Critical Perspectives on International Business最新文献

{"title":"“Start-up Nation” vs “the Republic of Samsung”: power and politics in the partner choice discourse in Israeli–Korean business collaboration","authors":"Irina Lyan","doi":"10.1108/CPOIB-09-2019-0073","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/CPOIB-09-2019-0073","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000This paper aims to propose to politicize partner choice as a discourse that rationalizes, legitimizes and justifies the choice of partners by underlining economic, cultural and institutional differences to (re)create power relations. By reconceptualizing partner choice as a discourse, the paper challenges the established view of partner choice according to international business and management studies as a rational and strategic behavior based on resource complementarity, best practices and win–win situations.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000Based on the longitudinal study of Israeli–Korean business collaboration, which includes in-depth interviews, observations and media texts, this paper uses critical discourse analysis (CDA) to demystify partner choice as neither a neutral nor an objective behavior to unveil its discursive construction and embeddedness in power relations.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000The actors on both sides of the Israeli–Korean business collaboration evoke resource complementary discourse between “Israeli innovation” and “Korean productivity” to rationalize their partner choice as a win–win situation. CDA demonstrates how both sides are engaged in a “borrowing” process from east-to-west and head-to-hands postcolonial images to (re)produce hierarchy between the parties. While east–west mapping remained almost unchallengeable, the reversal, crossing and blurring of the Israel-to-Korea knowledge transfer direction provides a counter-narrative to resource complementarity discourse.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000The resource complementarity discourse supported by east–west mapping and “head–hands” justifications for partner choice reveals the lingering presence of postcolonial images, imagery and imagination. By taking two nations without substantial troubled memories, histories and relations, the paper broadens the picture beyond national contexts, emphasizing the importance of borrowing and translation from postcolonial vocabulary to non-colonial situations.\u0000","PeriodicalId":46124,"journal":{"name":"Critical Perspectives on International Business","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2021-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44909546","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"How far are we from understanding corruption? The effect of cultural distance on corruption perception","authors":"Mike Szymanski, Ivan Valdovinos, E. Kaltenecker","doi":"10.1108/CPOIB-06-2020-0079","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/CPOIB-06-2020-0079","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000This study aims to examine the relationship between cultural distances between countries and their scores in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI), which is the most commonly used measure of corruption in international business (IB) research.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000The authors applied fixed-effect (generalized least squares) statistical modeling technique to analyze 1,580 year-country observations.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000The authors found that the CPI score is determined to a large extent by cultural distances between countries, specifically the distance to the USA and to Denmark.\u0000\u0000\u0000Research limitations/implications\u0000CPI is often used as a sole measure of state-level corruption in IB research. The results show that the measure is significantly influenced by cultural differences and hence it should be applied with great caution, preferably augmented with other measures.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to look at cultural distances as determinants of CPI score. The authors empirically test whether the CPI is culturally biased.\u0000","PeriodicalId":46124,"journal":{"name":"Critical Perspectives on International Business","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2021-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43070681","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reversal of language hierarchy and the politics of translation in a multinational corporation","authors":"Jonna Ristolainen, Virpi Outila, R. Piekkari","doi":"10.1108/CPOIB-06-2020-0086","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/CPOIB-06-2020-0086","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000The purpose of this paper is to explain the reversal of language hierarchy in a Finnish multinational corporation (MNC) from a political perspective. This paper situated the language hierarchy in the historical context of the colonial-style relationship between Finland and Russia. From a post-colonial perspective, the colonial legacy of Russia has had an influence on language strategy and everyday translation work in the Finnish multinational until the present day.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000This paper undertook a case study based on qualitative secondary analysis of existing data sets. These data sets originated from two previously conducted studies of the same Finnish MNC.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000The findings revealed a reversal of the traditional corporate language hierarchy. Russian, as the host country language of powerful local subsidiaries, rose to the top of the hierarchy at the expense of English, the common corporate language, and other languages. The colonial-style relationship was enacted by professional and paraprofessional translators who collaborated by using “the master’s language and imitating the master’s voice” to reap the strategic benefits of local responsiveness.