Informal Networks in International Business
This book can be opened with
Note on our eBooks and Audiobooks: you can read our eBooks (ePUB or PDF) and listen to audiobooks on the free Emerald Books app on iOS, Android, and desktop. Or read and listen on Emerald's online reader (ePUB eBooks and audiobooks only). To purchase a digital book you will need to create an account if you don’t already have one. After purchasing you will receive instructions on how to get started.
- Description
- Contents
- About
Informal networks can be a major obstacle to the effectiveness of managers. At the same time though, they can enable and facilitate business activities and support the efficiency and effectiveness of managerial actions. Since informal ties and networks can have a bright and a dark side, it is important for international managers to understand the way they work in the respective cultural context. Informal networks are often perceived as pervasive in emerging markets such as China or Russia, to be used to instrumentalize social capital and develop a relational competitive advantage or to simply circumvent formal rules. Contrary to this perception, they often stand for sociability and social cohesion, antecedents of a strong society. To date it remains unclear whether multinational enterprises have processes in place to identify, control, and manage informal ties and networks.
Informal Networks in International Business sheds light into the complex nature of informal networks and the respective context in which they operate. Leading experts provide insights into novel research themes and extend conventional research paths on informal network phenomena in the international business context. The contributions in this edited volume help international business scholars, students, and international managers in globally operating organizations alike to develop knowledge about the dynamics, complexities and ambiguities of informal networks and informal networking worldwide.
PART I: Emerging Theories, Concepts, Observations
- Chapter 1. Informal Networks: Concepts, Constructs, Emerging Theories; Sven Horak
- Chapter 2. Transitioning from Strong Ties to Weak Ties in Emerging Economies; Mike W. Peng and Grace T. Peng
- Chapter 3. A Liability or an Asset of Foreignness? Theorizing on Informal Networks in International Business; Jong Min Lee and Yongsun Paik
- Chapter 4. Diaspora networks?; Aleksandr V. Gevorkyan
- Chapter 5. Informal Transactional/Effectual Networks and Entrepreneurial Innovation in Response to Uncertainty: A View on the Global Insurance Industry; Nico A. Scordis
- PART II: Informal Network Constructs
- Chapter 6. China - The Persistent Power of Guanxi in Transitional China; Yanjie Bian
- Chapter 7. South Korea - Korea: Yongo 2.0, Global Inmaek, and Network Multiplexity; Sven Horak and Jong Gyu Park
- Chapter 8. Arab World - Conceptual Complexity and Cultural Embeddedness of Wasta in the Middle East; Fawaz Baddar Alhussan and Faten Baddar AL-Husan
- Chapter 9. Russia – Informal Networks in the Russian Business Context: The Case of Russian Multinationals’ Political Connections; Andrei Panibratov, Snejina Michailova, and Marina Latukha
- Chapter 10. Brazil - Informal Practices in Brazil: Insights form the Brazilian Jeitinho; Cláudio V. Torres and Thiago G. Nascimento
- Chapter 11. Denmark - Expatriate Social Network Formation in Denmark: Challenges of Developing Informal Ties Locally; Marian van Bakel
- Chapter 12. United States - Old Boy Networks at Work in the United States; Chao Liu and Steve McDonald
- PART III: Perspectives and Implications
- Chapter 13. Networking in a Global Context: Ethical Dilemmas; Sven Horak, Daniel J. McCarthy, and Sheila M. Puffer
- Chapter 14. Wasta as an Example of Informal Social Networks in Emerging Markets: Research Status and Suggestions for Future Directions; David Weir and Sa'ad Ali
Sven Horak is an Associate Professor and Director of the Global Management Program at the Peter J. Tobin College of Business, St. John’s University in New York City. He works in the field of global management and organization, specializing in informal networking, leadership, and ethics. He has held visiting positions at The University of Tokyo, Pennsylvania State University, Seoul National University, Yonsei University, Korea University, and others. Sven holds a Ph.D. in Institutional Economics from the Mercator School of Management of the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany.