Technical change, work organisation and training: some issues relating to the role of market forces

Managements often fail to deal with problems of reorganising work to cope with technical change. Nevertheless, it is suggested that skills are becoming more enterprise-specific and that employers should train to satisfy their own needs. While markets help to distribute skills, they do not ensure that sufficient are created.     

Institutional Aspects of Youth Employment and Training Policy in Britain: A Comment

This paper compares the merits of occupational and internal labour markets focusing on the issues of skills shortages, human capital theory, wage efficiency and youth training policy in the UK.     

Are market pioneers intrinsically stronger than later entrants?

Are market pioneers more successful because they started with superior skills and resources? The absolute pioneer advantage hypothesis is that because market pioneering is desirable, firms with superior skills and resources naturally choose to pioneer new markets. The comparative advantage hypothesis is that market evolution changes success requirements. Market pioneer skills and resources differ from, but are not superior to later entrants. Empirical results across 171 diversification entrants tend to support the comparative advantage hypothesis. Skill and resource profiles are provided for market pioneers, early followers, and late entrants.     

Internal Labor Markets and Worker Quits

This article uses establishment-level data to explore the impact of internal labor markets on worker quits. Quits are lower where job ladders are long, pay growth from the bottom to the top of job ladders is high, and seniority is used as a criterion for promotion. Using a system of internal promotion without a commitment to seniority is associated with higher worker quits. These results hold true even when controlling for the specific human capital skills of workers, suggesting that personnel factors other than specific training are responsible both for the existence of internal labor markets and for the impact of internal labor markets on worker quits.     

Same as it ever was: the search for evidence of increasing hypercompetition

Some strategy scholars and practitioners contend that markets have become increasingly hypercompetitive in recent years. We examine this contention by analyzing industry and business performance patterns in a broad sample of firms drawn from the Compustat Industry Segment database for the 1978–97 period. We find little support for the argument that markets have become more hypercompetitive. From the late 1970s to the late‐1980s we observe decreased performance and market stability, consistent with increasing hypercompetition contentions. From the late 1980s to the mid‐1990s, however, trends reverse and performance and market stability increase. For strategy research, our results suggest that hypercompetitive perspectives are important but no more so now than they were in recent years. For practice, our results suggest that managers today face markets no more dynamic and opportunities to gain and sustain competitive advantage no more challenging than in the past. Accordingly, they should continue developing a portfolio of skills to manage businesses whether conditions are increasingly stable or unstable. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The limits of growth of the multidivisional firm: A case study of the U.S. oil industry from 1930-90

Some scholars (Chandler, 1977; Penrose, 1959) believe that firms grow by transferring inimitable marketing, production, and research skills from one line of business to another. Extending this view and emphasizing the role of the central office of a multidivisional firm to transfer administrative skills, Williamson (1975) argues that competition among business units within the firm mimics a competitive capital market and leads to an effcient allocation of resources. Coase (1937), however, argues that firm size is limited by the costs of organizing diverse transactions and Chandler (1991) claims that growth is constrained by the technical and marketing expertise of the top managers. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that the scope of the multidivisional firm is limited by the transferability of firm-specific skills and the efficiency of capital markets. Support comes from a case study of 19 oil companies over the 1930–90 period.     

Corporate diversity and economic performance: The impact of market specialization

This papers introduces a market-based typology of corporate strategy, which builds on previous typologies (Rumelt 1974, 1982). We argue that, because different markets require different skills for success, firms which concentrate in one market area (consumer or industrial), at given levels of diversification, should achieve superior performance. Empirical tests with a sample of manufacturing firms support this proposed relationship between diversification strategy and financial performance.     

Industrial R & D and the British economic problem

Britain's poor industrial and economic performance over at least the past fifteen years is closely related to a national pattern of R & D activities that—by comparison with our main competitors—has been insufficient in volume, heavily concentrated in sectors of relatively minor industrial significance, and inadequately coupled to the problems and possibilities of production and the market. Reversing what in the 1970s was a strongly downward trend in British R & D and other innovative activities will require, amongst other things, more professionalism and skills in British engineering and management, and deliberate long-term strategies in industry and government to develop products, processes and markets that enable British industry to compete on the basis of quality and skills rather than low wages.     

Survey measures of first‐ and second‐order competences

Research summary : This study tests and validates survey measures of first‐ and second‐order competences in order to foster cumulative empirical research and theoretical refinement in the area of dynamic capabilities. Data from two informants and two time periods for a sample of publicly traded U.S. manufacturing firms are used to examine the convergent, discriminant, and nomological validity, and the reliability of scales to measure various levels and types of competences. Findings suggest that customer competence, technological competence, marketing competence, and R&D competence are related but distinct dimensions, evidencing strong validity and reliability. Qualifying this empirical support, it was found that items regarding manufacturing operations and facilities seemed to measure aspects unrelated to the focal competences, and that marketing competence had no relation to future market‐resource accumulation. Managerial summary : This study enhances understanding and measurement of dynamic capabilities, in particular, marketing and R&D second‐order competences. Marketing and R&D second‐order competences are a firm's ability to build new competences to serve new markets or use new technologies, respectively. The ability of a firm to add new market‐related resources (such as brands and distribution channels) and technological resources (such as patents and engineering skills) helps it cope with environmental change and grow in new directions. For firms in stable environments, being able to serve new markets and use new technologies provide opportunities for growth. For firms in turbulent environments, these skills are a matter of survival. Using data collected from publicly traded U.S. manufacturing firms, this study tests and validates questions that can be asked in questionnaires presented to management. It finds that even if a firm has strong skills in serving current customers and great technology, it may not be able to go after new markets or technologies. The survey questions tested here could be used not only by other researchers, but also by practitioners. Managers, management consultants, and industry association advisors could use the scales as diagnostic instruments or to perform benchmarking. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sustaining linkages to high value markets through collective action in Uganda

