A Knowledge-Based Explanation of Franchise System Resources and Performance

The knowledge-based view (KBV) holds that the knowledge that an organization possesses is its most important strategic resource. Despite how important the adequate use of knowledge is to franchise system success, the KBV has yet to guide many franchising studies. The most important principle of KBV is to recognize system-wide resources through the eyes of knowledge-based resources. Using two separate secondary data sets, we examine the relationships between the knowledgeable employment of system resources and system performance. Empirical results reveal consistent support for our hypotheses. The ensuing discussion focuses on the implications of our findings.     

Rethinking the theory of the hospital: a knowledge-based view

While the hospital is seen as a knowledge-intensive organization in the health services industry, it is conceptualized as an institution for integrating knowledge. This paper aims to explore the development of a knowledge-based theory of the hospital. Therefore, some concerns of the theory of the hospital from knowledge-based view (KBV) are addressed, particularly, the logic of the traditional theory of the hospital, the existence of the hospital, hospital structure, determinants of hospital boundaries, and the nature of coordination within the hospital. By integrating some of the key contributions such as the traditional theory of the hospital, KBV, the theory of the firm, and transaction cost theory, this paper is trying to make some progress in developing some key elements of a knowledge-based theory of the hospital.     

产业组织中B2B电子商务发展影响因素框架构建与实证分析——技术创新视角的审视

企业技术创新的动机和影响是产业经济学的重要内容,而以互联网为基础的企业间电子商务的发展又是20世纪90年代以来产业组织中一项重大的技术创新。本文以技术创新为核心,构建了以创新特征、企业背景以及组织结构三方面10个子变量以及28个观测变量为基础的分析框架,并实证考察分析了影响企业间电子商务发展的因素。最后有针对性地进行了总结并提出需要进一步研究的问题。     

A layered model of organizations: Communication processes and performance

Modeling organizations is most useful for predicting the outcome of decisions and courses of action. However, the tendency has been to view an organization too narrowly, thus overlooking critical variables. For example, financial models are based on abstract indicators and do not adequately describe human factors. This article offers a five‐layer, multidisciplinary model, where each layer defines units of analysis and subsystem boundaries. The layers (behavior‐motion, activity, process‐procedure, function, mission) define arenas of practical action, ranging from individuals’ moment‐by‐moment behaviors, such as making telephone calls, to broad policy decisions and functional structure of organizations.     

Towards Reconciling Transaction Cost Economics and the Knowledge-based View of the Firm: The Context of Interfirm Collaborations

This paper presents a set of relationships that have the potential to reconcile the dispute between the knowledge-based view of the firm (KBV) and transaction cost economics (TCE). Several KBV scholars have argued that governance choice need rely only on bounded rationality and not on opportunism where TCE scholars maintain that both behavioural assumptions are needed to explain governance choice.We help to resolve part of the debate by developing an extension ofTCE to encompass certain knowledge-based attributes of transactions.We argue that high-levels of two knowledge transfer attributes - knowledge tacitness or problem solving complexity - lead to the adoption of the knowledge management practices - high-bandwidth channels or idiosyncratic communication codes - to economize on the cognitive limitations of man. It is these knowledge management practices that generate contracting hazards for whichTCE, and its attendant concern about opportunism, predicts equity-based collaborations are superior to non-equity-based collaborations.The linkages between knowledge transfer attributes, knowledge management practices, and governance choice add value via implications for managers which are not readily apparent from either theory alone.     

The effect of home country characteristics on the internationalization of EMNEs: The moderating role of knowledge stock

This paper examines the effect of home country characteristics on the internationalization of emerging market multinational enterprises (EMNEs). Drawing on the institution-based view (IBV), we argue that institutional, political, and social characteristics will positively relate to the internationalization of EMNEs. Further, drawing on the knowledge-based view (KBV), we also argue that a firm’s knowledge stock (KS) will positively moderate the aforementioned relationship. Our research setting involves the incorporation of primary data collected from Iranian multinational enterprises (MNEs) operating in the food and beverage industry. The results provide support for the hypotheses that home country characteristics positively impact the international growth of EMNEs but this does not lead to their further expansion. Also, supported was the hypothesis that EMNEs' knowledge stock positively moderates the relationship between home country characteristics and their international growth. These findings not only contribute to the current knowledge about the drivers of EMNE’s internationalization but also stress upon the idiosyncratic role of home country institutions and the impact of knowledge-specific capabilities on the internationalization of EMNEs, their international growth, and expansion.     

