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Purpose: The paper aims to investigate the impact of socially-responsible human resource (SR-HR) practices on organizational sustainability performance (OSP) in Indian business organizations that are mandated to publish business sustainability and responsibility reporting. Design/methodology/approach: Data were obtained from 620 working professionals employed in the organizations listed on National Stock Exchange in India. The proposed hypotheses were tested by deploying the statistical technique of multiple regression analysis using SPSS Version-21. Findings: The results demonstrated that overall, SR-HR practices impact OSP. More precisely, all the dimensions of SR practices are positively associated with the organization's financial performance, environmental performance and social performance (SP). There was a relatively higher significant impact of legal-oriented human resource management (HRM) on organizational economic and ecological performance. However, in the case of SP, a substantial effect of employee-oriented HRM was found. Practical implications: Study findings encourage HR practitioners to invest in SR-HR practices to build and strengthen employees' abilities and contributing to sustainability goals. Originality/value: This study is one of the few studies conducted in the Indian context that highlights the relevance of the convergence of HRM, human resource development and corporate social responsibility to realize sustainability goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess orthodox theories of well-being in western civilization at first, and second, to investigate Islamic views regarding this concept. Then, comparing these two groups of views, it tries to show that there is a kind of convergence between them that it provides a common point for political aspect of well-being. Design/methodology/approach – To investigate this convergence, orthodox theories of well-being were analyzed critically and Islamic views were revealed. Both orthodox theories and Islamic views of well-being were discussed theoretically (not practically) via descriptive-analytical method and based on a philosophical approach. Since the problem that this paper is going to involve and resolve is conceptual (concept and nature of human well-being and finding a common point among different theories), so the proper method will be the descriptive-analytical and dialectic discussion. Findings – This paper found that, despite some similarities between orthodox theories and Islamic views of well-being, the most important difference between Avicenna and hedonistic view is his approach to the concept of enjoyment and his spreading of the meaning of it. Molla Sadra’s approach to well-being is close to the objective list theories of well-being – particularly that of Sen’s and Nussbaum’s. It is concluded that there is a convergence in theories based on movement from instrumental reason to the intellect in specification and investigation of people’s well-being and its elements. Social implications – There is a kind of convergence, so that we can achieve a common point which could be the base for policy making in national and international level to solve problems arising from complexity, ambiguity and boring and dismal disagreements regarding this concept which is an important obstacle in front of the policy makers. Moreover, moving from instrumental reason to the intellect and considering ethical virtues in people’s well-being could be helpful in removing some social problems such as conflicts between labor and employers and financial crises. Originality/value – Description and calcification theories of well-being especially for economists that they are very far from these subjects and introducing of Islamic views via philosophical approach is absolutely original in this paper. Moreover, paper attempts to show the convergence in orthodox theories and between orthodox and Islamic views in which it provides a common point for practical aspect of well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to develop an outsourcing matrix and explains how outsourcing can be used to facilitate strategic innovation. Design/methodology/approach -- The methodology used in this study is of an explanatory case study. This paper uses secondary data as well as primary data from several interviews with executives, entrepreneurs and industry experts. The combination of the two sources of data ensures a certain level of convergence and completeness in the analysis presented. Findings -- The approach suggested in this paper offers small and medium-sized firms an opportunity to innovate strategically (i.e. creation of newer services and products) and potentially level the playing field with larger rivals. Originality/value -- This paper offers practicing managers a framework for using outsourcing as a means to compete effectively. Importantly, compared to the outsourcing literature's traditional focus on large firms, this paper is one of the few which takes the perspective of the small or medium sized firm. Additionally, this paper serves as a foundation for theory building and future research on the usage of outsourcing by such firms to enhance strategic competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose — The purpose of this paper is to assess the change in Chinese managerial network systems to identify adaptation to Western strategic systems. Design/methodology/approach — A sequential explanatory approach was adopted — a quantitative analysis of personal value systems of Chinese managers visiting the UK using established cultural value