Unlocking the East Asian Management Mystique
Wednesday 24 February 2010, 14:00
Lecture Theatre 4, Management School
The west has been fascinated with East Asia for hundreds of years, but only over the past few decades has the region come under close cultural scrutiny as western corporations made significant inroads into the region and realized the extent of east-west differences. This paper explores East Asia’s cultural heritage and probes the religious roots that have influenced regional lifestyles for over 2000 years. Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist principles are examined and conceptual links established with East Asian lifestyles and management behaviours, many of which conflict with prevailing globalization trends towards societal efficiency and competitiveness. Some east-to-west transfers of managerial ideas demonstrate the potency of East Asian philosophies and suggest that east-west amalgams are contributing to optimal business solutions.
Dr John S. Hill obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in England at the Universities of Aston and the University of Lancaster and his PhD at the University of Georgia. Currently he is John R. Miller Professor of International Business and Management at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. His publications number over 45 refereed journal articles and have appeared in over 30 different journals, including: Harvard Business Review, Columbia Journal of World Business, Journal of International Business Studies, Long Range Planning, International Marketing Review, Journal of General Management, Journal of Transnational Management.
He has written three books: International Business: Managing Globalization Sage Publications 2009 International Marketing: Planning and Practice, NTC 2nd Edition. 1998 (with A.C. Samli) and Introduction to Exporting, Alabama International Trade Center. 1995 80pp.
His current writing and research are in diverse areas, including geographic and infrastructure effects on economic development and global business involvement; religious effects on management and business practices; and on how geography and technology determine the destinies of nations (book currently being written).
