The origins of business groups in China: An empirical testing of the three paths and the three theories

The available empirical literature tends to focus on the performance comparison between business groups (BGs) and non-business groups, and there is no study that quantitatively verifies the origins of the business groups, particularly in China. This paper uses the survey data of SOEs (state-owned enterprises) in China to verify the three paths toward business groups, such as M&As (merger and acquisitions), spin-offs and joint ventures. This study discusses three alternative theories to explain the emergence of the business groups in China. These are the market-based view, the state-activism view and the resource-based view. This paper found that the greater autonomy given after changing into a shareholding corporation is one of the most consistent and significant factors leading to the business group, regardless of the paths. First, this implies that SOEs have gone from traditional SOEs, to shareholding corporations, and then finally to business groups. Second, it finds that there are certain differences among the three paths toward the business group. The degree of market competition and control by the city-level government are the significant variables in the path via M&A, toward the business group. This is consistent with the state activism view. The significant variables for the spin-off path are the low leverages and the connection with the state. This is consistent with the resource-based view. The JV (joint venture) path seems to be consistent with the market-based and resource-based view, with the significant variables of private/foreign owner-controller, high investment activity, low leverage and size.     

Going Public to Grow? Evidence from a Panel of Italian Firms

This paper investigates the consequences of the decision to go public for the growth of Italian firms using US firms as a benchmark for comparison. We find Italian firms conducting IPOs are larger than US firms, but raise fewer funds from the IPO and grow more slowly afterwards. We also compare Italian IPOs across time. Firms going public in the 1990s display features that are more similar to US IPOs. We describe changes to the Italian economy and financial markets that are potentially responsible for the change. We compare firms of different size and with different governance structures, and we find that they behave differently after going public. Our results suggest that going public does not guarantee faster growth or more jobs. As such, public policies that simply increase access to equity markets may not be effective unless they provide incentives for the firms’ decision-makers to use the new capital to grow.      

动态联盟商务智能中心构建研究

论文在分析动态联盟商务决策所面临问题的基础上,论述了建立动态联盟商务智能中心的必要性和可能性,设计了动态联盟商务智能中心的组织架构,探讨了动态联盟商务智能中心的构成要素,研究了商务智能中心对动态联盟商务决策的支持作用。     

Identifying the ‘knowledge base’ or ‘intellectual structure’ of research on international business, 2000–2015: A citation/co-citation analysis of JIBS

The purpose of this study consists in analyzing the existing literature on international business from all the research papers published in Journal of International Business Studies (JIBS) during the period of time comprised between 2000 and 2015. The authors apply bibliometric methods to that end –in particular, document citation and co-citation analyses (DCAs)– so that they can try and identify the main research lines within the aforementioned scientific field or domain; in other words, the ‘intellectual structure’ of the discipline examined. Social networks analysis was also used to carry out the representation or visualization of such structure or knowledge base. The highly interdisciplinary nature of the research undertaken, since the study field still keeps its characteristic diversity and interdisciplinarity or the need to integrate a variety of theoretical frameworks or approaches into the development of a widely-accepted theory about the field under study become evident. Amongst these theories would be the new institutional theory, the strategic theory or perspective or others such as the transaction cost theory or the agency theory, applied to the context of internationalization and to the field of international business, on whose integration the future development of this field may largely depend.     

企业集团财务控制的思路和对策

本文对企业集团财务控制的基本思路进行了阐述,提出了完善企业集团财务控制的对策措施.     

Cheese trademarks: Italian dairy firms’ practices during the 20th century

Abstract

Trademarks have recently become a very useful source for business historians. This longitudinal analysis of the twentieth-century trademarking activities of the most important Italian dairy firms of the era, namely Galbani, Invernizzi and Locatelli, demonstrates that trademarks were used both as a protective weapon against competitors and as an innovation carrier to open up new markets. This article also argues that trademark registrations had another dual purpose – not only were they used as buffers against negative shocks but they were also used to support periods of economic growth. A fundamental finding of this work is that trademarks, across various types of registrations, were closely connected to the features on which the companies based their sales strategies.     

