The Impact of Firm Capabilities and Competitive Advantages on Import Intermediary Performance

ABSTRACT

Import intermediary firms, domestic firms that serve U.S. industries by linking domestic wholesalers/retailers and foreign distributors/manufacturers, handled a whopping U.S. $1.85 trillion of commodity good imports in 2006. This study focused on these important firms by assessing the role of capabilities and competitive advantages as key determinants of import intermediary performance. The empirical results showed that market interpretation, sourcing, and service capabilities, overall, positively affected cost, product, and service competitive advantages. These competitive advantages, in turn, positively affected their relationship performance with business partners. Results, however, also indicated some interesting negative associations among sourcing capabilities, service advantages, and relationship performance with foreign partners, raising questions about extant firm performance theory.     

Bonding Ties,Bridging Ties,and Firm Performance: The Moderating Role of Dynamic Capabilities in Networks

ABSTRACT

Purpose: Building on the dynamic capabilities view and the configuration of network ties, this study investigates how dynamic capabilities moderate the relationships between bonding and bridging ties and firm performance, thus an area with potential to explain the divergent empirical results contained in the existing literature on the relationship between intra/extraorganizational ties and performance.

Methodology: This study employed a mail survey to senior executives. A total of 169 firms operating in an industrial district were collected. Regression analysis was employed to test the proposed model.

Findings: This study found that the combination of dynamic capabilities and bonding/bridging ties helps improve firm performance. Furthermore, this study found a positive relationship between bonding ties and firm performance, but no equivalent relationship for bridging ties.

Research Implications: Research results indicate that firm performance is significantly enhanced by bonding ties, which provide opportunities for sharing information and exchanging resources. Moreover, the empirical results reaffirm the proposition that dynamic capabilities are important transformational mechanisms for managing resources.

Practical Implications: The findings reveal that managers can improve firm performance by simultaneously building social ties and developing and implementing dynamic capabilities.

Originality/Value: This study demonstrates that the components of dynamic capabilities (i.e., sensemaking and reconfiguration) are transformational mechanisms and can moderate the positive relationship between bonding and bridging ties and firm performance, empirically supporting recent perspectives from the literature on dynamic capabilities and social networks.     

基于制度理论的企业非相关多元化与绩效关系研究

传统战略管理理论认为非相关多元化对企业绩效有负向影响。然而在中国这样的转型经济国家,由于制度的缺失导致市场有效性相对较弱,非相关多元化可以使企业形成内部市场从而弥补制度的欠缺,通过对中国500强企业的实证研究也证明非相关多元化与企业绩效正相关。由于中国民营企业的非相关多元化程度较国有企业更高,民营企业非相关多元化与企业绩效的关系也较国有企业更为显著。     

Role of Family Resources in Firm Performance: Evidence from Tanzania

The main purpose of this article is to examine the role of intangible family resources in the performance of family enterprises in Tanzania. In particular, the article examines the role of information sharing, family patient capital and family labor in firm performance. Using a sample of 163 family firms and the structural equation model of analysis, the findings indicate that family patient capital and information sharing contribute significantly to the performance of firms. With regard to the cost of labor, the study does not show any evidence that lower labor costs improve family firms' performance, most probably because these businesses incur additional labor costs which are not directly linked to the business. Based on the results, it is concluded that the family has an influence on the strategic level of family businesses, thereby contributing to their success.     

Entrepreneurial Orientation and Performance of Chinese High-Tech Firms： The Mediating Role of Organizational Learning and Moderating Role of Firm Life Cycle

The evidence about how entrepreneurial orientation （EO） affects firms＇ performance remains inconclusive. This study joins the research by incorporating organizational learning （OL） as a micro-macro link and by extending empirical work to the largely underexplored context of Chinese high-tech industries. Results from a survey of 252 Chinese high-tech firms demonstrate： （1） entrepreneurial orientation is positively related to firm performance; （2） organizational learning is also positively related to firm performance; （3） organizational learning partly mediates the positive impact of entrepreneurial orientation on firm performance; and （4） high-tech companies in the start-up and growth stage are likely to demonstrate stronger linkages in the EO-OL-performance relationship than in mature stage, which shows that the EO-OL-performance relationship is moderated by firms＇ life cycle.     

