Forecasting Threats and Opportunities for Foreign Innovators in China's Strategic Emerging Industries: A Policy‐Based Analysis

This article reviews over 50 recent Chinese policies designated to develop China's “strategic emerging industries” (SEIs), and conducts interviews with foreign firms and Chinese government officials to identify the most significant threats and opportunities for foreign innovators in these industries. Threats identified include initiatives to stimulate the market primarily in the interest of Chinese firms, cultivate “indigenous” intellectual property (IP) rights, and create national champions in specific SEIs. Opportunities include using certain strategies to tap into monetary stimuli for SEIs and supporting industries, benefits from further regionalization and optimization of industrial bases, direct benefits and spillovers from improved IP protection and management, and potential opportunities from increased mergers and acquisitions (M&As) by Chinese firms. These findings should be contextualized with the knowledge that not all aspects of the SEIs’ initiative are “new,” current Chinese industrial policy does not only target seven SEIs, and SEI policies may not all work exactly as intended. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

产业外移与研发集聚--工资成本上升及其“对冲”效应分析

“中心－外围”说是经济地理与区域经济学的“要核”，经济活动的集聚会推高本地工资水平而出现产业外移的“离心力”。本文研究发现知识外溢和市场潜力可强化本地的产业“向心力”，惠及并吸纳相对倚重知识、信息和市场氛围的研发活动（产业）。这两种力的“对冲”效应及其消长得到了国内相关区域数据的证实，较好地解释了国内外普遍发生的产业外移和研发集聚现象，对我国优化区域产业布局、推动经济转型升级具有重要的战略意义和政策启示。     

Blockchain technology for creative industries: Current state and research opportunities

Blockchain based NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and smart contracts provide creative industries with exciting opportunities. While they have created a great deal of frenzy in markets, in the frenzy there emerges real value for the industries. Traditionally, creators in the creative industries often need to rely on powerful intermediaries to distribute and profit from their creations. NFT and smart contracts provide creators much closer access to content consumers/buyers. Along this line of thought, this article provides marketing researchers with an overview of the unfolding adoption of NFTs and smart contracts in creative industries. We start by pointing out the market frictions and consequent “transaction costs” that creators face traditionally when distributing their creative content to consumers/buyers. Then, we present the basic ideas of smart contracts and NFTs, discussing how they can transform the market by reducing these transaction costs. Meanwhile, we point out limitations and challenges that creators, buyers, and marketplaces might face in the adoption of NFTs and smart contracts. Finally, we raise an abundance of unexplored research questions interesting to both marketing researchers and practitioners.     

中国与“一带一路”沿线国家与地区机电产品贸易强度动态变化及其影响因素研究

“一带一路”倡议的提出和实施为中国与“一带一路”沿线国家与地区间机电贸易合作提供了新机遇。基于“一带一路”沿线60个国家与地区2010—2018年机电产品贸易数据,使用改进的双边显示性贸易偏好指数测度中国同“一带一路”沿线国家与地区机电产品贸易强度的动态变化,并采用扩展引力模型检验其主要影响因素。研究结果表明:中国同“一带一路”沿线国家与地区的机电产品贸易强度日益增加,且出口强度高于进口强度,周边邻国高于其他国家;技术差距、“一带一路”沿线国家与地区的市场需求、外贸开放度、政府规模、地缘优势等因素可以显著促进中国同“一带一路”沿线国家与地区双边机电产品贸易强度。     

互联网发展、流通专业化与居民消费扩张

探究居民消费扩张的影响因素对于理解"双循环"战略布局具有重要的理论意义和现实紧迫性。文章从供给侧视角出发,分析互联网发展对于居民消费的影响,并分析传统供需体系的中间环节——流通产业的发展水平对于二者关系的调节作用。研究结论表明,互联网对于居民消费具有显著的正向促进作用,其中,以"互联网通过增加商品供应的多样性推动居民消费"的直接效应最为明显,还存在"通过降低价格水平促进消费"的价格间接效应以及"通过增加企业吸引力从而推动当地消费水平提升"的收入间接效应。同时,研究发现本地流通业专业化水平对于互联网的居民消费扩张作用主要表现为负向调节效应,这一定程度上反映出传统产业与新兴产业在双向融合过程中的转型阵痛。研究进一步指出,互联网的发展显著降低了地区之间消费不平等的问题,互联网普及率提高对于中部地区和西部地区的经济拉动最为显著。因此,要重视互联网等现代信息技术因素在推动消费市场扩张中的作用,尤其是欠发达地区要充分把握"新基建"的发展机遇,弥补本地传统流通体系阻塞的劣势。     

