Blitzscaling: The good,the bad,and the ugly

Today’s disruptive innovations are driving the creation of numerous billion-dollar startups. Venture capitalists focus on these potentially disruptive technology startups and fund them furiously, advancing their speed of growth. The idea is to scale fast and seek huge returns for investors. Terms that define this type of aggressive scaling have recently developed in Silicon Valley. Unicorn is defined as a venture with a value of $1 billion, while a decacorn describes startups with a value of $10 billion. Another recent term is blitzscaling: funding a venture for extremely fast growth and prioritizing speed over efficiency in an environment of uncertainty. While blitzscaling is being used heavily by investors in Silicon Valley, we look at exactly what comprises this new phenomenon and how it is used in practice. We examine the concept, its stages, and its prevalence before reviewing the different examples of how the strategy has been implemented for success (the good), cases of its failure in practice (the bad), and the extreme cases of ethical compromise by ventures (the ugly). From these cases, we draw specific lessons that, if understood and appropriately addressed, would help new ventures effectively implement the strategy.     

Corporate political activity: The good,the bad,and the ugly

Many executives mix business with politics, but to what end? Over the past 30 years, researchers have examined whether this practice leads to increased business performance, and have found conflicting results. Via meta-analysis, we reexamined these results and condensed them into one meaningful package. The good news is that businesses which mix business and politics generally receive handsome returns. The bad news is that engaging in political activity has risks and can hurt performance. The ugly news is that risks can be mitigated; however, the methods for doing so are likely to offend some firm stakeholders. Overall, we conclude that mixing business with politics is beneficial, although executives must pursue the practice with a hint of caution.     

The good,the bad,and the ugly: Technology transfer competence,rent-seeking,and bargaining power

In this paper, we explore the relationships between subsidiary technology transfer competence, bargaining power and rent-seeking. In the multinational corporation, technology transfer competence is generally perceived as something desirable. We connect this bright side of subsidiary-level processes to a potentially uglier and darker side of the organization, namely that subsidiaries gain bargaining power that is exercised for bad ends, i.e., rent-seeking. Using an empirical analysis that comprises intrafirm technology transfers, this paper finds that technology transfer competence leads to greater subsidiary bargaining power that in turn increases rent-seeking behavior; but this competence does not directly affect rent-seeking. We suggest that bargaining power offers a key explanation for rent-seeking. This paper advances the understanding of subsidiary sources of power within the multinational corporation and the organizational determinants of rent-seeking, which is relevant to theory development as well as to managers.     

Outsourcing: Pros and cons

Overseas outsourcing of jobs is far more complicated than is generally understood. Pressures to outsource range from better-serving overseas markets to increasing the competitiveness of American business. Outsourcing—domestic and international—responds to management's desire to focus the firm's in-house activities on its core competence. A negative side to outsourcing results from companies doing so simply because “everybody is doing it.” They may be surprised by accompanying factors such as unexpected costs and complications, as well. Governmental policymakers need to realize that foreign companies outsource more business services to the United States than American firms send overseas.     

外包与生产率和就业:基于中国的实证

文章使用1997、2002和2007年的42部门投入产出表数据,计算了我国22个工业行业的外包比率,并以面板数据模型检验了外包对工业行业劳动力就业及外包对工业行业产出的影响。检验结果表明,材料品外包、服务外包的发展均有效地提升了我国工业行业生产率水平,但服务外包对工业行业生产率的促进效应要远远大于材料品外包,而外包对工业行业就业影响的分析结果是,服务外包对工业行业就业的影响为正效应并且影响显著,材料品外包对于工业行业就业的效应则效果不明显。     

服务外包不等于服务业外包——服务外包概念再认识与理论新析

服务外包快速发展的同时,存在诸多对服务外包概念的模糊认识。服务外包不是服务业的外包,而是服务活动的外包。服务外包涵盖制造业、服务业各领域,而不仅仅是服务业一家的事情。相应地,服务外包动因理论应随服务外包发展实践得以重新诠释并适度扩展。以扩展理论为指导,以服务外包市场驱动因素和选择接包商要素为基础,建立服务外包承接地竞争力评价体系,并积极推进接包商CMMI资质认证工作。     

