技术能力、价值链位置与企业竞争力——来自苏州制造业的实证研究

从微观层面实证研究企业竞争力源泉的文献仍十分缺乏。结合经济转型背景,本文采用苏州制造业的微观调研数据和自抽样方法,从企业技术供给和应对市场需求两个层面去研究企业竞争力的内生决定因素。实证研究结果发现,企业竞争力取决于企业的技术能力水平和企业在价值链上的位置;而且这两者与企业在同行中所处的规模三者之间存在正向的联动关系,这表明企业规模和价值链位置往往是企业及其技术竞争力的甄别信号。本文的实证研究从企业微观层面有力地支持了转型期FDI背景下企业通过增强技术能力来提升其竞争力的观点,也直接证明了全球价值链理论关于企业在价值链上的位置与企业竞争力两者之间正向关系的论断。     

Small Firm Behaviour in Sri Lanka

This paper investigates the behaviour of small firms in Sri Lanka using a countrywide cross-sectional survey. The 73 responding firms provide information on whether certain variables: the firm's utilisation of assets; labour; technology; family savings; and access to bank financing, vary with four firm-specific factors: industry; family ownership; size; and whether the firm's manager was also an owner of the firm. Sampled small firms are mostly family owned and owner managed although a significant number of family owned firms are managed by non-family managers. Most firm's under-utilise assets, use existing rather than the latest technology, and are reliant upon family savings. Statistical analysis provides evidence of significant cross-sectional variation in small firm practice. The results are explained in terms of the cost of acquiring new technology, asymmetries and opacity in financial information, and the non-value maximising behaviour of firm owners who are also firm managers.     

Linking market orientation to international market selection and international performance

One key strategic decision in a firm's internationalization process is the international market selection (IMS). IMS must match the firm's own-specific resources and capabilities for optimal performance. This research, drawing on the resource-based view, investigates how a firm's market orientation (MO) resources and capabilities influence the firm's IMS between culturally close and distant markets and how the matching of MO and IMS impacts on its international performance. We hypothesize that market-oriented firms tend to choose culturally distant markets that help them exploit their MO. Firms with a fit between MO and IMS tend to perform better internationally than those without such a fit. Both hypotheses are supported by our database of Chinese manufacturing firms expanding internationally.     

An Empirical Evaluation of the Effect of Peer and Managerial Ethical Behaviors and the Ethical Predispositions of Prospective Advertising Employees

An advertising firm's ethical culture (as defined by the firm's managerial and peer ethical behaviors) may affect the employees' comfort levels and ethical behaviors. In this research, scenarios were used to describe advertising firms with various ethical cultures. Respondents' perceived comfort levels in working for the firms described in the scenarios and the respondents' behavioral intentions when faced with various advertising situations were assessed. Results of the study indicate that peer ethical behavior exerts a strong influence on the comfort or discomfort level and the ethical behavioral intentions of potential advertising employees. Further, the strong influence exerted by peers seems to transcend the ethical behavior of the manager and carry over to the attitude toward the entire corporate advertising environment. This study provides insights for firms and researchers interested in assessing the impact of an advertising firm's ethical culture on potential employees.     

How Do Innovations Affect Mergers and Acquisitions—Evidence from Finland?

We have analysed whether innovations in a firm's possession increase a firm's propensity to buy other firms and, on the other hand, whether this possession attracts other firms so that they buy the firm concerned. Our results suggest that in the heavily investing processing industries high entry costs and the incumbency of all the firms make more efficient firms—the possessors of innovations—acquire inefficient firms. On the other hand, in the non-processing industries innovators become, according to our findings, easily purchased by the other firms whose strength obviously lies in other areas than in innovative activity. JEL classification  G34, O31, O32     

我国会计师事务所信息化发展现状及对策研究

互联网的普及和信息化时代的到来让每个行业的数据快速增长,大数据时代的接踵而至更是让各行各业的数据呈指数型增长。会计师事务所与各个行业都有接触,其日常接触的数据量之大是很多行业所不能相比的,其信息化程度的高低有时直接影响审计效率和审计效果。然而我国会计师事务所信息化程度与国际大型会计师事务所相比依然有较大差距,我国会计师事务所信息系统审计发展并不是很高。本文将我国会计师事务所信息化发展的现状与国际会计师事务所信息化现状进行对比,尝试阐释导致这些现象发生的原因并提出相关的改进措施。     

Corporate Giving Behavior and Decision-Maker Social Consciousness

This paper investigates why some companies give to charity and others do not. The study uncovers a strong relationship between the personal attitudes of the charitable decision maker and the firm's giving behavior. This relationship indicates that the human element of personal attitudes may interact and play a very important role in a firm's decision to become involved with philanthropic activities. The study also shows that firms who have a history of giving to charity cite altruistic motives for their behavior. On the other hand, firms that do not give to charity tend to use business reasons to explain their non-involvement.     