Corporate crisis advertising: A framework examining the use and effects of corporate advertising before and after crises

While corporate advertising has been widely studied as a promotional tool, few studies have examined how it can be used in a corporate crisis situation. In 2013, Kim proposed a conceptual framework for examining stakeholders’ evaluation of pre-crisis corporate advertising, using the inoculation and reactance theory. The framework, published in Journal of Marketing Communications, suggested that pre-crisis advertising can increase audience resistance towards negative news of an organization and decrease audience resistance towards future corporate advertisements from the organization. The present study expands on Kim’s work to develop the corporate crisis advertising (CCA) framework. In addition to the inoculation and reactance effects discussed in Kim’s model, CCA aims to discuss the effects of corporate advertising on improving organization’s prior reputation based on halo effect, and how post-crisis advertising messages can be evaluated based on crisis theories. Our proposed framework provides a comprehensive view of the use of corporate advertising both before and after a crisis and is useful for organizations to understand the impact of corporate advertising on stakeholders’ evaluation of the organization in a crisis situation. Potential applications of CCA are discussed and directions for future research suggested.     

Organizational Value for Age Diversity and Potential Applicants’ Organizational Attraction: Individual Attitudes Matter

Using diversity climate theory and research, this paper examines the relationships among an organization’s actions which indicate a value for age diversity and potential applicants’ reactions toward that organization. Specifically, we investigate the interactive effects of an organization’s age diversity, an organization’s age diversity management practices, and potential applicants’ individual attitudes toward age diversity on two outcome variables, organizational attractiveness and expected age discrimination. We conducted an experimental survey study with a sample of 244 German employees likely to be in the job market again in their careers. Organizational age diversity and age diversity management practices were positively related to organizational attractiveness and negatively related to expected age discrimination. Results also support a three-way interaction of an organization’s age diversity, an organization’s age diversity management practices, and potential applicants’ attitudes toward age diversity on both dependent variables. The findings demonstrate the importance of considering individual attitudes toward age diversity in assessing the effectiveness of an organization’s age diversity and age diversity management practices.     

Understanding reserve volatility in emerging markets: a look at the long-run

In this paper, we examine long-run determinants of cross-country variation in reserve volatility for 30 emerging market economies from 1973 to 2000. Reserve holdings and openness are found to be the most important explanatory variables of reserve volatility. The empirical results are robust for a range of control variables, including monetary variables, the degree of financial development, and the level of indebtedness. We view these results as establishing interesting stylized facts that may be helpful in evaluating reserve volatility as a crisis indicator.     

食品安全之私法救济机制的完善

有鉴于食品安全事件近年来愈演愈烈的现状,本文深入探讨了食品安全的私法救济机制,即通过消费者提起民事诉讼获得赔偿的方法。目前,在诸多防止食品安全的机制中,私法救济机制被忽视了,然而其作用恰恰是最为重要的,私法救济机制可使受到损害的消费者获得充分的救济,剥夺不法厂商通过生产不安全食品而获得的不法收益。因此,应充分利用侵权责任法中的惩罚性损害赔偿制度,发挥公司法中的法人人格否认制度的功能,让控股股东承担连带责任,同时让食品生产企业的董事、监事、经理等高级管理人员承担连带责任。     

Corporate rebranding: effects of corporate visual identity changes on employees and consumers

Many organizations invest periodically in a new corporate visual identity (CVI). This study investigates the main effects of CVI changes in four organizations, taking into account three independent variables: stakeholder type (employees vs. consumers), the specific organization, and communication about the CVI change. The results show that CVI changes had positive effects on CVI appreciation and identity/image. However, the effects were different for employees and consumers and differed between specific organizations. Furthermore, adequate communication about the new CVI appeared to be important for people’s appreciation of the CVI. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

中国制造业大企业外向国际化趋势、问题与应对策略

本文分析了我国制造业大企业外向国际化的发展趋势、存在的问题,并提出了相应的对策建议。通过研究发现,我国制造业大企业国际地位逐渐上升,外向国际化动因、全球生产组织方式、国际市场进入方式、企业社会责任呈现新趋势。但是,我国制造业大企业外向国际化水平和能力仍需要提升。与发达国家相比,制造业大企业利润率不高,国际化程度较低,行业分布不合理,同时面临发达国家贸易与投资保护主义的挑战。本文针对上述问题提出了相应的对策建议:培育具有国际竞争力的世界一流制造业大企业,需要政府和企业共同发力。从政府角度看,要推动形成全面开放新格局,构建中国主导的全球价值链,培育世界级先进制造业集群,推进国有企业改革,以及组合运用宏观调控政策工具。从企业角度看,要优化企业国际化战略,培育国际化核心能力,优化国际化竞争策略,以及防范企业国际化风险。     

