The decline of the British tyre industry: An evaluation of the policies of the Tyre Industry Sector Working Party

The Labour Government of 1974–79 formulated the Industrial Strategy to transform Britain's industrial performance. Sector working parties were established to assist companies to become more efficient. The paper examines the policy response of the Tyre Industry Sector Working Party (SWP) to overcapacity and declining competitiveness in the British tyre industry. Policy solutions focused on implementing ‘efficiency dialogues’ to increase output and efficiency underpinned by job security. Discussions on strategic issues were constrained by the oligopolistic structure of the industry. This restricted the work of the SWP to communication and employee involvement. It confirms the difficulty of reforming the existing institutional arrangements to legitimise company-level interventions.     

中国非正规部门指数的设计与测算——兼论非正规部门与经济增长关系

文章基于2008版国民经济核算体系新框架,利用统计指数理论和综合评价技术从投资、消费、就业、金融四个方面设计并测算我国非正规部门指数。在此基础上,探讨了非正规部门与经济增长的内在联系。研究结果显示,我国非正规部门年均增长快于同期经济增长;非正规部门的"低抗风险性、低政府规制"的特征增加了非正规部门增长的不稳定性;非正规部门与经济增长之间存在协整关系,不论从长期还是短期看,当期非正规部门与经济增长均存在正向关系,但影响程度较弱。     

Empirical Evidence of Marketing Practices in the Nonprofit Sector: The Case of Performing Arts

ABSTRACT

Arts organisations are adopting marketing practices as international literature suggests. However, there is an important lack of studies proving this. So, the overall goal of this article is to examine how performing arts institutions apply marketing principles in their management process. Specifically, we propose to group these organisations according to their implication with marketing practices. An empirical research design using univariate and multivariate techniques was drawn. The results showed that performing arts organisations are adopting marketing tools but with different levels of implication. So, the three groups found were labelled neutral, involved and image conscious due to the apathy, slight interest and image development show respectively towards marketing.     

Ethics Audits and Corporate Governance: The Case of Public Sector Sports Organizations

This article presents a theorized and conceptually informed method for the undertaking of an ethics audit organization. At an operational level, the overall integrity of an organization, it is argued, may be evaluated through the application of a conceptual framework that embraces the inter-related themes of individual responsibility, social equity and political responsibility. Finally, a method is presented for ethics audit which was developed in the auditing of a national public sector sports organization: sportscotland. This emphasizes the significance of key personnel (individuals and in groups) in producing and reproducing the organizational ethos, whilst recognizing the importance of anonymity and confidentiality throughout the process. The theoretical terrain of the ethics audit is articulated through a consideration of ethics as applied moral philosophy, equity as social justice and corporate governance as the moral health (or otherwise) of a public sector sports organization.     

The Effect of Brand Management and Product Quality on Firm Performance: The Italian Craft Brewing Sector

The article contributes to the limited literature on marketing strategies of microfirms operating in new niches within mature industries. The study explores the effect of brand management processes and product quality on performance of microfirms in the Italian brewing industry. Preliminary qualitative interviews with eight entrepreneurs were realized. Then 92 questionnaires were collected from the entire population of 335 microbreweries operating in Italy for quantitative analysis. Findings suggest intrinsic product quality being the most relevant determinants of firms’ performance, while the adoption of brand management processes exerts a significant, negative impact. The article takes into account the relationship between brand management, quality, and performance by focusing on a single industry. Future research may enhance the significance of our findings by including multiple sectors. Entrepreneurs and microbusiness leaders should carefully assess both external (industry life-cycle stage) and internal (resource availability) factors before engaging in any brand management activity. In mature firms, it may be more beneficial and effective focusing on enhancing product quality. The article addresses an important gap regarding the adoption of brand management practices in microfirms, adding to the emerging strategic marketing literature in the small business field.     