商务模式对企业社会责任与企业绩效关系的影响

如何协调解决经济目标与社会目标的利益冲突,实现两者的统一,是我国企业面临的现实问题。本文运用内容分析法,通过对四个中国上市家电企业的多案例研究,发现商务模式对企业社会责任与企业绩效冲突与否起到关键性的作用。当企业采取共享型商务模式时,企业社会责任活动有利于提升企业绩效;反之,当企业采取非共享型商务模式时,企业社会责任与企业绩效就会出现冲突。     

家族企业社会责任与企业绩效:内部能力与外部关系的调节效应

文章利用浙江和重庆两地351家家族企业调查数据,在将家族企业社会责任区分为内部人责任、外部人责任和公共责任的基础上,实证检验了家族企业社会责任与企业绩效关系及内部能力和外部关系的调节效应.结果显示:第一,高内部能力(制造能力、吸收能力)家族企业内部人责任对绩效的影响更大;高吸收能力家族企业公共责任对绩效的影响更小;具有丰富外部关系(高密度、大范围关系网络)家族企业外部人责任对绩效的影响更大.第二,高内部能力家族企业中,内部人责任对绩效有显著的正向影响,公共责任对绩效有显著的负向影响.低吸收能力家族企业中,内部人责任对绩效有显著的负向影响;具有低密度关系网络家族企业中,内部人责任对绩效有显著的正向影响,公共责任对绩效有显著的负向影响;具有大范围关系网络家族企业中,公共责任对绩效有显著的负向影响.     

The Relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Performance: An Application of Quantile Regression

This study empirically examines the relationship between a firm’s fulfilling of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and performance. We developed a CSR index (CSRI) to quantitatively evaluate CSR, which consists of four dimensions measuring a firm’s contributions to the economy, society, environment, and corporate governance, respectively. With data from publicly-listed firms in Taiwan during the period of 2004–2009, results of quantile regression show that fulfilling CSR has a significantly positive impact on firm performance, and that the impact in a more profitable firm tends to be significantly greater than that in a less profitable firm. Specifically, when a firm is more profitable, its management would be more willing to implement CSR. The implication is that a firm could pursue better performance while serving as a good corporate citizen.     

Indulgence versus Restraint: The Moderating Role of Cultural Differences on the Relationship between Corporate Social Performance and Corporate Financial Performance

Adapting to the cultural environment surrounding, a firm is of paramount importance in international marketing practices. Extant marketing literature provides meager guidance to marketers on how to adapt to cultural factors to turn corporate social responsibility strategies into financial outcomes. To address this gap, we utilize the instrumental stakeholder theory and Hofstede's cultural framework to investigate the moderating effect of indulgence versus restraint culture on the relationship between corporate social performance (CSP) and corporate financial performance (CFP). Applying a panel data regression analysis to a dataset of CSP and CFP data for 3753 firms from 43 different countries, we demonstrate that CSP has a positive effect on CFP. However, we show that CSP has a weaker effect on CFP in firms located in indulgent countries. Therefore, to generate financial outcomes, we recommend managers to allocate more resources to CSP initiatives if the firm is operating in a culturally restrained country.     

E-Commerce Adoption: Perceptions of Managers/Owners of Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Thailand

ABSTRACT

E-commerce can be an important source of competitive advantage for most business organizations, especially small- and medium-sized (SMEs) businesses. Recently, researchers have focused on e-commerce adoption both in the United States and other countries. This study examines the factors that influence e-commerce adoption in Thailand. The results show that the major reason behind e-commerce non-adoption is that the organization is not ready to make that change because of cultural, technological, financial, and/or logistical reasons. Additionally, organizational readiness strongly influences e-commerce implementation, and managerial support and financial, logistical, and technological factors weigh heavily in determining if an SME in Thailand can pursue e-commerce implementation. We believe that the e-commerce adoption model in this study will have both managerial implication for practitioners in Thailand, as well as those in other developing countries, and academic implications for researchers who are interested in e-commerce adoption in developing countries.     

