Indicators of discontinuous technological change: an exploratory study of two discontinuities in the machine tool industry

The objective of this paper is to explore the extent to which a set of indicators of technological and industrial change can act as warning signals for technical change. A particular kind of technical change can give a new substitute such price/performance attributes that it is taken into the reach of mass market segments. Two processes of discontinuous technical change in the machine tool industry are analysed using patent data, bibliometrics, data on new entrants, relative price changes and diffusion data. In the first case (the transition from conventional to CNC machine tools) relative prices and new entrants were the first indicators to react whilst patents and bibliometrics increased in activity in parallel with the large scale diffusion of CNC machine tools. In the second case (the transition from CNC machine tools to flexible manufacturing systems) new entrants and publishing preceded the large scale diffusion by some years. The different patterns between the two cases and between these and what can be found in the literature, suggest that more work needs to be done to understand the conditions under which changes in each of the indicators can be used as a warning signal. The paper is concluded by a brief discussion which may form the basis for some further work in that direction.     

An alternative estimate of real inventory change for national economic accounts

In 1996, the Bureau of Economic Analysis adopted the Fisher index (a particular superlative index) for the national income and product accounts of the United States (NIPAs). This change was, on balance, a major improvement in the US national accounts, for it greatly improved the measurement of rates of growth of real economic aggregates. However, the change posed a special problem for inventories: the Fisher index is not suitable for time series that, like inventory change, exhibit changes in sign. The Fisher quantity relative is the geometric mean of Laspeyres and Paasche quantity relatives. When some detailed components of inventory change are negative, the Laspeyres and Paasche can easily differ in sign, in which case the Fisher index is undefined. In the NIPAs, this problem is avoided by measuring real-inventory change as the period-to-period change in inventory stocks. However, attempts to approximate real GDP by two-stage aggregation, combining this measure of inventory change and other major GDP subaggregates, show that the NIPA measures of real inventory change and of real GDP are inconsistent. This paper attempts to resolve the problem by investigating an alternative measure of inventory change.The alternative measure of inventory change considered is the difference between a Fisher index of inventory acquisitions and a Fisher index of inventory disposals. The consistency of this measure with real GDP is first examined analytically. It is shown that, for inventory changes likely to be observed, the approximation error in the aggregation of GDP components due to measuring inventory change as the difference between Fisher indexes of inventory acquisitions and disposals should be small. Second, the consistency of the alternative measure with real GDP is tested over the period 1977–98. The tests compare the actual approximation errors in the two-stage aggregation of GDP using inventory change based on the two methods: the present NIPA methodology and the alternative, Fisher difference method. These tests provide further support for the alternative method of estimating real inventory change.     

Old technology meets new technology: complementarities,similarities, and alliance formation

Alliance formation is commonplace in many high‐technology industries experiencing radical technological change, where established firms use alliances with new entrants to adapt to technological change, while new entrants benefit from the ability of established players to commercialize the new technology. Despite the prevalence of these alliances, we know little about how these firms choose to ally with specific firms given the range of possible partners they may choose from. This study explores factors that lead to alliance formation between pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. We focus on the alliance tie as the unit of analysis and argue that dyadic complementarities and similarities directly influence alliance formation. We then introduce a contingency model in which the positive effect of complementarities and similarities on alliance formation is moderated by the age of the new technology firm. We draw theoretical attention to the intersection between levels of analysis, in particular, the intersection between dyadic and firm‐level constructs. We find that a pharmaceutical and a biotechnology firm are more likely to enter an alliance based on complementarities when the biotechnology firm is younger. Another noteworthy finding is that proxies for broad capabilities appear to be at least as effective, if not more so, in predicting alliance formation compared to fine‐grained science and technology‐related indicators, like patent cross‐citations or patent common citations. We conclude by suggesting that future studies on alliance formation need to take into account interactions across levels; for example, how dyadic capabilities interact with firm‐level factors, and the advantages and disadvantages of more or less fine‐grained measures of organizational capabilities. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Empirische Analyse des Wechselverhaltens von Stromkunden. Was hält Stromkunden davon ab,zu Ökostromanbietern zu Wechseln?

