Evidence of reverse brain drain in selected Asian countries: human resource management lessons for Malaysia

Reverse brain drain (RBD) is a fertile area to examine in the inter-countries movement of professionals. The basic idea of RBD is that the professionals who migrated to the industrialized nations represent potential human resources for the socioeconomic development of their home countries. It is argued that every ‘brain drain’ is a potential ‘brain gain’ for a country. However, there is inconclusive evidence on the best practices of RBD that may become lessons for any country to adopt in tapping the valuable experiences of the intellectual elites. Using ‘human capital theory’ and ’diffusion of innovation theory’, this conceptual paper specifically aims i) to illustrate evidence of the best practices of RBD in selected Asian developing countries of South Korea, Taiwan, China, and India that have commended track records in dealing with RBD; and ii) to suggest strategies for Malaysia, which is a beginner in developing the RBD programs, to adopt the best practices as experienced by the selected countries

Knowledge transfer between expatriates and host country nationals: contribution of individual and social capital factors

This paper presents a study on the contribution of individual factors (cultural intelligence and feedback-seeking behaviour) and social capital factors (shared vision and trust) on knowledge transfer between expatriates and host country nationals (HCNs) as perceived by expatriates. The study adopted Social Capital Theory, and Anxiety and Uncertainty Management Theory to support the theoretical framework of the investigation. Data were analysed from a sample of 90 expatriates from selected universities and multinational corporations (MNCs) in the area of Klang Valley, Malaysia. The results reveal that there is a positive relationship between individual factors as well as social capital factors and knowledge transfer. In addition, only shared vision shows a significant influence on knowledge transfer. The regression results disclose that the variables explain 24.1% of variance in knowledge transfer

Technology Capability and the Internationalization of New Ventures

This study investigates the impact of technological capability and the combination of technological capability, networking capability and financial capital on growth strategies adopted by new ventures in China. Technological capability needs leveraging through the process of combining with other capabilities. The results show that the interaction between technological capability and networking capability increases the possibility that a new venture chooses an internationalisation strategy. Technology capability provides a base to allow networks to have a positive impact on internationalisation strategies. The findings from the study provide a better understanding of technology capability and its impact on internationalisation strategies. This study also generates some important implications for high-tech new ventures in emerging economies

Clusters and Upgrading: a Purposeful Approach

We develop a theoretical model to investigate how backward societies can improve their upgrading capabilities by transforming existing industrial agglomerations into dynamic clusters. Our main assumptions are two: first, emerging market economies are not uniform but characterized by variety of subnational regional and sectoral organizational and institutional configurations; second, the basic building block and unit of explanation in social sciences is personal action guided by some intention, which is heterogeneous across different actors. Based on these assumptions and the literature on human motives and social networks, we develop a purposeful approach to clusters and upgrading. We argue that governments can develop institutions with private actors that facilitate new types of relationships and improve the access local firms have to a variety of knowledge resources, a key ingre­dient to upgrading. We illustrate this argument revisiting the literature on clusters and upgrading in Latin America and using two case studies in Argentina, a country better known for its volatility and lack of optimal social capital and institutions. We conclude with avenues for further research

Sovereign Credit Rating Announcements and Baltic Stock Markets

This study examines whether sovereign credit rating announcements convey price relevant information to investors in Baltic stock markets, and tests the degree of anticipation and price reaction. Event study methodology is employed to test for the price impact of sovereign credit rating announcements by Moody’s, S&P, and Fitch. This enables to analyse whether there is an anticipation of the forthcoming announcement in a particular market, a price impact on the announcement day, and a possible delayed reaction. Results indicate that there is an asymmetric reaction: the price impact of negative events is several times larger than that of positive events. Moreover, although some types of rating announcements are anticipated, there is still a significant price impact on the announcement day. The impact differs across the three Baltic stock markets, and depends on the credit rating agency issuing the announcement. The main conclusion is that sovereign credit rating announcements contain pricing relevant news in addition to information already in a public domain

Perception of Country of Brand Origin and Country of Product Manufacturing Among Lithuanians and Emigrants From Lithuania

Though the issue of product country of origin has been researched by numerous researchers, due to globalization, currently consumers have more problems perceiving the country of origin than ever before. This brings marketing specialists back to the discussion of the topic once again, with emphasis on a distinction between the country of manufacturing origin and the country of brand origin. The impact of country of manufacturing and country of brand image varies from country to country under the influence of numerous impact factors, often summarized within a culture or subcultures. One type of such subcultures could be formed by immigrants, whose perceptions might include aspects of their home country combined with those of the host country. The main purpose of this paper was to evaluate the attitudes of Lithuanians who live in Lithuania (as a country of an emerging economy) and those of emigrants living in selected countries (Ireland, the United Kingdom and Finland) with regard to the importance of country of origin. Three brands were selected for the research – Panasonic, LG and BEKO, and three different cases were presented to the respondents. First, both the brand name (Panasonic) and the manufacturing country (the United Kingdom) were associated with a developed country. In the second case, country of brand origin (LG) was identified as a developed country while country of manufacture represented an emerging economy (Poland). Finally, an emerging economy of the country of brand origin (BEKO) and an emerging economy of the country of manufacturing (Turkey) were dealt with.Findings provide evidence that, in general, more developed countries had a better image as countries – manufacturers of TV sets than less developed countries (emerging economies). Analysis of opinions about country of brand origin revealed that brands from developed countries were evaluated better than those from emerging economies. In addition, analysis showed that respondents who live in an emerging economy have more positive attitude towards the surveyed brands compared with Lithuanian emigrants to developed countries. Finally, strong correlation was found between the evaluation of a brand and evaluation of the country of brand origin, while there was no correlation between evaluation of a brand and evaluation of country of manufacturing

Self-monitoring, Cultural Training and Prior International Work Experience as Predictors of Cultural Intelligence - a Study of Indian Expatriates

The present study examined the role of self-monitoring, expatriate training, and prior international work experience on the cultural intelligence of expatriates. The data was collected from 223 Indian expatriates through a questionnaire survey. The results of data analysis indicated that self-monitoring has a significant impact on the cultural intelligence of the expatriates. Further analysis was done to examine the effect of these independent variables on individual dimensions of cultural intelligence. The findings signify that self-monitoring has a significant effect on all the three cultural dimensions, namely, cognitive, emotional/motivational and behavioral, and that expatriate training has a significant impact on the emotional/motivational dimension, but not on the other two. Prior international work experience was found not to have a significant effect on cultural intelligence and its dimensions. These findings provide significant insights into organizations for selecting and training the expatriates leading to their effective adjustment and performance in a different culture context. This paper contributes to expatriate management literature highlighting the effect of personality variables along with expatriate training. Further, it is a contribution to the research in cultural intelligence which is a relatively nascent area of research

How Sexualised Images in Advertisements Influence the Attention and Preference of Consumers with a Modern View

This paper aims to determine how using sexualised images in advertisements influences the attention and preference of consumers with a modern attitude towards gender stereotypes. This research used a methodological approach based on eye tracking of the perception of advertising images – an eye-tracking study measured how the general attitudes towards gender roles mediate attention. A control question for attitudes towards gender stereotypes was used. The degree of preference for advertising was also examined in the study. The results show that sexual stimuli are not more eye-catching than non-sexual, as sexual advertisements do not capture attention faster and are not viewed for a longer time than non-sexual advertisements. The originality and value of the study lies in the fact that the article supports the right marketing decisions to overcome gender stereotypes in advertising, to avoid advertising errors associated with unjustified sexualisation and eroticisation of visual advertising images and models. It also suggests directions for future research on various aspects of gender stereotypes in advertising