Increasing productivity in the Big 4: a research note

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to examine the idea of increasing employee productivity and retention within the Big 4 accounting firms through the inclusion of sleeping pods to allow napping. Design/methodology/approach – I have reviewed multiple sources of information and data including Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development data to conclude that allowing napping within Big 4 accounting firms could increase productivity. Findings – As a research note suggesting future research, I am hoping that future research shall find support for the idea that there may be a relationship between being well rested and increase in performance. Practical implications – Higher quality of workers will increase their productivity and the company’s profits. Conservative leaders in large audit firms may reject the idea of incorporating “energy pods”. New ideas always come with push back and criticism. Originality/value – Big 4 firms have developed a working system that could be improved to remove the negative stigma of overworking their employees. The value this research strives to reveal is a structure that reduces turnover and increases retention after two years. “Energizing pods” have been introduced into technology and airline companies. Taking naps in a fast-paced, stressful work environment is not common, but it is a concept that should further explored for the sake of business professionals.

The effects of culture on leadership styles in China, Germany and Russia

Purpose – This study aims to examine how the leadership styles in the business world of paternalistic China, imperative Germany and authoritative Russia are affected by the distinguishing cultures of each country. Design/methodology/approach – The information contained throughout this paper was collected through online research of databases as well as primary data collections. Findings – The findings showed that leadership styles of a country can be traced back to the culture values of that country. Even with all countries having a different culture and different leadership styles, in each one both constructs strongly overlap each other. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the narrow comparisons of leadership styles between these countries. Value is added by studying the separate leadership styles in very different cultures, and how they affect the business world in their culture.

Intelligence and job satisfaction in the USA and China

Purpose – This study aims to evaluate both intelligence and job satisfaction of workers in the USA and China. Each topic will be studied individually, first, to determine the relationship between intelligence and job satisfaction. The statistics between China and the USA will then be compared and contrasted to assess how different cultures will affect emotional intelligence and job satisfaction of those in the workforce. Design/methodology/approach – A review of the empirical studies on intelligence and job satisfaction was performed and used to develop a model to guide future research. Findings – There is a negative relationship between intelligence and job satisfaction in the USA, but no studies have been done to compare both constructs cross-culturally. Research limitations/implications – The proposed study can be used to gain an understanding of the relationship between intelligence and job satisfaction across different cultures. Practical implications – The link between job satisfaction and intelligence can be used by employers to determine information about other aspects of their business, such as turnover rates of productive employees. Originality/value – Although there has been some research on the relation between intelligence and job satisfaction, notably by Ganzach (1998), very little has been done across cultures.

Cross-cultural, values and ethics differences and similarities between the US and Asian countries

Purpose – This article aims to investigate the differences and similarities among cross-cultural, values and ethics between the USA and Asian countries. This article analyzes the degree of cultural distance between USA and Asian countries and the impact it has in companies. It examines the comparison between the USA and China’s value system. It also assesses how idealism and relativism impact individual ethical decision-making. In addition, this article examines the impact that globalization, foreign direct investment (FDI) and trade have in the Chinese culture and other countries. Design/methodology/approach – The data for this research paper were collected from the following models: Ethics Position Questionnaire of Forsyth, Rokeach Values Survey, Hofstede model, GLOBE model and Wilcoxon test. The main sources used for this research were the Journal of Technology Management in China and the EBSCO database. Findings – The research found that Western cultures tend to be more individualistic, while Asian countries tend to be very collective. This study also found that the type of value system that each culture holds depends on the type of government. This research also found that researchers have discovered that American managers are more loyal to their ethical beliefs, rather than to their superior’s or company’s ethical beliefs. While eastern Asian cultures focus more on the importance of acting in the best interests of the company’s superior. The study also found that it is extremely important for foreigners to build a relationship with Chinese business professionals before they do business negotiations. In addition, the study found that globalization, FDI and trade do make a significant cultural difference in some cultural dimensions. Originality/value – It contributes to the literature by analyzing the different measurements in value, ethics and cultural differentiation. This research wants to demonstrate the importance of cultural differences, ethics and values across different countries and cultures. It also provides factual evidence that it’s important to understand these differences to be a successful global manager. In addition, it contributes to this literature by analyzing the effect that globalization, FDI and trade have in national cultures.

A retail perspective on the shopping behavior, cultures and personalities for China, United Arab Emirates, Belgium, India, Germany and America

Purpose – This study aims to examine the shopping behaviors (online and in store), cultures and personalities of consumers within China, Belgium, India and Germany, and compares them to American shopping behaviors and to each other. Design/methodology/approach – The data were collected through literature research and personality, cultural and shopping behavior research was assessed via surveys, while customer service oriented behaviors were measured through direct observation and survey methods using structured questionnaires and other approaches for data collection. Findings – The findings showed implications of anticipating consumer’s behavioral responses, as well as the cultural and personality differences. The findings may help retailers with strategic business strategies to assess what attracts consumers the most and the least and then use this advantage to become successful internationally. Originality/value – The current study is original, in that it uses multiple methods to collect data allowing for comparison across shopping industry groups including retail managers and even consumers themselves. Primary data of this type are difficult to obtain in China. This study contributes to the literature by showing that different industries may have different requirements in terms of the relationship between personalities and customer service levels among managers.

