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This study aims to propose the roles for business, broadly defined, in government-led programs designed to enhance human capital investment. Through conditional cash transfers (CCTs), businesses have opportunities to alleviate poverty, address the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda (SDGs), enhance CCT viability and explore new market opportunities.

This multifaceted research approach consists of five case studies of CCTs in Latin America, face-to-face field meetings with CCT administrators, 48 CCT beneficiaries in a pilot study and 31 interviews (verbal and remote) with business managers and companies in five countries.

Building on an on-site pilot study, an in-depth appraisal of five CCTs in Latin America over a five-year period, the authors examined six stages of CCT activities to assess possible areas of business engagement. The cases, augmented by field interviews with businesses, present fledgling business engagement in CCTs. In light of anticipated growth in CCTs, this study presents six major ways businesses can further participate in selected stages of CCT operations that contribute to their long-term sustainability, as well as future market opportunities.

Conducted over a five-year period with participants from government, businesses and CCT beneficiaries, this study deepens our understanding of how businesses can alleviate poverty through engaging in government-led antipoverty programs.

Este estudo propõe papéis amplamente definidos para empresas em programas liderados pelo governo projetados para melhorar o investimento em capital humano. Por meio de transferências condicionadas de renda (TCRs), as empresas têm oportunidades de aliviar a pobreza, abordar a Agenda 2030 (ODS) das Nações Unidas, melhorar a viabilidade do transferências condicionadas de renda e explorar novas oportunidades de mercado.

Com base em um estudo piloto no local, uma avaliação aprofundada de cinco transferências condicionadas de renda na América Latina durante um período de cinco anos, identificamos e analisamos seis etapas das atividades da transferências condicionadas de renda para avaliar possíveis áreas de participação empresarial. Nossos cases, enriquecidos por entrevistas de campo com empresas, apresentam oportunidades de participação empresarial em TCRs. À luz do crescimento antecipado dos TCRs, este estudo apresenta seis principais maneiras pelas quais as empresas podem se engajar ainda mais em etapas selecionadas de operações de TCR que contribuem para sua sustentabilidade de longo prazo, bem como oportunidades futuras de mercado.

Utilizamos uma abordagem de pesquisa multifacetada composta por 5 estudos de caso de TCR na América Latina, reuniões presenciais de campo com administradores da TCR, 48 beneficiários da TCR em um estudo piloto e 31 entrevistas (presencial e remota) com gerentes de negócios e empresas em 5 países.

Este estudo foi realizado ao longo de um período de 5 anos com participantes de beneficiários do governo, empresas e transferências condicionadas de renda, e aprofunda a compreensão de como as empresas podem contribuir para o alívio da pobreza por meio da participação em programas de combate à pobreza liderados pelo governo.

Este estudio propone roles para las empresas, ampliamente definidos, en programas dirigidos por el gobierno diseñados para mejorar la inversión en capital humano. A través de las transferencias monetarias condicionadas (TMC), las empresas tienen oportunidades para aliviar la pobreza, abordar la Agenda 2030 (ODS) de las Naciones Unidas, mejorar la viabilidad del TMC y explorar nuevas oportunidades de mercado.

Sobre la base de un estudio piloto in situ, una evaluación en profundidad de cinco TMC en América Latina durante un período de cinco años, identificamos y analizamos seis etapas de las actividades de TMC para evaluar posibles áreas de participación empresarial. Nuestros casos, enriquecidos por entrevistas de campo con empresas, presentan oportunidades para participación empresarial en los TMC. A la luz del crecimiento anticipado en los TMC, este estudio presenta seis formas principales en que las empresas pueden participar aún más en etapas seleccionadas de las operaciones de TMC que contribuyen a su sostenibilidad a largo plazo, así como a las oportunidades futuras del mercado.

Usamos un enfoque de investigación multifacético consiste en 5 estudios de casos de TMC en América Latina, reuniones de campo cara a cara con administradores de TMC, 48 beneficiarios de TMC en un estudio piloto y 31 entrevistas (presenciales y remotas) con gerentes de negocios y empresas en 5 países.

Este estudio fue llevado a cabo en un período de 5 años con participantes del gobierno, las empresas y los beneficiarios de TMC, y profundiza el entendimiento de cómo las empresas pueden contribuir a aliviar la pobreza a través de la participación en programas contra la pobreza liderados por el gobierno.

This case is based on an in-depth interview with Sean Ansett on March 6, 2020 in San Francisco. For a good reference book on the interview method in social science, please see Seidman (2019). Ansett is an alumnus of the Lam Family College of Business at San Francisco State University. A follow-up interview was conducted on December 13, 2021, via Zoom. The case situations are factual, but the names of the luxury brand, the factory and the Tunisian social auditing firm were disguised. Selected video clips of the interviews are available upon request.

