Effects of Team Structure on Innovation Performance： An Empirical Study

Teamwork is gaining increasing attention in a broader management research. In addition to previous research on the relationship between team structure and innovation performance, this study draws from an interesting experience-based theory advanced by Kelley and Littman （2005）, which examines teams from design thinking perspective, and tests its contributions and effects on team＇s innovation performance. According to Kelley and Littman any team should include the following team roles： The anthropologist, the experimenter, the cross-pollinator, the hurdler, the collaborator, the director, the experience architect, the set designer, the storyteller, and the caregiver. We develop theoretical logics to explain how team structure that includes these key team roles and competences lead to a better innovation performance, and propose pertinent hypotheses. Experimental-empirical research and quantitative analysis were used in the study. The study conducted multiple experiments on three samples： a group of foreign entrepreneurship students, a group of technical students, and an additional group of randomly selected individuals, aged between 20 and 58, with diverse backgrounds. A special approach was implemented and a new instrument was developed to evaluate individuals in teams. While the results show that team that possess the major competences proposed by Kelley and Littman are more innovative, preliminary results also show that not all team roles are equally important. Moreover, team roles should be allocated equally among members for better collaboration, member satisfaction, and quick response, and within one team, one prevailing personality is optimal in terms of innovativeness. We discuss the implications of our findings for future research and managerial practice.     

Does Ecological Footprint Impede Economic Growth? An Empirical Analysis Based on the Environmental Kuznets Curve Hypothesis

This paper examines the relationship between income and environmental quality using environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis. The hypothesised link is tested using time‐series analysis of 22 countries over the period 1961–2011. The degree of environmental impacts of economic activity is measured using ecological footprint (EF) per capita as explanatory variable, while real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and its quadratic and cubic forms are used as predictor variables in these countries. First, the EKC hypothesis is tested through examining the relationship between EF and GDP using linear, quadratic and cubic functions. Further, the long‐run relationship between EF and GDP is investigated using a vector error correction model. It was found that there is a cointegrated relationship between the variables in almost all countries, which was statistically significant, and EKC supported in 10 countries. Additionally, almost all error correction terms are correct in sign and are significant, which implies that some percentage of disequilibria in EF in the previous year adjusts back to the long‐run equilibrium in the current year. Therefore, an efficient trade‐off between environmental protection and economic benefits should be taken, and EF should be reduced through changing consumption patterns, improving the efficiency of use of resources and cleaner technology choices.     

An Empirical Study on the Relationship between Diversification and Corporate Performance

Based on the earlier work, this paper re-examines the relationship between diversification and corporate performance and finds a statistically significant U-shape relationship in the Chinese market. The result is tested and confirmed for robustness by controlling for the firm size, age and indusu＇y effects. The findings do not support the notion that diversification is a return-reducing strategy and the understanding in the western economic and financial literature about diversification performance may not be automatically applicable to the case of China.     

Empirical Analysis of Economic Growth in Sichuan Province

For a long time, the factors influencing a regional economic growth are mainly workforce, capital and scientific and technological progress. But with the further promotion of China＇s reform and opening-up and intensification of the further improvement degree, the main factors influencing a regional economic growth constantly change. This paper utilizes the relevant data of Sichuan to set up the econometric model and quantitatively studies the factors influencing economic growth of Sichuan. Through comparing the greatness that each factor influences the economic growth of Sichuan, the paper takes system changes as leading factor to influence the economic growth during 1984-2003 of Sichuan. At the same time, the upgrading of industrial structure will be a core of economic growth in the future, and the scientific and technological progress is the potential force of economic growth.     

Analysis on the Environmental Pollution Problem of China

The paper introduces the basic environmental pollution situation of China and points out that environmental pollution is bottleneck of China＇s economy development. Then it puts forward the main environmental pollution problems of China. At last, it brings forward the countermeasures to environmental pollution.     

Environmental Regulation and Substitution Between Sources of Pollution: An Empirical Analysis of Florida’s Storage Tanks

Stringent and very specific environmental regulations may spur behavioral responses by the regulated entities that can offset the intended pollution control goals. I empirically examine the effects of regulating underground storage tanks for petroleum products and hazardous substances, focusing on their possible substitution or complementarity with a less stringently regulated alternative, aboveground tanks. Longitudinal county-level tank data from Florida reveal that the relationship between underground and aboveground tanks changed, from one of complementarity to one of substitution, after the regulations were issued. Tank installations are affected by resident characteristics that enter in the firms calculus of the damages from leaks.     