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000In contrast to previous work drawing on post-colonial theory in the study of MNCs, this paper represents the headquarters in Finland as the “colonised” party and the Russian subsidiaries as the “coloniser.” Owing to its colonial legacy, Russian, the host country language, became very powerful and influenced the language strategy of the entire MNC. This paper conceptualized translation as a multilevel phenomenon and offers a holistic explanation of why the language hierarchy in the Finnish MNC was reversed.\u0000","PeriodicalId":46124,"journal":{"name":"Critical Perspectives on International Business","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2021-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45775649","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From Ebola to COVID-19: what explains institutionalized manias and the ultimate preference for non-optimal solutions in global health governance?","authors":"Frederick Ahen","doi":"10.1108/CPOIB-05-2020-0057","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/CPOIB-05-2020-0057","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate how “manias” in global health governance lead to health inequalities even before, during and in the aftermath of acute health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic “Manias” as used here refer to obsessive ir/rational behaviors, misguided policy/strategic choices and the exercise of power that benefit the major global health actors at the expense of stakeholders Design/methodology/approach: From post-colonial and historical perspectives, this study delineates how the major global health actors influence outcomes in global health governance and international business when they interact at the national–global level using an illustration from an emerging economy Findings: Power asymmetry in global health governance is constructed around the centralization of economic influence, medico-techno-scientific innovation and the geopolitical hegemony of a conglomerate of super-rich/powerful actors They cluster these powers and resources in the core region (industrialized economies) and use them to influence the periphery (developing economies) through international NGOs, hybrid organizations, MNCs and multilateral/bilateral agreements The power of actors to maintain manias lies in not only how they influence the periphery but also the consequences of the periphery’s “passivity” and “voluntary” renunciation of sovereignty in medical innovations and global health policies/politics Social implications: As a quintessential feature of manias, power asymmetry makes it harder for weaker actors to actually change the institutional conditions that produce structural inequalities in global health Originality/value: This timely and multidisciplinary study calls for a novel architecture of global health governance Thus, democratizing global health governance with sufficiently foresighted investments that prioritize equitable access by and the inclusiveness of vulnerable stakeholders will help dismantle institutionalized manias while decreasing health inequalities © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited","PeriodicalId":46124,"journal":{"name":"Critical Perspectives on International Business","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2021-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43493216","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"International relationships and resilience of New Zealand SME exporters during COVID-19","authors":"Benjamin Fath, Antje Fiedler, Noemi Sinkovics, Rudolf R. Sinkovics, Bridgette Sullivan-Taylor","doi":"10.1108/cpoib-05-2020-0061","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/cpoib-05-2020-0061","url":null,"abstract":"<h3>Purpose</h3>\u0000<p>This paper aims to empirically investigate how small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have engaged with international network partners during COVID-19 and how the crisis has changed network relationships and resilience depending on pre-COVID relationship strength and, secondarily, on opportunity outlook in a market.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\u0000<h3>Design/methodology/approach</h3>\u0000<p>This paper draws on 14 qualitative interviews with managers of New Zealand SMEs from diverse industries and four with industry experts. Rather than generalization, the aim of this exploratory paper is to identify contingency factors, which, under duress, strengthen or break business relationships.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\u0000<h3>Findings</h3>\u0000<p>Four main patterns emerge from the data, with respect to how SMEs engaged with network partners depending on the nature of their prepandemic relationships and the extent to which their markets had been affected by the pandemic. During crisis, weak ties either break or remain weak, forcing firms to create new, potentially opportunistic, relationships. Strong ties increase resilience, even under a negative outlook, as network partners support each other, including through the development of new ties. Strong ties can also accelerate business model transformation.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\u0000<h3>Research limitations/implications</h3>\u0000<p>Future large-scale research is needed to test the generalizability of the authors’ findings.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\u0000<h3>Practical implications</h3>\u0000<p>The findings of this paper indicate lessons for business continuation management and future preparedness for major disruptions. Specific insights may help stimulate managerial action to accelerate contingency planning and policy to support SMEs.