Purpose – Despite considerable research on psychic distance (PD), research into the topic is confounded by a general failure to precisely define and fully operationalize the construct. The purpose of this paper is to develop a new measurement scale to assess psychic distance (the PD scale),...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explain the culture‐driven role and effects of social capital in Japanese‐Western alliances. The authors move beyond narrow conceptualizations of relationship bonding (i.e. positive socio‐psychological aspects such as trust and commitment) to...

Noting the lack of research on cultural effects on retailing, the present study uses the cultural framework developed by Hofstede as the foundation for an investigation of loyalty to domestic retailers. A multi‐country survey of consumer attitudes about domestic versus international retailers...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide international business students with a deeper appreciation of cross‐culture issues that might impact their future management practice. Specifically, it considers the use of action research as a driver of the learning dynamics of a course in...

Purpose – Through a case study of Pan American World Airways (Pan Am), this paper sets out to explore the roots of twentieth century globalization and the postcolonial nature of the trading relations involved. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on Foucault's broad notion of “the...

Colgate‐Palmolive Co. has extended a system, originally used only for global succession‐planning, into a valuable expatriate knowledge database. The database contains information – made available throughout the company’s worldwide network – on each manager’s experience or awareness...

Purpose – Contends that, despite growing globalization, too many organizations are not putting sufficient thought or resources into dealing with differences in communication, attitudes, work practices and behavior when dealing with colleagues and counterparts from different cultures....

Purpose – The paper aims to hghlight the role of foreign‐language skills in business success – both for exporting firms and those defending their place in the domestic market. Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents the results of a survey into the foreign‐language skills of...

Purpose – This paper aims to provide a framework for understanding the differences in the cultures of China and India and to highlight the adjustments that will need to be made for Indian businesses to succeed in China. Design/methodology/approach – The use of historical background of...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the case of one French multinational company which has undergone a process of radical restructuring and “internationalization” because of acquisitions of Anglo‐Saxon multinational companies. It examines how the organizational changes...