Entrepreneurial Ecosystems as Amplifiers of the Lean Startup Philosophy: Management Control Practices in Earliest-Stage Startups*

Entrepreneurial ecosystems play a key role in the development of startups not only by providing support—such as flexible office space and access to skilled employees, mentors, and investors—but moreover by promoting concrete ideals about “good” entrepreneurship. However, we know less about the role that ecosystems play in managerial practices of startups. In our empirical analysis of management control systems (MCSs) in earliest-stage startups, we witness a strong influence of entrepreneurial ideals—above all, the Lean Startup philosophy—on the MCSs analyzed. Building on cross-sectional field study data resulting from a comprehensive field-immersion strategy and 50 interviews with key actors in an entrepreneurial ecosystem as well as with founder-managers of startups, we consider the entrepreneurial ecosystem as a collective meso-level community that mediates between macro-level institutional pressures and micro-level practices of startups. We show how this community, through a variety of what we term amplifying mechanisms, actively deinstitutionalizes a legacy entrepreneurial philosophy epitomized by the business plan concept. At the same time, the community propagates the Lean Startup philosophy so that this alternative has become the dominant institutional philosophy in the studied ecosystem and its startups. Due to the amplifying mechanisms exerted by the meso level, startups use MCSs that play a crucial role in the rapid experimentation and learning process toward finding a scalable business model that is characteristic of the Lean Startup philosophy. We highlight that this philosophy of scientific experimentation has, to a significant degree, transformed intuitive entrepreneurial processes into a set of transactions that can be steered and accelerated by MCSs.     

Can blockchain technology be effectively integrated into the real economy? Evidence from corporate investment efficiency

As a highly disruptive digital technology, blockchain provides new solutions for reshaping corporate governance mechanisms and improving resource allocation. We empirically examine the relationship between blockchain and corporate investment inefficiency. We find that blockchain can help improve corporate investment efficiency, and this result is valid after a series of robustness tests. Blockchain can not only significantly restrain overinvestment but also alleviate underinvestment. Reducing financing costs and alleviating agency conflicts are the two channels through which blockchain is associated with corporate investment efficiency, and financial reporting quality is the condition on which the channels depend. When the CEO holds few shares or the trade credit environment in the region where the company is located is poor, the effect of blockchain is more prominent than it is otherwise. Investment efficiency cannot be improved by blockchain for companies providing blockchain products or services to customers, only for those promoting their own operations and management with blockchain. Ultimately, blockchain can enhance companies’ value by alleviating inefficient investment. We reveal the role of blockchain in corporate investment efficiency, furnish microeconomic evidence for the integration of digital technology and the real economy and provide implications for China to promote digital technology to drive high-quality company development.     

Changes in the market structure and risk management of Bitcoin and its forked coins

Inconsistency of consensus results in blockchain forks, which create a new financial risk. After filtering out Bitcoin’s linear, nonlinear, and lag impacts on forked coins, this study employs a bottom-up hierarchical clustering algorithm to examine the logarithmic return series for Bitcoin and its 14 forked coins from 2018 to 2021. The results indicate that the market for forked coins can be divided into three clusters: SegWit-supported forked coins, mature forked coins, and the latest forked coins. Bitcoin and the mature forked coins form a cluster, and its performance is superior to others. Although Bitcoin’s return significantly affects that of its forked coins, it does not affect the market structure. Furthermore, this study provides references for risk aversion among investors in forked coins and presents macro-level information for cryptocurrency market authorities.     

从企业创新系统到创新生态系统：创新系统研究的演变及其比较

创新的系统范式是技术创新研究的核心内容。从发展观看,它经历了企业创新系统、国家创新系统、区域创新系统、产业创新系统、创新生态系统等五个阶段,这些系统范式既相互联系,又相互区别。通过对其进行比较和分析,包括对国家创新系统、区域创新系统与产业创新系统之间的比较,以及创新生态系统与创新系统的比较,一方面,可以让人们能更好地识别它们,把握每种范式的本质特征;另一方面,可以更清楚地了解目前的研究现状和不足之处,以确定未来的研究方向。     

国土空间规划背景下市县生态保护重要性 评价实践探索——以武汉市江夏区为例

开展生态保护重要性评价，从空间上明确生态保 护的重要区域是生态保护政策落实的关键。“双评价”指南 中的生态保护重要性评价主要针对省级尺度，缺乏市县尺度 的修正和细化方法。以武汉市江夏区为例，探索了国土空间 规划背景下市县生态保护重要性评价方法：基于江夏区地域 特征，选择水土保持、水源涵养、生物多样性维护、水土流 失敏感性和内涝风险构建评价指标体系；从“物种”维度优 化生物多样性维护评价方法并利用InfoWorks ICM水动力 模型探索内涝风险评价方法；综合单项评价结果得到初判结 果；结合政策性生态保护线、自然保护地和重要自然要素修 正初判结果。结果表明：江夏区生态保护极重要、重要空 间面积分别为565和220km2 ，占区域总面积的34.2%和 13.3%。     

