Multiple dimensions of power influencing knowledge integration in supply chains

This study investigates how multiple dimensions of power each facilitate knowledge integration within innovation projects in supply chains and their interrelationships. Adopting a process perspective of knowledge, we offer an alternative to much of the existing debate, which has focussed on the possession of resources. We collected data from four case-study Original Equipment Manufacturers and six associated suppliers and analysed these using Template Analysis and cross-case analysis. Our findings reveal how the power of the system, operationalized through relative performance measures, performance measurement mechanisms and the individuals in-charge of them, provides a facilitative context within which other dimensions of power operate. Here, the power of resources (expert and legitimate power), processes (associated with raising issues, cross-functional teams, early supplier involvement and reviews) and meaning (creating legitimacy through reviews) interact to support knowledge integration within innovation projects in supply chains. This, we argue, emphasises the plurality of power dimensions deployed and importance of their interrelationships in facilitating knowledge integration within hierarchical supply chain networks.     

Cross-border mergers and acquisitions by Chinese listed companies: A principal–principal perspective

Chinese listed firms have gained the world’s attention with several ambitious, high-profile cross-border mergers and acquisitions. In most of these deals, the Chinese government is the largest shareholder of the acquiring firms. As such, it may be the case that the Chinese government pushes through such deals even though they are not in the best interests of minority shareholders, giving rise to principal–principal conflicts. Along these lines, we hypothesize that increased government ownership in the acquiring firm will be associated with investors viewing a cross-border merger deal in less favorable terms. In addition, we hypothesize that environmental complexity will moderate this negative relationship. We test our hypotheses with a sample of cross-border mergers and acquisitions involving Chinese firms from 2000 to 2008. We find support for the main hypothesis, that is, that investors are indeed skeptical of cross-border mergers and acquisitions deals when the government is the majority owner (i.e., principal–principal conflicts). However, we find no support for the moderating effect. We discuss the implications of these findings for researchers and practitioners and suggest future research directions.     

Cross-border e-commerce firms as supply chain integrators: The management of three flows

Cross-border e-commerce is becoming increasingly popular around the world. With the development of technology, competition has gradually shifted from commodity-based attributes, such as cost and quality, to a supply chain's service capacity for e-commerce. Within this context, the present paper delineates how cross-border e-commerce firms can generate supply chain service capabilities that yield improvements in supply chain relationship quality to e-tailors and other platform users. Insights are derived through data collected via a multiple case study approach based on four Chinese cross-border e-commerce enterprises (OSell, Zongteng, BizArk and Linca); data were collected from 41 semi-structured interviews, field visits and secondary data. Relying on the service-dominant logic as the theoretical foundation, we identify three supply chain resources (flows related to information, logistics and finance) and their interplay as being critical for the development of supply chain service capabilities, which in turn lead to an improvement in the quality of supply chain relationships (assessed by the dimensions of trust improvement/commitment, risk mitigation, and customer satisfaction). The results offer important insights into how to best manage supply chain resources in relation to the three flows by cross-border e-commerce firms in order to foster relationship quality, an attribute that has become so critical today for competitive differentiation.     

Knowledge sharing mechanisms in industrial research

Previous research has firmly established the importance of knowledge sharing in Research and Development (R&D) settings. However, current theories provide only fragmented insights into the origination of knowledge sharing, and thus offer limited guidance for knowledge management practices in R&D. To integrate and extend these fragmented insights, we undertook two exploratory field studies of knowledge sharing in industrial research organizations. The contributions of this study are the following. First, we introduce three dimensions that differentiate origination mechanisms for knowledge sharing. Second, we show that some of these mechanisms correspond to mechanisms assumed in particular streams of literature, whereas others have been neglected till now. Third, based on our field studies, we show that each of these knowledge-sharing mechanisms have a different value for industrial research practices. Therefore, knowledge management in R&D should facilitate and stimulate a broad portfolio of knowledge-sharing mechanisms.     

Knowledge and Values in Technology Education

This paper addresses two closely interrelated issues in Technology Education: knowledge and values. The starting point for the discussion is analysis of the nature of knowledge in technology education. Approaches for theorising knowledge will be analysed in this paper as well as problems associated with them. Three major types of problems are identified: problems with finding an appropriate approach for the analysis of technological knowledge; problems with a technocratic interpretation of technological knowledge for the purpose of its classification; and problems with establishing a consistent approach to distinguish common features of technological knowledge. A model that represents knowledge in technology education and the place of values in it is presented as a way of overcoming the problems specified. The claim is made that understanding of knowledge/values relationships can improve theoretical understanding of how technology education can be constructed.     