供应商角色绩效与经销商感知公平：社会互动及合同的调节作用

文章探讨了由供应商—经销商构成的渠道关系中,供应商角色绩效对经销商感知公平（分配公平和程序公平）的影响及社会互动与合同对上述关系的调节作用,并进一步考察了经销商感知公平对其绩效的影响。实证研究结果显示：供应商角色绩效可以显著地提高经销商对分配公平的感知,但在提高经销商感知程序公平方面作用不显著;社会互动可以强化供应商角色绩效在提高经销商感知公平方面的作用;合同可以强化供应商角色绩效在提高经销商感知分配公平方面的作用,但无法强化供应商角色绩效对经销商感知程序公平的作用;经销商感知的分配公平可以显著地提高其绩效,但感知的程序公平对其绩效无显著影响。研究结论从渠道情境的角度解释了以往实证研究与理论观点不一致的原因,丰富了现有渠道公平的研究,也为供应商如何有效利用其角色绩效以提高经销商的感知公平提供指导意见。     

A Cross‐Disciplinary Examination of Firm Orientations’ Performance Outcomes: The Role of Supply Chain Flexibility

Although market orientation (MO) has long been considered an important business philosophy, the examination of MO outside the firm's boundaries has been rather limited. To address this, this study explores how supply chain orientation and operational flexibility (FLX) facilitate the implementation of MO. Although the positive impact of MO on firm performance has been well established, this study highlights that such benefits are enhanced by the development of supply chain related capabilities. Results indicate that market‐oriented firms are more likely to realize the strategic importance of managing the supply chain when operating under conditions of high environmental munificence, dynamism, and complexity. This provides a better understanding of the complex relationship between the demand and supply sides of the firm. This study highlights the importance of marketing theory and concepts to supply chain management scholars, and vice versa. This further accentuates the importance of eliminating the disconnect between supply and demand‐management processes, also described as the “Great Divide” (Drucker 1973; Esper et al. 2010a,b). A number of key managerial implications are offered as well.     

Analysis of Social Performance in the Spanish Financial Industry Through Public Data. A Proposal

Banking firms are becoming increasingly aware that their clients’ management of environmental and social risks may in term threaten their own business as lenders and investors. In addition, stakeholders are requiring banks to improve their social performance. As a result, some banks are developing corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies and management systems to reduce potential risks and improve their performance. In the Spanish financial system, half of the banking firms are savings banks, most of which have always used some Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) criteria in their management. Private Banks have only recently started to integrate social aspects in their performance. However, no formal analysis has been carried out on the impact of CSR strategies. Various initiatives have been launched nationally and internationally to include the social dimension in management systems. The purpose of this research is to analyse the social performance of the main Spanish financial companies through public data such as social or sustainability reports and media sources. In order to do this, we need to determine which CSR criteria most greatly affect banking firms and to choose the most accurate quantitative and qualitative indicators to measure social performance.     

Adoption of Web-Based Applications in the Financial Sector: The Case of Online Insurance

ABSTRACT

Implementation of new technologies is a never-ending process that attempts to secure the best available tools to accomplish organizational goals. Previous studies on technology implementation discuss the technology adoption process and the multiple factors that are important for making this process successful. This study focuses on the adoption of web-based applications in the insurance industry. An in-depth investigation of relevant literature on the technology adoption process and data collected from insurance companies helped us identify the success factors for online insurance. Relevant factors include infrastructure flexibility, website availability, the degree of business integration, and company age.     

Adaptation and Performance in New Businesses: Understanding the Moderating Effects of Independence and Industry

New ventures as well as new business units experience significant difficulties in finding a viable business model. They often need to adapt their initial business model due to the presence of uncertainty and ambiguity. Technology-based companies are confronted with particularly high degrees of uncertainty and ambiguity. We hypothesize that adaptation is crucial for the performance (measured as survival) of these businesses, but that this effect is moderated by the (in)dependence of the new technology-based business and by the industry in which it is active. We test the adaptation-performance hypothesis through a survival analysis of a sample of 117 independent new ventures and business units. Our findings suggest that adaptation is beneficial in less mature, capital-intensive and high-velocity industries but not so in more mature, stable industries. Also, adaptation reduces failure rates in dependent business units as compared to independent ventures.     

