中小企业集群竞争优势的识别与评价

本文从集群资源、创新能力、网络联系、外部经济、产业环境和制度环境六个方面对中小企业集群的竞争优势予以识别,建立了二级评价指标体系,并介绍了中小企业集群竞争优势的模糊综合评价法,进而探寻培育和提高集群竞争优势的切入点,为集群的持续成长提供解决之道。     

基于复杂网络理论的中小企业集群协同创新研究

中小企业集群创新具有复杂社会网络结构特征。针 对我国中小企业集群网络协同创新能力差的现实,从复杂网络理论出发,分别从构建完备的中小企业集群创新复杂社会网络平台、构建中小企业集群“独联体”式协同创新小世界网络、完善中小企业集群协同创新社会服务支撑网络、强化集群网络内企业的增值性创新能力、注重中小企业集群网络的经济升级和劳动力社会升级等9个方面,给出了提升中小企业集群协同创新能力的策略建议。     

西部传统中小企业集群化发展的战略研究

本文立足于西部传统中小企业的发展现状,分析了西部传统中小企业发展滞后的原因,指出集群化是其实现可持续发展的必然选择。在此基础上,提出了西部传统中小企业集群化发展的思路与对策。     

产业集群视阈下的中小企业融资模式研究

国内外中小企业都因融资困难而制约了其发展,这也引起了国内外经济界和理论界的高度关注。国外主要从企业融资来源、结构、优序与质量、中小企业融资缺口及成因、产业集群视阈下的中小企业融资优势和模式等方面开展研究,但以中小企业集群融资为对象的深入理论和实践研究还较少。国内产业集群视阈下的中小企业融资研究,主要集中在产业集群给集群企业带来的融资效应和优势、产业集群内中小企业融资的实证分析、解决集群内中小企业融资难问题的对策分析三个方面。但国内在影响中小企业融资来源、结构、顺序、质量等因素的研究方面和在适合我国集群中小企业的有效融资模式探讨方面还不够深入。这些都需要今后进一步加强。     

基于集群网络的中小企业探索性创新行为的影响因素

创新是企业生存和发展的灵魂。随着市场环境的迅速变化,中小企业必需依赖于集群网络的创新发展和借助于集群网络进行探索性创新才能实现自身生存与发展的目标。本文从集群网络内中小企业自身、集群企业网络和集群支持网络三个方面,对中小企业探索性创新行为的影响因素进行了分析。     

中小企业集群组织特性研究

把集群分解开来,研究其内部企业的微观效率和竞争优势,或者从整体上考察其对所在区域空间的经济意义,这是不够的。本文将中小企业集群视为一个完整的、却“无正式管理的整体性组织”,从整体上认识其组织结构,并讨论其本身的组织特性。     

广东产业集群发展的困局与突破

近年来,广东产业集群发展迅猛,有效拉动了地方经济,成为中小企业持续健康发展的重要载体,但也存在不少问题亟待解决。本文首先概述了广东产业集群的发展现状,然后分析了广东产业集群发展遇到的问题,最后从政府和企业两个角度提出有针对性的措施和对策,其中包括群内中小企业实施虚拟经营战略来突破现存困局的设想。     

产业集群环境下中小企业技术创新机制研究

以产业集群为背景,以中小企业技术创新为主线,从三个方面对产业集群内中小技术创新问题分析:一是产业集群与技术创新的关联性;二是产业集群内小企业技术创新的动力机制;三是产业集群内中小企业技术创新的合作机制.最后从产业集群治理的角度出发,给出了如何提升产业集群内中小企业技术创新环境的对策和建议.     

从“浙江现象”看中小企业产业集群发展之路

近年来“浙江现象”引起了国内学者的广泛关注,浙江以许多中小企业产业集群模式表现出来的巨大经济活力,使浙江省成为改革开放以来经济发展最为迅速的省份之一。本文从“浙江现象”入手,研究中小企业产业集群的特点,用发展的眼光发现其存在的问题并提出了切实可行的发展建议。     

集群化:促进江苏中小企业提高竞争力的有效途径

本文从企业集群的概念出发,阐述了企业集群提高中小企业竞争力的作用机理,结合对江苏中小企业集群现状和问题的分析,从政府、集群和企业三方面提出了促进江苏中小企业集群发展的若干对策和建议。     

