Multinationals,international integration and employment practice in domestic plants

The article explores the diffusion of employment practices from the foreign operations of multinational companies to those in the home country. Specifically, it uses data from ten mini‐case studies to examine the type of multinational in which this phenomenon, termed ‘reverse diffusion’, is most likely to be found.     

Diffusing ‘best practice’ in Chinese multinationals: the motivation,facilitation and limitations

With increasing global integration, the diffusion of ‘best practice’ is a critical activity in MNCs, particularly for those from developing countries which have recently joined global markets. Recent research has suggested that ‘reverse diffusion’ is an important approach to the internationalization of management. However, there is little empirical evidence in support of this argument. This paper draws on in-depth case studies of the UK subsidiaries of Chinese MNCs to explore the nature and characteristics of diffusion activities. It confirms that ‘reverse diffusion’ played a positive part in the internationalization process of these companies, although the impact on the home firms is limited. It also found that new forms of management transfer are emerging in these Chinese MNCs. This suggests that the diffusion of ‘best practice’ in MNCs can be varied with different national and organizational characteristics.     

Exploring the relationship between technology diffusion and new material diffusion: the example of advanced ceramic powders

New technologies have been recognized as key drivers for corporate profitability and growth in today's fast changing environments, especially in new materials field. However, little has been done in discussing the technology diffusion on the topic of new materials. In this study, we investigate the diffusion of advanced ceramic powders technology using patent citation data. We also adopt the sales data of the advanced ceramic powders for measuring the new material diffusion. At last we analyze the relationship between “technology diffusion” and “material diffusion” through the Bass diffusion model. The results show that the diffusion of technology through patent citation could be successfully explained by empirical analysis for which the Bass diffusion model was adopted. Furthermore, we can find out if technology diffusion can be the leading indicator of a new material's diffusion before its launching which is before the commercialization of the patent.     

Diffusion of an Accounting Innovation: Fixed Asset Accounting in the NHS in Wales

As part of ‘New Public Management’ in the UK, changes have been made to the accounting regime. These changes typically involve the adoption of private sector accounting and budgeting approaches using accruals accounting. The process by which new ideas are spread is known as diffusion; this paper deals with the aspect of diffusion relating to the imposition of a new idea, accruals accounting, and how it is absorbed by the organisation, in this case the NHS in Wales. In particular, the paper questions whether the lack of secondary diffusion is limiting the influence of the new accounting approach. To analyse the level of diffusion we have focused on one aspect, namely, information on capital assets. The paper uses a mixture of qualitative and quantitative research methods including in-depth interviews with senior managers at two NHS Trusts and a questionnaire survey with responses from senior finance staff in all NHS Trusts in Wales. We conclude that the diffusion of accruals accounting for fixed assets has been restricted to the primary level at the top layer of management and has not penetrated below that level. There is evidence of continuing managerial indifference to the accruals accounting consequences of owning fixed assets.     

Reverse Diffusion in US Multinationals: Barriers from the American Business System

abstract    This paper addresses the issue of 'reverse diffusion' of employment practices in multinational companies, which is defined as the transfer of practices from foreign subsidiaries to operations in the country of origin. It adds to the literature by examining the influence of the parent business system in multinationals. Specifically, it addresses how the dominant institutions and established organizational structures and practices in the home country affect the extent and impact of reverse diffusion of employment practices. Drawing on fresh evidence from American-owned multinationals in the UK we argue that there is considerable potential for reverse diffusion to occur among this group of firms. However, we highlight a number of barriers to reverse diffusion that the American business system presents, demonstrating that these constrain both the prevalence and the impact of it in practice.     

Semi-nonparametric estimation and misspecification testing of diffusion models

Novel transition-based misspecification tests of semiparametric and fully parametric univariate diffusion models based on the estimators developed in [Kristensen, D., 2010. Pseudo-maximum likelihood estimation in two classes of semiparametric diffusion models. Journal of Econometrics 156, 239-259] are proposed. It is demonstrated that transition-based tests in general lack power in detecting certain departures from the null since they integrate out local features of the drift and volatility. As a solution to this, tests that directly compare drift and volatility estimators under the relevant null and alternative are also developed which exhibit better power against local alternatives.     

