Venture capital in China: Past,present, and future

This article reviews the literature on venture capital in China and examines where China’s venture capital industry has been and where it is likely to go in the future. Since the 1980s, venture capital in China has grown steadily alongside the robust national economy. The future is likely to offer even greater opportunities, as entrepreneurs are encouraged and property rights improve. However, there will also be a period of transition as the market continues to mature and as new legal structures and commercial arrangements emerge. Venture capital in China has many interesting differences from that in Western countries. The venture capital industry is shaped by the institutional context and China is no exception to this. This article also examines some specific differences between the system in China and that of the United States. Future prospects for venture capital are also appraised as China continues its transition to a market economy.

Strategic alliances as social capital: a multidimensional view

Defining social capital in terms of the information benefits available to a firm due to its strategic alliances we present a theory of social capital that conceptualizes it as a multidimensional construct. We draw from the literature to argue that social capital yields three distinctly different kinds of information benefits in the form of information volume, information diversity, and information richness. This extends current theoretical and empirical research by specifying and empirically demonstrating three interrelated yet distinct dimensions of social capital. Firms vary in their levels of social capital not just on their structural position in an alliance network but also in the dynamics that underlie alliance formation and maintenance. More importantly, the different dimensions of social capital theoretically provide differential benefits. We establish the construct validity of our proposed three‐dimensional conceptualization of social capital using longitudinal data on the population of strategic alliances formed during the period 1980–94 by firms in the global steel industry. In addition, we establish predictive validity by demonstrating that the information dimensions have differential effects on firm performance, using firm nationality as a contingency. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The venture capital entry model on game options with jump-diffusion process

This paper aims to apply game options to construct the optimal decision-making and management tool for venture capital (VC) firms. This model emphasizes the inferences with game options on the market structures formed by different competition and investment strategies of the two VC firms to reflect the investment returns. These market structures are classified into an entry-deterred game (specific monopoly), a leader's dominated strategies (duopoly), and simultaneous investment. It is considered how to select investment timing to avoid any potential competitive threats in order to provide the optimal expected threshold values for the investment decisions of VC firms.     

供应链关系资本对企业创新绩效的影响研究——基于需求拉动型吸收能力的视角

针对受国外技术和市场牵引较严重的4个制造类企业,构建了供应链关系资本、需求拉动型吸收能力和创新绩效三者间的概念模型,实施问卷调查,用结构方程模型验证假设。得到的结果表明:以信任为基础的供应链关系资本能够促进企业及时获取和掌握市场信息和技术知识,从而提高创新绩效。但是,样本企业供应链关系资本中的关系承诺维度对知识吸收的促进作用有待加强;需求拉动型吸收能力的知识转化和利用环节对于创新进程的促进作用有待提高。     

Social and organizational capital: Building the context for innovation

In the light of the key role intellectual capital has for firms' innovation capability, this paper analyzes the influence of two of their dimensions, organizational capital and social capital, on firms' product innovation, and the moderating role of radicalness. Unlike previous studies, the unit of analysis will not be the firm, but the R&D department. Thus, our research, conducted with a sample of Spanish industrial companies, provides a new insight with interesting results. First, our findings show that social capital favours firms' product innovation, especially under radical innovations. Second, organizational capital has an indirect effect on product innovation through positive influence on social capital. This implies that firms can stimulate communication and interaction among people, and therefore innovative activity, by means of explicit and codified knowledge (organizational capital).     

多元资本结构在中国企业的实证研究

随着资本概念的多元化,相对于企业组织和市场配置方式而言,网络化配置更适应于现代经济生活中的资本概念。资本的网络化配置产生了资本网络系统,并使得资本结构从一元结构的优化转变为多元结构的优化。本文分析了各资本要素之间的因果关系,并利用结构化方程进行了实证检验。其结论有:财务资本对于人力资本存在投资转化作用;智力资本三要素之间存在着相互转化作用;财务资本和智力资本共同耦合创造企业价值。     

中原城市群软实力的对策研究

中原城市群地区对承东启西、拉动中部崛起具有重要作用。论文在有关城市软实力研究现状基础上,分析了城市软实力的含义,提出了城市软实力的基本要素,并进一步提出了提升中原城市群软实力的策略在于增加以信任为核心的城市社会资本和大力发展中原城市的文化产业。     

A relationship value perspective of social capital in networks of software SMEs

Utilizing theories on social capital, business networks, social networks and relationship value, we explore the aspects that provide specific value in relationships with different actors in the software industry. The motive for the study is the assumption that some relationships are regarded as more important than others, and companies strive to focus on fewer relationships with greater outcomes. The study is guided by the premise that social capital is a foundation for relationship value, and its identified elements differ among relationships. We take the perspective of software companies and classify their relationships with business partners into three distinctive types according to their function in the value creation process. The findings of our empirical analysis, based on a qualitative case study of eight software SMEs indicate that the aspects of social capital, like the sources of relationship value, vary systematically by the types of relationships. Thus, we are able to provide some theoretical and managerial implications on the management of small- and medium-sized companies.     

