Internationalization Strategies to Replicate in Design and Consulting Engineering Services Firms Related to the Energy Industry

Based on a case study of a Colombian company, HMV Ingenieros Ltda, this article aims to analyze different strategies for expanding consulting and design engineering firms related to the energy industry. Variables taken from internationalization theories, such as the Eclectic paradigm, the Uppsala model, and the five competitive forces, are considered in a longitudinal case study to determine the industry best practices for consulting and design engineering firms. As the focus on these services is relatively new in internationalization and competitiveness studies, this study is believed to be of great interest for research purposes.     

管理咨询业跨国公司对东道国客户的垂直约束行为研究

管理咨询业跨国公司为获取更大的市场份额和超额利润,往往会通过自己在知识信息、客户资源等方面的优势地位,对客户实施垂直约束行为。相比水平垄断而言,通过对客户的垂直约束行为来获得更强有力的市场地位,管理咨询业跨国公司付出的成本代价更小,方式上更加灵活隐蔽。但目前这类活动在我国并未受到足够的重视,为此,文章针对管理咨询服务业在客户服务中的特殊性,在研究管理咨询业跨国公司的垂直约束途径及其行为发展模式的基础上,提出了我国客户企业应对垂直约束和实现良性健康发展的相应建议。     

The Provision of Finance to Innovation: A Survey Conducted among Italian Technology-based Small Firms

Financial constraints to the development of innovation are often considered one of the main impediments to high-technology firms seeking to expand and grow. In particular this is the case of small and medium size high-tech firms. In the U.S. and the U.K. a variety of sources of finance are available to the start-ups of innovative firms; in the other European countries, and particularly in Italy, these means are still uncommon so that the development of technology is often prevented. This paper, based on an empirical analysis on a survey of 46 small high-tech Italian firms, aims at exploring the problems experienced by small businesses in gaining access to debt and equity finance. The results highlight that traditional financial sources are inadequate to finance innovative projects. The questioned firms rely mainly on personal finance, and secondly on short term bank debt; they are truly involved in maintaining control over the firm activities and are willing to issue outside equity only if the new investors also provide non financial competencies. Among the 46 interviewed firms, only 10 are willing to be listed in the future on small firms' stock markets.     

Under-Reporting of R&D in Small Firms: The Impact on International R&D Comparisons

There is a widely recognised tendency for conventional measures of R&D activity to under-estimate the R&D investments of small companies. This arises due to small firms' emphasis on developmental rather than fundamental research, and because this activity is often informally organised. International survey evidence suggests a greater degree of formality in the organisation of R&D in German small firms. This reduces the likely degree of under-estimation of German small firms' R&D activity relative to that in the U.K. As a result, aggregate R&D figures may be under-estimating the true level by 13.9 per cent in the U.K. and 2.4 per cent in Germany. This is equivalent to around half of the historical difference between aggregate levels of business R&D in the U.K. and Germany.     

Determinants of Russia's Informal Economy: The Impact of Corruption and Multinational Firms

Based on the electricity consumption approach, this study examined empirically (among other determinants) the impact of corruption and multinational firms (MNEs) on the relative size of the informal economy in Russia's regions in 1995–2012. Strong evidence is provided of the positive effect of corruption on the informal regional economies. The significant role of MNEs and regulation in curbing informal activities is revealed. A larger informal economic sector is observed in regions with a higher number of local firms and unemployment. An integrated strategy of dealing with corruption and informal businesses is suggested to be more effective in reducing informal practices.     

The Impact of Salesperson Perception of Firm Market Orientation on Behaviors and Consulting Effectiveness

The purpose of this study was to study market orientation as an antecedent of salespersons' behaviors that should, in turn, influence the ability of the salesperson to add value to the product or service. There have been many studies of personal antecedents of salespersons behaviors and performance, with little predictive success. But there are few studies of firm-level influences on salesperson behaviors and their outcomes. A survey was sent to non-retail salespeople utilizing previously validated scales for all constructs of interest. The survey responses were analyzed using structural equation modeling to test hypotheses. Results suggest that market orientation has an indirect influence on salesperson consulting through adaptive selling and active listening behaviors. Active listening fully mediates the relationship between customer orientation and salesperson consulting, while salesperson consulting fully mediates the relationship between active listening and consulting effectiveness. Half of the influence of market orientation on salesperson consulting effectiveness is direct, while the other half of its influence is indirect through those salesperson behaviors. The author provides explanations for these results and implications for managers and researchers.     

