International strategy and performance—Clustering strategic types of SMEs

This paper identifies different strategic types of internationalised SMEs, in so doing providing managers and entrepreneurs with a much better understanding of the main strategic options and their relationship with the international performance of firms. We provide a theoretical analysis of strategic orientations and strategic behaviour in international SMEs, followed by an empirical investigation based on a sample of Italian SMEs. The SMEs are grouped into strategic types using cluster analysis, and the link between strategic type and international performance is subsequently analysed using logistic regression. The empirical data suggest that there are four broad strategic types, namely an entrepreneurial/growth-oriented group of firms, a customer-oriented group, a product/inward-oriented cluster, and a further group of firms that lacks strategic orientation. The characteristics of the strategic clusters are discussed, and the regression results show that a clear and proactive strategic orientation and its consistency with business strategy leads to improved international performance. This confirms the positive and highly significant role of strategic types.     

The Role of Integrity as a Mediator in Strategic Leadership: A Recipe for Reputational Capital

In the context of a crisis of confidence in executive leadership in corporate America, this paper examines the role of integrity as a mediator within strategic leadership and its impact on credibility in reputational capital. A tension can occur within strategic leadership between the elements of strategic planning and leadership vision. This tension can destroy the credibility of reputational capital unless strategic leadership is managed effectively. Integrity can be used as the glue providing for credible leadership vision amid a strategic perspective oriented to competitive pressures, thereby enabling strategic leadership to contribute to a sustainable competitive advantage. A strategic leadership audit is presented as a tool by which strategic leadership and reputational capital can be managed.     

The Effect of Board Characteristics on a Firm＇s Strategic Change

The purpose of this study is to identify the relationship between the characteristics of the board of directors and strategic change of a firm in the Chinese context. In this study, strategic change is defined as strategic deviation relative to industry norms and strategic variation relative to historical experiences. The size, independence and leadership structure of the board of directors are defined as the board characteristics. We then propose hypotheses on the effects of board characteristics on a firm＇s strategic change. This study takes strategic resource allocation profile as measure to calculate strategic deviation and strategic variation, and then empirically tests and verifies the hypotheses using data from Chinese publicly listed companies in the information technology industry from the year 2006 to 2010. We find that the size, independence and leadership structure of the board of directors significantly affect both strategic deviation and strategic variation. Therefore, we conclude that board characteristic affects a firm＇s strategic change. The conclusion of the study indicates that moderate reductions in the size of the board, increasing the proportion of independent directors and separating the roles of chairman and chief executive officer can facilitate promoting the process of strategic change for a firm in a dynamic environment. Through this study we re-examine the role and significance of the board of directors in strategic decision-making for a firm, and provide useful suggestions on how to form a board that can meet the needs for strategic change for a firm in a dynamic business environment.     

企业战略创新决策机制研究

企业战略创新是企业维持竞争优势,提高竞争能力的必然选择,企业战略创新必须构建一套完整的战略创新行为机制,而其中的战略创新决策机制是战略创新成功的关键。为此,企业战略创新决策机制的研究无疑对企业的生存与发展具有重要的理论意义和现实意义。     

企业战略创新能力相关文献综述

当企业宏观或微观环境发生重大变化时,企业意识到已有的战略需要进行调整或重新制定就显得格外重要。然而企业有意识进行战略创新甚至开展了一系列战略创新活动,并不等于企业就赢得了市场。企业战略创新若想克服各种战略创新障碍并取得战略创新成功,必须在战略创新过程中具备一系列的能力,即战略创新能力。本文将从与战略创新能力相关的核心能力和动态核心能力的角度,对相关文献进行梳理,试图通过既有研究对战略创新能力进行初步阐明。     

Exploration of firms' strategic control mechanisms in Australia and the United States: Implications for global governance structures

How much ownership is enough to exert strategic control over partners in the global marketplace? Top management frequently will attempt to have strategic influence over partners when it comes to the strategic direction of the organization. The question becomes, “what gives one partner control over another, and where does that power come from in the relationship?” This research examines the issue of strategic control in organizations in Australia and the United States to determine how to control global relationships. The research found that: (1) ownership is positively related to the degree of strategic control; (2) directness of ownership is positively related to the degree of strategic control; (3) dispersion is negatively related to the degree of strategic control; (4) board membership is positively related to the degree of strategic control; and (5) strategic control between U.S. and Australian organizations/relationships is different. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

竞争性战略联盟的结构选择模式研究

竞争性战略联盟是由竞争对手组建的企业战略合作关系,竞争性联盟分为规模型和互补型两种类型。研究联盟结构选择问题时,应注意到竞争性战略联盟中同时存在竞争与合作这一对反向作用力,选择恰当的治理结构有助于维持两者的平衡,因此,联盟结构模式的选择对竞争性联盟尤为重要,是保证联盟平稳运行并创造价值的主要途径。     