风险投资中委托代理问题的研究

风险投资的成功与否，很大程度上取决于风险资金投资者－风险投资家－风险企业家之间的委托代理关系链的运行。本文从分析美国成功的风险投资运作机制中揭示出风险投资各主体之间有效的激励与约束关系，指出风险投资机构是整个投资的中心环节。     

A note on corporate strategy and capital structure

The relationships between capital structure and corporate strategy in previous U.S. and Australian empirical studies, which use different definitions of capital structure, and hence have different functional relationships, are considered. A model using the U.S. specification with the Australian data is estimated, for which previous conclusions relating to profit are confirmed. The relationship between strategy and capital structure is thus shown to be less than robust. The conclusion that debt/equity ratios of highly diversified firms are more strongly affected by firm-level variables is supported. An explanation that the capital market rewards focused firms because they are easier to understand and price is offered.     

Measuring intangible value in business-to-business buyer-seller relationships: An intellectual capital perspective

The value that resides in a firm's relationships has both tangible and intangible aspects and both need to be developed and managed carefully. Marketing managers need to be able to understand these dimensions of value to manage them and to argue for their share of the firm's resources to effectively develop the value of the firm's relationships. This paper describes a study that adds to current knowledge of relationship value by testing a hypothesized model of the intangible part of the value that is manifested in buyer-seller relationships and by developing a set of scales to measure the hypothesized dimensions. The focus of the research, which synthesizes a conceptual framework from the intellectual capital literature, is on business-to-business situations and on the value of the relationship to the seller, rather than to the buyer. The analysis of data from a survey of relevant managers, using structural equation modeling techniques, gives support to the model and scales.     

企业家人力资本结构与地区居民富裕程度差异研究

本文比较了全国29个省区企业家人力资本结构与居民富裕程度的关系。分析后发现,通过将企业家人力资本纳入到解释地区居民富裕程度差异的分析框架后,可以改进传统相关研究中人力资本被低估的状况。企业家人力资本的丰裕程度与我国地区居民的富裕程度呈显著正相关。进一步研究发现,企业家人力资本结构中的民营企业家丰度对地区居民的富裕程度有重要影响,用财富存量指标作为对可支配收入这一流量指标的补充可以在一定程度上矫正区际企业家流动对地区居民富裕程度估计的误差,增强这一研究的现实解释力。在相近的经济发展水平下,民营企业家人力资本丰度相对国有和外资企业家人力资本丰度更高的地区,居民的实际富裕程度也更高。因此,落后地区要提升居民的富裕程度,缩小与发达地区的贫富差距,需重视企业家人力资本,尤其要关注民营企业家群体的培育,并努力提升开放经济的质量和水平。     

Trust and forms of capital in business-to-business activities and relationships

The IMP group's ARA model, with its emphasis on interaction, captures social and economic dimensions of exchanges. We draw on it to compare three cases and assess how actors act in skilful and nuanced ways in mobilizing resources, given the very different norms of social and economic capital. We prioritize action ahead of structure and, given the inherent uncertainties that actors encounter in connection with resources, argue that trust is a cognitive and heuristic dimension of action, distinct from resources, actor-bonds and social capital. We conclude that for business practice, managers should be mindful that in order to trust others, they need to act in the distinct realms of social and economic capital, tempting though it is to interpret and measure the costs of actions economically.     

Structural social capital evolution and knowledge transfer: Evidence from an Irish pharmaceutical network

Businesses are becoming increasingly involved in collaboration networks to access external knowledge and sustain innovation. In this context, knowledge and knowledge transfer are considered an important source of innovation and competitive advantage. Social capital theory offers a theoretical approach to explain how individuals, groups, and organizations manage relationships and access knowledge resources. The structural dimension of social capital has stimulated debate regarding optimal network configuration to achieve innovation. The extant literature suggests network structures evolve from a bridging configuration to a bonding configuration without examining the details of how the evolution occurs within the network and its stage-by-stage impact on knowledge transfer. This study explores this relationship by analyzing the evolution of a successful Irish pharmaceutical network involving organizations from industry and academia. This research setting encompasses a rare network configuration in an industry known for its lack of collaboration among competing firms. Findings show that structural holes provide access to a set of complementary and heterogeneous knowledge. However, for such knowledge to be exploited, the network configuration has to evolve from a sparse network (small in size and characterized by weak ties across multiple organizational networks), to a large and cohesive network configuration characterized by high levels of commitment, trust, fine-grained information exchange, and joint problem solving. Mechanisms crucial to this evolution include consistently-scheduled meetings, training to communicate tacit knowledge, wide diffusion of knowledge through an on online portal, and relationship specific investments designed to safeguard intellectual property. Surprisingly, industry members appear to transition to a cohesive network faster than do academic members.     

