National Culture or Sectoral Culture? Analysis of Project Organizations in Hungary and Italy

This paper focuses on the effect of sectoral and national culture on the preferred culture profiles of project organizations operating in the IT sector in Hungary and Italy to reveal which has a stronger effect. The results of the research study show that the IT sector in both countries is characterized by a culture profile of Clan domination, but there is also a difference between the preferred culture profiles of the project organizations in both countries due to one national cultural dimension (masculinity) and thus the effect of national culture is stronger than the effect of sectoral culture

Amidst technology, environment and human touch. Understanding elderly customers in the bank retail sector

Purpose – Using retail banking as a setting and focusing specifically on elderly customers (i.e. individuals aged 60 or more), this study aims to deepen the current understanding of how the physical context and the need for human interaction influence elderly customers’ attitudes toward self-service technologies (SSTs) and their behavior. Design/methodology/approach – Using face-to-face questionnaires, a sample of 505 elderly bank customers was collected. Data were analyzed using a multi-method approach, combining a moderated mediation analysis with a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis. Findings – The findings suggest that a pleasant retail space may result in a positive attitude toward SSTs, which increases their co-creation intention. It also highlights that need for interaction of elderly customers with employees has detrimental effects on their attitude toward SSTs. Research limitations/implications – The current analysis was carried out among Italian elderly banks’ customers. Thus, the results are highly dependent on the context of the analysis. In addition, it does not consider the different degrees of knowledge and experience the elderly may have with technology. Practical implications – This study suggests that providing access and support for using technology may be essential for banks to facilitate SSTs adoption in elderly customers. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study represents the first attempt to examine the influence of the physical context on elderly customers’ attitudes toward SSTs and their consequent behavioral intentions. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of the human touch for these particular customers

How Cultural Determinants May Affect HRM: The Case of Italian Companies in China

Human resources (HR) face several dilemmas on the international stage. Often, these dilemmas are related to cultural determinants that may deeply affect HR strategies and practices. The main aim of this study is to address the topic of cultural diversity within organisations operating in highly divergent cultures. In particular, the analysis will be focused on the strategies and practices implemented by Italian companies to manage HR in China, by estimating the growing influence of Chinese cultural values on the dynamics and complexity of intercultural human resource management (HRM) and suggesting that different approaches should characterise companies\u2019 strategies when dealing with distinct cultural backgrounds. The study, which was undertaken with 149 executives from Italian companies in Mainland China, demonstrates the degree of knowledge of a cultural environment has a direct correlation with HR strategies and practices. The results show that a better knowledge of cultural values of Chinese individuals may represent a strategic tool to Italian companies in China. The findings of the study have potential to help decision makers of Italian companies to develop strategies able to overcome cultural barriers, to formulate effective HRM policies and to increase company competitive advantage

Cultural Values, HRM and Performance of Italian Companies in China

The significance of cultural factors in the international economic environment has recently increased thanks to economic, political and social aspects. The role of cultural elements has been emphasized by a wide range of studies, both from the theoretical as well as the empirical point of view. Starting from the literature analysis, this paper tries to deepen the subject by reassessing the definition of cultural factors in a specific context. The aim of this study is to analyze the economic opportunities and threats offered by a multicultural labor environment. The analysis will be focused, in particular, on the strategies and practices followed by Italian companies to manage human resources in China, by estimating the growing influence of cultural differences on their economic performance. The aim of the study is to identify the main cultural determinants that lead Italian companies to a better human resource management and performance in China

Cultural Distance and Entry Mode Choice: Evidence from the North-Adriatic Area

The progressive strengthening of economic and political relations in the North-Adriatic area and their gradual formalization encouraged by the new institutional structures of Euro-regions are phenomena of central importance to the actual economic environment of the countries involved. These conditions significantly affect the strategic choices of local firms interested in penetrating the other markets of the area. In spite of the geographical proximity between Italy, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia, cultural differences still act as relevant determinants in leading foreign investment strategies. The aim of this study is to investigate the role played by cultural distance between Italy and Austria, Slovenia and Croatia, in influencing entry mode choices and strategies followed by companies of the North-eastern Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The study was undertaken during the period January to December 2007 and involved the submission of a questionnaire to a sample of 129 companies. Multiple statistical analysis were used in this study. These procedures include exploratory factor analysis and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM)

