Organizational Dynamic Capability and Innovation: An Empirical Examination of Internet Firms

This paper extends the dynamic capability perspective into the study of innovation by entrepreneurial firms. Drawing from both the resource-based view and the dynamic capability perspective, this paper explores theoretically and examines empirically the different roles played by a firm's resource stock (endowment of resources and capabilities) and its integrative capabilities (ability to recognize opportunities as well as to configure and deploy resources) in the process of firm innovation. Our structural equation modeling results, based on a sample of 120 Internet-based companies, indicate that both the firm's resource stock and integrative capabilities affect its innovation. Additionally, we also found that the relationship between resource stock and innovation is mediated by integrative capabilities. That is, merely possessing well-endowed resource stock per se is not sufficient for innovation. Thus, it is the firm's ability to mobilize its resources and capabilities and align them dynamically with the changing opportunities in the environment that is of vital importance as the firm constantly innovates to survive and create its own competitive advantage. In the hypercompetitive and fast changing Internet-based environment, such a need for dynamic capabilities is especially accentuated. Implications and suggestions for future research are provided.     

Organizational Virtue and Stakeholder Interdependence: An Empirical Examination of Financial Intermediaries and IPO Firms

Organizational virtue orientation (OVO), an organizational-level construct, refers to the integrated set of beliefs and values that support ethical character traits and virtuous behaviors. To advance the study of organizational virtue, we examine OVO in firms making their initial public offerings (IPOs), with respect to key external stakeholders that serve as financial intermediaries (i.e., venture capital firms and underwriting banks). Drawing on stakeholder and resource dependence theories, we argue that mutual interdependencies occur between financial intermediaries and IPO firms such that venture capital firms’ ownership levels and underwriter reputation are positively associated with the selection of more virtuous IPO firms. We also argue for the moderating relationship of IPO firm age on these main relationships; since IPO firms have more history and information availability, less importance will be placed on OVO in the selection process. In support of our hypotheses, the results of this study suggest the organizational virtue of IPO firms influences the selection decisions of financial intermediaries by reflecting positively on these key stakeholders to improve legitimacy and reputation.     

西方国家劳动力市场灵活化改革的理论分析

灵活化目前已成为西方国家劳动力市场改革的主要发展趋势。西方国家希望通过放弃凯恩斯主义的劳动就业宏观需求管理政策、减少政府和工会对劳动力市场的管制与干预,以及实行激活性劳动就业政策等措施来降低劳动力市场的刚性,提高就业率。从理论上来讲,劳动力市场灵活化改革的根源在于:凯恩斯主义就业政策的失灵、刚性劳动力市场的低效率和全球化时代生产方式与就业模式的根本性变革。同时,劳动力市场的灵活化也被认为是降低失业率的一条有效途径,也是政府、资本和工会之间新的力量平衡下的一种选择。     

Environment–Flexibility Coalignment and Performance: An Analysis in Large versus Small Firms

This paper takes a wide-ranging transnational look, within the frame of he European Union, at the differences between large and small firms based on practices of flexibility. More specifically, the research aims to evaluate whether small firms form a homogeneous body in applying flexible practices as opposed to large firms, as well as observing the differential effects on performance when there are discrepancies in the coalignment levels between a firm's actual flexibility and that required by the environment. The hypotheses are tested using data from 417 European firms. The results reveal that (1) good coalignments between actual and required flexibility (flexibility fit) have a greater influence on business performance in the case of small firms; (2) there are significant differences between small and large firms as regards operative flexibility, strategic flexibility, financial flexibility (organizational slack), and performance. The large firms analyzed coalign their flexibility fit better in their various dimensions (structural, operative, and strategic); (3) the degree of metaflexibility can be greater among small firms, which represents a greater information processing capacity, thus enabling the flexibility fit to be constantly coaligned to changes in the environment. However, a greater metaflexibility is not immediately reflected in the flexibility fit; and (4) this greater flexibility fit among large firms can be favored by their greater financial flexibility.     

