Oscar Dousin and Rini Suryati Sulong
In the study of expatriation and expatriate adaptation, there are limited studies that focus on issues faced by expatriates working in foreign countries with very distinct…
Abstract
Purpose
In the study of expatriation and expatriate adaptation, there are limited studies that focus on issues faced by expatriates working in foreign countries with very distinct cultures. This study aims to explore this idea through the experiences of western expatriates working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Two research questions were posed to examine the cross-cultural issues and challenges faced by expatriates in the KSA, as well as the role of cross-cultural training in expatriate adjustment.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was guided by an interpretivism paradigm through a qualitative method by using a semi-structured in-depth interview approach. Interviews were conducted among 12 expatriates from the USA and UK who are currently working in KSA.
Findings
A coding technique and theoretical thematic analysis was conducted to analyze the data. The results of this study highlighted three key themes that had a considerable influence on expatriates’ adjustment, in particular: culture shock, lack of pre-departure training and the demand for an extensive cross-cultural training.
Research limitations/implications
It is acknowledged that the existence of sub-cultures within the KSA would expose the respondents to varying cultural values within the community. Thus, future studies within a similar context should consider the influence of intra-cultural variations.
Originality/value
The findings of the study emphasized on the importance understanding the cultural gap between home and host country and the individual cultural awareness of the expatriate. It calls attention to the need for a tailored and extensive pre-departure, cross-cultural training and a collaborative effort between employees’ and managers to improve expatriates’ motivation and retention.
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Sabine Hotho and Martin Dowling
The purpose of this paper is to address limitations of prevailing approaches to leadership development programmes and make suggestions as to how these might be overcome. These…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to address limitations of prevailing approaches to leadership development programmes and make suggestions as to how these might be overcome. These limitations are an outcome of the dominant rational functional approach to leadership development programmes. Based on empirical research, and underpinned by organisational theory, the paper suggests a shift towards a socio‐constructivist perspective on design and implementation of leadership development programmes. The explorative study proposes that context and participant differences need to be recognised as factors impacting on the effectiveness of leadership development initiatives.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on a review of relevant literature and qualitative data collected using the case study method. The study presented is explorative.
Findings
The paper finds that participant interaction with leadership development programmes varies depending on individual and/or contextual factors. Current design logic neither recognises nor utilises such situatedness as programmes develop their linear and unidirectional logic. Designers of programmes underestimate the extent to which programme participants create a context‐specific understanding of leadership learning as they interact with the programme. Their personal and organisational context shapes this interaction. A socio‐constructivist perspective can provide theoretical foundation for the argument that leadership development programmes can become more effective if context‐specific dimensions are recognised as shaping and constraining factors impacting on programme participants.
Originality/value
The paper argues that it is time to move away from offering leadership development programmes which emphasise input over interaction. The paper encourages commissioners and designers of leadership programmes to recognise that an overly didactic approach may limit the effectiveness of such programmes.
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Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Abstract
Purpose
Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.
Findings
Many factors determine whether a company thrives or languishes among the also‐rans. Leadership is undoubtedly one of the most influential. Warren Bennis noted as much when claiming that being under‐led was a characteristic of most failing organizations. Given the US author's perceptions, it's logical that public and private sectors alike are increasing their focus on leadership development. Today's heads must manage their organizations in the face of changing government agendas and unpredictable market conditions. Sizeable investment in training programs illustrates that both sectors are committed to ensuring that leaders are properly equipped for the challenge. Does the return justify the outlay? In many cases, apparently not. Evidence suggests that the impact of such programs on company performance is minimal at best and doubts are growing about their effectiveness.
Practical implications
Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.
Originality/value
The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.
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Michael P. Kelly, Graeme Martin and Robert J. Pemble
This article is concerned with a description of the way in which a small group of Civil Service trade unionists attempted to participate in the 1981 pay campaign by the British…
Abstract
This article is concerned with a description of the way in which a small group of Civil Service trade unionists attempted to participate in the 1981 pay campaign by the British Civil Service trade unions. The problems faced by the group are analysed and the group members' experiences of their activity explored.
Controversy has always surrounded business schools: they are almost regarded as a necessary evil. Their credentials have been impugned from within academia, and from the outside…
Abstract
Controversy has always surrounded business schools: they are almost regarded as a necessary evil. Their credentials have been impugned from within academia, and from the outside business community. Periodically committees are formed and reports written on how to overcome the perceived deficiencies. From contemporary literature themes emerge, and the opportunity is taken to both look back and to look forward. Globalisation, partly mediated through the Internet, presents even greater challenges, as do the rise of corporate and virtual universities, heightened competition among schools, finding and nurturing appropriate staff, achieving critical mass and serving the entire economy, working with relevant partners inside and outside the university setting, maintaining quality, and undertaking research meeting the needs of various constituencies. Schools cannot be all things to all people, and need to prioritise their mission objectives in the light of those stakeholders for whom they will decide to dedicate most of their energies.
