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Reading: Akorsu, A. D. and Cooke, F. L. (2011) “Labour standards application among Chinese and Indian firms in Ghana: typical or atypical?

Reading: Akorsu, A. D. and Cooke, F. L. (2011) “Labour standards application among Chinese and Indian firms in Ghana: typical or atypical?”, The International Journal of Human Resource Management 22(13): 2730-2748.

Presentation with notes (under each slides) and a speech (word document) for the whole powerpoint presentation.

Keep in mind the assignment is not a just a “summary” of the reading!

Questions in the powerpoint presentation:

1-) What is main argument of the reading? What is the main research question the article answers? What is the most important point the author(s) make(s)? This argument should be something you can state at a broad, theoretical, generalizable level, so that it would be possible to apply it to other empirical contexts.

[For example, if an article talks about how Japanese firms have chosen to transfer some but not all HR practices to their subsidiaries in China, because they think strategically it makes more sense to “mix and match” between standardized vs. localised HR practices, how can you state the main argument so that it is of relevant to British firms and their Latin American subsidiaries? Or even Chinese firms and their European subsidiaries?]

2-) What is the debate in the literature the reading is engaging with? What have other scholars said before? What is wrong or missing in the previous debate?

[Here, indicate clearly whose ideas the author(s) seem to think are helpful, and trying to expand. Also note which ideas they think are ill-founded, insufficient, or do not apply to the particular type of case they are looking at. What do they borrow, what do they criticize, and what do they challenge from the existing literature?]

3-) How is the argument supported? If there is empirical material discussed, what is the nature of this evidence? What was the research methodology? Why was this deemed appropriate for answering the questions asked? What are the empirical findings?

[If there is no empirical material discussed, and if the reading is purely or mostly theoretical, what is innovative about the theoretical approach? What is the contribution?]

4-) What is your critical assessment of the following:
a-) The theoretical framework and theoretical contribution of the reading;
b-) The empirical study and its links with the theoretical framework?

