Managing talent in emerging economy multinationals

No.

Question

1

Critically appraise the argument(s) presented by the author(s).

In this article, the authors have focused on the essence of emerging economy multinational enterprises (EMNEs). The authors are trying to present a clear situation for the emerging economy multinational enterprises because such enterprises don’t have enough international exposure and experience so it is hard for them to get into this arena. This is what being focused on in this research like how they did it and more specifically how they managed talent in such a diverse international environment to get their strategic objectives. The focus is on the fact that such EMNEs have local talent to manage strategy, but when things become global in nature, and then local talent can’t handle the elements of international business. For this purpose, it is vital to have a talent with international experience. But the issue is that when enterprises try to look for required international talent and leaders, they face a variety of challenges in this regard. The better and well-managed talent management practice is essential for them to keep things on the right track to get their strategic objectives. If an enterprise is not able to achieve its strategic objectives, then they have no reason to stay in the international business, because the competition is already tough. The authors looked at all relevant aspects in this regard to see challenges and how EMNEs can get out of it. It was interesting to see that the authors have focused both on home-based and overseas talent management. After analysing so many factors and elements, it was evident to conclude if EMNEs cannot be able to retain, attract, as well as, develop talent with high quality, then it will always be hard for them to achieve their strategic goals. It happens in this way because when there is no required high-quality talent; enterprises struggle to act as per their derived strategy.

2

What is the method – how do the author(s) convince their readers?

The authors can adopt a variety of methods when they try to convince people through their research. In this research study, the authors have not opted for any empirical research method; rather they have chosen qualitative research methods by reviewing the literature and work of other people. By using the literature, they first looked at things from an HR perspective. Then they analysed HR gaps sustained by EMNEs. The authors also looked at management challenges, along with looking at the elements of local and international talent. It means that the authors have tried to analyse all relevant aspects so that readers are convinced about the facts being presented. It is always important for a research study to cover all relevant aspects to make it more valid and authentic.

3

Discuss the limitations of the research conducted by the author(s), beyond the limitations provided by the author(s).

In this research study, the authors have not discussed any research limitations. But when this research study was analysed in detail, it was evident that the research scope is limited in the sense that it has not opted for any empirical findings. If empirical data would have been included along with the literature review, it would have sounded more authentic and valid in its findings.

No.

Question

1

Critically appraise the argument(s) presented by the author(s).

The authors have discussed the elements of the boundaryless work-life interface being experienced by the contemporary knowledge workers. It is well explained by the authors that work-life balance has been changed for knowledge workers, and even they could have said that such kind of changes is being observed in a variety of work settings. The internet, technology and mobile devices have been making a significant impact on the essence of knowledge workers to adopt new ways of working, where things are way different from the normal work environment. There was a time when a standard work environment and the setting were necessary, but it is not the case anymore. Mobile devices and relevant technologies certainly have allowed knowledge workers to work from anywhere. If they have a PC and internet, then they can do a variety of things from any part of the world, which means that there are no boundaries needed in this regard. That’s why; the authors have mentioned a boundaryless work-life balance being created by contemporary work environments. It is always good to look at past theories and research to identify things on contemporary theories and issues. So, the authors of this research made a good decision to discuss previous work-life theories so that one can see what was considered appropriate in the past, and what changes have been observed in those theories. Both the negative and positive aspects of the work-life interface have been discussed in this research. The view presented with the context of border theory, and boundary theory has been good to provide a better understanding of the subject. The authors have made it possible to use theories as much as possible to provide a better view of things. That’s why; the authors were able to make comprehensive conclusions. It was well concluded that the last decade has been significant in terms of changes made by technology. The technology has revolutionised life for everyone, including the professional life of knowledge workers.

2

What is the method – how do the author(s) convince their readers?

In this research study, the authors have developed important research questions regarding the work-life balance of knowledge workers, and to get answers, they have selected the method of the exploratory case study. In this method, a single case method has been chosen to get views of knowledge workers on work and life in this modern era. The overall approach for this research is an interpretive one so that perceptions of the knowledge workers are interpreted. For data collection, a multi-national technology company was taken, and access to the company’s employees was made from the research site. The data was collected in two phases; the first phase collected data by conducting semi-structured interviews, and the second phase included the analysis of corporate emails, people's directory entries, and policy documents. All of such elements are good enough to convince readers about the validity and reliability of this research study.

3

Discuss the limitations of the research conducted by the author(s), beyond the limitations provided by the author(s).

The major limitation of this research other than the limitations mentioned in the paper is the fact that authors have not included a viewpoint separated for knowledge workers in age groups. It could have given more deep insights by seeing how different age groups think about this topic.

