scholarly journals Actors, Structure, and Processes: A Review and Conceptualization of Global Work Integrating IB and HRM Research

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 359-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Sebastian Reiche ◽  
Yih-teen Lee ◽  
David G. Allen

As organizations increasingly fulfill their customer needs by getting their work done globally, there is a pressing need for the scientific community to further advance knowledge on global work, especially in terms of how to better conceptualize and integrate it. A particular opportunity for such development involves the cross-fertilization between the international business (IB) and human resource management (HRM) literatures, which serve as the focal domains to study global work phenomena but have treated global work largely as separate research streams. We therefore edited a special issue to contribute to a more integrative understanding of various aspects of global work across both domains. In this opening article, we review existing research on global work in the multinational enterprise from both IB and HRM perspectives. Subsequently, we present a shared conceptualization of global work that helps integrate theoretical and empirical research in both fields. We then introduce the articles in this special issue, before developing an integrative agenda for future research on global work.

The Oxford Handbook of International Business contain articles by distinguished scholars in the field of international business. The authors are all authorities on their chosen topics and have been active as leaders in the Academy of International Business. Their articles survey and synthesize relevant literature of recent years. The book is split into five major sections, providing comprehensive coverage of the following areas: the history and theory of the multinational enterprise; the political and policy environment of international business; strategies of multinational enterprises; the financial areas of the multinational enterprise (marketing, finance and accounting, Human Resource Management [HRM], and innovation); and business systems in Asia, South America, and the transitional economies.


2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 374-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth V. Aguilera ◽  
Ricardo Flores ◽  
Jin Uk Kim

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to critically assess the theoretical underpinnings and extant progress of the research on regional multi-national enterprises (MNEs) and offer a blueprint for future research by re-conceptualizing how (regional) boundaries relate to the international diversification of MNEs. Design/methodology/approach – The paper integrates key insights from the theory of the regional MNE and economic geography to re-orient the treatment of regional borders within international business (IB) literature. Findings – The paper suggests that the (L) component within the ownership location and internalization (OLI) paradigm should be disaggregated into continuous “distance effects” and discrete “border effects”. Within this rubric, regional borders represent discrete border effects that generate discontinuities that are permeable, fluid and firm specific. Such reconceptualization opens up avenues for future research and more tightly integrates the research on regional MNEs with other research streams. Research limitations/implications – IB scholars need to make concerted effort to think of regions as one among several parameters in studying the strategy and structure of MNEs. A stronger focus on internal processes and mechanisms elucidating the main drivers of MNEs strategies is needed. Originality/value – The paper offers innovative ways in which future research can advance the study of how regions matter in the internationalization strategy of MNEs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 607-656
Author(s):  
Sebastian Raetze ◽  
Stephanie Duchek ◽  
M. Travis Maynard ◽  
Bradley L. Kirkman

The interest of organization and management researchers in the resilience concept has steadily grown in recent years. Although there is consensus about the importance of resilience in organizational contexts, many important research questions remain. For example, it is still largely unclear how resilience functions at different levels of analysis in organizations and how these various levels interact. In this special issue, we seek to advance knowledge about the complex resilience construct. For laying a foundation, in this editorial introduction we offer an integrative literature review of previous resilience research at three different levels of analysis (i.e., individual, team, and organization). Furthermore, we demonstrate what is already known about resilience as a multilevel construct and interactions among different resilience levels. Based on the results of our literature review, we identify salient research gaps and highlight some of the more promising areas for future research on resilience. Finally, we present an overview of the articles in this special issue and highlight their contributions in light of the gaps identified herein.


Author(s):  
Kamel Mellahi ◽  
Klaus Meyer ◽  
Rajneesh Narula ◽  
Irina Surdu ◽  
Alain Verbeke

International business strategy is a field where theory continuously seeks to meet business practice. Increasingly, scholars of international business strategy are concerned with the uncertainties and complexities of international operations, especially when firms commit significant resources to foreign markets. Over time, multinational enterprises have evolved in order to manage the challenges in their environments. The contributions in this volume address key remaining challenges and opportunities for the modern multinational enterprise. These contributions include refinements of traditional ideas about the role of firm-specific and country-specific advantages as well as new knowledge around how the heterogeneity observed in international business strategic behavior stems from the size, origin, governance and other characteristics of the firm. Further, we invite the reader to explore new dimensions of international business strategy, in order to understand the strategic implications of digitalization or the increased social pressure placed on MNEs to “do the right thing” and manage international operations responsibly, in ever changing social, economic and institutional environments. Each chapter provides insightful future research directions and implications for management and policy. This collection is a complete Handbook of International Business Strategy that should serve as a knowledge repository for scholars and managers alike.


2011 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 553-572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Friel

This article argues that the incorporation of a revised version of the varieties of capitalism approach into international business literature and institution-based theory in strategy would enable scholars and practitioners to improve their understanding of how individual institutions and combinations thereof provide a basis for developing human resource practices suited to emerging markets. It elaborates on the varieties of capitalism approach by coining the term recessive institution to describe how firms draw on latent institutions to pursue policies not in accord with the dominant institutional context in which they operate. This article draws on the varieties of capitalism approach for Latin America to demonstrate how an industrial district and a large company in Argentina formed a comparative institutional advantage for producing mid-range, high quality products by using recessive institutions. It concludes by highlighting this article’s implications for human resource scholars and executives while also suggesting avenues for future research.


