The Network Embeddedness of New,Technology-Based Firms: Developing A Systemic Evolution Model

The present paper focuses on the interactive relationship between new, technology-based firms and their network environment. The paper analyzes the mechanisms through which new, technology-based firms become immersed in innovation and manufacturing networks. The concept of embeddedness is developed and used to depict such mechanisms.A systemic evolution model of new, technology-based firms is proposed. The model depicts the evolution of new, technology-based firms in manufacturing and innovation networks. The model emphasizes the catalyzing role of new, technology-based firms in national systems of innovation.Network embeddedness is empirically explored in five case studies of Finnish new, technology-based firms. The systemic evolution model serves as an interpretative scheme for the case studies. The analysis of the organic relationship between new, technology-based firms and their systemic environment also serves to reveal the implications of embeddedness for new, technology-based firms.     

Research Issues Relating to Structure,Competition, and Performance of Small Technology-Based Firms

The role that small firms play in industrial organization has evolved considerably since the second world war. This paper seeks to document how and why small business plays a very different role in industrial organization research today than it did some three decades ago.     

The High Growth in New Metal-Based Manufacturing and Business Service Firms in Finland

This study examined the effects of the factors involved in the start-up situation and the first seven years' development on the subsequent high growth of firms. The criterion of success used in this study was high growth in business during the first seven years. The subjects were Finnish metal products manufacturing firms and business service firms established in 1990. The results indicated, firstly, that it is the internal networks of firms that bring about competitive advantage, innovations and efficiency. In these entrepreneurial team-driven firms a group of people participate in the strategic management of the firm. It was also found that co-operation between firms and changes in external personal networks contributed to a high rate of growth. The empirical results showed that new firms had equal chances for growth irrespective of their locality. On the other hand, growth was affected by changes in a new firm's competitive situation and by changes in strategic factors. The results also clearly indicated that high growth firms were characterised by rising productivity of labour at the same time as they were generating new jobs.     

Environmental Hostility and Firm Behavior—An Empirical Examination of New Technology-Based Firms on Science Parks

Firms often respond to challenging environmental conditions, such as those in high-technology environments. Thus, in a hostile environment, the intensity of competition exerts more pressure on the firm and also a greater necessity for firm behavior. This study was conducted with empirical data collected in 1999 from 134 small firms on science parks in Sweden. The discussion in this paper is focused at the firm level. Analysis of firm behavior was conducted using a multivariate approach. The content of firm-level behavior is defined in terms of the firm's overall collection of business practices and competitive tactics. The investigation of customer preferences and competitors are the manifestations of the firm's more basic strategic direction and how the firm will reach the markets. Two different types of firms were analyzed: university spin-offs (USOs) and corporate spin-offs (CSOs). The importance of the science park was included in the study as a control variable. The variable showed whether the firms had received support from a science park. This study indicated that the relations between change of marketing activities and long-term forecasting are strongest for both USOs and CSOs. The long-term forecasting, technology–importance of science park, was another key factor. This is exemplified by the two samples used in this study.     

Networks in Entrepreneurship: The Case of High-technology Firms

The value of networks as an integral part of the explanation of entrepreneurial success is widely acknowledged. However, the network perspective does not specify the role of networks in the emergence and early growth of a venture. We have distinguished three entrepreneurial processes in new venture development, i.e. discovery of opportunities, securing resources, and obtaining legitimacy, which are of importance for survival and performance. This paper examines how these processes are influenced by strong and/or weak ties and whether the degree of innovation (incremental versus radical) acts as a contingency factor in the way network ties support entrepreneurial processes. In this explorative study three cases on high technology firms in The Netherlands provide empirical material enabling us to develop a number of propositions on the network effect, in particular the mix of strong and weak ties, on the three entrepreneurial processes.     

Trade,Tariffs and Total Factor Productivity: The Case of Spanish Firms

The aim of this paper is to examine the sensitivity of total factor productivity (TFP) to foreign competition in the case of a European country. Using the Olley and Pakes method, we calculate the TFP of Spanish manufacturing firms and study the impact of EU tariffs and the presence of foreign products and imports on TFP at the firm level. Applying the System‐GMM method, we find that TFP is negatively impacted by European tariffs, whereas competition in the form of the increased presence of foreign products in the domestic market and firm imports leads to improvements in the TFP. Moreover, these two effects are complementary. We also find evidence of important asymmetries among firms depending on their involvement in foreign markets.     

