外部社会资本对新创企业绩效的影响研究--知识获取的中介作用

基于企业知识理论的观点认为知识资源已成为企业最为重要的战略性资源。外部社会资本作为新创企业社会关系网络在创业活动中的嵌入,是企业知识获取的重要手段。该文以社会资本理论为基础,通过对湖北省内116家新创企业的有效问卷调查及结构方程分析,研究表明,新创企业外部社会资本的结构维度、关系维度、认知维度对知识获取、新创企业绩效有显著影响,知识获取在新创企业外部社会资本与新创企业绩效的关系中起到部分中介作用。因此新创企业应加强外部社会资本构建和管理能力,促进知识获取,从而实现企业绩效的提升。     

“朋友圈”优势、内群体条件与互联网创业——基于整合社会认同与嵌入理论的新视角北大核心CSSCI

互联网创业条件下涌现了一系列依靠"朋友圈"来获得创业优势的案例,但同时存在创业者具有高水平社交关系却在创业项目上遭受失败的情况。仅仅基于社会嵌入理论来对创业者的社会网络作用开展研究,难以对上述现象作出有效的解释,互联网创业对与创业社会网络相关的管理学理论提出了新的挑战。本文利用数据挖掘技术生成截面数据库,通过将社会认同理论融入社会嵌入理论的框架中,在创业者社会网络特性之外引入创业者内群体条件这一新变量,对社会网络在互联网创业中的作用进行实证研究,发现创业者的社会网络水平在提升创业业绩的过程中受到其内群体条件的影响,从而有效地解释了在相似的创业者"朋友圈"条件下创业业绩存在差异的原因,打开了现有研究忽视创业者与其社会网络成员之间的差异可能对创业业绩产生影响的"理论黑箱"。据此,本文基于创业者的社会网络特性及内群体条件,提出了创业业绩表现的2×2矩阵,并得出如下管理启示:创业者应注意推动包括教育水平、创业经验在内的社会网络特性与内群体条件的协调发展,在改善社会网络特性的同时,努力在社会网络中获得内群体认同。     

创业网络推进创业成长的机制研究

现有的研究论述了创业网络对于创业活动的重要意义,但是对创业网络如何促进创业活动发展的过程却语焉不详。本文对于创业网络的经营行动和实施效果进行了探讨,同时指出基于不同的网络产出,创业者可以选择不同的战略模式以提升创业绩效,从而完整地构建了创业网络推进创业成长的作用机制链条。基于上述论证过程,本文指出创业网络的主要价值在于为新创企业的战略行动提供资源支持,因此创业过程的行动重点在于创业网络的开发和经营,创业者应当积极拓展创业网络,开发适宜的网络成长战略,以充分促进创业成长。     

社会网络、资源获取与新创企业绩效关系研究

本文在创业资源类型和创业资源获取基本途径划分的基础上,构建了社会网络、资源获取的不同途径与新创企业绩效的关系模型并分析了变量之间的作用机理.     

产业集群的社会网络嵌入性研究

"嵌入性"概念作为一种分析工具和一种理念已经被众多的学者用在产业集群的研究之上,然而却遗漏了"嵌入性"本身的一些问题.因此,本文在文献探讨的基础上,首先回顾了"嵌入性"概念的发展过程,然后讨论了产业集群中嵌入的主体和客体,并依据产业集群产生机理的不同讨论了嵌入性关系的形成过程,最后讨论了产业集群中关系型嵌入不足和过度嵌入对焦点企业绩效的影响     

“浙江模式”转型中的社会资本投资与“战略再嵌入”

理论与经验案例都证明了,基于正式制度与非正式制度在认知和能力方面有效分工的社会资本互补投资而形成的多律协调的制度体系,能够满足经济组织伴随竞争环境日益开放的演化需要。20世纪80年代中期至今的浙江模式转型历程,在总体上也符合社会网络诱致的嵌入→脱嵌的演化特征。然而,为避免在开放过程中因国际代工偏好而造成的低端价值链锁定危机以及企业家社会网络单维演化的缺陷,目前迫切需要以创新型组织为导向,在关系与结构的二维战略再嵌入过程中激励社会资本的互补性价值投资活动。在转型中,盲目放弃内源发展模式的价值内核是不明智也是不经济的。在全球竞争的环境中促使社会网络与集群经济的协同演化,是战略再嵌入的政策意义所在。     

