Perceived Strategic Uncertainty and Environmental Scanning Behavior of Hong Kong Chinese Executives

Abstract

Against the backdrop of the handover of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the existence of an atmosphere of uncertainty in the territory, I attempted in this study to examine the relationship between perceived environmental uncertainty and scanning behavior of Hong Kong Chinese executives. Contrary to expectations, results indicated that Hong Kong Chinese executives perceived higher degree of uncertainty in the competitive, customer, and economic sectors than the political. These managers also scanned the task environment more intensely than the remote. Finally, there was a positive relationship between the degree of perceived strategic uncertainty and scanning behavior as measured by frequency and interest.