Daniel Friel

Forging a comparative institutional advantage in Argentina: Implications for theory and praxis

This article argues that the incorporation of a revised version of the varieties of capitalism approach into international business literature and institution-based theory in strategy would enable scholars and practitioners to improve their understanding of how individual institutions and combinations thereof provide a basis for developing human resource practices suited to emerging markets. It elaborates on the varieties of capitalism approach by coining the term recessive institution to describe how firms draw on latent institutions to pursue policies not in accord with the dominant institutional context in which they operate. This article draws on the varieties of capitalism approach for Latin America to demonstrate how an industrial district and a large company in Argentina formed a comparative institutional advantage for producing mid-range, high quality products by using recessive institutions. It concludes by highlighting this article’s implications for human resource scholars and executives while also suggesting avenues for future research.

Organic wine production: the case of Bodega Colomé in Argentina

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to be a teaching case about organic wine in Argentina, in a sustainable perspective, showing the advantages that this country has related to others in terms of organic and biodynamic production of wine. It shows also the potential of this kind of production, and its limitations, using for that the case of Bodega Colome, owned by Donald Hess, a global wine producer.Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses case study methodology; this is an adequate approach, as Argentina has some specific characteristics (geography, labor and other conditions) that makes it unique. The information about Bodega Colome was obtained from secondary data such as academic articles, specialized magazine articles, web sites about wine production, and an interview conducted with the General Manager of Bodega Colome, Caspar Eugster, in July, 2009.Findings – Organic and biodynamic wine production are discussed as an alternative to the traditional production in developing countries, specific...

Transferring a lean production concept from Germany to the United States: the impact of labor laws and training systems

Multinational corporations are continually looking for best practices to implement at their facilities throughout the world. Ideally such companies would implement the same practice throughout their facilities worldwide. Too often they run into difficulties and sometimes even outright failures. Some problems in implementing such practices cross- nationally can be linked to differences in institutional environments. Hence, executives need to be keenly aware of how distinct institutions in various national settings potentially impact the viability of a particular strategy. This article examines the effect of such institutions on best practices through a case study of a German multinational that implemented the same lean production program at one facility in Germany and one in the United States. It finds that the heavily regulated environment in Germany proved conducive to the success of this program there, while the liberal environment in the United States contributed to its failure at their U.S. facility. Particular attention is paid to how labor laws and training institutions influenced the outcome at each facility.