scholarly journals Chinese expatriates working with African partners: power struggles and knowledge hiding

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdoulkadre Ado ◽  
Roseline Wanjiru ◽  
Zhan Su
Keyword(s):  
Joint Ventures ◽  
Joint Venture ◽  
Power Dynamics ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Control Knowledge ◽  
Knowledge Hiding ◽  
Knowledge Seeking

PurposeThe study explores African partners' experiences regarding Chinese expatriates' knowledge control practices in 29 Sino-African joint ventures in 12 countries. It provides insights into power dynamics and knowledge transfer (KT) from African partners' perspective.Design/methodology/approachThe qualitative paper mobilized semi-structured interviews with Africans who worked with Chinese expatriates across Africa. The study focused on understanding the experiences of African partners when collaborating with their Chinese expatriate colleagues on assignments in joint ventures (JVs) in Africa.FindingsChinese expatriates employed five tactics, as described by African partners, to control knowledge based on power, behaviors and knowledge type. Particularly, through the lens of unofficial power, this study explains knowledge hiding tactics between knowledge-holding Chinese expatriates and host country knowledge-seeking locals. A new dimension of authority-based knowledge hiding is discovered.Originality/valueThe paper brings new insights into the analysis of power (official and unofficial) boundaries regarding knowledge control mechanisms in joint venture collaborations between employees from China and Africa. Unofficial power appeared as a major leverage for expatriates in monopolizing their strategic knowledge. The study recommends mobilizing African diaspora and repatriates from China to improve KT for Africa.

scholarly journals Institutional knowledge

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 475-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie A. Bell ◽  
Sarah Y. Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Understanding ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Product Knowledge ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Specific Product ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Institutional Knowledge ◽  
Institutional Learning ◽  
Knowledge Seeking

Purpose Rarely have studies on the acquisition of knowledge in internationalisation focused on institutional knowledge. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to investigate the acquisition of this knowledge, and its assimilation and exploitation processes in internationalisation. Design/methodology/approach The paper utilises ten longitudinal revelatory case studies built from multiple semi-structured interviews conducted with three different firm types of small- and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs) in the pharmaceutical industry and secondary documents to which the researchers obtained proprietary access. Findings The study enhances the conceptual understanding of the institutional learning process in internationalisation by, for the first time, developing a framework to characterise this process. The study explores and identifies multiple types of institutional knowledge required, the sequencing of their acquisition, sources and learning methods utilised. It also discusses transferability of this learning across foreign markets and firms’ absorptive capacity for that knowledge. Regulatory-specific product knowledge, found to be the most important type required, appeared to affect significantly both market selection and mode of entry, and when acquired insufficiently, prevented internationalisation. Research limitations/implications While the sample size is relatively small, and sector-specific, the findings were consistent across all the SME firms and firm types. They may also be generalisable to other sectors, firm sizes such as MNEs and types, particularly those which are knowledge-based or highly regulated, given that similar institutional knowledge and processes of acquisition are necessary for firms of all sizes in internationalisation. Practical implications International marketing managers will gain valuable insights, based on a framework proven to propel firms to successful internationalisation, upon how to plan, organise, manage and match their institutional knowledge-seeking and learning activities with their firms’ internal capabilities, staffing and other resources in an effective and timely manner. Originality/value This study contributes to the conceptual understanding of the institutional knowledge learning process in the internationalisation.

Human resource practitioners as sexual harassment commissioners: Sisyphus amid gender inequalities

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shani Kuna ◽  
Ronit Nadiv
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Harassment ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Power Dynamics ◽  
Gender Inequalities ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Academic Education ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Human Resource Practitioners ◽  
Antecedents And Consequences

