Reviewing the Role of Culture in Strategic Information Systems Research: A Call for Prescriptive Theorizing on Culture Management

Culture is an important topic in strategic information systems (IS) research, particularly because information technology (IT) projects are often accompanied by cultural challenges. While culture has been widely analyzed in this discipline, there is a lack of research that systematically examines the role of culture in strategic IS research. With a structured literature review, we investigate the relation patterns between culture, strategy, and IS-related concepts in terms of dependent, moderating, and independent variables and the research approach in terms of descriptive, normative, and prescriptive. Four different patterns emerge, each one closely related to specific forms of theorizing and corresponding research designs. Research streams focusing on descriptive explanations of culture’s role are rather exhausted. IS research that builds on a normative understanding of culture exists in selected areas, while theorizing on the prescriptive management of culture has been largely neglected despite the relevance of cultural challenges in IS projects. We derive areas for future research and present two themes that emerged in our study to demonstrate how descriptive and normative approaches can provide a foundation for research on the prescriptive management of culture in strategic IS projects: the management of cultural clashes and the management of cultural identity

Business group affiliation and foreign subsidiary performance

Research Summary Business group (BG) affiliation affects the strategic behavior and performance of firms. Until now it has been theoretically unclear and insufficiently empirically tested whether affiliation advantages extend to the foreign subsidiaries of group members. We attempt to determine if they do, and if so, to identify the boundary conditions that matter. We analyze a large panel of 451 foreign subsidiaries of 136 Indian multinational firms over the 2003-2012 period and find that BG affiliation does enhance foreign subsidiary performance when host-market institutions are weak and when the parent is in manufacturing. Managerial Summary Our research speaks directly to managers of multinational firms who seek to leverage the benefits of BG affiliation across national borders. We show that BG affiliation is only beneficial when the foreign subsidiary is located in a country characterized by weak institutions and when the parent is in manufacturing. If, on the other hand, the foreign subsidiary is in a country with well-functioning institutions and the parent in services, managers will not be able to count on BG advantages, rather they will have to develop competitive capabilities locally, that is, the foreign subsidiary will have to function more like a standalone firm

Models of National Culture in Information Systems Research

The purpose of this paper is to enhance understanding of how the models of national culture have been used in Information Systems research. Using the top 10 ranking journals, as defined by the Association of Information Systems, we review and categorise 60 papers published over the past 15 years. The essential criterion for selection was that they applied different models of national culture. The findings show that the number of national culture models used in IS research has increased over the years and most of these studies were conducted using a survey. As expected, Hofstede’s dimensions of national culture have been used widely in IS research. It has also been found that models of national culture have been used for various purposes, namely management information systems, communication, knowledge management, project management, IT infrastructure, quality management systems, risk management, leadership, supply chain management and technology acceptance model. We note that in this era of globalisation the increased use of national culture to frame IS research is necessary to understand why IS initiatives may be successful in one country but not realised in another

The impact of foreign direct investment inflows on sustainable development : evidence from an emerging middle-income economy

Policymakers and global financial institutions promote foreign direct investment (FDI) as a driver of economic growth in developing countries; however, questions remain if FDI actually promotes sustainable development. It may encourage growth, but also hinder social and environmental development. In the study, I analyse whether FDI promotes or hinders sustainable development in developing countries, using Bangladesh as an example of an emerging middle-income country. Literature in this field indicates that FDI inflows can have positive or negative impacts on sustainable development, depending on the absorptive capacity of the country, the regulatory system, and the sector where FDI is directed. I focus on the manufacturing sector in Bangladesh and contribute to the literature on FDI and economic growth, inequality, and sustainable development by analysing the impact of FDI on all three dimensions of sustainable development – the economic, the environmental, and the social. In general, the impact of FDI inflows on economic and social sustainability is positive in Bangladesh, while the environmental dimension of sustainable development is hindered. Bangladesh should consider environmental issues seriously in the case for promoting FDI inflows in the country; otherwise, FDI inflows could cause irreversible damage to the environment and hinder sustainable development and social wellbeing. Based on the findings of the analysis, the thesis also offers policy suggestions to steer the FDI inflows towards sustainable development for developing countries

Militant Mediator: Whitney M. Young Jr.

