the area of firm responses and decisions during recession. This SLR examines 127 studies and carries out a thematic synthesis of the literature.

Based on the SLR and thematic synthesis of the literature, the themes identified in this study include – severity of recession impact (Theme 1); firm specific characteristics (Theme 2); resource adjustment activities (Theme 3); and firm performance (Theme 4), based on these themes and analysis this paper maps and proposes various relationships and linkages in this research domain that can be explored further for the development of scholarship in this field of study.

This paper fulfills the need for a systematic review of the extant literature on firms’ responses during recession. The study synthesizes literature and carries out a thematic analysis from 1980 till the period February 2024 to provide directions to advance this domain of literature.

Knowledge is a vital strategic resource for multinational enterprises (MNEs). As MNEs expand internationally, knowledge transfer through expatriates is a crucial part of the value proposition of outward foreign direct investment. However, this is undermined if knowledge is hidden rather than shared. Given the scarcity of research on knowledge hiding in MNEs, this paper aims to investigate this phenomenon among expatriates and develops a new framework to analyze knowledge hiding.

Survey data from 201 Chinese MNE expatriates is collected and analyzed using Partial Least Squares – Structural Equation Modeling to test the relationships between knowledge hiding, organizational practices, cultural intelligence and job embeddedness. Relevant organizational practices based on the ability-motivation-opportunity enhancing framework were identified, based on 24 semi-structured qualitative interviews which guided the quantitative analysis.

The direct effects of organizational practices on all types of knowledge hiding are limited. However, organizational practices’ influence on knowledge hiding is mediated by the cultural intelligence of expatriates, and this relationship is moderated by job embeddedness.

The research advances current thinking about knowledge management and outlines both theoretical and practical implications at organizational and societal levels. It explores the mechanisms for remedying knowledge hiding through organizational practices, including the interactive effects of cultural intelligence and job embeddedness among expatriates. Organizational knowledge management strategies in MNEs need to recognize cultural differences and improve job embeddedness to form the basis of successful knowledge transfer.

This empirical study aims to investigate how employee responses to corporate social responsibility (CSR) (i.e. perception of and participation in CSR initiatives) can affect career adaptability in the Vietnamese service industry. Furthermore, the mediating mechanism of psychological capital (PsyCap) and the moderating role of moral identity are explored in this relationship.

The target population for this study includes employees working for service enterprises in which CSR practices are conducted, such as tourism, hospitality, retail, education and others in Vietnam. The data from 685 responses were analyzed for measurement model analysis and structural model analysis using SPSS, AMOS and SmartPLS.

The findings of this study reveal that CSR perception and CSR participation have significant positive effects on career adaptability through PsyCap. This study also confirms that the positive association between CSR perception and PsyCap is more pronounced among employees with a higher level of internalized moral identity and symbolic moral identity.

The collection of data involving multiple dimensions at once did not allow the study to accurately assess the effect of variables over time. Further studies that want to look closely at the impact of perception of and participation in CSR should collect data longitudinally and follow up the target sample over a period of time. Besides, moral identity is a context-dependent construct associated with various social and cultural institutions. Meanwhile, Western moral identity emphasizes individual-oriented morality; Eastern cultures consider a socially oriented person to be highly moral; therefore, this study’s findings might not be appropriate for Western culture. To enrich the existing CSR framework, future studies may attempt to unveil the intervening mechanism of other psychological factors, such as psychological safety, or explore the predictions for other career-related outcomes, such as career satisfaction in the CSR context. Finally, both CB-SEM and PLS-SEM methods can be combined to analyze complex models, especially high-order models.

By leveraging influence processes within the model, service managers can foster human resource development in the workplace by raising the active involvement of employees in CSR activities.

This research enriches the literature on CSR and employee-related outcomes by formulating a conceptual model focusing on employee responses to CSR as key antecedents. This study also contributes to the existing understanding of the CSR context by empirically investigating micro-level CSR in an emerging economy like Vietnam.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the success factors needed for the development of global human resources from both the organisation’s and expatriates’ perspectives in emerging eastern economies. Specifically, this study focuses on pre-expatriation preparation, during-expatriation adjustment and post-expatriation repatriation.

In total, 23 Taiwanese personnel contributed to this case study. Data collected from the focus group discussion and open-ended asynchronous email interviews was analysed using the content analysis approach.

The results of this study revealed four main selection criteria for the selection process and five desired preparation methods from the organisation and the expatriates’ perspectives.

This study makes two main contributions to cross-cultural related global human resources research. Firstly, this study deepens understanding on the pathway to developing culturally intelligent global human resources for successful mission accomplishment from both the organisation and expatriates’ perspectives based on a three-phase expatriation process in emerging eastern economies. Secondly, this study provides an insight into the best practices that HR practitioners can use in developing global human resources for expatriation.

FeNi36 (Invar-36) alloy is widely used in the fabrication of molding tools in aerospace industries but there remains a need to improve its wear and friction performance due to its relatively low hardness. The formation of a heat affected zone (HAZ) on the surface of Invar-36 cut by wire electric discharge machining (WEDM) is promising to enhance its tribological properties. This study aims to investigate the tribological performance of WEDM-treated Invar-36 via a ball-on-disk tribometer in dry-sliding conditions.

