Search results

1 – 9 of 9
Per page
102050
Citations:
Loading...
Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 21 August 2007

Anabella Davila and Marta M. Elvira

The aim of this paper is to use psychological contracts theory to explore performance management practices in Mexico paying particular attention to the impact of national culture…

4616

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to use psychological contracts theory to explore performance management practices in Mexico paying particular attention to the impact of national culture, social and structural factors.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines the content of psychological contracts from the viewpoint of both parties in the employment relationship – managers and employees – in the context of performance appraisals. It conducted focus groups and interviews at these two organizational levels in three different organizations.

Findings

Findings are organized around three themes: performance appraisal systems, the promises (fulfilled and unfulfilled) and the sources of terms and conditions as the content of psychological contracts for managing and participating in performance evaluation systems. For each theme the paper presents and contrasts the viewpoints of managers and employees.

Practical implications

Because of the sensitive cultural nature of performance appraisals, the findings help managers implement this process by explaining the underlying psychological contracts in Mexico. Specifically, employees experience the socio‐emotional behaviors that accompany performance evaluation and engage in the process at different levels of commitment. Both managers and employees respond according to their needs and what they perceive to be the company's reward.

Originality/value

Performance appraisal has received little attention from studies of psychological contracts, though it is a key practice in which work promises and rewards related to performance are made. In this study, the paper brings these two research streams together and apply it to a culturally unique setting.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 28 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

Keywords

Available. Content available
Article
Publication date: 21 August 2007

Anabella Davila and Marta M Elvira

2862

Abstract

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 28 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 21 August 2007

Miguel R. Olivas‐Lujan, Jacobo Ramirez and Laura Zapata‐Cantu

Using information and communication technologies to deliver human resource services (also known as e‐HRM) has become an important strategy for firms seeking to achieve a…

6252

Abstract

Purpose

Using information and communication technologies to deliver human resource services (also known as e‐HRM) has become an important strategy for firms seeking to achieve a competitive advantage. A case‐based study was carried out with the purpose of investigating how four of the most competitive Mexican firms are implementing their e‐HRM strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

Literature from e‐HRM and human resource management in Latin America is reviewed and integrated. Four case studies developed in Mexican firms are depicted.

Findings

Evidence suggests that, to fully understand the way e‐HRM is used in firms from emerging economies, it is important to take into consideration local idiosyncrasies.

Originality/value

This study integrates Latin American dimensions of HR management in the study of e‐HRM, a budding research stream that is under‐investigated in emerging countries.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 28 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 21 August 2007

Veneta Andonova and Hernando Zuleta

The purpose of this paper is to study the effect that weak enforceability of property rights has on the human resource practices of firms operating in hostile business environment.

1428

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the effect that weak enforceability of property rights has on the human resource practices of firms operating in hostile business environment.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper questions the role of the state as the only provider of stability and guarantor of property rights and hypothesizes that it is not governments, which tend to be weak in weak institutional settings, but private firms that act as the main force behind the protection of entrepreneurial investments. The approach consists in developing a case study about a farm (Hacienda Gavilanes) in rural Colombia.

Findings

It is found that incentives together with inclusive human resources practices and empowerment are among those strategic arrangements that contribute most to the survival and sustainability of the farm today in a setting where legal enforceability is precarious. The replication of this policy might not be easy, however, because it requires a profound shift in the way landowners perceive workers in rural Colombia and many other parts of the world.

Originality/value

The case presented in this paper provides valuable lessons beyond Latin America for other developing countries with similarly fragile governments and economic environments.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 28 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 21 August 2007

Lorena R. Perez‐Floriano and Jorge A. Gonzalez

The purpose of this paper is to show how employees' work cultural values in three cities of two different South American countries (Buenos Aires, Sao Paolo, and Rio de Janeiro…

2975

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show how employees' work cultural values in three cities of two different South American countries (Buenos Aires, Sao Paolo, and Rio de Janeiro) differ, and how these differences are related to the manner in which people perceive risk and construe the meaning of danger.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 220 line employees of a multinational enterprise in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires participated in this study. The paper compared the means of reported job satisfaction and cultural values among the cities. Furthermore, regressions are used for cultural values on perceptions of risks from job hazards.