International Success of Business Groups as an Indicator of National Competitiveness

Abstract

Business groups are the dominant form of large private enterprise throughout Latin America. However, relatively little academic research has attempted to identify the dominant characteristics of these groups and even fewer formal studies have examined how these groups are fairing in today's age of increased competition and globalization. While there are numerous characteristics of business groups that are worthy of examination, in this paper we focus on their foreign direct investment (FDI) activities. In order to better understand the potential strengths and weaknesses of Mexican multinationals, we draw upon Dunning's eclectic paradigm of international production and the literature examining developing country multinationals. While this body of knowledge provides a useful theoretical lens, the current FDI activity of Mexican business groups is somewhat at odds with the existing literature.     

Realizing the Spirit and Impact of Adam Smith's Capitalism through Entrepreneurship

Adam Smith argued in The Wealth of Nations and The Theory of Moral Sentiments that in order to create an effective and productive capitalist system, individuals must pursue interests of both the self and society. Despite this assertion, modern economic theory has become tightly focused on the pursuit of economic self-interests at the expense of other, higher order motives. This paper will argue that the tendency to employ such an egocentric strategy often generates externalities and inequalities that serve to detract from the greater welfare of society. However, by tempering these economic self-interests with non-economically motivated considerations, this paper will suggest that individuals may create tremendous benefits to society, precisely as Smith outlined more than two centuries ago. In defense of this assertion, this paper will review an array of theoretical arguments and empirical findings that suggest that today's entrepreneurs are not only seeking to satisfy both selfish and ethical motivations, but in so doing they are also contributing substantially to the overall welfare of society through job creation, wealth redistribution, and a lack of discrimination. As such, it appears that spirit and impact of the capitalist system that Smith envisioned is being realized through entrepreneurship.     

Growth,Diversification, and Business Group Formation in Entrepreneurial Firms

Recent empirical research has demonstrated that the growth process of entrepreneurial firms is frequently achieved through the formation of business groups: i.e. a set of companies run by the same entrepreneur (or entrepreneurial team). This has been hypothesised as result of a growth process by diversification of the original activity. This entrepreneurial growth process offers an alternative explanation for the formation of business Groups, than that arising from managerial efficiency and expediency. The main aim of the article is to explore group formation through entrepreneurial diversification using a sample of high growth entrepreneurial firms. The analysis demonstrates that the running of a group of companies by the same entrepreneur is not only induced by the geographical extension of their operation and by diversification but also by the differentiation policy aimed at serving different market segments within the same sector. This seems to contrast with the diversification policy and organisational setting of large, managerial firms     

试论海外华商经济发展的成就、经验与启示

海外华商经济已经成为当地经济的一股重要力量,也对中国的经济发展作出了杰出的贡献。这些成就的取得一方面得益于成熟的华商网络,另一方面受益于华商的多元化文化,特别是“儒商”文化。我国的经济建设应充分利用海外华商网络,吸收其合理经济文化思想,进行互补性合作,共同谋取更好的发展。     

新型网络零售模式对大学生网络创业者的影响

随着大型企业进入网络零售行业,中小规模网络卖家的生存空间受到威胁。由于大型企业占有价格、物流和信用优势,大学生网络创业者的处境也由此变得艰难。分析大学生网络创业者的优势和劣势,指导他们扬长避短,对于他们能否突破网络创业的瓶颈并取得成功有重要意义。     

从电子商务到网络财务

互联网的存在 ,改变了企业传统的生存方式 ;电子商务的发展 ,使企业从传统以资金、产品为主的营销模式向以资金、信息为主的电子商务营销模式转变。资金流和信息流传递方式的变化 ,要求企业财务处理方式由原来的静态处理向动态处理转变 ;企业经营管理模式的变化和竞争的压力 ,使得网络财务成为财务管理又一新的手段。在电子商务经营模式下 ,网络财务使得财务功能多样化、集成化 ,企业财务与其他业务的协同化也有了进一步提高 ,财务管理更具灵活性。然而 ,由于技术安全性、内部管理、社会基础设施、网络管理成本控制等多方面的原因 ,全面实施网络财务还存在一些急需解决的问题。