In an online survey concerning the preferences for wind power generation in Germany respondents were also asked whether they purchase green electricity. If not, they were requested to state the reasons for not purchasing green electricity. In this paper we present the results using, among other things, a logistic regression analysis. Moreover, we also interpret the results with respect to German energy policy. The regression analysis shows, for example, that respondents who are not in favour of the climate policy of the German government are less likely to purchase green electricity. Overall, the results show that respondents do not principally oppose purchasing green electricity. Reservation towards green electricity is rather caused by insufficient information about green electricity and lacking motivation to change power contracts at the current supplier or to change even the supplier. However, as the sample of the on-line survey is not representative for Germany, the conclusions should be considered with some degree of caution. Nevertheless, the results show unused market potential for green electricity. This conclusion might be of interest for producers of green electricity and for the marketing of green electricity labels, because a substantial share of the identified obstacles can be eliminated with suitable marketing actions.     

Communication and attention dynamics: An attention‐based view of strategic change

Research Summary : The attention‐based view (ABV) has highlighted the role of organizational attention in strategic decision making and adaptation. The tendency to view communication channels as “pipes and prisms” for information processing has, however, limited its ability to address strategic change. We propose a broader role for communication as a process by which actors can attend to and engage with organizational and environmental issues and initiatives and argue that such a view can significantly advance understanding of strategic change. On this basis, we offer suggestions for future research on communication practices, vocabularies, rhetorical tactics, and talk and text in shaping organizational attention in strategic change. We also maintain that this enhanced view of the ABV can help advance research on dynamic capabilities, strategy processes, strategy‐as‐practice, and behavioral strategy. Managerial Summary : To further enhance our capabilities to manage strategic change and renewal processes in organizations, we need a better understanding of how to manage organizational attention. In this article, we highlight the importance of understanding the role of communication and discuss the use of different communication practices, vocabularies, rhetorical tactics, and talk and text as possible levers that can be used to dynamically shape organizational attention. We call for further research to advance the understanding of how these levers can be used to influence the ways in which different sets of strategic issues, initiatives, and action alternatives are handled. We believe that such an enhanced view of organizational attention can enable the development of new, improved strategy practices to manage strategic change and renewal processes.     

The rationality of emotions: A hybrid process model of decision-making under uncertainty

Decision-making continues to be a vital area of research on organizations, particularly in Asia. After years of research under the cognitive approach, there has been an upsurge of scholarly attention connecting decision-making to emotion. Nonetheless, competing accounts of the role played by emotion in decision-making have created a conundrum as to whether emotion is rational or irrational and whether it should even be considered along with other cognitive aspects of the decision-making process. In response, we derive a hybrid process decision-making model to integrate the effects from cognition and emotions varying with the levels of uncertainty. In proposing this model, we seek to differentiate the rationality of emotions from the instrumental, functional, and expressive mechanisms in decision-making. In particular, we proffer that affective construal legitimates the rational account of emotions under high uncertain situation. Finally, we draw some key implications and recommendations for organizational research in the Asian region.     

Perspective: Linking Design Thinking with Innovation Outcomes through Cognitive Bias Reduction