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Creating a continental energy market, including an interconnected electricity industry, was a central motivation for the U.S. government in the negotiation of the CUSFTA and…
Abstract
Creating a continental energy market, including an interconnected electricity industry, was a central motivation for the U.S. government in the negotiation of the CUSFTA and NAFTA. Free trade agreements and regulatory changes in North America have fundamentally altered the characteristics of the electricity industry and the strategies of its constituent firms over the past decade. Markets are replacing extensive regulation in many states, many new firms have entered the industry, long term stability and predictability of returns to firms and of electricity prices have been replaced with the uncertainties of competition, and blackouts in California have become global headline news. In this period of rapid transition in the electricity industry, firms, states and consumers confront both new opportunities and new problems that were unimaginable a decade ago. The essential role of electricity in all economic activity makes this industry a critical component of the North American economy, but the future of the industry is far from clear.
This paper discusses the material characteristics of the electricity industry and outlines the provisions of the CUSFTA and NAFTA and regulatory changes that affected the electricity industry over the past decade. The paper then examines the evolution of the continental electricity industry, with particular emphasis on the efforts to create competitive markets. The paper then analyzes the strategies of particular firms to respond to and take advantage of these processes. The conclusion analyzes the policy implications of these processes and firm strategies.
Multi‐skilling has been the most enduring element of patient‐focused care in the UK. A recent report from the Manchester University Health Service Management Unit (HSMU) extended…
Abstract
Multi‐skilling has been the most enduring element of patient‐focused care in the UK. A recent report from the Manchester University Health Service Management Unit (HSMU) extended the multi‐skilling debate and offered a framework for changing National Health Service workforce policy along multi‐skilling lines. Examines the main HSMU issues in the light of broader empirical and other evidence. Assesses the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to multi‐skilling. Concludes that multi‐skilling protagonists still face a number of challenges.
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Lindsey Banham and Jim Connelly
This commentary surveys the current arguments for and against modifying the work of doctors and nurses by placing the main viewpoints – substitution and diversification – within…
Abstract
This commentary surveys the current arguments for and against modifying the work of doctors and nurses by placing the main viewpoints – substitution and diversification – within the policy background, particularly that of the UK. We discuss the forces for modification: cost effectiveness, professional development, quality improvement and pragmatic management and how each provides a stand‐point for evaluation of the issues. Policy makers and managers in the health sector should be aware of the rather fragmented evidence base for doctor‐nurse substitution and should consider skill mix changes only when they are clear about: purpose, evidence base, acceptable risks, accountability and quality assurance. Doctor‐nurse substitution is not necessarily cost effective, nor is it unfailingly a gain in nurse professionalism or in quality of care. Of the management perspectives available – advocacy, skepticism or pragmatism – the current evidence and policy base favours pragmatism over evaluations of the rightness or wrongness of a general policy.
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Liz McDonnell, Lesley Murray, Tamsin Hinton-Smith and Nuno Ferreira
‘Living together apart’ (LTA) is the practice of remaining in close domestic proximity following the ending of an intimate relationship. Using the conceptual framework of families…
Abstract
‘Living together apart’ (LTA) is the practice of remaining in close domestic proximity following the ending of an intimate relationship. Using the conceptual framework of families in motion, in which families are re-envisioned as in flow, responding to all kinds of disruptions, chosen and unchosen, by ‘holding on’, adapting, adjusting and redirecting, this chapter explores the family practices involved in LTA. Using collaborative autoethnography – a research process in which the authors jointly explored data from their own lives – the authors were able to develop an understanding of LTA that was attentive to everyday life and the interconnections of time and space within families. The authors found that when families are living within less normative constellations, there are fewer scripts to rely upon and the potential for non-legitimacy and anxiety increases. The data also showed how deeply families are embedded in practices that are always in relation to an experienced past and imagined future. The importance of having a family story to tell that ‘works’ socially and emotionally, as well as having a home that can spatially encompass such new flows in family lives, is crucial.
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Carmen Lopez, Manto Gotsi and Constantine Andriopoulos
The aim of this paper is to examine the influence of corporate image on shaping the image of its country of origin (hereafter country image).
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to examine the influence of corporate image on shaping the image of its country of origin (hereafter country image).
Design/methodology/approach
The authors develop a conceptual framework and a series of propositions, grounded on previous studies on country of origin (COO), image transfer, corporate and place branding.
Findings
The framework proposes that the influence of corporate image on country image can be moderated by four individual (country familiarity, corporate familiarity, brand image fit and corporate brand category‐country brand image fit) and two corporate level variables (international visibility and market visibility).
Research limitations/implications
A series of propositions is offered that aims to stimulate empirical research in this topical subject.
Originality/value
Despite increasing acknowledgement of the influence that the image of corporations may exert on the image of their COO, this relationship has been under‐researched. This paper draws insights from theoretical and empirical studies to shed some light on this area. A framework is presented which transcends previous corporate image formation models by looking at the other way of the relationship between corporate image and country image.