Expatriates' hesitation and the localization of Western business operations in China

International Journal of Human Resource Management

Volumn 15, Issue 6, 2004, Pages 1094-1107

  Selmer, Jan ^a  

^a HONG KONG BAPTIST UNIVERSITY   (Hong Kong)

Author keywords

China; Inability; Localization; Unwillingness; Western business expatriates

Indexed keywords

EID: 3242668273     PISSN: 09585192     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/09585190410001677322     Document Type: Article

References (51)

1. Adler, N.I. and Bartholomew, S. (1992) 'Managing Globally Competent People', Academy of Management Executive, 6(3): 52-65.
2. Bartlett, C.A. and Goshal, S. (1991) Managing Across Borders: The Transnational Solution. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
3. Björkman, I. and Lu, Y. (1999) 'A Corporate Perspective on the Management of Human Resources in China', Journal of World Business, 34(1): 16-25.
4. Björkman, I. and Lu, Y. (2001) 'Institutionalization and Bargaining Power Explanations of HRM Practices in International Joint Ventures - The Case of Chinese-Western Joint Ventures', Organization Studies, 22(3): 491-512.
5. Björkman, I., Lasserre, P. and Ching, P.S. (1997) Developing Managerial Resources in China. Hong Kong: Financial Times.
6. Boisot, M. and Child, J. (1999) 'Organizations as Adaptive Systems in Complex Environments: The Case of China', Organization Science, 10: 237-52.
7. Boyacigiller, N. (1990) 'The Role of Expatriates in the Management of Interdependence, Complexity and Risk in Multinational Corporations', Journal of International Business Studies, 21: 357-81.
8. Caligiuri, P.M. (2000) 'Selecting Expatriates for Personality Characteristics: A Moderating Effect of Personality on the Relationship between Host National Contact and Cross-Cultural Adjustment', Management International Review, 40(1): 61-80.
9. Carpenter, M.A., Sanders, W.G. and Gregersen, H.B. (2000) 'International Assignment Experience at the Top Can Make a Bottom-Line Difference', Human Resource Management, 39(2,3): 277-85.
10. Child, J. (1991) 'A Foreign Perspective on the Management of People in China', International Journal of Human Resource Management, 2: 93-107.
11. Child, J. (1994) Management in China during the Age of Reform. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
12. Crampton, S.M. and Wagner, J.A. III (1994) 'Percept-Percept Inflation in Microorganizational Research: An Investigation of Prevalence and Effect', Journal of Applied Psychology, 79(1): 67-76.
13. Downes, M. and Thomas, A.S. (2000) 'Knowledge Transfer through Expatriation: The U-curve Approach to Overseas Staffing', Journal of Managerial Issues, 7: 131-49.
14. Economist Intelligence Unit (1997) 'Local Heroes', Business China, 9: 1-3.
15. Egelhoff, W.G. (1984) 'Patterns of Control in US, UK and European Multinational Corporations', Journal of International Business Studies, 15: 73-81.
16. Furst, B. (1999) 'Performance Management for Localization'. In Lee, J. (ed.) Localization in China: Best Practice. Hong Kong: Euromoney.
17. Gamble, J. (2000) 'Localizing Management in Foreign-Invested Enterprises in China: Practical, Cultural, and Strategic Perspectives', International Journal of Human Resource Management, 11(5): 883-903.
18. Goodall, K. and Warner, M. (1998) 'HRM Dilemmas in China: The Case of Foreign-Invested Enterprises in Shanghai', Asia Pacific Business Review, 4(4): 1-21.
19. Gregersen, H.B., Morrison, A.J. and Black, J.S. (1998) 'Developing Leaders for the Global Frontier', Sloan Management Review, 40: 21-32.
20. Guerra, F.F. III (1999) 'Localization: A General Manager's Perspective'. In Lee, J. (ed.) Localization in China: Best Practice. Hong Kong: Euromoney.
21. Hailey, J. (1996) 'Breaking through the Glass Ceiling', People Management, 2(14): 32-46.
22. Hambrick, D.C., Li, J.T., Xin, K. and Tsui, A.S. (2001) 'Compositional Gaps and Downward Spirals in International Joint Venture Groups', Strategic Management Journal, 22: 1033-53.
23. Harzing, A.W.K. (1997) 'Response Rates in International Mail Surveys: Results of a 22-Country Study', International Business Review, 6(6): 641-65.
24. Jensen, M. and Meckling, W. (1976) 'Theory of the Firm: Management Behavior, Agency Costs and Ownership Structure', Journal of Financial Economics, 3: 305-60.