中国与中亚五国农产品贸易竞争性和互补性分析

文章运用产品相似度指数、贸易结合度指数和贸易互补性指数测算了中国与中亚五国农产品在世界市场上的贸易竞争性和互补性。研究发现,目前中国与中亚五国农产品在市场上竞争性微弱,相反互补性却很强。中国出口相对于中亚五国进口存在互补性的农产品主要是以资本和技术为主的加工农产品;中国进口相对于中亚五国出口存在互补性的农产品主要是以土地和资源为主的初级农产品。     

Managerial and Organizational Learning in Chinese Firms

This investigation has thrown light on ways in which international joint ventures (IJVs) are addressing the issues of balance between the need to learn the knowledge and management practices introduced by the other partners and the need for the partners to maintain that level of control which enables them to secure appropriate returns from their equity investment. The results from the investigation of 67 IJVs show equity can be used as an appropriate indicator for examining both the process and the outcome of learning embedded in the organization. They also suggest that the control leveraged from a majority equity share can be used to safeguard knowledge and competencies whilst simultaneously responding to the necessity to incorporate the knowledge and management practices of its partner. Learning achieved in an IJV may not necessarily relate only to the control mechanisms exercised as there are many other variables that may have an impact including attitudes, cultural capital building, or even government policy. This study thus highlights the relationship between the impact derived from the ways of committing the resources onto an IJV and its contribution to the learning achieved in an IJV.     

中国对中亚五国投资研究文献综述

对我国学者关于中国对中亚五国投资的研究成果进行了系统性梳理,发现中国对中亚五国投资的研究主要分为四个研究方向,即明确了投资的定义;中亚五国的投资环境分析;中国对中亚五国投资现状、区位选择以及影响因素分析;中国对中亚五国的投资效应和效率分析。基于数据可得性,相关研究文献以定性分析为主,定量分析较少。     

Organizational Trust and Interfirm Cooperation: An Examination of Horizontal Versus Vertical Alliances

Over the past decade, trust has emerged as the central means of achieving cooperation in interorganizational relationships. Past empirical inquiries have largely focused on the role of trust within the context of vertical relations between channel members or service providers and their clients. Thus, little is known about the nature or the role of trust in horizontal relations. A number of interorganizational scholars suggest that the nature and the effect of behavioral norms such as trust may be widely different in horizontal versus vertical relationships. This study examines the effect of relationship form on organizational trust using data from a survey of 106 U.S. firms who have recently participated in either horizontal or vertical R&D alliances. The results of this survey indicate that participants in vertical alliances display higher levels of organizational trust than participants in horizontal alliances. In addition, while organizational trust enhances cooperation in vertical alliances, trust is unrelated to cooperation in horizontal alliances.     

Organizational Structure and Performance in Dutch small Firms

The relationship between organizational structure and performance in small firms has received relatively limited attention over the last few decades. In understanding small firm performance this seems to be a serious omission. In this paper, we first present the rationale for including organizational structure in the analysis of small firm performance. Then, from the literature on organizational theory, we retrieve several dimensions that may be postulated to describe organizational structures of small firms. Based on the study of a stratified sample of 1411 Dutch small firms we show that nine structure stereotypes can be delineated. We further investigate the relevance of the empirical taxonomy by looking at the relationship with firm performance in terms of sales growth, profitability and innovativeness. Eventually, we conclude that organizational structure indeed matters and that it deserves to be taken into account in models and future analysis of small firm performance.     

外贸企业中的企业家行为与组织绩效

入世后，外贸企业要在激烈的市场竞争中立于不败之地，其内部管理的问题不容忽视。一个企业的成败关键在于企业家，本文运用企业家行为、组织绩效、组织行为等方面的理论，论述企业家行为不当会导致组织绩效问题，并从企业家本身、组织、社会三方面找出原因和对策。     

Organizational Learning: An Empirical Assessment of Process in Small U.K. Manufacturing Firms

Organizational learning is increasingly being mentioned in the literature as a mechanism for assisting small firm survival. There exists, however, limited empirical evidence to validate the benefits claimed for the concept. A survey of small U.K. manufacturing firms was undertaken to ascertain whether entrepreneurial firms use higher-order (or double-loop) learning. Additional research aims included assessing whether organizational learning confers information management advantages and contributes to the upgrading of managerial competencies. The results suggest entrepreneurial firms do utilize higher-order learning and are able to manage information more effectively than non-entrepreneurial firms. Some evidence was found to support the view that higher-order learning influences certain managerial competencies. The implications of these findings are discussed and proposals presented on the needs for further research     

Organizational Ethics in Developing Countries: A Comparative Analysis

Relationships with one’s employees, co-workers, or superiors create ethical dilemmas. Employees’ judgments and ethical perceptions have been extensively studied in Western cultures, but not in developing countries. The purpose of this investigation is to examine employees’ self-reported work-related ethics and compare them to their perceptions of co-workers’ and top managements’ along various morally challenging situations in three developing countries’ organizations. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Oman, known as the Gulf countries, were selected as the research setting – and provided the sampling frame – for this study. The results suggest that respondents perceived all ethically challenging situations as unethical and had significant differences among themselves regarding the ethical perceptions of self, as compared to perceptions of peers’, and top managements’. Discussion of the results and implications are provided.     

