Managing the transfer of capabilities within multinational corporations:: the dual role of the subsidiary

In this article, the relation is explored between the external technical embeddedness of the subsidiary, its assigned role, and capability development in the MNC. It is argued that assigning roles of responsibility or mandates to certain subsidiaries can effect integration of subsidiary-developed knowledge in the MNC. Departing from literature on the market-as-networks perspective and writings from recent years on subsidiary roles, hypotheses are developed and a model outlined. The model describes a significant link between the external technical embeddedness of the subsidiary and its assigned role within the MNC, and a significant relation between the subsidiary's assigned role and its importance for other units’ capability development. The model is tested on a sample of 97 subsidiaries using the LISREL 8.3 statistical method. The final model implies that by assigning specific roles to different subsidiaries, headquarters can exploit the knowledge developed in the external environments of these subsidiaries.     

Shadows of the Past:

A bstract . Sociologists have studied various forms of prejudice, but seldom their own. G. Wright Mills emphasis on the relationship of history, Social structure and biography encourages us to reflect on our own case. In the present instance, the attitudes and beliefs of a Welsh-American are examined in social context. Three implicit themes are revealed: (1) the sociological perspective is essential in understanding self ; (2) for self-knowledge no biography is more important than one's own; (3) the examination of the origin of personal prejudices may aid in understanding, more than condemning, those of others.     

品牌——企业创新的动力

品牌作为一个既具体又宽泛的概念,已经在中国得到了有效的传播。它的内涵也被越来越多的中国公众所认知,从微观的人民生活需求到宏观的国家软实力的构建,都和品牌有着密切的联系。中国企业,如何借助各种机会提升自己的品牌,使自己的企业文化、价值观在国际上广为传播?在纽曼第三届品牌中国高峰论坛上,许多专家和企业家阐述了他们对品牌的理解。     

Cooperation Within the Entity of the Firm:

A bstract . When the presence of unexploited/ree riding opportunities within organizations is considered a sign of cooperation among employees, a repeated prisoner's dilemma game may be used as an explanation. In this paper, arguments against sole reliance on the repeated prisoner's dilemma game for explaining cooperation within the firm are set forth. Some overlooked reasons for explaining cooperation are offered.     

Poland: the reform of the pension system

The paper presents the system of social security provision introduced in Poland after World War II and discusses the demographic, political and economic reasons for its failure, as well as its impact on the Polish economy. The proposed reform scenarios from two major political proponents, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, are described. The recently finalised reform proposal is now being introduced, starting with the Polish Parliament (Sejm) passing a package of three acts concerning the split of the current pay-as-you-go single system into a pillar system, with provisions made for a transition period. The paper outlines the proposed changes, including the new role of the Social Security Institution (ZUS) in Poland, the structure of the first pillar of benefits and the opportunities for private companies to participate in the social security provision through the second and third pillars.     

Volunteering: the long arm of the law

Voluntary organisations are beginning to acknowledge that they have responsibilities towards volunteers that closely resemble their duties towards paid staff. There is a move towards interviewing volunteers, taking up references and defining the terms and conditions of volunteer work. This paper explores some legal implications of the formalisation of the relationship between voluntary organisations and their voluntary workers. Particular emphasis is placed on the problems that can arise when voluntary workers receive payment over and above the reimbursement of their actual expenditure. Copyright © 1999 Henry Stewart Publications     

郑州:抄底资金已介入

"下半年的形势可能比我们想象的更严重,为此万科做好了最坏的打算。"8月初,地产大佬王石如是说。二线城市郑州的房地产企业也感受到了同样的寒意。今年1～6月郑州商品房累计销售305.44万平方米,同比下降29.19%。倍     

BRITAIN: Privatisation of the railways

Will the Government's proposals for railway privatization be successful? Professor John Hibbs argues the case for the restoration of competition in the railway industry but finds the Government's plans half-hearted.     

企业价值模型:企业的资本所有者理论

本文通过构造一个企业价值模型，认为在竞争性的市场条件下，企业价值取决于物质资本和管理者能效，并且由于物质资本具有边际收益递减的特性而管理者能效具有边际收益递增的特性，所以管理者能效对企业价值的贡献大于物质资本对企业价值的贡献。     

Meeting supply: the role of the Environment Agency

The Environment Agency plays a vital role in authorising how much water resource can be made available for supply and in the way it is managed and developed. The Agency's focus is on the protection and improvement of the environment and as such it strives to ensure the best use of the limited resource available. This requires not only that existing water resources are used effectively and efficiently but also that future plans do not place an unnecessary burden on the environment.     

微软:公司价值由你创造

如果没有动力,知识无法变成财富。只有当动力激发的热情和执着使员工释放出他们的能量时,微软就创造出新的价值,这正是微软的人力资源的策略     

Entrepreneurship and being: the case of the Shaws

Our paper takes the case of John and Elizabeth Shaw, early nineteenth-century English hardware factors. The sources are almost 200 hundred letters written by the Shaws and their circle. Using these, two readings of the Shaws' experiences of creating a business are presented. The first is couched within a narrative structure of plotted stages and finds the Shaws starting, struggling to, and ultimately succeeding in creating a successful business. Here, their actions within a nascent industrialized economy can be described as entrepreneurial – they successfully pursued opportunity through founding an enterprise within economically and technologically auspicious environments. The second, more phenomenological reading, opens up for consideration the questionableness of their experience of ‘being in business’. Here the Shaws' understanding of themselves (as conveyed in personal letters) brings into question the academic tendency to emplot their story as one of the staged growth and profitability. Specifically, it resists attempts to ascribe to their experience entrepreneurial status, not simply because they did not think of themselves as entrepreneurs, but because the appearance of the business for the Shaws was woven with their lives in ways that belie the narrative direction and coherence that concepts like entrepreneurship give to it.     

呼叫中心--提升物流业的竞争力

世界物流业进入快速增长期,我国物流业尚处于发展阶段,如何提升物流业竞争力成为国内物流业面临的问题。本文提出将呼叫中心引入国内物流业的应用中。呼叫中心作为行业发展的桥梁,能实现企业信息流和客户资源的整合,提升物流业竞争力。