Jane Nolan

Good guanxi and bad guanxi: Western bankers and the role of network practices in institutional change in China

There is an assumption in some neo-institutional theories of organization that Chinas integration into the global economy will inevitably lead to a reduction in the influence of guanxi on business practices. Drawing on in-depth qualitative interviews, the study shows that while the network practices of many Western managers may contribute to the adoption of international business norms in China, there is another group of managers who make significant adjustments to local conditions and, contrary to the assumptions of neo-institutional theory, actually engage in strategies, which reinforce some of the existing evasive practices sometimes associated with guanxi. This dichotomy is guided by a process of ‘bricolage’, where managers creatively re-interpret the norms of the local context to justify their actions. This observation tempers the proposition that the influence of guanxi will decrease as China moves closer to a form of rational-bureaucratic labour market organization and human resource management. It is argued that the ‘discourse’, which expatriate managers developed around guanxi, is an example of organizational myth-making which is, in itself, an important part of the process of bricolage. It is important therefore not to overlook the role which external forces, such as expatriate managers, can play in re-defining the role of guanxi in Chinas urban economy.

The influence of western banks on corporate governance in China

This study draws on in-depth qualitative interviews to investigate the variety of institutional forces which influence the adoption of western corporate governance mechanisms in Chinese banks. Following path dependency models of institutional change it was shown that cognitive and normative institutions, including a ‘who you know’ or guanxi credit culture, mean that the practical influence of western banks on corporate governance reforms was perceived to be ineffectual in most cases. Given the failure of western credit-rating systems in the sub-prime crisis, it is likely that this perception will increase in the future. The majority of western actors believed that the main reason Chinese banks seek to co-operate with western institutions was to enhance the legitimacy of the Chinese bank in the global financial environment, rather than to actively change existing governance mechanisms.

New technologies and the transformations of women's labour at home and work

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the linked series of changes connecting unpaid and paid labour in the household economy and the market sector, which may be associated with the implementation of new technologies of production and the proliferation of new consumer products.Design/methodology/approach – One historical and one contemporary example, mass production during the inter‐war period, and ready‐made meals today, are used as exemplary cases for probing changes in womens labour.Findings – New technologies of home and work alter the relationships between work not only across the processes of production, distribution, exchange and consumption, but also across the boundaries between paid and unpaid labour and between market and non‐market work.Originality/value – The conceptual schema of the “total social organisation of labour” is used to focus on dynamic interdependence and interaction across and between work undertaken in different socio‐economic modes.

Performance appraisal in Western and local banks in China: the influence of firm ownership on the perceived importance of guanxi

Abstract The Chinese cultural factor guanxi (personal relationships) has an important influence on the implementation and effectiveness of HRM practices in China. However, few studies have investigated how guanxi influences performance appraisal in organisations with different ownership structures. We investigated this issue by studying three banks operating in mainland China: a state-owned bank, a foreign-owned bank and a city commercial bank. Both quantitative (survey of 308 employees) and qualitative data (22 in-depth interviews) were used. Macro-level convergence and micro-level divergence were found among the banks. The reform of the performance appraisal system in the state-owned bank indicated a degree of convergence towards a form commonly found in Western banks, at least on the surface. However, there were differences at the implementation level in the three banks. The perceived influence of guanxi on performance appraisal was strongest in the state-owned bank and weakest in the foreign-owned bank. The reasons for this included generational differences in cultural values, the international experience of employees and managers, and the degree of alignment between senior managers and others over the purpose of appraisal. The study demonstrates the mutability of cultural characteristics in different organisational settings.

Panel data and open-ended questions: understanding perceptions of quality of life

This paper describes the burgeoning interest in quality of life studies and suggests that as well as expert definitions, we need to consider peoples own perceptions of what matters. Using open-ended questions from the 1997 and 2002 waves of the British Household Panel Survey we analyse both quantitatively and qualitatively how perceptions of quality of life differ for men and women across the life course. Qualitative analysis reveals that key domains such as health, family and finances often refer, not to self, but to others. Longitudinal analysis demonstrates that peoples perceptions of quality of life change over time, particularly before and after important life transitions. Thus our findings challenge overly individualistic and static conceptions of quality of life and reveal quality of life as a process, not a fixed state.