An Empirical Analysis of the Growth of IT Enterprises in China

The paper makes an empirical analysis on the main factors affecting IT corporate growth-human resource and R＆D. By using data of China＇s listed IT companies, we focus on the relationship among corporate value （net return of equity, ROE） or development of COl＇porate value （Tobin＇s Q） and manager＇s salary, R＆D fee, R＆D employee etc. The conclusion shows that development of corporate value （Tobin＇s Q） has correlativity positive with the plurality of board chairman and general manager, independent directors＇ proportion, R＆D fee, and R＆D employees while it is non-obvious positive with salary of superior managers, holding stocks of general manager, capital investment, and negative with corporate scale. The conclusion is accordant with the development status of Chinese IT corporate.     

An Empirical Study on the Contribution of Fiscal Expenditure to Sichuan＇ s Agricultural Economic Growth

利用1978～2010年间四川财政支农和第一产业相关数据,运用协整检验理论及误差修正模型,分析了四川财政支农支出对第一产业的增长效应。研究结果显示,四川财政支农支出相对于第一产业GDP增长弹性系数为0．784。财政支农支出结构中对四川第一产业增长效应高低次序依次为：支援农村生产最高,农林水利气象等部门事业费次之,科技投入及农业基本建设支出最差。     

Empirical Examination of the Effects of Competition and Regulation on Public Universities and Colleges＇ Performance in China

Competition and regulation are indispensable entities for a university＇s improved performance. Using university rating as an index to performance, empirical analyses with the data from 145 public universities and colleges in China show that increased competition in the education service market is associated with higher university＇s （college＇s） performance. And increased competition in R＆D may make a quadratic effect on university＇s （college＇s） performance. University＇s performance improves when a university is directed as a branch of the central government because they enjoy some degree of management flexibility more than the local government controlled ones. A major implication of the study is the need to reform competition and regulation for improving universities and colleges＇ operating performance in China.     

Analysis on the Management of Suppliers＇ Purchasing Partnership

This paper is about the study of purchasing cooperation with the supplier. It is through expanding some courses including demand analysis, choosing supplier, founding cooperation relationship formally and strengthening the cooperation, as well as several key questions, such as sourcing strategy, to estimate and select the supplier, authentication management, and purchase of technology.     

Can Small Class Policy Close the Gap? An Empirical Analysis of Class Size Effects in Japan

Can smaller classes lead to better educational outcomes and greater equality in achievement? We estimate the causal effects of class size on achievement tests by using discontinuous changes in class size under the Japanese public compulsory education system. We employ a value‐added model that uses achievement tests conducted at two different times during the same school year. Our results show that a reduction in class size has significantly positive effects on Japanese language test scores in the sixth grade, especially at schools in wealthy areas. However, we find no evidence that a universal small class policy closes the achievement gap among schools.     

An Empirical Research on the Relationship between Board of Directors Governance and Corporate Performance of Chinese Public Companies

Board of directors is an important component part of corporate governance. As a governance mechanism, we empirically study relationship among the scale of the board of directors, the structure of the board of directors and the duality leadership structure with corporate performance in Chinese public companies. The result shows that the smaller scale of the board of the directors is, the better performance is. With the ownership structure changing better, the structure of the board of directors will change better and promote the performance. The duality leadership structure doesn＇t affect the corporate performance. The fundamental method for the governance effectiveness of the board is to set up the reasonable ownership structure and the marketing mechanism for occurrences in human .     

What Drives the Operating Performance of Privatised Firms?

Using a panel data analysis of Spanish privatised firms, we study how different factors influence the operating performance of divested companies. The results show that it is not privatisation per se but other factors that matter. After controlling for possible sample selection bias related to government timing of divestments, we find that the greater the relinquishment of State control and the smaller the percentage of ownership held by managers and/or employees, the better the firms’ post‐privatisation performance. Moreover, privatisations that are accompanied by liberalisation programmes and occur during buoyant economic cycles turn out to be more successful.     

Research on Performance Measurement System of Knowledge Strategy for Firms

Knowledge has become the most important strategic resource of firms, and the competition among firms is more based on knowledge than before. To deal with this challenge, some firms are trying to develop knowledge strategies to direct their knowledge management activities, but current strategic performance measurement systems can＇t evaluate the performance of knowledge strategies appropriately. This article develops a performance measurement system for knowledge strategies based on Balanced Scorecard, and simulates the system with an improved Data Envelopment Analysis （DEA） model.     