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\u0000<h3>Originality/value</h3>\u0000<p>This paper is an early study on how weak and strong ties influence SME resilience during crisis.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->","PeriodicalId":46124,"journal":{"name":"Critical Perspectives on International Business","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2021-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138505772","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Towards crisis protection(ism)? COVID-19 and selective de-globalization","authors":"L. Branicki, Bridgette Sullivan-Taylor, Stephen Brammer","doi":"10.1108/CPOIB-05-2020-0046","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/CPOIB-05-2020-0046","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: Drawing on Wendt’s (1995, 1999) thin constructivist approach to international relations this paper aims to critically examine how the measures taken by the Australian Government to protect the country from coronavirus (COVID-19) have prompted politicians and opinion-makers to mobilize globalizing and de-globalizing discourses towards divergent conceptualizations of national resilience Design/methodology/approach: The paper examines 172 Australian political and media articles, which focus on both COVID-19 and globalization/de-globalization published between February and June 2020 The data were imported to NVivo to enable in-depth thematic analysis Findings: The paper develops the concept of crisis protectionism to explain how COVID-19 has been mobilized in discourses aimed at accelerating selective de-globalization in Australia Selective de-globalization is inductively theorized as involving material structures (i e border closures), ideational structures (i e national identity) and intersubjectivities (i e pre-existing inter-country antagonisms) Research limitations/implications: The paper relies upon publicly available data about Australian discourses that relate to a unique globally disrupting extreme event Practical implications: Crisis protectionism and selective de-globalization are important to multinational enterprises (MNE) that operate in essential industry sectors (e g medical supply firms), rely upon open borders (e g the university sector) and for MNEs entering/operating in a host country experiencing antagonistic relationships with their home country Originality/value: The paper extends Witt’s (2019) political theorization of de-globalization towards a socialized theory of de-globalization By rejecting liberal and realist explanations of the relationship between COVID-19 and de-globalization, this study highlights the importance and endogeneity of non-market risks and non-economic logic to international business and MNE strategy © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited","PeriodicalId":46124,"journal":{"name":"Critical Perspectives on International Business","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2021-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42694751","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Covid-19 pandemic: towards a societally engaged IB perspective","authors":"C. Dörrenbächer, R. Sinkovics, Florian A. A. Becker-Ritterspach, Mehdi Boussebaa, Louise Curran, A. Jonge, Zaheer Khan","doi":"10.1108/CPOIB-02-2021-0021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/CPOIB-02-2021-0021","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose This viewpoint takes up the Covid-19 pandemic as a trigger for a research agenda around societally engaged international business (IB) research Design/methodology/approach The paper is organized as a viewpoint First, it provides an overview of Covid-19 research in business and management and IB in particular Second, it introduces a societally engaged IB perspective, around poverty and human rights as well as trade Findings The paper offers an annotated introduction to the paper contributions of the special issue with three clusters, \"re-reading the crisis\", \"crisis protectionism\" and \"firm strategies during the pandemic\" Research limitations/implications The paper points to future research opportunities in terms of crisis management and societally engaged IB research Practical implications The Covid-19 crisis poses new questions for research on international business and its related disciplines In particular, the political, economic and societal disruption which the pandemic has caused highlights the importance of addressing broader societal issues such as climate change, poverty and inequality through a purposeful and forward-looking research agenda Originality/value The paper and the special issue are some of the first combined research outputs on the Covid-19 pandemic in international business","PeriodicalId":46124,"journal":{"name":"Critical Perspectives on International Business","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2021-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43036631","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Emerging social and business trends associated with the Covid-19 pandemic","authors":"Hamideh Yeganeh","doi":"10.1108/CPOIB-05-2020-0066","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/CPOIB-05-2020-0066","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: This paper aims to identify, classify and study emerging social and business trends associated with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic Design/methodology/approach: By adopting the meta-synthesis method, the study scrutinizes, synthesizes and interprets the findings from a pool of publications This approach results in identifying 53 key ideas that are classified under nine dominant trends Findings: The study identifies and examines nine major trends caused and intensified