The geography of innovation in small and medium-sized firms in West Germany

Since the 1980s a more micro-economic oriented view has settled the dispute between macro-economic theories over the causes of regional development. Differentiated studies revealed an unequal spatial distribution of R&D laboratories and innovating firms, and furthermore it was discovered that the innovation behaviour of firms differs between types of regions. However, these studies still left several questions unanswered.This study attempts to explain some of the regional innovation disparities in the former West Germany and to describe the factors that significantly influence the use of resources in a firm's innovation activities. Based on two samples of innovating small and medium-sized firms, the analysis confirms other studies which maintain that regional innovation disparities are more pronounced if input indicators relating to the innovation process are employed, rather than throughput or output indicators. The results also indicate that internal factors are more important for the innovation efforts of a firm than its regional environment.     

The Innovative Behavior of Spanish Enterprises and Its Impact on Salaries

Our aim was to analyze the effects of firms' innovative behavior on their employees' salaries in the Spanish manufacturing industry. We found a premium in the wage paid by innovative firms, regardless of size. However, when taking company size into account, we found that the effect of innovations was greater in small-medium enterprises (SME), contrary to what was expected. The inferences of the models estimated suggest that the higher the market concentration the weaker the appropriability regime, especially for SMEs. However, at the same time, a firm's innovations reduce the impact of market concentration on wages, making innovating firms more autonomous than non-innovating ones. Even more, to be able to innovate, firms have to isolate their employees' salaries from the product market. These results hold regardless of firm's size, but have a greater impact on the small-medium group of firms. Finally, our analysis backs the assumption that salaries in both large and small-medium firms are generated by two distinct economic regimes, supporting the proposition that an SME is not simply a scaled-down large firm.     

Survival of high tech firms: The effects of diversity of product–market portfolios, patents, and trademarks

High tech firms can mitigate potential risks by diversifying their product–market portfolios. A key research question is how such diversification influences firm survival. A firm exits the market in two ways, specifically, dissolution and acquisition. Here, we model how the diversity of a new firm's product–market portfolio influences the times to both types of exits. Specifically, we allow for interaction effects of the competitive intensity of a firm's environment and the diversity of a firm's product–market portfolio with its patents and trademarks. Using a competing risk hazard model, we estimate the effects of various covariates on the time to exit for 1435 US high tech firms.We observed that a more diverse product–market portfolio, in conjunction with a larger number of patents, hastens the time to a firm's exit by dissolution (9% decrease in survival duration), while in conjunction with a larger number of trademarks, portfolio diversity delays the time to exit by dissolution (12% increase). A more competitive firm environment results in a greater effect on the portfolio's diversity in delaying its exit by dissolution (7% increase). On the other hand, a diverse product–market portfolio, combined with either a larger number of patents or trademarks, hastens the firm's exit by acquisition (19% and 11% decrease respectively).     

How do interorganizational and interpersonal networks affect a firm's strategic adaptive capability in a transition economy?

This paper examines the effects of a firm's interorganizational network characteristics and a CEO's interpersonal network ties on a firm's strategic adaptive capability in a transition economy. Using a unique survey dataset of 250 Chinese firms, the paper focuses on the compositional diversity of a firm's interorganizational network and the structural holes in a CEO's interpersonal network. The results show that an interorganizational network that is diverse in composition and an interpersonal network that is rich in structural holes have significantly positive effects on a firm's strategic adaptive capability in China's transition economy. However, a negative interaction effect occurs between interorganizational network diversity and interpersonal network structural holes. The results suggest that managers simultaneously consider both the individual and joint effects of interorganizational and interpersonal network characteristics when developing firm strategies.     

Evaluating International Ethical Climates: A Goal Programming Model

A critical concern for firms pursuing international expansion strategies involves identifying countries that offer a good fit with the firm's overall ethical orientation. Unfortunately, little has been written to aid firms in identifying countries that offer this type of fit. This paper presents a model that combines the concepts of strategic management, cross-cultural management, business ethics, and the management science technique of goal programming. The purpose of the model is to aid managers in identifying countries for international expansion that offer the best fit with the firm's ethical orientation. The paper also extends the existing literature on cross-cultural management and business ethics by applying a computer optimization model to evaluate potential countries for international expansion in a way that has not been done before.     

Marketspace and the Internationalisation Process of the Small Firm

This empirical study explores the potential impact of the marketspace—the virtual world of digitised information—on the process of internationalisation within small technology-based firms (STBFs). Research findings demonstrate several effects relating to the firm's increased use of the marketspace for international business activities. In relation to internal resource-related effects, increased marketspace use is associated with: a stronger internal resource-base for international operations; and higher levels of internal international business information. Moreover, in relation to external resource-related effects, increased marketspace use is associated with: an increase in the firm's international orientation; an increase in the range and diversity of international business contacts; and an increase in unsolicited orders from foreign markets. This study confirms that the entrepreneur's prior Internet experience is a critical factor influencing use of the marketspace to support the firm's international operations. Similarly, organisational use of the marketspace (influenced by the previous experience of the entrepreneur) impacts upon certain aspects of the firm's internationalisation behaviour. Despite the significance of these findings, the marketspace is neither a replacement for traditional marketplace-based activities, nor is it a panacea that ensures effective small firm internationalisation. Complementary exploitation of both the marketspace and the traditional marketplace is likely to provide the optimal internationalisation route for small firms.     

