Collaborative business models: Aligning and operationalizing alliances

It is not unusual for companies to generate substantial revenue through alliances. However, alliance failure rates are high, leaving much revenue at risk and value unrealized. The big challenge facing managers is to align company interests with alliance interests. Such alignment can only be achieved when executives pay considerable attention to building the right collaborative business model. In this article, we synthesize the insights of the existing literature to arrive at three collaborative business models—sharing, specialization, and allocation—that managers can use to address the specific requirements of their alliances. Because the literature provides limited insight regarding how to operationalize these models, we highlight what managers need to focus on when operationalizing each of these models. We find that the choice for an overall business model is relatively straightforward in most cases but that operationalization of business models requires more complex combinations of management techniques. Finally, we show how the three collaborative business models can be combined to build hybrid models.     

Rethinking managership,leadership, followership,and partnership

Organizations underperform, or fail, when members avoid partnering with managers—whether through subtle resistance, disagreement, protest, or walkout—to achieve common purpose. Managers should boost partnering not by affecting a pretense of leadership but through a nuanced balance of managerial authority and understanding of members’ points of view. The objective of this article is to sharpen attention on the concept of partnership with organization members and how it relates to some of the important previous literature. We also argue that some of the previous scholarly work contributes to misconceptions related to these concepts. Our work is forward-looking in that it is motivated by the dangerous societal and cultural differences evident in the world, differences that surround management’s decisions and that may induce an overuse of authority to quash disquiet. Using our experiences in both industry and academia, we argue that the crucial link between managers and members is leadership—not leadership thought of as directional and inspirational, but leadership as building a relationship toward common purpose through partnership. “Lead” and “leader” are sorely misused terms, and worse, substituting “leader” for “manager” is just plain wrong. We believe that managers become leaders only when followers agree to follow, not when the managers simply step forward energetically with direction. Managers are cheated by mistaken definitions. Reviewing past perspectives about what makes good leaders and managers, we rethink ways to enhance organizational harmony through a clearer understanding of managership, leadership, followership, and partnership. Only by thinking and acting as partners in common purpose can managers and members form the core of success in organizational endeavors.     

中国-欧盟信息通信技术合作的契机与挑战

中国与欧盟在信息与通信领域的科技合作始于20世纪80年代。多年以来,信息通信一直是欧盟直接对华投入最大的科技合作领域。中国与欧盟信息通信技术合作机制不断完善,合作方式日益多样化。中国与欧盟互有需求,法律框架提供了制度保障,合作机制日臻完善,加之中国与欧盟成员国之间有友好合作的基础,种种有利条件使信息通信合作成为中国与欧盟科技合作的重点领域之一并具有很大发展空间。     

The political economy of the Trans-Pacific Partnership: a ‘21st Century’ trade agreement?

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was the first of the ‘Mega-FTAs’ to be signed. Had it been ratified, it would have created the world’s largest preferential trade area. The negotiators of the TPP aspired to create ‘a next-generation transformative agreement’ that would address a new trade agenda focused on regulatory coherence and business facilitation. The expectation was that this agenda would generate a 21st Century trade politics that would be less contentious, at least among business actors, than traditional negotiations on market access. Studies of another Mega-FTA under negotiation, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) that has a similar agenda found unified business support for the agreement domestically and the emergence of transnational business coalitions in support of the agreement. Recent theorising on trade politics suggests, however, that global value chains (GVCs) that involve vertical intra-industry trade introduce ‘traditional’ distributional issues that will divide business interests domestically – and, in the case of GVCs organised on different geographical bases, internationally as well. This cleavage was evident in the TPP negotiations, unlike those for TTIP, as were other divisions among business – both domestically and across countries – over the sharing of existing rents and of new rents generated by regulatory harmonisation.     

敏捷供应链中合作伙伴关系的有效构建

文中定性地对敏捷供应链中合作伙伴关系从发起到建立再到管理的整个过程进行了一个完整的论述.同时,阐述了要成功建立敏捷供应链合作伙伴关系,企业必须遵循的一些基本指导原则和采用高效管理的方式.     

Unlikely Pivotal States in Competitive Free Trade Agreement Diffusion: The Effect of Japan's Trans-Pacific Partnership Participation on Asia-Pacific Regional Integration

How can a state with dysfunctional trade politics spur the negotiation of major free trade agreements (FTAs)? Using the case of Japan's participation in the trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), we develop an analytical framework on FTA diffusion that takes into account multidimensional (economic, legal and political) competitive pressures, and the ability of states to act as pivots in triggering FTA cascades. We disaggregate the makeup of a pivotal state into two main components – capability and credibility – and underscore Japan's significant latent capabilities, but also its serious credibility shortcomings. The TPP's boost to Japan's credibility raised the possibility of significant economic, legal and political externalities for specific countries which responded by accelerating FTA initiatives that had long stalled: the trilateral China–Japan–Korea FTA, a 16-state East Asian FTA and the Japan–European Union trade negotiations. This study extends the theoretical frontier in policy diffusion studies by clarifying the combination of factors that allows some states, but not others, to activate the externalities behind the dissemination of defensive FTAs.     

基于期权博弈的PPP项目特许权期决策模型

运用期权博弈方法,从无政府担保基本情形出发,构建 PPP 项目特许权期决策模型,考量政府参与风险分担对特许权期的影响。结果表明,收益波动率一定的情况下,特许权期随着政府最低收益担保期望价值的增加而减少;而在政府最低收益担保期望价值一定的情况下,特许权期随着收益波动率的增加而增加。鉴此,政府应根据项目的风险收益情况实施弹性特许权期制。     

Governance And The Implementation Of Technology Policy In Less Developed Countries

This study discusses key issues of technology policy in less developed countries from a governance perspective. In particular, it analyzes critical problems of policy implementation and looks for general principles which may be suitable as guideposts in making the state more effective regardless of the particularities of its technology policy. The main argument is that governments need to assume a market-enhancing role and must enhance the state's capabilities and capacities for implementing public policies. Crafting public institutions which ensure accountability, transparency, and predictability of policy making and involve the private sector in political decision-making processes is critical for successful policy implementation. Besides institutional arrangements which help governments to credibly precommit to policies, the quality and institutional design of the public administration and the public-private interface are crucial ingredients of an effective governance structure.     

中国参与区域贸易协定对江苏经贸的影响

中国目前正在规划与建设中的自由贸易区究竟会给江苏经贸带来何种影响?笔者从世界其它成功的自由贸易区入手,阐述了其成功经验,结合江苏经济发展的特色与优势所在,放宽经济发展的视野,为江苏经贸应对区域贸易协定提供借鉴和建议。     

Solidarity Day at Unión Fenosa in Spain

The growing interest organizations have in concepts like social involvement and sustainability has helped unite programs and practices of different natures, mostly in the form of large investments in local communities. But what role can employees play in achieving this corporate aim, and how do these policies affect the way employees see their organization? Unión Fenosa has been a pioneer in the Spanish business community in maintaining corporate social responsibility and the commitment of its employees to these values. An analysis of its Solidarity Day policy shows the perspective of its employees, their motivation, and the relations between them and their company.