Purpose – The paper examines what are the effects of the different types of cross-cultural training (CCT) on expatriates' adjustment and whether prior international experience (IE) and cultural distance (CD) have a moderator effect on the effectiveness of CCT. Design/methodology/approach – In a quantitative approach the paper examines the effect of four different types of CCT on the three facets of expatriates' adjustment, on a sample consisting of 54 French, 53 German, 60 Korean and 57 Scandinavian managers expatriated to India. The paper then examines the moderator effect of IE and of CD on CCT's effectiveness. Findings – CCT accelerates expatriates’ adjustment. The type of CCT received matters. IE and CD have a moderator effect. Practical implications – Implications for practice are identified. Originality/value – The paper demonstrated the effectiveness of different kinds of CCT and the moderator effects of IE and CD.

Purpose: This paper aims: to undertake a systematic literature review on SIEs, examining twenty years of literature published between 2000 and 2020, focusing on the most-cited empirical work in the field; to analyse the topics covered by these studies; and to propose a research agenda.Design/methodology/approach: We conducted a systematic literature review, identifying the 20 most-cited empirical articles through citation analysis during the period and, because citations accrue over time, the six most-cited empirical articles of the last three years. We then used content analysis to examine the main themes they address and identify the research gaps.Findings: The most common themes addressed in the SIE literature are: analysis of the types and distinctions of SIEs, motivation to undertake self-initiated expatriation, SIEs' adjustment to the new country, and SIEs' careers and outcomes.Originality/value: This paper provides a first opportunity to look back at 20 years of research into a relatively new topic, highlighting the main research themes and knowledge gaps, and setting directions for future research. The paper expands knowledge on SIEs, assisting SIE scholars and IHRM practitioners to develop a global, critical understanding of SIEs' issues, and hopefully energising future research in this field.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify and study the key issues and challenges facing e‐government development from an integrative perspective, and to provide strategies and policy recommendations to address them in a broad and holistic way.Design/methodology/approach: To achieve a comprehensive understanding of the key issues in e‐government development, the authors took an integrative approach built on several existing theories and research. The authors conducted an empirical case study of Dubai. The data collection methods included documentary research; reviewing the major websites of Dubai government entities; and interviewing 22 e‐government stakeholders.Findings: The authors have identified a variety of important issues and challenges facing e‐government development in Dubai. Of them, they focus on language issues on websites, e‐integration, uptake of e‐government services and the digital divide, and quality of Dubai e‐government websites and e‐services.Practical implications: Given that Dubai was ranked the number one eCity in the Arab World and the eighteenth in the world in e‐government implementation, this insightful case study has wider implications. It contributes to a better understanding of the key issues in e‐government development in the Arab nations. The broad and holistic strategies developed through this study address the root causes of the issues, which could help governments not only in Dubai but also in other countries in their policy making.Originality/value: To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first integrative and empirical study that explores the key issues and challenges in e‐government development through studying e‐government experiences of Dubai from both supply and demand perspectives.

Worldwide, ISO 14001 certification for organizations has become the norm, but the Arab world accounts for an insignificant portion of all the certified organizations. There is a dearth of research on environmental management systems (EMS) in Arab and emerging countries and in public organizations. The objectives of this research are to: (1) examine the key drivers and challenges related to implementation of ISO 14001 certified EMS in the United Arab Emirates, an emerging Arab country and (2) compare and contrast these drivers and challenges between private and public organizations. We adopt an explorative, qualitative methodology, using semi-structured interviews with environmental managers in 11 organizations (6 private and 5 public) from different industrial sectors. Drivers of EMS certification were mostly similar between private and public organizations, with some differences. Compliance with regulations and standards, and increasing environmental performance were the main drivers for ISO 14001 certification in both private and public organizations. Commitment to sustainability was more important for public organizations. Cost reduction, competitors, leadership commitment and customers’ demands were shared drivers, but more stressed by private organizations. Local community and employees’ pressures were reported by private organizations only. The challenges to ISO 14001 implementation were similar for private and public organizations. They were: a lack of qualified human resources, practical challenges associated with implementation, a lack of regulations, a lack of support from management, and high costs. Our findings have implications for managers, academics, consultants, and policy makers in the UAE and other emerging markets.

The objectives of this research were: (1) To examine the outcomes and key factors of success (KFS) related to ISO 14001 certification, (2) to compare and contrast these in private organizations (PRIVOs) and public organizations (PUBOs), and (3) in the under-explored context of an Arab Gulf country with an emerging economy: The United Arab Emirates. We used an exploratory, qualitative research approach, based on semi-structured interviews with the environmental managers of 14 UAE organizations from the private and public sector. The five major outcomes of ISO 14001 certification were improved: (1) Environmental performance, (2) organizational reputation and relationships with stakeholders, (3) organizational efficiency, (4) environmental management (EM) practices, and (5) environmental awareness. These outcomes were shared by PRIVOs and PUBOs, although improved resource management, improved relations with stakeholders, and improved EM practices were more common in PUBOs, and improved organizational efficiency was more common in PRIVOs. The six KFS for implementation were: (1) Senior management’s support, (2) employees’ awareness, involvement and competence, (3) government initiatives and commitment, (4) sufficient organizational resources, (5) adoption of a continuous, integrative, and collaborative approach, and (6) the use of external consultants. These KFS were shared by PRIVOs and PUBOs, although government initiatives and commitment were more common in PUBOs, and sufficient resources were more common in PRIVOs. Our study contributes to a better understanding of environmental management system implementation in emerging countries in general, and in Arab Gulf countries particularly. Our study has implications for business leaders, policy makers, EMS professionals, and educators in the UAE and other emerging countries.