Findings

There are different cultural values across the cities. These cultural values are associated with the manner people understand risk and respond to risk management programs. This could eventually influence the success of the implementation of safety management programs.

Research limitations/implications

This is a study carried out in a single organization within the transportation industry. Managers and scholars must be careful in generalizing these findings across geographical locations and industries.

Practical implications

The findings challenge the assumption that safety‐training methods can be applied indiscriminately in every country without taking into account national culture and intra‐national subculture differences.

Originality/value

This study explores the importance of culture in the transfer and administration of US‐made safety programs to South America within the context of the high‐risk transportation industry segment. Its findings are important for multinational enterprises concerned with the safety of workers in high‐risk industries.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 28 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 21 August 2007

Betania Tanure and Roberto Gonzalez‐Duarte

The aim of this paper is to look at why and how HRM may take on a more strategic role within mergers and acquisitions (M&As) processes.

3545

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to look at why and how HRM may take on a more strategic role within mergers and acquisitions (M&As) processes.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper discusses the ABN AMRO Bank case. The Dutch bank first acquired one of the largest Brazilian banks and, later, the Brazilian subsidiary of an Italian bank. The paper seeks to understand to what extent the successful integration of the acquired banks by the acquiring one was determined by the consistency among three factors: the determining reason for the acquisition; the integration strategy adopted; and the HRM policies for the management of people.

Findings

The case has evidenced that, in processes of radical change, such as acquisitions, the president, as well as the top management of the acquiring company, has a critical role of establishing an understanding that people constitute, in fact, a key asset of the company, thereby opening avenues for HRM to assume a strategic role within companies.

Practical implications

Even though the HR managers should seek to undertake a more active and strategic role in M&As, contributing effectively to the performance of the organization, their actions are shaped by the consistency between discourse and practice of CEOs regarding the importance of people within organizations. Any disparity between this discourse and practice is likely to affect the role played by HRM within organizations.

Originality/value

This paper will be valuable for those attempting to link both streams of literature – HRM and post‐acquisition integration.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 28 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 21 August 2007

Dario Rodriguez and Rene Rios

Labor contracts are built on the basis of different latent premises about expectations of the organizations and the workers. Paternalism is widespread in Latin America, and its…

1040

Abstract

Purpose

Labor contracts are built on the basis of different latent premises about expectations of the organizations and the workers. Paternalism is widespread in Latin America, and its diverse forms should be taken into account in the design of HR policies and management practices. The paper seeks to compare two Chilean banks and show that different forms of paternalism exist. As long as the organization is consistent with the premises it works with, productivity is not hindered by either form.

Design/methodology/approach

By means of a case study two banks's contractual premises are compared. Each one represents a different set of cultural expectations for the labor contracts.

Findings

Paternalistic and non paternalistic premises for labor contracts differ widely, but as long as the organization is coherent with them in its human resources policies and practices, productivity can be achieved indistinctively.

Research limitations/implications

The cases are representative of main types of organization's labor contracts, but not statistically representative. Generalizations are possible insofar as other organizations show similar cultural pre‐contractual premises.

Practical implications

Human resource management policies and practices need to be consistent with the premises underlying the labor contract and the social bond in order to allow for productivity increases.

Originality/value

Paternalism is still present in Latin American organizations, instead of dismissing it as traditional or premodern, acknowledging it will allow for organizations to act more realistically towards its labor force.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 28 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 21 August 2007

Asbjorn Osland and Joyce S. Osland

The purpose of this case study is to illustrate the global risks facing an award‐winning company known for best practices in sustainability and HRM that, nevertheless, is…

1132

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this case study is to illustrate the global risks facing an award‐winning company known for best practices in sustainability and HRM that, nevertheless, is challenged by a contentious land dispute with indigenous communities and numerous stakeholders.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a case study based primarily on secondary sources, such as reports and web sites of the company and its stakeholders.