企业战略联盟的组织形态演进

长期以来,战略联盟一直是战略管理中倍受关注的焦点。从两条主线追溯了战略联盟组织形态的演进路径———其中一条是战略联盟的组织形态特征,另外一条则是企业联盟的战略涵义。分析战略联盟组织形态演进过程中的共同特征,对我国企业的发展和竞争具有一定的现实意义。     

战略成本管理下的动因分析

随着全球化竞争的加剧,信息传递速度的加快,企业之间的竞争更趋于专业化,企业为争夺市场和获得生存空间,必须从全局、前瞻性着眼,于是产生了将成本管理与企业战略相结合形成一种新型的成本管理：战略成本管理。以战略成本管理动因分析为核心,阐述战略成本管理下的动因分析的背景与意义,现状及不足,并分析了战略成本动因分析的内涵,介绍结构性成本动因分析和执行性成本动因分析的分析方法及对战略成本动因的应用,为企业提高竞争优势,降低成本提供参考。     

Strategic actions in European soccer: Do they matter?

The objective of this paper is to discover (if and) what kind of strategic actions European football clubs conduct and whether these actions affect their financial performance and therefore their competitive position. In this paper we measure the context, content and process dimensions of strategic renewal and relate these to financial performance. The individual strategic actions undertaken by eight football organisations during the period 1995–2002 were examined. In total, 963 strategic actions could be assigned to three dimensions of strategic action. Our study shows that even in an environment in which other factors are crucial for surviving, undertaking strategic actions does contribute to the financial performance of firms. In the European football industry that requires some kind of ‘competitive balance’, strategic actions positively contribute to financial performance.     

Strategic marketing planning for heritage tourism: a conceptual model and empirical findings from two emerging heritage regions

This paper examines the process of strategic marketing planning for heritage tourism, an inherently complex and fragmented system, requiring a coordinated approach among a range of stakeholders. A conceptual model, detailing key stakeholders and specific strategic functions, as well as a prescribed method of coordination, is presented. Two regions were investigated using a qualitative methodology, which examined five strategic documents and consisted of in-depth interviews with 11 key informants from the tourism industry. Key findings indicate that weak coordination, in terms of strategic marketing planning, has negative implications for heritage tourism marketing concerning four key strategic functions, strategic orientation, resource allocation, product service development and destination promotion. The paper emphasises the importance of strategic marketing planning for each function and considers the role of the public sector in terms of providing strategic direction. Furthermore, the paper highlights the potential difficulties of engaging in heritage tourism development in a non-traditional destination.     

煤炭企业战略性人力资源管理的特征与对策

煤炭企业战略性人力资源管理具有关键性、开发性、整体性、系统性和竞争性特征。煤炭企业实施战略性人力资源管理应树立“以人为本”的战略管理思想,组建战略性人力资源管理机构,完善人才选聘机制,加强效绩考核管理,建立有效的激励机制,加强战略性的员工培训和开发。     

Strategic group influence on entry mode choices in foreign markets

This study examines imitation behavior in the foreign entry mode of the members of a strategic group within the industry. Following the institutionalist perspective, we argue that legitimating actors (trade associations, training institutions and investors, among others) can exert pressure on strategic group members to conform to institutionalized organizational practices and structures. We hypothesize that a company’s choice of foreign entry mode is determined by the previous choices of other companies within the strategic reference group. Thus, the probability of entry with a wholly owned subsidiary (versus shared-control entry) increases when the number of wholly-owned subsidiaries established by companies within the strategic reference group of the home-country is higher. We analyze 351 foreign direct investments of 30 Spanish banks in 55 countries between 1986 and 2008. Our results reveal imitation behavior between members of the strategic group and highlight the important role of the strategic group in strategic thinking.     

A Multi-Agent View of Strategic Planning Using Group Support Systems and Artificial Intelligence

The strategic planning process is dynamic and complex. Including a Group Support System (GSS) in the problem-solving process can improve the content quality of the strategic plan by allowing increased participation by more members of the organization. However, it can also add to the complexity of the problem by increasing the quantity of textual information that can result from group activity. Added complexity increases cognitive overload and frustrations of those participants negotiating the contents of the strategic plan. This article takes a multi-agent view of the strategic planning process. It considers group participants as multiple agents concerned with the content quality of the strategic plan. The facilitator agent is responsible for guiding groups in the strategic plan construction process as well as for solving process problems such as cognitive overload. We introduce an AI Concept Categorizer agent, a software tool that supports the facilitator in addressing the process problem of cognitive overload associated with convergent group activities by synthesizing group textual output into conceptual clusters. The implementation of this tool reduces frustrations which groups encounter in the process of classifying textual output and provides more time for discussion of the concepts themselves. Because of the large amount of convergent activity necessary for strategic planning, the addition of the AI Concept Categorizer to the strategic planning process should increase the quality of the strategic plan and the buy-in of the participants in the strategic planning process.     

