Newman M.K. Lam and James MacGregor
The purpose of this paper is to examine whether deeply rooted ethnic values persist in public administration in spite of strong foreign influence in education and administrative…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine whether deeply rooted ethnic values persist in public administration in spite of strong foreign influence in education and administrative culture.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents the theories and concepts on ethnic values, in particular Chinese and Canadian administrative values in order to examine their differences. Victoria of Canada and Hong Kong of China, both former British colonies, have been selected as the study sites due to their similarity in British education and administrative culture. Comparable samples of human subjects were drawn from the public sectors of Hong Kong and Victoria, who were either students or graduates of a master of public administration program. A questionnaire containing questions on program evaluation and staff promotion was administered to participants.
Findings
The survey results show that, while organizations may have similar administrative systems and cultures, employees revert to their ethnic values for matters concerning their immediate well-being – staff promotion in this case. The findings also suggest that employees endorse good practices and reject bad ones more often than they believe their organizations do.
Research limitations/implications
The purpose of this study is to examine whether lengthy foreign influence can change deeply rooted ethnic culture. The research results are not aimed at and may not be relevant to explaining a current situation.
Practical implications
The research findings may help improve public administration, in particular regarding issues of human resources management.
Social implications
The research findings may provide a better understanding of social behavior in the work place.
Originality/value
This paper contains original data for a comparative analysis that appears to have never been done before. It provides empirical proof that deeply rooted ethnics values are very difficult to change in spite of a long history of foreign influence.
Details
Keywords
In the process of fostering economic development, many governments, especially those of a small economy, such as Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, had taken a leading role in…
Abstract
Purpose
In the process of fostering economic development, many governments, especially those of a small economy, such as Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, had taken a leading role in managing their economies, in spite of the free-market rhetoric that some of them have made. The purpose of this paper is to examine the reasons and the effects of government involvement in the economy.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the causes and effects of cooperation and conflict between government and business in economic development are examined from a theoretical perspective, particularly with references made to East Asian economies.
Findings
Government interventions lead inevitably to both cooperation and conflict with the private sector.
Practical implications
The strategies for dealing with problems arisen from such relationship are also examined.
Originality/value
This paper links the theories and concepts from a variety of sources to offer a coherent picture of business-government relationship that is helpful for examining other studies on this topic from a broad perspective.
Details
Keywords
– The purpose of this paper is to examine the economic development in Singapore, Hong Kong and Macao to find the reasons for the success.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the economic development in Singapore, Hong Kong and Macao to find the reasons for the success.
Design/methodology/approach
Applying economic development theories and using archival data to examine the development strategies of the three economies.
Findings
There is no single model suitable for economic development for all, and small economies need to be strategically interventionist by either inducing development or balancing the disequilibria caused by development.
Originality/value
This is the first comparative study to examine these three fast-growing small economies. The findings lend insight into Hirschman’s theory of unbalanced growth and Stiglitz’s assertion that different economies and conditions require different development strategies.
Details
Keywords
Javier Calero Cuervo and Ka U. Cheong
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how rapid tourism growth in Macao affected local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The liberalization of the gaming industry…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how rapid tourism growth in Macao affected local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The liberalization of the gaming industry to multinational corporations (MNCs) in 2002 led to a sevenfold increase in foreign direct investments (FDI) in Macao.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey grounded in issues concerning how SMEs adapt to the effects of FDI in Macao was carried out by interviewing managers of local SMEs, MNCs and an SME association. Information from various published sources was also consulted to complement and update the analyses.
Findings
Findings revealed that the emergence of investments by MNCs in Macao brought favorable and unfavorable effects to local SMEs. Local SMEs were challenged in terms of recruiting and retaining human resources, given the attractive salaries and training offered by MNCs. Equally challenging for local SMEs was the effect of economic growth on the costs of property space in Macao’s small territory. However, local SMEs have advantages when collaborating with MNCs as the former serves as important partners in networking. Local SMEs can collaborate quicker with their network of local stakeholders which MNCs lack and need. The government and various stakeholders will need to continue their role in developing the capacities and capabilities of local SMEs.
Research limitations/implications
The research study has important public policy implications on structuring the foreign labor and property needs of local SMEs.
Originality/value
This paper provides insights on the challenges SMEs in small-open economies experience during rapid tourism growth fueled by MNCs, and some policy recommendations are proposed.
