ArticlePDF Available

In Search of Appropriate Methodology: From Outside The People's Republic of China Looking In

Authors:
Nancy Adler at McGill University
Nancy Adler
Nigel Campbell
Nigel Campbell
Nigel Campbell
  • This person is not on ResearchGate, or hasn't claimed this research yet.
André Laurent
André Laurent
André Laurent
  • This person is not on ResearchGate, or hasn't claimed this research yet.
Download full-text PDF
Read full-text
Download citation

Abstract

Choosing a methodology determines what we can study as well as the range of possible results and conclusions. This study took an instrument that had been developed in the west and used extensively in Europe and North America to investigate managerial behavior in the people's Republic of China. For a number of reasons, it failed to produce a valid and reliable description of Chinese managerial behavior. This paper investigates some of the methodogical issues involved in extending western organizational knowledge to the East. It raises some fundamental questions about being “outside, looking in”.© 1989 JIBS. Journal of International Business Studies (1989) 20, 61–74
Content uploaded by Nancy Adler
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Nancy Adler on Feb 20, 2015
Content may be subject to copyright.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
In Search of Appropriate Methodology: From Outside the People's Republic of China Looking In
Adler, Nancy J;Campbell, Nigel;Laurent, Andre
Journal of International Business Studies; Spring 1989; 20, 1; ProQuest Central
pg. 61
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
... Although extensive research has been done on PSC, most of the existing research focuses on Western societies [22]. The generalizability of the existing literature to Eastern cultures, and specifically Chinese culture, is questionable and, considering the size of the e-commerce market, well worth deeper exploration [6,23]. It is the aim of this study to narrow the gap and further explore the impact of Chinese consumers' public self-consciousness on impulsive consumption. ...
The Effect of Time-Limited Promotion on E-Consumers’ Public Self-Consciousness and Purchase Behavior
Article
Full-text available
  • Dec 2022
This paper explores the relationship between consumers’ public self-consciousness, purchase behavior, post-purchase regret, and time-limited promotions in e-commerce. Time-limited flash sales have become a common promotion strategy in e-commerce, particularly in China, the largest e-commerce market. Firstly, the effect of public self-consciousness on consumers’ impulsive purchase tendency and post-purchase regret is examined. Secondly, this paper extends the scope of previous studies and investigates how time pressure affects the relationships between self-consciousness, impulsive buying tendency, and post-purchase regret. Data were gathered via an anonymous online survey of 580 online shoppers and subjected to empirical analysis including validity testing and ANOVA. The results provide both practical and theoretical contributions to existing models and offer empirical evidence showing the positive relationships between public self-consciousness and impulse buying, between public self-consciousness and post-purchase regret, and between impulse buying and post-purchase regret.
View
... However, most cultural concepts applied in current consumer studies are derived from Western societies (Sun et al., 2014b). Such approaches might not be able to measure the nuances of Eastern societies such as China and then may fail to accurately illustrate business phenomena in such societies (Adler et al., 1989;Redding, 1990). Even though Western culture has become increasingly pervasive in recent decades, China has maintained its traditional values and ways of thinking to a great extent (Ackerman et al., 2009). ...
The Influence of Face on Online Purchases: Evidence From China
Article
Full-text available
  • Nov 2021
This study examines the influence of an indigenous concept – face on online purchases in China. Specifically, we test the mediating role of materialism and the moderating role of price consciousness. We conduct a survey of 315 Chinese consumers. The results demonstrate that consumers tend to make online purchases to satisfy some facets of their materialistic needs and then gain face, especially for those highly conscious of price. The current research can help both scholars and practitioners better understand Chinese consumers and their decision-making processes. Implications, limitations, and directions for future research are also provided.
View
... 1. Response opined by the respondents subjected to change as they tend to meet up with different students at the different levels and the different times. 2. Time has been the criteria in meeting the different respondents. ...
ijrcm-4-IJRCM-4 vol-5 2015 issue-01-art-11
Article
Full-text available
  • Jul 2021
Total quality management (TQM) is a firm-wide management philosophy of continuously improving the quality of the products/services/processes by focusing on the customers’ needs and expectations to enhance customer satisfaction and Organisational performance. There are mixed results about the relationship between total quality management practices and performance. TQM in engineering presents a summary of relationships between TQM practices and performance. Although most of the results of the previous studies were positive, some of the results were negative or non-significant. Research with appropriate analytical methodologies and measuring tools can significantly contribute to investigating work on TQM which analyzed reasons of the relationship between TQM practices and performance. Leaders in a TQM system view the firm as a system; support employee development; establish a multipoint communication among the employees, managers, and customers; and use information efficiently and effectively. In addition, leaders encourage employee participation in decision-making and empower the employees.
View
... Even in the case of an etic research perspective, establishing construct equivalence encompasses various difficulties. For example, Adler et al. (1989) failed to validly and reliably describe management behaviour in China as some of their measurement items contained the Western notion of 'truth' which has different connotations in Confucian philosophy. Thus, a construct can only be meaningfully measured across cultures if it is based on a universally applicable concept in these cultures, that is, is conceptually equivalent. ...
View
... One way to do that, per Weber, was to extract proprietary rights from the state (McNeil, 1978), a classic multinational strategy. More contemporary work, such as by Adler and her associates (Adler, Campbell, & Laurent, 1989;Adler & Graham, 1989), attempted to inject a similar appreciation of content and complexity into IM research (see also Jack & Westwood, 2006), as did critical ethnographies, such as those by Chio (2005) and Tsing (2005) and the social constructionist view as a whole. Our hope is that the friction metaphor will make a modest contribution toward tapping those rich veins and that this will signify a willingness to question the very way in which we define, approach, and make sense of the fundamental issues in IM. ...