dimensions, with qualitative semi-structured interviews to assist statistical inferences. Findings — The traditional values of Chinese managers are decreasing in importance and lower power distance is apparent. A more flexible, dynamic approach with increased heterogeneity in countering competitive challenges — a transvergence, rather than crossvergence or convergence — is inferred. Research limitations/implications — This paper has three major limitations. First, it applies cross-cultural methods but uses strategic theory as the interpretative framework. Second, the sample size is small, based on convenience sampling, and is specific to managers arriving at a foreign interface. Third, this research is exploratory and explanatory, designed to challenge present understanding. Future research at country interfaces should identify global patterns of strategic adaptation, creating stronger inferential arguments with convergence of economic problems as a causal mechanism. Practical implications — The practical implications are twofold: Chinese strategy is adapting to new economic problems not new ideological structures; managerial network systems and not Chinese firms are the locus of the adaptation. Originality/value — This paper draws together concepts from strategy, problem solving, decision making, and cultural values, arguing that Chinese strategic change results from a dynamic interaction between strategic problem-solving choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Social change and modernization theories postulate that as countries grow they gradually move toward a condition of similarity in various spheres exhibiting similar economic and social traits. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether a process of convergence in terms of criminality levels is present in the case of European countries.Design/methodology/approach The research question at hand is tackled through conventional s and ß-convergence methodologies and a battery of unit root tests in the case of 16 European countries over the period 1972-2012.Findings The findings reported, herein, are quite uniform irrespective of the empirical methodology employed to investigate the issue at hand. The result points to a process of convergence in terms of crime rates. However, this convergence process, although present and statistically traceable, is a rather gradual one as this is depicted both by the value of the β-coefficient as well as by the trend of the coefficient of variation.Originality/value Most of the studies in this strand of the literature focus on investigating the association between economic conditions such as unemployment and crime or on the effectiveness of crime thwarting policies. To the best of the knowledge, this is the first paper that addresses the issue of convergence in terms of crime rates in the case of European countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Using an institutionalist perspective, and through a case study analysis, the purpose of this paper is to examine whether subsidiaries of MNEs demonstrate a convergence across their HRM practices in a less developed host-country context.Design/methodology/approach This paper reports on an exploratory qualitative study involving five MNEs subsidiaries that operate in Ghana and originate from the UK, France, Germany, and India. The authors applied thematic and cross-case analysis techniques to explore similarities and differences in their HRM practices by drawing data from in-depth face-to-face interviews and document analyses.Findings Findings suggest that MNE subsidiaries demonstrate more convergence across their HRM practices as well as other HRM characteristics. Despite the similarities in their HRM practices, the evidence suggests that MNE subsidiaries’ HRM practices were similar to corporate headquarters HRM practices. It appears that the host-country has less influence in driving their convergence but rather the country-of-origin effect; competitive isomorphic pressure and global integration benefits were driving their convergence across their HRM practices.Originality/value This study makes a contribution to the convergence-divergence literature in the international HRM (IHRM) domain with specific focus on addressing an under-researched context of less developed host-countries. One of the puzzles in comparative and IHRM literature yet to be resolved is the convergence-divergence thesis of firms’ HRM practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to introduce and discuss the concepts of service convergence and service integration, illustrate them in the context of the medical tourism industry, and link them to factors that contributed to the success of a medical tourism firm. Design/methodology/approach -- The basis for the conceptual development of service convergence and service integration is an in-depth case study of Bumrungrad International Hospital (BIH) in Thailand. Based on semi-structured interviews and archival data, BIHs business model is analyzed and factors are identified that led to its success in the industry. Findings -- BIH's success can be attributed to nine key initiatives that enhanced customer focus, operational efficiency, and service quality. These initiatives supported BIHs twofold business model of product differentiation and globally competitive prices. The firm's activities led to the integration of medical and hospitality services resulting in a new, enhanced product. Competitors adopted BIH's service integration approach, which started the service convergence trend in the medical tourism industry. Research limitations/implications -- The conceptual foundations for