Employment relations in small commercial businesses in China

There has been a growing interest in the way patterns of employment relations are changing in China. However, there remains insufficient understanding in employment relations in small private businesses. This study of small businesses in China explores major issues in employment relations in these firms. The finding shows that there are major differences between large and small businesses in China in their employment practices and that considerable similarities exist between small firms in China and those in other countries.     

IDENTIFYING FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE PRODUCT INNOVATION: A CASE STUDY APPROACH

This article provides an analysis of factors affecting the level of product innovation in a small enterprise setting. The perspective chosen considers the interaction of management and environmental factors and its impact on product innovation and explores how these factors interrelate to influence small business success (growth). A causal multi-site model is developed which will assist in identifying product innovation determinants for high-growth and low-growth firms. Moreover, direct and secondary explanations of product innovations will be isolated. Twelve case studies will be examined. The conclusions are that, for high-growth firms, determinants of product innovation that influenced small-business success (growth) were technology, competitive edge, research and development, product life-cycle, market change, product/market mix and customer base. For low-growth firms, customer base was a major determinant of product innovation which influenced small-business success (growth).     

从建设银行与阿里巴巴的竞合关系看小微企业网络融资

中国电子商务研究中心监测各电子商务企业已披露的数据显示:2012年,国内各大金融机构累计为约3万户企业发放3288亿元网络融资贷款,自网络融资业务推出三年来,工行累计为4.3万户小微企业发放了7710亿元的网络融资贷款。网络融资是小微企业融资新模式,本文以建设银行与阿里巴巴为例,分析金融机构与第三方交易平台在面向小微企业网络融资方面的竞争与合作关系,并通过竞合博弈分析,探索适合小微企业的融资新机制。     

Do lenders discriminate against minority and woman entrepreneurs?

This paper draws on a conceptual analysis of discrimination to improve the methodology for estimating discrimination in small-business credit markets and to provide some evidence about the possible causes of discrimination in these markets. Using a variety of statistical enhancements to existing studies, we find statistically significant evidence of substantial discrimination in loan approval against black-owned and Hispanic-owned businesses in 1998. We also find some hints that this discrimination takes the form of statistical discrimination, driven by lenders' stereotypes about the ability of black- and Hispanic-owned businesses to succeed under some circumstances. Although we find no discrimination, on average, in interest rates on approved loans, we also find that black-owned businesses do face discrimination in interest rates when they borrow from finance companies and businesses, such as mutual fund companies and leasing companies, with a primary mission other than lending. These findings suggest that federal financial regulatory agencies should re-double their efforts to uncover and prosecute lenders who discriminate against black- and Hispanic-owned businesses and that new tools may be needed to find discrimination by firms not well covered by the existing fair-lending enforcement system.     

Determinants of licensing activities of local public technology centers in Japan

Local public technology centers are publicly managed institutions that facilitate technology transfer to small local firms. As well as providing small local firms with various technological services, local public technology centers conduct their own research and patent inventions. This study examines factors facilitating licensing activities and finds that the determinants vary according to the phase of technology transfer. Employing more Ph.D. scientists tends to promote the licensing of patents, while organizational efforts that encourage scientists to better understand the technological needs of small local firms tend to increase royalty revenue. The theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.     

Survival and Failure of Small Businesses Arising Through Government Privatization: Insights from Two New Zealand Firms*

Redundancies of personnel arising from the corporatization and even subsequent privatization/closure of several federal departments have contributed to the number of small businesses in New Zealand, a phenomenon that will likely be mirrored at least partially as other nations progressively liberalize their economies. Small businesses with such origins would appear to be especially prone to failure in a progressively liberalized trading environment; their precursors in the parent government departments or agencies would have been cocooned from immediate market conditions through budgetary allocations and a lack of competition. However, the scholarly literature on the behaviour of such small businesses is scant. Accordingly, we report the findings from a comparative investigation of two businesses that arose in the wake of the failure/closure of a corporatized federal service agency in New Zealand; one of the two businesses was much more successful than the other. Our major finding is that a small firm with such origins is likely to survive to the extent it avoids becoming complacent and being ‘stuck in the mud’ of the legacy of the failed federal parent. A predictor of such ability is the timing of small business formation: a small business that is formed by members who depart from the dying federal parent organization when the latter's closure is apparent, is more likely to survive than a business whose formation is precipitated by the demise of the federal parent and whose members remain in the parent organization until its formal closure.     