Surveillance in Employment: The Case of Teleworking

This paper looks at various ways teleworking can be linked to surveillance in employment, making recommendations about how telework can be made more acceptable. Technological methods can allow managers to monitor the actions of teleworkers as closely as they could monitor "on site" workers, and in more detail than the same managers could traditionally. Such technological methods of surveillance or monitoring have been associated with low employee morale. For an employer to ensure health and safety may require inspections of the teleworkplace. When the teleworkplace is in the home, there may be an invasion of privacy associated with such inspections, that could be perceived and resented as surveillance. A problem of telework is that teleworkers may feel isolated. Methods to counter this could be associated with further forms of surveillance, and fear of such surveillance may inhibit them from reaching their potential as methods to counter isolation. The idea that teleworking may also allow communications to be intercepted by third parties is also looked at. Some, but not all, of the issues considered are applicable, to some extent, in non-teleworked employment situations. The overall conclusion of the paper is that the potential exists for surveillance to be associated with telework. Fears of such surveillance may turn actors against telework. However, much can be done to reduce such fears.     

Exports,Foreign Direct Investment and Employment: The Case of China

This paper analyses the growth of production and employment in China during the period 1978 to the early 1990s. It argues that the Chinese experience with export‐led growth provides an excellent case study of the phenomenon of a vent for surplus resources provided by exports, identified by Adam Smith in the Wealth of Nations and elaborated by Hla Myint. The paper extends the Smith‐Myint model of ‘vent‐for‐surplus’ productive capacity to ‘vent‐for‐surplus’ resources by allowing for foreign investment flows. The ‘vent‐for‐surplus’ effect of exports on employment and growth is examined in a dynamic labour demand framework for a panel of township and village enterprises (TVEs) in China.     

新时期流通业现代化理论的内涵及特征

流通现代化已经成为我国流通发展的战略目标,但是当前对流通现代化内涵的探讨还远远不够,而且新时期流通现代化内涵也更趋丰富。本文探讨了流通业现代化的内涵及发展过程,从观念、物质与制度层面界定流通现代化表现形式和特征。     

Science Parks and the Performance of New Technology-Based Firms: A Review of Recent U.K. Evidence and an Agenda for Future Research

Science parks were established to stimulate the formation and development of new technology-based firms (NTBFs). Despite the potential importance of these institutions as a mechanism for generating technological spillovers and employment growth, there has been little systematic analysis of their impact on NTBFs. In this paper, we review some recent evidence comparing the performance of firms located on and off U.K. science parks. This preliminary evidence suggests that the "returns" to being located on a science park are negligible. We conjecture that these results may be due to imprecise estimates of these returns and may also be masking important differences in the returns to different types of science parks. In addition, we outline an agenda for additional research on the effects of these institutions on NTBF performance.     

政治关联、目标融合与企业用工稳定性——来自全国私营企业抽样调查的经验证据

基于公共治理目标嵌入的视角,运用2012年全国第十次私营企业抽样调查数据,实证考察政治关联对私营企业用工稳定性的影响.结果发现:政治关联可以显著改善企业用工稳定性;企业劳动密集度能够正向调节政治关联与用工稳定性之间的关系,即在高劳动密集型企业中,政治关联促进长期雇佣、减少临时雇佣的效果更显著.进一步研究显示:政治关联主要通过提升企业政策感知能力、员工集体发声能力,进而对用工稳定性产生正面影响;在地区经济发展状况较差(即经济处于下行周期)时,政治关联对企业用工稳定性的积极效应更明显.     

The Initial Public Offerings of Restaurant Firms: The Case of Industry-Specific Micromarket Capitalization Offerings

We investigate the pricing characteristics of 59 initial public offerings (IPOs) of firms in the restaurant industry. Many of these offers are by extremely small micromarket capitalization companies, ones that are typically excluded from other studies of IPOs. We find that the choice of underwriter and the issuing company's subsequent financial performance significantly affect the level of underpricing and aftermarket performance. Companies that employ small, regional investment banking houses as underwriters fail to attract much investor interest, resulting in less underpricing and poorer aftermarket performance. In addition, investors appear to accurately appraise those firms that subsequently suffer from poor financial performance. This is demonstrated through greater underpricing to compensate investors for the greater perceived risk.     