The opportunity not taken: The occupational identity of entrepreneurs in contexts of poverty

Innovative entrepreneurship is an essential but often missing outcome of poverty alleviation efforts. This qualitative study set in rural Ghana explores the occupational identity of entrepreneurs, the institutions that shape it in isolated “island networks”, and how it influences entrepreneurs' practices and decisions. We find that the institutional forces of “collectivism” and “fatalism” feature prominently. Being an entrepreneur in such settings means being a mentor, market link, and community safety net, and the types of opportunities entrepreneurs pursue are largely seen as pre-destined and inherited rather than individually chosen. As a result, the pursuit of innovative opportunities may be significantly limited.     

Industry environments and new venture formations in U.S. manufacturing: A conceptual and empirical analysis of demand determinants

Through integration of theoretical perspectives from Austrian economics, industrial organization economics, and organizational theory, this study builds and examines empirically a model of the demand determinants of new venture formations in manufacturing industries. Austrian economics and other writings on market disequilibrium imply that the dynamics of industries create market opportunities that are available to economic actors. The greater the changes occurring in an industry, the greater the opportunities created, and the further the market is moved from an equilibrium state. Entrepreneurship is viewed as the process of seizing opportunities through combinations of productive inputs. The more available market opportunities in an industry, the greater is the potential for entrepreneurial activity and, more specifically, new venture formations. Entry barriers constrain the formation of new ventures by prohibiting new ventures from taking advantage of available emerging opportunities. The inertial properties of existing firms constrain their ability to move toward these opportunities and thereby increase the potential for new ventures to exploit these market opportunities.The empirical analysis utilizes the Small Business Administration's U.S. Establishment and Enterprise Microdata file to test the model on a large sample of U.S. manufacturing industries. Results indicate that dynamic industries have greater new venture formations. More specifically, new venture formations are associated with industry growth, the dynamism of industry niches, and technological development. Moreover, entry barriers were found to strongly constrain rates of new venture formations. Industry capital requirements, concentration, and excess capacity were all related negatively to the formation of new ventures. The hypothesized positive relationship between industry-level measures of organizational inertia and new venture formations was also borne out in the empirical analysis. New venture formations were related positively to the extent of vertical integration in an industry as well as to the failure of incumbent firms to invest in new capital.Overall, the independent variables explained more than 50% of the variance in rates of new venture formations in manufacturing industries. The results support an Austrian perspective on entrepreneurship and imply that demand factors and industry structural variables are important determinants of new venture creations.The results imply that dynamic industries should spawn new ventures, and industries with high sales growth, changing consumer preferences, and rapid technological change should exhibit high rates of venture formations. For potential entrepreneurs, the model presented herein might be a useful guide to focus their venture activities. Entrepreneurs who can spot the fundamental sources of market change can exploit their knowledge for economic gain. Yet, there are a number of difficulties in suggesting that the model presented herein could be directly applied by entrepreneurs. First, it is always easier to estimate the dynamics of an industry post hoc than it is ex ante. For example, whereas it is simple to catalogue the technological change that occurred in an industry over time, it is another matter to predict the nature of future technological developments. Second, entrepreneurial opportunity can persist only if other potential economic actors do not know of the presence of the opportunity or cannot act upon it. Any model that gains acceptance as a means of predicting the presence of opportunities would, through its widespread usage, neutralize those opportunities for economic profit. Nonetheless, entrepreneurs who have that unique capability to spot industry dynamics and associated profit opportunities where others do not will gain from that ability.     

民营企业进入战略性新兴产业的瓶颈与路径

战略性新兴产业作为推动国民经济发展的重要驱动力之一,具备市场需求前景广、资源能耗低、带动系数大、就业机会多、预期收益高的特征。民营企业是我国经济的重要市场主体,介入战略性新兴产业具有重大的战略意义。但不可否认的是,创新型人才匮乏、高强度资金投入短缺、关键核心技术缺乏、投融资渠道不畅等支撑体系不健全阻碍了民营企业进入战略性新兴产业的步伐。为有效解决民营企业进入战略性新兴产业的瓶颈,文章提出了投融资参股、自主发展、借机转型以及“政产学研”一体化四条可供民营企业选择的发展路径。      

Interpersonal Social Networks and Internationalization of Traditional SMEs

This study aims to understand the role of interpersonal social networks in the international strategies of “traditional SMEs,” namely small firms that are “born local” and that operate in low‐tech and non‐knowledge‐intensive industries. Specifically, building on the social capital approach and the international entrepreneurship literature, this study investigates how the structure and the content of interpersonal social networks affect both the activities of exploration/exploitation of opportunities abroad, as well as the path and the performance of the internationalization processes in the pre‐entry and post‐entry phases. Results show the dynamics of internationalization as a “social embedded” endeavor, by highlighting heuristics and path‐dependent phenomena connected to the features of the interpersonal social networks. Findings contribute to the literature as to the decision‐making processes, the role of trust, and the possible negative effects generated by the structure and the content of the interpersonal social networks, including the market withdrawals.     

