The degree of integration in strategic alliances in biotechnology

This paper looks at the spection of strategic alliances in biotechnoloy in the late 1980s from the point of view of whether the alliance was of a contractual type or, at the other end of the spectrum, have integrated the two companies of the alliance were. It uses an ordered probit model to test for any systemalic association between alliances within indeustrial sectors and of different size types, and the type of alhance that occurred. The paper find that more contractual, less integrated types of alliance were concentrated in the healtheare secters of thenapeutics and diagnostics and where at least one of the firms was small in size. More integrated types of alliance revailed in the agriculature and cheicals sectors and between two lage companies. It relates these results to conditions of appropriability, the impact of the new lechnologies on existing compelencies and absorptwe capacity within the different industrial sectors at that time. It compares the situation of the late 1980s with more recnt developments in corporate strategy lowards allliance formation.     

Ethical Leadership and Subordinate Outcomes: The Mediating Role of Organizational Politics and the Moderating Role of Political Skill

This paper posits that ethical leadership increases important organizational and individual outcomes by reducing politics in the workplace. Specifically, we propose that perceptions of organizational politics serve as a mechanism through which ethical leadership affects outcomes. We further argue that the modeled relationships are moderated by political skill. By means of data from 136 matched pairs of supervisors and subordinates employed by a state agency in the southern US, we found support for our predictions. Specifically, we found that perceptions of organizational politics fully mediated the relationship between perceptions of ethical leadership and helping and promotability ratings. In addition, political skill was found to moderate the direct and indirect effects.     

Organizational Routines as Sources of Connections and Understandings

Organizational routines are increasingly identified as an aspect of organizations that allows them to achieve the balance between adaptability and stability. We contribute to this discussion by showing that the connections that organizational routines make between people contribute to both stability and the ability to adapt. We argue that the connections between people that are formed as they engage together in organizational routines are important for developing understandings about both what needs to be done in a specific instance of performing a routine and about the goals of the organization that routines presumably help accomplish. Together the two sets of understandings influence organizational performance by affecting the ability of organizations to adapt to changing circumstances. These arguments lead to a general recognition of the importance to organizations of connections and the suggestion that the connections, themselves, may be an important outcome of organizational routines.     

Women Entrepreneurs: A Comparison of International Small Business Owners in Poland and the Czech Republic

Women entrepreneurs from two Central European countries with relatively new market economies were interviewed for this research. The authors describe the experiences and motivation of these women international business owners and compare them to the literature on women entrepreneurs in North America. Cross-culturally, women entrepreneurs share many of the same motivations for starting a business, and experience similar challenges to making their enterprises successful. North American models of entrepreneurship are also examined. The findings suggest a universal model for entrepreneurship. Suggestions for government policies are put forward. Managerial and theoretical implications are also presented and new directions for research on women entrepreneurs are suggested.     

UK biotechnology: institutional linkages, technology transfer and the role of intermediaries

One prominent feature of biotechnology in the UK is the close relationship between the public-sector science base and industry. Using information from interviews, the system for technology transfer is examined and four main institutional actors are identified: sponsors (both public and private, which fund research), hosts (which provide an environment in which research takes place), users (which commercialize research) and intermediaries (which act as agents in the technology transfer process). Models of the process of technology transfer are developed which incorporate knowledge flows between these institutions and the accompanying contractual, and financial/ economic relations. The direction, scale and formality of these interactions is examined and it is suggested that institutional approaches can capture important feedbacks and relationships which are overlooked in traditional stage and activity models of innovation.
In particular, intermediaries are highlighted, and it is suggested that they play an important role in contractual and financial/economic linkages in three ways: (i) by acting as agents between institutions in the presence of an imperfect knowledge market, (ii) by performing a liaison function for firms sourcing external know-how, and (iii) by providing access to complementary assets for development of technologies internally.
In the conclusion, we argue that institutional models can (a) help to define optimal linkage structures for specific technological areas at national and supranational levels (e.g. between members of the European Union) and (b) highlight the presence of inter-agency tensions and help identify the appropriate management options for resolving these.     

Economic impact of expanded use of biologic therapy for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease in Argentina,Brazil, Colombia,and Mexico

Objectives: To estimate economic impact resulting from increased biologics use for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and Crohn’s disease (CD) in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico.

Methods: The influence of increasing biologics use for treatment of RA during 2012–2022 and for treatment of CD during 2013–2023 was modeled from a societal perspective. The economic model incorporated current and projected medical, indirect, and drug costs and epidemiologic and economic factors. Costs associated with expanded biologics use for RA were compared with non-expanded use in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. A similar analysis was conducted for CD in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico.

Results: Accounting for additional costs of biologics and medical and indirect cost offsets, the model predicts that expanded use of biologics for patients with RA from 2012 to 2022 will result in cumulative net cost savings of ARS$2.351 billion in Argentina, R$9.004 billion in Brazil, COP$728.577 billion in Colombia, and MXN$18.02 billion in Mexico; expanded use of biologics for patients with CD from 2013 to 2023 will result in cumulative net cost savings for patients with CD of R$0.082 billion in Brazil, COP$502.74 billion in Colombia, and MXN$1.80 billion in Mexico. Indirect cost offsets associated with expanded biologics use were a key driver in reducing annual per-patient net costs for RA and CD.

Limitations: Future economic projections are limited by the potential variance between projected and actual future values of biologic prices, wages, medical costs, and gross national product for each country.

Conclusions: Increasing biologics use to treat RA and CD may limit cost growth over time by reducing medical and indirect costs. These findings may inform policy decisions regarding biologics use in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico.     

Effect of information quality due accounting regulatory changes: Applied case to Mexican real sector

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether changes in accounting standards improve value relevance of financial information on listed companies in Mexico. The research was conducted for the period 2000–2013 using a sample of 141 companies that report to the Mexican stock exchange using the methodology of panel data. Our findings show that changes in local regulations (generally accepted accounting principles) to internationally approved standards (Financial Reporting Standards and International Financial Reporting Standards) increase the value relevance and therefore the quality of information. The study shows that the accounting information with international Financial Reporting Standards is more trustworthy for foreign and national investors.