How consumers contribute to the development and continuity of a cultural market

This article examines the “indie” music industry in South Korea. It describes a consumer-led market where network of consumers aided by social media take responsibility for its maintenance and development, specifically the market for indie music in South Korea. With the emergence of digital technology and a participatory culture, the roles of consumers have expanded. Through their commitment and passion for independent music, aided by social media, these consumers have developed a virtual indie music community, which uses a variety of mechanisms, such as producing podcasts, to promote its music. These non-traditional producers regard indie music as an important part of their lives and their existence, which is why they take responsibility for developing the indie community rather than leaving this to a profit-orientated music industry. Therefore, we demonstrate how in South Korea the production of indie music has ceased to be dominated by traditional actors, such as record labels, and is driven by the enthusiasm of music fans. Previous research on cultural markets suggests that consumers play critical roles in the formation and evolution of the market. This study sheds light on this process by depicting a cultural market that is governed by pro-social consumers (rather than anti-market resistance) who pursue a balanced approach between resistance to and negotiated harmony with commercial and social norms rather than drawing a simple boundary between “us” and “other”.     

The Growth of Private Regulation of Labor Standards in Global Supply Chains: Mission Impossible for Western Small- and Medium-Sized Firms?

Multinational corporations (MNCs) have come under pressure to adopt private regulatory initiatives such as supplier codes of conduct in order to address poor working conditions in global supply chain factories. While a well-known literature explores drivers and outcomes of such monitoring schemes, this literature focuses mainly on large firms and has ignored the growing integration of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) into global supply chains. Furthermore, the literature on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in SMEs primarily emphasizes domestic initiatives and not global challenges. Focusing on the Business for Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI), this article examines the positions of private actors, who demand and supply private regulation as well as the positions of those firms, who are the targets of such schemes. As the BSCI has grown its membership, MNCs increasingly request that SMEs meet BSCI requirements in global supply chains even though compliance is a “mission impossible” for many smaller firms. As a result of this development, the private regulatory system is facing growing strain.     

The Brand Personality of Nonprofit Organizations and the Influence of Monetary Incentives

This article contributes to the limited literatures on small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Using an institutional theoretical framework, we analyzed fieldwork interviews with twenty SMEs and perspectives of 165 SME managers and workers in textiles, garment, and footwear industries, the most important wage-earning sector in Vietnam. Having understood in the context of a developing “market economy with socialist orientation” (thus a “Southern perspective”), we find that socially responsible practices and expectations developed long before the arrival of CSR as a western concept and an MNC agenda. While identifying and contributing ideas concerning forms of “informal” CSR practices—influenced by social and cultural expectations—to the CSR/SME literature, we are conscious of the mixed effects of these practices and the ongoing nuanced negotiations between workers and managers in these SMEs. In our research, we found that it takes both domestic and international stakeholders to improve labor conditions in Vietnam under the banner of CSR.     

Tradition Versus Change: Evaluating the Currency of Some Traditional Chinese Values in Today's Business Environment

Abstract

In the last decade, the discussion about how marketing is changing has focused largely on practices in more affluent industrialized economies. Far less attention has been given to understanding the marketing strategies and practices of firms in emerging and transition economies. In this paper, we compare marketing of multinational firms versus local firms in Argentina. We identify the environmental characteristics of Argentina's emerging economy and, using survey data of 96 firms, we group firms into five clusters. We refer to two clusters as “traditional/local” as they use very basic marketing methods, with one serving business markets and the other consumer markets. The other three clusters we refer to as “progressive” as they represent state-of-the-art practices. The first two of these are foreign-owned and serve consumer and business markets, the third represents locally-owned service firms. The managerial implications are examined.     

Accounting information quality and trust as determinants of credit granting to SMEs: the role of external audit

This study analyses whether loan officers’ perception of the accounting information quality (AIQ) and the trustworthiness of SMEs are associated with a better willingness to grant them credit. Empirical evidence is obtained from a survey of 471 bank loan officers in Spain, who are asked to answer in relation to audited and not-audited firms. Using a Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach, the results obtained confirm that the loan officers’ willingness to facilitate SMEs’ access to credit is positively influenced by their general perception about the AIQ, but only if it is audited. In the case of not-audited firms, AIQ does not play a direct role in credit granting decision, but is relevant in trust formation. Besides, in the case of audited firms, only the “competence” dimension of trust is relevant, whereas in not-audited firms, both “competence” and “honesty” have an impact on credit granting. “Benevolence” does not have an influence in any case. The study has implications for SMEs, banks, policy makers and auditors.     