Uganda’s rapid urbanization offers new market opportunities for smallholder farmers to supply higher value markets such as supermarket chains and fast-food restaurants. Supplying these formal outlets offers higher incomes but accessing and maintaining links to these markets requires significant upgrading in terms of product quality and business management. To meet these conditions farmers need to become more organized which requires increased levels of social capital, to strengthen internal and external relations with group members, service providers and market chain actors. One farmers’ group in south-western Uganda has successfully sustained sales of potatoes to a fast-food outlet in Kampala. Farmers had to learn a series of new skills and integrate multiple technical, organizational, financial and marketing innovations. This paper outlines how collective action combined with strong leadership and an iterative market-led learning process enabled a smallholder farmers’ association to meet the considerable challenges of achieving the stringent quality parameters of a modern food outlet.     

Product Innovation by Smaller, High-Technology Firms in Canada

Russell Knight has surveyed 124 small, high-technology firms in Canada to learn more about the processes they use to develop and market innovative products. The scope of his survey included an investigation of planning early in the product's development cycle, how products move from R&D to mass marketing, and how firms learn about their markets in very specialized areas. In general, Knight finds that the firms have more technical than general management expertise. Technically trained entrepreneurs have difficulty with general management skills needed to facilitate the successful introduction of new products.     

电力市场营销专业人才培养体系研究

在电力体制改革的过程中,电力市场营销专业的人才培养面临新的挑战,如何培养适应现代企业要求的高素质技能型人才是电力市场营销专业的一项重要工作.立足电力市场营销专业毕业生就业岗位,针对岗位群、岗位能力需求、岗位培训现状展开调研,深入分析了电力营销人才应具备的技能素质要求,结合电力市场营销专业人才培养建设方案的实践情况,就电力市场营销专业如何建立一个长效的培养体系,提出相关建议以供参考.     

Farmer organization,collective action and market access in Meso-America

Farmer organization and collective action are often seen as key factors in enhancing farmers’ access to markets. Often, too little attention is directed at (a) the most appropriate types of organization; (b) whether organization makes less or more sense in the case of producers of an undifferentiated commodity or a higher value product; (c) whether the public or private sector is best placed to support farmer organizations; and (d) the conditions necessary for ensuring their economic viability. Research in Mexico and Central America explored these issues for commodity maize and high value vegetables, respectively. The benefits of farmer organization are more evident in the vegetable sector, characterized by high transaction costs associated with market access. However, horticultural farmer organizations in Honduras and El Salvador include less than 5% of total horticultural producers. This is possibly due to farmer organizations’ limited business skills and non-replicable organizational models. There is less incentive for maize farmers to organize to access output markets as the transaction costs are relatively low. The benefits of maize farmer organization are clearer when it comes to accessing inputs such as credit, seed and fertilizer. Farmer organization is a critical factor in making markets work for the poor, but the role and timing of public and private investment in these organizations is poorly understood.     

Productive efficiency of specialty and conventional coffee farmers in Costa Rica: Accounting for technological heterogeneity and self-selection

A steep decline in coffee prices at the producer level led to considerable pressure for farmers in Costa Rica and producer countries all over the world. One possible reaction was moving to specialty markets, where price pressure was perceived to be lower. We use original survey data from 2002/2003 and 2003/2004 to analyze the factors influencing participation in specialty markets and to estimate separate production functions for specialty and conventional coffee farmers allowing for farm-specific inefficiencies. Applying a sample selection framework, we find significant selection bias in the sub-sample of specialty farmers and evidence for the overestimation of efficiency, if this bias is not adequately controlled for. Among the most important factors that influence farm-specific efficiency levels in the two sub-samples are the availability of additional income activities, experience in coffee cultivation, and membership in cooperatives. Based on the results, we derive policy recommendations to improve farmers’ production performance and ability to cope with the effects of the coffee crisis. These policy measures include the provision of extension services with respect to farm management skills, the creation of income opportunities in rural areas, and the support of farmer-owned cooperatives.     