母子公司人员管控与企业技术创新——基于双重成本的分析

基于决策权配置理论,以2007—2021年A股非金融上市公司及其子公司为样本,考察母子公司人员管控对企业技术创新的影响,揭示代理成本和知识转移成本的中介作用机理。研究发现,母子公司人员管控会引致双重成本发生动态变化,随着人员管控力度的增强,集团整体创新水平得到提升,但在拐点之后这一水平逐渐降低,母子公司人员管控与企业技术创新之间呈现倒U型曲线关系。机制探讨结果表明,母子公司人员管控的加强能够降低代理成本,却提高了母子公司间的知识转移成本。异质性检验结果表明,子公司规模较大、内部信息环境较好以及国有企业集团会削弱人员管控与技术创新之间的倒U型关系。研究结论为母子公司理性确立权力配置、优化人员管控,进而提升集团技术创新水平提供了借鉴。     

对培训机构思想政治工作和人事工作的一些思考

思想政治工作是我们党团结和凝聚广大人民群众的有利法宝,中国共产党之所以能够取得革命事业的胜利,就是因为重视思想政治工作。在如今事业单位分类改革的大背景下,培训机构和学协会的人事管理问题日益凸显,加强思想政治工作,有利于人事工作的推进和开展。论文首先阐述了培训机构人事思政工作中存在的一些问题,然后对加强思想政治工作对人事工作的推进作用进行了分析,最后对加强培训机构思想政治工作提出了建议和对策。     

云计算技术人才产、学、研培养模式研究

云计算是目前IT技术发展和应用的热点,文章从云计算技术人才的热点需求出发,探讨如何通过产、学、研的模式来打造云计算技术应用型人才。以云计算产业协会作为核心,通过整合政府、企业、学术机构等多方资源来开展云计算技术人才培养,并且该模式已经在深圳得到了有效的结合应用。     

Shedding light on technological development in Brazil

We try to shed some light on the question of why technology-intensive businesses often fail in less-developed countries and under what circumstances they are likely to be a success from the perspective of both domestic and export markets. The answers were drawn from a set of empirical evidences from Brazilian firms applying photonics technologies. Some of the issues faced by them are related to the question of state versus private initiative, entering traditional versus niche market, and technology transfer versus product development management. In overall, we concluded that weakness of the institutions and inadequacy of social and organizational demography play a key role in explaining to a large extent why countries differ in technological development and diffusion. In this context, we point out obstacles, which must be removed in order to make public policies and firm's achievements more efficient.     

Can academe achieve quality in small firms policy research

Small Business Centre, Durham University Business School, Mill Hill Lane, Durham DH1 3LB, UK

The overall objective of this paper is to review, in the light of substantial growth of research in the small firms area over the past decade, some of the key issues involved in ensuring that research is relevant to policy makers. The paper is both academic and pragmatic. It has the following specific objectives: (l) to provide an overview of some of the ‘myths’ as to what constitutes quality in research; (2) to define research and policy research in particular; (3) to consider critically issues of research methodology and explore how different methods used by academics can lead to very different results; (4) to review the role of academics and academic institutions in policy research and to consider some of the difficulties that may result from endeavouring to introduce research on small business into traditional academic departments; and (5) finally, to make recommendations as to how to improve the overall framework in such a way that small business research can be more effective in the 1990s than it was in the 1980s.

Overall the paper is written with a view to provoking discussion on key issues of making small business policy research more effective.     

Commercializing inventions resulting from university research: Analyzing the impact of technology characteristics on subsequent business models

One of the key challenges in commercializing inventions arising from academic research is deciding on an appropriate business model for transferring the invention from the academic world to the commercial world. However, there is little empirical evidence to suggest which model to choose. This study attempts to address this gap by examining how characteristics of technologies affect the selection of business models.We consider four characteristics of technology: patent or other legal protection, specialized complementary assets, commercial uncertainty and technological dynamism. We relate these characteristics to the choice of three basic business models for commercializing inventions. Data for this study were gathered for 42 commercialized inventions.We found evidence that greater patent or other legal protection for the technology was associated with a greater likelihood that the technology was commercialized by transferring limited rights to the technology to existing firms. We also found evidence that greater commercial uncertainty was associated with a greater likelihood that the technology was commercialized by creation of a new firm or transfer of the rights to the technology to an existing firm. We did not find evidence of a relationship between the importance of specialized complementary assets or technological dynamism and the business model used.     

From kites to computers: Pennsylvania's Ben Franklin partnership

The traditional strength of the Pennsylvania economy has been steelmaking and other heavy manufacturing activities. During the past decade Pennsylvania has felt the impact of mature markets for steel and other capital goods, international competition and new technologies, as unemployment in the state has consistently exceeded the national average. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, state policymakers were faced with the problems of how to ease the state's reliance upon these declining industrial sectors, help existing industries within the state to modernize, and stimulate the formation of new growth industries.Recognizing Pennsylvania's history of technological innovation and its strong resource base in corporate and university research and development, state policymakers set out to create flexible public/private partnerships to encourage greater university/industry cooperation, and to focus regional economic development efforts toward innovation and modernization. In 1982, the Pennsylvania General Assembly created the Ben Franklin Partnership program, which established four regional advanced technology centers at major research universities in the state. These advanced technology centers are consortiums of universities, businesses, economic development organizations, financial institutions, and others committed to the goal of job creation through industrial modernization and technological innovation.To date, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has provided $29 million to the advanced technology centers for joint industry/university research and development projects, entrepreneurial development and education and training. This state funding was matched by $90 million from businesses, foundations, and other sources. Because of the long-term nature of such a program, the early results of the Ben Franklin Partnership are modest; however, the program has been successful in establishing relationships among universities, businesses and economic development organizations which will serve as the basis for long term growth.     

