Mehmet Demirbag

University of Essex · Essex Business School (EBS)

Where do high-impact human resources management practices thrive, and how do they make a difference in environments with limited institutional support? This study delves into the realm of talent management (TM) in Turkey, where institutional coverage is incomplete and unstable. Drawing on survey data, we explore the conditions under which TM succee...

Multinational enterprises (MNEs) are increasingly off-shoring some of their R&D to emerging markets, including China. Much of the extant literature on MNEs' investments in R&D facilities abroad analyses technological and institutional factors at the national level, typically using regressions to examine how host-country institutions influence forei...

In this article, we make the case for theoretically/logically derived explanatory typologies and their constituent ideal types, arguing that they can provide us with the basis to further understand dynamic and complex contemporary phenomena. We contrast this approach with dominant analytical strategies in international-business research. We show th...

Although there is a stream of literature that considers the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to be an advantage-seeking entrepreneurial activity resulting in superior business performance, the findings regarding the impact of ICT use on business performance are heterogeneous in the existing literature. Consequently, a meta-anal...

This paper develops and extends the existing body of literature on human resource management (HRM) and contextual uncertainty. We identify and explore the consequences of present uncertainties of a broad scale and scope for the practice of HRM. We then review salient bodies of theorising, and map out relevant areas of application. This is followed...

The globalization of production has brought significant growth and connectivity opportunities to firms and workers in emerging markets. However, research on the interplay between global value chains (GVCs) and emerging market firms’ environmental sustainability remains fragmented. A coherent picture of the dispersed body of knowledge on the environ...

Innovation is a critical source of competitive advantage in an increasingly changing and globalising environment, thus, knowledge management lies at the core of a firm's global business strategy. This paper investigates the relationship between micro-foundational dimensions of firm internationalisation and its knowledge management strategy in the e...

Purpose This paper aims to develop a conceptual model that examines the role of an individual’s confidence in the transferred knowledge in realizing benefits from such transfers. In so doing, the paper attempts to address the gap in the knowledge transfer (KT) literature pertaining to the inability of recipients to gain benefits from incoming trans...

This study examines the effect of high-commitment work systems on firm performance, employee burnout and wellbeing, and the mediating role of organisation support and employee effort in Malaysia. Through a survey of 215 employees working in manufacturing firms, the results show that high-commitment work systems have a significant positive direct im...

Emerging economy family SMEs pursuing internationalization have to develop international market information acquisition capability. However, there is limited knowledge about how to develop and utilize this capability. We investigate the role of participative governance and the extent to which participation of board and family members enhances this...

Drawing on a multi-perspective framework integrating the dynamic capabilities view, the resource-based view, and the industry-based view, we study the internationalization process of emerging country multinational enterprises (EC MNEs). A multiple-case study research method was adopted to explore the internationalization strategies of a set of EC M...

Previous research investigating the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate financial performance (CFP) reveals the importance of industry specificity. Drawing on strategic stakeholder theory, we argue that the strategic fit between CSR activities and value chain activities contributes to industry‐specific effects i...

In this paper, we investigate firms’ decisions to engage in voluntary environmental management (VEM) practices within an emerging market context. Drawing on the strategic choice and the resource‐based view perspectives, we report results from a survey of VEM practices – a specific form of self‐governance – drawing on a sample of 519 Turkish firms f...

This paper explores the impact of regional and firm level heterogeneity on MNE performance from an operational perspective. We find that the underlying economic growth of a region and the MNE's overall product diversity significantly impact returns from downstream operations in specific regions. Based on a 10 year panel dataset of 1249 US based MNE...

The special issue focuses on the theory and evidence linking the use of Big Data related technologies by businesses with their performance. Here we connect the papers accepted for the special issue to the overarching theme of Big Data as an emerging concept within the business management literature. We present two prominent case studies examining t...

This is a study of the relationship between context, internal corporate governance and firm performance, looking at the case of Turkey, an exemplar of family capitalism. We found more concentrated ownership, often in the hands of families, led to firms performing better; concentrated ownership means that controlling families bear more of the risks...

A significant transformation in the world economy in the past few decades has been the emergence of internationalizing firms from the emerging economies to world markets. This phenomenon has received prominent research attention in the literature. Yet, post-expansion challenges faced by these firms and the strategies they have employed in gaining s...

