Fredric William Swierczek

Entrepreneurial Orientation, Uncertainty Avoidance and Firm Performance An Analysis of Thai and Vietnamese SMEs

This study examines the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and firm performance in a sample of 306 Vietnamese SMEs and 172 Thai small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation including risk-taking, proactivity and innovativeness are explored. The results indicate that Thai SMEs are more innovative and proactive than their Vietnamese counterparts, while Vietnamese SMEs are inclined to be more risk-taking. Thai SMEs have higher perceived business growth, job creation and net profit than Vietnamese SMEs.

Developing and validating total quality management (TQM) constructs in the context of Thailand's manufacturing industry

Purpose – To provide reliable and valid constructs of total quality management (TQM) and a measurement instrument in the context of manufacturing industries in newly industrialized countries for evaluating the TQM implementation process and to target improvement areas.Design/methodology/approach – Based on a review of TQM literature and expert opinions, ten TQM constructs (nine implementation constructs and one outcome construct) were identified. A detailed questionnaire was developed with the items for ten TQM constructs along with the questions on quality performance and information about the respondents. The questionnaire was then sent to randomly selected ISO 9000 certified manufacturing companies in Thailand. Out of 1,000 questionnaires sent, 275 usable samples were returned giving a response rate of 27.5 percent. Based on the data from the survey, exploratory factor analysis was done to ensure that items in each scale reflected sufficiently the scope of each construct. Internal consistency analysis ...

Culture and conflict in joint ventures in Asia

Abstract The paper describes the issues of how culture creates conflicts in projects such as international joint ventures. It presents comparative findings from a case study of monocultural groups such as Malaysian, Thai and French managers, and multicultural groups of European and Asian managers. The findings suggest a common solution to conflicts in joint ventures based on collaborative problem solving.

Leadership and organizational effectiveness in multinational enterprises in southeast Asia

This paper identifies the key relationships of organizational effectiveness and leadership in southeast Asia. Managers from 1,065 multinational companies based in Thailand and representing 31 different nationalities participated in this study. International leader characteristics and organizational culture are found to determine an appropriate multicultural management style. Executive motivation is strongly influenced by this multicultural management style. Different dimensions of organizational effectiveness, including return on assets, most admired, job satisfaction and personal satisfaction are related to specific aspects of leader characteristics, organizational culture and multicultural management style.

Culture and conflict: Japanese managers and Thai subordinates

This article presents the findings of research on the application and adaptability of Japanese management practices in a different cultural context, Thailand. The national characteristics of Japan and Thailand based on Hofstedes conceptual framework, Japanese human resource management approaches and the specific Japanese business practices and social concepts were analyzed. Possible conflicts between the Japanese management and Thai staff based on the different perceptions of the Japanese management style were assessed. Data were collected from ten Japanese manufacturers using a sample of 100 employees (50 Japanese managers and 50 Thai subordinates from the same group of companies). The results shows an interesting pattern of Japanese managers adapting more to Thai culture and as well as Thai subordinates adapting to the Japanese style of management and human resource system.

Facilitators of organizational learning in design

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the influence of organizational factors such as leadership commitment, incentives and interaction on learning outcomes defined as performance improvement and organizational climate.Design/methodology/approach – Different aspects of knowledge acquisition, sharing and utilization were examined, related to outcomes. Design professionals in Vietnam construction firms were surveyed. The sample was 339 designers.Findings – The impact of leadership commitment was significantly related to both performance and organizational climate. Incentives were only positively correlated with performance and staff interaction was only positive with organizational climate. The paper is supportive of many conceptual studies in the literature. The results show that each of these factors has a different role and impact on the organizational learning process and outcome.Research limitations/implications – The limitations of this study are that the sample comes from only one indus...

Leadership and Culture: Comparing Asian Managers

The issues of culture and leadership in the Asian context are discussed and the cultural perspectives related to Asian management style are reviewed. A qualitative research study is presented in which two different groups of Asian managers describe their best or worst leader. The results indicate that leadership behaviours are better indicators of effective leadership than are leadership characteristics. This sample of Asian managers prefers leaders who are both task‐and people‐oriented. They prefer participation to direction.

Information technology and productivity: a comparison of Japanese and Asia-Pacific banks

Abstract Banks throughout Asia have achieved productivity improvement through information technology (IT) use. Retail and wholesale IT products positively influence productivity. IT use increases outputs and decreases costs. Both IT capital investments and IT human resources have a positive relationship to productivity. Japanese banks benefit less from IT use than Asia-Pacific banks. To improve, these banks should better utilize their IT human resources and capabilities and acquire more cost-effective IT from international sources. The positive impact of IT on productivity is difficult to determine in net profit and asset (predominantly loans) increases. However, both Japanese and Asia-Pacific banks can enhance productivity by increased spending on IT and better management of IT resources. This would increase their competitiveness through differentiation and customer service improvement, reduced costs, better risk avoidance, and maintaining the stability of their customer base and market share.

Internet use, customer relationships and loyalty in the Vietnamese travel industry

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how small and medium‐sized travel agencies as business customers perceive the benefits and barriers of Internet use that related to the development of a positive relationships and loyalty with their service suppliers.Design/methodology/approach – Relevant hypotheses were constructed and a self‐administered questionnaire survey was conducted in the travel industry. Factor analysis and regression analysis were used to test these hypotheses.Findings – The major benefits of Internet use were interactional and transactional benefits. The main barriers of the Internet use were organizational weaknesses, poor IT infrastructure, mistrust of the Internet system and legal issues. While the benefits positively contributed to the service and social bonds, the barriers negatively impacted the development of these bonds. The interactional benefits play a major role to increase switching costs. The customer relationships and switching costs concurrently enhanced the ...

Effective leadership in joint ventures in Vietnam: a cross‐cultural perspective

Effective leadership is a key factor in successful international joint ventures, especially in Vietnam. Compatibility and complementarity of the leadership styles are the foundation for such partnerships. Based on a research study of international managers and their Vietnamese counterparts, an appropriate profile of compatible and complementary leadership characteristics and effective skills and behaviors for successful joint ventures in Vietnam is suggested. A multi‐cultural approach with focus on the mutual understanding of the cultures involved, adapting the styles of the partners and relationship building is necessary for successful joint ventures. Building shared values in the joint venture is critical to performance, to creating an appropriate organizational culture, and to accomplishing effective organizational change.