Stephen J. Perkins

Managerial perspectives on HRM in Nigeria: evolving hybridization?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine managerial opinion regarding human resource management (HRM) practices in eastern Nigeria (western Africa).Design/methodology/approach – This paper is informed by a survey administered to a small sample of Nigerian HR practitioners (n = 50 usable responses, 25 per cent response rate), replicating earlier work in different regions of the same country.Findings – Nigerian HR practitioners appear open to people management practices under the HRM rubric. But rather than predicting convergence with western‐inspired approaches, evidence suggests that cultural and institutional influences on how normative HRM may be interpreted and acted on may result in a blend of transplanted and indigenous managerial behaviour.Practical implications – Sensitivity to individuals’ socialization as well as economic, historical, political, and social contexts may enable multinational organizations to capitalize on the potential to transplant forms of HRM from parent country culture...

β-Sheet secondary structure of an LDL receptor domain from complement factor I by consensus structure predictions and spectroscopy

Low density lipoprotein receptor domains (LDLrs) represent a large cell surface receptor superfamily of consensus length 39 residues. Alignment of 194 sequences indicated highly conserved Cys and Asp/Glu residues, and a consensus secondary structure with three β‐strands was predicted. Sequence threading against known protein folds indicated consistency with small β‐sheet proteins. Complement factor I contains two LDLrs, and the second of these was successfully expressed using a bacterial pGEX system. FT‐IR spectroscopy on this indicated a small amount of β‐sheet together with turns and loops. LDLr is proposed to have a β‐sheet structure in which the five biologically important Asp/Glu residues are located on an exposed loop.

Multilevel HRM systems and intermediating variables in MNCs: longitudinal case study research in Middle Eastern settings

This paper uses longitudinal case studies of HR reform within privatised Jordanian undertakings, with French parent companies, to analyse HRM knowledge transfer across geographical and ‘psychic’ boundaries, following business acquisitions in an emerging Middle Eastern economy. It does this by paying attention to organisational information and control mechanisms utilised by multinational companies (MNCs). The findings indicate that, when working across transcultural settings, MNC managers who pay attention to the intermediating influences of how the parties build common understanding and learn to work together affect the success of inter-unit knowledge transfer.

Long-term assignment reward (dis)satisfaction outcomes: hearing women’s voices

Purpose Drawing upon compensating differentials, equity theory and the psychological contract, women’s voices illustrate how organisational policy dissemination, implementation and change can lead to unintended assignee dissatisfaction with reward. Implications arise for organisational justice which can affect women’s future expatriation decisions. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative case study methodology was employed. Reward policies for long-term international assignments were analysed. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted confidentially with 21 female long-term assignees selected using stratified sampling, and with two managers responsible for international reward policy design/implementation. Findings Policy transparency is required. Women perceive inequity when allowances based on grade are distorted by family status. Women in dual career/co-working couples expect reward to reflect their expatriate status. Reward inequity is reported linked to specific home/host country transfers. Policy change reducing housing and children’s education are major causes of reward dissatisfaction. Research limitations This case study research was cross-sectional and set within one industry. It addressed reward outcomes only for long-term international assignments from the perspectives of women who had accepted expatriation in two oil and gas firms. Practical implications Reward policy should be transparent. Practitioners might consider the inter-relationship between policy elements depending on grade and accompanied status, location pairings, and the effects of policy content delivery to dual career/co-working couples. Originality/value This paper advances the field of international assignment reward by examining compensating differentials, equity and the psychological contract and takes these forward via implications for organisational justice. It identifies reward elements that support women’s expatriation and address their low share of expatriate roles, thereby fostering gender diversity. Future research themes are presented.

A Global Study of Pay Preferences and Employee Characteristics

Companies are managing more diverse work forces, and pay systems must be designed to attract, retain and motivate employees who may have very different pay preferences from employees of even a decade ago. This study examines how employee characteristics (i.e., gender, age, education, work experience, annual pay and number of dependents) are related to pay preferences. We found that older respondents with more education and more dependents had a stronger preference for variable pay than did respondents who were younger, less educated and had fewer dependents. Older respondents and those with higher pay preferred less pay transparency than did younger and lower paid respondents. Pay differences based on capability were preferred by better educated employees. When controlling for the other demographic characteristic, we found significant differences among nationalities for all four measures of pay preferences, that is, pay differences, pay variability, bonus plans and pay transparency.

Globalisation and IHRM: partners in comparative perspective?

Heuristically oriented, for pedagogic purposes, globalisation and international personnel management and development trajectories are examined from a comparative perspective. The paper concludes that a normative operational definition of the human resource management (HRM) paradigm may be partnered with attempts to diffuse a neo‐liberal inspired corporate governance regime internationally. However, caution is expressed against uncritical determinism. There is evidence from emergent studies that institutional factors offer scope for diverse interpretations of international HRM (IHRM) experimentation observable across different jurisdictions. Throughout, the paper enquires as to the empirical research questions interrogation of this material give rise to, with implications for those associated with international training and development.

Global champions: Who's paying attention?

Multinational corporations are increasingly reliant on a cadre of key individuals for organizational cohesion, and to implement globalization strategies. Survey evidence, however, suggests that many firms are mismanaging the performance, reward, and recognition of these “global champions.” Existing HRM literature largely overlooks the problem. Drawing on a “holistic HRM” analytical framework, the research reported here evaluates how a sample of leading MNEs is addressing this challenge as a source of transnationally competitive advantage.

The social construction of executive remuneration in the UK: Elite competition around codification and legitimation

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reflect theoretically on a quarter-century of attempts to codify “best practice” standards related to oversight of and reporting on executive remuneration. Issues around the regulation of UK executive remuneration are analysed focussing on decision making by elite actors, informed by corporate governance codification artefacts and theoretical considerations inspired by notions of the social construction of reality. Design/methodology/approach Using documentary materials to trace evolution of executive remuneration regulation in the UK, consideration is given to the social antecedents of processes governing corporate board remuneration committee practices. The paper reconstructs the social construction of the UK Corporate Governance Code and draws on relevant theoretically inclined literature to help make sense of processes involved. Findings Shaping the problems, to be addressed as “legitimate problems”, is core to efforts intended to create “persuasive narratives” around how UK executive remuneration should be regulated. Research limitations/implications The paper sketches an agenda for subsequent empirical “field” investigation to assess the social antecedents of UK executive remuneration outcomes. Practical implications Offering an alternative way of thinking about executive reward and on-going controversy as to how it may be legitimately regulated, informed by contextual considerations. Originality/value A novel look at executive remuneration from a social construction of reality perspective. Adding value to public debate on organisational effectiveness at a time of warnings from luminaries such as the Bank of England governor about the adverse social impact of “stateless companies” and calls for action against unfairness in income distribution.