service convergence and service integration are laid in this paper and can serve as the basis for future research. Practical implications -- Insights from BIH's business model can guide firms in medical tourism and related industries on how to innovate and how to successfully implement their service products. Originality/value -- This paper introduces the term service convergence and discusses its mechanisms. Furthermore, it identifies success factors of a leading firm in the medical tourism industry and links them to service integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the distributions of earnings and education in Portugal in the early years of European integration, 1985 and 1991, a period when Portugal experienced strong nominal convergence following EU accession. Design/methodology/approach – The paper explores the information provided by relative distribution analysis and covariate (education) decomposition to study the dynamics of the earnings distribution since these methodologies allow for the identification of polarization patterns that might have occurred over the period. More standard methodological instruments are also used as a reference: cardinal measures of inequality and the Lorenz stochastic dominance approach. Findings – The median and average earnings of employees increased and there was also a rise in earnings inequality. Relative to 1985, in 1991 there were more employees with very low earnings but also more 1991 employees with high earnings and there were also more employees at the bottom and top ends of the earnings distribution. The analysis of the relative earnings distribution by level of education reveals substantial differences for the top end of the distributions with the proportion of 1991 employees receiving the highest earnings higher than for the original 1985 cohort. A regional disaggregation confirms that the overall employees’ earnings and education distributions characteristics are determined by the behaviour of coastal regions, while in the non-coastal regions a lower level of inequality is associated with lower levels of median and average earnings and a different polarization pattern. Originality/value – The paper shows that inequality is not a recent phenomenon in the Portuguese economy and thus might be one of the sources of the growth slowdown Portugal is experiencing since the turn of the century and might continue to hamper growth in the future deserving deeper investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the ways in which firms nurture the business ecosystem for the development of emerging industries. Design/methodology/approach – The research uses a qualitative research methodology with multiple case studies, namely two groups of companies in the PC and mobile business ecosystems. Findings – This paper argues that industry renewal or emergence relies on the convergence and evolutionary process of the relevant business ecosystems. It analyzes the challenges faced by emerging industries, especially uncertainty issues concerning technology, application, and market. To deal with these uncertainty issues, firms within business ecosystems have developed two kinds of strategies: the core-firm platform strategy and the niche-firm supplementary strategy with an integrated supply chain. By using such strategies, firms together follow a three-step process, including adjustment, adoption, and convergence, to help nurture the emerging industry. Research limitations/implications – This study only conducts interviews with industrial practitioners in the mobile computing business ecosystem, without covering other stakeholders. Practical implications – First, the study describes the platform and supplementary strategies to deal with industry uncertainties; second, the analysis also identifies a three-step collective behavior to achieve industry convergence. Originality/value – The paper extends the study of business ecosystem theory into supply chain management by embedding different roles and strategies as well as collective behavior into a dynamic business environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to present a macro view of the evolution of innovation for value creation, from the closed to collaborative, open, and now co-innovation. It reviews several mega trends that have dramatically changed the dynamic nature of the global market place and also several new forces that have made innovation imperative for organizational value creation. Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a conceptual overview of co-innovation through some of its basic elements such as convergence revolution, collaboration, and co-creation with stakeholders. Findings – Co-innovation is a new innovation paradigm where new ideas and approaches from various internal and external sources are integrated in a platform to generate new organizational and shared values. The core of co-innovation includes engagement, co-creation, and compelling experience for value creation. Thus, the practices of co-innovative organizations are difficult to imitate by competition. Practical implications – Innovation is imperative for organizational survival in today's turbulent global market. This conceptual paper presents many real-world examples of co-innovative firms' strategies that can provide new insights for follower organizations. Social implications – Innovation is a universal strategy for every organization, be it a firm, non-profit organization, or even a government agency. The new innovation approaches suggested in the paper can contribute to social reforms such as creating shared value for all stakeholders. Originality/value – This