创新生态系统构建促进资源型地区高质量发展的机制——基于组态分析视角

伴随着新发展理念的深入落实,各地区加快了实施创新驱动战略及建设创新生态的步伐。尤其对于资源型地区而言,面临着资源与环境的双重约束和严重的“体制阻变效应”,亟需借助创新生态战略政策突破资源锁定效应,走上高质量发展之路。基于MLP(multi-level perspectives)视角,从创新利基、创新体制和创新景观三个层面构建区域创新生态系统影响资源型区域高质量发展的理论模型,以全国26个资源型地区为案例,运用fsQCA与NCA方法分析创新生态系统多重因素影响资源型地区经济高质量发展的复杂的因果机制。研究发现存在三条驱动资源型地区高质量发展的路径：创新利基驱动发展转型、体制机制驱动转型和创新环境驱动转型。存在四条引致资源型地区非高质量发展的路径：整体要素贫乏型、资源—政策抑制型、资源—政策—产业规制抑制型和资源—环境缺失型。创新主体对资源型地区高质量发展发挥着普适作用,政策驱动是促进资源型地区高质量发展的重要动力。基础设施与创新环境需要与其他条件发挥协同作用才能达到较好的效果。研究结论对揭示资源型地区高质量发展的多元化路径具有重要的理论与实践意义。     

组态视角下商业银行数字化转型路径研究 ——基于创新生态系统的联动效应分析

在数据成为现实生产要素,数字技术与传统产业创新融合的大背景下,商业银行的数字化转型也日益受到学界和政界的关注。为合理匹配问题与方法,基于创新生态系统理论,运用模糊集定性比较分析(fsQCA)和NCA必要性检验方法,以29家上市银行(截至2018年底)为样本,根据国资委依据团体标准T/AIITRE 10001—2020《数字化转型参考架构》所确定的数字化转型六大新型能力及其所对应的创新生态要素,探析创新生态要素组态耦合效应对商业银行数字化转型质量的影响路径及背后的复杂因果机制。结果发现：(1) 主体能力(数字人才)、载体能力(数字渠道)、过程能力(数字组织)、对象能力(数字市场)、合作能力(数字伙伴)、技术能力(数字技术)均不是单独产生商业银行高数字化转型质量的必要条件；(2)存在3条驱动商业银行高数字化转型质量的模式：“渠道+组织”双轮驱动的点轴发展模式、“市场+伙伴”要素聚合的多极网络模式、“人才+技术”双重挖潜的业务极核模式；(3)存在4条驱动商业银行非高数字化转型质量的路径,根据核心驱动因素将其归纳为“渠道+技术”抑制型和“渠道+伙伴”抑制型两种类型。本文从创新生态系统组态视角审视商业银行“数字+”转型路径,使用QCA方法“由果溯因”的探究创业生态要素的协同耦合对于商业银行数字化转型质量的影响路径,研究发现对揭示商业银行数字化转型的多重实现路径具有重要理论与现实意义。启发商业银行基于创新生态在数字经济时代对自身重新定位并基于禀赋优势探索更具生命力和适应性的数字化转型路径,为商业银行数字化转型提供路径对标和政策建议。     

健康度视角下区域技术创新生态系统的进化与提升路径——京津冀与长三角的实证研究北大核心

“双循环”新发展格局下,打造科技创新环境,建立健康的区域技术创新生态系统有利于提升国家创新软实力。本文在“高技术企业-高校-科研机构”三螺旋结构下,对正交投影法进行优化,运用Sigmoid函数进行数据归一化,采用考虑跨期的熵权法,对京津冀及长三角地区的技术创新生态系统健康度进行研究,计算其进化动量。结果表明:京津冀及长三角地区的技术创新生态系统健康水平存在较大提升空间,安徽、河北、天津仍处于非健康状态;从进化动量看,京津冀地区技术创新生态系统的健康状况与长三角地区的差距有扩大趋势。因此,文章提出以下建议:优化区域技术创新组织结构,强化企业创新主体地位,积极投入创新资源。     

湖南省洞庭湖生态经济区生态保护与修复重点区域的识别研究

提高湖南省洞庭湖生态经济区的生态系统环境承载力，对于维护生态安全具有重要意义。选用空间形态学方法（MSPA）、生态系统服务重要性评价和电路理论模型，判别生态保护修复重点区域。研究表明：生态保护重点区域共识别生态源地17742.35km2，廊道121条，长579.73km；生态修复重点区域共识别夹点42个，障碍点29个，生态系统服务功能低值区面积4044.46km2；基于生态保护修复重点区域的生态现状，制定针对性生态保护修复策略，为研究区开展生态保护修复工作提供理论依据。     

区块链+农村金融：优势、应用与挑战

区块链技术具有去中心化、分布式账本、公开透明及智能化合约等技术特点,与金融领域存在较高契合度。通过对既有文献的梳理,发现区块链技术将从完善农村征信体系、缓解信息不对称、防范金融风险、助力普惠金融四个方面助力农村金融发展。目前区块链技术已在农村农业供应链金融、农业保险、支付结算与征信业务得到初步应用并取得不错的成果,但进一步加强区块链技术在农村金融产品中的应用还面临技术、安全、组织与法律监管四个方面的挑战。针对上述问题,本文从数字乡村建设、人才队伍建设、部门沟通协调机制与法制建设四个方面提出相关建议,以期对深入推进“区块链+农村金融”提供一定参考。