Measuring the Effect of Economic Growth on Countries’ Environmental Efficiency: A Conditional Directional Distance Function Approach

Using a recently developed probabilistic approach of a conditional directional distance function, we measure the effect of economic growth on countries’ environmental efficiency in carbon dioxide emissions for a sample of 99 countries over the period of 1980–2010. Our approach directly accounts for the exogenous factors influencing countries’ environmental production; therefore, we do not impose the separability condition on the estimated environmental efficiencies. When examining the entire sample as well as the sample of developed countries, our results reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship between countries’ GDP per capita and environmental efficiency. However, when examining the relationship for the sample of developing countries, the results reveal an N-shaped form. Moreover, our results show that countries ratifying the Kyoto Protocol tend to have higher efficiency scores, implying that their mitigation activity is less costly.     

Empirical Analysis on Practice of Venture Investment in China

Organizational policy innovation in venture investment is an important measure to prompt making venture capital. This paper begins with introducing limited partnership, corporation and trust funds which are organizations suitable for venture investment, and then combines detailed case at home to analyze, reflect the develooment situation of venture investment in China.     

Entrenched Board in New Public Firms： An Empirical Study of Chinese IPOs

This study empirically investigates the impact of managerial entrenchment on firm financial performance of Chinese firms initial public offerings （IPOs）. Using 142 firms listed in the Shenzhen Stock Exchange （SZSE）, which was collected from the Guotaian Research Service Center （GTA-RSC） databases, this study uses two proxies to measure firm performance and three proxies to measure managerial entrenchment. The two proxies for firm performance are Tobins＇ Q and return on assets （ROA）, and the three proxies for managerial entrenchment are entrenchment 1, entrenchment 2, and entrenchment 3. These three entrenchment proxies are derived from the principal component analysis （PCA）. Though previous studies of managerial entrenchment and firm performance variables suffer from endogeneity, with respect to the corporate governance it is unclear as to which variables are endogenous and which are exogenous. This study confirms that the data are linear and no endogeneity issue should be address in this study, but only heteroskedasticity, non-normality for Tobins＇ Q are a problem, therefore, the regression method employed for Tobins＇ Q is the generalised least square （GLS） and the ordinary least square （OLS） between estimators for ROA. The regression result for Tobins＇ Q reveals that managerial entrenchment is negatively impact on firm performance. The results are in contradiction to the stewardship theory for new firms whereas the managerial entrenchment for new firms is positive. Furthermore, only one entrenchment proxy yields a significant coefficient. In conclusion, the negative results of entrenchment proxies were caused by the different institutional structures and legal systems which are the Chinese corporations that are still largely owned and controlled by a state and hence the centralised state controlled was responsible for all managerial actions.     

An Exploration of the Economic Significance of Social Security

The modem social security carries some elements of humanitarianism or social stability, but it is more an economic means. It can reduce overproduction, increase effective demand and facilitate the balance between the demand and supply, and prevent the frequent occurrence of economic crisis. All the creatures of the God are there for a reason. The amount of production is based on the amount of currency. But some parts of currency are transformed into savings, and savings cannot be turned into investment immediately. The entailing overproduction breaks the balance between the demand and supply, and results in economic crisis. In modem society, it is the social security or those ＂lazy bones＂ that represses and eliminates the overproduction, which can be expressed by the equation： Savings = Investment ＋ Social security （consumption）. In this way, the balance between the demand and supply is realized.and the social production and life can continue in a normal way.     

Does an Endogenous Relationship Exist between Environmental and Economic Performance? A Resource-Based View on the Horticultural Sector

The aim of this paper is to analyse the relationship between environmental and economic performance from the resource-based theory within firms of the fresh fruit and vegetables sector. This study considers that the adoption of environment-friendly practices has a greater influence on firms’ opportunities and abilities in the agricultural sector than in manufacturing sectors and leads to closer links between performance variables. The reference for this empirical analysis is a panel data of horticultural farming-marketing firms in Spain. The voluntary environmental programmes and the heterogeneity of their application lead us to regard acquiring a competitive advantage as a relevant driver to improve environmental performance in this sector. A simultaneous equations model is suggested reflecting the differential environmental effect and the assumption of endogeneity among variables. The results show a positive impact of environmental differentiation on profitability and market share, also suggesting that the perception of this positive experience implies greater environmental performance.