Turning expatriates’ cultural intelligence into strategic advantage

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 131-136
Author(s):  
Aideen O’Byrne
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Cultural Intelligence ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Host Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Intercultural Adaptation ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to discuss the importance of cultural intelligence for expatriates and offer several recommendations for human resources professionals to help enhance expatriates’ performance. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a review of relevant literature and in-depth interviews with 12 experienced expatriates who had collectively completed 39 assignments across 26 different host countries. The participants represent ten ethnicities and seven industries. Findings The expatriates used all four types of cultural intelligence while on assignment and found those to be critical for their success. Practical implications Human resources professionals are advised to actively screen for cultural intelligence when selecting expatriates for assignment; develop expatriates’ cultural intelligence in a holistic, ongoing manner; and involve external professionals as needed to support expatriates’ success. Originality/value Much of the past research on intercultural adaptation and cultural intelligence has been quantitative in nature and based on student populations. This paper provides detailed insights in the participants’ own words regarding the way cultural intelligence promotes intercultural adaptation and success on assignment.

Challenges and opportunities with H-2B visas: can luxury resorts survive without them?

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marketa Kubickova ◽  
Rebecca Neal
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Employee Perspective ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Human Labor ◽  
The Many ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Adequate Staffing

Purpose This study aims to provide a deeper look into why luxury resorts engage in the H-2B visa program and the opportunities and challenges from the human resources employee perspective. Adequate staffing is a well-documented challenge for luxury resorts due to their location, seasonality and access to qualified labor. Many resorts turn to the H-2B non-immigrant visa to mitigate the issue. Design/methodology/approach This study consists of in-depth interviews with human resource employees. An additional survey centering on descriptive statistics, the level of engagement, cost and experience with H-2B visa programs was collected. Findings The findings of this study provide a deeper understanding why luxury resorts use H-2B employees in their operations. The results shed a deeper light on issues centering around the H-2B visa process, its uncertainty, cost and complexity. Practical implications Temporary H-2B workers are essential to the success of resort operation. Collaboration between the resort management and government agencies is essential as strategic solutions must be implemented. Resorts must explore diversified recruitment opportunities and the use of technology while keeping human labor in the center of its core operation. Originality/value The first exploratory study providing a deeper look into the many challenges’ luxury resorts face when using the H-2B visa program from the human resources employee perspective. A call for change is being made as the respondents established the need for H-2B workers, however, the system in place makes it difficult to obtain such employees and to continue resort operations.

Is emotional labour a positive experience for teachers? A qualitative study

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiji Lyndon ◽  
Preeti S. Rawat ◽  
Darshana Pawar
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Regulation ◽  
Service Industry ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Emotional Labour ◽  
Higher Educational ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeEmotional labour is an important area of research in organizational psychology especially in the context of service industry. Past research in this area has primarily focused on the negative consequences of emotional labour. The present study is carried out to explore whether professors working in higher educational institutes experience emotional labour and how does it impact them.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted a qualitative approach. Twenty in-depth interviews were conducted.FindingsThree broad themes emerged from the study: (1) work environment leading to emotional labour (2) factors facilitating emotional regulation and (3) consequences of emotional labour. The findings revealed that the consequences of emotional labour are context specific and in the context of educational setting, it has interesting positive outcomes.Practical implicationsThe findings of the study provide critical insights regarding how to deal with employees who experience emotional labour at work.Originality/valueThe study adopts an inductive approach to explore the experiences of emotional labour of professors in higher educational institutes.

Benchmarking of best practices: an overview of the academic literature

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 750-774 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vinicius Ferreira de Castro ◽  
Enzo Morosini Frazzon
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Data Envelopment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pagerank Algorithm ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
The Past ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to overview the academic literature on benchmarking of best practices tracking the most important articles and understanding the similarity between studies. Design/methodology/approach The most relevant articles were identified using techniques such as the PageRank algorithm and co-citation maps. An analysis of the most relevant articles presents the main concepts, methods and updated discussions on this research field. Findings The analysis of academic output substantiates the increase in the production of articles on this research topic. There were identified two main clusters of co-cited articles, one related to data envelopment analysis (DEA) and other that presents a wide variation of methods for benchmarking. There are important critiques towards the past research on benchmarking of best practices, yet, new DEA approaches seem to address most of the criticized issues. Practical implications From time to time, a review of the literature of a certain field of knowledge is useful for other researchers to identify and organize its main theories, new trends, most relevant works, influent authors and important publications. Originality/value This paper delivers two important values: the updated discussion on benchmarking of best practices, clearing both DEA and non-DEA studies; and the methods adopted to systematically review the literature, which is original on this field of research.