企业风险管理中内部审计的应用——基于价值链视角

经济全球化使企业面临瞬息万变的市场环境,风险无处不在,企业风险管理是决定企业生死存亡的关键。我国企业普遍存在风险管理观念淡泊,风险管理水平低下等问题。为提高我国企业风险管理水平,企业应根据内部审计历史演进过程中风险管理职能的加强,从一个全新的视角———价值链入手,分析三种层次的内部审计在企业风险管理中的应用。通过内部审计与风险管理的互动,推动我国企业的风险管理水平的提高,实现我国内部审计的发展。     

When strategies collide: Divergent multipoint strategies within competitive triads

As market barriers fall and market boundaries blur, firms are becoming increasingly broad in their scope of operations and markets. This expansion in a firm's scope intensifies competition as the interaction between rivals spreads across many markets. To succeed as a firm, managers must then take a multi-market approach to competition. Critical to success is an understanding of how rival contact across markets can affect a firm's competitive behavior. This understanding exists for competition between two firms; however, few firms face only one rival across multiple markets. We expand the focus on one competitor and explore configurations of competitive triads. We explain why triadic competition is more dynamic and deviates somewhat from dyadic competition, and set the foundation for exploring competition among a broader set of competitors.     

Strategic Explanations for the Early Adoption of ISO 14001

There are two different, and somewhat competing, strategic explanations for why firms certify for ISO 14001. On the one hand, firms may seek to reinforce their present strategies thereby further enhancing their competitive advantage. On the other hand, firms may use ISO 14001 as a mechanism to reorient their strategies, so that a clear signal is sent about the firm's change in strategic positioning. This paper aims to identify the most likely explanation for early adopters of ISO 14001.Using a matched pair design, we test these alternative explanations on a sample of US firms that certified for ISO 14001 in the first two years after its introduction. In particular, we tested whether ISO 14001 was used to reinforce or reorient firm strategies in respect to the natural environment, corporate social responsibility, quality, and internationalization.We found that firms that certified early for ISO 14001 had considerable environmental legitimacy and a strong international presence. We also found that the firm's commitment to corporate social responsibility and quality were not significantly different between certified and non-certified firms. These findings suggest that early adopters of ISO 14001 leaned towards reinforcing rather than reorienting their firm strategy, which calls into question the ultimate reach of ISO 14001.     

Foreign exchange market liberalization and the international diversification of borrowing by Italian firms

In this article we try to assess the relative importance of real and financial determinants in firm's foreign currency borrowing by extending a model earlier developed by Kawai. We use this framework to examine the behavior of Italian firms during the 1980s. The financial components of firm's decisions are studied by means of a repeated mean-variance portfolio model based on ex ante expectation. We show that (a) the invoice currencies seem to be a good indicator of firm's real exchange risk; and (b) even at times of capital controls, corporate debt policy was affected by financial variables. The latter will become increasingly important as European financial integration moves on.     

Graft and business in emerging economies: An ecological perspective

In this study we examine how a firm's engagement in graft in emerging economies is shaped by its organizational attributes. Building on the logic of organizational ecology, we envisage that a firm's engagement in graft is influenced by its (1) institutional structure (e.g., public ownership, foreign ownership, and government ownership), (2) market orientation (foreign vs. local market), and (3) firm capabilities (e.g., capacity utilization, product quality, and leadership quality). Using the World Bank's data, we analyzed 1782 firms in China, Brazil, Russia, Poland and South Africa, and found general support for our argument. The results suggest that a firm's engagement in graft is, at least in part, an organizational phenomenon influenced by the firm's founding conditions, required legitimization in the market, and capability conditions.     

Perceived Environmental Dynamism and Managerial Risk Aversion as Antecedents of Manufacturing Outsourcing: The Moderating Effects of Firm Maturity

This study investigates how perceived environmental dynamism and managerial risk aversion influence a firm's manufacturing outsourcing activities. Based on a survey of 86 small manufacturing firms, the study found that higher levels of perceived environmental dynamism and managerial risk aversion are associated with increased outsourcing activity. These relationships are moderated by firm maturity such that newer firms engage in more manufacturing outsourcing than their mature counterparts when the environment is perceived to be more dynamic. Mature firms were found to outsource more than newer firms when their top-management teams were relatively more risk averse.     

The determinants of foreign direct investment in China: The case of Taiwanese firms in the IT industry

This study illustrates the factors that affect a firm's intention to engage in foreign direct investment (FDI) in China, using Taiwanese firms in the Information Technology (IT) sector as an example. By building upon the literature, we investigate a firm's decision to engage in FDI by taking industry and firm factors into consideration. This study applies an event history technique to perform an empirical analysis, taking into account the conditional probability of the element of time. These factors are analyzed in a dynamic context using a sample of 667 Taiwanese firms in 10 industries between 1996 and 2005. We find that network linkages, the expansion of markets, and China's incentive policies positively affect the intention to engage in FDI. A firm with a higher degree of export orientation and larger firm size also has a strong effect on motivating FDI.