Title: Executives' attitudes towards globalisation

Authors: C. Gopinath; Antonin Ricard

Addresses: Suffolk University, 8 Ashburton Place, Boston, MA 02476, USA ' ATER, Aix Marseille Université, Docteur en Science de Gestion, CERGAM, IAE Aix-en Provence, France

Abstract: Globalisation has emerged as an important phenomenon affecting the environment in which businesses operate. While trade and economic issues have dominated public perception of globalisation, we argue that it needs to be construed as a multi-dimensional construct. Based on a social representations perspective, this study surveys executives to discern their attitudes towards globalisation. Results suggest that executives perceive globalisation in complex ways and are influenced by cultural, political and environmental issues, in addition to the business and economic ones. Nationality, age and work experience significantly affect their perception. The varying perceptions of the executives can affect how organisations deal with the opportunities and threats in the global environment, so organisations would benefit from building an internal consensus on their global vision.

Keywords: globalisation; multidimensional construct; executive attitudes; social representations; business environment; global mindset; executive perceptions; business executives.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBG.2013.056203

International Journal of Business and Globalisation, 2013 Vol.11 No.3, pp.275 - 290

Published online: 21 Nov 2013 *

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