No.

Question

1

Critically appraise the argument(s) presented by the author(s).

Talent management is one of the important things for a multinational corporation because they have to deal with so many elements of an international business environment. So, when multinational corporations (MNCs) work in other international regions, they have to make sure that their talent management strategy is there to keep things on the right track. The authors of this article have tried to focus on this element but their prime focus is on Western MNCs working in the Chinese business arena. They are trying to analyse how Western MNCs have been managing their operations in China with regard to their talent management. It was explained that China has welcomed foreign direct investment since 1978 and that’s why corporations from the West have invested in China. But the biggest challenge for these MNCs working in China has been to keep a balance between local responsiveness and global integration. To analyse the work of Western MNCs, the authors have analysed various case studies including the MNCs such as Electrico, Technologico, Logistico, Healthco, Computerco, Carco, and Woodco. It was a good idea from the authors to look at a variety of case studies, rather focusing on one or two. When more and more research data is collected and analysed accordingly, the findings can be considered more relevant and true. If majority of MNCs have shown similar kinds of patterns, then it means that all of them following a certain pattern. After analysing these MNCs, the authors found that these MNCs have given intense value to their best talent. It was also found that they carried their talent management strategy of the West to China, without making any considerable challenges. One more important find of the study was that local Chinese talent has also been critical to the success of Western MNCs. The other vital thing to consider from this research is the fact that China has extensive human resources, but they are also short of talented and qualified people. So, Western MNCs have also been struggling in finding high-quality talent in the local market. These findings are important for other MNCs around the world to consider if they are looking to invest in China.

2

What is the method – how do the author(s) convince their readers?

In this research, the adopted research method is exploratory case study analysis. The research questions of the study were open-ended so a variety of case studies were analysed to get more data. To collect data for this research, in-depth qualitative interviews were taken from employees working in the Chinese subsidiaries of the MNCs. In different phrases, the collected data was analysed to get findings for the study. This empirical way of conducting this research is good enough to convince the readers about the results.

3

Discuss the limitations of the research conducted by the author(s), beyond the limitations provided by the author(s).

The authors have mentioned three limitations of their research study. One more research limitation which has been identified in this research is to get a few from local Chinese companies as well so that it could have been compared to the talent management of Western MNCs with the local Chinese MNCs. This is how the research would have considered broader in nature.

No.

Question

1

Critically appraise the argument(s) presented by the author(s).

In this research article, the focal point of discussion from the authors is millennials. It is important to understand by looking at this research that Millennial entitlement has been a hot issue for the field of HRM in so many ways. It has been observed that workplaces are filled with a large number of millennials. When research regarding the entitlement of millennials was analysed by practitioners and researchers, they both agreed that entitlement for millennials has been increasing with the passage of time. It has also been observed that the number of millennials is increasing in the workforce, and this increasing number means more entitlement requirements in the future. So, the HRM field can’t ignore this huge concern. It can be agreed with the authors on the fact that past research regarding the entitlement of millennials has been ignoring their entitled status. The element of looking at just negative elements of millennials entitlement is not a good idea followed by the research field, rather there should have been a focus on more positive effects to bring changes. The large journals and magazines such as Time Magazine and the WSJ have also asserted that if research is not conducted on the issue of entitlement, then this issue can be a new epidemic for the management to handle at their workplaces. It was great to see that authors have identified the two most important elements in entitlement research and challenged them to find a new paradigm for entitlement research. The first thing in this research is to change that entitlement is not only affecting individuals, but it can also impact people who are working with those individuals, and entitlement does not have only negative effects, rather there are so many positives to be associated with entitlement. So research in a broad category by looking at co-workers was a great idea to follow in this research. It helped to make a broader conclusion about the pressing issue of entitlement. It was very well concluded by the authors that one may accept it or not, but in contemporary organisations, the entitlement of millennials is a debatable issue, which cannot be ignored at any terms.  

2

What is the method – how do the author(s) convince their readers?

In this research study, the review of the existing literature has been adopted as a research method, which looks to be a wise option by the authors. It has been observed that when a broader issue is being analysed through a research study, then it is good to review existing research data and information to see how things have been going on and what has been concluded by other researchers. It may not be good enough to convince the readers to give a concrete view, but this research is conducted in this way.

3

Discuss the limitations of the research conducted by the author(s), beyond the limitations provided by the author(s).

In this research, the authors have not discussed any kind of limitations. But when the article is analysed in detail, it shows limitations of its research. It has just used a research literature review to collect information, whereas more data could have been collected from other sources. The research was also limited because it did not include a detailed viewpoint of millennials in this regard.