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21 – 30 of over 30000Yang‐Im Lee and Peter R.J. Trim
The purpose of this paper is to make clear how managers in Western organizations can understand the Japanese and Korean cultural value system and interpret the strategic…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to make clear how managers in Western organizations can understand the Japanese and Korean cultural value system and interpret the strategic decision‐making process that exists within organizations exhibiting a collectivist culture.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review was undertaken and several studies, either jointly or separately undertaken by the authors, were drawn upon in order to provide depth to the analysis and interpretation.
Findings
Although there are similarities between Japanese and Korean people, there are a number of distinct differences between them. These differences have come about as a result of Buddhism and Confucianism being adopted at different points in each country's history, and the fact that these countries have developed their own unique cultural value system. The differences manifest in organizational characteristics, which provide Japanese and Korean organizations with a specific identity, management model and way of doing business. What is evident, however, is that managers in both Japanese and Korean organizations are familiar with the relationship marketing concept and actively embrace the strategic marketing approach.
Research limitations/implications
Undertaking research into national cultural value systems and organizational cultural value systems is complex and requires an interdisciplinary approach. It can also be suggested that more emphasis needs to be placed on undertaking research of this kind in both Japan and Korea. Furthermore, it is advocated that a longitudinal study is undertaken in order to provide both evidence of how organizational cultural value systems within a collectivist culture change through time, and how cultural traits influence the decision‐making process.
Practical implications
Managers in Western organizations will be able to relate to the value systems of Japanese and Korean organizations and as a consequence, will understand how long‐term trustworthy relationships are developed. This should facilitate the negotiation of business deals and result in business partnerships being developed that are based on mutuality.
Originality/value
The interdisciplinary approach adopted allowed the authors to view culture from several perspectives and to link more firmly national cultural value systems with organizational cultural value systems, and with organizational identity. By adopting this research strategy, the authors were able to explain how organizational identity is influenced by and reinforced by the concept of strategic marketing.
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Hung Nguyen, George Onofrei and Dothang Truong
Research has extensively focused on the cultural differences in supply chain collaboration while neglecting the importance of cultural similarities and compatible goals among…
Abstract
Purpose
Research has extensively focused on the cultural differences in supply chain collaboration while neglecting the importance of cultural similarities and compatible goals among supply chain members. With the rise of global supply chain network, the choice of supply chain orientation is critical. This study argues that performance differences between these configurations highlight managerial implications for sustainable development.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing from uncertainty reduction and cognitive social capital theories, this study developed a taxonomy of manufacturing firms based on process alignment between cultural compatibility and supply chain communication. The empirical data used in this study were drawn from the Global Manufacturing Research Group (GMRG) survey project, with data collected from 680 manufacturing companies, across various industry sectors and countries.
Findings
There appeared to be consistent three major configurations: the Proactive, the Initiative and the Reactive. Manufacturers distanced themselves based mainly on communication with customers on events and proprietary information. Communication-cultural compatibility taxonomies influence differently on operations and financial performance. The Initiative, who excelled in communication practices gained significant improvement in efficiency and delivery measures. While Reactive lagged, Proactive aligned in both capabilities to experience higher payoffs in operational and financial measures. The findings offer a step-by-step approach where manufacturers intensify communication with partners for better efficiency and delivery measures, then align cultural practices to obtain financial, quality and innovation performance.
Research limitations/implications
It will be fruitful for future research to examine the evolution of longitudinally. A comparison between developed and developing economies will be of interest.
Practical implications
The findings provide a step-by-step decision-making process for supply chain communication and offer guidance especially for global supply chain managers.
Originality/value
This study adds greater comprehensiveness and richness to the information exchange literature on performance by process aligning to enhance cultural compatibility.
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Richard Fletcher and Tony Fang
The purpose of this article is to develop an alternative approach to researching the impact of culture on relationship creation and network formation in Asian markets.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to develop an alternative approach to researching the impact of culture on relationship creation and network formation in Asian markets.
Design/methodology/approach
A conceptual approach is taken.
Findings
The paper has argued that in Asian markets culture can be better understood on the basis of cultural groupings (e.g. ethnic grouping) than on politically defined and artificially created national boundaries. The assessment and comparison of cultural differences and similarities in Asia can be conducted by using an “enlarged” emic approach. Given the idiosyncratic nature of relationships and the increasing significance of the emic contexts enriched by globalisation, the proposed approach is likely to generate a better understanding of the impact of culture on relationship creation and network formation in emerging Asian markets.
Practical implications
Managers doing business in emerging Asian markets need to go beyond traditional national culture stereotypes to capture cultural diversities and paradoxes in terms of, for example, ethnic culture, regional culture, professional culture, and emerging global culture groupings within and across national borders.
