Developing Social Capital through Human Resources: ‘Vietsani’ and the Future of Western Management

Abstract

The previous two chapters have suggested that Vietnam needs to cultivate social capital of the sort necessary for a market economy, and that small Vietnamese enterprises have their own way of generating such capital. The thesis of this chapter is that international corporations can foster social capital at two levels, and so contribute indirectly to the reduction of poverty. This chapter first reviews recent history and explores how these businesses might contribute at the ‘macro’ level of rendering Vietnamese governmental institutions more responsive and transparent. Then an extended case study shows how companies might contribute at the ‘micro’ level through human-resource practices that encourage managers and workers to develop ‘bridging’ networks of collaboration and mutual reliability.