Alan J. Feely and Anne‐Wil Harzing
The importance of language management in multinational companies has never been greater than today. Multinationals are becoming ever more conscious of the importance of global…
Abstract
The importance of language management in multinational companies has never been greater than today. Multinationals are becoming ever more conscious of the importance of global coordination as a source of competitive advantage, and language remains the ultimate barrier to aspirations of international harmonisation. The article reviews the solutions open to multinational companies in term of language management. Before that, however, it discusses the aforementioned trend to globalisation outlines the dimensions of the language barrier and illustrates its consequences.
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Anne‐Wil Harzing and Alan J. Feely
This paper intends to open up the debate on the influence of language on the way multinational companies manage their subsidiary operations.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper intends to open up the debate on the influence of language on the way multinational companies manage their subsidiary operations.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors explain the importance of the field and expose a dearth of prior research. Subsequently, they define the “language barrier” and elaborate on the causes underlying this barrier, drawing on social identity theory.
Findings
The authors we propose an integrative model that consists of two coupled vicious cycles: the communications cycle – composed of the eight aspects of the language barrier – and the management cycle.
Research limitations/implications
This contribution to an otherwise ignored field of business study should be considered only a first step in opening up a new research agenda. Specialists in each of the fields touched upon are invited to make a contribution to the debate.
Practical implications
The management cycle suggests implications of the language barrier for various aspects of the HQ‐subsidiary relationship: strategic decision‐making, organization and personnel selection, global integration strategies, and autonomy and control procedures.
Originality/value
This paper uses socio‐linguistic theory to define and elaborate on the construct of the language barrier, a construct which is believed will be helpful in furthering research on the impact of language‐difference on multinational management.
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Robert Crawford and Matthew Bailey
The purpose of this paper is to explore the value of oral history for marketing historians and provide case studies from projects in the Australian context to demonstrate its…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the value of oral history for marketing historians and provide case studies from projects in the Australian context to demonstrate its utility. These case studies are framed within a theme of market research and its historical development in two industries: advertising and retail property.
Design/methodology/approach
This study examines oral histories from two marketing history projects. The first, a study of the advertising industry, examines the globalisation of the advertising agency in Australia over the period spanning the 1950s to the 1980s, through 120 interviews. The second, a history of the retail property industry in Australia, included 25 interviews with executives from Australia’s largest retail property firms whose careers spanned from the mid-1960s through to the present day.
Findings
The research demonstrates that oral histories provide a valuable entry port through which histories of marketing, shifts in approaches to market research and changing attitudes within industries can be examined. Interviews provided insights into firm culture and practices; demonstrated the variability of individual approaches within firms and across industries; created a record of the ways that market research has been conducted over time; and revealed the ways that some experienced operators continued to rely on traditional practices despite technological advances in research methods.
Originality/value
Despite their ubiquity, both the advertising and retail property industries in Australia have received limited scholarly attention. Recent scholarship is redressing this gap, but more needs to be understood about the inner workings of firms in an historical context. Oral histories provide an avenue for developing such understandings. The paper also contributes to broader debates about the role of oral history in business and marketing history.
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The purpose of this paper is to explain how sensory stimuli can influence environments, improve the shopper experience and change the nature of behaviour in ways beyond our…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explain how sensory stimuli can influence environments, improve the shopper experience and change the nature of behaviour in ways beyond our consciousness.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper reviews research gathered over several years and it considers how significant increases in sales can be achieved by attention to shopper “sightlines” and movement through each retail space; how neuro‐imaging is starting to make sense of our reactions to products; how Virtual Reality can save money and how a well‐designed study is a cost‐effective means of ensuring environments are right for shoppers. The latest sensory approaches are also assessed together with thoughts to ponder for the next decade including a word of caution for all to ensure success does not come at the detriment of our planet.