25. Jones, S. (1997) 'Localization Threat Forces Expats into Rearguard Action', China Staff, October: 6-9.
26. Keeley, S. (1999) 'The Theory and Practice of Localization'. In Lee, J. (ed.) Localization in China: Best Practice. Hong Kong: Euromoney.
27. Kobrin, S.J. (1988) 'Expatriate Reduction and Strategic Control in American Multinational Operations', Human Resource Management, 27(1): 63-75.
28. Lam, S.S.K., Tse, D.K., Yim, C.K.B. (2001) 'How Much to Localize: Effect of Staff Localization on Firm Performance in Emerging Economies', CMC Working Paper: CMC2001-009-01, Chinese Management Centre, The University of Hong Kong.
29. Law, K.S., Wong, C.S., Wang, K.D. (2002) 'An Empirical Test of the Model on Managing the Localization of Human Resources in the People's Republic of China', paper presented at the Third Asia Academy of Management Conference, 12-14 December, Bangkok, Thailand.
30. Li, J.T., Xin, K., Tsui, A. and Hambrick, D.H. (1999) 'Building Effective International Joint Venture Leadership Teams in China', Journal of World Business, 34(1): 52-68.
31. Lord, R. and Maher, K. (1991) Leadership and Information Processing: Linking Perceptions and Processes. Boston, MA: Unwin and Hyman.
32. Lublin, J.S. (1996) 'Is Transfer to Native Land a Passport to Trouble', Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition), June 3: B1.
33. Luo, Y. (2000) Multinational Corporations in China. Copenhagen: Copenhagen Business School Press.
34. Lynton, N. (1999) 'Building a Unified Corporate Culture'. In Lee, J. (ed.) Localization in China: Best Practice. Hong Kong: Euromoney.
35. Mayrhofer, W. and Brewster, C. (1996) 'In Praise of Ethnocentricity: Expatriate Policies in European Multinationals', The International Executive, 38(6): 749-78.
36. Melvin, S. and Sylvester, K. (1997) 'Shipping Out', China Business Review, May-June: 30-4.
37. Menard, S. (1991) Longitudinal Research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
38. Naumann, E. (1993) 'Antecedents and Consequences of Satisfaction and Commitment among Expatriate Managers', Group and Organization Management, 18: 153-87.
39. O'Donnell, S.W. (2000) 'Managing Foreign Subsidiaries: Agents of Headquarters, or an Interdependent Network?', Strategic Management Journal, 21: 525-48.
40. Osland, G.E. and Cavusgil, S.T. (1996) 'Performance Issues in US-China Joint Ventures', California Management Review, 38: 106-30.
41. Podsakoff, P.M. and Organ, D.W. (1986) 'Self-Reports in Organizational Research: Problems and Prospects', Journal of Management, 12: 531-44.
42. Potter, C.C. (1989) 'Effective Localization of the Workforce: Transferring Technology in Developing Countries', Journal of European Industrial Training, 13(6): 25-30.
43. Rogers, B. (1999) 'The Expatriates in China - A Dying Species?'. In Lee, J. (ed.) Localization in China: Best Practice. Hong Kong: Euromoney.
44. Schuler, R.S., Dowling, P.J. and de Cieri, H. (1993) 'An Integrative Framework of Strategic Human Resource Management', International Journal of Human Resource Management, 4: 717-64.
45. Selmer, J. (2001) 'Psychological Barriers to Adjustment and How They Affect Coping Strategies: Western Business Expatriates in China', International Journal of Human Resource Management, 12(2): 151-65.
46. Shaffer, M.A., Harrison, D.A. and Gilley, K.M. (1999) 'Dimensions, Determinants, and Differences in the Expatriate Adjustment Process', Journal of International Business Studies, 30(3): 557-81.
47. Tabachnik, B.G. and Fidell, L.S. (1989) Using Multivariate Statistics, 2nd edn. New York: HarperCollins.
48. Wall, J.A. (1990) 'Manager in the People's Republic of China', Academy of Management Executive, 5: 171-80.
49. Wong, C.S. and Law, K.S. (1999) 'Managing Localization of Human Resources in the PRC: A Practical Model', Journal of World Business, 34(1): 26-40.
50. Worm, V. (1997) Vikings and Mandarins: Sino-Scandinavian Business Cooperation in Cross-Cultural Settings. Copenhagen: Copenhagen Business School Press.
51. Worm, V., Selmer, J. and de Leon, C.T. (2001) 'Human Resource Development for Localization: European Multinational Corporations in China'. In Kidd, J.B., Li, X. and Richter, F.-J. (eds) Advances in Human Resource Management in Asia. Basingstoke: Palgrave.