Stakeholder networks of foreign investors in Russia: An empirical study among German firms

One important success factor of foreign firms in Russia is the establishment of efficient networks with non-market stakeholders. Stakeholder networks may help foreign firms to obtain relevant information, accelerate administrative decisionmaking and reduce political risks. The objective of this study is to analyze the stakeholder networks between German investors in Russia and their sociopolitical interest groups. The study is based on in-depth interviews with the representatives of 3 German firms and 16 socio-political interest groups in autumn 2006. The results of a within-case and a cross-case analysis reveal that the development of stakeholder relations is important for the success of foreign companies in Russia. These may differ in size, intensity, density and centrality, depending on the industry and the particular socio-political issues these companies are confronted with.Ein wichtiger Erfolgsfaktor ausländischer Unternehmungen in Russland ist die Etablierung effizienter Netzwerke mit nicht-marktlichen Interessengruppen. Stakeholder-Netzwerke unterstützen diese bei der Informationssuche, beschleunigen Entscheidungsprozesse und reduzieren politische Risiken. Das Ziel dieser Studie ist die Analyse von Stakeholder-Netzwerken in Russland. Die Studie basiert auf Interviews mit Repräsentanten von drei deutschen Unternehmungen und 16 sozio-politischen Interessengruppen im Herbst 2006. Die Ergebnisse unterstreichen, dass sich die Etablierung von Stakeholder- Netzwerken positiv auf den Erfolg in Russland auswirkt. Die Größe, Intensität, Dichte und Zentralität von Stakeholder-Netzwerken hängt von der Branche und den sozio-politischen Anliegen ab, mit denen Unternehmungen konfrontiert sind

Does It Really Work? Re-Assessing the Impact of Pre-Departure Cross-Cultural Training on Expatriate Adjustment

Cultural adjustment is considered to be a prerequisite for expatriate success abroad. One way to enhance adjustment is to provide employees with knowledge and awareness of appropriate norms and behaviors of the host country through cross-cultural training (CCT). This article analyzes the impact of pre-departure CCT on expatriate adjustment and focuses on variations in participation, length and the comprehensiveness of training. Unlike previous research, the study focuses on the effectiveness of pre-departure CCT for non-US employees expatriated to a broad range of host country settings. Employing data from 339 expatriates from 20 German Multinational Corporations (MNCs) the study finds CCT has little if any effect on general, interactional or work setting expatriate adjustment. However, a significant impact of foreign language competence was found for all three dimensions of expatriate adjustment. We used interviews with 20 expatriates to supplement our discussion and provide further implications for practice

The internationalization of Austrian firms in Central and Eastern Europe

We test and expand the Uppsala model with a sample of 109 Austrian companies active in the CEE region, representing 1,271 entries. On the one hand, our expansion of the model is based on collective learning of firms from a specific context, an issue largely neglected in IB research. On the other hand, we expand the model by including two further strategic, i.e. dependent, variables. The paper contributes to research by finding three distinct internationalization processes in CEE, two of them new to the Uppsala Model. Furthermore, the paper strongly supports our argumentation with regard to collective learning and thereby draws new conclusions on learning processes that take place within and between firms over time.Dieser Beitrag testet und erweitert das Uppsala Modell anhand eines Samples von 1.271 Markteintritten durch 109 österreichische Firmen in der CEE Region. Unsere Erweiterung bezieht sich einerseits auf kollektives Lernen, ein Phänomen welches bisher in der IB Literatur weitgehend vernachlässigt wurde. Andererseits erweitern wir das Modell durch die Einbeziehung von zwei weiteren abhängigen Variablen. Der Artikel leistet einen Beitrag zur Forschung in dem drei unterschiedliche Internationalisierungsprozesse, zwei davon neu für das Uppsala Model, identifiziert werden. Darüber hinaus unterstützen die Ergebnisse unsere Argumentation des kollektiven Lernens. Dies lässt neue Schlüsse in Bezug auf Lernprozesse, welche innerhalb aber auch zwischen Firmen stattfinden, zu

Role Conflict, General Manager Job Satisfaction and Stress and the Performance of IJVs.

This paper analyses the effects of inter-sender role conflicts experienced by managers of International Joint Ventures (IJVs) on their individual job satisfaction and job stress. It then relates the level of IJV managers’ job satisfaction and job stress to the performance of the IJV. We empirically test these relationships using data gathered through a questionnaire survey carried out among general managers of German-Indian joint ventures. The findings show that managers experiencing a high level of role conflict also report lower job satisfaction and higher job stress of IJV managers. High job stress of IJV managers is related low performance of IJVs, while there is no statistically significant relationship between IJV managers’ job satisfaction and IJV performance. Thus, IJV managers’ job stress mediates the relation between intersender role conflict and IJV performance. We discuss the implications of these results for research on, and the management of IJVs

Stakeholder networks of foreign investors in Russia: An empirical study among German firms

One important success factor of foreign firms in Russia is the establishment of efficient networks with non-market stakeholders. Stakeholder networks may help foreign firms to obtain relevant information, accelerate administrative decision-making and reduce political risks. The objective of this study is to analyze the stakeholder networks between German investors in Russia and their socio-political interest groups. The study is based on in-depth interviews with the representatives of 3 German firms and 16 socio-political interest groups in autumn 2006. The results of a within-case and a cross-case analysis reveal that the development of stakeholder relations is important for the success of foreign companies in Russia. These may differ in size, intensity, density and centrality, depending on the industry and the particular socio-political issues these companies are confronted with.Stakeholders, FDI, networks, Russia