Business is dynamic and rapidly changing. Global markets were previously the playing field of multinational corporations (MNCs), while small and medium enterprises (SMEs) were local; however, the removal of imposed barriers and recent technological advances in manufacturing, transportation, and communications have indorsed SMEs and international entrepreneurs (IEs) global access. SMEs and IEs are increasingly fueling economic growth and innovation, and these trends are presenting both opportunities and challenges to both MNCs and SMEs in the global arena. This review systematically examines comparative SME and IE research, analyzing (after fine-tuning) 762 articles published in leading journals from 1992 to September 2018. Our bibliometric and systematic review classifies SME and IE research findings into three echelons: (i) subjects, (ii) theories, and (iii) methods.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to map the intellectual structure of conflict management studies by investigating the key themes, concepts and their relationships for the period 2007-2017. The study updates the previous decade (1997-2006) investigation by Ma et al. (2008) to reflect the increased publication efforts in the field. Design/methodology/approach: Bibliometric analysis was used to trace the development path of the extant literature. The study included activity indicators such as distribution of articles and most-cited journals; relationship indicators such as co-author analysis and keyword analysis; and the mapping of the theoretical foundations. Findings: The analysis identified five key themes that help track the direction of conflict management research: negotiation, mediation, trust, conflict management styles and performance. Originality/value: These themes show a wider diversification of topics in the field than in the past, corroborating previous results about the reputation and maturity of conflict management as an independent scientific field of research. This study will help scholars to improve their understanding of the evolution of conflict management studies and the direction that conflict management research is taking, in particular, identifying available avenues for future research.

A broad, dynamic network perspective on solution processes remains scarce. This article presents the process of developing and implementing customer solutions and its effects on the wider business environment by investigating customers and suppliers in the global mining industry (Australia, Chile, and Sweden), analyzing the deployment of a new customer solution, and assessing the changes to the competitive environment and focal firms' relationships with other customers and suppliers. It shows that the forces that drive customer and supplier interests and motivation to co-develop customer solutions may change over time, thus redefining the aim and scope of solutions and creating failure risks. Customers present problems; suppliers respond, on the basis of not only the feasibility of the customer-specific solution but also of their evaluation of future solutions in a broader market; then suppliers aim to standardize successful solutions across markets. Customers want close supplier relationships and unique solutions but also like standardized and repeatable solutions, so they can share development costs with competitors and expose the supplier to competition to avoid lock-in effects. From a network perspective, a novel solution can have a market-shaping effect and evoke reactions from other actors who want to enhance their market position. However, these changes are not necessarily deliberate, and the dynamics that market introductions of solutions trigger may be difficult to predict

Purpose – This study aims to examine the impact of various human resource management strategies on the performance management of the managers of international subsidiaries, who have been termed inpatriate managers.Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative methodology was used to explore the influence of various strategies on the inpatriate manager's performance management, in a sector of the Australian healthcare industry.Findings – Evidence emerged from the study that the type of human resource strategy used by a multinational corporation may have a significant impact on the purpose and acceptability of the entire performance management process.Research limitations/implications – This study is not without limitations. The sample size is not large enough for generalizations and the research was restricted to the healthcare industry in Australia.Practical implications – A constructive six‐step solution is provided, for improving the international performance management process.Originality/value – The fin...

This paper examines how, in times of austerity, employee capabilities can assist firms in augmenting their human capital and at the same time meeting their financial obligations. Real option theory, a concept borrowed from economics, is used to provide a theoretical framework to demonstrate that management has choices when making decisions in times of austerity. The framework provides a means of understanding how decisions can be made to both maintain employee capabilities and at the same time focus on company profit maximisation, typically demanded by shareholders in times of austerity. The study establishes the benefits of a continuous approach to capability development in an environment of economic turbulence. Most importantly, it paves the way for future research in this increasingly critical area.