The demand for safe assets in emerging economies and global imbalances: New empirical evidence

Recent economic theory has singled out mismatches between the supply and the demand of safe financial assets in emerging countries as drivers of international capital flows and, ultimately, global current account imbalances. This paper assesses empirically the contribution of such “search for safe assets” to the size and composition of emerging economies’ international asset portfolios. Excess demand for safe assets in financially less‐developed countries would imply that these countries hold disproportionately high shares of their total portfolios in foreign assets. Moreover, financially less‐developed countries would hold disproportionately high shares of their foreign portfolios in financially developed countries, which are the major producers of ostensibly safe assets. This paper finds little empirical support for these predictions. Financially less‐developed countries allocate a larger proportion of their total holdings to domestic assets. Even when focusing on their foreign portfolios, there is no evidence of a general bias towards the assets of financially developed countries. Overall, asset mismatches do not appear to explain the asset allocation of financially less‐developed countries.     

Acquisition of managerial knowledge from foreign parents: evidence from Korean joint ventures

This paper contributes to the literature on intra- and inter-firm knowledge transfer by examining knowledge acquisition by Korean international joint ventures from their foreign parents. A conceptual model is presented which identifies the factors that have been found to influence knowledge transfer, organised into variables related to the local recipient firm, the foreign sender firm and the relationship between the two. The model is examined by means of a series of multiple regressions using a sample of 128 Korean international joint ventures. We find that: (1) the international joint ventures intent to learn and international experience; (2) the level of trust between parents and their business relatedness; and (3) the active managerial engagement of the foreign parent are the most important factors explaining the level of knowledge acquisition within the international joint ventures.     

When Do Long‐term Imbalances Lead to Current Account Reversals?

We extend the literature on sharp reductions in current account deficits by taking into account not only short‐term determinants, but also the deviation of net foreign assets from their long‐run equilibrium level. First, we analyse the long‐term relationship between net foreign assets and a set of explanatory variables and construct a measure of imbalances. Next, we model current account reversals by incorporating this new measure and compare the predictive power of this model with the baseline specification that does not account for long‐term imbalances. Our new model has a superior performance in and out‐of‐sample, especially when we control for the sign of imbalances. We also find that low net foreign assets do not necessarily lead to sharp reductions in current account deficits; it is rather the situation when they are below their equilibrium level that triggers reversals. Finally, we document that our new measure of net foreign asset imbalances is important only for developing countries, whereas standard models perform well for industrial economies.     

Evolution of an international joint venture: The case of a French‐Brazilian joint venture

Considering the situation of low performance of joint ventures, a certain number of studies have concluded that there is a close relationship between the initial conditions of creation of joint ventures and their success or failure. Nevertheless, other explanatory factors can be identified through dynamic analysis of the joint venture. For this purpose, on the basis of the case of the Franco‐Brazilian Algar‐Bull joint venture in the information technology sector, from its creation in 1983 to its dissolution in 1998, the aim of our research is to study the influence of external evolution processes ( partners' adaptive strategies and changes in environmental constraints) on the success or failure of a joint venture. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

How On‐the‐Job Embeddedness Influences New Venture Creation and Growth

This study aims to answer why some employees choose to start their own ventures, whereas others choose to seek jobs in other organizations after leaving their current employment. Drawing insights from knowledge‐based view and social capital theory, we examine the impact of on‐the‐job embeddedness on the decision of employee entrepreneurship, industry choice, and new venture growth. We argue that on‐the‐job embeddedness provides key resources for employees to start new ventures and grow them. We test our hypotheses with Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics (PSED) data. Our results show that on‐the‐job embeddedness increases the probability of employees becoming entrepreneurs. Once they decide to become entrepreneurs, those employees with high on‐the‐job embeddedness are more likely to start new ventures in the industry in which they worked before. Moreover, employees' on‐the‐job embeddedness has a positive impact on new venture growth.     

What drives firms’ intent to seek strategic assets by foreign direct investment? A study of emerging economy firms

What drives firms, particularly those from emerging economies, to engage in competitive catch-up with world leaders? We study the first step leading to catch-up, namely the managerial intent to acquire strategic assets that help closing the gap. Theoretically grounded in the awareness–motivation–capability (AMC) framework of competitive dynamics, we identify key factors contributing to firms’ strategic intent to catch-up by acquiring strategic assets abroad. Using a sample of 154 Chinese firms, we find that firms’ strategic assets seeking intent of foreign direct investment is influenced by their exposure to foreign competition, their governance structure, and relevant financial and managerial capabilities.     

