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When analyzing modes of navigating a multi-cultural environment in a multinational corporation (MNC), most studies employ an etic approach that delineates how, for example, multi-cultural companies thrive and maneuver in a likewise multi-cultural business contexts. This approach implies the use of theoretical models and empirical observations that from a methodological view identify an employee as either an objectified agent or as an anonymous “other,” indicating that such approaches are rooted in an ethnocentric academic tradition. Acknowledging the merits of this tradition, we take the methodological approach a step further and introduce an emic or contextualized approach that makes employees themselves provide the bulk of data on how and why they position themselves in a multi-cultural organization the way they do. The main objective of this chapter is thus to discuss how employees develop personal strategies to navigate in a complex multi-cultural organization. The study takes off by developing a theoretical model for how to approach emic studies and then proceeds to suggest a methodological approach that is capable of providing empirical data for a model based on a combination of both etic and emic approaches. This constitutes a first step towards developing a generic model of how to deal with context. In order to test the model, the empirical focus will be on the relationship between the headquarter of the Danish MNC, Maersk Line, in Denmark and its subsidiaries in Asia. This relationship is analyzed on the basis of interviews in the Danish headquarter and in the local offices in Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, and Penang.

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether a multinational company can transmit its corporate management system and operations management system from its domestic operation to its subsidiary located in a country with very different national culture.

This research proposes that it is possible for a multinational company to override differences in national culture and create a “company citizenship” across the globe, with similar corporate management and operations management system. Another purpose of this research is to show that it is not true that globalization would create just one single culture, originated in the USA and Western Europe, which is called “Jet‐Set Culture” by Freedman. Japanese multinational companies are spreading their own unique organizational values of their management system across the world in their subsidiaries. Thus, different multinational companies may create their own unique organizational culture that produces their own company citizenship, which can be spread globally. To prove these hypotheses, this paper has reported the result of a survey conducted in the domestic operations of the Toyota Motor Company (Toyota) and in its operations in India.

Core values of Toyota's management systems are derived from the values that are identified in the mission statement of Toyota. According to the results of the survey based on opinions of Toyota's employees, there are broad similarities in the values composing its management systems, irrespective of national locations. Thus, Toyota has managed to form the “company citizenship” in its headquarters in the host country, Japan, and successfully transmitted it in its subsidiary located in the host country, India, with an alien national culture.

The paper shows that company citizenships of different companies, based on their unique organizational cultures, but not on their national cultures, are emerging as a new organizational form in this global era.

Different multinational companies may create their own unique organizational culture that produces their own company citizenship and which can be spread globally.

This paper proposes that there are some specific espoused values in every important multinational company, which form its organizational cultures and create values, which in turn may form commitment of its employees. These commitments are the indicator of successful performance of a company because creation of commitment leads to success of the company; this interrelationship between culture and commitment can be called company citizenship and can be transmitted from one part of the globe to another by a multinational company through the transmission of its corporate management and operations management system.

The purpose of this article is to examine the influence of corporate culture on the practice of corporate philanthropy in a global environment.

The paper uses content analysis of corporate texts and media; interviews with global philanthropy practitioners.

The paper finds that: corporate philanthropy is a reflector of corporate values; global corporate philanthropists have a history of commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities; global companies practice international philanthropy; program delivery differs as a reflection of corporate history, values, mission, and business drivers; global corporations utilize CSR to gain and maintain their “license to operate”; and corporate cultural learning is pursued as an explicit activity; cross‐cultural learning is generally perceived as an implicit outcome. CSR shares values, opportunity for integrated cultural learning.

This research is not generalizable. Its findings could be explored by surveying a larger purposive sample.

The practical implications of this research are the sharing of corporate values and the inclusion of cultural learning through the integration of CSR activities, including philanthropy.

The study found corporate opportunities for cultural learning valuable to the development of the global corporation as global corporate citizen, a prerequisite to the effective practice of philanthropy and for doing business globally.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight employee diversity at the workplace level in a MNC, and consider its impact upon management attempts to promote a global corporate culture.

