生产性服务效率、中间投入变化与中国制造企业生产率

通过使用中国服务企业的微观数据,分服务行业从投入效率与投入变化两个角度对制造业投入服务化影响制造企业生产率问题进行研究,结果显示:生产性服务投入效率的提高对中国制造企业生产率均产生正向促进效应(除教育服务外);生产性服务投入对较高生产率制造企业所产生的生产率促进效应更明显;随着高技术生产性服务投入的增加,其对制造企业生产率的正向促进效应增强,而随着中低技术生产性服务投入的增加,其对制造企业生产率的影响并不明显或者被削弱;生产性服务投入的增加提升了东部和中部地区制造企业生产率,却抑制了西部地区制造企业生产率。     

Strategic and Functional Orientation of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in Professional Services: An Analysis of Public Accountancy

This study examines how SMEs in public accountancy remain competitive, promote and deliver their services. The association among strategic planning, functional diversification (services and markets), methods of promotion and delivery is also examined. These SMEs face considerable difficulty in overcoming both in-house and external barriers in accessing clients requiring non-traditional services (e.g. management consulting), and clients involved in international business (broadly defined). The results show that the proactive, functionally diversified, and/or internationally oriented firms outperform the reactive, functionally concentrated, and local market oriented firms. The competitive advantage for the former categories is based on flexible specialisation such as customisation of services for specific groups of clients, speed of delivery collaboration with other producer service firms, and specialised skills. These firms utilise informal networks to promote their services with minimal investments in sponsorships or media selling. Face-to-face interaction with clients continues to be the preferred mode of service delivery despite the increased adaptation of local area networks and other modes of internationally technology by the proactive, functionally diversified or internationally oriented firms.     

THE GERMAN SERVICE GAP OR: RE‐ORGANISING THE MANUFACTURING––SERVICES PUZZLE

Two phenomena make the distinction between services and manufacturing obsolete: the tertiarization of manufacturing and the introduction of information technologies in service industries. Competitiveness of manufacturing firms increasingly depends on the quality of service inputs and on packages of goods and services. Information and communication technologies introduce ‘industrial’ processes of production in service industries. Hence, it does not make sense any more to use categories such as ‘services’ or ‘manufacturing’. Instead, it would be more meaningful to group economic activities according to input configurations. This paper will discuss these issues in the context of the supposed German ‘service gap’.     

The Externalisation of Producer Services Debate: The UK Computer Services Sector

This article uses a variety of evidence from the UK computer services industry to inform debates surrounding externalisation processes and the nature of growth in contemporary producer service sectors. While it has been argued that growth in such industries is predominantly demand-lead and independent from the disintegration of businesses in client sectors, in the computer services sector the direct transfer of activity from client firms to independent computer service providers is an increasingly important component of growth at an aggregate, national scale. Growth in this segment is being fuelled by the de-regulation of public sector IT procurenment in the UK.     

Interactive perceptions of suppliers and corporate clients in the marketing of professional services: A comparison of accounting and legal services in the UK,Canada and Sweden

Any service offering depends, for its long‐term success, on the dyadic relationship which exists between a supplier and a client. For corporate clients, a positive and proactive approach by a supplier can enhance a relationship both in the initial stages and later, as the relationship develops. Professional services are no exception, perhaps because, in the longer term, both parties can contribute to a situation where “peace of mind” is the dominant emotion. However, such a generalisation may not be true for all professional services nor over a range of countries where currently, many changing environmental factors such as regulations, image and technology, are creating a climate which may result in different perceptions within a relationship. This article attempts to measure and compare these differences using suppliers and corporate clients of two specific categories of professional services, namely, legal and accounting services, in each of three countries, Canada, Sweden and the United Kingdom. It attempts to examine the supplier‐client relationships using elements of the Interaction Approach as developed by the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing (IMP) Group of researchers (Hakansson 1982). From the supplier firm's point of view, in targetting prospective clients and maintaining existing ones in a search for an “optimum” portfolio, the constant monitoring of clients’ perceptions and requirements as an element in generating and sustaining a positive atmosphere should be undertaken. Successful supplier firms may be those which work with a group of selected clients rather than for anyone.     