PurposeThere has been ample research on the antecedents and consequences of workplace sexual harassment (WSH), a volatile issue in contemporary labor markets. There is, however, a lingering gap in the scholarly literature regarding the organizational practices involved in contending with WSH incidents following their occurrence. By exploring the practices and challenges of sexual harassment commissioners, a mandatory role performed by Israeli human resource practitioners, this study aims to unpack the embedded power dynamics, which construct how WSH is both deciphered and handled within organizations.Design/methodology/approachIn-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 45 sexual harassment commissioners (SHCs) in various business organizations in Israel to explore practitioners' conceptions of the challenges underlying their role. A grounded theory approach was utilized.FindingsThe findings demonstrate that, while SHCs seemingly are empowered by their exclusive authority to inquire into an intricate organizational matter, counter practices have emerged to undermine their authority and influence. This negatively affects their ability to reduce the prevalence of WSH. SHCs' attempts to approach WSH utilizing a power discourse are eroded by systematic barriers that channel them toward adoption of the default legal discourse. The latter frames WSH in terms of individual misconduct rather than as a phenomenon stemming from and expressive of organizational and societal gender inequalities.Research limitations/implicationsThis study does not represent the voices of WSH complainants or of top executives. The data focused on SHCs' descriptions of their role challenges.Practical implicationsImplications are suggested regarding the academic education and training of SHCs.Originality/valueThis study sheds light on covert and unspoken barriers to gender equality in the labor market.

Value co-creation in the B2B context: a diagnosis of knowledge management based on multiple case studies

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrei Bonamigo ◽  
Camila Guimarães Frech ◽  
Ana Carolina Custódio Lopes
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Multiple Case Studies ◽  
Knowledge Asymmetry ◽  
Business To Business ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to empirically investigate how organizations delivering services in business-to-business relations deal with the boundary paradox and knowledge asymmetry in value co-creation. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a qualitative multiple case study strategy. Datas were gathered through 13 semi-structured interviews that were then analyzed through the content analysis. Findings The authors identified three mechanisms that organizations use to deal with the boundary paradox and two strategies to handle the knowledge asymmetry. Research limitations/implications First, no opportunities were afforded to involve more participants. Second, owning to confidentiality reasons, not all organizations provided us documents to be analyzed. Practical implications The findings guide managers in balancing the use of contracts and trust in inter-firm collaborations and fostering the learning of customers. Also, insights to protect knowledge based on the paradox of openness in value co-creation. Originality/value This study’s findings address the gap in value co-creation literature concerning the lack of empirical studies.

scholarly journals Simulation analysis of incentives on employees' acceptance of foreign joint venture management practices: a case study

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
pp. 2047-2078
Author(s):  
Jingxiao Zhang ◽  
You Ouyang ◽  
Hui Li ◽  
Pablo Ballesteros-Pérez ◽  
Martin Skitmore
Keyword(s):  
Joint Ventures ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Joint Venture ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Joint Management ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Venture Management ◽  
Employee Acceptance

PurposeCultural differences between employees of different nationalities are hindering the development of some transnational joint ventures. Describing and modelling the positive (or negative) factors that cause joint venture employees to accept (or reject) joint management business practices is of great value to all corporations operating abroad with locally sourced employees.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a Sino-Japan construction joint venture project as a representative case study. First, structural equation modelling is used to identify the factors influencing Chinese employees' acceptance of joint venture management practices. Then, a system dynamics model is adopted to simulate the time-dependent effects of the incentives.FindingsThe study results (1) indicate which incentives strongly affect employee acceptance of joint venture management practices; (2) identify inefficient management practices in cross-cultural joint ventures; and (3) provide evidence that the employees' perceptions of clear purpose, good working relationships and helpful mechanisms positively and directly also support their acceptance of joint management practices.Originality/value–A dynamic simulation method is used to analyse the influence of various incentive factors on employee acceptance of joint management. This provides unprecedented information regarding how these factors interact with each other, hence how their effectiveness varies (both positively and negatively) over time. Further findings also provide new ideas for joint venture managers to adopt more effective management methods.