Findings

Aracruz Celulose SA, a Brazilian pulp company founded by a Norwegian, owns legal title to land claimed by indigenous communities. As a result, they face a complex array of additional stakeholders with contradictory perspectives: local and international non‐governmental organizations, various Brazilian and Norwegian Government entities, the World Bank, and investors. The company runs the risk of losing land and assets, reputation, and investors. There are few simple solutions to the dilemma of unresolved property rights and agrarian reform problematic in much of Latin America. Even Aracruz's hoped – for court ruling may not guarantee an end to conflict without a creative solution.

Research limitations/implications

The controversy is ongoing and the outcomes are not yet determined. Based on one case, limited generalizations can be made.

Originality/value

Numerous best practices in the operational areas under a company's control cannot completely protect firms from risks related to larger societal dilemmas and the need to negotiate win‐win solutions with stakeholders.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 28 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 18 September 2019

Jacobo Ramirez and Anne-Marie Søderberg

The purpose of this study is to explore how Danish and Mexican communication and management practices are recontextualized at the Latin American office of a Scandinavian…

491

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore how Danish and Mexican communication and management practices are recontextualized at the Latin American office of a Scandinavian multinational corporation (MNC) located in Mexico.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study based on interviews, observations and company documents was conducted.

Findings

Well-educated Mexican middle managers appreciate the participative communication and management practices of Scandinavian MNCs, which transcend most experiences at local workplaces, but their interpretations and meaning system are influenced by the colonial legacy and political and socioeconomic context framing their working conditions.

Originality/value

This paper provides a contextualized analysis of a rich case study to further illustrate the challenges faced by MNCs in their quest to establish a regional office in a Latin American context and offers a theoretical model of the elements involved in complex recontextualization processes.

Propósito

El objetivo de este estudio fue explorar cómo las prácticas de comunicación y gestión Danesas y Mexicanas son recontextualizadas en la oficina latinoamericana de una empresa multinacional (EMN) escandinava, ubicada en México.

Diseño/metodología/enfoque

Se llevó a cabo un caso de estudio basado en entrevistas, observaciones y documentos de la empresa.

Hallazgos

Gerentes de mandos medios mexicanos, con educación superior aprecian las prácticas de comunicación y gestión participativa de la EMN escandinava, que trascienden en la mayoría de las experiencias en el lugar de trabajo local, pero sus interpretaciones y sistema de significado son influenciados por el legado colonial y el contexto político y socioeconómico que enmarcan sus condiciones de trabajo.

Originalidad/valor

Este artículo proporciona un análisis contextualizado de un caso de estudio para ilustrar más a fondo los desafíos que enfrentan las empresas multinacionales en su búsqueda por establecer una oficina regional en un contexto latinoamericano y ofrece un modelo teórico de los elementos involucrados en procesos complejos de recontextualización.

Objetivo

O principal propósito deste estudo foi explorar como as práticas de comunicação e gestão, tanto dinamarquesa quanto mexicana, são recontextualizadas no escritório latino-americano de uma multinacional escandinava (MNC) localizada no México.

Design/metodologia/abordagem

Foi realizado um estudo de caso baseado nas entrevistas, observações e nos documentos da empresa.

Conclusões

As gerentes intermediárias mexicanas, que são bem qualificados, apreciam a comunicação participativa e as práticas de gestão das multinacionais escandinavas, que superam a maioria das experiências existentes nos trabalho locais, mas suas interpretações e seu sistema de significação são influenciados pelo legado colonial e pelo contexto político e socioeconômico que enquadra as suas condições de trabalho.

Originalidade/valor

Este artigo fornece uma análise contextualizada de um estudo de caso completo, que visa ilustrar melhor os desafios que serão enfrentados pelas multinacionais na sua busca por estabelecer um escritório regional neste contexto latino-americano, além de oferecer um modelo teórico dos elementos envolvidos nestes complexos processos de recontextualização.

Details

Management Research: Journal of the Iberoamerican Academy of Management, vol. 18 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1536-5433

Keywords

1 – 9 of 9
Per page
102050