The investigation took the form of an ethnographic participant‐observation study, which involved interviews and archival research plus a three‐month period when the lead researcher worked on the plant's final assembly line. This provided insights into the personal and psychological issues of individuals within the workforce, and an experiential dimension to the study which is difficult to replicate in other ways.

The management approach to cultural and diversity issues worked both for and against the development of cohesion and improved employee relations. Managers sometimes ignored the real impact of local ethnic diversity, focusing instead on inter‐management conflicts, which contributed to employee morale and communication problems. But where diversity was recognised, more success followed, in particular where the distinct history and identity of the plant was emphasised. The study also tentatively suggests that “crossvergence” may be a fruitful way of interpreting the complex determinants of employee attitudes.

The paper highlights how global strategies are always mediated by local circumstances, thus strengthening the arguments for recognising the interaction between management elites and local workforces, acknowledging cultural diversity and its impact on global business, and looking beyond simplistic notions of “national culture” towards diversity within national boundaries. The key implication for managers is that the successful implementation of global corporate strategies works best not just with due acknowledgement of local workforce identities, but with positive engagement with local historical and cultural traditions.

International business (IB) studies revolve around two key perspectives defined as a firm-specific perspective and a generic perspective that combined to provide a company with crucial insights into how to enter and navigate in foreign markets. Such a combined approach provides a company with a holistic perception of what kind of resources and capabilities it needs before entering and operating in specific markets. The key issue here is how to design a research approach that provides the data that make a researcher capable of developing an explanatory framework for how to engage such markets. Before looking for appropriate research methodologies and tools for data collection, there is a need for a pertinent philosophy of science. This chapter discusses three different philosophies of science each one capable of providing the analyst with a specific take on how to “think” data. Arguably, whatever approach one selects, the choice has an impact on the outcome of the research process. After selecting a specific philosophy of science, the chapter applies it on an analysis of the Danish shipping company Maersk. The focus is on how employees at headquarters and selected overseas subsidiaries “read” the global corporate culture and navigate within the company for own and organizational benefit. This chapter discusses the ramifications of selecting one philosophy of science over another when engaging in qualitative or quantitative research in an IB context.

Among the top management issues covered in this section are: leadership to promote change; issues of corporate culture; effective international strategy; environmental leadership; investment in Eastern Europe; and developing “world‐class” manufacturing strategy.

Based on the tasks and responsibilities of global leaders, the benefits of a holistic view in global leadership talent acquisition are identified. The main areas of this integrating process, such as succession planning, attracting, and mobilizing talents, selection, training and development, and retaining global leadership talents, are described. The success factors and principles of a global talent acquisition process are presented and explained. Furthermore, this chapter shows that a proactive step for global organizations is to build an in-house global leadership talent pool to ensure having the right global leaders in the right places at the right time.

This study aims to investigate the cultural factors that influence global account management (GAM) in the context of Indian buyers and German suppliers from a wide perspective.

After conducting a critical literature review on key account management (KAM), GAM and organizational culture, the authors conducted an exploratory case study with 23 global account managers (GA managers) who work for German-based multinational companies and manage global accounts from India. The results of a qualitative data analysis are demonstrated using consensus and template methods.

The findings of this study indicate that language, communication, the concept of time, conflict avoidance, organizational structure, decision-making, trust and relationship are among the cultural factors that can influence GAM in a German and Indian context.

Given the substantial cultural disparities between Northern India and Southern India, it is especially difficult to generalize cultural factors in GAM. On the other hand, these factors can be used as a prerequisite for the development of cultural dimensions when collaborating with individuals and organizations from diverse cultures.

This research is essential for global sales managers, GA managers and executives who intend to collaborate with Indian buyers or suppliers.

Prior business-to-business marketing literature on KAM and GAM has been mostly on the western context. This study is the first step in examining the cultural effect on GAM relationships between Indian and German organizations.