International Management: managing in the era of globalization

[Extract - English translation] Since the early civilization of human beings, trade activities cross borders and regions have occurred. The discovery of rich materials located in distant lands stimulated the excitingly historical exploration. Almost all the fortunes created by the industrial revolutionary were manufactured like this: taking raw materials obtained in one region to another one to process, then selling the products worldwide. It has been 200 years since this kind of trade model was defined as international trade. However, the con cept of globalization that came into being during the past years has a profound meaning. For business activities, globalization means integrating all the activities on the world scale. For many industries, investment, research, production, distribution and marketing are increasingly becoming globalized

The dual paradigm nature of knowledge management: implications for achieving quality outcomes in human resource management

Two paradigm orientations exist in the emerging field of knowledge management (KM). In one paradigm, information technology predominantly influences ideas about knowledge management. In the other, organizational learning is the major influence. For KM to contribute effectively to organizational strategy, organizations must build and strengthen the linkages between KM, human resource management (HRM), and business development. The dual paradigm nature of KM suggests that strategies driven by information technology exhibit quite different characteristics to those driven by organizational learning, the former being driven by technology, while the latter is dominated more by a focus on people. It is important for HR practitioners to understand how certain paradigm orientations to KM can lead to very different paths into thinking about HRM practices and can result in a lack of continuity between various strategic initiatives in an organization. In turn, quality initiatives in HRM will be affected. Suggestions for dealing with the dual paradigm nature of KM are also offered

Chinese cultural values and workplace behaviour: implications for continued economic growth

The link between national culture and effective human resource management is well established in the management literature. This paper explores the influence of the Chinese cultural architecture on motivating workplace behaviour. In the face of research, which suggests that ideas about motivation are more complicated in the context of Chinese workplaces, the paper shies away from labelling Chinese workplace behaviour according to a systems-based framework. Therefore, although ideas about collectivism and individualism, for example, help explain workplace behaviour, it is argued that practicality is important in the Chinese context. Notions of practicality and emotion are investigated in terms of motivating Chinese workers in ways that will facilitate intensive economic growth in the coming decade

The third culture: organisational learning in international joint ventures

Studies in organisational learning generally accept the existence of two 'cultures' within an organisation - the 'systems' culture (the first culture) and the 'organisational' culture (the second culture). However, cultural influences of a social anthropological nature in international joint ventures (JVs) have a significant but often underrated impact on organisational learning and can be thought of as the 'third culture'. Using three generic stages in the organisational learning process, viz. knowledge acquisition, knowledge dissemination, and knowledge utilisation, the influence of the third culture is discussed using examples drawn from collaboration in Malaysia with the management structure comprising Australians and Malays. The paper argues at a conceptual level that while all JVs engage in knowledge acquisition, the dissemination and subsequent utilisation of that knowledge is frequently affected by the third culture. Unless knowledge about the third culture becomes an integral component of organisational learning in JVs, the potential for competitive advantage derived from an offshore operation may be significantly reduced. Furthermore, knowledge of the third culture can be developed as a core competency of JVs

China's expanding real estate market: are the current growth rates healthy?

China's economic growth rates since reforms were introduced in 1979 have been impressive. In the past six years, for example, China's annual average growth rate was 9%. In the real estate sector, investment revenues increased by an average of 27% in each year. However, a recent People's Bank of China report suggests that real estate investment might be a risky business. This paper provides an analysis of the problems in China's real estate market, which include the overheated nature of current market, unsustainable development in land and other non-renewable resources, an impoverished housing security system, and a\ud misreading of the high level of financial risk in real estate development. Against these generic concerns, the paper offers some basic strategies for sustainable real estate development, which include minimizing GDP-based measures to evaluate real estate projects, using social benefit-cost analysis models for the evaluation of real estate investment projects, improving the housing security system, making bank lending more rational, and paying more attention to financial risk

A model for examining the changing role of HRM in Chinese organizations: a knowledge perspective

The coming of the knowledge economy has significant implications for managing human resources. Having cast off their bureaucratic image, human resource managers now closely align their activities to their organisation's strategic plan. This alignment requires a new generation of managers who can respond to the dynamic environment of a knowledge economy. One way human resource [HR] managers have reinvigorated themselves in Western economies can be seen in their contribution to managing knowledge and human capital within their organisations. However, although the contributions of HR managers in the West has the potential to create additional sources of competitive advantage through the more effective management of human capital and knowledge, the role of HR managers in the new Chinese economy deserves special attention. The paper examines aspects of the revitalization of the human resource management [HRM] function in Chinese organisations in four essential areas, viz. (i) managerial roles, (ii) managerial relationships, (iii) an organisation's strategic focus, and (iv) an organisation's learning focus. Subsequently, the notion of context is discussed and proffered as the principal consideration in developing HRM functions in Chinese organisations. This development requires a cadre of HR managers cognizant of how context affects all HRM functions. Specifically, managers must appreciate how environmental and organisational contexts as well as team and individual contexts underpin an organisation's approach to managing human resources. These contextual considerations are most important because the wholesale transfer of Western management theories and practices pertaining to HRM to Chinese organisations has shown to be inappropriate. The 'one size fits all' approach is no longer a legitimate strategy. The contextual factors within Chinese organisations are explored using data gathered from a large pharmaceutical company. A heuristic framework is presented, which sets out the relationships between context and HRM functions the areas of managerial roles, managerial responsibilities, the organisation's strategic focus, and the organisation's learning focus. This is achieved by taking into account the particularities of not only Chinese culture but also the structure of Chinese organisations. It is suggested that in order for Chinese organisations to reap the benefits of a knowledge economy, HRM practices must extend beyond their conventional functions, which normally include staffing, HRD, remuneration, and pe1formance management. Such functions are now largely devolved in Western organisations. However, many Chinese HR managers are yet to fully embrace these conventional functions let alone move to considering knowledge management or managing human capital as within their sphere of influence. Against this background, the paper discusses the ways in which Chinese managers can extend their activities beyond the conventional functions by strategically directing, developing, and sustaining organisational capabilities through activities that overlap with business functions. These functions include finance, marketing, strategy, and non-traditional activities such as managing knowledge and human capital

Management by objectives: the supervisor's role in MBO in China

Management by Objectives (MBO) is now a recognized management tool. Studies on MBO have focused on many aspects of the process, including such fundamental\ud components as goal setting, participation, and feedback (Rodgers & Hunter, 1991). However, the success of MBO also depends on effective implementation strategies (Stein, 1975). This paper examines the concept of MBO in a cross-cultural setting, using a post mortem study of goal setting and implementation among two groups of Chinese undergraduate management students in Guangzhou. In addition, cursory reference is accorded to a small study of goal setting by Chinese business school academics in Guangzhou. Attention is paid to the implementation strategies used by these different groups in the pursuit of their goals because goal setting alone cannot guide either Chinese management students or academics in MBO in the light of the influence of the high-context Chinese culture. In China, the role of the supervisor (one's immediate manager or line supervisor) must be factored into the MBO process because the strength of this social capital can affect an individual's perseverance and goal setting behaviour. In these circumstances, the supervisor's role is a determining factor in the success of MBO in Chinese settings

Management development in China

Chinese and Vietnamese organisations seeking to enhance the expertise of middle and senior managers through exposure to Western management theories and practices face two basic problems. The first problem is related to the relevance of Western management theory in a high-context transitional economy. The second problem is related to the development of suitable pedagogies for the cross-cultural transfer of management theory generally. Against the background of literature on international management, the paper describes a modified case study as a basis for the effective delivery of management education in high-context cultures