Human Resources in the Future: An Obstacle or a Champion of Globalization?

[Excerpt] There seems to be a wide ranging agreement among HR scholars and practitioners alike that HR in the Future will be increasingly global. Virtually no firms, large or small, irrespective of industries, are today shielded from the impact of globalization. Competitive threats and, in particular, opportunities are more and more global. The ever expanding scope of global competition is forcing a continuous reexamination of how Human Resources can best support the rapid pace of business globalization

E-Learning as a Cultural Artifact. An empirical study of Iranian Virtual Institutions

Choice, design and use of technology in education settings can be dependent on culturally embedded norms, i.e., assumptions about the nature of knowledge, ways of communications, kinds of teaching and learning strategies\ud and methods, etc. By discussing the culturally inscribed norms in this article, it is argued that on the design and use of e-learning in the perspective of globalization it is critically important to recognize, understand and thus take into account the cultural situatedness. Drawing on the literature, we present a model of culturalpedagogical paradigms in higher education in general and e-learning in particular. We use this model to explore cultural-pedagogical orientations in Iranian Virtual Institutions as an instance of a developing country. This is done in a comparative perspective, looking for similarities of the teacher’s and learner’s points of view

Does globalization restrict budgetary autonomy? A multidimensional approach

Does globalization restrict the leeway for national budgetary policy? With the help of cluster and discriminant analysis this study provides evidence on the basis of the experience of OECD countries since the 1970s. Four budgetary dimensions are included in the analysis: tax structure, expenditure structure, public debt and budget size. Globalization as a potential driving force for changes in government finance is identified in form of variables on the existence of capital and current account restrictions, on the exposure to international trade and the exchange rate regime. The results suggest that globalization does indeed matter for government budgets. However, substantial room for an individual national policy particularly in regard to expenditure structure and public debt is left. --Fiscal Policy,Tax Competition,Globalization,Cluster Analysis,Discriminant Analysis

Global Human Resource Metrics

[Excerpt] What is the logic underlying global human resources (HR) measurement in your organization? In your organization, do you measure the contribution of global HR programs to organizational performance? Do you know what is the most competitive employee mix, e.g., proportion of expatriates vs. local employees, for your business units? (How) do you measure the cost and value of the different types of international work performed by your employees? In the globalized economy, organizations increasingly derive value from human resources, or “talent” as we shall also use the term here (Boudreau, Ramstad & Dowling, in press). The strategic importance of the workforce makes decisions about talent critical to organizational success. Informed decisions about talent require a strategic approach to measurement. However, measures alone are not sufficient, for measures without logic can create information overload, and decision quality rests in substantial part on the quality of measurements. An important element of enhanced global competitiveness is a measurement model for talent that articulates the connections between people and success, as well as the context and boundary conditions that affect those connections. This chapter will propose a framework within which existing and potential global HR measures can be organized and understood. The framework reflects the premise that measures exist to support and enhance decisions, and that strategic decisions require a logical connection between decisions about resources, such as talent, and the key organizational outcomes affected by those decisions. Such a framework may provide a useful mental model for both designers and users of HR measures

"The Extended Panda's Thumb and a New Global Financial Architecture"

An evolutionary theory of international financial institutions is developed and two broad types of possible (evolutionary) equilibrium Global Financial Architectures(GFAs) are identified. The first is called an overarching type, exemplified by the classical gold standard and the defunct Bretton Woods system. The second is called a hybrid form that allows for the existence and coevolution of some Regional Financial Architectures(RFAs) as well. The changing roles of the IMF and national economic policies are examined within these two possible financial architectures under globalization It is found that from an evolutionary perspective, a hybrid form with a reformed IMF and regional cooperation through appropriately designed RFAs can create the best possible institutional and policy environment for financial stability and sustained growth .An evolutionary argument, called "the extended panda's thumb", is advanced to establish the possibility of adapting many existing institutions including the IMF, for creating a hybrid GFA. The tentative steps taken towards regional cooperation in Asia after the financial crisis are discussed to illustrate the opportunities and challenges posed by the need to evolve towards a hybrid GFA.

HUMAN RESOURCES MOTIVATION - A CHALLENGE FOR SMES ECONOMIC PERFORMANCES

The present research aims to establish and configurate human resources development strategies for the employees of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that activate in the tourism field of activity (hotels and other accomodation establishments, restaurants, passenger trasnport, travel agencies, cultural turism agencies). As knowledge role in the contemporany economy is increasing and defining the economical and social context as knowledge-based ones, we shall consider the research frame as the knowledge-based economy. Moreover, in order to better highlight weaknesses and strenghts of the human resources management approaches and to define recommendations, our research theme is developped as comparative study: similarities and differences within SMEs human resources management practices in Romania and other European Union's country members (the example of Spain was considered).human resources, motivation, profitability, SMEs, tourism