试论企业战略理论的演变与新发展

主要论述了自从本世纪６０年代初开始研究企业战略近４０年来,企业战略理论的演变与新发展。分析和介绍了以钱德勒、安德鲁斯、安索夫为代表的以环境、市场分析为基础的企业经典战略理论和以迈克尔·波特为主要代表的以产业结构、竞争优势分析为基础的现代企业战略理论。介绍了本世纪９０年代才出现的两个新的企业战略理论,即核心竞争力理论和竞争力国家竞争力理论,并对企业战略理论的发展趋势作了分析和预测。     

Training strategic thinking: Experimental evidence

Strategic behavior is crucial for strong firm performance, especially in competitive environments. Thus, designing a good strategy is a key issue for firms. Designing a strategy requires a combination of strategic thinking—which involves analyzing a firm's strategic environment, defining a vision of its future, and devising new ideas to out-think competitors – and strategic planning – which implies using these ideas to formulate a business plan. Although many firms excel at strategic planning, few devote enough resources to strategic thinking, which results in strategic insanity (i.e., firms repeatedly applying the same strategies with the expectation of different outcomes). To foster a strategic environment within a firm, firm managers and other workers must show willingness for active involvement in a firm's strategic decisions. Nevertheless, not everybody has the skills to do so, as many firms lack work force training programs. This study shows, experimentally, how training affects firms' strategic behavior. The starting point is two groups of individuals with initially equal qualifications who play in a sequential game whose rules hinder the calculation of equilibria. The members of only one of the groups previously receive a treatment entailing a process of training and learning that aims at fostering strategic thinking. The results point to a significant increase in the number of strategic decisions in the treatment group in sharp contrast to the control group, confirming the initial hypothesis (i.e., the positive impact of training).     

Strategic hybrid orientation between market orientation and brand orientation: guiding principles

Strategic orientations underpin the firm’s managerial decisions and influence its performance. Firms can combine multiple strategic orientations to achieve superior performance. Market orientation and brand orientation are well-developed, separate, strategic approaches. A 2013 study conceptually proposed a strategic hybrid orientation comprising two types: (a) market and brand orientation and (b) brand and market orientation. The current study is qualitative, using small-to-medium enterprises to investigate strategic hybrid orientations. Through propositions, the paper explains the theory and processes underlying the two hybrid orientation types. The propositions form the guiding principles for the strategic management of the hybrid orientation. The implications for managerial practice show that quite different capabilities apply to the execution of each strategic hybrid type.     

The Interactive Effects of Strategic Marketing Planning and Performance: A Neural Network Analysis

Marketing managers practice in a consistently changing environment necessitating the need for the formalisation, implementation and evaluation of strategic marketing plans. Nevertheless, despite the advocated benefits of strategic marketing planning, a paucity of empirical evidence makes this notion speculative. This study examines the relationships between strategic marketing planning and performance. The interactive effects of strategic marketing planning and performance are stressed and examined. Findings suggest that the issue is not whether strategic marketing planning affects performance, but rather what marketing capabilities are required to enhance performance. This study extends the knowledge of strategic marketing planning and performance by focusing on the service industry, and provides controls for market-level influences by being restricted to the hotel sector.     

战略联盟—中国企业入世后的核心策略

在我国加入WTO之后企业面临更多的机遇与挑战之际 ,研究企业战略联盟这种新的组织形式有着重大的意义。当今世界 ,战略联盟已成为使用最广泛的战略之一 ,它可以使来自不同联盟国家的企业共担风险、共享资源、获取知识、进入新市场。战略联盟包括股权合资企业 ,也包括生产、营销、分销、R&D的非股权协议。所以可以充分取长补短 ,不断地拓展和提高。     

A Strategic Perspective of Communication and Information Systems in Marketing Channels

Ifnormation and communication systems are not finance, marketing, or logistics domains. They are corporate/strategic domains that must focus on channel management issues. The corporate strategies and strategic postures of manufacturers and distributors alike have traditionally been driven by marketing, financial, and sometimes logistical considerations. Given the strategic impact of information and communication systems, there are good reasons to believe that the future may hold interorganizational strategic management thrusts driven by information and communication systems linkages. The author explores these strategic thrusts and presents a framework illustrative of the trajectory of alternative strategic and tactical vectors for marketing channel information and communication.