探析新时期高职院校毕业生的就业与创业

随着我国市场经济体制的逐步完善和职业院校毕业生就业制度改革的逐步深化．职业院校毕业生就业失去了以往政策保护带来的种种优势,从“计划”逐步走向“市场”。文章认真审视了就业形式,提出了正确的就业理念,这是每个面临就业的职业院校毕业生的必然选择。     

Performance,Partner Relationship,and Ownership Change in International Joint Ventures: The Case of Korean Firms in Asia

This article examines how interorganizational factors in two-party international joint ventures (IJVs) affect subsequent IJV ownership changes. It specifically examines the primary impact of IJV performance and the moderating impacts of initial ownership structures, and duration. Utilizing a data set of Korean foreign direct investment, the authors find that the ownership structures of IJVs with lower performance are more likely to change. The authors also find that unbalanced ownership promotes subsequent ownership changes, whereas longer IJV duration retards ownership changes in even lower-performing IJVs. The findings imply that relational changes reflected in IJV ownership depend on shared bargaining power and relational solidarity.     

The Development of Organizational Capabilities and Corporate Entrepreneurial Processes: The Case of Chinese Automobile Firms

Corporate entrepreneurship (CE) has contributed to the rapid growth of emerging‐market firms (EMFs), yet little is known about this phenomenon from a process perspective. This article examines how EMFs develop organizational capabilities in pursuit of CE as a strategy to catch up with their global competitors. By adopting a case study method, our in‐depth analysis of two leading Chinese automobile companies identifies specific organizational capabilities that enable firms’ CE activities at different stages—initiation, development, and implementation. Our findings also reveal how different means of developing organizational capabilities lead to different catch‐up strategies, which subsequently influence firms’ entrepreneurial transformation and value creation. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

劳务派遣:农民工就业的新模式

当前,我国农民工就业中存在的突出问题是,就业难与维权难并存。如何实现农民工顺利就业以及如何确保农民工就业后的合法权益,是我们面临的一大难题。劳务派遣这种新兴的就业模式,对于增加农民工就业的数量,提高农民工就业的质量,是一种有益的探索。为了推动劳务派遣规范发展,促进农民工的就业与维权,必须发挥政府、法律和集体谈判的共同作用。     

Interaction Approach and Liabilities: A Case Analysis of Start-Up Firms

ABSTRACT

Purpose: Start-up firms have to face some key challenges due to liabilities related to processes that are external to the organization, such as establishing relationships with customers, suppliers and other relevant actors. The purpose of the article is to understand how liabilities, namely newness, smallness, foreignness and outsidership, are related to each other in start-ups, and what are the main liabilities perceived/experienced by start-ups and their counterparts, using an interactive perspective.

Methodology: The article uses a case study methodology and proposes 3 cases of start-ups firms and their counterparts. Cases are built using multiple data-sources, both primary and secondary.

Findings: The article highlights the role of “heritage” left by the membership in the network. This “network heritage” means that some aspects of the network are pre-existing, in terms of previous and long lasting relationships with other actors. In this sense, the network in which the firm connects pre-exists and mitigates the existence of liabilities that come into play in the processes of interdependence with other actors. This provides a perspective of liabilities, specifically the liability of newness, as an asset in the sense that newness depends on a “short story,” without constraints of a “longer story” as that of competitors in the network. The liability of newness is an asset in terms of flexibility, customized offer and innovative content.

Originality/value/contribution: The main contribution of the article lies in taking an interactive perspective on start-ups and liabilities, analyzing the interaction processes taking place between the new venture and the surrounding network of essential actors.

Practical implications: Liabilities arise and can be overcome in the processes of interaction, which therefore can have an ambivalent role: fertile ground for the manifestation of liabilities but also the context for its overcoming/conversion of liabilities into assets. Entrepreneurs and managers should consider newness and smallness as positive attributes for other actors in the processes of interaction, as a potential generator of value. Such a perception of newness as an asset depends on two factors: the presence or absence of an organization-mother that limits the perception of newness as a liability; the sector in which the new company develops, if dynamic and innovative or still tied to traditional and consolidated processes where the experience, “history” and “heritage” of the firm are sources of legitimacy.