Knowledge sharing between multinational corporation’s headquarters and subsidiaries: The impact of manager’s role, compensation system and cultural differences

Knowledge sharing is a systematic process for creating, acquiring, synthesizing, learning, sharing and using knowledge to achieve organizational goals.It is also a source of competitive advantage especially for multinational companies. The objective of this paper is to discuss the impact of subsidiary manager’s role in knowledge sharing, manager’s compensation system, and the level of cultural differences between home and host country on the level of knowledge sharing between the headquarters and subsidiaries of multinational companies.A study has been conducted at a subsidiary of a large manufacturing company in Malaysia. Data were collected via self administered survey questionnaire.The respondents consist of 100 executives and managers of the company, and all the questionnaires distributed were filled and returned back for data analysis. Findings indicate that all three factors significantly influence the level of knowledge sharing with the manager’s compensation system has the strongest impact.MNC therefore should clearly define the manager’s role in knowledge sharing and provide attractive rewards and remunerations to encourage knowledge sharing.At the same time, cultural differences should not be considered as a barrier to knowledge sharing as this study indicates that it can be a driver for effective knowledge sharing between headquarters and subsidiaries

On Syntax and Construal of V-kake Constructions

日本語の複雑述語「動詞+かけ」には意味的に興味深い特徴がある。共起する動詞句によって、(i) 出来事開始の直前を描く場合もあれば、(ii) 出来事開始の直後の場合もある。これらの「-かけ」はアスペクト補助動詞として機能し繰り上げ動詞に分類されている。さらに(iii) 本動詞「掛ける」の意味を残し誰かに何かを仕掛けるという意味になる語彙的複合動詞の場合もある。本論では、まず、統語的複合語(i), (ii) と語彙的複合語(iii) の構造的位置を確認した後、次に、なぜ(i), (ii) あるいは、(iii) のような意味の違いが生じるかについて、「初回最短承認時点(Minimal Approved Point: MAP)」という概念を用いて説明を試みることとする。Japanese complex predicate V-kake shows interesting properties with respect to its meanings; some V-kake phrases express an event which is about to happen, while other V-kake phrases express an event which has just begun. These V-kake predicates are called aspectual predicates. There is another type of V-kake phrase which describes an event in which an agent acts on someone. In this reading, -kake somewhat retains its meaning as a main verb. This V-kake is called lexical V-V compound. In this paper, we will assume that the difference between aspectual-kake and lexical V-V compounding -kake lies in the implication of what we call“minimal approved point” (MAP) in the event described by the complement VPwhich -kake takes. If such a point was not implied, we could not anchor our viewjust prior to the beginning time, especially of instanteneous achievement V-kakephrases. Based on observations, we will consider the syntactic structures for each-kake phrase, following previous analyses which suggest that the aspectual -kakehas raising construction, and we will also consider the various meanings whichV-kake describes, assuming the presence of MAP

The Role of Email in Improving Task Performance Among Executives at Multimedia University, Malaysia

Nowadays, one of the most widely used of communication technologies in organization is email. Email expands the communication capabilities that available to employees and in some cases, replaces traditional media such as paper documents, telephone calls, and face-to-face communication. In Malaysia, a large number of high-tech companies have established to promote the Multimedia Super Corridor project. Thus, the assessment of the use and effect of communication technologies in these organizations seems to be relevant. This study aims to examine whether email use has a significant effect on task performance. Specifically, this study attempts to look at how email richness and email ease of use can affect task performance which is determined in four components: decision time, decision quality, consensus, and communication satisfaction. The present study used a survey design to achieve the objectives of the study. Purposive sampling was used to select a total of 239 executives of different faculties and divisions in the Multimedia University. The study used self-administered structured questionnaires as the research instrument. Statistical analyses used in this study were the Chi-Square and Spearman's Rho Correlation. This study revealed that the executives experienced moderate to high level of task performance while using email. There were no significant differences in task performance among respondents based on gender, race, age, education level, position, and work experience categories. The results showed that the executives perceived email in moderate to high level in richness while they perceived email as an easy to use communication medium. The present study has confirmed that email richness and email ease of use have positively significant relationship with task performance. It is indicated that the increase in email richness and email ease of use perception generates an increase in task performance. In terms of email richness, the findings of this study challenge previous studies. It can be concluded that the respondents of this study perceived email as a rich medium and it is a convenient way for them to make decisions. But, for email ease of use as previous studies, the more email is perceived easy to use causes the increasing in task performance. Future studies may focus on the role of new communication technologies in other dimensions of organizational concerns such as social or corporate performance

Russian terrorism in Tehran: a Qajar Princes’ letters during the “Minor Tyranny” of 1908

During the Minor Tyranny of 1908, a daughter of Naser al-Din Shah named Malakeh-ye Iran suffered the indignity of having her house in Tehran plundered when the autocratic Shah attempted to re-assert control over the newly won powers of the democratic Constitutional movement. It is generally thought that the ransacking of her house was due to the sympathetic views towards the Constitutional movement that she shared with her husband, Zahir al-Dawleh and their radical son, Zahir al-Soltan. Malakeh-ye Iran’s letters to her husband, who was in Gilan at the time of the attack, graphically describe this traumatic event and are intriguing because neither her supposed “pro-Constitutional” views are apparent, nor does she blame the autocratic Shah (and her nephew), Mohammad ‘Ali for the destruction of her home. It is to be speculated whether her reluctance to blame and criticise the Shah was due to her family connections or whether she feared that the letters might be intercepted and read by the Shah’s spies. Aside from shedding light on one of the most dramatic periods of the Constitutional Movement, the letters also demonstrate the erudition of a Qajar princess, and the bravery and courage of a hitherto unexplored character whose exploits and role during the Constitutional period deserve greater attention