Development aid and employment in the Federal Republic of Germany

The discussion on an increase of development aid is overshadowed by uneasiness about job opportunities at home. Against the demands for a sizeable increase of development aid funds it is often argued that such aid draws purchasing power away from the internal market if it is not tied to deliveries by the Federal Republic of Germany. Recent data show however that, since these “ties” were largely abolished in 1973, most funds allocated to development aid have still been flowing back into the Federal Republic in the shape of export orders.     

中国钢铁市场过热问题的几点思考

从历史的发展角度看 ,钢铁行业受经济周期影响最为明显 ,基本保持与GDP同步的方向 ,有时甚至超前于经济周期的变动。通过建立一套模型 ,从中找出了GDP与钢铁需求量的关系 ,进而得出中国钢铁市场是否过热以及这种过热与整体经济的关系。     

Market entry into Africa: Acquisitions and international joint ventures. Studies of foreign firms' market entry strategies,challenges, and performance in Africa

While the interest in investing in Africa is rising, the know‐how of business on the continent is very limited. There have been only recently few special issues focusing on sub‐Saharan Africa in the top international business journals: “Sub‐Saharan Africa at a key inflection point” (Thunderbird International Business Review 2009); “Contemporary developments in the management of human resources in Africa” (Journal of World Business 2011); “Contemporary challenges and opportunities of doing business in Africa” (Journal of Technological Forecasting and Social Change 2016); “Critical perspectives on international business in Africa (Critical Perspectives on International Business 2016); “Strategic Management in Africa (Global Strategy Journal, 2017); and “The internationalization of African firms (Thunderbird International Business Review 2016). The aim of this special issue is to advance understanding of international business in Africa and specifically focus on how foreign firms enter African markets via acquisitions and international joint ventures and extend knowledge of these market entry strategies and performance in Africa for research and for foreign firms intending to, or currently doing business in Africa. This guest editorial provides a summary of the five articles and one book review in this special issue categorized into three broad thematic issues: International joint ventures and acquisitions as market entry strategies in Africa; cross‐border investments of African firms; and theoretical underpinnings.     

Sowing the seeds of failure: Organizational identity dynamics in new venture pivoting

New ventures in nascent markets often pivot while still developing their organizational identity. A strong identity helps attract investors and employees and pivoting helps pursue new opportunities. How do they interact? To illuminate this process, we conduct an in-depth longitudinal field study of a new venture developing a technology to transform Internet websites for mobile devices. The venture completes a first pivot but fails during a second attempted pivot of its business model in the nascent market. Comparing the completed and the attempted pivot, our analysis suggests that new venture pivoting relies on the ability to crystallize the individual roles of organizational members (“what we do”) in line with organizational identity (“who we are”). Our findings shed light on stakeholder constraints on pivoting by scaling new ventures through the micro-mechanism of role crystallization. Our analysis also delineates the inter-temporal effects of lingering organizational identity, thereby advancing research on the organizational identity dynamics of new ventures.     

The entry‐mode decision of Chinese outward FDI: Firm resources,industry conditions,and institutional forces

How do Chinese firms make their entry‐mode decision for their outward investments? Based on the three theoretical perspectives that balance the “strategy tripod,” our study conducted empirical tests using survey data collected from outward‐investing Chinese firms. We found that the cost advantage of the investing firm and learning opportunities in the host industry have positive effects on the likelihood of a Chinese firm opting for wholly owned subsidiary against joint‐venture entry mode, while the market attractiveness of the host industry, host‐country restrictions, cultural barriers, and cognitive pressures have negative effects. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Ownership Differences,Auditor Reputation,and Debt Financing: Evidence from China