Segments of sustainable food consumers: a literature review

Sustainable food consumption is an important aspect of sustainable development. When adopting a sustainable food lifestyle, consumers are confronted with complex choices. Today's food consumption is too complex to be explained by socio‐demographic factors exclusively. A broader perspective is needed. In order to explain behaviour across different consumer segments better, relatively homogenous segments of food consumers were identified by segmenting food consumers based on a wide range of variables. The current study aims to provide an overview of published studies that have segmented consumers with regard to sustainable food consumption. The literature review has been conducted by searching SciVerse Scopus for all relevant articles available until November 2010. The main criterion for including a specific study was the inclusion of empirical analyses of primary data, resulting in consumer segments with regard to sustainable food consumption. Sixteen articles were incorporated in the final analysis. First, the variables used for segmentation and profiling in the included articles have been categorized into three levels of abstraction: personality characteristics, food‐related lifestyles and behaviour. The three levels of abstraction proved to be helpful in categorizing the segmentation studies. The findings indicate that variables on all three levels were efficient in differentiating consumer segments regarding sustainability. In addition, the importance of price and health differed across the segments, although these variables are only indirectly related to sustainability. Second, the three most frequently identified consumer segments with regard to sustainable food consumption were: ‘greens’, ‘potential greens’ and ‘non‐greens’. These segments differed from one another on all three levels of abstraction. This implies that future segmentation studies should include variables on all levels of abstraction to get a complete picture of existing sustainable consumer segments. Marketers should be aware that targeting specific segments based on socio‐demographic variables exclusively is not sufficient. Personality characteristics, lifestyle and behaviour are all important to take into consideration. Attempts at stimulating sustainable consumption might be most effective when differences across consumer segments are taken into account. Future research is needed to explore the characteristics of different sustainable food consumer segments with respect to their potential contributions in promoting sustainable development.     

转变乡镇政府职能,推进新农村建设

农业、农村、农民问题,始终是全党工作的重中之重。乡镇政府作为上联国家、下接乡村社会的最基层政权,其职能履行好坏与"三农"问题能否破解休戚相关。当前乡镇政府职能履行中存在的问题,主要体现在"三位"现象,影响了市场机制作用的发挥,弱化了乡镇政府的职能。乡镇职能转变是思想观念、工作方法、管理体制和运行机制的全面创新,必须按照"三个代表"要求,牢固树立和落实科学的发展观,以群众的根本利益为出发点和落脚点,按照新时期农业生产需要、农村工作形势和农民增收致富要求,推进乡镇职能转变,从转换乡镇工作机制、完善建立乡镇工作制度入手,切实解决好困扰乡镇的诸多难题,逐步使乡镇工作与群众需要相统一,与发展相同步。     

转变乡镇政府职能，推进新农村建设

农业、农村、农民问题,始终是全党工作的重中之重。乡镇政府作为上联国家、下接乡村社会的最基层政权,其职能履行好坏与“三农”问题能否破解休戚相关。当前乡镇政府职能履行中存在的问题,主要体现在“三位”现象,影响了市场机制作用的发挥,弱化了乡镇政府的职能。乡镇职能转变是思想观念、工作方法、管理体制和运行机制的全面创新,必须按照“三个代表”要求,牢固树立和落实科学的发展观,以群众的根本利益为出发点和落脚点,按照新时期农业生产需要、农村工作形势和农民增收致富要求,推进乡镇职能转变,从转换乡镇工作机制、完善建立乡镇工作制度入手,切实解决好困扰乡镇的诸多难题,逐步使乡镇工作与群众需要相统一,与发展相同步。     

The origins of business groups in China: An empirical testing of the three paths and the three theories