Trade and Innovation in Services: Evidence from a Developing Economy

Studies on innovation and international trade have traditionally focused on manufacturing because neither was seen as important for services. Moreover, the few existing studies on services focus only on industrial countries, even though in many developing countries services are already the largest sector in the economy and an important determinant of overall productivity growth. Using a recent firm‐level innovation survey for Chile to compare the manufacturing and ‘tradable’ services sector, this paper reveals some novel patterns. First, even though services firms have on average a much lower propensity to export than manufacturing firms, services exports are less dominated by large firms and tend to be more skill intensive than manufacturing exports. Second, services firms appear to be as innovative as – and in some cases more innovative than – manufacturing firms, in terms of both inputs and outputs of ‘technological’ innovative activity, even though services innovations more often take a ‘non‐technological’ form. Third, services exporters (like manufacturing exporters) tend to be significantly more innovative than non‐exporters, with a wider gap for innovations close to the global technological frontier. These findings suggest that the growing faith in services as a source of both trade and innovative dynamism may not be misplaced.     

中国企业服务寻求型的海外直接投资——基于面板数据的实证研究

文章旨在研究中国企业海外直接投资活动的服务寻求动机,并对服务寻求型海外直接投资的影响因素进行分析。文章采用面板数据的实证方法,对2003-2009年中国企业对40个国家的OFDI数据进行检验。文章研究结论认为,中国企业OFDI具有服务寻求的目的,东道国生产者服务业的技术含量越高越能够吸引中国企业对其进行投资。并且,这种服务寻求型OFDI与生产者服务业FDI之间存在明显的替代关系。母国严格的投资管制使得服务业FDI受到限制,进而会促使企业以OFDI的方式获取东道国的服务投入。     

THE STATISTICAL MEASUREMENT OF SERVICES: RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS AND REMAINING CHALLENGES

Services are increasingly important in the output of modern economies and are increasingly traded internationally. These patterns are observed in the generality of both ‘developed’ and ‘developing’ economies. This paper discusses the policy needs to understand the impact of services on the performance of modern economies, some measurement problems, and actions undertaken by international organisations to address these issues. It concludes that development work on services prices and volumes is fundamental to measurement of growth, and there is a need to engage more countries in the development of their service statistics with improved co‐ordination of technical assistance.     

Factors influencing foreign direct investment of South African financial services firms in Sub-Saharan Africa

This research investigates the key elements that South African financial services firms consider before making foreign direct investments in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) markets. The results show that South African financial services firms are most strongly influenced by the political and economic stability of the country in question as well as the profitability and long-term sustainability of its specific markets. The degree of available infrastructure in terms of Information and Communication Technology as well as the existence of credible financial systems was also viewed as highly important considerations before investing in SSA. Given the uncertainty and ambiguity of most SSA markets many South African financial services firms prefer to enter existing markets via a majority stakeholder joint venture with a local partner or via a new investment if the market does not currently exist. The nature of the financial services firm also seems to influence the entry method and once in a new country most firms seem to prefer a full service presence. Additionally, the key motives cited for expansion northward were to broaden revenue bases and improve profit margins as well as to stay close to local customers.     

The Creation and Growth of Small Business Service Firms in Post-Industrial Britain

Since 1980, the United Kingdom has experienced a dramatic growth in firms and employment in information-intensive business services, such as management consultancy and market research. This article reports the results of the first substantial nation-wide investigation into the nature and causes of small professional business service firm growth in Britain, undertaken in 1991. It reveals marked differences in the characteristics, markets and competitive requirements of such firms, compared with small manufacturing firms. The demand for their services comes predominantly from large companies, and is more focussed on financial and other services and government. But small firms are also making increasing use of business services. Specialised expertise, reputation and educational and professional qualifications are essential prerequisites for the establishment of new business service firms. Their success is also being enhanced by increasing use of informal networking, collaborative partnerships, and subcontracting.     