New technology and gendered divisions of labour

Purpose – This editorial aims to explore some of the reasons why women and men do not experience the revolutionary forces of new technologies in the same way.Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews a series of research and conceptual papers which were first presented at a seminar at the University of Cambridge organised by the Economic and Social Research Councils Gender Equality NetworkFindings – Taken together, the papers show the dynamic interdependence of work undertaken in both the public and private spheres and the role of different forms of new technologies in influencing inequalities in the division of labourOriginality/value – The collection of papers is probably unique in that its focus is not just on paid work but also on the implications of technological change for gender equality in domestic labour.

Perceptions of Quality of Life: Gender Differences Across the Life Course

The study of quality of life is in the ascendancy. As the evidence becomes clearer that increasing the purchasing power of citizens does not automatically increase their sense of wellbeing, there is new interest in how quality of life is perceived. If it is not merely money and good health that matters, then what else is important for the ‘good life’? Recent decades have seen a convergence of interest in quality of life research by economists, psychologists, sociologists and philosophers (for example Sirgy et al. 2006). Philosophers have tended to focus on the abstract principles or, more often, the diffi culties of arriving at principles that might help guide people’s pursuit of happiness. A crude summary of the philosophers’ position is that it is tough for people to know what makes a good life. Social scientists are more modest in their aims and tend to focus on the range of socalled ‘goods’ that may contribute to quality of life. The economists and sociologists are interested in not only how these are distributed across the population, but also how they change across time. The range of possible ‘goods’ is very wide and includes health (Wilkinson 1996), employment (Gallie 1996), money (Easterlin 2001), time (Gershuny and Halpin 1996), status (Marmot 2004), environment (Bliss 1996) and so on. Among the most important of these ‘goods’ are those that are found in the private sphere, particularly in terms of relationships with friends and family. The notion that it is not merely the existence of family relationships but also the quality of family relationships that aff ect individual wellbeing is well established (Elliott and Umberson 2004). What is also clear is that tradeoff s in the balance between family and work are very diff erent for men and women. The traditional gender division of labour, in which men do the paid work of winning the bread for their loved ones and women busy themselves with unpaid labour of love within the home, may seem

Experiences of Age and Gender: Narratives of Progress and Decline

This article examines experiences of chronological age. Using data from the British Household Panel Survey, we analyze both qualitatively and quantitatively verbatim responses from 8177 respondents aged 16 and over concerning the (dis)advantages of their age. Two main questions are tested: 1) Is the cultural narrative of age decline supported by the experiences of our respondents? 2) Are age experiences differentiated by gender? We find peoples age experiences are multidimensional and multidirectional, incorporating narratives of progress and decline. Our data show marked gender differences in age experiences, but give little support to claims of a double standard concerning the aging body. More generally, we find that people contrast current experiences with their younger and older selves. We argue that future conceptual developments need to take seriously both a synchronic and diachronic understanding of age, highlighting not just the present but also the distinctive historical development of individuals across time.

The political economy of Asian transition from communism

. A growing social inequality caused by the difficulties of low-income families to cope with the expenses necessary to enter into the best universities. To enter into a mediocre university will become easier with the aging process. However, the reward of graduating from an elite school will become all the more important professionally; . A commercialization drive of education that can weaken the educational level and research basis of even the best universities.

Conclusion: Making Sense of Enduring Trends and Emerging Patterns in Business Networks in East Asian Capitalisms

In this chapter, we use a comparative business systems approach to analyse the contributions made to this volume. This model integrates three levels of analysis: culture and meaning, institutional order, and firm coordination. We also highlight the importance of social capital, culture, informal relationships, ‘multiplexity’, the influence of historically embedded power relations, and the role of global markets and institutions. In many instances, we argue that it does not make sense to talk about networks that are confined to a single, homogenous, nation-state-based business system. Networks cut across borders and may have global reach as well as local differences. We conclude with a summary table, which highlights the enduring trends and emerging patterns identified in each chapter. We also note the need to investigate these themes using a broader range of theoretical perspectives and methodologies than those which are currently favoured in conventional business research.