The available empirical literature tends to focus on the performance comparison between business groups (BGs) and non-business groups, and there is no study that quantitatively verifies the origins of the business groups, particularly in China. This paper uses the survey data of SOEs (state-owned enterprises) in China to verify the three paths toward business groups, such as M&As (merger and acquisitions), spin-offs and joint ventures. This study discusses three alternative theories to explain the emergence of the business groups in China. These are the market-based view, the state-activism view and the resource-based view. This paper found that the greater autonomy given after changing into a shareholding corporation is one of the most consistent and significant factors leading to the business group, regardless of the paths. First, this implies that SOEs have gone from traditional SOEs, to shareholding corporations, and then finally to business groups. Second, it finds that there are certain differences among the three paths toward the business group. The degree of market competition and control by the city-level government are the significant variables in the path via M&A, toward the business group. This is consistent with the state activism view. The significant variables for the spin-off path are the low leverages and the connection with the state. This is consistent with the resource-based view. The JV (joint venture) path seems to be consistent with the market-based and resource-based view, with the significant variables of private/foreign owner-controller, high investment activity, low leverage and size.     

Impostors Masquerading as Leaders: Can the Contagion be Contained?

Corporate scandals have assumed epidemic proportions. All around the globe, even renowned organizations have been felled from their high pedestals by the misdeeds of their leaders. This raises an intriguing question: How do such resourceful organizations end up with crass ?impostors’ as leaders in the first place? The answer perhaps lies in the misplaced emphasis on certain qualities we associate with leadership. True leadership requires a balance among three elemental pre-requisites: Energy, Expertise and Integrity. When they are synchronized, they unleash the latent potential in any organization. Out of these three interacting gears of leadership, it is Integrity that ensures that an organization is run in the right direction – with a view towards collective good rather than selfish motives. Therefore, it is the most non-negotiable of the three elements. Henceforth, leaders ought not to be selected on the basis of the superficial qualities that have blinded us in the past. They must first pass the acid test of Integrity. This article suggests a ?decision tree’ and a ?checklist’ to help in the selection process.     

Vertical integration and efficiency: an application to the Italian machine tool industry

This paper analyzes the relationship between firm efficiency and vertical integration in the Italian machine tool (MT) industry. The link may really be the result of a two-way causality: the effect may run from productive efficiency to the type of vertical organization (i.e. vertical integration or outsourcing), as a self-selection mechanism, or an effect from the organizational mode to the firm’s performance may (also) be at work. This relationship is empirically investigated in a novel panel dataset comprising about 500 Italian MT builders, implementing two equations and instrumental variables for the two directions of causality. The evidence clearly indicates the self-selection mechanism of the most efficient firms in vertically integrated structures, while an effect from the organizational mode to the firm’s efficiency is not supported.     

Worried about strategy implementation? Don’t overlook marketing's role

Many executives and scholars have argued that effective strategy implementation is at least as important as—if not more important than—developing a brilliant strategy. While there are several extant viewpoints regarding what is required for successful strategy implementation, perhaps the most influential perspective is that business success requires a fit between strategy and organizational architecture. Organizational architecture subsumes structural variables and capabilities. For the past 10 years, we have studied the performance implications of matching marketing's organizational architecture to four generic business strategies: Prospectors, Analyzers, Low-Cost Defenders, and Differentiated Defenders. Through six empirical studies we have identified best practice matches between these strategy types and: (1) marketing organization culture, (2) marketing strategy, (3) market strategy formation process, (4) market-focused strategic organizational behaviors, (5) marketing organization structure, and (6) marketing control systems. In this article, we bring together findings from each of these studies to provide a comprehensive overview of those marketing actions and policies that are associated with superior firm performance.     

Organizational Sensemaking of Non-ethical Consumer Behavior: Case Study of a French Mutual Insurance Company

Researchers and managers alike are becoming increasingly interested in the topic of unethical consumer behavior. Where most studies view unethical behavior as something that is identifiable per se, the authors of the present article believe that it only exists because it has been constructed by people operating within a specific context. Hence the efforts made by this paper to explore, at the level of one specific organization, how interactions between employees and consumers might lead to the construct of unethical consumers. Based on a case study of France’s AMDM—a mutual insurance company set up to serve a client base comprising motorcyclists—the paper addresses how one group of consumers ends up being categorized as unethical by revealing the existence of a sensemaking process within the target organization. This process develops in three main phases: the nurturing of a shared ethos; the protection of employees’ recognized status; and the demonization of any group of consumers threatening this status. Managers incorporating this sensemaking process can avoid or mitigate the negative effects befalling organizations when these kinds of unethical consumer behavior are constructed.