The effectiveness of a reverse logistics strategy is contingent upon the successful execution of activities related to materials and product reuse. Green supply chain (GSC) in reverse logistics aims to minimize byproducts from ending up in landfills. This paper considers a retailer responsible for recycling and a manufacturer responsible for remanu...

In much of the developing world, families represent the dominant form of firm ownership. This study investigates how this influences equity ownership strategies when firms venture abroad. Drawing on agency theory and institutional theory, we investigate the direct effect of board composition and family ownership on the equity-based ownership strate...

In much of the developing world, families represent the dominant form of firm ownership. This study investigates how this influences equity ownership strategies when firms venture abroad. Drawing on agency theory and institutional theory, we investigate the direct effect of board composition and family ownership on the equity-based ownership strate...

We investigate how ownership concentration and institutional distance both directly influence the equity-based ownership strategies of a sample of Turkish MNEs, and also how institutional differences moderate the link between ownership concentration and the equity-based ownership strategies of these firms. The findings suggest that neither ownershi...

Beginning with a brief review of internationalization strategies of emerging country multinationals (EC MNEs), this chapter introduces four market entry strategies of Turkish multinationals: drop and diffuse by adaptation, masking the EC MNE, playing the DC MNE, and challenging to incumbents. Each strategy is discussed in detail with typical exampl...

This chapter focuses on the post-acquisition strategies of emerging country multinational enterprises (EC MNEs). It includes a summary of the literature on EC MNE acquisitions and highlights the roles of acquisitions in their transformation. The chapter continues with a discussion of the post-acquisition strategies of Turkish MNEs and investigates...

This chapter portrays the recent debates in the field of international business regarding the rise of emerging country multinationals (EC MNEs) and the meaning of this phenomenon for the academic field. It provides a review of mainstream (i.e., internationalization process model and OLI framework) and emerging perspectives (i.e., springboard perspe...

This chapter introduces Turkey as an emerging economy and discusses its evolution by presenting the past and current state of Turkish firms’ cross-border operations. It concentrates primarily on the country’s transformation in recent decades by highlighting its characteristics, its economic development, and its growing foreign trade and foreign dir...

This chapter presents qualitative findings from the selected cases of 11 Turkish multinationals about the driving forces behind their foreign expansion and discusses these findings in the light of theoretical perspectives such as resource-, industry-, and institution-based views. The chapter also categorizes the motives of the case study firms for...

This chapter synthesizes the findings and discussions from each chapter in order to provide an all-inclusive picture of the internationalization of Turkish multinationals. The findings from previous chapters are summarized to indicate theoretical and managerial implications as well as the limitations of the entire study and avenues for future resea...

This book explores the internationalization of Turkish multinationals by examining a set of firms from various industries and providing eleven detailed case studies. The authors aim to discover the reasons behind the drive for internationalization within the firms, and how their internationalization processes work. By focusing on a medium-sized eme...

Firms in emerging countries often face different sets of challenges in developing their brand management strategies. Drawing on the dynamic capabilities view, the present study examines brand management practices among firms in an emerging country. Drawing on a survey of 224 firms in Turkey, the study first aims to segment firms in terms of their a...

Emerging market multinationals resort to knowledge acquisitions from their overseas subsidiaries to springboard and realize their global ambitions. Drawing from the knowledge-based view and social capital perspective, this study explores the effects of organizational collaboration and tacitness on multiple dimensions of reverse knowledge transfer (...

A central concern within contemporary socio-economics has been on the relationship between national institutional configurations and societal outcomes. In this paper, we assess the relationship between legal origin and a range of correlated indicators of social responsibility, focusing on socially responsible investing and voluntary charitable givi...

This paper compares the differences in talent management motivations and practices between MNEs and local firms in the emerging market of Turkey. It uses institutional theory and the resource based view of the firm to explain these differences. Examining data from 201 firms the findings show significant differences between the talent management mot...

This study explores the efficiency of securities firms in Turkey and offers conceptual and managerial insights utilizing data envelopment analysis. Through a sample of local and foreign owned securities firms in Turkey, we examine the impact of liabilities of foreignness (LOF) and localness (LOL) upon knowledge intensive firm efficiency in an emerg...

This study draws upon agency theory and institutional theory from the point of view of emerging countries to estimate how ownership structure and institutional differences both directly influence and moderate the equity-based ownership strategies of Turkish MNEs. The findings suggest that the ownership structure has a partial effect on the entry st...