Super‐Connectors: A New Model of Internationalization from the MENA Region

The main purpose of this case‐based research is to investigate and analyze three fast‐growing airlines (Emirates/Dubai, Qatar Airways/Qatar, and Etihad Airways/Abu Dhabi) and their internationalization from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The three carriers that are commonly known as “super‐connectors” in the airline industry continue to excel in their business models and internationalization. Based on secondary data, surveys, and company‐specific information, the article uses a longitudinal case‐based research approach to discuss the three airlines. Findings of the work reveal that the three super‐connectors have aggressively expanded in the MENA region and beyond by seeking multiple alliances, joint ventures, long‐term collaborative agreements (code sharing), and foreign direct investment (FDI). These activities represent innovative business models and operational efficiencies in the global airline industry. We believe that non‐MENA airlines may not have the same dynamism, strategic clout, corporate‐related efficiencies, and financial prowess that we witness among the three super‐connectors. In international business (IB) and multinational corporation (MNC)‐related areas, researchers, industry analysts, and policymakers need to pay attention to the MENA region's super‐connectors and their emerging internationalization models. The article also provides useful trends and implications that can be benchmarked by practitioners, researchers, and airlines regarding the issues of internationalization, growth, and new business models. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The dilemma of managerial cooperation in Sino‐Western business operations

Chinese foreign trade suffered during the Asian financial crisis, but in 1999, trade rebounded. However, even as China prepares for the 10th Five‐Year Plan and entry into the WTO, rising unemployment coupled with persistent deflationary pressure and continuing declines in foreign direct investment suggest that hard adjustments will have to be made. Just the same, the role that foreign invested firms play in the foreign trade sector and the economy is one of the bright spots on the macroeconomic scene. However, communications problems plague Sino‐Western operations, as indeed they bedevil most cross‐cultural joint ventures. In the Chinese case, the origin lies in the conflict between western universalistic values and Chinese particularistic values in business situations, thus giving rise to difficulties in establishing trust and effective interpersonal cooperation between Chinese and Western managers in Western subsidiaries in China. Using this framework, we develop a model that suggests that the best possible condition for cooperation under these circumstances exists when appearance, i.e., paying attention to human relations, is particularistic and substance, i.e., the way of running the business, is universalistic. The implication for Western managers is that they should both understand and acknowledge the realities of these key value differences and accept what may seem to be a sub‐optimal operational style in order to get the job done. This outcome may pose a dilemma for managers who are con‐ditioned to work toward optimal, maximizing outcomes. Nevertheless, the stakes—and potential benefits—are high. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The choice between joint ventures and acquisitions in foreign direct investments: The role of partial acquisitions and accrued experience

In order to avoid the liability of foreignness, firms invest in foreign countries pooling their own resources with those of local firms. This combination of assets may take place through joint ventures or acquisitions. When facing the need to choose between these two entry modes, managers find that there are two critical factors that have received little attention in previous research: the existence of different types of acquisitions—full acquisitions, pure partial acquisitions, and shared partial acquisitions—and the role of the experience accrued by the investing firm in carrying out investments through a particular entry mode. Both factors, as well as their managerial implications, are analyzed in this article. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Long‐Term Orientation and Commitment in Export Joint Ventures among Small and Medium‐Sized Firms

Alliances may be an important tool for overcoming the resource and capability deficiencies facing small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), as they help strengthen their market position and facilitate access to new markets. In this paper we focus on domestic joint ventures (JVs) for export purposes. Our aim is to analyze the influence of partners' long‐term orientation on their commitment, while looking into the key antecedents of long‐term orientation: complementarity of partners' resources and trust. The hypotheses set forth are tested on a sample of 70 Spanish domestic export JVs. The data were analyzed using partial least squares (PLS) analysis. Our paper contributes to the literature on export JVs and SMEs by providing evidence that long‐term orientation reinforces commitment to devoting the necessary resources and efforts to enable the export JV to succeed. The results also indicate that trust decisively determines the long‐term orientation of the partners to an export JV, and that complementarity of resources plays a relevant role in the development of long‐term orientation by facilitating trust.     

外商在中外合资合作企业中投资违约的实证研究

近几年外商在中外合资合作企业中当年未按合同出资的比例占40%和50%左右,违约行为相当严重。本文选取8833家中外合资企业和合作企业,运用OLS和二元Logistic回归对外商的投资违约行为进行实证研究。该研究对我国企业和政府具有借鉴意义,有助于我国企业更正以往的错误操作,确定合理的合资合作策略,同时有助于政府明确管理合资合作经营的政策取向。     

The Impact of Relational Capital on the Success of New Business Start‐Ups

This study seeks to highlight the key role played by relational capital in new business start‐ups. Following a review of previous research examining the success factors of new ventures and the role played by intellectual capital, our study sets out to achieve this objective by analyzing the impact of a set of intangible relational assets on the initial success of new business start‐ups. Based on a study of 130 firms, we analyzed six hypotheses regarding the possible positive relationship between the relational capital of a start‐up company and its success in its first few years of business.     

Joint ventures as a means of assembling complementary inputs

In recent years, economists have devoted considerable attention to mechanisms through which firms can cooperate, particularly in the conduct of R&D. This literature had tended to focus on cooperation's effects inoutput markets. In contrast, the present analysis examines the effects of cooperation oninput markets. In particular, joint ventures are often said to be motivated by the desire to assemble complementary assets into a package needed to conduct a successful project. Some of the ways in which joint ventures may faciliate the acquisition of needed inputs are explored.This article was originally prepared for the Penn State International Symposium on Joint Ventures and Strategic Alliances, April 6–8, 1992. I am grateful to the conference participants, to seminar participants at Duke University and Harvard Business School and to an anonymous referee for useful comments and suggestions. I would also like to thank my colleague Benjamin Hermalin for his careful reading of an earlier draft and for many insightful discussions of the issues raised here. This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. SES-9112076.     

