"Richard Mead's International Management reminds us that in the 21st century our ability to manage and lead is predicated on an awareness of the impact of cultural dynamics on institutions. He drives home the point that effective and appropriate management makes a difference to the well-being of all humankind. Mead's presentation of concepts and practical insights are excellent and take readers beyond a superficial understanding." Allan Bird, University of Missouri-St Louis
PREFACE.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.
Part One.
INTRODUCTION.
Part one introduces the notion that with the discovery of national culture as an influence on how members of an organization behave.
Ch 1. INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND CULTURE.
MINOR MODIFICATIONS.
Decisions made within the company are influenced by internal factors such as strategy and the skills held by labor force, and factors within its business environment including the market and the activities of competitors. The external factors also include national culture. National culture is defined.
Sometimes culture is very important in influencing behavior, and sometimes is of secondary importance, and other factors are of greater significance. The international manager has the problem of recognising the conditions under which culture is significant, and then deciding how to act..
Case for Chapter 1.
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Part Two .
CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT.
Part Two focuses on national culture, and the influence that this has on how the internal systems of the organisation are developed and implemented..
Ch 2. COMPARING CULTURES MAJOR MODIFICATIONS .
One way of identifying the significant features of any one national culture is to compare it to other cultures. The strengths and weaknesses of four comparative models are discussed. Most attention is paid to that of Geert Hofstede, which is still the most influential. Hofstede presents five dimensions; power distances, needs to avoid uncertainty, individualism/collectivism, masculinity/feminity, the Confucian dynamism..
Ch 3. SHIFTS IN THE ENVIRONMENTMAJOR MODIFICATIONS .
One of the problems in applying scholarly models is estimating how far they become obsolete when the culture shifts. This chapter deals with the problem of distinguishing superficial trend from deep-set changes. It discusses conditions under which changes occur..
Ch 4. ORGANIZATIONAL CULTUREMINOR MODIFICATIONS.
How you work is strongly influenced by the values held by other members of your organization. This organization culture is influenced by both internal factors such as management strategy and policy, and external factors such as the national culture and industry norms..
Ch 5. CULTURE AND COMMUNICATION MINOR MODIFICATIONS.
Your message is most effective when it reflects the shared values of the context. If it does not reflect these values other people may not understand you. The chapter focuses on the factors that influence communication style. These include national culture. The communication systems reflect and generate needs for company structure..
Ch 6 ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION NEW.
The cultural and other factors that influence choice of electronic communication as against non-electronic communication; the factors that influence the choice of one form of electronic communication as against others..
Ch 7. FORMAL STRUCTURESMINOR MODIFICATIONS .
Formal structures determine roles and relationships within the company, and .determine what communication options are more or less acceptable. A structure is influenced by factors that include the work being done, the national culture and needs for organisational culture. Formal structures can be bureaucratic and impersonal..
Ch 8. DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND NEGOTIATION MAJOR MODIFICATIONS .
Disputes arise from a range of factors including argument, competition for scarce resources, and misunderstandings. Tolerances of conflict vary across cultures, and behavior that causes conflict on one culture may be acceptable in some other. Participants negotiate both as a means of resolving conflict and of sharing resources..
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Ch 9. INFORMAL SYSTEMS NO MODIFICATIONS.
Informal systems may have a greater influence than do formal systems in deciding how management decisions are made and implemented. Patron and client are bound by long-standing ties of loyalty and obligation. Patronage networks reinforce in-groups and exclude outsiders. Cultural variations include guanxi in Chinese societies..
Ch 10. MANAGING CHANGE MINOR MODIFICATIONS .
Organizational changes may be made incrementally (perhaps intuitively), or be planned. This chapter focuses on the conditions under which planning occurs. How are planned changes made? Planning to make change has a political dimension in the sense that it needs the commitment of other people. If they are persuaded that the proposed change lies in their interests, the plan may be accepted and implemented. Otherwise, the plan is unlikely to achieve its goals. Some planning models demand heavy investments of time and information, and under some business conditions long-term planning may be impossible.
Ch 11. SMALL COMPANIES: WHEN DOES CULTURE MATTER?.
MAJOR MODIFICATIONS .