物流外包关系中物流服务需求方信任的影响因素研究

文章在国内外文献回顾的基础上构建了研究模型,并进行了实证研究,以探讨物流外包关系中物流服务需求方信任的影响因素及其对信任的作用。研究结论表明:物流服务需求方对以前交易经历的满意度是影响物流服务需求方建立信任的最重要因素,企业声誉和信息的共享是仅次于满意度的影响因素,而对关系进行的投资和合作的时间长度对物流服务需求方建立信任的影响最小或者没有影响。最后根据实证研究结果就第三方物流提供者如何赢得物流服务需求方信任提出了实践建议。     

The good,the bad and the uncertain: Employers' perceptions of former entrepreneurs

Do employers perceive former entrepreneurs as suitable candidates for paid employment? We argue that (positive and negative) stereotypes and uncertainty drive employability perceptions regarding former entrepreneurs; these perceptions are contingent upon job type and the background of both the applicant and the person evaluating them. Two empirical studies yield broad support for our predictions. In Study 1 (a vignette study), we find lower employability perceptions regarding former entrepreneurs compared to other applicants, which are significantly mediated by positive and negative stereotypes as well as uncertainty perceptions. In Study 2 (conjoint experiments with two separate samples: recruiters and executives), we substantiate the results of Study 1, revealing that when former entrepreneurs apply for a job involving personnel responsibility or when there is evidence of a failure in their vita, they are less likely to face devaluations. Further, we find evidence for similarity effects; more specifically, entrepreneurs do not suffer from employability devaluation when the recruiter is a part-time entrepreneur or the executive is the business owner. We discuss the implications as part of the employability debate about former entrepreneurs.     

Measuring firm performance: Bayesian estimates with good and bad outputs

Set in the airport industry, this paper measures firm performance using both desirable and bad outputs (i.e. airport delays). We first estimate a model that does not include the bad outputs and then a model that includes bad outputs. The results show important differences in the efficiency and productivity results depending on whether bad outputs are or are not included in the model. The differences reflect the resource cost to society and the potential cost to an airport if such externalities were internalized. Finally, the paper provides measures of shadow prices for the bad output, in our case airport delay, and discusses the results in terms of several interesting trends affecting US airports.     

关于服务外包理论与实践的几个问题

为推动中国服务外包业的发展,国务院已在"十一五"规划纲要中明确提出要在全国建设若干个服务外包基地,大力发展服务外包业务。对服务外包理论的全面深刻的认识,有利于我们更好地推进服务外包。本文初步探讨了服务外包的内涵、服务外包的发展、服务外包的分类、服务外包的市场和建设几个问题。     

产品内贸易、市场结构与福利效应:跨国公司海外扩张模式的解读

本文旨在通过构建一个包含中间品市场和最终品市场在内的产品内贸易模型,考察差异化市场结构对跨国公司选择垂直FDI和外包两种海外扩张模式的影响。研究结果表明,在上、下游市场之间存在某种传导机制的情况下,一体式非完全专业化的生产方式与产品内分工贸易的规模负相关,不断增加的最终品市场的垄断强度,不仅会导致跨国公司内部所有生产要素的福利水平遭受不同程度的损失,还会进一步缩小产品内贸易的规模。     

黑龙江省沿边开放带发展服务外包业存在的问题及对策

黑龙江省对外与俄罗斯接壤,并与蒙古、朝鲜、韩国、日本毗邻。黑龙江省在东北亚既处前沿,又为枢纽,在全国对外开放格局中,尤其是沿边开放中扮演着重要的角色。目前黑龙江省沿边开放带在发展服务外包过程中还存在服务业发展相对滞后,人才缺乏,政府投入力度不够等问题。应通过完善服务外包统计体系,依据区域特色建立服务外包产业集群,建立完善人才培养体系,加大对服务业的资金投入和知识产权保护力度来促进沿边开放带服务外包业的快速发展。     

Trade liberalization, outsourcing, and the hold-up problem

This paper shows that, in a bilateral relationship where a foreign supplier has to make a relationship-specific investment but cannot enforce a complete contract, the standard hold-up problem of underinvestment is aggravated when trade incurs a tariff. In this context, we identify two new channels through which trade liberalization enhances international trade. First, lower tariffs increase the incentives of foreign suppliers to undertake cost-reducing investments. Second, lower tariffs may prompt vertical multinational integration. These indirect effects imply that responses of trade volumes to trade liberalization are greater than standard trade models suggest and help explain current trends toward foreign outsourcing and intra-firm trade.     