Using new literatures as a resource in fostering cross cultural awareness

This paper is based on the premise that the wealth of new literatures in English that are available in several countries of Asia and South East Asia today can serve not only to provide students access to the rich and varied cultural life of the people in these settings, but also help develop in them sensitivity and empathy towards other cultures. Given that English no longer belongs to any one nation or culture, and is increasingly being used in numerous multilingual and multicultural settings worldwide, it is fast becoming ‘re-nationalised’ (McKay 2000), as it takes on new cultural associations, experiences and values. In teaching English as an international language (EIL), therefore, it no longer makes sense to place an exclusive focus on target culture knowledge alone. The paper makes a strong case for including other cultural materials, especially those from Asian and South East Asian literature, in the selection of content and topics for textbooks constructed for use in EFL/ESL contexts, with a particular focus on fostering cross-cultural tolerance and understanding, a neglected area in ELT. Further, the paper goes on to illustrate how texts from these new literatures may be used in promoting cross-cultural understanding in the language classroom. Only recently has cross–cultural understanding begun to receive the kind of attention it deserves in the realm of EFL and ESL teaching/learning. Indeed, for a long time culture itself was considered peripheral, or at best, no more than a supplementary diversion (Tseng, 2002) to the teaching and learning of language, although cross-cultural variation has continued to be a live and productive topic of study in sociolinguistic and pragmatic research. Even where cultural aspects of language study have been addressed in EFL/ESL, traditionally this has pertained exclusively to target language culture. Given the insight that language and culture are inseparable, and that therefore, to teach language is to teach culture,the belief prevailed that in order to gain full competence in the language learners of English in different parts of the world need to internalize the cultural norms of native speakers of English – that is, speakers of English from the Inner Circle (Kachru, 1989) or BANA (namely, British, Australasian and North American) countries (Holliday, 1994)

The implications of culture in business and the Cultural dimensions of Finland and India : A study of cultural Dimensions

The purpose of the thesis is to examine the implications of culture in business. The thesis makes use of the most popular theoretical frameworks in the field, namely the cultural dimensions where data has been chiefly collected through the efforts of Geert Hofstede and Fons Trompenaars. In theory, the application of cultural knowledge as professed through the cultural dimensions into managerial practices can be applied. The validity of these theories has proven impossible to quantify and thus definitive recommendations cannot be given, however evidence suggests that there is a correlation between national culture and internal work culture. The thesis looks into the specific cultural dimensions of Finland and India, as a practical application of the theory. These countries were chosen in large part for their proven potential for business and vast differences in cultures. The theoretical framework finds that Finland and India are on opposite sides of the cultural dimensions spectrum and couldn’t be further apart. It was concluded that to solve dilemmas that exist between cultures in the workplace, managers must approach the problem with awareness of both cultures and to adjust in accordance to that knowledge. It is also apparent that ignoring the cultural impli-cations on an international business can have dire consequences. It is important for businesses to increase their cultural knowledge where applicable to minimize conflicts within their inter-cultural workforce and create synergy

WRITING LEARNING STRATEGY AND READING POETRY BASED FOR TRADITIONAL GAMES CRITICAL THINKING PROCESS

Critical thinking is the thinking ability that must be possessed by students through learning to write and read poetry. The indicators of critical thinking ability in writing and reading traditional game-based poetry are (1) knowing the problem, (2) collecting and compiling information, (3) organizing, (4) analyzing, (5) reconstructing, (6) informing, 7) apply or inform. The process of critical thinking in learning to write and read poetry based on traditional games (egrang) can develop critical thinking skills of elementary school students, with learning styles, first, teachers review the curriculum and formulate basic competencies and competency standards. Second, teachers and students make observations. Third, Teacher ensures that students have experience playing stilts. Fourth, students practice traditional game play. Fifth, teachers and students are elaborating. Sixth, students collaborate to record the materials used as a game. Seventh, the stage of writing and reading poetry. Eighth, the stage of communicating. Ninth, stage of reflection. This learning model can train students' thinking power, provide ease of writing and reading, fostering cooperation and social sensitivity. The quality of playing stilts, discipline, courage, patience, focus / concentration, and confidence

International Organizations as Corporate Actors: Agency and Emergence in Theories of International Relations

In this paper, the implicit and explicit conceptualizations of international organizations found in the three major theories of international relations are outlined and compared. It turns out that in a neorealist framework, international organizations can be explained; however, they exhibit no autonomy and cannot therefore be conceptualized as a corporate actor. Principally, the same applies to rational choice institutionalism, although limited autonomy is conceivable. Both theories are reductionist in the sense that they do not allow a corporate actor beyond the nation-state. International organizations are at best instruments of state interests. Solely social constructivist theories allow a conceptualization of international organizations as partly autonomous corporate actors. The reason for this conceptual openness lies in its ontology that includes ideational factors such as knowledge and ideas. The concept of emergence gives the core explanation for international organization autonomy: identities and interests of states and international organizations constitute each other mutually. This is specified by referring to the generation of new knowledge within international organizations as the key feature which accounts for feedbacks to the member-states of international organizations. This power of international organizations to alter perceptions and identities of their own ‘founding fathers’ makes them more than state instruments. International organizations thereby gain autonomy, which justifies conceiving of them as high-order corporate actors in international relations.