Originality/value
Differing from the “either/or” nature of the mainstream scholarship which tends to bipolarise national cultures, this paper emphasises the “both/and” character of Asian cultures which intrinsically embrace paradoxes in philosophies, values, and behaviours. The paper has suggested that an “enlarged” emic approach to cross‐cultural clustering and comparison be used in Asian contexts to better understand the workings of relationship creation and network formation in emerging Asian markets.
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The purpose of the study is to identify critical value-creating elements of luxury services expressed in ratings and reviews posted on third-party sites and examine cross-cultural…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the study is to identify critical value-creating elements of luxury services expressed in ratings and reviews posted on third-party sites and examine cross-cultural differences. To this end, the research analyzed online ratings and reviews of luxury hotels posted on TripAdvisor from customers of four European regions (East, North, South and West).
Design/methodology/approach
Eight hundred thirty-eight online user-generated ratings and reviews of luxury hotels were analyzed quantitatively using MANOVA and qualitatively using text analysis.
Findings
The study findings support (a) that product and physical evidence are the most critical experiential elements of luxury hotels' offerings and (b) cultural differences among tourists from various regions of Europe in their hotel ratings and reviews. Specifically, Eastern and Northern Europeans are more generous in their review ratings than western and southern Europeans. Moreover, eastern Europeans value the hotel's physical evidence/environment whereas western Europeans prioritize the core product (room and food) followed by the physical environment/servicescape. Southern Europeans and Northern Europeans value most the personnel, followed by the physical environment and the core product, respectively.
Practical implications
Cultural differences provide several implications with regard to luxury services segmentation, social media management, service marketing mix development and hotel promotion.
Originality/value
The value of this study originates from studying post–purchase customer behavior in luxury services from a cross-cultural perspective. Moreover, identifying critical aspects of value-creating customer experience in a luxury context adds to the available literature.
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The article examines business student attitudes in four countries ‐ Norway (n 337), the United States (n 295), Germany (n 109) and Spain (n 137). Certain differences by subsample…
Abstract
The article examines business student attitudes in four countries ‐ Norway (n 337), the United States (n 295), Germany (n 109) and Spain (n 137). Certain differences by subsample are presented and then questioned, suggesting tra ditional third variable control to check if bivariate inter‐sample differences “stand” third variable controls by potentially relevant attitude variables.
Christopher S. Howard and Justin A. Irving
The paper aims to report findings from research conducted that illustrates cross-cultural differences and similarities on the role obstacles, as defined by leadership antecedents…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to report findings from research conducted that illustrates cross-cultural differences and similarities on the role obstacles, as defined by leadership antecedents, play in the levels of resilience found in leaders. While research has demonstrated a link between obstacles and the development of resilience in leadership, previous studies have not looked at whether this link exists across cultures and what differences or factors might affect this link.
Design/methodology/approach
The research provides additional evidence that the types of developmental experiences and the level of self-differentiation in the leader relates to the levels of resiliency within a leader. Furthermore, the research examines cultural differences in the findings and offers possible explanations for them. The study reflects responses from 365 participants (151 from USA, 112 from India and 102 from Germany). The study uses leadership antecedent categories, the Differentiation of Self Inventory, Short Form and the Connor Davidson Resilience Scale. Demographic information on participants included sex, age, level of education, years of leadership experience and industry.
Findings
The results demonstrate that resiliency is positively correlated with both the leadership antecedents and differentiation of self. In light of the research findings, the authors highlight the relationship between resiliency and the leadership antecedents, while providing rationale for cultural differences in this relationship, and highlight the relationship between resiliency and differentiation of self, while providing rationale for cultural differences in this relationship.
Research limitations/implications
The research implications include being able to determine whether a leader’s cultural identity has any effect on the development of resilience through hardships. Additionally, the research has the ability to have more generalized results, as the study looks at leaders across three distinct cultures. The study has two major limitations. First, the study was conducted with a convenient sample, which may not be a true representation across the entire culture. Second, the study only looks at three distinct cultures, which represent three of the ten major cultural clusters in the world, according to the leadership literature.
Practical implications
If leadership developers can begin to understand the interplay between developmental antecedents and the development of resilience, training can be tailored more specifically, even within distinct cultures. Additionally, understanding how differing cultures develop resilience and understand hardships as a part of that development, researchers can begin to isolate other variables that contribute to the development of resilience and other desirable leadership attributes, regardless of cultural background.