The Critical Role of Relationship Quality in Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprise Internationalization

ABSTRACT

Due to limited resources, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) carefully develop and leverage relationships with foreign, independent intermediaries. This article investigates “relationship quality,” a collection of intangible organizational resources in the exporter–intermediary relationship that support the internationalization and foreign performance of SMEs. Four dimensions of relationship quality—communication, cooperation, trust, and commitment—are modeled and linked to intermediary performance. Findings highlight the significance of relationship quality, its dimensions, and how they support intermediary performance. Cooperation and commitment are significant performance antecedents. Trust is a significant antecedent of commitment, and communication drives cooperation, trust, and commitment. The study provides SMEs a way to enhance the quality of relationships with, and to help improve the performance of, their intermediaries in export markets.     

Marketing Strategy Development Styles,Implementation Capability,and Firm Performance: Investigating the Curvilinear Impact of Multiple Strategy-Making Styles

There is growing interest in the process by which marketing strategy is developed. This article reports on a study in which we investigate the performance implications of using multiple organizational approaches to the development of marketing strategy. Specifically, we test a model in which implementation capability mediates the relationship between number of marketing strategy development (MSD) styles used and firm performance. Based on data collected from manufacturers, the results indicate that: (1) the relationship between the number of MSD styles used and implementation capability is curvilinear (an inverse U-shaped relationship), (2) implementation capability positively impacts firm performance, and (3) implementation capability mediates the relationship between number of MSD styles used and firm performance.     

The Link Between Corporate Social and Financial Performance: Evidence from the Banking Industry

The purpose of this investigation is to extend earlier research on the relationship between corporate social and financial performance. The unique contribution of the study is the empirical analysis of a sample of companies from the banking industry and the use of Community Reinvestment Act ratings as a social performance measure. The empirical analysis solidly supports the hypothesis that the link between social and financial performance is positive.     

The Effect of Digital Transformation and Supply Chain Integration on Enterprise Performance: The Moderating Role of Entrepreneurship

Digital transformation provides companies with a productive approach to transforming and upgrading enterprise resources and capabilities and to exploiting external subject forces to unleash and magnify their potential, thus advancing high-quality enterprise development. Therefore, using regression analysis of the data of China's non-financial listed firms from 2007‒2019 obtained by Python, this paper finds that digital transformation has enormously improved enterprise performance. Furthermore, digital transformation has powerfully boosted supply chain integration, which has played a mediation role in the impact of digital transformation on enterprise performance. Finally, entrepreneurship plays a positive moderating effect on enterprise performance through supply chain integration during digital transformation. The further heterogeneity analysis finds that digital transformation performs better in large, public, state-owned, mature, and non-manufacturing (service industry) enterprises. However, the positive effect of digital transformation on enterprise performance and supply chain integration is not significant in small and medium-sized enterprises. Therefore, supply chain integration cannot play a mediating role in the impact of digital transformation of manufacturing enterprises upon their performance. This paper probes the realization mechanism and micro-foundation of digital transformation, and its conclusion contributes to high-quality digital transformation．     

Differences between Presidents' and Sales Managers' Perceptions of the Industry Environment and Firm Strategy in Small Industrial Firms: Relationship to Performance Satisfaction

The industrial sales force is the primary source of information about the competitive environment. Differences of perceptions of that environment between the national sales manager and the firm president in small industrial firms may reflect inadequate environmental information input into strategic decision-making. The sales force is a major element in implementation of strategy and differences between perceptions of firm strategy may reflect inadequate coordination and communication between the chief strategy decision-maker and the manager who is responsible for implementing that strategy in the market place. It would be expected that these differences in perceptions would impact negatively strategy formulation and execution resulting in unsatisfactory firm performance. This study surveyed the environmental and strategy perceptions of presidents and national sales managers in small to medium-sized industrial firms as well as presidents' satisfaction with firm profitability and marketing/sales effectiveness. The average absolute difference in environment perceptions has a negative relationship with satisfaction with profit. The average absolute difference in strategy perceptions has a negative relationship with marketing/sales effectiveness. This latter relationship is especially strong in an environment high in capital spending variation and for larger firms. The authors suggest implications for managers based on these results.