Relationships in Franchised Distribution System: the Case of the Spanish Market

The purpose of this article is to examine long-term inter-firm relationship management and to investigate empirically if trust and commitment are essential variables for relationship success. This study analyses both the relationship between two behaviours (cooperation and exchange information) and the development of trust and commitment as well as their effects on long-term orientation, satisfaction and performance. The unit of analysis is the dyadic relationship, assessing separately franchisor's and franchisees' perspectives, and comparing similarities and differences across perspectives (Anderson & Narus, ; Jap, ). The model proposed has been tested with 107 franchisors and 102 franchisees operating both in the retail (food and beverages, fashions, furniture …) and the service sector (estate agencies, education, dry-cleaner's, diverse services …) in the Spanish franchised distribution system. Results show that both commitment and trust are key variables for long-term relationship success from the franchisors perspective, but that from the franchisees side, trust is the key variable for relationship success.     

Global and Local Concentration Patterns in Banking: An Analysis of the EU,the US and Mexico

ABSTRACT

In recent decades, there has been a clear trend towards the consolidation of banking. The first part of this paper reviews and contrasts different theoretical approaches that aim to explain that phenomenon. In the second and third sections, we present an analysis of the consolidation of banking in Europe and the United States to illustrate the nature of the driving forces of such a process. The fourth section presents a detailed discussion of the Mexican banking industry consolidation experience and discusses preliminary data on the performance evolution of incumbent institutions in the new environment created by the 1995 financial crisis.

RESUMEN. A lo largo de las últimas décadas se ha observado una tendencia bien definida hacia la consolidación de la banca. La primera parte de este estudio revisa y traza un contraste entre los enfoques teóricos que pretenden explicar este fenómeno. En la segunda y tercera, presentamos un análisis de la consolidación de la banca en Europa y los Estados Unidos, para ilustrar la naturaleza de las fuerzas que impulsan dicho proceso. La cuarta sección presenta una discusión detallada sobre la experiencia de la banca mexicana en la consolidación del sector, y examinamos los datos preliminares sobre la evolución del desempeño de las instituciones existentes en el nuevo entorno creado por la crisis financiera de 1995.

RESUMO. Nas últimas décadas, observa-se uma clara tendência para a consolidação dos bancos. A primeira parte deste estudo revê e compara as diversas abordagens teóricas que tentam explicar este fenômeno. Na segunda e na terceira partes, apresentamos uma análise da consolidação dos bancos na Europa e nos Estados Unidos, para ilustrar a natureza das forças que impulsionam tal processo. A quarta parte mostra uma discussão detalhada sobre a experiência de consolidação da indústria bancária mexicana e discute os dados preliminares sobre a evolução do desempenho das instituições beneficiadas no novo cenário criado pela crise financeira de 1995.     

Liberalising Trade in the Agriculture Sector of a Small Island State: The Case of Fiji

This paper uses Fiji as a case study to investigate the impacts of three trade liberalisation policies – removal of sugar price subsidies, unilateral trade liberalisation and multilateral trade liberalisation, implied by the successful completion of the Doha Round. Removal of the sugar price subsidies has an adverse effect on real output, real national welfare and employment, but promotes growth of non‐agricultural exports in the long run. Unilateral trade liberalisation, in the form of tariff cuts in the agricultural sector, increases real output, real national welfare and non‐agricultural exports in the medium term. However, this growth is not sustained in the long term. The best outcome for Fiji is multilateral trade liberalisation which increases real output, real national welfare, non‐agricultural exports and employment. It is argued that reform of trade policies in less developed countries could come at a cost, therefore highlighting the need for compensating mechanisms to deal with the adverse impacts. Other measures to assist farmers to expand output in response to a rise in prices could include measures to reduce transport, storage and packaging costs, as well as institutional measures to enhance the functioning of input and factor markets.     

