This empirical study tests the relations between employee turnover and the organizational dimensions of service climate, comparing nationals and foreign nationals in the international brand Russian hotel industry. This study extends the geographic scope of employee turnover to the undertested Russian context. Responses were analyzed using a partial least squares model. Results show that nationals' and foreign nationals' responses to model variables diverge. Job insecurity directly affects the turnover intentions of Russian nationals, while its effect for foreign nationals was indirect through organizational commitment and job satisfaction. Compounded indirect effects of turnover antecedents and service climate dimensions are also examined and discussed.

Purpose – This study aims to explore the extent to which social capital plays a role in firm development, internationalization and growth, in the context of an emerging market, Brazil. The study aims to provide a new context and perspective on the role social capital plays in fostering growth and internationalization among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in an emerging market. Design/methodology/approach – This is an exploratory study. First, empirical data are drawn from a commodity industry, the Brazilian Stone industry, which is a competitive, well-established sector in the country. Using a previously validated questionnaire from the World Bank, the extent of social capital possessed and used by the firms in this industry is correlated to their growth and performance. Based on the exploratory results, a set of research propositions are developed that point the way to questions that are important and interesting to further understand the role of social capital in this context. Findings – The results point to fairly low levels of social capital among Brazilian SMEs in this sector and relatively low levels of awareness of the potential opportunities to exploit social capital to further development and internationalization. Research limitations/implications – Social capital matters for firm growth and performance, but the extent of development of social capital in this context is fairly low. The limitations include the sample size and the homogeneity of the sample, which restricts generalizability. Practical implications – Building and exploiting social capital is a void that currently exists in the commodity sector in Brazil. Developing this can lead to more positive firm performance and growth, especially as the institutional context in Brazil continues to develop. Originality/value – The paper offers a unique context, as well as a new perspective on the role of firm social capital, by using an emerging market and a commodity industry that has been rarely studied in the literature.

ABSTRACTHigh turnover in the hotel industry is an ongoing and important issue for the hotel industry. Turnover costs accrue to hotels from a variety of sources. Loss of experienced employees lowers the level of organizational knowledge among the staff thereby increasing the risk of not providing a consistent and high quality customer experience. This may result in decreasing brand image and brand loyalty. Thus, an understanding of the antecedents of turnover, both individual and organizational, in the hotel industry is important to reduce turnover with respect to the organization as well the intent to leave the hospitality industry.This exploratory study investigates an individual antecedent of turnover intention, service orientation, to empirically test a model linking service orientation to the traditional constructs commonly studied in relation to turnover intention including the job satisfaction, commitment to the organization and intention to leave the organization or leave the hotel industry. Partial Least Squares analysis was performed on a turnover model using responses from 63 hotel employees located in the United States. Service orientation was shown to ultimately explain up to 30% of the variability in employee's intention to turnover either their position in a hotel or to leave the hotel industry. Service orientation level was also directly related to intent to leave the hospitality industry but not intent to leave the organization. We discuss the implications of these findings for the hotel industry as well as hotel managers.INTRODUCTIONHotel turnover is a well-documented problem in the hospitality industry with reported turnover rates ranging from 31 percent (Deloitte, 2010) to 43 percent (Employee Turnover: The Challenge, 2013) to 58.8 percent (Hinkin, Holtom & Liu, 2012) in the U.S. Turnover in the hospitality industry is reported to be nearly twice the average rate for all other sectors (Deloitte, 2010, p. 35). To further complicate concerns over the high rate of turnover, the economic downturn has temporarily dampened this high turnover rate, but is expected to rapidly rise once the downturn improves (Deloitte, 2010; Davis, 2013). Depending upon the level of the employee's job responsibilities, turnover costs can range 100 and 200 percent of the total remuneration of that employee (Deloitte, 2010, p. 36). In addition to financial costs is the loss of consistency of service that a long-term provides to customers, particularly returning customers who are very important to developing brand loyalty.A high level of guest satisfaction is a key performance indicator which has been found to increase competitiveness and brand consistency in the hospitality industry. The staff needed to achieve and maintain service levels costs, on average, 45 percent of operating expenses and consumes 33 percent of revenues depending on hotel size, with larger hotels spending more (Deloitte, 2010). Thus, the turnover rate must be controlled in order to improve consistency of service, to improve and retain customer satisfaction, and to gain the economic benefits associated with increased competitiveness, which is driven in part by brand consistency and the resulting loyalty.The literature, both practitioner and academic, cites many reasons for this high turnover rate in the hospitality industry. Low salaries are often cited as the most common reason to leave organizations in the hospitality industry (Deloitte, 2010; Davis, 2013). The majority of the reported reasons for leaving tend to be external to the rather than internal and are specific to the who is quitting. However, the issue may also be internal to the leaving due to the nature of the hospitality industry and the relation between maintaining a high level of customer service and the personality of the worker (Davis, 2013). An may be less likely to share details or may not even be fully aware of personal reasons for leaving as reported in exit interviews and surveys. …

Using 2 case studies, the aim of this article is to discuss if there is a role for the computed tomography (CT) skeletal survey in patients with multiple myeloma. CT has increased sensitivity and demonstrates an ability to characterise trabecular anatomy in difficult areas such as scapulae, ribs and sternum, compared with conventional radiography. It also allows differentiation between benign and pathological compression fractures, and is superior in estimating fracture risk. Other advantages of CT include demonstration of unsuspected associated pathology such as lung disease, soft tissue and visceral masses and identifying suitable biopsy sites, detection of small osteolytic lesions, multiplanar reconstructions, radiotherapy planning and surgical intervention, shorter examination time, no repositioning of the patient and therefore increased patient comfort. CT has previously been associated with increased radiation dose with careful selection of the exposure parameters the effective radiation dose can be comparable to that of conventional radiography. These case studies and examples of scanning techniques will demonstrate that whole body low dose multidetector CT is a viable alternative to the skeletal survey in patients with multiple myeloma and bone pain.