Indicators of having a micro-family takaful plan amongst low-income earners

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hafizuddin-Syah Bangaan Abdullah ◽  
Rubayah Yakob ◽  
Sajiah Yakob ◽  
Nuratikah Syafiqah Sharif
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
The Past ◽  
Employed Women ◽  
Comprehensive Measurement ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Participation in micro-family takāful plans amongst low-income earners remains low despite the various initiatives promoted by the Malaysian Government. Therefore, this study aims to conduct an in-depth examination on the indicators of having micro-takaful tafakul in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach Questionnaires were distributed to respondents residing in Selangor, the state with the highest recorded percentage of low-income earners in Malaysia. Regression analysis was conducted in this study. Demographic characteristics and knowledge were treated as the independent variables, whereas the tendency of having a micro-family takāful plan was considered the dependent variable. Findings Gender and knowledge on the benefits of micro-family takāful plans have significant and positive effects on the tendency of having a micro-family takāful plan. Married and employed women are more likely to own a micro-family takāful plan compared with their male counterparts. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to the growing literature on the research of micro-takāful determinants in Malaysia. Practical implications Industry players and regulators need to tailor the operating and marketing strategies of micro-family takāful plans based on the gender and knowledge of potential participants. The industry may also improve the features of takāful plans to ensure that they are even more attractive and comprehensive. Originality/value This study offers a much deeper analysis compared with past research owing to the identified dimensions of a demographic factor that can influence the tendency of having micro-family takāful plans. Besides, this study offers a comprehensive measurement of the knowledge on micro-family takāful plans by considering all aspects (i.e. concept, importance and benefit) of these plans. Moreover, this study examines the influence of each element of knowledge on the tendency of having a micro-family takāful plans, a topic that was rarely studied in the past.

The evolution of the customer delight construct

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwin N. Torres ◽  
Giulio Ronzoni
Keyword(s):  
Past Research ◽  
Service Industries ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Human Needs ◽  
The Past ◽  
New Instrument ◽  
Customer Delight ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The present research aims to summarize the literature on customer delight, identify trends and debates, create an instrument to measure delight and propose directions for future research. Design/methodology/approach A comprehensive review of the literature has been undertaken. Flowing from a variety of conceptual, qualitative and quantitative articles, operational measures have been identified, and an instrument to measure customer delight has been proposed. Findings Past research on customer delight identified various emotions that trigger delight, as well as human needs, traits and behaviors associated with delightful experiences, and features of the service experience commonly related to delight. On the basis of these findings, the researchers have developed an instrument to measure customer delight. Practical implications The proposed instrument enables managers to measure customer delight in various service settings. Measuring and attaining higher levels of customer delight can help generate greater loyalty as compared to customer satisfaction. Originality/value The authors unify the conceptualization and measurement of customer delight and create a new instrument to measure the construct. Similarities and debates in the past research are identified, and directions for the future of customer delight are presented. Future studies can further test and validate the presented instrument in various service industries.

Unmanned vehicles while becoming smaller and smarter are addressing new applications in medical, agriculture, in addition to military and security

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Bloss
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Vehicles ◽  
Washington Dc ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Unmanned Vehicle ◽  
Security Applications ◽  
The Past ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
New Applications ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – Review of the most recent unmanned vehicle show in Washington DC with emphasis on the new robot innovations and applications on display. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – In-depth interviews with exhibitors of unmanned vehicles and suppliers of other related equipment and support services. Findings – Unmanned vehicles are moving rapidly into new applications such as agriculture, environmental monitoring and medical along with maintaining their importance in the traditional military and security applications of the past. Practical implications – Customers will be surprised at the innovations making these robotic vehicles smaller, smarter and more adaptable to a wide range of new applications. Originality/value – A review of some of the latest innovations and applications for unmanned vehicles that one might have seen if they had been on the exhibition floor at the most recent Washington DC unmanned vehicle show.

Consumer value creation through WhatsApp use

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 455-471
Author(s):  
Jorge Cruz-Cárdenas ◽  
Jorge Guadalupe-Lanas ◽  
Ekaterina Zabelina ◽  
Andrés Palacio-Fierro ◽  
Margarita Velín-Fárez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Instant Messaging ◽  
Role Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Value ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand in-depth how consumers create value in their lives using WhatsApp, the leading mobile instant messaging (MIM) application. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts the perspective of customer-dominant logic (CDL) and uses a qualitative multimethod design involving 3 focus groups and 25 subsequent in-depth interviews. The research setting was Ecuador, a Latin American country. Findings Analysis and interpretation of the participants’ stories made it possible to identify and understand the creation of four types of value: maintaining and strengthening relationships; improving role performance; emotional support; and entertainment and fun. In addition, the present study proposes a conceptual model of consumer value creation as it applies to MIM. Practical implications Understanding the way consumers create value in their lives using MIM is important not only for organizations that offer MIM applications, but also for those companies that develop other applications for mobile phones or for those who wish to use MIM as an electronic word-of-mouth vehicle. Originality/value The current study is one of the first to address the topic of consumer behavior in the use of technologies from the perspective of CDL; this perspective enables an integrated qualitative vision of value creation in which the consumer is the protagonist.