浅谈高职院校培养跨境电商人才服务于外贸类企业必然性和可行性——以江苏太仓为例

随着大数据时代的到来,互联网覆盖了全世界,人们对于线上交易越来越重视,对于企业而言跨境电商这种线上交易的模式,给企业带来很多便利。本文从跨境电商人才需求入手,来剖析跨境电商行业人才可以服务于外贸类企业,以太仓的外贸类企业为例,阐述高职院校跨境电商专业人才培养服务于外贸类企业的必然性和可行性。     

Determinants of early movers in cross-border merger and acquisition wave in an emerging market: A study of Indian firms

A series of changes in India’s financial institutional regime led to waves of cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals spanning various industries. In this article, we explore firm-level determinants that distinguish between early movers and followers in these waves. We tested our hypotheses using data for the 2001–2011 period. Analysis found support for our hypotheses that prior experience (with alliances), firm size, and international embeddedness of business group influence timing of firms’ cross-border M&A. Findings support the springboarding perspective that emerging market (EM) firms engage in preemptive acquisitions to gain first-mover advantage.     

The impact of buyer–supplier relationships on supplier innovativeness: An empirical study in cross-border supply networks

Drawing on organizational learning and the relational view of the firm, this study seeks to understand the factors that drive supplier innovativeness in the context of cross-border supply relationships. To address this research objective, a survey included 189 parts and components manufacturers (suppliers) in Turkey; hierarchical regression analysis is used to test the hypotheses. The findings demonstrate that interfirm knowledge sharing routines, relation-specific investments, and governance mechanisms may promote supplier innovativeness by expanding the supplier's knowledge resources and encouraging it to invest in innovative activities. In addition, this research emphasizes differentiating effects of the supplier's tier position for the impacts of buyer assistance and cooperative tie. As such, this study contributes to the purchasing and supply management literature by empirically showing how buyer–supplier relationships, particularly in cross-border supply networks, affect supplier innovativeness.     

The organizational form of vertical relationships: Dimensions of integration

In this paper we argue that the organizational form of a buying firm's vertical relationship with a supplier can be defined as a configuration of four distinct, but related dimensions of integration. These dimensions pertain to ownership integration (the extent that the firm owns the upstream component supplier), coordination integration (the intensity of information exchange to align the two stages of production), task integration (the extent that the buying firm performs upstream tasks), and knowledge integration (the extent that the buying firm possesses knowledge about the upstream component). Ranging from fully integrated to fully disintegrated, these dimensions can be combined to form various organizational configurations that better reflect the true nature of organizational forms than one-dimensional conceptualizations. Drawing on distinct fields of research (e.g. transaction costs economics, information-processing theory, and learning) the goal of this paper is to improve our understanding of the four dimensions of integration and their interrelationships. This is an important step for future processes of configurational theory building and normative testing.     

Knowledge structures of prospectors,analyzers, and defenders: content,structure, stability,and performance

The managerial cognition perspective argues that managers operating in complex, dynamic environments develop knowledge structures that help them focus their attention, interpretation, and actions. We explore the content and structure of top managers' strategic knowledge structures by measuring differences in the level of attention they give in annual reports to strategic issues and themes that Miles and Snow used to describe their main strategic types. Twenty-one themes that form seven main factors describing managers' strategic cognition are identified, and these demonstrate reasonable fit with the Miles and Snow model. We show that expert raters can recognize these factors when they read annual reports that contain them. Cluster analysis is then used to identify groups of firms that share similar profiles on these strategic dimensions which are interpreted as examples of cognitive strategic groups. These groups show alignment with Miles and Snow's strategic types, are relatively stable over time, and differ in financial performance. The sample comprises 1,038 listed Australian firms between the years 1992 and 2003. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

知识工作设计与知识型员工薪酬策略

从系统性、授权度与自由度三个维度讨论了知识工作设计，基于工作与薪酬的双重激励效用，利用委托代理方法分析了知识工作设计与薪酬机制间的关系．最后讨论了知识型员工的薪酬策略。研究表明，上述三个维度的工作设计可适应知识工作的复杂性、满足知识型员工的需求；增加三个维度的水平．工作的复杂性将增加．并能激励员工付出更高的努力水平，但复杂性不能超出员工的能力范围。否则工作设计将得不偿失：工作的复杂性增加时必须增加薪酬激励强度，并增加效益工资与基本工资的比值．但对于复杂性过高的工作，则应降低其比值；员工的薪酬水平决定于其工作价值。     