In 2010, Sean Ansett, a social auditor with more than 25 years of experience in promoting workers’ rights in the global supply chain, faced a momentous decision. He was hired by a luxury brand company to conduct a social audit of a Tunisian leather goods factory. During his visit to the factory, he observed the troubling signs of child labor and alarming health and safety concerns in the work environment. Should he report the factory’s situation to the local authority? What should he advise his client, the luxury brand company, to do? Ansett realized that this was not a cut-and-dried decision as reporting to the local authority may affect workers adversely if the factory was closed. This case highlights the ethical dilemmas of human rights in the global supply chain. It also raises critical questions for multinational firms regarding what constitutes an ethical brand and how to ensure effective code of conduct implementation.

This case can be used in undergraduate or graduate business courses or curated sessions and seminars related to corporate social responsibility, ethics and social auditing in supply chain management.

The People's Republic of China has a growing trade surplus with the Western World which, with the United States alone, has increased from $23 billion to $29 billion, inspiring fear of another Japan in the making. She is a country with an authoritarian form of government, but in recent decades has pursued an “open door” policy on matters of trade. Many view this as a gradual conversion to a true free market economy. If that comes to pass, she will be the first Communist country to succeed in an apparent contradiction between political and economic philosophies.

The seconf of two articles on the transfer from foreign companies to affiliates in China. Addresses wholly owned subsidiaries. Tries to determine strategic management know‐how and if it is currently being transferred. Attempts to forecast the likelihood of access to China’s domestic market and if this will grow.

States that competitive advantage is like a moving target, changing over time as market conditions, consumer demand and resource availability vary. Provides a case study of Taiwan’s present advantages within the heights of the Asian economic growth and the recent economic crisis. Considers the ability of the country to sustain its remarkable growth rate and ask whether it needs to develop a new set of advantages. Uses Porter’s Diamond model in the “Competitive Advantage of Nations” (1990) to examine this issue. Concludes that the biggest threat is that of China’s claim to Taiwan’s territory.

Strategic management thinking emerged in the 1930s (Steiner, 1969), and developed significantly in the 1940s. An identifiable body of literature began to appear in the 1950s and increased significantly, so much so that strategic management became a separate discipline in the 1970s. Over these years, two main themes were pursued: (1) process and (2) content. A third theme, structure (sometimes referred to as “organisation”), received less attention, probably because of its overlap with process and content, and because its parameters have been difficult to identify.

The transfer of technology from the foreign partner to the domestic partner has been a problem for international joint ventures throughout the world, but particularly in China. Because of the nature of organisational learning, especially in its tacit forms, such transfers can occur quite subtly without the foreign partner realising what has transpired until it is too late. The problem is complicated by the fact that technology is short‐lived and must be exploited within narrow time frames, the fact that the Chinese partner’s primary interest is in acquiring the foreign partner’s technology, and the fact that the foreign partner typically shows little interest in obtaining the Chinese partner’s unique non‐technical knowledge as an offset. This article attempts to show how technology transfers can be controlled in the first place and how the foreign partner’s competitive advantage can be preserved by acquiring the domestic partner’s unique knowledge of host country circumstances.

Briefly outlines the development and attraction of the “joint venture” approach to foreign investment in China. Provides a number of in‐depth interviews with top management personnel of five well‐known international joint ventures. Attempts to discover what strategic management knowledge was transferred from the Western partner. Finds only limited evidence to suggest such a transfer was taking place but suggests that these ventures are still relatively new. Points to China’s likely entry into the World Trade Organisation as an opportunity for change.

The USA, one of the world's largest markets for textile products, has protected its textile and apparel industries from foreign competition since the beginning of this century. The overall effect of such protectionism has created a hostile environment for major textile/apparel exporting countries, particularly those from Asia. Reviews the impact of US protectionism and examines the strategies undertaken by the Asian countries in response to such protectionism. In particular, it is observed that these countries have begun to shift from traditional low‐cost strategies based on cheap labour to more differentiation strategies.

Warns against expecting the Japanese and Chinese to behave similarly, despite common features of their national cultures and geographical proximity. Points out that China follows Confucian‐based business ethics based on connections, mutual trust and under the table dealings, whereas Japan subscribes to Shinto‐based business ethics, depending on perfection, product superiority, obligation, personal honesty and self‐sacrifice. Provides a brief historical overview of each country’s cultural and political dynamics, then draws attention to some of the important differences between China and Japan – China preferring a command culture, pragmatism, centred on the family and using punishment as a means of ensuring conformity, whereas Japan prefers a consensus culture, sentimentality, has a strong sense of nationhood and relies on praise to achieve required performance. Suggests that western businesses keep this in mind if they are to conduct business successfully in either or both of these two countries.