从社会科学的观点看电力企业发展——一个基于社会资本的视角

电力供给与需求的背后是社会结构等因素,经济学需要研究以利益关系和利益矛盾为核心的社会生产关系。社会关系是电力企业发展的深层根基和逻辑起点,电力企业生存和发展有赖于其获得、重构和保持社会资源的能力。社会资本理论将企业理论和我们对于隐含在市场分配过程背后的社会机制的理解联系起来,为电力企业发展开辟了一个独特的分析视角。     

Intellectual capital in business-to-business markets

This paper reports on research concerning the level of knowledge assets possessed by firms in business-oriented vs. consumer-oriented industries. Further, the research also covers the level of competitive intelligence activity in these industry groups, estimating the level of interest of competitors in acquiring another firm's knowledge assets. From this information, we can begin to develop ideas about what types of firms and industries can really benefit from knowledge management systems and investment, as well as which can benefit from knowledge protection systems. As a result, the issues of knowledge management and knowledge protection become much more strategic and more obviously dependent on circumstances. Such a conclusion begs the question of what measures will help us to determine important circumstances and optimal knowledge strategies for competitive advantage, clearly opening up the field to a wide range of future research streams.     

Social capital in Southeast Asian business relationships

Social capital is the glue and the lubricant facilitating network behavior [Anderson, A. & Jack, S. (2002). The articulation of social capital in entrepreneurial networks: a glue or a lubricant?. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 14, 193-210.]. The purpose of this paper is to add to the current literature on social capital by investigating social capital structures, opportunity, motivation and ability within export relationships in Thailand. We conceptualize social capital following Adler and Kwon [Adler, P. & Kwon, S-W. (2002). Social Capital: Prospects for a New Concept. Academy of Management Review, 27(1), 17-40.] and use interview data to further explore the construct. Our results indicate that the social structures from which social capital is drawn are not independent for large overlaps are present. Opportunity, motivation and ability are linked with a common thread of trust. The research highlights implications for managers wishing to develop social capital or use social capital as a marketing strategy.     

Organizing coopetition for innovation: The case of wireless telecommunication sector in Europe

Prior research highlighted the prevalence of coopetition as a strategy for innovation in high-tech industries for several reasons but the link between forms of coopetition and innovation is still understudied. In order to fill this gap in the literature, this study attempts to answer the following question: which form of coopetition favors which type of innovation? The results of an embedded case study approach of five Celtic-Plus projects (European Eureka Program) in the wireless telecommunication sector show that two forms of coopetition exist: multiple and dyadic. While multiple coopetition is successfully pursued for radical innovation, dyadic coopetition is more suitable for incremental innovation. Different innovation objectives lead to different levels of value creation/appropriation tensions between coopetitors. In order for competitors to pursue radical or incremental innovation successfully, different levels of social capital related to different choices of partners are needed. The role of social capital levels as a moderating factor between value creation/appropriation tensions and innovation type is discussed in detail. The study proposes a conceptual model that links coopetition strategy motives to the types of coopetition and their results in terms of radical or incremental innovation. Finally, a framework that helps firms to balance between multiple/dyadic–vertical/horizontal collaboration according to the levels of value creation/appropriation tensions and social capital is proposed.     

Do Foreign and Domestic Venture Capital Firms Differ in Their Monitoring of Investees?

This paper addresses an important omission in the venture capital literature by comparing the monitoring behavior of foreign and domestic venture capital firms (VCs). Evidence from 31 VCs in India (84% response) shows foreign VCs were significantly more likely than domestic VCs to be involved at the strategic level while domestic VCs were significantly more active at the operational level. Foreign VCs placed significantly more emphasis on restrictions on additional borrowings. Domestic VCs placed significantly more emphasis on specifying certain accounting policies while foreign VCs placed significantly more emphasis on monthly management accounts. Domestic VCs place significantly more emphasis on industry specialist board membership.     

医药产业集群中的风险投资优势

目的探讨我国医药产业集群吸收风险投资的优势。方法运用规范和实证研究方法。结果论述医药行业中风险投资现状、医药产业集群在吸引风险投资方面的优势,并对医药产业集群吸引风险投资进行了建议和展望,结论应该充分发挥医药产业集群化发展在吸引风险投资方面的优势,获得更多的风险资金支持。