The Impact of Ownership on Bargaining Power of Firms in China

Schelling-Muthoo讨价还价思想认为,谈判中让步的成本越小,获得的谈判收益越少。我国部分企业由于存在预算软约束、损失转嫁、多重委托代理等问题,弱化了据理力争的激励,因而在谈判中容易过度让步。本文运用正向求解方法证明了Schelling-Muthoo谈判解,并用自己发展出来的四象限作图方法展示了这一结果。进而运用1999—2007年中国150多万家企业的微观数据进行实证检验,结果发现国有企业和集体企业的中间投入品购买成本显著高于民营企业,表明国有企业和集体企业讨价还价能力较低,因而中国只有继续推进市场化改革,才能对内优化资源配置、对外捍卫国际合作利益。     

环境法规对国际贸易的影响:国外研究综述

环境法规对国际贸易的影响综述主要包括以下四个问题:环境法规是否会削弱一国产业的竞争力,环境法规是否会引起污染产业转移到发展中国家,各国不同的环境法规严厉程度是否会引起"生态倾销"以及环境法规与国际贸易之间的协调。文章通过对现有文献的梳理发现:环境法规虽然会对国际贸易的各方面产生负面影响,但是没有得到实证研究的支持。     

A Survey of the Utilization of Advertising by CPA Firms

No abstract available for this article.     

Predicting Consumer Avoidance of Native Advertising on Social Networking Sites: A Survey of Facebook Users

Abstract

As a result of constant efforts to improve consumers’ online advertising experiences, native advertising has started to gain popularity on social networking sites (SNSs). This survey study examined antecedents of avoidance of native advertising on SNSs and the moderating role of consumer skepticism toward native advertising. Our findings suggest perceived intrusiveness and perceived informative and entertainment advertising value as major antecedents of consumer advertising avoidance. Additionally, the number of brands that consumers are following on SNSs and negative communication among peers on SNSs were found to be factors affecting native advertising avoidance. Finally, consumer skepticism toward native advertising was found to be an important moderating variable in the mechanism of advertising avoidance on SNSs.     

中美贸易摩擦对异质性企业的影响——基于中国A股上市公司的事件研究

随着中国对外贸易的蓬勃发展,双边贸易摩擦事件也日益增多,这种外部贸易摩擦究竟会对中国微观主体产生怎样的影响?基于中美贸易摩擦的背景,以中国A股上市公司为研究样本,采用事件研究法实证检验外部贸易摩擦的微观主体效应。研究结果表明,中美贸易摩擦对生产率、规模、要素密集度、所有权属性不同的企业的影响均存在显著差异,具体而言,中美贸易摩擦对高生产率企业、大规模企业、低劳动密集度企业与民营企业的影响相对更大。进一步研究发现,采用不同企业异质性衡量指标的检验结果最终均可归结于企业全要素生产率,即全要素生产率是企业在中美贸易摩擦中所受影响程度大小的决定因素,而且生产率越高的企业所受影响程度越大。该研究结果有助于理解中美贸易摩擦的微观主体效应,从而为中国更好地解决外部贸易摩擦与促进国内经济转型提供借鉴和参考。     

Marketing Impact of Trade Bloc Formation on Third Country Firms:

The United States-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) came into effect on 1 January 1989. Its main provision is the elimination of all tariffs on trade between the two countries by 1 January 1998. On balance, it is expected to be beneficial to the exporting firms of both the U.S. and Canada. However, it is also likely to impact on other third country firms that rely heavily on the U.S.-Canada market. This study attempts to examine the marketing impact of the FTA on Singapore firms and suggests some strategies to harness any opportunities and overcome any threats consequent to the agreement. Further, implications on other third country firms that are interested in the U.S. and Canada markets are also discuessed.     