is an original paper that presents a broad-stroke direction and vision for new organizational strategies for innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper seeks to assess the feasibility and desirability of a major emerging economy adopting and implementing fair value accounting (FVA), as codified in the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), by studying China's recent experience. Design/methodology/approach - The paper examines the extent of FVA adoption in China's new accounting standards ("2007GAAP"), reasons for differences from the International Accounting Standard Board's IFRS, and how 2007GAAP has been implemented in practice. Data are obtained from content analyses of IFRS and 2007GAAP FVA requirements, critical assessments of standard setters' official statements, and analyses of empirical evidence from official reports, media, and academic research. Findings - The authors find a high degree of adoption of IFRS FVA standards in China's 2007GAAP for financial instruments, but many differences for non-financial long-term asset investments. Standard setters justify this divergence by fundamental characteristics of the Chinese environment. The resulting differences from IFRS in the 2007GAAP FVA standards, and in their implementation, challenge official claims of "substantial convergence" between 2007GAAP and IFRS. Hence, the benefits desired by Chinese regulators from adopting FVA and international accounting convergence to IFRS may not be realized. Research limitations/implications - The findings are derived from aggregated data in government reports. These findings can be extended in future research by examining specific implementation outcomes in company financial statements. Originality/value - The paper contributes a timely critical examination of a major emerging economy's convergence with the controversial FVA requirements, which supports the IFRS's standing as a high quality set of accounting standards. The findings provide new insights into factors that can impede international accounting convergence in emerging economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The aim of this paper is to propose a theory about the convergence of paradox and complexity and the consequences of this. Design/methodology/approach -- The author conducts an ongoing series of conversations with a range of thinkers in the academic and commercial domains Findings -- The paper finds that paradox and complexity are merging into "paradexity". This can be observed in technological advancements that depersonalise, saturate, accelerate, and fragment the world we experience. It is contributing to the emergence of a new set of paradigms -- the emotional economy, sense-making, time expansion, and communities of interest -- that will require developing four core capabilities: care, wisdom, attention and conversation. Research limitations/implications -- Further rigorous testing would be required to confirm the validity of the views expressed. Practical implications -- This paper has significant implications for the way people engage with one another and the way we organise our workforces, and offers suggestions for ways individuals and society can flourish in this environment. Originality/value -- The paper recognises the convergence of paradox and complexity and the need to work within this construct, rather than eliminate or minimise either. It would be of value to senior business leaders, human resource directors, and those involved with public policy who wish to design more effective organisations and societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to estimate retailing efficiency in a 26-store women clothing retail chain and to decompose it in several measures in order to contribute to the performance improvement of this retail service firm, as well as to compare the efficiency of the different decision making units. Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses the following measures to estimate efficiency: sigma convergence analysis; efficiency analysis; technical efficiency (TE) analysis; pure technical efficiency (PTE) analysis and scale efficiency (SE) analysis for a set of 26 stores of a women retail service brand operating in Portugal. A cross-section input-oriented data envelopment analysis (DEA) is used to analyse quarterly data sets from 2010 to 2013. Findings – The results show that costs with personnel are slightly increasing when analysed using the sigma convergence method, although there are some geographical differences. Moreover, it is possible to witness that the retail store chain’s TE diminishes as the operations outputs do not grow as fast as input savings. On the other hand, there are no SE problems as the levels of SE are larger than pure efficiency levels. Research limitations/implications – The main limitation of the study stems from the fact that the analysis is based on a simple retail chain, which makes it a single case study. Therefore, the generalisation of the conclusions for other firms or for other periods of analysis should be made cautiously. Practical implications – It is shown that some stores have a good TE and other stores have some SE advantage. As such, it is possible to select some stores as benchmarks to deploy internal efficiency throughout the retail chain. Originality/value – The contribution of this paper is based on the application of the sigma conversion and DEA techniques to evaluate efficiency in retail service store. