Competitive advantages of franchising firms and the moderating role of organizational characteristics: Evidence from the restaurant industry

This study investigates the effects of a firm’s involvement in franchising on efficiency and differentiation as defined in Porter’s generic competitive strategy framework. The study further examines the moderating effects of organizational characteristics (prior experience in franchising and business type) on the relationship between franchising and efficiency and between franchising and differentiation. Results indicate that as a firm increases its involvement in franchising, differentiation increases, but efficiency does not. Furthermore, prior experience enhances the effects of franchising on efficiency and differentiation, while business type only enhances effects on differentiation. The findings suggest that as an interconnected governance structure, franchising offers benefits to franchisors by helping them develop competitive advantages and outperform their competitors in the market. By discovering the detailed channels through which hospitality firms could achieve business success, this study contributes to existing literature on franchising and hospitality management and provides guidance for industry practitioners.     

Online entrepreneurial communication: Mitigating uncertainty and increasing differentiation via Twitter

Research shows that some narratives and symbolic actions produced by entrepreneurial firms can help to reduce audience uncertainty about their quality and differentiate them from rivals. But can communications via online social media channels – which we characterize as “communicative streams” – be used to reduce uncertainty and enhance differentiation? This seems debatable, given that such streams comprise multiple, brief messages (a) that encode signals lacking narrative cohesion; (b) are only fleetingly accessible; and (c) are minimally customized. We address this puzzle using qualitative methods to compare the communications enacted by eight firms that are using Twitter in order to pursue growth. Our theoretical contribution rests in positing links between specific types of communicative streams and audience responses that reflect reduced uncertainty or enhanced differentiation. Our analysis suggests that firms enacting a “Multi-dimensional” communicative stream (which entails a high volume of posts, a high proportion of which signal quality, relational orientation, distinctiveness, and positive affect) are most likely to elicit audience affirmation of firms' quality and/or distinctiveness. Implications for theory, research methods and practice are discussed.     

Activity outsourcing and competitive strategy in the hotel industry. The moderator role of asset specificity

This paper analyzes hotel outsourcing from the perspective of the competitive strategy and asset specificity. A comprehensive model is developed to establish the relationships among the competitive strategy (cost leadership and differentiation strategies), asset specificity and activity outsourcing. Asset specificity is used as a moderator variable in the relationship between the competitive strategy and activity outsourcing. A specificity-outsourcing matrix is developed to classify the activities by their level of asset specificity and outsourcing. The main hotel activities are investigated in a representative sample of hotels in Taiwan. The findings indicate that the cost leadership strategy positively and partially influences outsourcing, while the differentiation strategy has a negative impact on outsourcing an activity. The results confirm the negative relationship between asset specificity and the level of activity outsourcing. Moreover, they show that asset specificity positively moderates the relationship between the competitive strategy and outsourcing.     

Effects of internal resources on airline competitiveness

This article examines the performances of 114 major international airlines between 1987 and 2010 using the resource-based theory. Results show that intangible resource is the most important resource among the human, physical and intangible resources at the aggregate industry level. In addition, successful airlines need to be able to provide an adequate level of service at relatively low cost. Nonetheless, some airlines enjoy higher profits than the others due to the country-specific differences arising from the bilateral open skies agreement between countries, the geographical location of the airline hub etc. There are also evidences suggesting an increasing consumer acceptance of new airlines, which connote that established airlines cannot be complacent. Following the emergence of budget airlines that provide point-to-point service to short distance destinations, full legacy carriers could differentiate themselves by offering direct connections on long-distant flights.     

Location strategies of multiunit service businesses: spatial differentiation and agglomeration among hamburger restaurants in Paris, 1984–2004

In this article, we study how multiunit service businesses locate their units, choosing between two opposite spatial strategies. Whereas, locating one’s units close to competitors’ brings positive agglomeration externalities, locating one’s units far away from others’ allows local monopolies through spatial differentiation. We examine location strategies of the two biggest hamburger restaurant chains—namely McDonald’s and Quick—in Paris between 1984 and 2004. Results show that competitive standings impact locational strategy choices. The market leader favors spatial differentiation, thus preempting premium locations. Conversely, the challenger favors locations close to the leader, thus aiming at agglomeration externalities.

基于垂直产品差异的技术转移分析

为了揭示跨国厂商的技术转移与东道国环境之间的关系,本文利用垂直产品差异模型分析了FDI途径下跨国厂商的技术转移策略及其对本土厂商的技术水平、利润和东道国福利所产生的影响。研究结果表明,东道国环境决定了跨国厂商的最佳转移水平,该最佳水平与跨国厂商掌握的最高技术水平间的差距决定了所转移技术的核心程度;本土厂商利用转移技术提升自身技术水平的激励随着东道国收入水平和市场竞争程度递增;跨国厂商的进入对本土厂商利润的影响包括合作效应(增加利润)和竞争效应(减少利润),只有当合作效应大于竞争效应时才能提升本土厂商利润;无论何种情况下,技术转移总是有利于东道国消费者,如果利润影响中的合作效应大于竞争效应,则会提升东道国整体福利,否则,对东道国福利的影响是不确定的。     

手机银行差异化发展策略浅议

手机银行越来越成为改变金融业竞争格局的新型服务渠道。同时也是现代商业银行应对竞争的一种必然选择。随着我国金融业开放程度进一步扩大,中外银行在新业务领域的竞争将更加激烈。因此,银行业大力发展手机银行,应该迎接个性化、多元化、国际化等各个方面的挑战,走差异化路线。本文结合实际,提出了手机银行差异化发展的五个可行方向,试图提高手机银行业务对客户的吸引力。     

城市居住空间分异与群体隔阂——对失地农民城市居住问题与对策的思考

对失地农民的集中安置模式虽然能够高效地推进安置工作,但其所引发的居住空间分异,却带来了城市内部新的"城乡"分裂以及城市居民与失地农民之间新的隔阂.作为一种解决方案,"大混居、小聚居"的安置模式既能促进失地农民社会网络的再构与生长,又能促使各群体共同生活背景的形成,加快失地农民的城市化进程.     

Product Differentiation,Industry Concentration and Market Share Turbulence

Building on the current theory of industrial concentration, we analyze the relation between market size and product differentiation, and show how product differentiation impacts market share turbulence. We first propose that in markets where vertical product differentiation dominates, firms will have an incentive to escalate investment in advertising and/or R&D as market size increases. Secondly, such (firm‐specific) investments will make competitive advantage more sustainable as the firm is less imitable. This will not be the case if the market is primarily characterized by homogeneous products or horizontal product differentiation. Our predictions are tested using an original EU dataset for 1987 and 1997. Our results strongly support our predictions – the degree of market share turbulence increases with market size. However, this relation is weakened by competitive investment in advertising and R&D.     

Leapfrogging in a Vertical Product Differentiation Model

The model considers a two-period duopoly game where in the first period the leader produces a good with a given quality and the other firm can only imitate it. It is the Stackelberg case where, in addition, the leader has the choice of the quality of the good and the imitation is costly, but not prohibitively so. Under this assumption quantities and profits in terms of the quality are derived as subgame perfect equilibrium. In the second period there exists the possibility for the leader and/or the follower to make an investment. The outcome of this is uncertain: it could either be the case that a good of better quality can be introduced, or that a cost-reduction in producing the existing good is attained. The former case is a product innovation, whereas the latter case is a process innovation. By solving the game backwards as a function of the quality of the first period, there exists the possibility of an equilibrium where the follower chooses to invest and the leader does not invest .