中国新疆与中亚五国经贸合作比较研究

目前,新疆与中亚五国的经贸合作总体尚处于"三低一小"的松散型模式向半紧密型过渡的初级阶段,存在"两少一多"的现象,这与建立中亚-中国自由贸易区的渐成趋势极不相适应.通过对新疆与中亚各国经贸合作进行比较分析发现,新疆应发挥好区位优势,挖掘潜能、深化与中亚国家的经贸合作.在其合作过程中,必须充分关注中亚五国的贸易政策与贸易环境,可重点发展哈、吉、塔三国的合作关系,尤其应该大力推进口岸合作;要做到贸易与投资合作有机结合,尽快从"产品合作"向"产业合作"提升;要加快形成多成分、多形式、多渠道全方位合作的格局.     

哈大齐工业走廊与东北亚各国产业合作分析

哈大齐工业走廊是黑龙江省老工业基地建设的重点项目，其规划目标是整合区域内的生产要素，建立具备优势特色的产业集群，与东北亚各国合作走外向型发展的道路。黑龙江省与东北亚各国有着良好的政治经济关系，哈大齐工业走廊与东北亚各国的产业合作多年来凭借地缘优势已取得了一定的成绩，随着哈大齐工业走廊产业集群建设的推进，依托各方对区域经济合作的良好愿望，哈大齐工业走廊与东北亚国家产业合作的前景将更加广阔。     

Organizational Isomorphism and Corruption in Financial Institutions: Empirical Research in Emerging Countries

The globalizations of capital markets in the last 20 years has led to a historic degree of financial integration in the world. It is clear, however, that globalization is not conducive to a complete homogeneity of financial markets and institutions. Among others, one element of diversity is the importance of the impact of corruption in emerging countries. Corruption decreases the credibility of financial institutions and markets. Scandals and unethical behavior in financial institutions erode confidence in such firms. Relying on neoinstitutional literature, this article focuses on the link between corruption and organizational isomorphism in financial institutions in emerging countries. Therefore, our aim is to examine the institutional reasons for corruption in financial institutions in emerging countries. Our structural equation model is based on empirical research in financial institutions in emerging countries. A questionnaire was administrated to 70 top executives of financial institutions in 18 different emerging countries.     

FDI,Growth and the Asian Financial Crisis: The Experience of Selected Asian Countries

This paper studies the trends in foreign direct investment (FDI) flows into selected South‐East Asian and East Asian economies after the Asian crisis. Empirical evidence indicates that South‐East and East Asian economies are recovering from the Asian crisis with strong output growth driven largely by export growth. However, output growth in the post‐crisis period is also accompanied by rising unemployment rates, growing government deficits, and declining FDI inflows into the South‐East Asian region. The declining FDI inflows into South‐East Asia after the crisis is of concern, as our empirical results show that FDI is important for output growth in the region. Our results also suggest that there might have been structural changes in the regional economies that could have led to a downward shift in the output growth of Asian economies in the post‐crisis period. This raises the issue of the sustainability of their output growth in the post‐crisis period.     

Organization-Harm vs. Organization-Gain Ethical Issues: An Exploratory Examination of the Effects of Organizational Commitment

The existing literature on the relationship between organizational commitment and ethical decision making suggests that ethical decision makers with higher organizational commitment are less likely to engage in ethically questionable behaviors. The ethical behaviors previously studied in an organizational commitment context have been organization-harm issues in which the organization was harmed and the individual benefited (e.g., overstating an expense report). There is another class of ethical issues in an organizational context, however. These other issues, termed organization-gain issues, focus on the organization obtaining a benefit while outsiders, such as investors, are harmed (e.g., overstating reported revenue). We explore whether individuals with higher organizational commitment are more or less likely to engage in questionable behaviors that benefit the organization. Results of our study indicate that individuals with higher organizational commitment are less likely to engage in ethically questionable behaviors, regardless of whether the behaviors are organization-harm or organizational-gain issues.