Details
Keywords
This chapter investigates the behavior of Reddit’s news subreddit users and the relationship between their sentiment on exchange rates. Using graphical models and natural language…
Abstract
This chapter investigates the behavior of Reddit’s news subreddit users and the relationship between their sentiment on exchange rates. Using graphical models and natural language processing, hidden online communities among Reddit users are discovered. The data set used in this project is a mixture of text and categorical data from Reddit’s news subreddit. These data include the titles of the news pages, as well as a few user characteristics, in addition to users’ comments. This data set is an excellent resource to study user reaction to news since their comments are directly linked to the webpage contents. The model considered in this chapter is a hierarchical mixture model which is a generative model that detects overlapping networks using the sentiment from the user generated content. The advantage of this model is that the communities (or groups) are assumed to follow a Chinese restaurant process, and therefore it can automatically detect and cluster the communities. The hidden variables and the hyperparameters for this model are obtained using Gibbs sampling.
Details
Keywords
Neal M. Ashkanasy, Ashlea C. Troth, Sandra A. Lawrence and Peter J. Jordan
Scholars and practitioners in the OB literature nowadays appreciate that emotions and emotional regulation constitute an inseparable part of work life, but the HRM literature has…
Abstract
Scholars and practitioners in the OB literature nowadays appreciate that emotions and emotional regulation constitute an inseparable part of work life, but the HRM literature has lagged in addressing the emotional dimensions of life at work. In this chapter therefore, beginning with a multi-level perspective taken from the OB literature, we introduce the roles played by emotions and emotional regulation in the workplace and discuss their implications for HRM. We do so by considering five levels of analysis: (1) within-person temporal variations, (2) between persons (individual differences), (3) interpersonal processes; (4) groups and teams, and (5) the organization as a whole. We focus especially on processes of emotional regulation in both self and others, including discussion of emotional labor and emotional intelligence. In the opening sections of the chapter, we discuss the nature of emotions and emotional regulation from an OB perspective by introducing the five-level model, and explaining in particular how emotions and emotional regulation play a role at each of the levels. We then apply these ideas to four major domains of concern to HR managers: (1) recruitment, selection, and socialization; (2) performance management; (3) training and development; and (4) compensation and benefits. In concluding, we stress the interconnectedness of emotions and emotional regulation across the five levels of the model, arguing that emotions and emotional regulation at each level can influence effects at other levels, ultimately culminating in the organization’s affective climate.
Details
Keywords
Shane Connelly and Brett S. Torrence
Organizational behavior scholars have long recognized the importance of a variety of emotion-related phenomena in everyday work life. Indeed, after three decades, the span of…
Abstract
Organizational behavior scholars have long recognized the importance of a variety of emotion-related phenomena in everyday work life. Indeed, after three decades, the span of research on emotions in the workplace encompasses a wide variety of affective variables such as emotional climate, emotional labor, emotion regulation, positive and negative affect, empathy, and more recently, specific emotions. Emotions operate in complex ways across multiple levels of analysis (i.e., within-person, between-person, interpersonal, group, and organizational) to exert influence on work behavior and outcomes, but their linkages to human resource management (HRM) policies and practices have not always been explicit or well understood. This chapter offers a review and integration of the bourgeoning research on discrete positive and negative emotions, offering insights about why these emotions are relevant to HRM policies and practices. We review some of the dominant theories that have emerged out of functionalist perspectives on emotions, connecting these to a strategic HRM framework. We then define and describe four discrete positive and negative emotions (fear, pride, guilt, and interest) highlighting how they relate to five HRM practices: (1) selection, (2) training/learning, (3) performance management, (4) incentives/rewards, and (5) employee voice. Following this, we discuss the emotion perception and regulation implications of these and other discrete emotions for leaders and HRM managers. We conclude with some challenges associated with understanding discrete emotions in organizations as well as some opportunities and future directions for improving our appreciation and understanding of the role of discrete emotional experiences in HRM.
Details
Keywords
Moosung Lee, Jenny Dean and Yeonjeong Kim
Using data from the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study, this study examines the structural relationships between negative school social relationships, school safety…
Abstract
Using data from the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study, this study examines the structural relationships between negative school social relationships, school safety, educational expectation, and academic achievement of Latino immigrant students. Results from multilevel structural equation modeling show that discrimination, unhelpful school social relationships, and experiences of unsafe school environments influence Latino immigrant adolescents’ academic achievement indirectly and directly through their educational expectations. Specifically, this study explores how noncognitive and contextual factors embedded in different structural layers of school organization influence Latino immigrant adolescents’ academic achievement. It draws attention to the impact of negative school factors such as discriminatory and unsupportive school social relationships, and negative and unsafe school structures that undermine school life. Based on our findings, we argue that as Latino immigrant students internalize negative experiences from their school experiences during the critical period of adolescence, such accumulated negative internalization may reinforce negative self-perceptions and inaccurate stereotypes. Not only discrimination but also other negative school features such as the absence of academic supporters, nonacademically oriented friends, and unsafe learning environments inhibit them from navigating positive school opportunities and ultimately, successful school achievement. Implications for the social organization of U.S. public secondary schools with a focus on Latino immigrant adolescents’ academic achievement are discussed.