The Impact of Market Orientation on the Internationalization of Retailing Firms: Tesco in Eastern Europe

This paper investigates a Western retailer's market orientation levels in two emerging markets. We examine whether the market orientation-company performance link holds true for retailers in emerging economies, despite environmental differences. By using concepts from key studies we have assimilated a fully representative model - applied through interviews with top management from Tesco and its subsidiaries and affiliates in Hungary and Slovenia. Using this example, we find that the market orientation-business performance link is valid for Western retailers in emerging economies. Here, the retailer applied market orientation predominately through; the use of matching with suppliers of own brand goods; top management emphasis on market orientation and risk taking. Intelligence generation and dissemination was exercised via global processes such as brand review.     

The Impact of Innovativeness and Development Time on New Product Performance for Small Firms

Timing is becoming a new source of competitive advantage. The business press extols the benefits of faster product development. This paper examines whether competitive advantage can be gained by reducing development time across all types of new products or whether this advantage is restricted to certain types of new products. It proposes that product innovativeness moderates the relationship between development time and initial market performance. A survey of 110 small manufacturing firms in computer related industries supports the hypothesis. The survey findings indicate that a firm must guard against over- or under-development of the new product since product innovativeness was found to influence the impact of development time on market performance. The implications for managers are: beware of bringing a new product that is too much, too early or too little, too late.     

The Internationalization of Service Firms in China: A Comparative Analysis with Manufacturing Firms

In this article, we expand upon the springboard perspective of emerging markets in the service sector. We investigate the phenomenon of service firm internationalization in China and the distinct differences between service and manufacturing firms during international expansion. Using dynamic analysis of historical data for 363 service firms and 569 manufacturing firms from 2001 to 2007, we find that the internationalization of service firms in China is different from that of manufacturing firms in terms of resource requirement and experience exploitation. The internationalization of service firms relies more on international experience than corporate resources. Furthermore, we also identify the structural differences between hard and soft service industries. In China, identifiable intangible assets are found to be more important for the international expansion of hard service firms than they are for soft service firms. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A Survey of Governance Disclosures Among U.S. Firms

Recent years have featured a spate of regulatory action pertaining to the development and/or disclosure of corporate governance structures in response to financial scandals resulting in part from governance failures. During the same period, corporate governance activists and institutional investors increasingly have called for increased voluntary governance disclosure. Despite this attention, there have been relatively few comprehensive studies of governance disclosure practices and response to the regulation. In this study, we examine a sample of 50 U.S. firms and their public disclosure packages from 2004. We find a high degree of variability in the presentation and reporting format choices for many elements of the governance structure. This variability includes several items for which disclosure is mandated by regulators or legislative action. In particular, smaller firms offer fewer disclosures pertaining to independence, board selection procedures, and oversight of management (including whistleblowing procedures). There are also trends associated with board characteristics: boards that are less independent offer fewer disclosures of independence and management oversight matters. Moreover, large firms provide more disclosures of independence standards, board selection procedures, audit committee matters, management control systems, other committee matters, and whistleblowing procedures but do not appear to have a strictly superior information environment when compared to smaller firms. The findings raise questions about compliance with regulatory requirements and the degree to which conflicts of interest between managers and directors are being controlled. While there have been notable improvements in the information environment of governance disclosures, there remain structural issues that may possess negative ramifications for stakeholders.     

The Impact of Internal Corporate Social Responsibility on Organizational Commitment: Evidence from Vietnamese Service Firms

This study examines the relationship between internal corporate social responsibility (CSR) and organizational commitment in the service sector in Vietnam. Results from a survey of 256 employees indicate that internal CSR has a positive and significant correlation with organizational commitment. More specifically, labor relations, health and safety, and training and education had a significant effect on organizational commitment whereas work–life balance and social dialogue have no significant association with organizational commitment. The authors also provide implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research.     

The Effect of Customer Orientation on Smaller Sized Service Firms and on the Market: A Multilevel Application Embracing Firms and Customers

The aim of the present work is to ascertain the importance of customer orientation as a business strategy within the smaller services sector. The adoption of customer orientation is measured from the firm's point of view, and its effect on financial performance is analyzed. Customer perception is analyzed, using two variables, perceived value and loyalty. The sample consists of 100 Spanish rural tourism enterprises and 572 customers. The findings reveal that customer orientation has a direct effect on perceived value, and perceived value has a direct effect on loyalty toward the firm. Furthermore, customer orientation contributes to the achievement of financial performance.