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China has a business culture based on strong family connections secured in guanxi networks, while the Arab World's is based on strong family connections secured in wasta networks. This article compares guanxi, wasta, and the role of trust, family, and favors in underpinning these traditional modes of interpersonal connections and networks and considers the continued relevance of these practices as these regions of the world internationalize and modernize. The article provides insights for Western managers in their subsidiary operations in China and the Arab World. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -To explore the implications of internationalisation for guanxi and wasta and the role of trust, family and favours in underpinning these traditional models of networking. The paper also draws some implications for management development professionals and trainers. Design/methodology/approach -The argument is based on relevant literature and cases, and the authors' own knowledge acquired through research in China over 8 years and the Arab World over 25 years. The Chinese research involved analysis of company reports, informal conversations and semi-structured interviews conducted with almost 100 interviewees including Western expatriate managers and local Chinese managers between 1998 and 2005 in Shanghai, Beijing, Suzhou and Wuxi. The Arab research also involved analysis of company reports and informal conversations, as well as interviews and surveys conducted throughout the Middle Eastern region, including the GCC states, Algeria, Jordan, Libya, Palestine and Yemen. Findings -The research finds differences in the continuing relevance of guanxi and wasta and suggests that while guanxi is adapting to internationalisation, wasta remains traditional in its influence on business and social life. Practical implications -The paper suggests the need for increased training of international managers to adjust to culture-specific networking in China and the Arab World and provides some practical guidelines to managers to assist their intercultural effectiveness in these two regions of the world. Originality/value -The research is important in that it extends knowledge of traditional networking practices in exploring the Arab World which is hitherto under-researched and in undertaking comparative examination of China and the Arab World which is also a new area of research.

In a recent article Glisby and Holden have noted that the Nonaka and Takeuchi model of knowledge management needs to be used with caution. Its application is not universal because it must be seen primarily as a product of the Japanese cultural context from which it emerged. In the model each of the four modes is interpreted in reference to their embeddedness in Japanese cultural symbols, organizational structures and societal value systems. But we propose that, a fortiori, some aspects of this model do apply to modes of knowledge acquisition and transfer in other cultural contexts. In this paper we review the workings of the model and the four modes with reference to the cultural, organization-structural and value bases of Chinese and Arab societies. We demonstrate that the Nonaka and Takeuchi model maps partially, but differently from both Western and Japanese societies, on to each of these cultural contexts. In these cultures managers and organizational members will share knowledge with those with whom they already have a trustful relationship. This paper explores the implications of the fact that in China and the Arab world the sharing of knowledge cannot be taken for granted outside this context of trustful relationships.

This article offers a synthesis of understandings of wasta, seen as a form of social network prevalent in the Arab Middle East. Whilst there has been increasing interest in this practice, research remains fragmented and has been criticised for its limited theoretical rigor. To address this issue, a systematic review of peer-reviewed journal articles exploring wasta published between 1993 and 2019 was conducted. We analysed the identified papers according to the theoretical lens from which wasta was viewed, creating a bridge between a theoretical focus on the macro aspect of wasta and an alternative focus on its micro aspects, leading to the development of a holistic model of wasta. The model also helps us to understand the complexity of wasta, both as the network itself and as the social ties that exist among its members, and sheds light on the complex nature of the role and interactions of the wasta. The findings respond to calls for more holistic and inclusive research to inform social networks research and bridge the micro–macro divide. This article offers recommendations to future researchers to build on the holistic and emic approach to wasta research adopted here.

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The practice of wasta dominates all aspects of Arabs' lives; it is a parallel inegalitarian system that categorizes people according to their connections. One of the epicenters of wasta is human resources management (HRM). This article studies the concept of wasta in the Arab world by examining its use in HRM according to gender, in the case of the Jordanian public sector. Results obtained from 27 semi‐structured interviews of HR managers indicate that though wasta is an important feature of HRM in general, there is a notable discrepancy between male and female employees, with the former displaying higher tendencies for using wasta than the latter. An explanation for this finding is the prevalent masculine nature of Jordanian society, which entails social caveats related to the traditional role of women. Professional determinants, such as gendered job segregation and variance in qualifications, also affect men's and women's access to wasta.

The paper starts with a description of a risk management model more suited to the current business environment. Key to the introduction of the model is the success of organizational communication and culture. Aspects of culture are explained using cultural theory. This is followed by a discussion of the critical role of communication, and the theory of the social amplification of risk is presented and analysed. From here the paper moves to the development of a framework explaining communications behaviour during crisis. The notions of structural distortion and communications degradation during crises are used to explain behavioural (cultural changes) distortion. Total risk management is presented as a notional solution to these problems.