Labelling fashion markets

The present article discusses how an ethical and environmental labelling system can be implemented in fashion garment markets. Consumers act in markets that provide them with more information than their limited cognitive capacity allows them to handle. Ethical and environmental labelling in markets characterized by change, such as the fashion garment market, makes decision‐making even more complicated. The ethical and environmental labelling system proposed here is designed to alleviate firms' administrative burden and give consumers more choice. It proposes that information on ethical and environmentally friendly production should be combined to enable consumers to decide whether they want to contribute an extra sum for the item they purchase in the store, which would then be transferred to the workers or an environmental organization. The beneficiaries – garment workers in developing countries and environmental organizations – would decide what to do with the money. This is a simpler and more direct solution than those suggested by scholars and activists trying to solve the problems of ‘sweatshops’ and the environmental consequences of the production of fashion garments. It also reduces administration compared with existing systems. At the same time, it can be implemented alongside systems based on strict regulation of production.     

中国生产者服务业的增长、结构变化及其影响——基于投入-产出法的分析

本文采用投入-产出方法,在生产者服务的本来意义上,而不是从具体的带有生产者服务特性的服务部门出发,对中国生产者服务业的增长、结构变化及其影响进行经验研究,由此得出一些基本结论:1981年以来,中国生产者服务业在国民经济中的地位逐步上升,服务业的生产者服务功能逐渐显现,但与英、美等国相比,中国生产者服务占国民总产出比重偏低;中国服务业及其有关分部门与国民经济其他产业或部门的前后向联系效应相对较弱,说明中国服务业的增长不仅不能对国民经济产生应有的带动作用,而且其本身受其他部门的需求拉动作用也不大.     

On the internationalization of Turkish hospital chains: A dynamic capabilities perspective

How do professional service firms build the capabilities required for effective international operations? Although the internationalization of manufacturing firms is a widely studied topic, the literature on the internationalization of service firms remains scant. The problem is even more acute when it comes to studies of professional services such as healthcare organizations and hospitals. Yet, we encounter remarkable examples of international market expansion by professional service firms. In this paper, we report on a study of large privately-owned hospital operators from the emerging economy of Turkey, based on in-depth interviews with senior executives. Taking advantage of Turkey’s strategic location in the region, these firms have shown extraordinary entrepreneurial initiative expanding their operations beyond the home market over the past two decades. Even more impressive is the creative strategies these firms have been deploying in terms of market entry modes. These range from medical tourism to setting up diagnostic clinics abroad, operating full-service hospitals in key markets, management contracts, and attracting equity capital from international investment firms. We draw from the theory of dynamic capabilities in order to explain the success these firms have had in cultivating international market opportunities. We contend that it takes a variety of organizational capabilities for traditionally domestic-market focused firms to expand into international markets. We provide an integrative discussion and offer implications for advancing knowledge and managerial practice.     

Exploiting ICT potential in service firms in transition economies

Service industries are the most intensive users of information-communication technology (ICT) and some developed countries have already displayed noticeable productivity gains due to ICT use in services. The pattern of intensive use of ICT in services tends to be replicated in transition economies, however the evidence of ICT impacts on growth and productivity is lacking at the aggregate and industry level owing to deficient data and methodological problems. To overcome some of the problems in estimating the effects of ICT use we pursue firm-level analysis and apply production function approach to estimate the impact of ICT on the performance of service firms in Slovenia. The results suggest that service firms are more intensive ICT users than manufacturing firms and that ICT use significantly influences the productivity of service firms. The positive impact of ICT use on productivity applies to all service firms irrespective of their size. The links are stronger for service firms with above average ICT use. Due to the absence of data on complementary expenditures for training and organisational change related to ICT adoption the results might overemphasise the effects of ICT investment.     

Peculiarities of public sector clients in service innovations

This paper analyses knowledge-intensive business service firms and their innovation activities in the context of federal government procurement with empirical evidence from Swiss information technology firms. The paper contributes to the growing literature on knowledge-intensive business services by expanding the concept to also capture public sector clients. It focuses in particular on the ways in which having a public sector client influences a knowledge-intensive business service firm’s ability to innovate, opportunities for interactive learning with their clients, and ways in which having a public sector client allows a firm to diversify. The paper shows that having a federal agency as a client is quite different from a private sector client particularly with regard to multi-party systems on the client side, the importance of informal interactions, and the role of public reputation.     

