A commentary on “The role of actors in combining resources into complex solutions”

This commentary essay summarises and explicates two important observation made by Cantù, Corsaro and Snehota in this special issue and discusses the implications for the future study of managing resource interaction in inter-organisational networks. First, consider the importance of the recognition of the duality of actors’ roles; as providers and users of resources in a combining and recombining systems of change and innovation. Second, the recognition of multiple points of value creation that emerges within the network during the process of combining and integrating resources to create customer solutions.     

Assembling resources when forming a new business

Every business builds on a specific set of resources. New businesses in particular have to assemble external resources that are mostly new to them. This resource assembly requires developing business relationships with other actors that control and can provide the needed resources. Adopting a resource interaction perspective, this paper examines a case of a new business venture in the automobile industry. The case study shows that when forming a new business the actors possess only partial knowledge of how to assemble the resources. Consequently, the actors must engage in extensive adaptation and interaction with others to enact workable resource interfaces and combinations. This necessity makes the new business formation process nonlinear and onerous. Further, the case demonstrates that new business formation is a collective process involving not only the emergence of a formal business organization but also reorganizing the applicable resource market. Since third parties involved in developing the necessary resource combinations can be considered part of the new business venture, setting the boundaries of the new venture becomes arbitrary. The arbitrary nature of such boundary setting has implications in entrepreneurship studies with regard to the unit of analysis and the concept of opportunity.     

Interactive resource development in new business relationships

Interaction in business relationships is a significant means of resource development. Studies of these processes have focused on interactive development in long-term relationships between buyer and supplier. This study explores the characteristics of joint resource development in new business relationships, where the two parties have no previous experience of interacting with each other. The study is based on the industrial network model and contains two cases of interactive development of new products with entirely different features. This research shows that joint development in a new relationship is strongly dependent on the resources of other business partners, since no previous adaptations exist between the two focal actors. Access to these resources is achieved through the established business relationships of the two parties. Furthermore, previous interactions with other business partners have a significant impact on the outcome of interactive development in a new business relationship. The main reason for these conditions is that the features of the resources of the two parties have evolved during these interactions.     

The role of spirituality in Islamic business networks: The case of internationalizing Turkish SMEs

This paper sets out to investigate the role of religion and spirituality in a business network context, with an empirical focus on the international business development of Turkish SMEs. By drawing on the concept of homophily and tie strength, we argue that, while religion can act as a bridge and thus create a multitude of weak ties within a business network, spirituality can deepen these ties and make them stronger through increased emotional intensity, intimacy and reciprocal service. The data were collected from participants in two Islamic business associations in Turkey. The results suggest that spirituality indeed drives members’ commitment to the network and the presence of spirituality has a distinctive effect on members’ contributions to and demands on the network. More specifically, members who treat their network membership as an extension of their spiritual practice tend to mainly benefit from intangible resources, while members who view their shared religion as an entry point into the network seem to benefit from both tangible and intangible network resources. The findings have several theoretical and practical implications, including the introduction of the spirituality concept into the discussion of homophily and tie strength in business networks, and the role of home networks in the internationalization of SMEs.     

深空天线组阵相关合成算法的Simulink仿真与分析

为对深空网天线组阵中几种相关合成算法进行分析比较,构建了一种新的Simulink仿真模型。将其应用于某测控站天线组阵试验数据,验证了模型的可行性。在此仿真模型下,对Simple、Sumple和Matrix-free 算法进行了频标同源/频标不同源、弱信号/强信号、2/3/6个天线等组阵情况下的仿真分析。三种算法在频标同源情况下的合成效率均优于不同源的情况;强信号组阵情况下,三种算法的信噪比合成性能基本相当;Simple算法在6天线情况下,信噪比合成性能下降;Sumple算法在组阵的天线数目很少时,合成信噪比较低且不稳定,在天线数目较多时性能良好;Matrix-free算法性能稳健,合成效率始终大于95%。该Simulink仿真模型对于进行天线组阵信号相关算法的分析具有一定的价值。     

The development of critical capabilities in foreign subsidiaries: disentangling the role of the subsidiary’s business network

Within business literature in general, capabilities have advanced to the prime determinant of the corporation’s economic rents. Within international business literature, it is further assumed that multinational corporations can enhance their pool of capabilities through foreign subsidiaries. Foreign subsidiaries are seen as means to assimilate new capabilities from their local, external network and integrate these capabilities into the multinational corporation. Data from more than 2000 foreign subsidiaries shows that some foreign units actually are endowed with superior capabilities which are useful for other corporate entities. It is argued that the development of critical capabilities within these subsidiaries is driven not only by internal corporate actors, but also by external actors. The analysis provides evidence that the role of different internal and external network partners for capability development varies according to the functional activity under consideration. Thus, subsidiaries benefit from various internal and external network actors in very different ways. The contribution ends with some conclusions and some avenues for future research.     

学商合一的高职商务英语实践教学模式探索

21世纪的世界,经济全球化方兴未艾,中国作为世界贸易大国,也加快了与世界各国交流和贸易的步伐。国际经济合作的日益繁荣,迫切需要一大批既精通语言知识又具有较强商务知识的高级复合型应用型人才。适应世界经济和贸易的发展,高职教育工作者必须审时度势,创新教学观念,改革滞后的商务英语专业教学模式和人才培养模式,逐步建立以实践教学为核心,学商高度结合的新的教学模式,才能培养和造就具有过硬外语能力的高级商务人才,提升商务英语专业人才的国际竞争力。     

Dual embeddedness,influence and performance of innovating subsidiaries in the multinational corporation

This study adopts a business network view to study the effects of subsidiary embeddedness on both subsidiary influence within the MNC and innovation-related business performance. Through Structural Equation Modeling we analyze subsidiary relationships connected to 85 innovation projects. The results show that external and corporate embeddedness are complementary contexts, although they affect subsidiary influence and performance differently. Whereas external embeddedness directly affects innovation-related business performance, corporate embeddedness strengthens the subsidiary's influence within the MNC, which in turn positively relates to performance. Moreover, as the study also finds that external and corporate embeddedness are positively associated, it stresses the issue of simultaneously balancing both external and corporate relationships (i.e., dual embeddedness) to nurture innovation projects.     

复杂网络理论在对等网络特性分析中的应用

基于现有的复杂网络理论,研究了对等网络的复杂特性,并就对等网络中节点度和节点 间平均最短路径两个特征参数进行算法设计和仿真。仿真结果表明,对等网络中使用复杂网 络理论的特性分析理论结果与实验结果基本一致,能准确反映对等网络的特性。     

Turning a liability into an asset of foreignness: Managing informal networks in Korea

Although foreignness can bring both benefits and costs to a business, much of the literature has focused on the liability of foreignness (LOF), while relatively little attention has been paid to the positive side. Despite the presence of LOFs, foreign companies may accrue some unique advantages from their foreign status, which are referred to as assets of foreignness (AOFs). Drawing upon social-capital theory and institutional theory, this article examines the issue of LOFs versus AOFs in the context of the informal networks in Korea and explores how foreign companies can manage their weaknesses in host-country-specific informal networks to create value from their foreignness. We discuss two practical strategies, reactive and proactive strategies, that can be used by foreign companies. While these two strategies can be pursued in parallel, this article suggests that foreign companies should prioritize pursuing proactive strategies. This article contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the role of foreignness in the international business context and provides practical insights into how foreign companies can leverage their foreign status in developing their own informal networks in Korea.