The state of the knowledge-based economy in the Arab world: cases of Qatar and Lebanon

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tarek Ben Hassen
Keyword(s):  
Arab World ◽  
Innovation System ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Current State ◽  
Knowledge Based Economy ◽  
Low Performance ◽  
Ict Infrastructure

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the current state of the knowledge-based economy in two distinctive case studies in the Arab World: Qatar and Lebanon. Based on five aspects of the knowledge-based economy namely: ICT, human capital and education; innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic and institutional regime, we provide a careful view of the obstacles and challenges that Qatar and Lebanon are facing and how this is hindering their transformation to a knowledge-based economy.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology of this research is based on a literature review and information collected through semi-structured interviews with the different stakeholders of the knowledge-based economy in Qatar and Lebanon.FindingsThe research reveals that numerous factors shape the knowledge-based economy in Qatar and Lebanon. In Qatar, the main strength of the knowledge-based economy is the determination of the Qatari government to diversify the economy and the main weaknesses are the shortage of qualified human resources, the fear of failure and the low performance of the innovation system. In Lebanon, the knowledge-based economy is driven by the education system and the entrepreneurship culture, nevertheless the political instability of the country and the weak ICT infrastructure impede its development.Originality/valueThese findings contribute to the clarification and critical analysis of the current state of the knowledge-based economy in Qatar and Lebanon, which would have several policy implications.

Venture capital and the financial crisis in Portugal: the VC managers’ viewpoint

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 1032-1056 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Cabral-Cardoso ◽  
Maria Céu Cortez ◽  
Luísa Lopes
Keyword(s):  
Venture Capital ◽  
Sovereign Debt ◽  
Debt Crisis ◽  
Dynamic Environment ◽  
Small Dimension ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Cumulative Impact ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine, from the venture capital (VC) managers’ perspective, the impact of the international financial and sovereign debt crises on the VC industry in Portugal, and the changes and adjustments VC managers were forced to adopt to their procedures and current practices to cope with these challenges. Design/methodology/approach A two-step research design was adopted to best capture the dynamics of the crisis. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and content analysed. The initial set of interviews with ten VC managers was conducted in 2011, immediately before the country bailout; and the second set in 2013, when the full impact of the debt crisis was being felt. Findings The study shows that the crises had a significant impact on the VC industry producing a complex and dynamic environment with high levels of uncertainty. The VC managers’ contradictory perceptions reflect their own struggle to figure out the best way to deal with the pressures in such a volatile environment where new opportunities may also arise. In general, VC firms became more selective adopting a more prudential attitude and tighter control mechanisms. Originality/value This study contributes to the field by analysing, from the VC managers’ perspective, the cumulative impact of the international financial and sovereign debt crisis on a European VC market with specific features: small dimension of the industry operating in a bank-centred capital market and where family-owned SMEs predominate.

Having a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder in a forensic setting: a qualitative exploration

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 228-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy Jade Lovell ◽  
Gillian Hardy
Keyword(s):  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Power Dynamics ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Forensic Setting

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the lived experience of having a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) in a forensic setting. Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight women with a diagnosis of BPD in private secure units. The interview data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Findings – Four main themes emerged: identity, power, protection and containment, and confusion. The themes of identity, power and protection and containment represented polarised positions which in turn contributed to the theme of confusion. Research limitations/implications – There are limitations to this study mainly the heterogeneous nature of the sample. However, good quality control and the similarities with previous findings indicate that this study makes a valuable contribution to the understanding of BPD in a forensic setting. In addition it has implications for further research; exploring sense of self and the differences between a sample from a community and a sample from a forensic setting with a diagnosis of BPD. Practical implications – For practitioners to acknowledge power dynamics and to be able to formulate and address these with patients with a diagnosis of BPD. Originality/value – This is the first IPA study to ask women with a diagnosis of BPD in a forensic setting what their experience is. It is a qualitative study due to the need to genuinely explore the topic and to provide a basis for others to conduct further research.

scholarly journals Trust initiation and development in SME-university collaborations: implications for enabling engaged scholarship