This study first provides a comparative analysis of the impact of supply chain management (SCM) and information systems (IS) practices on operational performance (OPER) of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in two neighbouring emerging country markets of Turkey and Bulgaria. Then, we investigate moderating effects of both SCM–IS-l...

This article looks at business and society on the transitional periphery from a starting point rooted in the international business literature. Many transitional periphery countries have rich natural resource endowments or prosperous diasporas, making it relatively easy to attract inward FDI, chronic institutional weaknesses and policy failures not...

A range of studies has found that corruption has a significant impact upon FDI decisions, however to date there has been scant investigation into longer term investments made by firms and their relative proclivity to reinvest. Further, there is particularly little work on reinvestment choices made on the transitional periphery of post-state sociali...

In this paper, we examine the effects of subsidiary level factors on reverse knowledge transfer (RKT) in MNEs from the emerging market of India (EM-MNEs). We argue that subsidiary level competencies and capabilities play a vital role in persuading the parent EM-MNEs to initiate the RKT in their attempt to overcome the disadvantages they have. The c...

This study examines knowledge acquisitions of Indian multinationals via overseas mergers and acquisitions. Specifically, the paper examines the effects of the perceived subsidiary capability, parent absorptive capacity, and the relevance of the target knowledge on reverse knowledge transfer. Using firm level data from a survey of Indian multination...

High-performance work systems (HPWSs) are seen as important in helping strengthen competitive strategies of developed-country multinational enterprises (DC MNEs). Commensurate with global competitive pressures and internationalization strategies, emerging-country MNEs (EC MNEs) and indigenous firms are also increasingly adopting HPWSs. HPWSs are no...

This Handbook, compiled by leading scholars of international business, focuses on why emerging market multinationals internationalize, how they do so, what advantages they explore and exploit as they internationalize, and what strategies they implement when competing abroad. Collectively, these contributions offer interesting insight into emerging...

This Handbook, compiled by leading scholars of international business, focuses on why emerging market multinationals internationalize, how they do so, what advantages they explore and exploit as they internationalize, and what strategies they implement when competing abroad. Collectively, these contributions offer interesting insight into emerging...

This study draws upon agency theory and institutional theory from the point of view of emerging countries to estimate how ownership structure and institutional differences both directly influence and moderate the equity-based ownership strategies of Turkish MNEs. The findings suggest that the ownership structure has a partial effect on the entry st...

By comparing the HRM practices in Indian and European MNE subsidiaries located in four of the Southern African Development Community countries, this paper tests the relevance of the country-of-origin effect and analyses the strength of institutional and firm-level influences. Examining data from 865 MNE subsidiaries obtained from the World Bank ent...

There is a very extensive body of literature on how multinationals manage their people in different national contexts. However, the bulk of this literature focuses on the case of multinationals from the advanced industrial economies, and to a considerable extent, the United States. Very much less has been written on multinationals with their countr...

Abstract This paper empirically tests the impact of offshoring R&D projects on firm’s future sales growth based on a data set of 648 firms tracked between years 2005 and 2009. Using propensity score matching (PSM) technique, the differences in future sales growth of the two groups (offshore vs. non-offshore) are compared. The empirical analyses ar...

This study examines the association between the usage of high-performance work systems (HPWS) by subsidiaries of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in Turkey and employee and subsidiary level outcomes. The study is based on a survey of 148 MNE subsidiaries operating in Turkey. The results show that the usage of HPWS has a significant positive impact...

Empirical studies that have focused on the determinants of voluntary environmental management practices (VEMPs) of MNE subsidiaries operating in emerging countries have been rare. This study explores the antecedent factors that drive MNE subsidiaries to adopt VEMPs, using data drawn from a key emerging country – Turkey. Based largely on the argumen...

This is a study of the relationship between institutional settings and managerial compensation systems, based on extensive cross-national survey evidence. We compare differences in practices between Multinational Corporations (MNCs) and domestic firms across a range of capitalist archetypes. We find that MNCs are more likely to promote compensation...

This study provides some important insights on identifying the underlying characteristics of HRM practices that are likely to be adapted to the local cultural and institutional milieu by subsidiaries of multinational enterprises (MNEs). Further insights are provided on the distinctive characteristics of HRM practices pursued by local firms that are...

The conventional role of corporate headquarters as the sole engine of knowledge creation within the multinational enterprise (MNE) is changing. Increasingly, geographically dispersed subsidiaries need to function as neural networks, reverse transferring knowledge to headquarters. This study explores the attributes that stimulate reverse knowledge t...

