Journal Articles
Existing theories of diversity typically focus on a limited range of usually American research settings and on a relatively narrow range of types of diversity. Here, we examine a less commonly used measure of diversity, top management team (TMT) functional diversity, for a sample of non-US multinational enterprises (MNEs) from a cross-cultural perspective. We theorize and empirically test the notion that the individualism–collectivism dimension of national culture moderates the relationship between TMT diversity (measured by functional heterogeneity) and firm performance such that greater functional diversity among TMTs in collectivistic national cultures improves firm performance, while greater functional diversity among TMTs in individualistic national cultures weakens MNE performance. Our empirical results based on a sample of MNEs from 25 countries support our hypotheses. The relationship between TMT functional heterogeneity and firm performance is strongly negative in highly individualistic national cultures but positive in collectivistic national cultures. Managerial implications, limitations and future research directions are discussed.
Women entrepreneurs have played an important role in advancing the economic development of Asian countries. It is in the best interests of Asian countries and international human resource development (HRD) professionals to develop an in-depth understanding of women entrepreneurs in Asia so that they can develop policies, strategies and resources to support their development. Eight country studies on women entrepreneurs in Asia in this special issue revealed the motivations, challenges and opportunities of women entrepreneurs in their business start-ups and development. The findings would greatly contribute to an understanding of who women entrepreneurs in Asia are and how they are successful in their entrepreneurial endeavours.
Generation Z has been said to have more in common with their global generational cohort than they do with their parents. The 24/7 access to information, through increasingly ubiquitous Internet access, has been credited as the facilitator of the spread of generational values and characteristics. While this may apply to Generation Z in many developed countries, does it apply to developing nations such as Thailand? For example, by the year 2015, only 40 per cent of the Thai population had access to the Internet. Thus, this study attempts to understand to what extent proclaimed Generation Z characteristics and values ring true for a segment of Thai youth with the necessary access to and corresponding usage of connected technology. A literature review was conducted of both English and Thai language literature. Thai Generation Z university students were surveyed and the results were analyzed using structural equation modelling. On the one hand, the results did support an affinity towards technology, while on the other hand, it suggested that Thai youth valued and used the technology differently than their generational cohort in the west, especially concerning content creation. Furthermore, they differed from their global cohort in their preference for collectivism. They also differed from national cultural expectations as they showed tendencies towards low power distance. Finally, work values were largely consistent with international generational expectations in that they showed the strongest preference towards intrinsic and altruistic rewards. It will be essential for Human Resources (HR) to communicate these rewards to attract and retain this next generation of employees. This article contributes to the greater cross-cultural management scholarship by filling a gap in understanding the cultural and work values of a generational cohort in Thailand. It does this by highlighting the institutional and cultural setting this cohort came of age in, and by surveying cohort members to understand their values and preferences.
The coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China has sparked a global epidemic. On 31st January 2020 (Beijing time), the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of international concern on 31st January 2020 (Beijing time). This crisis has attracted intense media attention. Recently, some media outlets inappropriately labelled the coronavirus by race, using headlines such as “Chinese virus pandemonium” and even suggesting “China kids stay home.” The biased and misleading coverage presented via Western media channels has incited anger throughout the Chinese community and has placed undue stress upon Chinese individuals living outside China. This post-published review takes a tourism-focused perspective to examine findings from a quantitative study (Rodriguez-Seijas, Stohl, Hasin, & Eaton, 2015) published in 2015 in JAMA Psychiatry. The current paper highlights the potential impacts of misleading and biased media coverage on Chinese individuals’ mental health. Specifically, this work considers perceived racial discrimination stemming from coronavirus as a public health crisis and the effects of such discrimination on individuals of Chinese heritage. Similarly imperative are pertinent effects on the image of the country and destination with respect to tourism marketing and tourist behaviour during times of crisis. By considering racism in the context of the coronavirus outbreak, this paper identifies potential avenues for relevant research in tourism and hospitality.