PurposeThe purpose of this exploratory, empirical study is to identify motivations for expatriation among religious and humanitarian (R&H) workers.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 158 active expatriate Christian R&H workers from 25 countries, representing 48 international organizations, completed a survey with 45 reasons for expatriation, derived from literature on corporate expatriation, international volunteering, and international migration. Data analysis includes factor analysis and cluster analysis.FindingsIn total, eight latent motivation factors were found: career development; economics; international experience; escapism; altruism; outsider support; family life; and location. Workers in the not‐for‐profit sector are primarily motivated by altruism, and thus integrate organizational mission with personal purpose in their decision to work abroad. Using cluster analysis, four groups of humanitarian and religious workers in the Christian sub‐sector were identified: Caring Missionary; Focused Worker; Self‐Directed Careerist; and International Family Custodian. Workers from developed versus developing countries exhibit different motivators.Practical implicationsThe findings provide insight into differences between developed versus developing country workers and between R&H workers. Recognizing the differences in motivation can assist international human resource managers in the effective recruitment, selection, training and development, career management, and support and encouragement of non‐profit organizations (NPO) expatriates. The authors provide propositions to be tested based on the application of self‐determination theory to expatriate motivation.Originality/valueThis exploratory, empirical study of Christian R&H workers extends the organizational and country context and builds on motivation for expatriation research to include this sub‐sector of workers from both developed and developing countries operating in global organizations. The findings provide new insights into motivation for expatriation and lead to propositions for future research.

This study explores the metaphorical concept of liming, its origins and role in building social relations and creating a social identity and the fabric for society in the Caribbean. We integrate Caribbean liming with the theory of social capital, and in particular with social relationships. We highlight the importance of common community norms and their influence on the potential for liming to build networks, trust, information and communication exchange, social cohesion, political empowerment and collective action to create greater social capital. In this study we emphasize that the cultural context of the Caribbean limits the opportunity for bridging gaps in relationship networks and fosters bonding in the community. This study highlights observations on liming and social capital by reporting secondary data and primary interview data analyses, and concludes with a discussion of the rebranding of regional telecommunications provider, Cable & Wireless, as LIME, building on the liming metaphor.

This study uses social capital theory and strategic entrepreneurship theory to examine the extent to which Hispanic immigrant entrepreneurs create and employ social capital in their firms. Using a modified instrument originally created by the World Bank to measure social capital, we evaluate the amount and different dimensions of social capital possessed by a sample of entrepreneurs with mid to small-sized businesses in a limited geographic area within the USA. We find low levels of social capital among our respondents. To the extent that social capital exists, the majority of it seems to be derived from Hispanic sources rather than non-Hispanic sources. Further, we find some limited evidence that non-Hispanic driven social capital positively affects growth and internationalisation. In light of these findings we discuss the issue of bridging and social capital development.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report on the degree of success in international assignments that public relations (PR) practitioners experience and explores the influence of both organizational culture and national culture.Design/methodology/approachPR practitioners in the USA and South Africa were surveyed.FindingsResults show that there is no difference between PR practitioners from the USA and South Africa with experience in international assignments, in terms of degree of success in international assignments and of level of preparedness for international assignments. It was also found that there is no significant correlation between national culture or organizational culture and the degree of success in international assignments for those respondents with international experience.Research limitations/implicationsThe response rate was limited and therefore the results cannot be generalized. Future research would be to further extend this study to include additional countries.Practical implicationsThe results support the concept that a PR practitioner with an organic organizational culture and a long‐term orientation of national culture will be better prepared to engage in international assignments than a practitioner with a mechanistic organizational culture and a short‐term orientation of national culture.Originality/valueThis study adds to the literature on international PR practice, and compares the practice in a developing economy, South Africa, to a developed economy, the USA.

The emerging interaction of political processes sets the stage for the level of macro uncertainty and specific risk events that may occur in an international relationship. Strongly defined social control in Cuba, formal and informal, dominates the dynamics of the relationship, while simultaneously government, formal, action in the U.S. dominates the ability of American individuals to further the relationship. This study examines the development of a long-term relationship between two universities from the U.S. and Cuba. Over a period of eight years the relationship changes considerably as events on the macro stage play out and the environment for detente shifts. The key focus of this relationship lies with developing the study abroad program, taking students from the U.S. to Cuba. (C) 2007 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

Growing investment in information technology applications creates a need to understand the proper integration of these tools into strategic decision making of the firm. This study discusses the impact of global information and communication technologies on competitiveness and performance of Brazilian trading companies. Using resource based theory as a starting point, we examine how information technology, as an internal resource, can provide competitive advantage and what impact information technology produces on competitiveness of Brazilian export intermediaries. The study implements a replicable model (CAPITA) developed by Sethi and King (1994), to investigate these relationships in the emerging market of Brazil. The empirical findings reveal that superior export performance depends on the ability of managers to interpret and utilize some CAPITA dimensions that have a strong relationship with the trading company’s performance. The results corroborate previous research confirming that information technology application has a strong impact on performance. This research extends previous work on this topic within the North American hemisphere, to the South American hemisphere. The development of a strong network of export intermediaries in the emerging market of Brazil can be enhanced by a better understanding of the impact of technology applications, and corresponding government policies endorsing growth.