Humanising Business Through Ethical Labelling: Progress and Paradoxes in the UK

Labelling schemes are practical arrangements aimed at making ‘ethical’ products widely available and visible. They are crucial to expanded development of ethical markets and hence to the addition of moral dimensions to the normally amoral behaviour linking consumers and retail and production businesses. The study reported here attempts to assess the contribution of UK ethical, social and environmental certification and labelling initiatives to ‘sustainable’ consumption and production. The research sought to assess the overall potential of initiatives to inject human values into the supply-distribution chains, through a qualitative survey of 15 of the 26 main UK initiatives: in social justice, animal welfare and environmental sustainability from the agriculture, food processing, timber, aquaculture, textiles and personal care sectors. By analysing the basic characteristics and concepts of these labels and investigating the emergence of labelling initiatives, we assess whether labels help add an ethical dimension, or whether, in some respects, they also reduce such missions to the technical management of adding only another ‘utility’ to a product. The analysis assesses whether the gradual ‘mainstreaming’ of ethical initiatives such as ‘Fairtrade’ risks subsuming ethical goals within business participants’ competitive and profit-oriented logics. However, the contrasting perspectives revealed between rival labelling initiatives show that the scope and functions of labelling projects go beyond the manifest ones of information communication between consumers and producer and actually introduce elements of socio-political regulation. These are essential for more sustainable and ethical business practices and are an integral part of any humanisation of business involvement.     

Combinational and dislocated knowledge and the norwegian client-consultant relationship

This article makes two contributions to the literature on producer services. First, the ‘knowledge combinational’ problem of small firms is identified and explored in relation to the interplay of forms of internal and external expertise and knowledge. Second, the role geographic distance plays in a company's decision to employ a particular consultant is explored. The importance, in specific situations, of forms of dislocated expertise or knowledge is identified. By this is meant external expertise that is removed from the client's local social milieu. The article is based on detailed case studies of two small Norwegian companies.     

Business services,the new engine of French regional growth

This article analyses the evolution of employment in the French regions, putting the accent on business service firms. A ‘shift and share’ type of analysis shows that a primary decentralisation in tertiary activities seems to emerge in the 1990s, essentially pertaining to ancillary producer services. An explanatory analysis backs up the general validity of the regional economic base theory: the basic activities, to which business services can quite legitimately be attached, certainly play a leading long-term role on global employment dynamics. Finally it shows that over the past 20 years, the regional offer of services to businesses has been the major discriminating variable between regions, greatly influencing the evolution of basic employment and thus confirming the vital driving force of this sector in regional dynamics.     

Innovation patterns and their effects on firm performance

This study aims to identify various innovation patterns and understand their effects on firm performance across business service sectors. By collecting empirical data from 198 Korean business services firms, we explore these firms’ major innovation patterns, conceptualized as combinations of different service innovation dimensions: service concept, service delivery, customer interaction, and technology. Then, in accordance with the innovation patterns they display, we group these firms into four clusters: ‘service delivery-based high-technology', ‘service delivery and customer interaction-integrated', ‘customer interaction-based high-technology', and ‘strongly balanced’ innovators. Last, we investigate whether these patterns influence firm performance. Our findings are three-fold: (1) the innovation patterns in business service firms result from the creation of new combinations of major service innovation dimensions, (2) four independent innovation patterns emerge in business service firms, and (3) these patterns lead to different levels of firm performance. Practically, our findings highlight the importance of highly qualified employees, customer interaction, and technology in improving financial performance.     

Measurement of innovation activities in the knowledge-intensive services industry: a trademark approach

Innovation measurement in the knowledge-intensive services (KIS) industry is very complex, due to a lack of adequate innovation indicators. A rather new empirical approach involves the analysis of trademarks for the measurement. This paper aims to explore the use and relevance of trademarks for service firms. Data from the German section of the ‘Community Innovation Survey’ are used, and a survey with 278 participating firms is conducted. The results of the two independent empirical studies demonstrate that a trademark can be used as an innovation indicator, at least for knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) and product innovations. The results also illustrate which firm-inside and environmental features explain the use of trademarks as an intellectual property protection measure.