Calls for Papers

Management and Organization ReviewSpecial Issue on ‘Developing Valid Measures for Chinese

Management Research’

Guest Editors:

Jiing-Lih Farh, Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyAlbert A. Cannella Jr., Arizona State University

Cynthia Lee, Northeastern UniversityKuo-Shu Yang, Fo Guang College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Taiwan

Submission Deadline: June 30, 2005

‘The mechanic, who wishes to do his work well, must first sharpen his tools.’Confucius

Some 2500 years ago, Confucius admonished that one must have good tools to do goodwork. When it comes to conducting high quality empirical research, it is imperative thatwe develop valid measuring instruments. Although this is a received doctrine in behavioralsciences, it has not always been followed in practice. In the history of organizationalscience, there are many examples of researchers who rushed to undertake substantiveresearch without first crafting valid research instruments (e.g., Schwab, 1980). The draw-backs of such an approach are many. First, research findings based on invalid instrumentsare compromised and sometimes seriously flawed. Second, precious research resources andtime are wasted. Third, knowledge development in the area is hampered and sometimesled astray. In Chinese contexts, where empirical organizational research is relatively young,the need for theory-based research instruments takes on even greater urgency because mostof the established research instruments were developed in the West and may or may notbe suited to the setting. This concern goes well beyond language differences. Culturalfactors such as divergent construal of selves, individualism-collectivism, and power dis-tance, as well as institutional factors such as capital markets, third-party contract enforce-ment (legal systems), the business-government interface, and professionalization ofmanagement can all impact organizational research, and make instruments developed forWestern settings unsuitable or unrealistic for organizational research in China.

This overall goal of this special issue is to address the need for developing valid mea-sures in Chinese management research. We welcome theoretical, empirical (qualitativeand/or quantitative), and methodological papers that address any aspects of this endeavor.

Examples of topics include, but are not restricted to, the following:

• Review papers that take stock of the cumulated experience in scale development inChinese management research and identify problems and prospects.

• Review papers that articulate the best practices in scale development research andtheory as applied to Chinese contexts. Specific issues may include: content validity,inductive and deductive approaches to item generation, item screening and selection,construct validation strategies, etc.

• Review and empirical papers that take widely accepted measures developed forWestern contexts and critique those measures relative to Chinese contexts. Measurescan include taxonomies and typologies as well as scales, but should go beyond critiqueto propose improvements, adjustments, or remedies for researchers in Chinese settings.

• Empirical research on the psychology of Chinese respondents in answering surveysor participation in interviews (e.g., implicit theories, social desirability, response biases).

• Construct validation papers that report on the development of indigenous Chineseinstruments or the adaptation of Western instruments for Chinese contexts. Papersabout micro constructs (e.g., personality, leadership) as well as macro constructs (e.g.,firm or subunit strategy, structure, performance) are welcome.

While review papers with specific suggestions on how to develop valid measures are useful,we particularly welcome empirical studies that show the limitations of existing Westernmeasures without ‘localization’ or papers that introduce new or modified measures appro-priate to the Chinese context.

Papers for the special issue should be submitted electronically to both the MOR officeat iacmr.mor@asu.edu and Jiing-Lih Farh at mnlfarh@ust.hk. The deadline for sub-mission is June 30, 2005. Papers accepted for publication will also be presented in a ‘miniconference’ held in conjunction with the International Association of Chinese Management Researchers conference in June 2006.

Questions about this special issue may be directed to any of the guest editors: Jiing-LihFarh (mnlfarh@ust.hk), Albert Cannella (ACannella@cgsb.tamu.edu), Cynthia Lee(c.lee@neu.edu), and Kuo-Shu Yang (kuoshu@ntu.edu.tw).

Schwab, D. P. (1980). ‘Construct validity in organizational behavior’. In Staw, B. M. andCummings, L. L. (Eds), Research in Organizational Behavior, Volume 2, pp. 3–43, Greenwich,Con: JAI Press Inc. 3–43.

