Transnational diaspora entrepreneurship in emerging markets: Bridging institutional divides

Transnational diasporan entrepreneurs are migrants and their descendants who establish entrepreneurial activities that span the national business environments of their countries of origin and countries of residence. We explore how business incubators contribute to the economic development of emerging markets by organizing their programs to bridge the institutional divides that transnational diaspora entrepreneurs face when establishing their multi-territorial ventures in these markets. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork conducted in the Netherlands during 2007, we present the case study of IntEnt, an incubator providing services exclusively to transnational diasporan entrepreneurs. We apply Bergek and Norrman's (2008) assessment framework to this case, examining IntEnt's goals, model (selection, business support, and mediation activities), and outcomes. Employing Eisenhardt's case-based theory development approach (1989), we then leverage case findings to generate theory about the institutional challenges faced by transnational diaspora entrepreneurs and the role that incubators can play in helping these entrepreneurs overcome these challenges.     

International diversification and the market value of new product introduction

Although previous studies on international diversification are plentiful, they mainly focus on the effect of international diversification on overall firm performance, and the results are mixed. This study extends this line of research and explores the impact of international diversification on new product performance. Specifically, we ask if international diversification explains the stock market reactions to new product introduction (NPI) announcements. We find an inverted-U-shaped relationship between international diversification and the announcement returns of NPIs, revealing that the market value of NPIs initially improves and then declines with increasing international diversification. The results also show that intangible assets, such as technological and marketing capabilities, positively moderate the relationship between international diversification and the market value of NPIs. Our study not only highlights the importance of considering both sides of international diversification in affecting investors' assessments of corporate new product strategies, but also shows the possibility of internal capabilities in changing the fixed relationship between international diversification and the market value of new products.     

Correcting misconceptions about the development of social work in China: a response to Hutchings and Taylor

Hutchings and Taylor, in their article entitled ‘Defining the profession? Exploring an international definition of social work in the China context’[International Journal of Social Welfare 16: 381–389], no doubt had good intentions in offering their account of the development of social work in China, as the opening and concluding sections of the article show. Within the text, however, their critique of contemporary social work in China is, in my opinion, unfair in relation to, among other things, (i) the undemocratic nature of the Chinese political system, which they say hinders the development of social work in China; (ii) the ideology of the Communist Party, the government, and traditional Chinese culture, which they say are at odds with Western social work's value system and methodology; thus concluding that (iii) it is doubtful whether social work development in China could integrate with that of the international community. In this response, I comment on (i) the information base of the authors; (ii) the disconnection between their conceptualisation and historical facts; and (iii) their use of the international definition of social work.     

关于世界银行2005年ICP结果、问题及应用的研究

世界银行近日发布了包括中国在内的146个国家和地区2005年国际比较项目（ICP）报告,引起了国内外各方面的普遍关注。本文以世界银行发布的ICP数据为基础,详细比较世界各国价格水平、基于购买力平价（PPP）的GDP规模和人均GDP等指标,剖析了与以前公布的PPP结果不同的原因。研究表明,2005年ICP项目比较结果存在着一些数据质量问题,在使用时应注意,以免误导。文章还阐述了当前国际社会可能用ICP比较结果数据作为制定政策和决策依据的不同层面、不同领域。     

非贸易品国际比较方法新进展

贸易品国际比较是国民经济领域非常关切的难题。本文从医疗、建筑和旅游三个领域对非贸易品比较方法最新进展做了介绍;系统地描述了可贸易要素在非贸易品国际比较中的作用,并对比较方法应用的问题进行讨论和评价。     

The influence of logo design on country image and willingness to visit: A study of country logos for tourism

This study examines the influence of tourism logo design on people's country image and their intention to visit the country being promoted. In an online survey, undergraduate students were exposed to the tourism logos of Australia, Kenya, and Malawi. The results show that students’ evaluations of a country's logo significantly affected their image of the country and their willingness to visit it after controlling for pre-existing knowledge and attitude toward the object country.     

Medals,media and myth of national images: How Chinese audiences thought of foreign countries during the Beijing Olympics

This study examines whether the performance of a country in the Olympics would affect its national image in the eyes of a Chinese audience. Guided by the theoretical perspectives of agenda setting and cultivation analysis, the project intends to test whether the highly publicized Olympic Games have a globally accepted effect of bolstering national image, as politicians and governments claim they do. Based on data from panel surveys and the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Medal Index, this study found that the overall performance of a country in the Olympic Games was positively correlated with both its current and comparative scores of national image in the minds of Chinese audiences. However, an increase in the number of medals collected during the two Olympics by developing countries did not benefit national image. Agenda setting theorizes that only a few top agendas can successfully draw attention from the public. National image is a very stable perception built by macro and long-term factors. For most countries, their overall performance in the Olympic Games varies within a limited range. As long as a developed country can stay within its tier, its national image is not likely to diminish. Meanwhile, as long as a developing country is unable to enter the “elite club” of Olympic champions, winning a few medals will not lead to a positive change in its national image.     

Language as an issue in international internal communication: English or local language? If English,what English?

The present paper discusses internal communication in the global context, with a focus on language as an issue for the organization. Although ‘language’, naturally, is a resource that enables any – internal or other – communication, it has not been examined in public relations research but has been taken for granted or as given. The current pace of globalization in all sectors has rapidly globalized internal communication and the language issue needs to be addressed. On the basis of two empirical studies we discuss language strategy and language use in international internal communication. Our findings show that although a common ‘corporate language’ – which mostly today refers to English – enables internal communication, it is not a straightforward solution but a number of issues need to be considered. For example, as international communication in a business context is today mostly conducted by non-native speakers of English, their language can be characterized as BELF (English as Business Lingua Franca), which differs from ‘standard English’ in many ways. Also, language issues need to be considered for organizational credibility and knowledge sharing and for constructing trust and rapport in international interaction.     

Public relations in Kenya: An exploration of models and cultural influences

This pioneer study explores the public relations models that inform the practice of public relations in Kenya, and the cultural values that influence this practice. Results show the personal influence model as the most used by practitioners in Kenya, while individualism is the most experienced cultural value. The strong correlation between personal influence model and Hofstede's cultural value of femininity points to the practitioners’ strong desire for good interpersonal relationships with colleagues, supervisors, clients and key publics.