Colette A. Frayne

TOWARD A THEORY OF COMPARATIVE MANAGEMENT RESEARCH: AN IDIOGRAPHIC CASE STUDY OF THE BEST INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PROJECT

Cross-cultural international management research is complex, costly, and frequently, nonrigorous. This idiographic study documents the evolution of a multinational, multicultural, interdisciplinary research consortium that sought to remedy this lack of rigor in a project investigating international human resource management practices. We identify key learning points derived from this project and conclude with the rudiments of a midrange theory of a comparative management research methodology.

In Search of ‘Best Practices’ in International Human Resource Management: Research Design and Methodology

The goal of this article is to describe and examine the research design and methodology that were employed by the Best International Human Resource Management Practices Project. The article briefly addresses the origins and goal of the project, including the research questions that the study was attempting to address. The methodology used for collecting the projects data is then presented, including the design and dissemination of the questionnaire and related data collection issues. Implications of the projects research design for interpretation of results, and for influencing the design and management of effective international human resource management practices, are discussed.

Benchmarking Training and Development Practices: A Multi‐Country Comparative Analysis

This study compares training and development practices within and across nine countries and one region, and addresses whether there are universal training and development practices. After a brief review of the literature on training and development for the countries and region examined, the study identifies country-specific and region-specific training and development practices. The results are descriptive in nature and discussed as benchmarks of current and desired levels of training and development practices within and across countries. While the results do not indicate any universal practices across all countries studied, they do indicate significant similarities in practices within country clusters. The common practices found within these clusters are believed to be influenced by cultural values and industry trends. The study emphasizes the importance of context and provides practitioners with guidelines in designing training and development practices across countries and researchers with insight into future research questions.

Benchmarking training and development practices: a multi-country comparative analysis

This study compares training and development practices within and across nine countries and one region, and addresses whether there are universal training and development practices. After a brief review of the literature on training and development for the countries and region examined, the study identifies country-specific and region-specific training and development practices. The results are descriptive in nature and discussed as benchmarks of current and desired levels of training and development practices within and across countries. While the results do not indicate any universal practices across all countries studied, they do indicate significant similarities in practices within country clusters. The common practices found within these clusters are believed to be influenced by cultural values and industry trends. The study emphasizes the importance of context and provides practitioners with guidelines in designing training and development practices across countries and researchers with insight into future research questions.

Rewarding growth or profit?: Top management team compensation and governance in Japanese MNEs

Japanese multinational enterprises (MNEs) have been popularly characterized as pursuing competitive strategies emphasizing long-term performance, especially growth in sales and market share, rather than shorter term profit performance. Though prior research has emphasized the importance of linking compensation to organizational goals and performance, the relationship between performance and compensation of Japanese executives has received limited empirical attention. This paper provides a preliminary examination of how Japanese top management teams in the 106 largest industrial MNEs were compensated, particularly for performance on sales growth and profitability criteria, over the 1976-1993 time period. The relationships revealed between organizational performance and the bonus compensation of top management teams suggest that the emphasis of Japanese industrial MNEs regarding sales growth versus profitability may not be as simple as suggested by prior studies and popular characterizations.

Microsoft in Southeast Europe: A Conversation with Goran Radman.

Goran Radman (GR) joined Microsoft in 1996 and served until Fall 2008 as Microsoft Chairman, Southeast Europe (SEE) and Chairman, East and Central Europe (ECEE). Based in Croatia, where he enjoys sailing the Adriatic coast and islands, he spoke with the authors during 2008 and 2009 about his experience launching Microsofts commercial presence in the region. His conversation ranged widely and incisively among such topics as Microsofts business model, its market entry strategy, the role of partnerships, the structure and process of Microsofts business operations, national business environments in the region, the role of country managers, and Microsofts practice of knowledge management. This article captures highlights of these conversations. Goran Radman is currently founder and director of NAUTAR consultancy in Zagreb.