Is Workplace Conflict Good or Bad?

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Editor’s note: We are pleased to welcome Alice H. Y. Hon of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, whose article “The Effects of Group Conflict and Work Stress on Employee Performance,” co-authored by Wilco W. Chan of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, is forthcoming in Cornell Hospitality Quarterly and now available in the journal’s OnlineFirst section.

In the contemporary business world, teamwork is increasingly important because many organizations feel the need to coordinate their activities more effectively; however, there are considerable challenges to working effectively in teams. One major challenge is conflict, which is the process resulting from stress and tension between team members that arise from the complexity of task relationships, excessive work demands, interpersonal disputes, and the interdependence of organizational life (De Dreu & Weingart, 2003). Early organizational conflict theorists suggested that conflict is detrimental to team effectiveness and organizational functioning (Glazer & Beehr, 2005; Hamilton, Hoffman, Broman, & Rauma, 1993). More recently, researchers have theorized that conflict is beneficial under certain circumstances, and if people perceive the nature of conflict and manage it appropriately (De Dreu & Van de Vliert, 1997; Simons & Peterson, 2000).

Although the concepts of team conflict and work stress remain popular today, theories that account for the distinction have not been clearly developed. The present study aims to contribute to the existing literature, and argues that understanding whether the conflict is task-related or relationship-related and whether the work stress is challenge-related or hindrance-related is necessary to evaluate the influence of team conflict and work stress on employee performance. Only by clearly distinguishing these relationships can we provide comprehensive theoretical and practical human resource suggestions to both scholars and managers. We can then confidently assert that conflict associated with certain stressors may result in negative outcomes, whereas conflict associated with other stressors may result in positive outcomes.

Click here to read “The Effects of Group Conflict and Work Stress on Employee Performance” in Cornell Hospitality Quarterly.

Alice H. Y. Hon is an assistant professor at the School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Her research focuses on employee creativity and innovation, intrinsic motivations, leadership, justice and trust, management team, and multilevel issues in service organizations.

How Chinese Nationalism Impacts Foreign Brands

parhessiastes (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The row between China and Japan over the Senkaku islands has brought the issue of nationalism to light, with Japanese companies suffering as a result of Chinese boycotts sparked by the conflict. In the article “Chinese Grassroots Nationalism and Its Impact on Foreign Brands,” recently published in the Journal of Macromarketing, Zhihong Gao of Rider University offers a deeper perspective on nationalism and its broader implications for marketing:

A complex phenomenon, nationalism has surged worldwide in recent years and presents a serious challenge to international marketers. This article examines the impact of Chinese grassroots nationalism on foreign brands on four fronts, that is, the political, cultural, economic, and consumer rights. It argues that the four fronts are interlinked and involve the participation of not only the consumer but also the government, the media, and local companies. Thus, the effects of nationalism on foreign brands are largely mediated by these agents and manifest the most in the arena of public policy making….

Nationalist protests triggered by political events are reactive and sporadic in nature, with limited, temporary economic impact. However, they are highly interruptive and often force foreign marketers to abandon their original marketing plans (Blanchard 2008; Li 2009). According to a poll, some 10 percent of Japanese businesses operating in China suffered a negative impact on production and sales activities due to a series of anti-Japan protests by Chinese nationalists in 2005 (Hughes 2006). More importantly, waves of such protests exert strong pressure on the Chinese government, strengthen its position at international negotiations, and thus hold the capacity to swing the outcome of international trade talks (Wu 2006). The longterm effects of such protests are especially troublesome, as they create a self-feeding cycle of antiforeign sentiments among the Chinese public, who eagerly seek out other venues to express those sentiments.

Follow this link to read the article in the Journal of Macromarketing and this one to learn more about the journal.

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Business & Society Call for Papers

A special issue of Business & Society has announced a new Call for Papers under the theme of “Corporate Social Responsibility in China.”

We invite papers to explore various perspectives on the role of corporate social responsibility in the aforementioned developments, ranging from more theoretical to practice-oriented, from a China angle to comparative perspectives, and from the micro-level to the sector/supply chain level and macro-level. These could include contributions from business ethics, corporate citizenship, accountability, sustainability and business-government perspectives, for example.

We especially invite papers that develop fresh theoretical perspectives, aim to apply recently developed conceptual frameworks or present empirical evidence in areas that are relatively underexplored in China. Examples of potential topics are:

• How does the interaction of regulations and institutions shape the nature of corporate social responsibility in Chinese firms at home and abroad?