This paper investigates responses to tax related ethical issues facing firms, an area where there has been little prior research. As perceptions may be determined by response to different legal systems and regulations, we examine responses to a series of ethical questions posed to two groups of tax practitioners, one group employed in UK firms and...

This is a study of the relationship between institutional settings and managerial compensation systems, based on extensive cross-national survey evidence. We compare differences in practices between Multinational Corporations (MNCs) and domestic firms across a range of capitalist archetypes. We find that MNCs are more likely to promote compensation...

We examine relationships between regulatory environment and government intervention in firms' decisions and corruption perception indexes (CPI). We draw from a large sample survey conducted by the World Bank on the impact of regulatory environment on firms' growth. The study also focuses on government interventions through regulations in firms' ope...

Abstract This paper empirically tests the moderating impact of internationalization on performance of innovation investments as reflected by R&D growth. Our findings are that the impact of R&D growth on firm performance is different for firms that are highly internationalized and firms that are less internationalized. Using a panel of 369 firms al...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to attempt to model the antecedents and consequences of quality commitment among employees in a service organization. Design/methodology/approach The conceptual model based on extant literature on quality commitment is validated through a study among employees in a consultancy organization in Turkey involved in...

Indian Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) exports industry has witnessed an exponential growth over the last few years. This has been accompanied by a shortage of talented skilled workers to serve the BPO sector. Attracting and retaining talented employees has become the chief challenge of HR departments in the BPO industry. This study examines the...

'The latest generation of research in comparative institutional analysis of business is impressively captured in this volume; readers find depth in theory development, breadth in application to practice and policy, and insight on the big research issues ahead. Both generalist and specialist readers will find much of value here.' -Bruce Evan Kaufman...

Abstract: We examine relationships between regulatory environment and government intervention in firms’ decisions and corruption perception indexes (CPI). We draw from a large sample survey conducted by the World Bank on the impact of regulatory environment on firms’ growth. The study also focuses on government interventions through regulations in...

Few studies have assessed the impact of European Union (EU) integration on the emerging economies of Europe, especially with regard to employment practices. In this study, we focus on three aspects of employment practices and assess whether EU integration has lead to any differences between the emerging economies aligned to the EU and those that re...

This introduction to the special issue on Multinationals in the Middle East first reviews the historical growth and development of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in the territory extending from Morocco to Turkey alongside the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean as far east as Iran, and south to Sudan and Yemen. Then, several opportun...

This paper considers factors affecting survival of foreign subsidiaries in the context of Japanese foreign equity ventures in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Three new institutional variables, economic distance, economic freedom distance and subsidiary density, are examined as determinants of survival while controlling for other determinan...

Purpose This article seeks to explore some of the principal issues and debates on the relationship between institutions, firm level governance and employment relations outcomes in Eastern and Central Europe. Design/methodology/approach This paper particularly focuses on the countries that are encompassed by the papers covering the special issue....

This paper considers the determinants of foreign affiliate structure in the context of foreign equity ventures in Turkey. Institutional variables and transaction costs variables are examined as determinants of choice between wholly owned subsidiary, dyadic joint venture and multi-partner joint venture. The findings support the majority of the hypot...

This paper examines empirically the determinants of offshore location choice between country clusters. Based on a dataset of 1722 R&D projects by MNEs located in developed and emerging countries, we examine the impact of home and host country, industry, and firm level variables on choice of location. We draw on the extended OLI paradigm to develop...

Based on a survey of 340 firms in Turkey, this study examines the link between human resource management (HRM) practices and three organizational outcomes namely employee skills and abilities, employee motivation and organizational financial performance. The study also examines the association between the alignment of HRM practices with the overall...

Purpose Drawing on institutional and transaction cost theories, the purpose of this paper is to examine the location choice for a sample of 522 foreign affiliates of Turkish multinational enterprises (MNEs). Design/methodology/approach Binary logistic regressions are conducted to test a number of hypotheses on the functional relationships between...

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the moderating role of materialism in the relationship between country image and product preference with particular reference to emerging economies. Design/methodology/approach – Young consumers from a UK university were surveyed on their intention to buy three categories of products from six countries. Findings...

Purpose This paper aims to explore the level of convergence in employment practices among firms in the post‐communist countries and capitalist countries in South Eastern Europe. Firms from a total of ten countries were included in the post‐communist block and firms from Greece and Turkey were included in the capitalist block. The main purpose was t...