Originality/value
The study’s findings provide an additional argument for why obstacles and developmental experiences are a logical and necessary part of the formation process for leaders. Additionally, the study looks at the importance of the cultural dimension of an emerging leader, as it relates to the development of resilience. If hardships represent a significant role in leadership formation, then understanding this step is vital for the development of future leaders and leadership training in diverse cultural contexts. Everyone experiences some sort of hardship in life; however, effective leaders may intentionally use these obstacles as a training ground by overcoming them.
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Most of the cross-cultural empirical research in hospitality has focused on Western and Eastern differences and has neglected cultural diversity in Europe. As cultural differences…
Abstract
Purpose
Most of the cross-cultural empirical research in hospitality has focused on Western and Eastern differences and has neglected cultural diversity in Europe. As cultural differences in Europe do exist and have important implications for managers operating in hotel industry, the purpose of this paper is to examine perceived quality in upscale (four- and five-star) hotels in two Mediterranean countries: Italy and Croatia.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected among 335 guests in upscale hotels in Italy and 475 hotel guests in Croatia. This work adopts a cross-cultural approach in two different ways. First, perceived quality is assessed in hotels in two different countries. Second, national culture of guests is considered in their evaluations of perceived quality in each country.
Findings
Surprisingly, hotels in Croatia, an emerging tourist destination, performed better than hotels in Italy, a top worldwide destination. The results show significant differences in perceived quality evaluations according to national cultures of hotel guests in each country. However, while in Croatia domestic guests perceived higher levels of quality than other guests, in Italy, perceived quality was rated lower by Italians than by their American counterparts.
Research limitations/implications
The results of this study contribute to better understanding of perceived quality in cross-cultural research in hospitality.
Practical implications
Implications are discussed for both Italian and Croatian hotel managers, two direct competitors in the Mediterranean area.
Originality/value
This paper covers several research gaps: lack of cross-cultural research in hospitality marketing, poor examination of perceived quality in hotels from the cross-cultural perspective, and poor consideration of cultural diversity within European countries.
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Hester Van Herk and Sjoukje P. K. Goldman
In business and management, cross-national and cross-cultural comparisons between countries have been a topic of interest for many decades. Not only do firms engage in business in…
Abstract
In business and management, cross-national and cross-cultural comparisons between countries have been a topic of interest for many decades. Not only do firms engage in business in different countries around the world but also within countries. The population has become more diversified over time, making cross-cultural comparisons within country boundaries increasingly relevant. In comparisons across cultural groups, measurement invariance (MI) is a prerequisite; however, in practice, MI is not always attained or even tested. Our study consists of three parts. First, we provide a bibliometric analysis of articles on cross-cultural and cross-national topics in marketing to provide insight into the connections between the articles and the main themes. Second, we code articles to assess whether researchers follow the recommended steps as outlined in the multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) approach. The results indicate that MI testing is incorporated in the toolbox of many empirical researchers in marketing and that articles often report the level of invariance. Yet, most studies find partial invariance, meaning that some items are not comparable across the cultural groups studied. Researchers understand that MI is required, but they often ignore noninvariant items, which may decrease the validity of cross-cultural comparisons made. Third, we analyze the dissemination of MI in the broader literature based on co-citations with Steenkamp and Baumgartner (1998), a widely cited article on MI in the field of marketing. We conclude by noting methodological developments in cross-cultural research to enable addressing noninvariance and providing suggestions to further advance our insight into cross-cultural differences and similarities.
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Kerstin A. Aumann and Cheri Ostroff
In recent years, theory and research have been increasingly devoted to understanding organizational behavior in cross-cultural and global contexts, with particular attention being…
Abstract
In recent years, theory and research have been increasingly devoted to understanding organizational behavior in cross-cultural and global contexts, with particular attention being paid to the appropriateness of various human resources management (HRM) practices because practices that may be effective within one cultural context may not be effective in other cultural contexts. This chapter argues that a multi-level perspective is needed to explain the interplay between HRM practices and employee responses across cultural contexts. Specifically, the multi-level framework developed in this chapter elucidates the importance of fit between HRM practices, individual values, organizational values, and societal values. Societal values play a key role in the adoption of HRM practices, and the effectiveness of these HRM practices will depend largely on “fit” or alignment with the values of the societal culture in which the organization is operating. HRM practices also shape the collective responses of employees through organizational climate at the organizational level and through psychological climate at the individual level. For positive employee attitudes and responses to emerge, the climate created by the HRM practices must be aligned with societal and individual values. Building on these notions, the strength of the societal culture in which the organization is operating serves as a mechanism that links relationships between climate, value fit, and attitudes across levels of analysis. The chapter concludes with some recommendations for future research and implications for practice.