An evaluation of financial institutions: Impact on consumption and investment using panel data and the theory of risk-bearing

The theory of the optimal allocation of risk and the Townsend Thai panel data on financial transactions are used to assess the impact of the major formal and informal financial institutions of an emerging market economy. We link financial institution assessment to the actual impact on clients, rather than ratios and non-performing loans. We derive both consumption and investment equations from a common core theory with both risk and productive activities. The empirical specification follows closely from this theory and allows both OLS and IV estimation. We thus quantify the consumption and investment smoothing impact of financial institutions on households including those running farms and small businesses. A government development bank (BAAC) is shown to be particularly helpful in smoothing consumption and investment, in no small part through credit, consistent with its own operating system, which embeds an implicit insurance operation. Commercial banks are smoothing investment, largely through formal savings accounts. Other institutions seem ineffective by these metrics.     

提前实施知识转化,实现校企“零距离”接触——“2+1”人才培养模式探讨

随着高等职业教育的不断深入和发展,如何加强学校与企业的紧密联系,培养与社会需求相适应的技术人才,这是各高职院校正在探索的问题。目前,我们正在实践的"2+1"人才培养模式,主要通过均衡多方利益,建立校企合作平台;成立专业建设指导委员会;构建以职业能力培养为主线的课程体系;完善实践教学环节的监督与管理机制等方面的分析,探讨"提前实施知识转化,实现校企的零距离接触"的可行性。     

企业社会责任与城市社区建设

通过对企业的社区责任水平与企业特征之间的关系进行统计分析表明,经济效益与企业的社区责任水平呈正相关关系。在社区责任水平上,小型企业与大型企业不存在差异;服务型企业与生产型企业、外资企业与民营企业和国有控股企业存在显著差异。我国企业参与社区建设的行为具有明显的经济取向,受制度环境的影响,整体参与水平较低。转变政府职能,培养社会自组织能力,加强制度建设,提高企业的社区意识将是社区建设政策目标实现的重要路径。     

企业内部技术创新激励：按贡献参与收益分配

各种生产要素按贡献参与分配,是企业收入分配的一场革命。技术与管理要素按贡献参与创新收益分配,也是企业内部进行技术创新激励的有效手段。本文在对各生产要素按贡献参与收益分配进行一般性分析的基础上,从企业内部技术创新激励的需要出发,对国内目前技术要素按贡献参与收益分配的主要方式做了比较分析,探讨了企业家在技术创新中的贡献及其参与收益分配的方式,提出了企业实行按贡献参与创新收益分配应注意解决的问题。     

Firm performance and knowledge spillovers from academic, industrial and foreign linkages: the case of China

Firm performance may be enhanced by linkages with academic institutions, other firms, and foreign markets that confer knowledge spillovers as well as internal R&D that creates firm-specific knowledge. In particular, firm productivity and innovation may be enhanced by positive externalities from knowledge and technology produced by universities and research institutions (URIs) and diffused to the domestic economy. Productive contributions from such linkages might be particularly expected in China, where policy measures have explicitly supported and facilitated connections between URIs and firms to stimulate economic development and competitiveness. In this paper, we measure the performance impact of such knowledge spillovers in Chinese firms by using a variety of specifications, estimators, and robustness checks, including an ??instrumental variable?? specification that controls for endogeneity. We find more patent activity in Chinese firms with URI connections and enhanced firm productivity particularly from linkages with research institutions (RIs). Introduction of new products, processes, and new businesses is also positively associated with linkages with research institutions, as well as with linkages with other firms.     

Research letter: Issues of cyber supply chain security in Korea

Cyber supply chain security is important for many businesses these days. In this paper, we investigate cyber supply chain (CSC) security issues in four Korea-based global companies (Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motors, LG Electronics, and POSCO) with effective CSC security. No significant technological differences are evident between these companies and other global companies. Although most managers at all levels agree that security is important, security at Korea-based global companies tends to be the responsibility of non-executive managers. The well-established security policies in these companies are not always adequately enforced. Security in these Korean companies depends upon their relationships with the IT companies who develop and maintain the CSC. A balance between hierarchical integration and strategic outsourcing seems to be a unique advantage of Korean companies.     

国家科技人才开发战略之国际比较研究

科技人才已经成为一国人才竞争的重中之重,本文对具有典型性的美国、日本、印度三国入手,分别从吸引、培养、保留的角度分析比较了三国的科技人才开发战略,意在寻找差别和先进性,给我国科技人才开发以启示。