Institutional barriers to the transnational transfer of safety and health practices

Abstract

The study examines the barriers that impede the successful transfer of the parent's occupational safety and health (OSH) practices at the Malaysian subsidiaries of a of a U.K. MNC. The study examines the process of transfer, translation and corruption of management practices as they move across the national boundaries. The study applies a case study approach and is exploratory in nature. The quantitative and qualitative methods are used to analyze the data. Overall a total of 291 employees participated in the study. Out of the total, 159 participated in the survey questionnaires and 132 in the qualitative interviews. The findings indicate two key factors had influenced the transfer and adoption of practices at the subsidiaries: the stage of economic development and the normative, cultural-cognitive systems of the host country, specifically ethnic stratification. The contribution of the study is in applying institutional theory to produce understanding of processes in the cross national transfer of management practices. The study provides researchers better understanding in applying institutional theory in the transfer and adoption of management practices in MNCs. For the HR practitioners the study provides better understanding in managing rewards systems and training of management practices