Cluster-Based Advantages in the Innovation Process: The Diffusion of Nanotechnology in Two Chinese Cities

Researchers have shown that “cluster” is a more useful unit of analysis than “nation” in innovation studies. Clusters are characterized by interconnected organizations, shared resources and frequent knowledge flows. Within national boundaries, multiple clusters with different relative advantages may coexist, and exhibit very different innovation patterns. Yet, in studies of innovation in emerging economies, there remains little attention on cluster-based advantages, and how these advantages generate distinct patterns of innovation. To bridge this gap, this study analyzes the diffusion patterns of nanotechnology in two Chinese clusters—Beijing and Shanghai. With different relative advantages, the diffusion of nanotechnology has been oriented by different levels of “imitation” and “innovation” forces in the two Chinese clusters. This study applies the Bass Model to quantify imitation and innovation forces, and compare the resultant diffusion patterns of nanotechnology in the two clusters with other technologies. Supplementary qualitative data is also provided to show how Chinese scientists perceive their relative advantages in different clusters. Among other things, the findings suggest that scientists of emerging economies favor the learning-by-doing principle while utilizing external networks.     

人民币在“一带一路”货币圈影响力分析——信息溢出效应及其作用渠道

本文运用溢出指数方法,定量测度了人民币与“一带一路”沿线主要货币汇率之间的溢出效应及其动态演化,并采用系统GMM方法,探究人民币汇率净溢出效应的作用渠道。研究发现:近年来人民币与“一带一路”沿线主要货币汇率之间的溢出效应在波动中有所提高,随着“一带一路”倡议的深入实施,人民币汇率净溢出效应逐步提升,在该区域的影响力逐渐增强。在“一带一路”区域内,人民币在亚洲和非洲地区的影响力较强,且对阿联酋迪拉姆和安哥拉宽扎的净溢出效应已超过欧元、英镑和日元等主要国际货币。在净溢出效应的作用渠道方面,“一带一路”国家对中国贸易附加值依存度对其有利,而人民币汇率市场化改革、第三方市场贸易竞争、全球商品价格指数和全球风险指数却对其不利。因此,应加强中国在“一带一路”区域价值链的主导能力和商品竞争能力,加速推动“一带一路”区域内的离岸人民币金融市场建设,加强人民币汇率的区域性风险管理。     

中小企业融资中的自有资金信贷机制

银行贷款收益取决于贷款利率和贷款风险两个因素。在贷款利率受到管制时,理性的银行为了实现期望利润最大化,要求企业提供足够抵押来规避贷款风险。我国中小企业由于自身特征及所处信贷环境的原因,银行向其贷款风险大,且得不到足够抵押品,也没有第三方提供担保,这就导致中小企业贷款难现象。因此,我国商业银行应该灵活运用抵押、担保、关系贷款和自有资金多种手段,积极构建中小企业的多层次信贷机制体系。     

Virtual organizations: Computer conferencing and organizational design

Computer conferencing systems link groups of users who “meet”; in the virtual space of a computer and interact around a common purpose or topic. These electronically constituted and mediated groups can mirror, cross‐cut, or hive off from existing organizational structures. This article reports a study of organizational structuring processes that accompany the introduction of a computer conferencing system in six industrial organizations. The relationships among technological capabilities and constraints, existing organization structures, managerial intent, and the unanticipated consequences of implementation for structural change are discussed. Employing the same software system in each case, organizational outcomes are radically different.

Earlier analysts have focused on a contingency model of the organization‐to‐technology relationship. Computer conferencing systems, however, confound the distinction between technical and organizational systems; they exist in an overlapping border domain between their two parent systems. This article explores the character of this overlapping domain and proposes the terms “virtual group”; and “virtual organization”; to evoke the special status of groups created through computer conferencing. Virtual organizations are semiotic entities in Weick's [1] sense of equivoque and their essentially ambiguous, interpretable character is important in shaping organizational outcomes. Virtual groups become part of the ongoing process of structuration [2], while also providing a new tool for organizational design.