我国服务外包业发展的现状、问题及对策

近年来我国服务外包业增长迅速,产业规模不断扩大、业务形式日趋多样、市场分布逐渐拓展,示范城市也发挥了一定的产业集聚和辐射作用;但是同时也存在着一些问题和不足,主要体现在理解认识、企业实力、市场环境三个方面;而科学系统、务实灵活的发展策略将有助于我国服务外包业水平的提升。     

Nearshoring,reshoring, and insourcing: Moving beyond the total cost of ownership conversation

As firms from across all manufacturing sectors are rethinking their outsourcing and offshoring strategies, there is the potential for a manufacturing renaissance in the U.S. The findings from this case study suggest that the current manufacturing relocation shift is not perceived by manufacturers as a long-term business strategy (as outsourcing has been). As such, the results suggest that manufacturing relocation decisions based exclusively on models such as total cost of ownership (TCO) will not deliver anticipated near-term costs savings. In addition to TCO, firms must have access to information concerning the complexity of the outsourced manufacturer’s manufacturing and supply chain processes in order to fully evaluate the ‘as-is’ outsourced function against ‘to-be’ manufacturing relocation opportunities.     

Coworking spaces: Understanding,using, and managing sociomateriality

Companies increasingly embrace the new types of work associated with coworking spaces. Coworking spaces started with the idea of a melting pot of open social interaction, collaboration, entrepreneurship, and innovation for freelancers, new ventures, or solo entrepreneurs. Companies may use coworking spaces to invigorate targets and further motivate and inspire their employees. Fundamental to achieving those targets is the coworking space’s interior design and architecture that incorporates emotional and social values that may benefit companies. Our sociomateriality perspective helps to analyze conditions in coworking spaces and guides suggestions on how companies revitalize by using coworking spaces. The purposeful design of the different social and work areas in coworking spaces can improve communication, collaboration, and innovation in companies.     

The Structures of Cooperation: Downscaling,Outsourcing and the Networked Alliance

This article explores interfirm cooperation and its relationship with downscaling, cooperative outsourcing, and the network structures of multiple firm alliances. Downscaling is defined and related to cooperative outsourcing, as major influences shaping interfirm relations. The advantages of embedding cooperative outsourcing in strategic alliances are then addressed, with special relevance to small and medium-size firms. Five types of network structures that may develop within alliances are considered, relating their main characteristics and internal division of labor to various aspects of interfirm cooperation, such as embeddedness, disparities, commitment and trust.     

EU Enlargement,Institutional Governance and Innovation Environment in the Baltic Countries

Abstract

This paper presents institutional framework to implement innovative and co-operative procedures of industrial reorganization and economic growth in the Baltic countries. By using the recent features of organization mode theories and institutional economics, we apply how institutional development helps the Baltic firms to survive in the integration of EU25 markets. We present this framework as a dynamic process in three stages. The first stage identifies the main foundations from the transition period: macroeconomic stabilization, privatization, and financial governance. The second stage considers how to build up the institutional structure of the governance in production. The third stage points out those topics that enhance innovation environment and benchmarks the Baltic countries to EU innovation capacity. These progressive stages in financial, production, and innovation systems of governance can be overlapped or happen in sequential order but the final purpose of these improvements is to enhance the managerial incentives for higher innovative activity in the EU-Baltic industrial integration. It is found that the Baltic innovation input capacity is competitive compared with the EU25 average but a gap in innovation output is still essential.     

International Channels of Distribution and the Role of Comparative Marketing Analysis

To enter international markets successfully, firms need to secure adequate distribution channels for their products in the targeted markets. But gaining access to, as well as developing and maintaining marketing channels in foreign markets requires substantial knowledge of the distribution structures and patterns in thos markets. This follows because the so-called standardized (globalized) approach to international marketing strategy does not apply to distribution strategy in foreign markets. Comparative marketing analysis can provide international marketers with the means for obtaining the knowledge needed by providing (1) a substantial literature on distribution in different countries, (2) a variety of methodologies that can provide insights into foreign distribution structures, and (3) by sensitizing international marketers to changing patterns of distribution around the world.