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to explore the link between redistribution, convergence and local cultural capital (as defined by culture-based development concept). Design/methodology/approach -- The paper infers the basic mechanism of the cultural dependence of convergence and inequality -- through an empirical test for the case of the "German job miracle" during the current crisis. Two empirical questions are asked: first, is local income inequality associated with local cultural capital and second, is the negative convergence between East and West Germany during the crisis related to culturally sensitive employers' preference for job preservation vs job loss. An OLS enquiry and two deeper estimation methods (a logit model and a 3SLS simultaneous equations model) are alternatively applied in order to triangulate the empirical results. Findings -- The findings support the existence of cultural effect on local income inequality and cultural path dependence of employers' preferences for job preservation vs job loss in a condition of economic shock. Originality/value -- The paper provides both theoretical reasoning and empirical illustration of the significance of the cultural effect on human preferences which may or may not allow for redistribution and convergence between localities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Acculturation theory shows how foreign actors have evolved in Japanese television commercials. If advertising mirrors culture, foreign businesses trying to advertise products in Japan need to be aware of societal changes and tailor their messages to the preferences of the local population. This paper aims to address these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Content analysis explores the changing role of foreign female actors in Japanese television advertising for the years 1992 and 2002. Advertisements' setting, roles, appeals, and verbal and nonverbal communications are tested by chi-square analysis. Findings – Ads from the 2002 data set show increases in both traditional and modern themes in regards to the location of the ads, roles foreign females play, the advertising appeals, and the use of Japanese communication modalities. The findings suggest that advertisers are consciously or unconsciously incorporating cultural assimilation when ads include foreign actors. Research limitations/implications – Acculturation theory is useful for explaining cultural shifts to develop more effective advertising messages. Differences in portrayals of foreign people in advertising reflect changes in cultural values that appear to be changing more rapidly due to global trade and communication technology innovations. Practical implications – Recognizing shifts in cultural norms allows marketers to more effectively communicate with target audiences. Advertisers employing foreign actors may find their messages more effective if local cultural assimilation is used. Originality/value – This paper identifies and examines changes in communication modalities to show foreign actors displaying Japanese mannerisms. The evidence suggests cultural norms evolve sometimes quickly over time. Even advertisers using a localized approach must carefully monitor changes in cultural norms to assure message effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to measure the effectiveness of the integration of Europe by benchmarking economic progress made by the participating nations. Design/methodology/approach- Using data envelopment analysis, this paper compares the relative performance of 26 European Union (EU) nations against one another with seven economic variables as the benchmark parameters from 1999 to 2006. Findings- The paper finds that not all the participating nations were equally efficient at the beginning of the economic integration in 1999. Economic integration does help in achieving convergence in economic performance of 26 EU nations, because 18 of the 26 nations were efficient in 2002. However, this paper finds that after 2002, there is a lack of convergence in the performance of 26 EU nations and some nations have performed more efficiently in contrast to other nations. Originality/value - The paper identifies the member nations that are lagging behind and make recommendations as to how they can improve their performance to bring them at par with other participating nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of regional income differences has been a matter of considerable debate and empirical testing for many years. More than three decades ago, Easterlin suggested that convergence of regional income levels ought not be held as a certain and inevitable result of the process of trade and economic development. He pointed out that while trade and free movement of labor may exert some pressure towards convergence of wages and income, there are other dynamic processes that can thwart the equilibrating effects of free trade in resources and goods. The notion that free trade and efficient markets ensure long-not equilibrium among regional income flows in a changing environment has been challenged more vigorously in recent years. Eberts has suggested that incomplete information and mismatch between worker skills and job requirements, and institutional barriers to mobility often lead to incomplete adjustment in wages and persistent differences in regional income levels. This paper contends that swift convergence of regional income flows to a steady state cannot materialize unless investments in human capital and research are uniform across regions. In the context of the endogenous growth theory, convergence of per capita income is not synonymous with convergence of total factor productivity. As Abramovitz has pointed out, even if total factor productivity across regions show