Investigating interdependencies of sustainable supplier selection criteria: an appraisal using ISM

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avanish Singh Chauhan ◽  
Gaurav Kumar Badhotiya ◽  
Gunjan Soni ◽  
Prem Kumari
Keyword(s):  
Supplier Selection ◽  
Selection Criteria ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Pollution Prevention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Micmac Analysis ◽  
Sustainable Supplier Selection ◽  
Social Environmental ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Because of the increased global competition and the need for environment consciousness, organisations have started focusing on incorporating sustainability dimensions into suppler selection criteria. In the past decade, sustainable supplier selection has received much attention from researchers as well as industry practitioners. The purpose of this paper is to identify various sustainable supplier selection criteria (SSSC) and underlying interdependencies among prominent selection criteria to develop a framework for sustainability dimensions. Design/methodology/approach The sustainable criteria for supplier selection were established through comprehensive literature review. An interpretive structural modelling (ISM) approach is used to investigate the interrelationships among these criteria. Findings A total of 21 SSSC under 3 dimensions (social, environmental and economic) are established. Ten criteria related to quality, capability, flexibility, waste management, pollution prevention, local community, employment practice, labour, etc. are exhibiting strong driving as well as dependence power, as demonstrated through ISM and matriced’ impacts croises-multiplication applique’ and classement (MICMAC) analysis. The findings show that delivery/service, eco design and rights of stakeholders are the “key” criteria having a high-driving and low-dependence power. These criteria require high attention from managers, while other criteria having low-driving and high-dependence power require secondary actions. Research limitations/implications The inter-relations for the development of ISM model and MICMAC analysis were obtained through the opinion of industry experts and academicians, which may tend to be subjectively biased. Further exploration is proposed to statistically validate the developed interdependency model. Practical implications This paper might act as a reference for the supplier development managers of organisations by providing an appraisal of various SSSC based on their interdependencies. Originality/value This study contributes to the knowledge base by proposing a framework of the interrelationships of the SSSC and also provides an additional perspective for managing these criteria based on ISM.

FINRA’s disciplinary actions in 2017: increased restitution ordered with minimal changes in number of cases

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-23
Author(s):  
Brian Rubin ◽  
Adam Pollet
Keyword(s):  
Money Laundering ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Disciplinary Actions ◽  
Financial Industry ◽  
Electronic Communications ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Expert Analysis ◽  
Research Analysts ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (FINRA) 2017 disciplinary actions, the issues that resulted in the most significant fines and restitution and the emerging enforcement trends from 2017 and beyond. Design/methodology/approach The approach of this paper discusses the disciplinary actions in 2017 and prior years, details the top 2017 enforcement issues measured by total fines assessed, including anti-money laundering, trade reporting, electronic communications, books and records, research analysts and research reports, and explains current enforcement trends, including restitution, suitability cases and technological issues. Findings In 2017, restitution more than doubled from the prior year, resulting in the fourth highest total sanctions (fines combined with restitution and disgorgement) assessed by FINRA over the past 10 years. Practical implications Firms and their representatives should heed the trends in both the substantial restitution FINRA is ordering and the related enforcement issues in the cases FINRA has brought. Originality/value This paper provides expert analysis and guidance from experienced securities enforcement lawyers.

Haunted by the past: transformations and daily challenges of China's prosthetics

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-124
Author(s):  
Chunchun Wang
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Institutional Pressures ◽  
Rehabilitation Center ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Daily Experiences ◽  
History Of ◽  
Depth Interviews

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the transformations of prosthetic practices in China, as well as the daily experiences and dilemmas arising from the everchanging practices since 1949. On the basis of materials, this paper explores an everyday perspective to review the history of technology.Design/methodology/approachEthnography was collected with the application of participant observations, informal interviews and in-depth interviews during a 13-months study at a rehabilitation center in Chengdu, China. The literature on prosthetic manufacturing was also reviewed for this paper.FindingsChina's prosthetic technology seems to evolve from traditional to modern. However, this progressive narrative – innovation-based timeline (Edgerton, 2006, xi) – has been challenged by daily practices. Due to institutional pressures, prosthetists are in a dilemma of selectively using their knowledge to create one kind of device for all prosthesis users with a certain kind of disability, thereby regulating the physical and social experiences of prosthesis users. Besides, prosthesis users are accustomed to prostheses made with old techniques, and must correct themselves from old experiences to the daily practices recognized by the selected techniques.Originality/valueThis paper provides a cross-cultural case to reexamine Edgerton's criticism of the progressive and orderly innovation-centric technological narrative. More importantly, it reviews the history and practices of China's prosthetics from daily experiences rather than Edgerton's concentration on technology; therefore, it provides an everyday perspective for future research on technological transformations.

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