Dirk Holtbrügge

Determinants of outward foreign direct investment from BRIC countries: an explorative study

Purpose – Outward foreign direct investment (FDI) of firms from Brazil, Russia, India and China has increased significantly during the last few years. Despite this trend, comprehensive research on the specific determinants and antecedents of outward FDI from BRIC countries is still underrepresented. The purpose of this paper is to give a more comprehensive understanding of outward FDI from BRIC countries.Design/methodology/approach – Based on an exploratory approach, case studies of eight companies were conducted. Both a within‐case and a cross‐case approach were conducted.Findings – The findings reveal the relevance of determinants on the country, industry and firm level. Gaining access to new markets is of utmost importance for all firms. Additionally, most companies seek to obtain access to technological resources and management know‐how, therefore emphasizing the availability of these resources in the target countries. While the internationalization of Brazilian and Indian companies is primarily drive...

Knowledge Transfer in Multinational Corporations: Evidence from German Firms

In recent years, several theoretical and empirical studies in the field of organizational knowledge management were published. With rare exceptions, however, little attention has been paid to the specific aspects of knowledge transfer within MNCs.

Corporate environmental responsibility, employer reputation and employee commitment: an empirical study in developed and emerging economies

Employer reputation is relevant not only to attract but also to retain qualified employees. While in the past financial incentives have been the most important instrument, corporate environmental responsibility (CER) is becoming more and more relevant as a determinant for employer attractiveness and employee commitment. On the basis of signaling theory, we conducted an empirical study among 215 firms in China, Germany, India and the USA. Our results reveal that green strategy & culture, green technology & products, green recruitment & evaluation and green communication positively influence the environmental reputation of a company as an employer and in turn employee commitment. The signaling effects of these CER activities are similar in Germany and the USA (developed economies) as well as in China and India (emerging economies). An exception is green communication, which has a more positive effect on environmental reputation in developed economies. We conclude with managerial and theoretical implications as well as recommendations for future research.

Public Affairs Management Activities of German Multinational Corporations in India

In this paper the importance of public affairs management in multinational corporations in India will be examined. After briefly discussing the state of the art in international business and society literature, a conceptual framework for public affairs management in multinational corporations will be developed. This framework serves as the theoretical basis for an empirical study among German multinational corporations in India. In the main part of this paper the results of this study will be presented and discussed. The paper ends with a critical assessment and some major implications for future studies.

Global teams: a network analysis

Purpose – In the last few years, several empirical studies about the determinants and success factors of global teams have been published. While these studies show many interesting results, they are often focused on single variables such as cultural homogeneity, cooperation length, or task complexity, but rarely analyze the complex relationships between these concepts. The aim of this paper is to explore how members of global teams consider the relevance of different determinants of their cooperation, how these determinants are interrelated, and how they influence team performance.Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, a network study of global teams in the automotive and airline industries is presented. Based on interviews with the members of nine teams in three companies the software programs NVivo and UCINET were applied for a construct causal network analysis of the relationships between various team characteristics and their impact on team performance.Findings – The study shows that the interac...

Intercultural training requirements for virtual assignments: results of an explorative empirical study

Virtual assignments are characterized by the spatial separation of private and business life. The virtual delegate lives and interacts in one culture, yet he or she works together mainly with people from another culture. Since face-to-face contacts with colleagues, customers or suppliers are reduced to a minimum, firsthand experience of foreign cultures does not take place. As a result, intercultural training becomes essential. The study suggests that virtual delegates are faced with several intercultural management problems such as different time zones and communication styles as well as language barriers. These problems are increased by the lack of face-to-face communication and common trust-building mechanisms. Intercultural training may be an instrument for overcoming these challenges. However, they have to be adapted to the specific requirements of virtual expatriates. Moreover, intercultural training should not only be offered to the virtual delegates themselves, but also to the individuals with whom they interact in the host country.

Cultural determinants of email communication styles

Based on a sample of 234 IT consulting and services professionals from various cultural backgrounds, this study investigates whether Edward T. Hall’s concept of culture can explain cultural differences in email communication. Although a vast array of intercultural research employs Hall’s concept in various communication settings, few take into account the computer-mediated communication technologies that now play an integral role in the operations of international companies. Our results show that cultural differences in email are present and can be explained by Hall’s dimensions of context, time, and space orientation. In particular, cultural background has a significant impact on the preference for formalness, promptness, preciseness, task-relatedness, and relationship-relatedness in email communication. Implications for managers as well as future studies are derived.

Competitive advantage of German renewable energy firms in India and China

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the competitive advantage of German renewable energy firms in India and China. Porters diamond model is modified and specified for the renewable energy industry.Design/methodology/approach – Based on Porters diamond model of competitiveness, the authors examine the demand for renewable energies in India and China and the ability of German firms to meet this demand.Findings – While the overall demand for renewable energies in India and China is significant, the study reveals remarkable differences in the fields of biomass, solar and wind energy. The findings are meant to address managers in the renewable energy industry and to aid policy makers in environmental support and action.Research limitations/implications – A major theoretical contribution of the study is the application of Porters diamond model to the renewable energy industry, as well as the identification and operationalization of the relevant causal and proxy variables.Practical implications ...

Managing and training for virtual teams in India

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the current and potential use of virtual teams in the Indian context.Design/methodology/approach – The use of virtual styles and strategies was assessed through a series of questionnaires, focusing on managerial aspects. The sample consisted of companies and individuals from Europe, who work on virtual assignments. The results were analysed, paying particular attention to the actual usage and potential future usage of virtual assignments.Findings – It was found that a disparity between the actual and the potential use of virtual delegates exists. Furthermore, the increasing use of virtual delegates requires tailored intercultural training, which meets the specific demands of these delegates and the requirements of virtual teamwork. The paper goes on to discuss how traditional training can be adapted for the training of virtual assignees.Originality/value – The findings have implications for both academics and practitioners, as they indicate that there ...

Initiating forces and success factors of born global firms

Within the context of an increasing speed of internationalisation of many firms, this article intends to identify initiating forces and success factors of born global firms in a conceptual way. After reviewing the relevant literature, a conceptual framework is developed which integrates the positions of the market-based and the resource-based views. Based on this framework, hypotheses about initiating forces and success factors of born global firms are derived. Moreover, the impact of moderating management instruments – such as human resource management, coordination and subsidiary control – are discussed.