convergence, demographic and investment factors may inhibit complete convergence in per capita income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework for understanding core technological competencies and identifying the trends on the technological convergence of a business ecosystem using the patent information of leading firms in the system. Design/methodology/approach – The proposed framework is composed of two steps: time-sequential text clustering analysis for comprehending changes in general technological fields and association rule analysis for identifying the trends of convergences in each field. The authors applied the proposed framework to the patents applied to United States Patent Trademark Office by Samsung Electronics, a market leader of the electronics industry, during the period from 2000 to 2011. Findings – In the sequential text clustering analysis, trends of 14 technological fields such as data storage medium and data processing, mobile, lights and heats and memory are identified. Moreover, changes of technological convergence in each field are identified using association rule analysis. For instance, in the case of technologies related to lights and heats, convergences occurred between radio transmission systems and modulated-carrier systems during the period from 2000 to 2001. However, recent convergences appeared between technologies regarding controlling lights and liquid crystal materials since 2008. Originality/value – Utilization of the framework will suggest new business opportunities to SMEs in a business ecosystem by identifying the trends of technological convergences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Various economic growth theories propose a view of globalisation resulting in economic convergence. However, others suggest economic divergence (i.e. a widening gap between global rich and poor) and others still, different patterns of development. Hence it is necessary to validate such globalisation hypotheses with sound quantitative data. Design/methodology/approach – The paper proposes the "Global Change Data Base" (GCDB) that includes an analytical tool (AT) providing correlations between primary and secondary data (by country by year) from the fields of population, agriculture, economy, energy and human development. Findings – The AT is able to first test the hypotheses on global development and globalisation and second to suggest new hypotheses on the mechanisms of globalisation. Results can be used in curricula of Global Studies worldwide. Research limitations/implications – These data analysis has still to be complemented by sociological, political and economic theories providing insights into global restructuration processes and structural transitions through globalisation. Practical implications – "Forward-looking" as an emerging scientific discipline is supported by the proposed detailed analytical methods, namely by providing quantitative, in-depth techno-socio-economic megatrends. Social implications – The perception of globalisation might be rendered more inter-subjectively traceable by the GCDB. Originality/value – Up-to-date means of forward-looking are less detailed regarding economic sectors and energy sources compared to the proposed GCDB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore the influence of consumption values and the moderating role of consumer innovativeness for intentions to purchase convergence home robots. Design/methodology/approach – The data were collected from 506 participants in South Korea, where convergence home robots with a combination of multiple functions have rapidly penetrated the marketplace. A hierarchical moderated regression model was employed in order to analyze the data. Findings – The results show that functional, epistemic, and emotional values are important factors affecting intentions to purchase convergence home robots. In addition, consumers' innovativeness shows a moderating effect on the relationship between emotional value and purchase intentions. This result showed that the effect of emotional value has a greater influence on purchase intentions for the high consumer innovativeness group than for the low consumer innovativeness group. Practical implications – Marketers should focus not only on functional value, but also on the hedonic value represented by the emotional value, as well as the epistemic value that convergence home robots provide, especially to innovative consumers in the marketplace. Consumer innovativeness is a useful variable to divide value-based segments in convergence products. Originality/value – As technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, the convergence of technology has shifted people's lifestyles. However, it was not until a few years ago that convergence products were investigated. It is necessary for researchers to understand the factors influencing intentions to purchase convergence products, as well as the consumption value and consumer innovativeness that consumers place on these products in order to accurately direct marketing efforts. This paper contributes to that understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the competitiveness and convergence of the G7 and big emerging markets (BEM) nations using various economic, demographic, trade, investment, and freedom and governance criteria. Design/methodology/approach – The two groups of nations, G7 and BEM, are compared on the basis of various longitudinal and cross-sectional variables. The longitudinal variables are GDP and real GDP growth, per capita GDP, international trade, foreign direct investment, index of ageing, and life expectancy at birth. Cross-sectional