Health care infrastructure amenities – an empirical examination of Indian perspective

Purpose – Health is an important issue in our life. A person with good health will have peace of mind and will be able to contribute to nation-building. We cannot expect performance from an ill person with a low morale. In the present paper, the authors tried to understand the ground realities of health-care facilities provided in India and more specifically in Odisha, India. Design/methodology/approach – This empirical paper used a non-experimental design to test a proposed model based on a review of relevant literature. In this paper, an initial pilot study was conducted by taking 44 various variables; however, after the study and taking the expert opinion, the variables were restricted to only 30. For the purpose of study, only state-sponsored hospitals were considered on a random sampling method. Findings – The analysis of data is conducted on a simple percentage method with closed-end options. It is found that even after 67 years of independence, people do not have access to basic medical care facilities in the rural areas and to some extent in semi-urban areas also. The major stumbling block is inadequate infrastructure in these hospitals. Research limitations/implications – While this study offers some insight into the status of healthcare infrastructure in rural India, the sample was limited to respondents in state-sponsored hospitals, which may not represent the views about private hospitals. Practical implications – It seems that in some interior areas of Odisha, people rely more on their fate than then these health-care services. Social implications – Various governments claim that they are spending millions of rupees on health-care service, but the benefits are not being felt by the masses. We are sure that our attempt to highlight the scenario of health-care services in the state of Odisha will be an eye opener and will compel the various stake holders to introspect their involvement in the health-care services provided in these areas. Originality/value – A considerable amount of research has been done evaluating the status of healthcare in India, but this is the first empirical research study to date based on respondents from the rural parts of the state of Odisha in India. Some of these areas are not reachable to researchers due to the poor infrastructure. This contribution is also of special importance amid the recent criticism of the healthcare infrastructure in India by prominent management scholars.

Understanding and overcoming business etiquette differences in Japan, Turkey, and the United States of America

Purpose – This paper aims to utilize both Forsythe’s Ethics position questionnaire and the Big-5 Mini-Markers ten-item personality scale to analyze their relevance in determining business etiquette differences in three nations. Design/methodology/approach – Samples from Japan (n = 73), Turkey (n = 95) and the USA (n = 128) were surveyed using these two resources. Generally, the results of these surveys support the research presented in this paper characterizing the USA as idealistic with a focus on individualism, while Japan stresses respect and agreeableness. Findings – Interestingly, members of the Turkey sample found it inappropriate to reveal views on ethics, and failed to answer several questions. In turn, the 0.069 level of significance of the regression formula for the Turkey analyses did not meet the less than or equal to 0.05 level to declare a relationship as significant. Research limitations/implications – This research discusses whether Forsythe or the Big-5 Mini-Markers surveys provide relevant information to companies that are looking to educate employees on challenges when interacting in a global market. By looking at several aspects to the typical business meeting – from the initial handshake to how to properly exchange business cards – each country has developed a specific set of cultural norms. By incorporating the results of Forsythe and Big-5 Mini-Markers surveys, a comprehensive approach is being used to present the differences. Originality/value – The resulting paper is a detailed analysis focusing on the behavioral and ethical reasons why a particular nation might stress certain business etiquette procedures more than another. A business that understands these core differences gains a worldly perspective and the power to succeed in the international market.

The rise of Taiwan in the TFT-LCD industry

Purpose – This study aims to refocus the analysis of global political economies using concepts from studies on Varieties of Capitalism (VoC) to track Taiwan’s rise in the Thin Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display (TFT-LCD) industry. Taiwanese electronics firms began to outpace their competitors from Japan in TFT-LCD industry’s competition from about the year 2000. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on depth interviews and analysis of secondary source material, newspaper and magazine. Findings – A time factor that helps determine advantage and/or disadvantage of high-tech industry in Japan and Taiwan. Stable organizational structure and less talent mobility in the Japanese TFT-LCD firms may well have been an advantage initially in the transformation process from US firms’ experimental technologies to tacit mass production technologies, but proved to be a disadvantage in the subsequent competition with more mobile talent in Taiwanese firms eager to standardize mass production techniques. Japanese firms’ rigid organizational structure could not keep pace to the market-oriented technology strategy in the global TFT-LCD industry, lost competitive advantage in a rapid pace. Social implications – VoC literature should be focused to highlight two insights. The first is the premise of institutional forms specific to national models of capitalism. Patterns of technology transfer appear critical in the innovation process, and differ markedly between Taiwan and Japan. Second, the VoC literature suggests comparative institutional advantage. Originality/value – Through the comparative analyses between Taiwanese capitalism model and Japanese counterparts, we can understand the reason and process of the rise of Taiwan in global TFT-LCD market.