Learning tools to develop cultural intelligence for SMFEs: the role of social cognitive processes

Purpose of the paper: The aim of this paper is to investigate how SMFEs can develop cultural intelligence (CQ) from international experience (IE) using Bandura\u2019s Social Cognitive Theory as a theoretical framework. Methodology: The study involved the submission of a questionnaire to 150 owner-managers of Italian SMFEs. Participants were selected on the basis of a proportional quota sampling. Moderated multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. Findings: The study shows that a learning method based on the observation of the link between behaviors of external economic agents and consequences of such behaviors can support SMFEs in developing CQ to inform decision-making activities and drive improvement in the internationalization process. Research limits: The weight of each dimension is highly dependent on the context and time of the analysis and this may create some problems in the generalization of the findings. Potential bias may occur due to self-report surveys. Practical implications: The findings reveal that, through observational learning, SMFEs are more likely to acquire and accumulate cultural and market-specific knowledge able to compensate their knowledge constraints in terms of internationalization. Originality of the paper: The present study is the first attempt to explicitly examine the moderating effect of Social Cognitive Theory on the relationship between IE and CQ in family businesses. Yet to date, no research has empirically tested these links

Foreign Market Entry Strategies in the North-Adriatic Area

The consolidation of economic and political relations in the North-Adriatic area and their formalization encouraged by the new institutional structures of Euro-regions are phenomena of central relevance to the actual European economic environment. These conditions have a significant influence on the strategic choices of local firms. In spite of the geographical proximity between Italy, Austria, Slovenia, and Croatia, cultural differences still act as important determinants in leading foreign investment strategies. The current study aims at analyzing the role played by cultural distance between the examined countries in affecting entry mode strategies followed by companies of the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. In particular, the analysis suggests that a larger cultural distance, together with specific market characteristics, may force companies to choose entry forms with a lower degree of control, while specific firm characteristics may have an opposite impact on the internationalization strategies

Applying Yin Yang Wisdom in Western Organizational Settings: Using Interviews, Documents, and Field Observations for Cross-Cultural Research

This research methods case provides guidance on how to deal with the different practical aspects of conducting qualitative research, specifically case study in cross-cultural research, and highlights some of the challenges faced during the steps of the methodological process. In particular, it describes the study conducted by Rubens Pauluzzo, Marta Guarda, Laura De Pretto, and Tony Fang, in which we adopted a cross-case analysis to explore whether organizational and national cultures mutually influence each other, how they do so, and how this process of reciprocal learning may encourage organizations and individuals to balance cultural paradoxes and manage cultural dilemmas. For this study, we used Yin Yang thinking as the lens through which Western national and organizational cultures were examined and as a way to advance diversity and plurality in case study design and go beyond the dominant implicitly positivistic North American approach to conducting qualitative case study. We used multiple sources of evidence (interviews, field observations, and internal document analysis) to obtain a comprehensive insight into four subsidiaries of an Italian insurance multinational corporation, called Generali Group, each of which is located in a different area of Europe. This allowed us to ensure the validity and reliability of the data, thereby increasing the probability of our findings being credible. These sources of data also permitted triangulation, helping us ensure the trustworthiness of the research

Cultural intelligence development in internationalising SMEs: experiential and social learning mechanisms for successful owner-managers

The aim of this paper is to measure the impact of experiential and social learning mechanisms on the creation of cultural intelligence in the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) domain. Data gathered from 244 owner-managers of Italian SMEs involved in international business activities show that social learning mechanisms can support SMEs in developing individuals’ capabilities to function and manage in cultural diverse environments more effectively than experiential learning, since the acquisition of direct experience usually requires time, costs and risks that small ventures cannot always afford. The present paper extends prior research on global leaders’ learning mechanisms by deepening comprehension of the rather unexplored context of internationalising SMEs learning processes, thus filling the gap on how these firms can gain knowledge from international markets