• What is the evolving role of civil society (including consumers) in framing and driving CSR in China?

• Is there a specific relationship between philanthropy and corporate social responsibility in Chinese firms, and/or is it possibly to identify a distinct Chinese perspective on CSR and business ethics?

• CSR reporting is expanding rapidly in China – why and to what effect?

• What is the CSR contribution to the government’s goal of a harmonious,

innovative and climate-friendly Chinese society?

• How and why is CSR manifest Global supply chains and CSR in Chinese supplier firms?

• What is the nature of stakeholder engagement in CSR of firms in China and of Chinese firms expanding abroad?

• How do comparative perspectives on CSR and sustainability strategies improve our understanding of the Chinese experience?

• Are there particularly prominent instances of irresponsible business behaviour in China, why and how might CSR address these?

Please submit papers by 31st July 2012 to Peter.Hofman@nottingham.edu.cn

For more information about this Call for Papers, please click here.

Globalization of Local Retailing

Pia Polsa, Hanken School of Economics, and Xiucheng Fan, School of Management, Fudan University, published “Globlization of Local Retailing: Threat or Opportunity? The case of Food Retailing in Guilin, China,” in Online First in Journal of Macromarketing.

Professor Polsa provided additional commentary regarding the article.

Who is the target audience for this article?

The paper is of interest for those scholars who are studying retailing, particularly retail development. The study shows alternative ways of categorizing retailers and how an alternative level of analysis discovers the importance of traditional small retailers. The article may provide insights to the policy makers as well; the results indicate that despite their seemingly inefficient business styles small retailers serve societies and preserve local cultures.

What inspired you to be interested in this topic?

Having done longitudinal fieldwork in one smaller city and met the informants several times between 1993 and 2010,I realized the change in their lives, the change in the society and some of the drawback of the rapid economic development. The voice of those who disappear needed to be heard. That voice now also contributes to our theoretical discussion of retail categories and development.

Were there findings that were surprising to you?

Yes, the new categories. I was used to see retailers grouped into the different formats like supermarkets, specialty stores, department stores, and so on, but the smaller retailers had functions that served them as entrepreneurs which provided novel categories. The voice of small entrepreneurs was the key to these findings.

How do you see this study influencing future research and/or practice?

Since retailing in developing countries carries other functions than those of economic efficiency, this study can provide an alternative view for the retailing development by considering other alternatives to the traditional retailers than that of disappearance. Future research can provide further findings on retail typology and alternative courses of development. Reappearance of small retailers might be a phenomenon in industrialized countries worth studying and meaning of retail business for owners in developing countries is another.

How does this study fit into your body or work/line of research?

I have always been interested in issues of small, peripheral, vulnerable, and less affluent in addition to marketing channels that I have published in. The current article combines the two.

How did your paper change during the review process?

We were very fortunate with the reviewers. Their comments brought our thoughts forward. For example, comments on glocalization added depth in the theory.

What, if anything, would you do if you could go back and do this study again?

I would have a better plan for observations and photographing.

China’s Economic Transformation

Dic Lo, Department of Economics, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, talks about his and co-author, Yu Zhang, Renmin University of China, article,  ” Making Sense of China’s Economic Transformation” recently published in OnlineFirst of the Review of Radical Political Economics.

Who is the target audience for this article?

“Economists and social scientists interested in China and development – including university/college teachers and students, and commercial-sector economists.”

What Inspired You To Be Interested In This Topic?

“This topic is of central importance to world development of our times, and my first and foremost motivation is intellectual curiosity.”

Were There Findings That Were Surprising To You?

“Yes, the findings suggest/indicate a reality that is fundamentally different from that of the dominant views of the (scholarly and journalistic) literature.”

How Do You See This Study Influencing Future Research And/Or Practice?

“I believe future research will need to take into account of the complexities and subtleties of the reality as revealed by the study.”

How Does This Study Fit Into Your Body Of Work/Line Of Research?

“This study is a synthesis of the main body of my research work over the past 20 years.”

How Did Your Paper Change During The Review Process?

“The paper was initially written in a style that is exceedingly narrative; this revised version is much more analytical and rigorous.”

What, If Anything, Would You Do Differently If You Could Go Back And Do This Study Again?

“Subsequent research (esp. on the role of finance in Chinese economic transformation) has reinforced the main propositions of the study, and has opened up new, important issues for further investigation.”