Prem Ramburuth

Effects of leadership style on team learning

Purpose – This paper seeks to explore the effect of leadership style of a team leader on team‐member learning in organizations, to conceptually extend an initial model of leadership and to empirically examine the new model of ambidextrous leadership in a team context.Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative research utilizing the case study method is used for empirical validation.Findings – The leadership style (transformational, transactional, or ambidextrous) adopted by the team leader has an operational effect on the development of learning as a strategic resource within the team, and the organization.Research limitations/implications – Case studies can be criticized for potential lack of rigour. However, we have used multiple cases following replication logic and triangulation to offset this. Further, cases by nature are generalizable to propositions only, not populations. Thus, a valuable springboard is provided for further quantitative investigations.Practical implications – The leadership style ad...

Cultural distance and subsidiary roles in knowledge transfer in MNCs in China

Purpose – A major challenge faced by MNCs is how to manage knowledge transfer between headquarters and subsidiaries located in dissimilar cultural contexts. While the impact of culture on knowledge transfer has been widely acknowledged, an important gap in the literature is how cultural distance (external variable) and subsidiary roles (internal variable) interact in impacting on knowledge flows in MNCs. The purpose of this paper is to present an integrative model to advance understanding of the interaction between cultural distance and subsidiary roles in the knowledge transfer process within MNCs.Design/methodology/approach – An environment‐strategy‐performance framework is developed based on a review of extant literature. A case study is used to substantiate the framework. It was conducted in an MNC in China and involved in‐depth interviews with expatriate and local managers.Findings – Knowledge transfer in MNCs is influenced by external context (cultural distance) and internal mechanisms (subsidiary r...

The impact of culture on learning : exploring student perceptions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse similarities and differences in perceptions of learning among students from diverse cultural backgrounds, using the responses of 2,200 undergraduate students surveyed at an Australian University.Design/methodology/approach – A survey questionnaire is designed to elicit perceptions about the impact of prior learning, competence in language and communication, quality of student‐staff relations and cultural interactions, on student learning. It draws from disciplines including cognitive psychology, social sciences, higher education and economics. The questionnaire is implemented to approximately 2,200 undergraduate students at one of the Australias largest and most diverse universities. The results are analysed through quantitative techniques.Findings – There are statistically significant differences between the experiences and learning perceptions of students born in Australia, Asian countries and elsewhere. Differences emerge in prior learning and preparat...

Integrating Experiential Learning and Cases in International Business

In no other discipline is experiential learning more important than in the complex field of International Business (IB), which aims to prepare students to work and manage across political, economic, national, and sociocultural boundaries. This paper discusses various types of experiential learning activities and approaches to IB teaching, and expands on how the case method can be more effectively used to facilitate student learning and increase engagement. Leveraging class diversity and providing opportunities for “virtual exchanges” in the case-based approach can significantly enhance the development of intercultural competence. Resources for finding cases, developing ones own cases, and publishing them in peer-reviewed outlets are also provided.

IT Doesn't Fit! The Influence of Culture on B2B in Thailand

Abstract This study investigates how Thai culture affects the use of internet-based business-to- business (B2B) technology in the Thai tourism industry. Extending Goodhue and Thompsons Task-Technology-Fit (TTF) model (1995), we develop the Task- Technology-Culture-Fit (TTCF) to consider, through the lens of strategic fit, how cultural fit impacts the adoption of B2B technology in the Thai tourism industry. The study explores, in particular, five dimensions of cultural fit and their implications for how the B2B technology is adopted. These dimensions are personal relationships, long-term relationships, inter-organisational trust, ability to communicate in the English language and western influence. Firms registered in the Thai tourism B2B e- marketplace were surveyed and the data was analysed via structural equation modelling with the partial least squares method. Results showed that more the B2B technology was perceived by the users to fit their culture, the more likely they were to use the technology. Nevertheless, task-technology fit still had a greater impact than culture on a firms perceived performance.

