The persistence of knowledge‐based advantage: an empirical test for product performance and technological knowledge

Resource‐based theory maintains that intrinsic characteristics of resources and capabilities, such as their tacitness, complexity, and specificity, prevent imitation and thereby prolong exceptional performance. There is little direct evidence to verify these claims, yet a substantial literature encourages firms to formulate competitive strategies around resources with these attributes. Further, work outside the resource‐based tradition suggests that these attributes can slow innovation, and it is not clear when this effect outweighs the benefits of inimitability. This paper seeks to clarify whether and how the complexity, tacitness, and specificity of a firm's knowledge affect the persistence of its performance advantages. We find that the complexity and tacitness of technological knowledge are useful for defending a firm's major product improvements from imitation, but not for protecting its minor improvements. The design specificity of technological knowledge delayed imitation of minor improvements in this study. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Keeping Up with the Joneses and the Home Bias

We argue that when individuals care about their consumption relative to that of their neighbours, a home bias emerges, that is investors overweight domestic stocks in their portfolios. Domestic stocks are preferred because they also serve the objective of mimicking the economic fortunes and welfare of the investor's neighbours, countrymen, and social reference group. We also demonstrate that globalization mitigates the home bias, and derive a modified international CAPM.     

The role of perceived product quality and overall satisfaction on purchase intentions

The study investigated the effects of perceived product quality and overall satisfaction on purchase intentions. Moreover, the direct and indirect effects of values and involvement on purchase intentions were studied. The study utilized the survey questionnaire and used sport shoes as the product being researched. The sample consisted of 197 students who responded to an anonymous questionnaire. Five hypotheses were tested and four of them were confirmed by the data. Perceived quality had a direct and an indirect effect (through overall satisfaction) on purchase intentions, overall satisfaction had a direct effect on purchase intentions and involvement had an indirect effect on purchase intentions through overall satisfaction and perceived quality. The results of the study provide several theoretical and practical implications.     

The relationship between governance structure and risk management approaches in Japanese venture capital firms

This paper attempts to understand what drives Japanese venture capital (JVC) fund managers to select either active managerial monitoring or portfolio diversification to manage their firms' investment risks [J. Bus. Venturing 4 (1989) 231]. Unlike U.S. venture capitalists that use active managerial monitoring to gain private information in order to maximize returns [J. Finance 50 (1995) 301], JVCs have traditionally used portfolio diversification to attenuate investment risks [Hamada, Y., 2001. Nihon no Bencha Kyapitaru no Genkyo (Current State of Japanese Venture Capital), Nihon Bencha Gakkai VC Seminar, May 7]. We found that performance pay is positively related to active monitoring and that management ownership is positively related to active monitoring and negatively related to portfolio diversification. The managerial implication of our study is that venture capitalists should be as concerned about the structure of their incentive systems for their fund managers as they are for their investee-firm entrepreneurs. Agency theory says that contingent compensation is a self-governing mechanism for individual effort that is difficult to measure and verify. When properly applied, equity ownership and performance-based pay can have powerful influencing effects on the strategic choices of managers.     

Tacit meaning in disguise: Hidden metaphors in new product development and market making

This article explores the role of metaphor in product development processes and market making. Based on a sociocognitive perspective of innovation dynamics and required learning by market actors, the potential of metaphors for mental model development during new product development (NPD) processes is investigated. Three roles for metaphors as cognitive focusing devices for the co-evolution of producers' and consumers' mental models are inferred: mental model communication, mental model matching, and mental model creation. These roles are illustrated by examples that reinforce the need for creativity in applying metaphors as cognitive focusing devices in NPD and market making.     

基于价值网理论的铁路多元经营物流企业经营模式研究

介绍价值网的概念及应用情况,探讨铁路多经物流企业构建及实施价值网经营模式的必要性和可行性,构建了铁路多经物流企业的价值网经营模式,为探索铁路多经物流企业的发展模式提供一种选择方式。     

浅析石油化工项目产品市场分析

市场分析是项目前期的重要工作之一，目前尚未赢得人们足够的重视。国外的投资咨询公司对石油化工项目的产品市场分析有其一套比较完整的操作程序和评估体系，以BOPP为案例介绍了市场分析的思路和方法，并且指出市场分析作为一种新的理念，必须进一步深化和细化，逐步加以完善。     

基于我国彩电企业多元化战略的实证研究

文章从实证的角度，对我国彩电企业多元化发展战略与公司绩效之间的相关性进行研究，结果显示，企业总体多元化程度与资产回报率、销售利润率和净资产回报率的相关系数为负值，即多元化程度越高的彩电企业，其公司绩效越差。针对目前我国彩电企业盲目实施多元化战略的误区，文章提出了相关对策及建议。     

辽宁省农产品市场流通体系建设现状及对策

该文系统分析了辽宁省农产品市场流通体系建设的基本情况,明确了存在的主要问题,提出了今后一个时期的发展思路和对策:一是提升批发市场的功能与档次,二是建立新型农产品零售网络,三是大力发展农产品物流,四是构建农产品流通的组织体系,五是完善农产品交易方式,六是推进市场管理的规范化、法治化和制度化。     

An empirical investigation of firm public and private knowledge

Many studies examine firm private knowledge, but purport to be generalizable to the totality of firm knowledge, both public and private. This study demonstrates that public and private firm knowledge are empirically separable constructs that have significant and yet different influences on innovative outcomes. The example of product development effectiveness within this study shows that both public and private knowledge are significantly related to product development quality; however, public knowledge is negatively related to quality lapses while private knowledge is positively related to quality lapses. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.