156 Call for Papers

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Management and Organization ReviewSpecial Issue on ‘Building Competitive Advantages in China’s

Emerging Market’

Guest Editors:

Seung Ho Park, CEIBSRobert E. Hoskisson, Arizona State University

Tailan Chi, University of Kansas

Submission Deadline: September 1, 2005

In recent years China has become an important location for foreign direct investment. Infact, China has recently surpassed the U.S. as the largest recipient of foreign direct invest-ment in the world. It is now estimated that there are over 450,000 foreign investment pro-jects operating in China. It is no overstatement that almost every major foreign firm isoperating in all segments of the Chinese market. Foreign firms continue to be a primarysource of advanced technology, managerial capabilities, and financial resources for localcompanies. While there continues to be a euphoria regarding investment in China, therealso has been an increasing recognition that competing and surviving in the Chinesemarket is not that easy. While one may expect a market of 1.3 billion people, the Chinesemarkets in most segments are highly fragmented, complex, uncertain, and fast changing.Within a short period of time, local firms have also emerged as strong competitors againstforeign firms. Local firms have been rapidly accumulating resources and capabilities, nar-rowing the gap with foreign firms. The market is also filled with various types of local competitors who follow very different approaches in the market, such as traditional state-owned-enterprises, newly emerging entrepreneurial private firms, and collectively-owned township and village enterprises. This is a competitive situation that is highlyunusual for foreign entrants in terms of its complexity and dynamics. There are direct con-frontations among foreign firms, between foreign firms and locals, and also among localfirms. The Chinese market also offers a unique research location given the large numberof foreign and local firms.

This special issue focuses on the market competition and firm strategies in the Chinesemarket. In particular, we welcome studies that address the nature of competition and competitive dynamics in the Chinese market. There has been a dramatic change in com-petitive dynamics in China, from simple interactions between local firms and foreignimports in the early 1990s to complex multi-layered interactions among various types ofcompetitors in recent years. Also, it is important to understand how companies in Chinaoperate to build and sustain their competitive advantages. Foreign firms’ initial dominancehas slowly been eroding. What can they do to sustain their early leadership? How can theycombine their global strengths with local differentiation? Local firms at the moment arealso searching for new directions to develop advantages over other local competitors andto challenge advanced foreign companies. What are the primary sources of advantages onwhich they should build their competitiveness? As the market becomes saturated, manylocal firms are also looking outward, targeting the global market. How can the localChinese firms acquire the necessary capabilities to penetrate the global marketplace andestablish a global position? In summary, this special issue broadly focuses on issues relatedwith competitive situations and advantages in China from both foreign and local firms’perspectives. We welcome all ranges of studies, including conceptual and empirical orinductive and deductive studies, to understand the fascinating competitive phenomenonoccurring in China.

Possible topics include but are not limited to the following:

• What is the nature of market competition in China?• How have competitive dynamics evolved over time in China? And how are they dif-

ferent from the path in other emerging and developed countries?• What are the major sources of competitive advantages for local firms and for multi-

national firms?• How do multinational firms leverage their advantages in the Chinese market to build

and sustain their differentiation advantages?• What are the sources of competence acquisition and upgrading necessary for local

firms to maintain their viability?• How have joint ventures and alliances contributed to local firms’ competence

building?• How does the ownership structure affect local firms’ approaches in market

competition?• What are the differences among multinational firms in their competitive strategies in

China?• How do firms compete in complex and fast changing markets such as the Chinese

market?• What are the sources of local firms’ advantages in the global market? How can local

firms emerge as successful global players?• How does the loose governance on intellectual property rights affect market compe-

tition? How do multinational firms balance their effort to maintain differentiationadvantages by introducing new technologies while protecting their proprietary skills?

• What are the critical factors that affect firm strategies and long- and short-term per-formance in China?

