Digitalisation,automation and upgrading in global value chains – factory economy actors versus lead companies

This article investigates the differences in the application and impact of digital technologies between manufacturing subsidiaries and lead companies, the principal orchestrators of global automotive value chains. Utilising a dataset of 10 in-depth interviews with automotive industry actors, we analyse headquarters–subsidiary differences in the patterns of digitalisation-driven upgrading. A theoretical framework is offered that explains why the significant upgrading achievements of manufacturing subsidiaries deploying industry 4.0 technologies will not reduce the gap between lead companies and manufacturing subsidiaries in terms of value generation. We show that the concept of ‘industry 4.0’ is much narrower than that of ‘digitalisation’ and transition to smart factories is only part of the digital transformation story. Industry 4.0 technologies contribute to the upgrading of operations, and enable subsidiaries to take on production-related knowledge-intensive assignments (functional upgrading). Conversely, digitalisation serves lead companies’ strategic differentiation efforts, and facilitates achieving competitive advantage: the latter are crucial for value capture.     

自然资源依赖对城乡收入差距的影响研究

［目的］针对全国31个省（市、区）（不含港澳台地区）、自然资源依赖度高的地区和自然资源依赖度低的地区，从整体和分区域研究自然资源依赖对城乡收入差距的影响，探究不同区域其影响程度的差异性，进而为弱化各区域城乡收入差距，解决由城乡收入差距拉大造成的各类社会矛盾具有重要的现实意义。［方法］从理论上分析了自然资源依赖对城乡收入差距的影响，并利用1999—2017年的省级面板数据，运用固定效应模型，从全国和分区域实证分析了自然资源依赖对城乡收入差距的影响。［结果］针对全国，自然资源依赖会拉大城乡收入差距； 分区域结果，针对自然资源依赖度高的地区，自然资源依赖拉大城乡收入差距； 针对自然资源依赖度低的地区，自然资源依赖对城乡收入差距影响不显著。［结论］为缩小城乡收入差距，需要降低经济体对自然资源的依赖，针对自然资源依赖度高的地区，政府通过将部分自然资源收益转化为农业创新基金和农村基础设施投入，促进自然资源收益向农村公共资本转化，完善现有的自然资源收益分配及转化制度； 鼓励资源型产业技术创新，加大研发投入，延长资源产业链； 加大农村教育投入、提升农村人力资本质量。     

The Politics of Inequality as Organised Spectacle: Why the Swiss Do Not Want to Tax the Rich

In 2015, Swiss voters had the opportunity to impose a tax on the super rich in a popular vote and thereby fund a redistributive policy. However, a large majority voted against its seemingly obvious self-interest and rejected the tax. We propose an explanation for this puzzling outcome, bridging the usually separate behavioralist and institutionalist perspectives on the politics of inequality. We start from the observation that political economy tends to neglect processes of preference formation. Theorising preferences as socially constructed, we show that interest groups played a major role in shaping the outcome of the vote. Business frames were multiplied through allied parties and the media and had a major impact on individual voting behaviour. In addition, we demonstrate that interest groups representing business interests derive the content of their communication from business’s structurally privileged position in the capitalist economy. Specifically, creating uncertainty about possible perverse effects of government policies on jobs and growth is a powerful tool to undermine popular support. Frames based on this structural power ultimately explain why the Swiss refrained from ‘soaking the rich.’     

Past,present, and future of green product innovation

Firms are under constant pressure from various governmental and nongovernmental agencies to switch from conventional environmentally polluting products to green product innovations (GPIs). However, the relevant research pertaining to GPI has been published in a diverse set of journals that vary in their scope and readership and, therefore, the scholarly contribution to the topic remains largely fragmented. This study has utilised a systematic literature review approach to examine the literary corpus on GPI to paint a holistic picture of its different aspects. The content and thematic analysis of 85 studies resulted in the extraction of seven key research themes: organisational capabilities, organisational learning, institutional pressures, barriers, structural changes, benefits of GPI, and methodological choices. This study's findings further highlight the various gaps in the GPI literature and raise some research questions that warrant scholarly investigation in the future. Likewise, our study has important implications for practitioners who are likely to benefit from a holistic understanding of the different aspects of GPI. Similarly, policymakers can use this study's findings to introduce policy interventions, especially in countries where GPI adoption is low.     