competitive indices are Global competitiveness index, index of economic freedom, Democracy index, Human development index, Gini index, Government effectiveness, and Corruption perception index. Findings – The findings show that BEM is growing faster than G7 in most economic indicators including GDP, trade, and investment. The growth results in some form of convergence. The freedom and governance infrastructure of the BEM is relatively weak to support their economic growth. The primary challenge of the BEM is coming from the economic interdependence they create in a globalized economy. Overall, the growth presents a new political reality that the world must recognize. Research limitations/implications – National competitiveness is a long-term issue. A 30-year longitudinal analysis may not be long enough to accurately reflect a nation's performance. Evidently, wealth creation in the emerging markets has profound influence in noneconomic areas. Political polarization and military confrontation are not unlikely. Practical implications – Governments and businesses in G7, BEM, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) nations and institutions involved in global governance (e.g. World Bank, IMF, and WEF) may use the findings of the study to determine their policies. We should pay special attention to the global economic interdependence and guard against the negative effects of emerging markets' growth. Originality/value – The comparative analysis between the G7 and BEM in terms of competitiveness and convergence is an original contribution. Also, the author's insight beyond economics is a unique section to follow. The author is not aware of any other study that has used the two concepts competitiveness and convergence together to understand the emerging markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this article is to emphasise the development, importance and pressures on the under-researched area of Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and human resource management (HRM) and provide a review and research agenda, especially relating to the debate on convergence vis-à-vis divergence. Design/methodology/approach - Recent research papers are discussed and possible convergence and the pressures on HRM and its practice in Chinese SMEs are examined. Key elements in Chinese HRM are highlighted. Four main dimensions of HRM are compared in terms of western and Chinese characteristics and their cultural impacts and problems. A conceptual framework to locate influences on Chinese HRM is outlined as well as a set of propositions for future research and examination of key HRM areas. Findings - The continuing influences on HRM suggest that a distinctly Chinese HRM approach combining western practice with Chinese characteristics may be one way for SMEs to develop. Originality/value - It is central to a better understanding of Chinese SMEs and helps fill some of the gap in the analysis of HRM in Chinese SMEs. It also offers insights which managers, policy makers and Chinese government can use to construct and reform the supporting system for SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to focus deeply on the short term to explain the relative long-term evolution of the Argentinian economy in the long and the short term. Design/methodology/approach - The study of the long-term evolution of the Argentine economy and identifying the moment in which it began to lose ground compared to other developed economies, such as Australia and Canada, constitutes the central axis of the historiography of this country. However, an additional problem presented by the Argentine economy is its high volatility. For this reason, the long term should be influenced by the short term, an issue that requires a more detailed study of the cyclical behavior and a deep analysis of the relationship between the long and the short term. Findings - The results obtained point to a cyclical development that influences the long-term evolution and, therefore, explains Argentina's convergence process with Australia and Canada. Frequent deep busts and short booms characterize the Argentine cycle, offsetting its long-term growth potential. Originality/value - Although the long term has been profusely studied in Argentina, the short term has not been analyzed to the same extent, which is surprising given the extreme volatility of this economy (Prebisch, 1950). The studies performed on economic cycles have always been partial, disconnected from the long termand carried out without much technical rigor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented which offers insights on the role of World 2.0, a digital ecosystem. It aims to give understanding for managers and business professionals about the concept of World 2.0 and discusses its five shifts that includes the creativity, connectivity, collaboration, convergence, and community which have impact on the global landscape of business, technology, and innovation. It then offers insights on the use of World 2.0 as a business strategy in the current business settings.

Banks and mobile providers have profoundly different business models and capabilities but their futures are deeply entwined. They have to figure out how two huge industries with developed and divergent business practices should partner to introduce mobile banking to their customers. Making banks omnipresent and transforming cell phones from mere communication devices into pocket-sized bank branches will help skilled players become well-positioned to establish brand leadership and leave fast-followers in the dust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]