FROM "DISTANCE" TO "FRICTION": SUBSTITUTING METAPHORS AND REDIRECTING INTERCULTURAL RESEARCH
Article
Full-text available
  • Dec 2020
The cultural distance metaphor dominates international management research, promoting a sterile, detached view where static antecedents in the form of artificially constructed differences serve as the dominant lens through which culture is viewed and its impact assessed. We examine culture and its positivist treatment in the foreign direct investment literature using the theoretical and real-world lenses. Adopting a social constructionist approach, we propose cultural friction as a substitute metaphor centered on the actual encounter of cultural systems within a context of power relations and potential conflict between a multinational enterprise and its host country constituencies.
View
Estudos críticos em negócios internacionais: uma proposta de diálogo
Article
  • Nov 2013
Apesar de a área conhecida como Negócios Internacionais estar crescendo no Brasil e no mundo, as pesquisas no campo tem sido dominadas por vertentes funcionalistas e que tendem a ignorar questões de poder e a face repugnante das organizações. Além disso, a área tem adotado referenciais anglo-americanos acriticamente, o que sugere uma colonialidade epistêmica. Diante disso, o objetivo deste artigo é defender a abordagem crítica como uma forma de se realizar pesquisas na área no Brasil. Para tanto, recontamos as origens do campo, mostramos sua resistência à adoção de abordagens críticas e/ou reflexivas, buscamos desnaturalizar a área para propor a de-colonização como uma alternativa para o campo.
View
The Economics of Gender in China: Women, Work and the Glass Ceiling
Book
Full-text available
  • Aug 2022
China's rapid socio-economic development has achieved remarkable equalizing conditions between men and women in the aspects of health, education and labor force participation, but the glass ceiling phenomenon has become more prominent. The book develops a cross-disciplinary paradigm, with economics at its core, to better understand gender in China and women in management in the Chinese business context.
View
View
View
Investigating the causal complexity of corruption in project-based organizations: a scenario analysis of bidding activity in the Chinese construction sector
Article
  • Aug 2021
Purpose Although the global construction industry has made great contributions to economic development, industry corruption is a challenge for governments all over the world. This paper aims to investigate the causal complexity of organizational corruption by exploring the configuration effect of multiple induced conditions of corruption in the construction sector. Design/methodology/approach This study is focused on bribery, a specific form of corrupt behavior through a scenario-based survey role-playing game in which participants encounter bribery. A total of 400 Chinese construction sector participants were randomly recruited to complete this survey. Findings Compared with studies that have identified a number of factors associated with corruption in the construction sector, this study found asymmetry and complexity in the causality of organizational corruption. That is, when a variable causing corruption changes from one condition to its opposite – for example, from fierce to mild competition – the degree of corruption is not necessarily reduced as one may expect. Practical implications Anti-corruption measures should not rely solely on the net effects of discrete conditions and the interactions between multiple factors should not be ignored. In other words, anti-corruption strategies should not be implemented in isolation of their context, and pairing control measures with configurations is critical in controlling corruption. Finally, multiple configuration paths should be reconsidered when considering the degree of corruption reduction. Originality/value This study proposes a comprehensive analysis framework for addressing organizational corruption in the construction sector by investigating configuration effects of multiple induced conditions and offers a useful method for addressing corruption.
View
From the Atlantic to the Pacific Century: Cross-Cultural Management Reviewed
Article
Full-text available
  • Jun 1986
This article reviews the areas of comparative and cross-cultural management and discusses the impact of cultural diversity on international organizational behavior. With the growing shift of business from the Atlantic to the Pacific Basin, East-West cultural differences are becoming increasingly significant. Research in developmental psychology, sociology, and anthropology shows that there are major differences among the cognitive processes of people from different cultures. In the era of the global corporation, cultural diversity has to be recognized, understood, and appropriately used in organizations. It is suggested that cross-cultural management would greatly benefitfrom comparative studies considering the impact of the cognitive aspects of culture on managerial practice.
View
Managing Human Resources in China: An Empirical Study
Article
Full-text available
  • Oct 1986
This paper deals with management, industrial training and human resources develop ment in six Chinese business corporations, in both heavy and light industrial contexts in the post-Cultural Revolution period. It covers organization, training, apprenticeship, promotion, grading and rewards. It concludes that greater professionalism and specialization now characterize Chinese firms, partly based on structural responses from before the Cultural Revolution, but also partly based on the needs of the new economic reforms of the 1980s.
View
U.S.-China Trade Negotiations: Practices, Procedures and Outcomes
Article
Full-text available
  • Jun 1982
  • J INT BUS STUD
This study sought to examine and identify (1) the mechanics of U.S.-China trade negotiations; (2) how a company prepares for such negotiations; (3) the factors that contribute to the success or failure of such negotiations; and (4) the outcomes of such negotiations. Data pertaining to these characteristics were collected from 138 U.S. firms engaged in China trade. Relationships between certain variables, such as extent of preparation for the negotiations, type of programs used, and incidences of success were examined. Based on these results, implications for management were drawn.© 1982 JIBS. Journal of International Business Studies (1982) 13, 25–38
View
Alternative Concepts of Management: Insights from Asia and Africa
Article
  • Jan 1984
Some Asian and African concepts including the logic of mutual benefit among heterogeneous elements, polyocular vision, self-heterogenization, ability to think in one another's mind, interpersonal aidaschaft, situational adaptability and overlapping responsibility are compared with the European and North American concepts of unity by homogeneity, individual identity, boundary, specialization, separation, opposition, hierarchy, tension and extension.
View