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fariba Darabi ◽  
Mark N.K. Saunders ◽  
Murray Clark
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Engaged Scholarship ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Knowledge Application ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Maximum Variation Sample ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore trust initiation and development in collaborations between universities and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the implications for enabling engaged scholarship (ES). Design/methodology/approach Adopting a qualitative inductive approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive maximum variation sample comprising 14 SMEs and 12 university stakeholders. Findings The authors highlight the role of calculus-based trust in the initiation of collaborations emphasising the key roles of networking and referrals. As collaborations develop, reciprocal insights regarding stakeholders’ competencies and integrity and the development of knowledge-based trust can support engagement, in particular, knowledge application. Although relationships have a common sense of purpose, a fully engaged campus remains absent. Research limitations/implications This study is based on a collaborative research between eight SMEs and one university business school and does not reflect ES fully as conceptualised. It provides few insights into the role of trust (or distrust) in such collaborations where things go wrong. Practical implications Universities looking to enable ES collaborations with SMEs need to develop and enact strategies which support ongoing engagement and enable identification-based trust (IBT). Recommendations for universities and human resource development regarding interventions to support trust initiation and development to enable knowledge application ES are outlined and suggestions are offered for future research. Social implications University strategies to support the development of trust and, in particular, IBT are likely to benefit longer-term relationships and the development of ES between SMEs and universities. Originality/value Little research has been undertaken on trust initiation and development between academic and SME stakeholders or the associated implications for ES.

How competitiveness factors propel SMEs to achieve competitive advantage?

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 315-338
Author(s):  
Shirzad Farhikhteh ◽  
Ali Kazemi ◽  
Arash Shahin ◽  
Majid Mohammad Shafiee
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Medical Device ◽  
Sales Force ◽  
Sales Promotion ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Stone Cutting

Purpose This paper aims to assess the contribution of competitiveness factors in how small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) would access competitive advantage (CA) by focussing on industry structure and devise a conceptual model thereof. Design/methodology/approach The enterprises from three industries consisting of knowledge-based, single-use medical device producers and construction stone cutting each with different structures were assessed. The method is qualitative and quantitative where grounded theory and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) are applied. The initial survey involves 36 deep semi-structured interviews with some of the top managers of each of the three selected industries and a questionnaire distributed among 158 individuals with 46 structured questions. Findings The findings indicate that the micro-competitiveness factors are more contributive in achieving CA than macro factors as follows: in knowledge-based enterprises, customer relationship management (CRM), goods/services features and knowledge management are the most important variables. As to single-use medical device production industry, the sales force, sales promotion, and CRM are the most effective factors. Regarding construction stone-cutting industry, quality of the stone, sales promotion, and advertisement play the same role. The results of the EFA indicate that the three impressive factors, including capabilities of the enterprises, strategies of the enterprises and macro factors, are the extracted factors. Practical implications The findings here would assist SMEs’ managers in identifying the most essential factors in accessing CA. Originality/value The innovation of this study is that although there exist many studies on SMEs and their CAs, this study seeks the models of CA among SMEs in industries with different structures.

Mitigating knowledge hiding in firms: an exploratory study

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 631-645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atif Saleem Butt
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Senior Managers ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Incentive Policy ◽  
Chain Of Command ◽  
Hiding Behavior ◽  
Knowledge Hiding

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore how firms can mitigate knowledge hiding behavior among their managers.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs a multiple case study methodology for studying nine United Arab Emirates-based (UAE-based) firms. Furthermore, 26 semi-structured interviews with senior managers are undertaken.FindingsBased on the qualitative interviews and comprehensive data analysis, results unveil three strategies that firms can opt for in order to mitigate knowledge hiding behavior among managers (reducing chain of command, developing informal interaction among managers, introducing and implementing incentive policy.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has some limitations. First, the results of this study are not generalizable to a broader population. Second, this study explores behavioral patterns with respect to the UAE culture only.Practical implicationsFirms can use the findings from this study to understand strategies that can help them to mitigate the knowledge hiding behavior of managers.Originality/valueThis study contributes to knowledge hiding literature by revealing strategies which discourages knowledge hiding behavior in firms.

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