Winner of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists Outstanding Book Award During the turbulent 1960s, civil rights leader Whitney M. Young Jr. devised a new and effective strategy to achieve equality for African Americans. Young blended interracial mediation with direct protest, demonstrating that these methods pursued together were the best tactics for achieving social, economic, and political change. Militant Mediator is a powerful reassessment of this key and controversial figure in the civil rights movement. It is the first biography to explore in depth the influence Young\u27s father, a civil rights leader in Kentucky, had on his son. Dickerson traces Young\u27s swift rise to national prominence as a leader who could bridge the concerns of deprived blacks and powerful whites and mobilize the resources of the white America to battle the poverty and discrimination at the core of racial inequality. Alone among his civil rights colleagues—Martin Luther King Jr., Roy Wilkins, James Farmer, John Lewis, and James Forman—Young built support from black and white constituencies. As a National Urban League official in the Midwest and as a dean of the School of Social Work at Atlanta University during the 1940s and 1950s, Young developed a strategy of mediation and put it to work on a national level upon becoming the executive director of the League in 1961. Though he worked with powerful whites, Young also drew support from middle-and working-class blacks from religious, fraternal, civil rights, and educational organizations. As he navigated this middle ground, though, Young came under fire from both black nationalists and white conservatives. Provides a detailed narrative, closely grounded in extensive research, that extends our understanding of Young\u27s life and career. -- American Historical Review A respectful but not hagiographic biography of an often undervalued civil rights leader. -- Booklist Dickerson\u27s excellent biography establishes that Young was similarly successful in building support among blacks. This book is very readable and well documented, with 42 pages of notes and citations from dozens of interviews the author conducted with critical players in the Civil Rights Movement. -- Choice Certainly an important addition to our understanding of the Civil Rights era. -- Independent Publisher A well-researched work. -- Journal of Southern History A thoughtful study of an often overlooked figure in the American civil-rights movement. -- Kirkus Reviews Young was just 49 when he drowned on a trip to Nigeria. Today, a younger generation might not be aware of his contributions, so the publication of Militant Mediator is welcome. -- Lexington Herald-Leader Dickerson\u27s portrait is carefully balanced, identifying Young\u27s undeniable success in attracting corporate and foundation support for the NUL and his rise to national prominence as a spokesman for black civil rights, as well as the limitations inherent in any position so heavily dependent on the generosity of wealthy whites. -- MultiCultural Review Not only does Dickerson find Young uncompromising in his advocacy of a civil rights agenda but he holds that the mediating role that Young played was vital to the lasting accomplishments of better-known figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and James Farmer. -- New York Times Book Review A major revisionist interpretation of African American leader Whitney M. Young Jr. . . . will be the definitive work on Young for years to come. -- Register of the Kentucky Historical Society Winner of the annual prize for outstanding book given by the National Conference of Black Political Scientists. Winner of the Nelson Bushnell Prize, given by Williams College to a faculty member displaying excellence in publishing and teaching.https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_african_american_studies/1004/thumbnail.jp

The design and management of diverse affiliations : an exploration of international hotel chains

The simultaneous use of different market entry methods by international service firms is creating complex and compound organisations that operate within and across organisational boundaries. These organisations face variable risks related to control, resource commitment, flexibility and dissemination across their diversely affiliated portfolios. This research seeks to explore how these risks are managed within these diverse affiliations through an investigation of organisational and inter-organisational design. This study draws on three fields of literature; international market entry, alliance and networks, and organisation design. A number of gaps have been identified in this literature relating to 'how' international service firms, inter-organisational alliances, diverse affiliations and international hotel chains are designed and managed. Using international hotel chains for the primary investigation, a qualitative case study approach was adopted for this study. The research was conducted in three phases; the first served to verify the extent of the phenomenon under study, the second provided insight into organisation design within firm boundaries and the third revealed a detailed picture of inter-organisational design. A major contribution of this study is the identification of communities of design within diversely affiliated organisations. These communities are created through the different structures and processes employed across portfolios and reinforced by the perceptions of organisation members. Barriers can develop between the communities that limit the degrees of control and flexibility achieved and inhibit organisational potential. A further contribution of this study is the development of a relational-process framework that can be used to build bridges across these communities, break down barriers and enhance relational ties, but only if supported by appropriate control procedures. Managers are recommended to consider the impact of formal mechanistic structures within and across organisational boundaries and the impact of inter-organisational processes on relational ties in designs that cross organisational boundaries in order to enhance the potential of diverse affiliations