企业合作创新博弈中复杂性与演化均衡稳定性分析

合作博弈具有有限理性、自主性、动态性、经济性等特点,针对当前合作博弈研究中完全信息、静态决策和理性决策等的局限性,文章运用演化博弈理论方法,构建了基于信任治理的演化博弈均衡模型,分析了参与博弈主体的动态演变过程。研究结果表明,网络信任治理状况的演化方向与双方博弈的支付矩阵相关,同时与系统初始状态相关。并得出监督成本、处罚力度,以及企业的社会责任是影响合作信任治理状况演变的关键因素。     

高技术产业集群的信任与声誉机制研究

高技术产业集群的“竞合关系”表现出“合作关系占主导,竞争关系为辅助”的关系结构;高技术产业集群内部经济主体具有长期合作的主观倾向;高技术产业集群的网络治理机制可以分为正式机制与非正式机制。从关系结构与网络成员的机会主义行为分析入手,对高技术产业集群非正式网络治理机制——信任文化和声誉机制进行了研究;高技术产业集群的信任体系结构包含五个层次,信任是网络型组织的基本运行机制,建立高绩效网络的最重要的要求是信任或社会认同。信任机制可以降低组织之间的交易成本;高技术产业集群以企业为主体的网络具有开放性,声誉机制的扩散效应更为明显,高技术产业集群声誉机制的重要含义在于拓展了交易范围与交易空间,为技术创新提供了更多的资源选择,使潜在交易对象可以演变为现实的可利用资源。     

网络组织视角下产业集群社会责任建设研究

产业集群是产业网络诸多组织形态中的一种。由于地理临近性和紧密的网络关系,集群内企业的社会责任不再是一种"个体行为",从产业集群层面寻求合作共赢而共同推进社会责任建设已经成为必然趋势。因而,本文引入"网络组织"分析视角,提出了"产业集群社会责任"的概念。在此基础上,提出了基于"Hub节点企业"助推的产业集群社会责任"层级建设"模式,首先利用网络分析工具,构建产业集群Hub节点企业识别指数,继而提出遵循产业集群"点式—链式—网式"社会责任建设的层级推进模式。     

集群网络结构演化分析——基于知识密集型服务机构嵌入的视角

产业集群如何升级?服务业与集群制造企业互动是否是产业集群升级的有效路径?为回答这样的问题,本文试图探究知识密集型服务业嵌入到产业集群之后在其中所承担的角色及其发挥的功能。论文运用社会网络分析方法和案例动态演绎方法,以浙江大唐袜业产业集群为例,实证了2003—2007年5年时间跨度中知识密集型服务机构的嵌入过程,及其对集群整体网络密度、网络中介性与网络凝聚性三个网络结构指标的作用,系统揭示知识密集型服务机构对集群网络结构的影响及其演化动力因素,以期为发展知识密集型服务业促进产业集群升级提供理论支持。     

From Birth through Transition to Maturation: The Evolution of Technology‐Based Alliance Networks

This article considers the evolution of interfirm networks within a context of technological change. More specifically, it studies the evolution of structural and positional embeddedness in a network of technology‐based alliances when it moves from an early period of invention creation to a subsequent period of new product development and commercialization. Empirically, we study the evolution of technology‐based alliance networks in the biopharmaceutical industry over a period of about 25 years, from 1975 until 1999. Examining interorganizational networks over such an extended time period allows us to move beyond more static approaches that have characterized most network studies until now, and consider network evolution along its various phases of birth, growth, and early maturation instead. Our findings indicate that the evolution of both structural and positional embeddedness does not follow the common idea of a path of linear progression, but instead strongly exhibits nonlinearity by resembling a sigmoid pattern. These findings have a number of implications. First, the break in the process of linear progression contrasts with the standing literature that (implicitly) assumes the informational and resource value of a network structure to remain constant over time or to evolve linearly from carrying low value to progressively higher value. Instead, our finding that the evolution of structural and positional embeddedness is nonlinear echoes the speculative idea, as expressed by Gulati and Garguilo, that network change may possibly be nonlinear when seen over the long run. A second implication concerns the validity of standing insights from the social network literature such as Coleman's theory of social capital and Burt's theory of structural holes. These theories may not apply to the extent that there are strong changes in environmental conditions like environmental uncertainty and/or munificence, such as during a transition phase as considered in this study.     