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 403-408
Author(s):  
John R. Turner

The Problem Research matters. Results from research can affect policy, practice, and future research. Taking every precaution to assure that research is conducted ethically, accurately, and correctly is a practice that should be exhibited by all disciplines. Unfortunately, this has not been the case with upward of 40% of published research identified as being nonreproducible. The Solution The first step for any discipline is to be aware that meta-science problems exists and to identify necessary techniques for preventing these problems from occurring. The current Special Issue introduces meta-science to the field of human resource development (HRD) as a step in informing scholars and scholar-practitioners (a) about the potential problems that exists in other disciplines and (b) what steps could be taken to help prevent these problems from occurring in research within the field of HRD. The Stakeholders HRD scholars and scholar-practitioners, collaborators of HRD, researchers, instructors, and students of HRD programs.


Author(s):  
Blagoy Blagoev ◽  
Sara Louise Muhr ◽  
Renate Ortlieb ◽  
Georg Schreyögg

A 40-hour working week is the norm in Europe, yet some organizations require 60 or more working hours and in investment banks an alarming 120-hour weeks are known to be worked. What is more, these organizations often require workers to be permanently on call and demonstrate high production rates. Consequences of such practices include frazzled employees, with their families’ and their own health under pressure. This article introduces our special issue of the German Journal of Human Resource Management. It tackles the many reasons behind excessive work hours and failed attempts to change working time arrangements in organizations. It first identifies three core ideas in previous research, namely the dispersed nature of regimes of excessive working hours, their high levels of persistence and their constitution at multiple levels of analysis. It then summarizes the contributions in this special issue. Finally, it proposes avenues for future research, such as focusing on the genesis and the historicity of organizational working time regimes, studying the interrelation of factors across multiple levels of analysis, and probing new theories to explain the extreme persistence of excessive working hours. The overarching aim of our special issue in this core area of human resource management is to contribute to an understanding of organizational working time regimes and the tenacity of excessive working hours in an effort to deepen our knowledge of how to change them.


Author(s):  
Renato J. Orsato ◽  
Simone R. Barakat ◽  
José Guilherme F. de Campos

Sustainability strategies are choices available to managers to align environmental and social investments with the general strategy of the multinational enterprise (MNE). Opportunities to profit from sustainability strategies are available to MNEs of different sizes, in different sectors and stages of the internationalization process. Return on social and environmental investments depends on internal and external circumstances, which can either facilitate or hinder potential opportunities. This chapter discusses sustainability strategies that MNEs implement in both home countries and foreign host markets. Such strategies are based on the analysis of internal capabilities and of the external environment. More than complying with regulations or responding to stakeholder pressures, firms may proactively develop eco-efficiency strategies that reduce costs and environmental impacts, differentiate products and services based on ecological prerogatives, or develop new value propositions through innovative business models and market development. The chapter proposes a set of future research opportunities sitting at the interface between sustainability strategies and the international business decisions of the MNE.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
George O. White III ◽  
Tazeeb Rajwani ◽  
Thomas C. Lawton

Purpose This paper aims to consider how multinational enterprises are increasingly augmenting their international strategies with insights on, and approaches to, external stakeholders and nonmarket dynamics. The rise of populism and increased geopolitical uncertainty have accelerated these efforts, particularly for business leaders anticipating and engaging external agents, events, and issues that challenge the strategic objectives of their enterprises. Design/methodology/approach This paper aims to explain why the increased preponderance of populism and geopolitical uncertainty are simultaneously posing an existential threat to the post-Cold War global economy predicated on free trade and (relatively) open borders, and consequently, challenging the structures and strategies of international business. Findings We provide an overview of the four papers in our special issue, and consider how each advances insights on how multinational enterprises effectively navigate the nonmarket uncertainties of the contemporary global economy. We then advance four important areas for international business research around multinational nonmarket strategies: (i) resilience and legitimacy; (ii), diversification; (iii), market and nonmarket strategy integration; and (iv), institutional arbitrage. Research limitations/implications We anticipate that nonmarket strategy scholars can build on these themes to assess how nonmarket strategies can better enable multinational enterprises to survive and thrive in an age of heightened global risk and uncertainty. Originality/value This paper and the related special issue provide new theoretical insights by bringing attention to the relatively under-researched realm of multinational enterprise nonmarket strategy, particularly in populist contexts and during periods of geopolitical uncertainty. We identify four promising domains – resilience and legitimacy, diversification, the integration of market and nonmarket strategy, and institutional arbitrage – for international business scholars investigating nonmarket strategy to consider. We hope that our paper, as well as other papers in this special issue, provide further momentum to this growing area of research.


Author(s):  
Endy Gunanto ◽  
Yenni Kurnia Gusti

In this article we present a conceptual of the effect of cross culture on consumer behavior incorporating the impact of globalization. This conceptual idea shows that culture inûuences various domains of consumer behavior directly as well as through international organization to implement marketing strategy. The conceptual identify several factors such as norm and value in the community, several variables and also depicts the impact of other environmental factors and marketing strategy elements on consumer behavior. We also identify categories of consumer culture orientation resulting from globalization. Highlights of each of the several other articles included in this special issue in Asia region. We conclude with the contributions of the articles in terms of the consumer cultural orientations and identify directions for future research.


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