Transferring management practices to China: a Bourdieusian critique of ethnocentricity
This paper provides a critique of the emergent theories of human resource management in China with a view to generating new theoretical insights with particular reference to Pierre Bourdieu's social theory. It reassesses the relevance of the orthodox critique of ethnocentricity and the coherenc...
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| Format: | Article |
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Taylor and Francis
2015
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50937/ |
| _version_ | 1848798372318674944 |
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| author | Siebers, Lisa Qixun Kamoche, Ken Li, Fei |
| author_facet | Siebers, Lisa Qixun Kamoche, Ken Li, Fei |
| author_sort | Siebers, Lisa Qixun |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | This paper provides a critique of the emergent theories of human resource management in China with a view to generating new theoretical insights with particular reference to Pierre Bourdieu's social theory. It reassesses the relevance of the orthodox critique of ethnocentricity and the coherence of approaches embedded in Chinese culture. With reference to six case studies of the largest retail firms, we identify two key challenges: the reliance on headquarter human resource practices that reflect an ethnocentric ethos, i.e. country-of-origin bias, and the failure to empower local managers and the problems this creates for managers expected to implement ethnocentric practices. We examine how Bourdieu's social theory sheds light on the processes by which these firms realise their strategic objectives through the complicity of local managers whose scope for resistance is constrained by the use of normative control and in part through attractive remuneration and career prospects that generate Bourdieusian capital for these managers. We conclude with some suggestions for further research. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:18:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-50937 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:18:43Z |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publisher | Taylor and Francis |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-509372020-05-04T20:11:54Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50937/ Transferring management practices to China: a Bourdieusian critique of ethnocentricity Siebers, Lisa Qixun Kamoche, Ken Li, Fei This paper provides a critique of the emergent theories of human resource management in China with a view to generating new theoretical insights with particular reference to Pierre Bourdieu's social theory. It reassesses the relevance of the orthodox critique of ethnocentricity and the coherence of approaches embedded in Chinese culture. With reference to six case studies of the largest retail firms, we identify two key challenges: the reliance on headquarter human resource practices that reflect an ethnocentric ethos, i.e. country-of-origin bias, and the failure to empower local managers and the problems this creates for managers expected to implement ethnocentric practices. We examine how Bourdieu's social theory sheds light on the processes by which these firms realise their strategic objectives through the complicity of local managers whose scope for resistance is constrained by the use of normative control and in part through attractive remuneration and career prospects that generate Bourdieusian capital for these managers. We conclude with some suggestions for further research. Taylor and Francis 2015 Article PeerReviewed Siebers, Lisa Qixun, Kamoche, Ken and Li, Fei (2015) Transferring management practices to China: a Bourdieusian critique of ethnocentricity. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26 (5). pp. 551-573. ISSN 1466-4399 Bourdieu China HRM retail internationalisation retail MNEs transfer of management practices https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09585192.2014.925948 doi:10.1080/09585192.2014.925948 doi:10.1080/09585192.2014.925948 |
| spellingShingle | Bourdieu China HRM retail internationalisation retail MNEs transfer of management practices Siebers, Lisa Qixun Kamoche, Ken Li, Fei Transferring management practices to China: a Bourdieusian critique of ethnocentricity |
| title | Transferring management practices to China: a Bourdieusian critique of ethnocentricity |
| title_full | Transferring management practices to China: a Bourdieusian critique of ethnocentricity |
| title_fullStr | Transferring management practices to China: a Bourdieusian critique of ethnocentricity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Transferring management practices to China: a Bourdieusian critique of ethnocentricity |
| title_short | Transferring management practices to China: a Bourdieusian critique of ethnocentricity |
| title_sort | transferring management practices to china: a bourdieusian critique of ethnocentricity |
| topic | Bourdieu China HRM retail internationalisation retail MNEs transfer of management practices |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50937/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50937/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50937/ |