IN THE EYES OF THE BEHOLDER: CONCEPTUALIZATIONS OF RELATEDNESS HELD BY THE MANAGERS OF LARGE DIVERSIFIED FIRMS

In this study, chief executive officers were surveyed to evaluate how they perceive their firms’ businesses to be related. Responses from nearly 200 top executives provided the data for this study. Findings suggest that some managers think of relatedness in terms of similarities in products, markets, and technologies, a type of relatedness that is assessed by existing measures of diversification. The study also found, however, that managers hold additional conceptualizations of relatedness, including relatedness characterized by an emphasis on shared differentiation and marketing skills. The importance of the study’s findings and its contributions to the diversification literature are discussed. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A note on the relationship between managerial change values, innovative intentions and innovative technology outcomes in food sector firms

In this study three, two-part propositions were developed based on a general model of how organizational variables moderate the influence of individual change values on innovative intentions and how these same organizational factors moderate the impact of individual innovative intentions on organizational innovative outcomes. A total of 66 respondents, mostly top managers in food processing and food equipment and packaging firms, returned questionnaires. Results indicated that the absence of technical specialist concentration significantly (p <.05) increased the correlation between managerial change values and innovative intentions. Organization size and diversification into nonfood markets did not significantly moderate the correlation between managerial change values and innovative intentions although results were in the predicted direction. Managerial innovative intentions were significantly (p <.05) more likely to be correlated with the rate of new products introduction, and the rate of adoption of incremental process innovation when technical specialists were concentrated. Managerial innovative intentions were significantly (p <.05) more likely to be correlated with the rate of new production introduction and the adoption of radical (new to the industry) process innovation in firms that had diversified into nonfood markets. Critical incident accounts by respondents of creative or innovative episodes in their organizations are strongly correlated with indicators of slack resources for innovation, and the skills managers develop to identify and back innovators in their firms are discussed.     

A note on the relationship between managerial change values,innovative intentions and innovative technology outcomes in food sector firms

In this study three, two-part propositions were developed based on a general model of how organizational variables moderate the influence of individual change values on innovative intentions and how these same organizational factors moderate the impact of individual innovative intentions on organizational innovative outcomes. A total of 66 respondents, mostly top managers in food processing and food equipment and packaging firms, returned questionnaires. Results indicated that the absence of technical specialist concentration significantly (p <.05) increased the correlation between managerial change values and innovative intentions. Organization size and diversification into nonfood markets did not significantly moderate the correlation between managerial change values and innovative intentions although results were in the predicted direction. Managerial innovative intentions were significantly (p <.05) more likely to be correlated with the rate of new products introduction, and the rate of adoption of incremental process innovation when technical specialists were concentrated. Managerial innovative intentions were significantly (p <.05) more likely to be correlated with the rate of new production introduction and the adoption of radical (new to the industry) process innovation in firms that had diversified into nonfood markets. Critical incident accounts by respondents of creative or innovative episodes in their organizations are strongly correlated with indicators of slack resources for innovation, and the skills managers develop to identify and back innovators in their firms are discussed.     

We survived this! What managers could learn from SMEs who successfully navigated the Greek economic crisis

Small and medium size enterprises in both business to business and consumer markets are particularly vulnerable to economic downturns. Concentrating on the Greek economic crisis, one of the toughest and most prolonged on a global scale, the present research sheds light on both anthropocentric and business-centric factors that helped SMEs survive, therefore, providing a valuable survival manual. Per findings of two studies performed under the given economically intense conditions, it is evidenced that the right answer to survival rests upon: (a) the entrepreneurs' personality traits and skills that affect the market and entrepreneurial orientations of SMEs, (b) the adoption of such orientations that keep impacting the firms' performance, and finally (c) the implementation of strategy relevant to reaching higher quality standards for products and services, combined with tactics relevant to downsizing, marketing actions, extroversion, and financial management.     

Firm resources and entry-related advantages: An empirical study in China

The majority of research on order of market entry has focused on market pioneer advantages or the specialized assets that industry incumbents would need to possess. However, relatively little attention has been paid to whether and how certain firm resources or capabilities may provide latecomers with entry-related advantages. This issue is of particular interest when multinational organizations decide to enter emerging markets, such as China, where the transitional economy provides both opportunities and challenges. This study attempts to bridge this gap by discussing the entry-related advantages in terms of pioneer advantages, early follower advantages, and late entrant advantages, and by investigating how each of the entry-related advantages has unique impacts on market performance. In particular, this study examines the relations between innovation management, firm resources, entry-related advantages, and market performance simultaneously with cross-sectional data from 191 firms in China. Our findings reveal that technical resources and skills (R&S), marketing R&S, and market intelligence are associated with different advantages for market pioneers, early followers, and late entrants. Technical R&S is also found to have significant impacts on order of market entry as pioneers. Furthermore, the findings show that remarkable differences exist among the three entrant types (i.e., market pioneers, early followers, and late entrants) in their strategic approaches to attain market performance. We offer implications to foreign firms operating in China or intending to enter China's markets.     

Market choice,entry regulation,and joint production: Market access and market service in motor carrier markets

In this paper I develop and estimate a model explaining firm decisions to serve markets. Firms choose to serve multiple markets within a set of markets, but serve only one set of markets at a time. Entry regulation restricts access to markets and may result in firms not serving particular markets or sets of markets. The empirical analysis suggests that Interstate Commerce Commission entry regulation, despite partial deregulation in 1980, continues to affect firm decisions to serve markets and that the effects vary across markets and may cause a firm to serve an entirely different set of markets.