The untreated and WEDM-treated Invar-36 surfaces were reciprocated against an alumina ball at a sliding velocity of 40 mm/s, a stroke length of 10 mm and a sliding duration of 125 min under loads of 5, 10 and 20 N. The worn surfaces were characterized using a 2D profilometry and a scanning electron microscope equipped with energy-dispersive spectroscopy.

The results showed that the WEDM-treated surface had a superior friction coefficient and wear resistance in comparison to the untreated surface, due to the grown HAZ. There was found to be a 9.3%–11.4% decrease in the friction coefficient and a 47%–57% reduction in the wear volume after the WEDM treatment. Both the untreated and WEDM-treated Invar-36 surfaces found abrasion and plastic deformation as the dominant wear mechanisms.

Previous works have not focused on the tribological performance of the WEDM-treated Invar-36 extensively used for molding tools in aerospace industries. Our findings provide compelling evidence that the WEDM treatment improved the wear and friction performance of Invar-36 alloy because of the grown HAZ.

This study aims to contribute to the enrichment of the literature by examining the impact of cross-cultural training on expatriates’ adjustment of Nigerian bankers on expatriate assignments in other African countries.

Data on cross-cultural adjustment from expatriate employees in five banks that collectively accounted for over 80 per cent of Nigerian banks with subsidiaries in other African were systematically selected for the investigation. This data was collected quantitatively via a survey instrument. Independent sample t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression analysis were deployed in analyzing the data.

The study found that cross-cultural adjustment varied significantly across the different categories of gender, age, marital status, previous expatriate training, previous expatriate experience, and duration of expatriation. The study concludes that in order to attain higher levels of adjustment African banks and other organizations should provide a more comprehensive cross-cultural training program that mirrors the needs of employees following a detailed needs analysis. Also, the training must be sequential and not a one-off approach.

The literature though still nascent is largely focused on expatriate preparation and adjustment for expatriates moving from Western-to-western contexts and very little exists in the literature on how multinationals from Non-Western contexts like Africa prepare their staff for expatriation and its consequent impact on their adjustment. This study aims to enrich the literature by examining the impact of cross-cultural training on expatriates’ adjustment of Nigerian bankers on expatriate assignments in other African countries.

This study aims to comparatively analyze the cut parts obtained as a result of cutting the Ni-based Inconel 625 alloy, which is widely used in the aerospace industry, with the wire electro-discharge machining (WEDM) and abrasive water jet machining (AWJM) methods in terms of macro- and microanalyses.

In this study, calipers, Mitutoyo SJ-210, Nikon SMZ 745 T, scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive X-ray were used to determine kerf, surface roughness and macro- and microanalyses.

Considering the applications in the turbine industry, it has been determined that the WEDM method is suitable to meet the standards for the machinability of Inconel 625 alloy. In contrast, the AWJM method does not meet the standards. Namely, while the kerf angle was formed because the hole entrance diameters of the holes obtained with AWJM were larger than the hole exit diameters, the equalization of the hole entry and exit dimensions, thanks to the perpendicularity and tension sensitivity of the wire electrode used in the holes drilled with WEDM ensured that the kerf angle was not formed.

It is known that the surface roughness of the parts used in the turbine industry is accepted at Ra = 0.8 µm. In this study, the average roughness value obtained from the successful drilling of Inconel 625 alloy with the WEDM method was 0.799 µm, and the kerf angle was obtained as zero. In the cuts made with the AWJM method, thermal effects such as debris, microcracks and melted materials were not observed; an average surface roughness of 2.293 µm and a kerf of 0.976° were obtained.

Project claim performance is often poor with negative consequences for project-based organizations (PBOs). Conflict and emotion are reported to impact organizational claim performance outcomes, yet remains unexplored. This study investigates the multiple intelligence (MI) context from the viewpoint of the claim management office (CMO), with the intent of identifying pathways to improving the emotion-based claim performance of PBOs.

The study utilizes an autoethnographic case study involving a PBO-based general contractor (GC). Multiple intelligence theory (MIT) is applied as the theoretical lens. Method of framework analysis is used in analyzing the data, with reference to claim management office (RFCMO) theory as a main source in making “analytic generalization”.

Multifaceted complexities of MIs are identified, including ambidexterity, actions and relations, stress and conflict, cultural differences and universals, meta-strategic thinking and team diversity. The holistic emotion-based strategies model identifies how PBOs can improve claim performance, specifically by adopting theories confection remedy and controlling emotion outcomes strategies in a closed-loop process. Further, the coherent emotions governance (CEG) framework enables CMOs' to upgrade maturity levels, by integrating the strategies, general and specific measures for improving emotion-based organizational claim performance.

This is a pioneering study in unveiling the complexities of organizational emotions engagement and the application of confection remedy, specifically in a project management context. The antecedents of RFCMO theory are here enriched with MIT and the pool of the supporting people-centered theories, augmented by an autoethnographic case study, in which the linkage between emotion and conflict complexity is laid bare. Further, this study identifies how conflicts in construction industry can be mitigated by way of a discrete three-category theories confection remedy.