Which boundaries? How mobility networks across countries and status groups affect the creative performance of organizations

Research summary : Losing key employees to competitors allows an organization to engage in external boundary‐spanning activities. It may benefit the organization through access to external knowledge, but may also increase the risks of leaking knowledge to competitors. We propose that the destination of departed employees is a crucial contingency: benefits or risks only materialize when employees leave for competitors that differ from the focal organization along significant dimensions, such as country or status group. In the context of the global fashion industry, we find that key employees' moves to foreign competitors may increase (albeit at a diminishing rate) their former employers' creative performance. Furthermore, firms may suffer from losing key employees to higher‐ or same‐status competitors, but may benefit from losing them to lower‐status competitors. Managerial summary : Losing key employees to competitors can provide organizations with access to external knowledge, but increase risks of leaking knowledge to competitors. We find that an organization's access to external knowledge and its risks of knowledge leakage through employee mobility may be affected by whether its employees leave for competitors in a foreign country or in a different status group. In the context of the global fashion industry, we show that key employees' moves to foreign competitors increase (up to a point) their former employers' creative performance. Furthermore, firms may suffer from losing key employees to higher‐ or same‐status competitors, but benefit from losing them to lower‐status competitors. Hence, executives in creative industries and possibly beyond could welcome losing employees to competitors in foreign countries or to lower‐status competitors. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

浅析跨境电商行业在新经济时代的重要性及面临的问题

跟随着大数据的步伐,人类社会进入的一个新经济时代,在新经济模式下,人们的观念、知识体系、沟通方式以及经贸合作等都发生了根本性变化。跨境电商行业就是这个时代的新兴产物,它改变了传统的国际贸易形式以及人们的购买和销售方式。本文以新经济时代为背景,宏观上分析跨境电商行业在新经济时代的重要性及面临的问题。     

The Value of Customer Cocreated Knowledge during the Innovation Process

Customer cocreation during the innovation process has recently been suggested to be a major source for firms' competitive advantage. Hereby, customers actively engage in a firm's innovation process and take over innovation activities traditionally performed by a firm's employees. Despite its suggested importance, previous research has revealed contradictory findings regarding its impact, the nature of involved customers, and the channels of communication that enable cocreation. To provide a more fine‐grained picture, customer cocreated knowledge is first delineated into its key value dimensions of relevance, novelty, and costs, and then their impact on various innovation outcomes is investigated. Next, the study examines the antecedent role of customer determinants; that is, lead user characteristics and customer–firm closeness, on these knowledge value dimensions. Finally, we explore how these effects are moderated by the type of communication channel used. An empirical validation of the conceptual model is performed by means of survey data from 126 customer cocreation projects. The data analysis indicates that customer cocreation is most successful for the creation of highly relevant but moderately novel knowledge. Cocreation with customers who are closely related to the innovating firm results in more highly relevant knowledge at a low cost. Yet, cocreation with lead users produces novel and relevant knowledge. These effects are contingent on the richness and reach of the communication channels enabling cocreation. Overall, the findings shed light on opportunities and limitations of customer cocreation for innovation and reconcile determinants originating in relationship marketing and innovation management. At the same time, managers obtain recommendations for selecting customers and communication channels to enhance the success of their customer cocreation initiatives.     

Assessing industrial buyers' perceptions of quality and their effects on satisfaction

Identifying and measuring the dimensions of perceived quality and their influence on customer satisfaction are important aspects of a firm's quality management efforts. In this study, we develop and test a framework for assessing the perceptions held by industrial buyers from different functional areas (e.g., engineering, purchasing) and the link between those perceptions and customer satisfaction. A procedure for identifying the dimensions of quality and using them to target the industrial marketer's quality improvements is discussed, and the results of testing this methodology are presented. The results suggest that a potentially unique set of quality factors can be used to assess each vendor and that these factors vary across functional area.     

Managerial Ties and Firm Innovation: Is Knowledge Creation a Missing Link?

