Albania – Regional Science Inquiry

Albana BORIÇI (Begani)

Assiociate Professor, Faculty of Economy, University “Luigj Gurakuqi”, Shkoder, Albania

albana.borici@unishk.edu.al

Alba BERBERI

PhD, Faculty of Economy, University “Luigj Gurakuqi”, Shkoder, Albania

alba.berberi@unishk.edu.al

Abstract

Various authors argue that, in today’s highly competitive global business environment, the effective management of international human resources, is imperative for the MNCs[1]’ ability to appropriately identify and fulfill markets’ demands, to continuously innovate and consequently to differentiate from their competitors. Within the context of international human resources management (IHRM), global staffing, has been receiving particular attention among researchers, for almost three decades, firstly focusing on expatriates’ management and more recently on new forms of international assignments. Nevertheless, discussions on the field of IHRM as well as the issue of global staffing are quite new and rare in the Albanian management literature, despite the growing number of foreign companies investing and operating in Albania. Due to this literature gap, especially regarding the new forms of international transfers, the purpose of this paper is to make the first step in understanding the actual forms of international assignments used by foreign companies in Albania. Accordingly, the paper is built as an exploratory study, based on three main pillars. At first, it aims to present the various forms of international transfers MNC’s use. Second, it tries to explore, through the use of case studies, if any of these forms is applicable by foreign companies in Albania. And third, it aims to set a base for raising questions for future research in this specific topic. The primary research instrument used for the purposes of this paper is the semi-structured interview, conducted with the HRM officials at the headquarters of the companies selected as case studies, or the manager of the HR department of these companies’ subsidiaries in Albania. Given the exploratory nature of the study and the fact that it belongs to a quite new topic in the Albanian literature, several foreign companies operating in our country, belonging to different sectors, such as banking, production, insurance, education and telecommunication, have been subject of interviews with HRM staff. However, only the interview results of two of these case studies are presented in details in the paper.

Keywords: expatriates, international assignments, foreign companies, Albania

JEL classification: M160

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[1] MNC-multinational company

Msc. Dorjana NANO

Faculty of Education and Social Sciences,

University “Eqrem Cabej” Gjirokaster, Albania

Email: doriananano@yahoo.com

and

Msc. Teuta LLUKANI

Faculty of Education and Social Sciences,

University “Eqrem Cabej” Gjirokaster, Albania

Email: t.llukani@gmail.com

Abstract

Recent global financial crises have caused immense debate about costs and benefits of financial integration. Overall, evidences show that industrial economies utilize benefits of financial openness and export their problems to the emerging and less developed countries. There is a substantial and empirical literature that define certain thresholds levels of financial and institutional characteristics beyond which the trade – off improves and makes opening of the capital account beneficial and less risky, especially for a developing country like Albania.

The main aim of this study is to analyse institutional quality, financial sector development, macroeconomic policies and trade openness as thresholds that must be satisfied in order to foster further financial integration and making it work for good, in particular for Albania and Greece. In addition, the comparison of economic characteristics and institutional development between these countries and the minimum standard will be also estimated, in order to reveal their discrepancy and deficiencies and as well to develop several policy proposals.

The main objectives of this study are:

To analyse the importance of institutional quality, financial sector development, macroeconomic policies and trade openness in the process of financial integration.
To estimate the above mentioned economic and institutional indicators for Albania and Greece and to use the standards level of this indicators (Prasad 2009) as a benchmark in order to reveal deficiencies, the most problematic aspects, and as well future challenges for each country.
To draw and assess policy implications and recommendations for improving economic characteristics in Albania and Greece, in order to fully utilise the benefits of financial integration.