Understanding and meeting the needs of students from low socioeconomic status backgrounds

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight factors that facilitate or hinder the entry and academic achievement of students from low socioeconomic status into higher education, and facilitate understanding about how such students can be supported in their learning at university.Design/methodology/approach – The authors draw on the literature on social inclusion, social exclusion, social identity and education, and link key aspects to the access, participation and learning success of students from low socioeconomic status backgrounds in higher education.Findings – The paper identifies socioeconomic factors that impact on student learning and provides a comprehensive framework for understanding, supporting and addressing the needs of students from the target group.Practical implications – The findings and discussion will contribute to the knowledge and teaching resource base required for institutions, academic and support staff to formulate and implement effective strategies for increased participa...

The People's Republic of China, the ASEAN and Singapore

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight the need for international managers to rethink current managerial practices, especially the application of a universalistic approach in an international business context. A differentiated managerial approach is recommended to meet the challenges of a dynamic environment.Design/methodology/approach – Literature review based on secondary data provides the analysis of the bilateral trade relationship between China and ASEAN. This paper cites the case of the China‐Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park project to illustrate the difficulties in international partnerships.Findings – The findings highlight differences in business philosophies; differences in state bureaucracies and political viewpoints concerning business arrangements; socio‐cultural differences in values, and expectations of political and business leaders, and their people.Research limitations/implications – The paper highlights the need for further research in Chinese managerial styles and knowledg...

Does socialization in schools matter? Differences in value priorities between managers, professionals and executives in a Singaporean firm

This paper discusses the functionalist perspective of stratification and institutional processes of values inculcation in schools and organizations. It is assumed that students’ school-to-work transition entail certain differences in life and work expectations as the education system forms the basis of cultural reproduction and values formation. A quantitative study was conducted to investigate the variations in value priorities between managers, professionals and executives in a MNC in Singapore. The questionnaire survey involved 252 participants. The findings highlight that the notion that differences in the relative value preferences between the three hierarchical groups may be a result of their previous respective educational socialization and achievements in schools.

The impact of knowledge transfer on MNC subsidiary performance: does cultural distance matter?

Despite research on how multinational corporations (MNCs) manage knowledge transfer across national borders, little is known about the implications of such transfer on subsidiary performance and the intervening influence of cultural distance. This is an important topic because effective knowledge management in terms of performance outcome is crucial for MNCs to build competitive advantage. This paper tackles the topic by developing hypotheses to examine the interactive effects of cultural distance and knowledge transfer within MNCs on subsidiary performance. Our empirical study with China-based MNC subsidiaries in the IT industry shows that knowledge transfer is significantly and positively related to subsidiary performance, while cultural distance is significantly and negatively associated with subsidiary performance. In addition, we found that cultural distance moderates the knowledge transfer-subsidiary performance relationship. Specifically, cultural distance weakens the positive relationship in knowledge inflows, but enhances the positive relationship in knowledge outflows, and different directions of knowledge transfer, interacting with cultural distance, have varying effects on subsidiary performance. These findings have important implications for cross-culture knowledge management research and practice.

Beyond Host Language Proficiency Coping Resources Predicting International Students’ Satisfaction

As international students navigate in a foreign educational environment, having higher levels of coping or stress-resistance resources—both internal and external—could be related to increased satisfaction with personal and university life. The internal coping resources examined in this study were host language proficiency, self-esteem, intercultural social self-efficacy, and academic self-efficacy. The external resources studied were perceived social support from (a) hosts and (b) non-hosts. Survey participants were 385 Asian-born international students in Australian universities. Regression analyses revealed that academic self-efficacy and social support from hosts were significant predictors of both personal and university life satisfaction, but the effects of English language proficiency and social support from non-hosts disappeared when other resources were considered. Additional predictors of personal satisfaction were intercultural social self-efficacy and self-esteem. We discuss the implications for future research on the international student experience and for learning support provision for international university students.