• How are Chinese firms restructuring and reshaping their diversification strategies tomeet the competitive challenges they are facing? How does this restructuring helpthem meet foreign competition or move into global markets?

• How are government-owned firms positioning themselves relative to the need to meetboth political and social welfare requirements and investments to maintain future com-petitive viability?

Papers for the special issue should be submitted electronically to both the MOR office atiacmr.mor@asu.edu and Seung Ho Park at psam@ceibs.edu. The deadline for submissionis September 1, 2005. Papers accepted for publication will also be presented in a ‘mini-conference’ held in conjunction with the International Association of Chinese Manage-ment Research bi-annual conference in June 2006.

Questions about this special issue may be directed to any of the guest editors: SeungHo Park (psam@ceibs.edu), Bob Hoskisson (robert.hoskisson@asu.edu), and Tailan Chi(chi@ku.edu).

158 Call for Papers

Management and Organization ReviewSpecial Issue on ‘Human Resource Management in China’

Guest Editors:Patrick M. Wright, Cornell University

Wayne Cascio, University of Colorado, DenverHarry Hui, University of Hong Kong

ZhongMing Wang, Zhejiang University

Submission Deadline: December 1, 2005

Today’s increasingly global, competitive marketplace has driven considerable changes in labor markets, and has transformed the practice of Human Resource Management(HRM). Expanded multinational operations within large companies, combined withincreased technology and communication capability, has led to vast diffusion of global ‘bestpractices’ in HRM.

In particular, multinational companies have increasingly set up operations for manu-facturing and services in China, bringing with them HRM practices from all around theworld. The importation of new management practices has changed the nature of the labormarket and the practice of HRM, and will potentially have an impact on Chinese society.These external forces are paralleled by unprecedented economic reform and the enact-ment of employment laws that are changing the nature of organizational forms and man-agement practices within China. China’s entry to the World Trade Organization hasfurther heightened the global competition in the Chinese domestic markets.

This special issue on ‘Human Resource Management in China’ is devoted to under-standing the nature and variety of HRM practices in contemporary China and how thesepractices are affecting employees and firms as well as the society at large. We especiallywelcome empirical papers identifying the current state of HRM in mainland China orcomparing HRM practices of Chinese firms to their Western counterparts or to Chinesefirms in the broader Chinese context, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, andbeyond. We invite researchers to develop, conduct, write, and submit targeted researchprojects for this special issue. We encourage creative research methods that extend beyond,but may include, interviews and paper-and-pencil surveys. Both inductive and deductivestudies are welcome.

Some possible topics include:• What is the current state of HRM practices in China, and what theories may explain

the variations in HRM systems?• How have multinational companies influenced HRM practices in China? What

processes may lead to or what may account for any similarities or differences in HRMpractices or systems between the MNCs and the Chinese firms?

• What have been the consequences of different HRM practices or systems in China?• What have been the intended and unintended consequences (individual, group,

company, or societal) of different HRM practices?• What are the roles, competencies, and behaviors of HR professionals in Chinese firms

compared to MNCs and what may account for potential similarities or differences?• What are the developments in industrial relations in China including the role of

unions and labor laws on HRM practices and labor-management relations?Papers for the special issue should be submitted electronically to both the MOR office atiacmr.mor@asu.edu and Patrick M. Wright at pmw6@cornell.edu. The deadline for sub-mission is December 1, 2005. Our hope is that this long lead time will enable researchers toconduct original research studies aimed specifically at this special issue. Papers accepted forpublication will also be presented in a ‘mini-conference’ held in conjunction with the Inter-national Association of Chinese Management Research bi-annual conference in June 2006.

Questions about this special issue may be directed to any of the guest editors: PatrickWright (pmw6@cornell.edu), Wayne Cascio (Wayne.Cascio@cudenver.edu), Harry Hui(huiharry@hku.hk), and Zhongming Wang (zmwang@dial.zju.edu.cn).

Call for Papers 159