“Design thinking” has generated significant attention in the business press and has been heralded as a novel problem‐solving methodology well suited to the often‐cited challenges business organizations face in encouraging innovation and growth. Yet the specific mechanisms through which the use of design, approached as a thought process, might improve innovation outcomes have not received significant attention from business scholars. In particular, its utility has only rarely been linked to the academic literature on individual cognition and decision‐making. This perspective piece advocates addressing this omission by examining “design thinking” as a practice potentially valuable for improving innovation outcomes by helping decision‐makers reduce their individual level cognitive biases. In this essay, I first review the assumptions, principles, and key process tools associated with design thinking. I then establish its foundation in the decision‐making literature, drawing on an extensive body of research on cognitive biases and their impact. The essay concludes by advancing a set of propositions and research implications, aiming to demonstrate one particular path that future research might take in assessing the utility of design thinking as a method for improving organizational outcomes related to innovation. In doing so, it seeks to address the challenge of conducting academic research on a practice that is obviously popular in management circles but appears resistant to rigorous empirical inquiry because of the multifaceted nature of its “basket” of tools and processes and the complexity of measuring the outcomes it produces.     

Dual sourcing of a newsvendor with exponential utility of profit

Dual sourcing strategies supplement inflexible, low-cost country sourcing with quick response manufacturing. Due to short product life cycles, combined with uncertain demand, dual sourcing strategies are very common in several industries, in particular in the sporting goods or fashion industries.Even though scholars have given some attention to the analysis of dual sourcing strategies, the importance of the decision-maker’s risk preferences has not been covered yet.In this paper we analyse dual sourcing strategies using an extended single-product newsvendor model with two order points. Different risk preferences will be modelled using an exponential utility function. Within realistic parameter ranges, the optimal order quantities can only be numerically computed. The findings of this paper show that dual sourcing strategies are always preferable to an exclusive offshore approach, as long as the onshore ordering costs are smaller than the selling price of the considered product. The more risk-averse the decision-maker, the smaller the offshore order quantity will be.     

Introduction to the special issue on the nature of industrial marketing work

Peter Drucker once remarked that everything degenerates into work, and if it does not degenerate into work, nothing gets done. This special issue presents our vision for generating more analytical attention to the nature of industrial marketing work and to explore ways in which future research can contribute to this nascent research area. In this introductory article we seek to scope out an agenda for taking some of the themes of industrial marketing work further. In particular, the review points to the opportunities within industrial marketing, drawing on the intersections of Margaret Archer's morphogenetic agency approach with the neoinstitutional and Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) fields of study. It then highlights the useful contributions of the papers in this special issue. Our contribution lies in advancing new avenues for researching and, in so doing, ensuring something gets done to research this nascent area.     

Socializing behaviors in business-to-business selling: an exploratory study from the Republic of Ireland

For many salespeople in business-to-business industries, client entertainment is an integral part of their daily duties. Despite this anecdotal knowledge, few studies have so far attempted to examine the potential benefits and drawbacks of socializing with clients in a systematic manner. Presenting the results of a qualitative investigation, this paper shows that when approached strategically, socializing with clients can have positive effects on both the exchange as well as the relational aspects of the buyer-seller interaction. In particular, results indicate that some elements of a close buyer-seller relationship are formed as a result of the holistic experience with the other person and may only be established through interaction outside the office environment. The paper thus proposes that socializing strategies represent a unique tool in a salesperson's relationship selling toolkit—a tool that warrants increased attention in both sales practice and research.     

论人力资源能力的区域异质性

本文认为,人力资源能力具有区域异质性特征,特别是在比较典型的区域之间。人力资源能力对个体创业、区域经济的影响,不仅与受教育程度等传统的要素相关,更与异质性的思维方式、行为方式高度相关。注重实践的行为习惯、"干中学"的品质、能够自我挫折管理这三种人力资源能力要素,对于创业成功和企业经营管理有积极直接正向影响。本文通过案例从中观的人力资源研究角度,探索了区域经济差异的因素,提出了"因地而异"的管理理念。     

如何搞好《政治经济学》的实践性教学

自马克思主义传播到中国,如何将马克思主义的普遍原理和中国革命的实践相结合,就成为一个大课题。但是,我们目前《政治经济学》实践性教学仍不被重视。因此,这门课程被学生看成空泛理论。为改变这种局面,我们必须研究和探索《政治经济学》的教学改革问题,我们探索了一套理论联系实际的好方法,在这里与大家共同探讨。     

