Drivers of R&D investment: The interaction of behavioral theory and managerial incentives

This research explores the interaction of behavioral theory and agency theory, investigating their joint effects on firm-level R&D investment. Based on the logic of organizational routines driving R&D investment, we rely on the effects of organizational slack, performance relative to aspirations and distance from bankruptcy as the foundation for our research model. We argue that managerial incentives moderate the relationships between these behavioral theory variables and R&D investment, albeit in contrasting directions. Specifically, we hypothesize that stock option pay positively moderates these relationships while managerial stock ownership has a negative moderating effect. Using panel data for 573 publicly-traded manufacturing firms, we find support for several of our hypotheses, highlighting the interdependence of these two perspectives on R&D investment.     

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Contracting contractors

Many companies relay on contractors to execute different tasks of the value chain. This paper develops an agency model subject to moral hazard to study the general structure of the contract offered by a firm (the principal) to several contractors (agents) that perform the same task. A Generalized Least Squares regression tests the model with a panel data of 58 carriers that work for a shipper in Santiago, over 93 weeks. The regression verifies that the principal rewards some performance dimensions, but neglects others. The regression also confirms that contracting prices are sensitive to the alternatives available for the company and the contractors.     

Can genetic factors influence the likelihood of engaging in entrepreneurial activity?

This article offers an argument for how genetic factors may influence the tendency of people to engage in entrepreneurial activity, and describes four mechanisms through which genetic factors could operate. It also explores ways that researchers can use quantitative and molecular genetics to examine entrepreneurship, and discusses the potential implications of a genetic perspective for management research on entrepreneurship.     

股东网络能提高企业创新绩效吗？——两类代理成本的中介效应研究

以中国2010年至2019年沪深A股上市公司为样本,运用社会网络分析(SNA)方法,研究股东网络、两类代理成本与企业创新绩效之间的关系。结果表明,股东网络有利于企业创新绩效的提高,两类代理成本在股东网络与企业创新绩效之间有部分中介效应。同时发现,第一类代理成本的中介效应低于第二类代理成本的中介效应,原因在于第一类委托代理关系中股东网络降低了股东与高管之间的信息不对称,进一步降低了第一类代理成本,从而提升了企业的创新绩效;而在第二类委托代理关系中股东网络较大幅度地增加了中小股东的谈判能力,进而降低了大股东对中小股东的剥削程度,也就降低了第二类代理成本,进而也提升了企业的创新绩效,但是第一类代理成本的降低可能小于第二类代理成本的降低。这一研究深化了股东网络与企业创新绩效的认知,细分了两类代理成本的作用机制。     

Service-for-equity arrangements: Untangling motives and conflicts

Many professional service organizations have adopted a little understood contractual form: service-for-equity. Based on in-depth case studies of 12 major professional service providers with a combined experience of 179 equity-for-service deals, this paper documents 18 intended and unintended consequences, emanating from and expanding beyond agency theory, of adopting such a contractual form. Six propositions are developed which speculate how these consequences, categorized under client development, service operations, financial management, and organizational behaviour, affect long run performance. Assuming these propositions cannot be rejected through empirical analysis, the paper also provides managerial guidance for effective implementation of equity-for-service arrangements.     

Agency and institutional influences on franchising decisions

While the franchising literature has typically relied on agency theory, efficiency considerations may not fully explain decisions to expand through franchising or company ownership. In this study, I re-examine franchising decisions using insights from institutional theory. The key tenet of institutional theory is that decisions are influenced by isomorphic pressures arising from the environment. Economic rationales such as the achievement of efficiency are thought of as less pervasive concerns. I begin by investigating whether institutional theory explains variance in franchising decisions beyond what is explained by agency theory. Then, I explore the extent to which institutional considerations moderate the relationships between agency considerations and franchising decisions. Hypotheses are tested on a unique database of 132 French franchise chains. Empirical results suggest that successful competitors' use of franchising explains variance in the focal chain's use of franchising beyond what is explained by the importance of local managerial inputs and the threat of franchisee opportunism. In addition, the threat of franchise opportunism is less strongly related to the focal chain's use of franchising when successful competitors have a high proportion of franchised outlets. Overall, findings from this study suggest that researchers should supplement agency theory with institutional theory to adequately explain franchising decisions.     

超额现金与审计费用

资金配置是企业运营中的重要决策,无论是进行经营还是投资活动,都需要内部持现和外部债券股权融资的支持。内部持现融资成本低,但企业超额持现时可能会造成闲置资金的浪费甚至管理层的滥用。以2012-2018年A股上市公司为研究对象,考察了企业超额持现对审计费用的影响,实证结果发现超额现金与审计费用显著正相关,说明企业持有超额现金是由于企业存在代理冲突问题,导致审计费用中的风险溢价提高。     

A strategic groups approach to the franchising–performance relationship

Although franchising is a pervasive organizational form, little is known about its performance consequences. Prior studies have not found a direct performance effect, suggesting a need for alternative approaches. Drawing upon agency and resource scarcity theories, we develop the idea that strategic groups exist among franchisors and that performance differs among the groups. Using a sample of 65 restaurant chains, three strategic groups were found. The strategic group most influenced to franchise out of resource scarcity exhibited poorer performance than the other two groups. Results indicate that important, but nonlinear, relationships exist among franchising, its antecedents, and performance.     

Contractual Design as a Determinant of Performance: Evidence from Franchising

This empirical note deals with the contractual design of relationships between producers and retailers. It provides evidence on the links between the features of vertical contracts organizing franchising networks and the performances of these networks. An agency perspective is used to understand the structure of contracts. We focus on the relevance of vertical restraints by the upstream firm to prevent retailers from free‐riding in the distribution networks. From six frequent contractual provisions we distinguish two types of contracts according to the degree of constraint imposed on the franchisees. Econometric estimations carried out on this basis offer evidence consistent with the hypothesis that within franchising systems, more constrained contracts for retailers encourage better performance at the network level.     

What drives consumers to customize products? The mediating role of brand experience

Brands are increasingly seeking ways to engage consumers in deep and meaningful brand experiences. As technological advances have developed, brands have an increasing arsenal to draw on in creating brand experience. One increasingly common tactic is product customization, whereby consumers are provided the ability to create their own products from a set of options. With this study, we seek to understand the mediating role of brand experience in consumer decisions to customize products. Specifically, we investigate the interplay of non-brand drivers (those intrinsic to the consumer) and brand drivers (those extrinsic to the consumer) in the context of customization. In doing so, we develop an understanding of consumers' intention to use a customization toolkit and their subsequent intention to purchase customized products. We find brand experience drives intention to use a customization toolkit, mediating the relationship between individual factors and usage intentions. A customer's prior experience and their intention to use a customization toolkit are also direct drivers of customized product purchase intention.     

Social utility and fashion behavior

This article reports the exploratory results of a computer-based behavioral simulation that examines the role of social utility in fashion behavior. Social utility is defined as those benefits of a product or service that satisfy interpersonal needs (e.g., conformity, individuality relative to others). These exploratory results suggest that social utility is a prime determinate of fashion behavior, and that selected personality traits moderate behavioral responses to social influence in the fashion domain.