28 research outputs found
Boundary work: An interpretive ethnographic perspective on negotiating and leveraging cross-cultural identity
The complexity of global organizations highlights the importance of membersâ ability to span diverse boundaries that may be defined by organization structures, national borders, and/or a variety of cultures associated with organization, nation-based societal and work cultures, industries, and/or professions. Based on ethnographic research in a JapanâUS binational firm, the paper describes and analyzes the boundary role performance of the firm\u27s Japanese members. It contributes toward theory on boundary spanning by introducing a âcultural identity negotiationâ conceptual framework. We show boundary spanning as a process shaped through the interplay of the contextual issues that make a boundary problematic; an individual\u27s multiple repertoires of cultural knowledge; and the individual boundary spanner\u27s ânegotiationâ, through interaction with others, of his/her cultural identities â the sense of âwho I amâ as a cultural being that is fundamental to an individual\u27s self-concept. At the same time, we make transparent the epistemological and methodological foundations of an interpretive ethnographic approach, demonstrating its value for understanding complex organizational processes. Research findings have practical implications for the selection and training of an organization\u27s employees, particularly of persons who may be considered âbiculturalâ
Boundary work: An interpretive ethnographic perspective on negotiating and leveraging cross-cultural identity
Creating the global greenscape: developing a global market-entry framework for the green and renewable technologies
Purpose â This chapter develops the case for a global Greenscape. It introduces the green global marketplace (Greenscape) to better understand the global green market.
Design/methodology/approach â The chapter introduces current green market practices and adopts case study methodology to present three distinct green cases related to renewable energy, process technology and wastewater recycling and their international market activities. The chapter offers discussion on findings and incorporates the novel technique of discourse analysis using Leximancer 3.0.
Findings â The case shows how the Greendex Report (2012) positions Brazil, India, China and Russia at the top of the markets for green product penetration. The developed nations of USA, France and Canada make up the bottom rankings. The chapter finds essential elements for creating the global Greenscape and marketing of green technologies.
Research limitations/implications (if applicable) â Empirical research testing success pathways and destination opportunities is desirable.
Practical implications (if applicable) â The 'success and failure criteria' identify how planning, patent and partnerships are essential for successful entry. Specific market research on G(reen) markets, market information, marketing functions for market entry and market diffusion for renewable products and process technologies such as supply chain elements, and how these interrelate with achieving sustainability goals is essential for successful entry.
Originality/value of chapter â The chapter offers a novel and original approach to international green market penetration and offers analysis related to the new world BRIC countries that have been little explored
Selling, resistance and reconciliation: A critical discursive approach to subsidiary role evolution in MNCs
Studies of political dynamics between multinational corporation (MNC) parents and subsidiaries during subsidiary role evolution have largely focused on control and resistance. This paper adopts a critical discursive approach to enable an exploration of subtle dynamics in the way that both headquarter (HQ) and subsidiaries subjectively reconstruct their independent-interdependent relationships with each other during change. We draw from a real-time qualitative study of a revealing case of charter change in an important European subsidiary of an MNC attempting to build closer integration across European country operations. Our results illustrate the role of three discourses â selling, resistance and reconciliation âin the reconstruction of the subsidiary-parent relationship. From this analysis we develop a process framework that elucidates the important role of these three discourses in the reconstruction of subsidiary roles, showing how resistance is not simply subversive but an important part of integration. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the micro-level political dynamics in subsidiary role evolution and how voice is exercised in MNCs. This study also provides a rare example of discourse-based analysis in an MNC context advancing our knowledge of how discursive methods can help to advance international business (IB) research more generally
The Grand Challenge None of Us Chose: Succeeding (and Failing) Against the Global Pandemic 1
The COVID-19 pandemic and its related economic meltdown and social unrest severely challenged most countries, their societies, economies, organizations, and individual citizens. Focusing on both more and less successful country-specific initiatives to fight the pandemic and its multitude of related consequences, this chapter explores implications for leadership and effective action at the individual, organizational, and societal levels. As international management scholars and consultants, the authors document actions taken and their wide-ranging consequences in a diverse set of countries, including countries that have been more or less successful in fighting the pandemic, are geographically larger and smaller, are located in each region of the world, are economically advanced and economically developing, and that chose unique strategies versus strategies more similar to those of their neighbors. Cultural influences on leadership, strategy, and outcomes are described for 19 countries. Informed by a cross-cultural lens, the authors explore such urgent questions as: What is most important for leaders, scholars, and organizations to learn from critical, life-threatening, society-encompassing crises and grand challenges? How do leaders build and maintain trust? What types of communication are most effective at various stages of a crisis? How can we accelerate learning processes globally? How does cultural resilience emerge within rapidly changing environments of fear, shifting cultural norms, and profound challenges to core identity and meaning? This chapter invites readers and authors alike to learn from each other and to begin to discover novel and more successful approaches to tackling grand challenges. It is not definitive; we are all still learning