Gender and Ethnic Diversity on Boards and Corporate Responsibility: The Case of the Arts Sector

This study provides insights on sector-specific characteristics, challenges and issues that affect corporate responsibility (CR) in relation to ethnicity and gender on arts boards. Using stakeholder theory, the study explores how arts board composition (e.g. gender and ethnicity) sets the scene for dynamics that affect CR. Data analysis is based on interviews with 92 board members and stakeholders sitting on 66 arts boards in Australia. Results suggest that the dynamism of gender and ethnic diversity on arts boards makes them responsive to CR; however, their presence does not always lead to CR. For diverse boards to lead to CR, our findings indicate the significance of board member attributes of passion, skill and capability of developing networks, irrespective of gender and ethnicity. The article advances understanding of the implications and relevance of ethnic and gender diversity on non-profit boards and contributes to an important yet under-researched body of literature.     

从支柱产业角度透视主导产业选择——以广州花都临空经济区为例

文章以经济发展阶段理论为基础,从主导产业与支柱产业异同角度,即产业发展目标、产业关联方面、产业生命周期、产业发展贡献、技术进步特征和受空间载体的约束等六个方面,并根据两者发展的动态更替性特征,将广州花都临空经济区产业中的汽车整车与零部件制造业、现代物流业、高新技术制造业、珠宝产业和会展业作为带动其地区经济发展的主导产业并进行了比较和分类。     

国际化背景下中国饭店业跨国战略

中国饭店业是中国改革开放最早的行业,也是最早接触国际先进水平的行业,很多优秀的企业管理方法最先在饭店业中应用进而逐渐推广开来。但因脱胎于计划经济时代的中国饭店业,发展受到我国市场经济发展水平和体制转轨因素的双重制约,同发达国家的饭店业相比,我国饭店业缺乏与之公平竞争的制度平台。为此,中国饭店业面对国际市场的竞争,如何形成有效的走出去战略,是目前尚需充分研究的战略管理领域。     

The retail sector in the Nordic countries: A description of the differences, similarities, and uniqueness in the global market

We present an overview of the retail sector in the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. We apply the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index and the Concentration Ratio to estimate the market concentration in the retail sector in each of those countries. The level of concentration in the retail trade in the Nordic countries is relatively high as compared to other European countries, which is reflected in low customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the Nordic countries have a relatively high proportion of their total population living in the capital area, and we consider how that affects their retail trade.     

Diversity Management and Demographic Differences-based Discrimination: The Case of Turkish Manufacturing Industry

In the late 1980s workforce became more diverse in terms of demographic changes, cultural differences and other characteristics of organizational members. This diversity was a reflection of changing global markets. Workforce diversity has both positive and negative effects on organizational performance. Therefore, it is becoming important especially for medium- and large-scale businesses. In order to manage increasingly workforce diversity and to prevent discrimination, diversity management is now considered as a major part of strategic human resource management. The purpose of this study is to establish the dimensions of discrimination that occur due to demographic differences in Turkish manufacturing industry. The findings of the research indicate that demographic characteristics, socio-cultural structure, managerial policy and behaviors, union tendency and regional differences, laws and local community, gender, educational and age differences, and political opinions have influence on discrimination. According to the results, discrimination has been observed mostly in job processes such as promotions and appointments, human resource selection, job/employment examination and interviews, and performance appraisal.     

R&D Productivity and the Spillover Effects of High‐tech Industry on the Traditional Manufacturing Sector: The Case of Taiwan

This study sets out to estimate the impact of R&D on productivity within the private sector, with further analysis of the different impacts of R&D within high‐tech and traditional manufacturing firms. We also attempt to examine the spillover effects from R&D investment in the high‐tech sector on productivity growth within the traditional industries. Using a sample of 136 large manufacturing firms during the period 1994–2000, we develop an extended version of the Cobb‐Douglas production function model, and our findings suggest that Taiwan's R&D investment had a significant impact on firm productivity growth, with output elasticity standing at around 0.18. When the sample is divided into high‐tech and traditional firms, the R&D output elasticity in high‐tech firms is significantly greater than that found in traditional firms. In addition, the average rate of return in high‐tech firms is much greater than that estimated for other industries. Besides, our empirical results show that, although significant, the impact of R&D investment from the high‐tech sector, on the productivity growth of traditional firms, is rather limited.     