Is that an opportunity? An attention model of top managers' opportunity beliefs for strategic action

Research summary: Exploiting opportunities is critical to a firm's competitive advantage. Not surprisingly, there has been considerable interest in the processes by which top managers allocate attention to potential opportunities. Although such investigations have largely focused on top‐down processes for allocating attention to the environment, some studies have explored bottom‐up processes. In this article, we consider both top‐down and bottom‐up processing to develop a model by which top managers form opportunity beliefs for strategic action depending on the allocation of transient and sustained attention. Specifically, this attentional model provides insights into how a top manager's attention is allocated to identify potential opportunities from environmental change and explores how different modes of attentional engagement impact the likelihood of forming beliefs about radical and incremental opportunities requiring strategic action. Managerial summary: Managers are interested in noticing and exploiting opportunities because the exploitation of an opportunity represents an important strategic action. Noticing and exploiting opportunities depends on how and where top managers allocate their attention. Managers can focus attention based on their knowledge and experience or as a result of something in the environment capturing their attention. In this paper, we consider both knowledge‐driven and environment‐driven processes for allocating attention to form opportunity beliefs. This opportunity belief arises from a two stage process. The first stage explains how a top manager identifies environmental changes as potential opportunities. The second stage explains how the top manager forms a belief that these identified environmental changes represent a radical or incremental opportunity worthy of exploitation. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Making sense of network dynamics through network pictures: A longitudinal case study

There have been a number of attempts to describe and analyse networks and company positions in them and to help companies to manage or change their “network position” [ [H?kansson & Snehota, 1995] and [Ford et al., 2003]]. But most of these have confined their attention to a particular point in time or have looked at network evolution over a restricted time period, such as Lundgren (1995) [Lundgren, A. (1995) Technological Innovation and Network Evolution. Routledge, London and New York.] and Andersson (1996) [Andersson, Per (1996), The emergence and change of Pharmacia Biotech 1959-1995. The power of the slow flow and the drama of great events, doctoral thesis, Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm.]. This paper is based on the idea that insights into the dynamics and evolution of networks and companies may be found by taking a longer term perspective. It uses historical documents and correspondence to examine the evolution of a network and of a single company within it over a period of close to a century. The paper highlights the fact that networks and networking are not modern inventions, but are intrinsic to the nature of business activity. The case study also provides illustration of a number of network phenomena, such as network position, networking and the paradoxes that are endemic in networks. Finally, the paper concludes with some lessons that may be drawn from the case for successful management in a network.     

The energy transition: An industrial economics perspective

Addressing climate change requires full decarbonization of our economies. Whether this objective is achieved at least cost for society hinges on good policy design. In turn, this calls for a thorough understanding of firms’ and consumers’ incentives in the presence of asymmetric information, the determinants of strategic interaction, and the impact of market design and market structure on the intensity of competition. Industrial Economics thus has much to contribute towards a successful Energy Transition, while benefiting from the exciting research opportunities it brings. In this paper, I survey some of the recent developments in this area. My focus is on the power sector, and in particular, on the regulatory and market design challenges triggered by the expansion of intermittent renewables with almost zero marginal costs. I conclude with some questions that merit further research.     

Formal,Justice‐Oriented Voice in the Nonunion Firm: Who Speaks Up and When?

Employee willingness to exercise workplace voice has been the subject of much recent research. However, very different types of voice are observed within the workplace, with some forms of voice receiving limited scholarly attention. In particular, limited attention has been given to the determinants of formal, justice‐oriented voice within a nonunion context. Using a policy‐capturing design, we examine factors that affect decisions to use formal, justice‐oriented voice among 498 nonunion employees who had access to the same appeal procedure. The results suggest that this type of voice is affected by perceptions regarding immunity from negative managerial reactions to voice and also by factors associated with the utility of voice (e.g., the social power of those involved in the appeal and the evidence available to support the appeal). The results further suggest that perceived immunity moderates the impact of the social power of those involved in the appeal and the evidence available.     