by the Covid-19 pandemic, i e the rise of authoritarianism, the new era of corporate welfare, deep imbalances in public finances, exacerbated inequalities, higher risks of poverty and famine, the dominance of giant corporations, the increasing influence of big tech, the accelerated innovation and the fluidity of work and organizations The paper suggests that these trends are the continuation of the past three decades’ transformations, are contributing to the rising concentration of power and wealth and are leading to a new type of globalization marked by high connectivity and low tangibility Originality/value: The originality of this paper resides in adopting a multidisciplinary approach to analyzing various social and business dimensions of a complex phenomenon While the study should not be viewed as a comprehensive investigation, it offers a groundwork for further research on Covid-19 © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited","PeriodicalId":46124,"journal":{"name":"Critical Perspectives on International Business","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2021-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49262009","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Internalising and internationalising country specific CSR practices of a Japanese multinational company","authors":"C. Perera, C. Hewege","doi":"10.1108/CPOIB-02-2019-0013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/CPOIB-02-2019-0013","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000Applying mainstream, Western-centric corporate social responsibility (CSR) theory to make sense of CSR practices of multinational firms of non-Western origin seems to be problematic for CSR theory and practice. The purpose of this study is to critically analyse the CSR integration journey of a Japanese multinational firm with a view to understanding CSR integration in a global business context.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000This study used a qualitative research method using a single case study approach to investigate a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context. A theoretical lens of seven patterns of CSR integration interwoven with Japanese and mainstream CSR discourses is used to make sense of internalisation and internationalisation process.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000Main findings are presented under four themes: product harm crisis as a call for CSR, CSR governance and bottom up initiatives, recycling oriented CSR and product designing, co-existing Japanese CSR in the global marketplace. An external misfit of a firm’s practice in the domestic market can lead to internalising country-specific CSR through CSR integration resulting in successful internationalisation of country-specific CSR practices.\u0000\u0000\u0000Research limitations/implications\u0000Country-specific CSR integration follows context-specific routines and practices; this process can be shaped and reshaped by the prevailing international CSR discourse due to internationalisation of a firm’s operation.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000Although CSR is viewed as a fundamental strategic priority driving firms to focus on shared value-creating products and services, how best a firm can integrate CSR into an existing business model is unclear. This gap is addressed in this current study.\u0000","PeriodicalId":46124,"journal":{"name":"Critical Perspectives on International Business","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2021-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42765940","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"What shapes industrial relations in foreign affiliates? Comparative case study results from Germany","authors":"C. Dörrenbächer, Heinz-Josef Tüselmann, Heinz-Rudolf Meissner, Q. Cao","doi":"10.1108/CPOIB-07-2020-0090","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/CPOIB-07-2020-0090","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000The purpose of this paper is to develop an analytical framework to categorize the quality of industrial relations in foreign affiliates. Using the case of foreign affiliates in Germany, this paper further explores what factors shape the quality of industrial relations in foreign affiliates.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000Given the scarcity of research on industrial relations in foreign affiliates, this paper is based on conceptual work as well as on a comparative case investigation of 21 foreign affiliates in Germany, involving informants from both labor and management.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000Industrial relations in foreign affiliates in Germany can take four different qualities, based on the following: social partnership; conflict partnership; latently adversarial; and adversarial relations. While previous literature focused on country-of-origin effects, the authors’ case-based investigation further revealed that both affiliate effects and multinational corporation (MNC) effects have a strong impact on the quality of industrial relations in foreign affiliates in Germany.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000This paper provides systematic evidence on the presumption that micro-organizational and MNC-specific factors are necessary to gain a deeper understanding of industrial relations in MNCs. Moreover, this paper contributes to the discussion on the quality of industrial relations in foreign affiliates in Germany, by placing results from both single-case studies and management surveys into perspective.\u0000","PeriodicalId":46124,"journal":{"name":"Critical Perspectives on International Business","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2021-02-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47272436","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}