This research examines whether “the paradox of auditor reputation” exists in China’s private debt market. Two types of hypotheses are developed to explain the “paradox” in terms of ownership differences. Our findings suggest: (1) by retaining big name auditors, non-state-owned enterprises (non-SOEs) significantly reduce the cost of debt and lower financial constraints; (2) For the non-SOEs, the effect of auditor reputation on the cost of debt and financial constraints declines over time due to the accumulation of these firms’ own reputation; (3) SOEs are more sensitive to the interest rate of bank loans than their counterparts, implying their stronger bargaining power when negotiating with potential creditors than non-SOEs due to their government connections. However, SOEs’ government connections weaken the informational role of auditors and firm reputation on signaling debt market; and (4) Corporate governance is taken into consideration by creditors as an important indicator of solvency. Further investigation demonstrates that after controlling for firm size, operating cash flow, profitability and leverage ratio, the possibility of hiring big name auditors by the younger and median-aged group of non-SOEs is considerably higher than “elder” non-SOEs. Moreover, poor-performing SOEs have greater incentives to make use of their government connections in their bargaining for lower debt cost, as compared with their well-performing peers.     

The relationship between arbitrage in futures and spot markets and Bitcoin price movements: Evidence from the Bitcoin markets

We examine how investors arbitrage the Bitcoin spot and futures markets. Using intraday data of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, we reconstruct the actual arbitrage condition that investors confront. We find that there are few arbitrage profit opportunities in “normal” markets, but large arbitrage profit opportunities arise during Bitcoin market “crashes.”     

基于波特"钻石模型"的云南旅游文化产业竞争力分析

借助波特的“钻石模型”,从云南旅游文化产业的生产要素、需求状况、相关及支持性产业、企业、政府和机遇等方面进行了分析,指出云南旅游文化产业竞争力的支撑要素与制约因素,对如何提高云南旅游文化产业竞争力提出了一些对策。     

Prices of raw materials continue to rise

Following the abatement of the boom market during the early months of 1983, the coming months will see an “adjustment” of world market prices for industrial raw materials to “fundamental” market conditions. Price fluctuations are likely during this period. A gradual increase in demand for raw materials and a moderate rise in raw materials prices can be expected during the further course of 1983 and in 1984.     

论中国宏观经济的"新三驾马车"

改革开放40多年来,中国经济一直在“唱衰”声中成长,不但没有崩溃,反而突飞猛进地成为世界第二大经济体。唱衰中国经济的很多人只是照搬西方宏观经济理论简单片面地分析和判定中国经济。而中国经济能够奇迹般地高速增长,其根本原因在于中国具有举世瞩目的产业发展能力、居于世界前列的市场消费能力和潜力无穷的科技研发能力,这三者才是决定中国宏观经济发展乃至长期可持续发展“基本面”的三大决定性因素,是决定中国宏观经济发展的“新三驾马车”。     

The aftermarket performance of small firm initial public offerings

The dream of many entrepreneurs is to some day take his or her growing small firm public and, to thereby become the CEO of a publicly-traded corporation. Currently, entrepreneurs are continuing to utilize initial public offerings (IPOs), as a viable source of venture financing. IPOs also represent a viable mechanism for harvesting venture capital and entrepreneurial investments. The touted entrepreneurial benefits of taking a company public include the abilities to borrow additional funds; return to the public equity market; negotiate mergers without depleting cash; the potential for enhanced personal wealth and so forth. Investors in small firm public equity issues are often motivated by the potential for discovering another Apple Computer, or perhaps an IBM at the “ground floor.”This study empirically examines the aftermarket returns of small publicly-held firms that have issued initial public offerings. Aftermarket returns refers to stock returns immediately after a stock begins trading. The study specifically examines two questions. First, “Is there a positive risk-return relationship for small firm aftermarket returns, where higher firm risk will generate higher aftermarket return?” Second, “Will aftermarket returns show on industry effect, where certain industries will automatically generate higher returns?” Answers to these questions will affect the strategic financial alternatives available to entrepreneurs both before and after going public and, will also affect the decisions of investors interested in financing small public corporations.The research findings indicate that entrepreneurs planning to take younger firms public will probably not have available to them numerous subsequent financial alternatives, utilizing corporate stock, if the true aftermarket performance of their stock is taken into consideration. Likewise, investors in small firm public issues may also be disappointed in the aftermarket performance of younger firms. A positive risk-return relationship, where age was a proxy measure of risk, did not exist. This was true even though the initially quoted returns of these same younger firms may have been substantial. On the other hand, the aftermarket performance of older firms is typically favorable.Finally, the study suggests that neither entrepreneurs nor investors should bet solely on a particular industry categorization to “carry” their aftermarket stock performance. While certain industries indicated significant positive initial returns, aftermarket returns based on industry classification were generally not statistically significant. Investors should therefore always exercise firmspecific due diligence and research before investing in small firm public equity issues, since the variance of their aftermarket market returns tends to be large.