Managerial ties, the personal networks of senior managers, have been found to be facilitators of firm performance because of their network benefits. However, social network theory suggests that managerial ties only play a “conduit” role by providing possibilities and opportunities to approach external resources. How can firms turn these possibilities and opportunities into internal knowledge assets and further transform them into firm innovation? Extant research constructs a direct mechanism for the managerial ties–firm innovation link. The research reported here, however, provides and investigates an indirect ties‐innovation argument where organizational knowledge creation processes, including knowledge exchange and knowledge combination, are mediators. And managerial ties are examined through two traditional dimensions, business ties and political ties. This study employs empirical data from 270 firms in China and uses structural equation modeling techniques to reveal interesting findings. First, the results support the key argument that the influence of managerial ties on firm innovation is indirect. Second, knowledge exchange and knowledge combination are different constructs and the former positively influences the latter. More interestingly, business ties can exert a significant direct impact on both knowledge exchange and knowledge combination, while political ties can only influence knowledge exchange directly. Although both knowledge exchange and knowledge combination impact product innovation directly, only knowledge combination can directly influence process innovation. These findings indicate that the role of political ties is declining, but business ties still have substantial influence on firm innovation in transitional China. Different processes of organizational knowledge creation, such as knowledge exchange and knowledge combination, make distinct contributions to firm innovation. Product innovation, as opposed to process innovation, is more externally oriented and needs more organizational level knowledge creation activities. This article extends the understanding of the ties–innovation link, organizational knowledge creation theory, and firm innovation in a transitional economy by providing a more complete understanding of how firms can access and internalize external resources and then transform them into product innovation and process innovation.     

Joint problem solving and organizational learning capacity in new product innovation

There is a growing need for firms to acquire knowledge externally, but the process has become increasingly complicated. This article studies the mediating roles of the three process dimensions of organizational learning capacity (OLC), namely, knowledge acquisition, transformation, and application capabilities, in the context of a joint problem solving (JPS) arrangement with external collaborators for new product innovation. They employed the structural equation modelling method and analyse a sample of 331 high-tech manufacturers in China. Their results supported a conceptual model that shows (i) JPS exerts a positive impact on knowledge acquisition and transformation capabilities; (ii) these two capabilities promote knowledge application capacity; (iii) knowledge acquisition alone, and the combination of application and transformation capabilities, mediate the effect of JPS on both innovation efficacy and efficiency. Knowledge acquisition and application capabilities also jointly mediate the effect of JPS on innovation efficacy. They added to the existing literature by highlighting the need to consider the mediating roles of different OLC dimensions and the external context of JPS for learning capacity acquisition. Our model provides a practical framework for managers to better understand and influence OLC dimensions to improve innovation when engaging in JPS.     

我国不同规模企业跨境电子商务应用状况调查分析

根据问卷调研，分析了我国不同规模企业在跨境交易中电子商务的应用水平以及存在的问题。研究发现，跨境电子商务的应用水平由小型企业、中型企业到大型企业逐步升高；对于不同规模企业而言，跨境电商的发展不同，且同一规模企业在跨境交易的不同环节运用电子商务的能力也存在差异。为此，分别从企业、政府、国家层面提出提高跨境电子商务应用水平的意见。     

Estimating the informal cross-border trade of agricultural and horticultural commodities between cameroon and its CEMAC neighbours

Cameroon is the first trading partner of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) countries. Despite belonging to the same sub-regional organization, the formal trade ties between Cameroon and its neighbours have been hampered by a combination of factors that have spurred the growth of informal (unrecorded) trade. Interest in cross-border trade of agricultural and horticultural commodities between Cameroon and its neighbours has been overwhelming, but knowledge of its magnitude, determinants, and consequences remains inadequate, leading not only to undervaluation of figures in the national accounts, but also inhibiting formulation of appropriate policies and strategies to exploit its potential impact, particularly on food security. Using a monitoring method of cross-border flows of informal trade, the study aims to estimate the volume/value of unrecorded cross-border trade between Cameroon and its CEMAC’s neighbours and compare it with the recorded (official figures) trade. The results indicate that in 2008 a volume of just over 155 000 tons of agricultural and horticultural commodities has been shipped from Cameroon to its neighbours in the CEMAC for an estimated value of almost 38 billion CFA francs and representing 0.4% of GDP in Cameroon. The comparison in relative terms shows that informal or unrecorded trade represents 96% of the official and mainly includes agricultural and horticultural commodities.