真实型领导与团队创新绩效: 差错管理氛围与特质调节焦点的作用研究

团队创新是企业获取竞争优势,实现可持续发展的重要保证。差错管理氛围和特质焦点提供了理解团队创新的新视角。研究发现真实型领导通过营造差错管理氛围,对团队创新绩效产生正向影响;团队提升型特质调节焦点在差错管理氛围和团队创新绩效间起到正向调节作用。文章拓展了创新、差错管理氛围以及调节焦点等相关文献,并为提升团队创新绩效提供了管理建议。     

跨行政区域协同创新界面管理研究

研究跨行政区域界面管理问题,对于实现协同目标、提升协同绩效具有重要意义。本文主要研究跨行政区域协同创新界面类型、成因,应对界面障碍策略等问题。结果表明,从协同创新演化及其协同机理来看,跨行政区域主体协同创新界面可以分为内外界面两类;跨行政区域协同创新形成的界面主要有制度、知识、技术、交易、组织和管理等表现形式,起因为界面对应的壁垒。最后提出通过构建协同创新平台来解决跨行政区域协同创新界面障碍的设想,设计了平台形式、结构及其运行机制。     

Home purchase restriction,real estate investment,and corporate innovation

It is ubiquitous for non-real estate firms to conduct real estate business in China. Home purchase restriction (HPR) affects corporate innovation by dampening the real estate investment of non-real estate firms. The extant literature has examined the impact of HPR on corporate innovation, but it has not focused on the expectation of HPR and the endogeneity problem. Employing a dataset of 1830 listed non-real estate firms over the period 2009–2016, this research explores the expectation of HPR on corporate innovation based on the motivations for real estate investment in non-real estate firms. We demonstrate that HPR facilitates the enhancement of research and development (R&D) investment in non-real estate listed firms by hindering real estate investment, particularly for non-high-tech firms. The effects of HPR arrive at the crest in the third implementation year and remain steady thereafter. The real estate investment of non-real estate firms rebounds and the R&D investment declines along with the cancellation of HPR. Tackling the selection bias and endogeneity problems, the baseline results are also robust. Hence, HPR should serve as a long-term vehicle to improving corporate innovation, in addition to preventing housing speculation.     

发展无锡文化创意产业 提升城市文化软实力

无锡作为我国“吴文化”起源地之一,经济实力有目共睹,而文化软实力一直是无锡的弱项。在产业结构优化的背景下,第三产业中的创意产业被证实拉动经济成效显著,因此无锡提升文化软实力,可以从创意产业发展入手,是实现“弯道超车”的有效途径之一。文章研究了无锡城市文化现状与问题,包括历史文化产业发展受阻,经济发展后劲不足;无锡城市文化发展趋“利”少“韵”;创意人才缺少等问题。提出发展无锡文化创意产业,提升城市文化软实力的具体建议:发展创意产业,弥补先天历史文化短板;发展创意文化经济,着眼长期效益;建立创意产业人才引进体系、激励体系与培养体系。     

Unpacking the effect of strategic ambidexterity on performance: A cross-country comparison of MMNEs developing product-service innovation

This study tests whether strategic ambidexterity improves Product-service innovation (PSI) outcomes for manufacturing multinational enterprises (MMNEs). It also tests successful pathways to develop PSI properly by organizing exploitation and exploration activities. Data from a survey of 338 MMNEs are analysed through Structural Equations Modelling. The sample contains firms from five world regions, including emerging economies. This approach enables contrast to determine cross-country heterogeneity in PSI outcomes. The results show that, to maximise firm performance, PSI must be developed through a sequential Exploitation-Exploration pathway. Although this optimal sequence is consistent across all world regions (except Japan), noticeable contextual differences emerge in the relative importance of exploration and exploitation to firm performance. Our findings show that exploitation (i.e., cost efficiency through PSI design) and exploration (i.e., PSI R&D) capabilities are equally important in emerging economies.     

Antecedents of the propensity to learn management practices and their impacts on firm outcomes in emerging markets: A Bayesian Model Averaging approach

This article explores the factors that motivate firms to learn new management practices. The hypotheses are empirically tested using a representative sample of 3676 small, medium and large firms from four South Asian countries and across all main sectors of economic activity. Given that we know little about the antecedents of the propensity to learn management practices in emerging markets, the study employs Bayesian Model Averaging approach to overcome the potential issue of model uncertainty. The results reveal that market competition, resource allocation towards internal and external R&D, good quality mobile network coverage and the use of external certified financial auditors have all positive and significant effects on the propensity to learn management practices. The results also suggest that private intellectual property rights protection in the context of inefficient legal systems can deter firms from learning, perhaps in fear of legal ramifications. Finally, the study shows that firms with a higher propensity of learning management practices are more likely to become profitable while exhibiting higher levels of both potential and actual innovation.