NO‐ARBITRAGE IN A NUMÉRAIRE‐INDEPENDENT MODELING FRAMEWORK

The classic approach to modeling financial markets consists of four steps. First, one fixes a currency unit. Second, one describes in that unit the evolution of financial assets by a stochastic process. Third, one chooses in that unit a numéraire, usually the price process of a positive asset. Fourth, one divides the original price process by the numéraire and considers the class of admissible strategies for trading. This approach has one fundamental drawback: Almost all concepts, definitions, and results, including no‐arbitrage conditions like NA, NFLVR, and NUPBR depend by their very definition, at least formally, on initial choices of a currency unit and a numéraire. In this paper, we develop a new framework for modeling financial markets, which is not based on ex‐ante choices of a currency unit and a numéraire. In particular, we introduce a “numéraire‐independent” notion of no‐arbitrage and derive its dual characterization. This yields a numéraire‐independent version of the fundamental theorem of asset pricing (FTAP). We also explain how the classic approach and other recent approaches to modeling financial markets and studying no‐arbitrage can be embedded in our framework.     

Product business, foreign direct investment, and licensing: Examining their relationships in international technology exploitation

In the past, most industrial firms focused on internally exploiting technological knowledge in their own products. By contrast, external technology exploitation through out-licensing was primarily an entry mode into foreign markets or into product markets for which a firm had limited complementary assets. Outward technology transfer was mainly regarded as a substitute for foreign direct investment and for a firm's internal product business. The recent trend towards active licensing questions this traditional role of international licensing. To overcome the focus on market entry in prior research, we analyze the motives for technology licensing. On this basis, we use data from 152 firms to test six hypotheses relating product diversification, technological diversification, and foreign direct investment to the extent of technology out-licensing, considering technological turbulence as a moderator. The results provide support for a capability-based understanding of technology licensing, and they may lead us to fundamentally rethink traditional assumptions on the relation between product marketing, foreign direct investment, and licensing.     

Chinese Perceptions of Issues and Obstacles Confronting Joint Ventures

In China one of the most effective means of attracting foreign capital to undertake its four modernizations is through the creation of joint ventures. The Chinese are striving for pragmatic results and emphasize that joint ventures should provide mutual benefits for both parties. Many joint ventures should provide mutual benefits for both parties. Many joint venture participants from the U.S.A. have become disillusioned and are frustrated by obstacles including government bureaucreatic interference, cultural differences, and a lack of managerial know-how by the Chinese. Based on a survey of 182 Chinese businessmen, 100 of whom engaged in joint ventures, it is evident that the CHinese share these concerns. Their perceptions provide guidelines for coping with these obstacles and clearly indicate the importance of "quanxi" in attaining the goals of joint ventures.     

Joint ventures in the ASEAN countries

Many developing countries see in joint ventures a convenient means of pursuing their economic development in their own way without forgoing the benefits to be derived from foreign investment capital and know-how. The following article presents some of the findings of an empirical study by the author in the ASEAN countries. He addressed his inquiries on motivation, advantages and drawbacks of enterprises with local participation to 77 joint ventures as well as 29 fully foreign-owned firms.     

Entrepreneurs’ Resources,Technology Strategy,and New Technology‐Based Firms’ Performance

This study is based on the configuration approach and argues that the new technology‐based venture's performance depends on how well the entrepreneur's resources allow the chosen technology strategy to be executed, in other words, the fit between the resources and the strategy. The authors study this idea by using a sample of 175 Spanish new technology‐based ventures. The results indicate that the fit between the chosen technology strategy and the entrepreneur's resources explain the firm's performance, when this is measured through foreign market performance. That fit is also related to the technology‐based firm's financial results and generic and domestic performance.     

Reducing environmental uncertainty: How high performance work systems moderate the resource dependence‐firm performance relationship

Firm performance is a major concern for all organizations and involves a multitude of antecedents. Reducing environmental uncertainty and dependency through the use of strategic actions in the resource dependency theory (RDT) framework and enhancing work practices through high performance work systems (HPWS) lead to higher levels of firm performance. We reveal the interconnectivity between RDT and HPWS and develop propositions as to how components of HPWS positively moderate the relationship between firm performance and the environmental uncertainty‐reducing strategic actions proposed by RDT such as mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, boards of directors, political action, and executive succession. Copyright © 2016 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Patents and Early‐Stage Financing: Matching versus Signaling

This paper investigates the role of patents on early‐stage financing. We consider two questions: are patents signals of quality and why do patents relate to venture capital (VC) financing but not angel financing? Analyzing data from 468 Canadian early‐stage ventures, we show that patents are not signals of quality. Instead, the data support a match‐on‐financing need hypothesis: ventures match with VCs, who have financial capacity to support their patent protection strategies.