Effect of Business Group Affiliation on Firm Internationalization: The Case of India Under Reforms

The authors investigate how diversified business groups influence the structural reform–firm strategy relations given its effect on strategic choice and its implementation in a large emerging economy: India. By integrating business group, industrial organization, and international business literature, the authors predict considerable differences in the exporting behavior of business group–affiliated firms on the basis of their market competitiveness and governance dynamics. The authors test their predictions empirically with longitudinal data of 6,119 Indian firms over a 21-year period starting from 1991–1992 to 2011–2012 and find support for most of the hypotheses. These findings suggest that knowledge of the heterogeneity within business groups are essential for understanding the response of business group affiliates in light of the progression of reform process in India. This study thus contributes to a more complete conceptual understanding of the strategic responses of promarket reforms of business group affiliates in emerging economies.     

Export Barriers and Competitiveness of Developing Economies: The Case of the Ethiopian Leather Footwear Industry

Export competitiveness is an important success factor for developing economies. However, several barriers can prevent firms from exporting. This study empirically investigates export barriers in the Ethiopian leather footwear industry. We identify 10 conceptually linked barriers that are prevalent in the industry. Whereas some of the export barriers are in line with previous research, we find several new barriers such as logistics and export marketing. On the firm level, we identify different clusters of firms that are facing specific sub-sets of barriers. Depending on cluster membership, management must focus on certain export barriers for increasing competitiveness.     

中国制造业集聚对创新效率影响的实证研究--基于动态面板数据的GMM 估计

本文运用曼奎斯特指数对我国制造业子行业的创新效率进行测度,基于2003－2012年的动态面板数据实证检验了整个制造业及按不同要素密集度划分的制造业中产业集聚对创新效率的影响。研究结果显示,从制造业总体来看,产业集聚水平的增加可有效促进创新效率的提高,按要素密集度划分的制造业中只有技术密集型制造业的集聚能有效促进创新效率的提高,劳动密集型和资本密集型制造业的促进作用并不显著。     

贸易式进入模式下国际供应链风险评价指标研究

本文利用供应链运作参考模型(SCOR),从国际供应链运作流程入手,对影响国际供应链运作的重要因素分析的基础上,对国际供应链风险评价指标体系进行研究。     

The Confines of Stakeholder Management: Evidence from the Dutch Manufacturing Sector

Stakeholder theory is a pertinent example of a framework that has been stretched over many conceptual contexts and that has been applied to a wide variety of empirical phenomena. A pressing issue involves the scope of application of stakeholder theory, however, because it is not a comprehensive ethical scheme or problem-solving algorithm. We begin our search for the boundaries of stakeholder management by identifying a presently under-acknowledged yet major underlying assumption, notably that the approach is rooted in voluntary action and association. Building on this presumption, we argue that firm – stakeholder relationships are best to be understood in contractualist terms; i.e. as voluntary arrangements between two or more parties seeking mutual benefit. This assertion subsequently allows us to identify three boundary conditions applying to stakeholder theory: (1) the parties should be sufficiently autonomous; (2) their interests need to be alignable; and (3) they should be capableof living up to their commitments. We substantiate these criteria with evidence from a collective case study of buyer – supplier relationships in the Dutch manufacturing sector, demonstrating that the stakeholder management model fails when these boundary criteria are violated.     

Development of Industruct: A Scale for the Measurement of Perceptions of Industry Structure

The development of INDUSTRUCT, an instrument designed to measure perceptions of industry structure based on Porter's five competitive forces formulation, is described. A seven-step procedure based on psychometric principles was used in the process. The results indicate that a valid five dimensional scale can be defined and an instrument developed to provide a satisfactory basis for implementation in future theory testing.