M.G. Heijltjes

Internationalization of Top Management Teams in Europe

One issue in the international business literature that has been virtually ignored is the internationalization of top management teams. This study examines the extent of national diversity in the composition of top management teams in two highly internationalized European countries, Sweden and The Netherlands. Results indicate that the national diversity of top management teams in these countries has not progressed to the same level as the internationalization of the companies at large.

The development of leaders able to respond to climate change and sustainability challenges: The role of business schools

Purpose – This paper seeks to discuss the role of business academics and business schools in the development of leaders able to respond to climate change and sustainability challenges.Design/methodology/approach – The paper captures contributions made during a panel discussion at the First Academic Symposium on Leadership for Climate Change and Sustainability held at La Trobe University, Melbourne in February 2011. The Symposium preceded the 10th General Assembly of the Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative (GRLI) held in Melbourne and the authors are from GRLI partner organisations.Findings – There is a pressing need for business schools to focus on the development of personal and leadership skills, to draw staff from outside the traditional business disciplines and to reflect the gender and race diversity of the population in which they are located. The change required in business education to develop leaders who can respond to climate change and sustainability challenges is as significant as the c...

Human resource management in relation to generic strategies: a comparison of chemical and food&drink companies in the Netherlands and Great Britain

In this paper, specific personnel policies and their relationship to generic strategies are examined in the light of the concept of human resource management (HRM). Since data from twelve Dutch and eight British companies in the food&drink and chemical industries reveal that the implementation of HRM components is subject to a societal effect–and thus HRM has a different meaning in Dutch companies than in their British counterparts–a typology of HRM at a more strategic level is proposed to facilitate the analysis of the relationship between HRM and generic strategies. Although in the majority of cases the HRM policy supports the generic strategy pursued, many problems and paradoxes remain in the analysis of an HRM–strategy fit.