This chapter examines start-ups and family companies in different cultures. It returns to the question raised in Chapter 1; sometimes business factors, common across the globe, are more important than culture in influencing business decisions..
Cases for Chapters 2-11..
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Part Three.
INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT.
Part three deals with relations between the organization and its business environment, and focuses on the influence of factors other than culture..
Ch 12. GLOBAL AND LOCAL ENVIRONMENTS NO MODIFICATIONS .
This chapter returns to the theme discussed in Chapter 1, that decisions within the company are influenced by both internal and external factors. Here, external factors are discussed in reference to globalisation. The term is used differently in different fields, but in today’s business world, globalisation has roots in the internationalisation of finance, the internationalisation of production, and the development of information technologies. It has good and bad effects.
Ch 13. DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING STRATEGY MINOR MODIFICATIONS .
Different aspects of strategic planning and management are distinguished. Strategic planning theory has mostly been developed by writers and business people based in the US and UK, and their models reflect the cultures of these countries – and so may be inappropriate in other cultures. Strategic planning and implementation are differentiated..
Ch 14. BRAND DEVELOPMENT NEW.
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Ch 15. ENTRY: THE INTERNATIONAL JOINT VENTURE MAJOR MODIFICATIONS .
Companies make international investments in order to achieve their strategic goals. The IJV offers the company a means of entering a foreign market place with relatively less exposure than, for example, establishing a hundred-per-cent owned subsidiary.
The international joint venture presents the offers a range of benefits.
other than the possibility of making large profits. A joint venture is always bound to be risky, in part because the partners operate in different national environments, both of which may be undergoing rapid change. Success and failure factors are discussed..
Ch 16. OPPORTUNITY AND RISK: HEADQUARTERS AND SUBSIDIARY.
MINOR MODIFICATIONS .
In order to protect its investment and to take advantage of opportunities, the company imposes control mechanisms on its foreign investment. This chapter focuses on some of the systems by which a multinational headquarters controls its subsidiary. (Control exercised through staffing is discussed in Chapter 19.).
Ch 17. NEGOTIATING WITH THE ENVIRONMENT: INTERNATIONAL N.G.Os.
NEW.
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Ch 18. CONTROLLING BY TECHNOLOGY.
NEW.
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Cases for Chapters 12-18..
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Part Four.
INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT.
Part Four deals with the management of both expatriated staff and local staff. It sees why expatriate and local expectations of HR policy may vary..
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Ch 19. EXPATRIATE STAFFING POLICY MINOR MODIFICATIONS.
This chapter deals with how the company uses staffing policies to exercise the appropriate degree of control on its investment abroad – whether a subsidiary or an international joint venture. Bureaucratic and cultural control techniques are discussed. A range of factors determine the choice of local and expatriate management in the investment..
Ch 20. EXPATRIATE ASSIGNMENTS MINOR MODIFICATIONS.
The concepts of expatriate success and failure are flexible, and are understood differently by different people in different circumstances. But one point on which the experts agree is that the commitment of the expatriate’s dependents is vital for success. The chapter also emphasizes the importance of selection..
Ch 21. TRAINING AND SUPPORTING AN EXPATRIATE ASSIGNMENT.
MINOR MODIFICATIONS.
However, even efficient selection from a wide pool of applicants is insufficient to guarantee the success of an expatriate assignment. A perfect match between job description and candidate is unlikely, and for various reasons a job description may be incomplete. Training and support for the expatriate and dependents is also essential..
Ch 22. HRM: CONTRACT OR TRUST? NEW.
This chapter examines the assumptions made by Anglo HRM, and examines the conditions under which these may or may not apply in other cultural and business settings..
Ch 23. LOCAL STAFFING NEW.
This chapter discusses relationships between multinational headquarters and its local staff in the subsidiary. It deals with systems by which headquarters (and subsidiary management) develop local staff..
Ch 24. THE ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE OF THE SUBSIDIARY: CONVERGENCE AND DIVERGENCE.
This chapter sees how the organizational culture of the subsidiary is influenced both by the values of headquarters and by local culture..
Cases for Chapters 19-24..
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APPENDICES.
1. THREE CASES. These extended cases illustrate points from a range.
of chapters, and are referred to throughout the text.
2. PLANNING TO RESEARCH AND WRITE A DISSERTATION.
3. ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
INDEX