Up- and down- alliances: A systematic literature review

This paper develops a systematic literature review about up- and down- alliances: vertical alliances (VAs) characterized by long term continuity between firms operating in adjacent stages of a value chain. Vertical alliances are a must for firms operating in a complex and unstable world, because they guarantee the advantages deriving from the vertical coordination of the value chain as well as the flexibility of cooperation.In spite of the copious literature on alliances, few contributions focus specifically on VAs, so a clear overview of the phenomenon is missing. Furthermore, the different terminology and definitions found in the literature are confusing. Our systematic literature review identifies the theoretical approaches which are most used to study the development, potential and dynamics of VAs. The review highlights the main theories and the most explored topics, and identifies the gaps still existing in the literature. From the review, we developed a taxonomy to determine which research stream would be most congruent to a specific research topic.     

Upstream social marketing strategy: An integrated marketing communications approach

This article provides an organized approach for managers to develop social marketing strategies that target upstream decision and policy makers. A conceptual application model and five-stage process is presented for an upstream social marketing strategy based on integrated marketing communications (IMC). IMC concepts are described in the context of social marketing, as well as specific stages for creating an IMC social marketing strategy; these include target audience research and determination, channel selection and integration, strategic message creation, and measurement and control. A central and novel feature of the IMC social marketing strategy model is the simultaneous targeting of an upstream decision maker and influential peripheral (upstream) audiences in order to triangulate and increase campaign effectiveness. An IMC approach to upstream social marketing ensures consistent, persuasive messages specifically crafted for the selected target audiences and coordinated through precise channels to maximize impact. This multi-channel, multi-audience approach to message creation and channel selection produces synergies that increase the potential to influence an upstream decision/policy maker.     

我国对美国白羽肉鸡产品反补贴案上游补贴规则的运用与述评

通过对美国肉鸡产品反补贴案法律规则适用情况的分析,发现这是我国商务部借鉴美国上游补贴规则的理论和实践,首次运用上游补贴规则进行补贴利益传递分析并做出肯定性裁决的案件。尽管在我国法律法规没有明文规定上游补贴规则的情况下,我国商务部的这种做法可能存在重大的法律瑕疵,但也表明了我国亟需制定上游补贴规则的紧迫现实。为此,现阶段我国的上游补贴立法和实践应注意投入产品所接受补贴的性质、上游补贴的保护对象、上游补贴的地域性限制及审慎适用等问题。     

The effects of country and industry on implementing value chain cost analysis

This study provides evidence based on data collected from 65 US and 34 Hong Kong companies regarding current implementation of value chain cost analysis. The findings indicate significant differences in cost systems of companies in these two regions under value chain framework. The US manufacturing firms have invested more of their resources in upstream activities than have their Hong Kong counterparts, but this observation did not hold in the service industry. Overall, however, the results support a positive link between the percentages of cost and degrees of cost tracing, particularly for upstream activities, for firms in both regions. Implications of this study in cost management for the US and Hong Kong companies are also discussed.     

Upstream internationalization process: Roles of social capital in creating exploratory capability and market performance

This paper investigates to what extent resource governance of international ventures affects dynamic capability and market performance in the high-tech firms’ internationalization process. We examine the non-equity-based international network collaborations of high-tech firms as forms of strategic resource seeking within the internationalization process. Within the context of upstream technology collaborations by international software and hardware firms, this paper proposes and empirically examines the impact of resource governance mechanisms (i.e. trust-building and behavioral monitoring) on the exploratory capabilities of firms. The findings indicate that building trust in the internationalization process of network ventures contributes to the firm-level exploratory capabilities and, in turn, market performance. Furthermore, this paper tests the moderating effects of structural capital on the capability–performance relationship. The relationship is stronger when network relationships existed before the inception of the international technology alliance. We also find a negative moderating effect from the existence of an actual alliance and from network duration on the relationship between exploratory capability and market performance. To this end, the longevity of the alliance may not always be something firms should aim for. The paper highlights the criticality of relational and structural capital in the internationalization process and the importance of exploratory capability for creating radical innovation in high-tech industries.     

我国对美国白羽肉鸡产品反补贴案上游补贴规则的运用与述评

通过对美国肉鸡产品反补贴案法律规则适用情况的分析,发现这是我国商务部借鉴美国上游补贴规则的理论和实践,首次运用上游补贴规则进行补贴利益传递分析并做出肯定性裁决的案件.尽管在我国法律法规没有明文规定上游补贴规则的情况下,我国商务部的这种做法可能存在重大的法律瑕疵,但也表明了我国亟需制定上游补贴规则的紧迫现实.为此,现阶段...     

Upstream Market Power and Wasteful Retailers*

We provide a novel explanation for the wasteful product disposal by retailers. In our model, after purchasing a quantity of a product from the manufacturer, the retailer exerts a costly effort to sell the product to the final users. The manufacturer’s production cost and the outside opportunity associated with it is private information. We show that, when the manufacturer has the upstream market power, the retailer sells all units purchased from the manufacturer. However, when the retailer has the market power, it might deliberately purchase more than it sells to the final users (thus wasting the unsold amount).     

中国反倾销实施中的产业关联研究:以聚氯乙烯案为例

当反倾销涉案产品是一种中间产品时,反倾销措施不仅对涉案产业自身,而且对其上下游产业也会产生关联性影响。这种关联影响由于涉案产业的国内自给能力、上游产业的进口依赖程度,以及下游产业成本上升情况而有较为复杂的表现。本文以我国聚氯乙烯反倾销案为例,讨论反倾销措施的产业关联影响,评价其有效性。     

欧盟反倾销对我国产业的影响:以焦炭为例

1999年的中欧焦炭案是欧盟对华反倾销案中的一个特例。本文收集了该案发生前后我国焦炭产业及其上下游产业的相关数据,着重分析欧盟反倾销对我国被诉产业及其上下游产业的影响。结果表明:欧盟对我国焦炭实施反倾销的负面影响比较小,同时,基于环保方面的考虑,我国应该对焦炭的出口予以限制。