Fit by adaptation or fit by founding? A comparative study of existing and new entrepreneurial cohorts in China

Extant research provides ambiguous views on the network adaptability of existing ventures and new ventures during environmental change. Applying an institutional perspective, this research aims to provide a clearer picture by comparing the adaptation and network configurations of existing vs. new entrepreneurial cohorts during China's institutional change after 1992. The qualitative and quantitative analyses show that the existing cohort of entrepreneurs displays network inertia, in that they largely maintain strong tie‐based political and market networks; the new cohort instead demonstrates better adaptation by establishing fewer political networks but more weak and diverse market networks. This comparative research unpacks the institutional mechanisms underlying such differences, and serves as a ground for future investigations dealing with the strategic actions of different entrepreneurial cohorts that are largely neglected in previous studies. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Leveraging ties: the contingent value of entrepreneurial teams' external advice networks on Indian software venture performance

This study investigates the impact of entrepreneurial teams' external networks on their ventures' performance. We first argue that ventures whose entrepreneurial teams span many structural holes in their external advice networks experience higher performance. We then propose that network ties are not uniform in their effect, but rather are contingent on two distinct features of entrepreneurial teams: (i) their strategic consensus—extent of agreement on key goals and strategies within the team—and (ii) internal cohesion—extent of interpersonal friendships within the team. Finally, we propose that team demographics and team networks complement (rather than substitute) each other. Data from Indian software ventures provide support for these arguments. We extend entrepreneurship research by highlighting how venture teams' internal processes and external networks jointly shape performance outcomes. We also add to the literature on team networks by drawing attention to the role of strategic consensus as a distinct pathway through which teams can leverage their external networks.     

Social networks and a new venture's innovative capability: the role of trust within entrepreneurial teams

This paper examines the effects of social networks and trust on a new venture's innovative capability. The concept of social networks is studied as the configuration of internal and external social networks for entrepreneurial team members. This study collected information about 112 technology-based entrepreneurial teams from the 65 research-based incubators in Taiwan. The results indicate that both internal and external social networks have marginally positive impacts on a new venture's innovative capability, and trust within the entrepreneurial teams is found to be as important a moderator for the relationship between external social networks and innovative capability. Moreover, results reveal that a higher level of trust between entrepreneurial team members can reduce the external social networks spanning the boundaries of the new venture and therefore may cause a 'not invented here' syndrome which will reduce its innovative capability.     

Perspective: Economic Conditions,Entrepreneurship, First‐Product Development,and New Venture Success*

Entrepreneurial ventures have a significant impact on new job creation and economic growth, but existing evidence indicates that most entrepreneurial ventures fail. This paper reports key insights from VENSURV, a new database that tracks the success and failure of ventures founded since 1998. Based on an analysis of 539 new ventures founded during the years 1991–2001, the following conclusions are reached. First, consistent with prior research, less than half of the 539 ventures survived more than two years. Second, economic downturns lead to higher failure rates for new ventures. Third, new venture success is highly correlated with first‐product success. Fourth, first‐product success is enhanced when those products are introduced into markets with emerging market needs but with established industry standards. Finally, first‐product and venture performance are significantly higher for products based on ideas that came from the founders. In addition, the most successful first products are based on ideas that reflect both technology development and an analysis of customer needs.     

The influence of network effects on SME performance

The notions that firms are embedded within complex networks, and that managers spend time actively networking, have long been accepted by scholars within the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing (IMP) Group. However, an issue that has not received the same attention is an assessment of how these two facets; network structure and external networking behaviors affect SME performance. In assessing their antecedents, in this research we move beyond the traditional IMP literature, using emotional intelligence and entrepreneurial style to assess CEOs' managerial style. Network structure was assessed by the extent to which structural holes and degrees of centrality were present. Data was collected from 227 CEOs of small Iranian information technology companies. To test our hypotheses, we combined the use of structural equation modeling and social network analysis — a dual methodology that has not been adopted before. The results show that emotional intelligence drives entrepreneurial style, network structure and external networking behavior. SME performance is influenced by both network structure and external networking behavior. The mediating role of network structure is also discussed. Here our results show that entrepreneurial style does not influence external networking behavior. Several managerial implications of these findings are discussed.     