Findings
The current economic gloom need not spell financial disaster for the retail sector. Consumers will simply become more discerning as they spend their limited resources. The savvy retailer will invest in understanding shopper needs and motivations to create an enhanced shopping experience by moving beyond simple POP displays and signage, where “minor plus est”, through to shoppers' sense of sound, sight, smell and touch which will have a clear impact on decision‐making, store choice and spend.
Originality/value
This paper will be of interest to all operating in the retail sector.
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The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Accounting Education Change Commission have mandated the adoption of 150 semester hours for accounting students and…
Abstract
The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Accounting Education Change Commission have mandated the adoption of 150 semester hours for accounting students and as a prerequisite for taking the CPA examination. More than 40 states have already adopted the 150‐hour requirement. Proponents of the change have argued that accounting education has to change from a knowledge‐based education to a process‐oriented programme and develop a process of inquiry and a desire for life‐long learning in the students. They hope to effect changes to result in improved intellectual, communication, and interpersonal skills, and a better understanding of the broad picture in a business. It is argued here that although the mandate may have been well‐intentioned but knowingly or unknowingly the authors have chosen to ignore the most essential component, i.e. what does it take to teach the students for success in the accounting profession? It is argued that the missing link is primarily trained and versatile teachers, followed with the lacking prerequisites for the students and their parents. Furthermore, no consideration has been given to the additional cost involved for the students and their parents and the question of commensurate job opportunities for those involved.
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One of the very first information entrepreneur businesses was Information Unlimited, founded by Sue Rugge and Georgia Finnigan back in 1971. Charging $10/hour for their research…
Abstract
One of the very first information entrepreneur businesses was Information Unlimited, founded by Sue Rugge and Georgia Finnigan back in 1971. Charging $10/hour for their research, Sue and Georgia essentially created a new industry, offering on-demand research provided by skilled librarians and researchers, to anyone who was willing to pay. Sue went on to found two more independent research companies, Information on Demand and The Rugge Group. Sue was also co-founder of The Information Professionals Institute, a company that focused on seminars for the information industry (including an all-day workshop on how to become an information entrepreneur).
Susan K. Gardner, Jeni Hart, Jennifer Ng, Rebecca Ropers-Huilman, Kelly Ward and Lisa Wolf-Wendel
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the experiences with me-search among scholars in the field of education, defined as the conduct of research about one’s own identity or in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the experiences with me-search among scholars in the field of education, defined as the conduct of research about one’s own identity or in one’s own setting.
Design/methodology/approach
Centered around the tensions inherent in the training received around objectivity and subjectivity, these individuals discuss how they came to conduct me-search and the challenges inherent in it, with a particular focus on the teaching and advising of students conducting this kind of qualitative work.
Findings
Applying Richardson and St. Pierre’s (2005) concepts of writing stories, the following reflections provide a grounding of the “me” in methodology, with an eye toward using this methodology to create social change.
Originality/value
While this is a common research approach, relatively little guidance exists on the practice of “me-search”, particularly for young scholars.
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The purpose of this paper is to discuss some key aspects of quality in education in the light of over 30 years practical experience of doing quality assurance (QA).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss some key aspects of quality in education in the light of over 30 years practical experience of doing quality assurance (QA).
Design/methodology/approach
Reflection on three concepts, which are still the subject of debate, namely: “quality”; “total quality management (TQM)”; and “autonomy”.
Findings
As this is not a research paper, it presents no findings. There are some research implications, if only to deter researchers from digging up old ground. More research into the diversity of and interactions between cultures in academia might prove useful.
Practical implications
There are lessons to be learnt from the past. Doing quality improves quality. Talking about it or trying to impose it does not. Managers and leaders need to reflect more carefully than is their wont on the purposes and procedures of QA in education.
Originality/value
This paper makes a contribution to the debate about quality in education in universities and schools and suggests that a clearer understanding across the education system of the scope and purpose of QA, the nature of TQM and the limitations of autonomy might lead to better embedded and more effective continuous improvement.