基于层次分析法的企业自创商誉评估

随着企业间并购、整合、重组等产权变更活动的日趋频繁,商誉占企业资产的比重越来越大,有的甚至居于主导地位,尤其是自创商誉。自创商誉对企业的生存和发展起了关键性的作用,却并未引起人们足够的重视。鉴于此,本文对自创商誉的概念、特征及评估方法等问题进行了分析,并在此基础上构建了自创商誉评估的指标体系,主张使用层次分析法确定指标体系中各指标的权重。     

Strategic cost management across boundaries of firms

In recent years, increasing attention has been placed on how purchasing strategies may contribute to the efficiency of firms. In this paper, a case study illustrates how one firm implemented a supplier base reduction to enable a high involvement strategy in relation to appointed key suppliers. The effects of this change in purchasing strategy were extensive cost rationalisations. The main change in this process was a redefinition of the unit of analysis from individual transactions to buyer-supplier relationships. However, the costs in the relationship are driven not only by internal factors on the two sides of the relationship but also by how the focal relationship relates to other relationships. Therefore, the ways in which the costs are affected by other parties, such as the supplier's supplier, the supplier's other customers, the customer's other suppliers, and the customer's customers, need to be included in the analysis.     

PDM在企业中的应用

在信息化时代和经济全球化趋势的形势下 ,PDM不仅作为一种技术 ,更作为一种管理思想 ,为越来越多的企业所重视。为此 ,介绍了 PDM的定义、结构、功能 ,及 Smar Team软件 ,还介绍了企业实施 PDM的条件、步骤和注意问题 ,并以石家庄泵业集团有限责任公司 SB-CIMS应用示范工程中的 PDM的实施为例 ,介绍了 PDM在企业中的应用。     

Environmental Uncertainty, Organizational Integration, and New Product Development Effectiveness: A Test of Contingency Theory

R&D/marketing integration clearly improves new-product development (NPD) effectiveness. However, achieving this integration increases the costs of NPD efforts. If technical and market uncertainty moderate the effects of integration on NPD effectiveness, perhaps a firm can achieve NPD success in a more cost-effective manner by seeking the appropriate level of integration, based on the perceived level of uncertainty. In a study of 101 NPD projects at high-tech firms in the U.S. and the U.K., William E. Souder, J. Daniel Sherman, and Rachel Davies-Cooper explore the interplay between technical and market uncertainty, integration, and NPD effectiveness. Their study examines two types of integration: R&D/marketing integration and direct R&D/customer integration. The study measures NPD effectiveness in terms of such indicators as NPD cycle time, prototype development proficiency, design change frequency (a negative performance indicator), and product launch proficiency. The responses from both the U.S. and the U.K. firms provide balanced samples of high and low uncertainty projects, as well as successful and unsuccessful projects. The results of this study support previous research regarding the positive effects of both R&D/marketing integration and direct R&D/customer integration on NPD effectiveness. However, only one measure of NPD effectiveness—R&D comercialization effectiveness—was affected by both R&D/marketing integration and direct R&D/customer integration. This result suggests that the two types of integration are distinct from one another and that managers need to emphasize different types of integration, depending on which aspects of NPD effectiveness their firms need to improve. The results also suggest that technical and market uncertainty influence some aspects of NPD effectiveness. For example, the perceived level of technical uncertainty was found to influence prototype development proficiency and to moderate design change frequency. In other words, these results support the idea that a high level of technical uncertainty warrants paying extra attention to increasing prototype development proficiency in the interest of reducing design change frequency. However, the results also reinforce the idea that NPD activities generally involve high levels of technical and market uncertainty, which means that the high cost of integration may be a requirement for NPD success.