How to manage strategic alliances in OEM-based industrial clusters: Network embeddedness and formal governance mechanisms

The rapidly growing original equipment manufacturer (OEM)-based industrial clusters have been a prominent form of economic organization in several emerging Asian markets. Characterized by close interdependence and intertwined personal linkages, firms of Asian OEM-based industrial clusters participate in the phenomenon of strategic alliances. However, how these alliances can be effectively managed through formal governance mechanisms within embedded networks requires further investigation. This study uses social network analysis to identify personal, ownership, and technology networks in 141 semiconductor firms in an OEM-based industrial cluster in Taiwan that feature different types of OEM-led alliances and the prevalence of Guanxi. We find that relational embeddedness based on personal ties and structural embeddedness based on ownership ties support the employment of formal governance mechanisms. We also pay particular attention to the moderating role of network embeddedness in diminishing the relationship between transaction hazards and formal governance mechanisms. By identifying the embeddedness context in the governance of alliances, our research contributes to a better understanding of the ways in which formal governance mechanisms are contingent on the network embeddedness of OEM-based industrial clusters in Taiwan and other similar Asian economies.     

Connecting IMP and entrepreneurship research: Directions for future research

As a research field, entrepreneurship emerged from an increasing interest in fostering new business ventures. Over the past decade, interest in entrepreneurial phenomena also triggered several studies in the IMP research stream. We examine connections between these two research streams in terms of the phenomena in focus, key concepts, and approaches to identify research areas fruitful for advancing our understanding of entrepreneurial phenomena. In pursuit of this aim, we analyzed 48 IMP-based entrepreneurship studies and the abstracts of the 227 most cited papers in eight main entrepreneurship journals; among the latter, we conducted an in-depth analysis of 30 articles, in which we found connections with IMP studies. Based on our analysis, we identify four directions for future research, where confronting and bridging the key concepts has the potential to contribute to conceptualizing entrepreneurial phenomena and related theory development. The four areas are: variety in the context of new ventures; multiplicity of networks embedding new ventures; connecting the new venture to its context; and the new venture's learning and management.     

Entrepreneurs’ resource background,innovation, philanthropy and the exit of external Investment in Private Ventures in China

Retaining external investment is an important task for private firms. However, the entrepreneurial financing literature has primarily focused on how to attract, instead of retain, start-up funding. Integrating social embeddedness, signaling, and strategic choice theories, we propose that entrepreneurs’ resource background, philanthropic, and innovative activities affect the exit speed of external investment for Chinese private ventures. In particular, we propose that external investment exits entrepreneurs with deprived resources faster than those more resourceful entrepreneurs. Yet, external investment stays longer when less resourceful entrepreneurs commit to innovative or philanthropic activities.

     

Many roads lead to Rome: How entrepreneurial orientation and trust boost the positive network range and entrepreneurial performance relationship

Due to liabilities of smallness and newness for entrepreneurial firms, decisions surrounding the sufficient leveraging of diverse information, knowledge, and resources used to pursue market opportunities are critical. Prior research has emphasized that network range is essential to improve entrepreneurial performance. However, research on boundary conditions of this relationship is still scant. Based on the social capital theory, this study advances research on the aforementioned relationship by integrating different dimensions of social capital and focusing on the three-way interaction of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and trust. Based on data from a time-lagged two-wave survey of 389 firms in an emerging economy, we confirm the positive network range-performance relationship and find that EO strengthens the relationship between network range and entrepreneurial performance. Furthermore, findings suggest that network range can generate superior performance when aligned with the high levels of EO and cognitive trust, thus confirming the proposed three-way interaction. Overall, these findings contribute to a better understanding of how to facilitate network connections to enhance entrepreneurial performance.