基于Bass模型的两种参数估算算法比较研究

本文介绍了新产品扩散Bass模型及模型参数估算方法，比较了这些参数估计方法的利弊，并就中国移动用户发展情况，分别采用非线性最小二乘法和遗传算法建立扩散模型，分析和比较了两种方法的结果，得出遗传算法比非线性最小二乘法更适合于Bass模型参数估计，特别是对构建处于成长期的产品扩散模型，遗传算法可以以较少的已知数据（至少4～5个以上的数据点），得出令人满意的结果，而采用非线性最小二乘法必须已知销售峰值的数据后，才能得到较好的拟合效果。     

以西安市为例看我国郊区城市化

郊区城市化就是人口、就业岗位和服务业从大城市中心区向郊区迁移的一种离心扩散过程,它是城市化发展的必经阶段。本文以西安为例,从自然、社会经济等方面进行分析,提出了西安在郊区化过程中出现的问题,有针对性的提出了对策。     

技术专利保护强度反思——基于技术伦理的视角

对技术专利实行完全定价,进行强有力的保护,只能导致寡头垄断,阻碍技术的传播与扩散,进而阻碍技术的创新。因此,为了鼓励竞争,从伦理学的角度出发对技术专利保护强度进行初探。应提倡对技术专利进行非完全定价。     

Looking East: diffusing high performance work practices in the southern Afro-Asian context

Most cross-cultural international human resource management (IHRM) literature contains instructive comparative analyses of East Asian and Western countries and lessons from Japanese best operating practice. There is a paucity of literature extending this debate to the African context and of comparative IHRM work between East Asia and African countries. This article fills a contextual gap in offering a comparative analysis of diffusion and adoption of high performance work practices from East Asia in southern African firms. The continued relevance of 'context' is critically evaluated, given powerful forces for convergence in the global economy. However, much of the debate on the convergence/divergence framework appears to neglect process dynamics and cross-vergence in the development and implementation of hybrid practices as well as reverse diffusion. This article highlights the importance of considering certain variables of local distinctiveness and diversity as features of the notion of cross-vergence which shape particular human resource practices.     

The Diffusion of Management Innovations: The Possibilities and Limitations of Memetics

abstract    This paper applies a theory of memetics to help explain the diffusion of management innovations as a dynamic evolutionary process. Existing analyses of diffusion frequently note the variation, selection or replication of management innovations, yet few have linked these together with the common observation that some innovations seem to 'evolve'. This paper draws on qualitative evidence from two case-studies of BPR implementation to illustrate that the replication, selection and variation of management innovations can form evolutionary algorithms ('memes') which support diffusion processes, and, in doing so, clarifies the ways in which innovations contribute to their own replication and explains how the high 'failure' rates associated with BPR can sometimes improve its chances of reproduction.     

Evaluating information diffusion speed and its determinants in social media networks during humanitarian crises

The rapid diffusion of information is critical to combat the extreme levels of uncertainty and complexity that surround disaster relief operations. As a means of gathering and sharing information, humanitarian organizations are becoming increasingly reliant on social media platforms based on the Internet. In this paper, we present a field study that examines how effectively information diffuses through social media networks embedded in these platforms. Using a large dataset from Twitter during Hurricane Sandy, we first applied Information Diffusion Theory to characterize diffusion rates. Then, we empirically examined the impact of key elements on information propagation rates on social media. Our results revealed that internal diffusion through social media networks advances at a significantly higher speed than information in these networks coming from external sources. This finding is important because it suggests that social media networks are effective at passing information along during humanitarian crises that require urgent information diffusion. Our results also indicate that dissemination rates depend on the influence of those who originate the information. Moreover, they suggest that information posted earlier during a disaster exhibits a significantly higher speed of diffusion than information that is introduced later during more eventful stages in the disaster. This is because, over time, participation in the diffusion of information declines as more and more communications compete for attention among users.     

产业集群技术创新扩散机制及其促进对策

产业集群技术创新本身属性、技术创新主体及环境是产业集群技术创新扩散的三大影响因素,三者相互作用影响着产业集群技术创新扩散,形成的动态变化的有机体便是产业集群技术创新扩散机制。我国产业集群技术创新扩散过程中存在很多问题,因而要从三大影响因素入手:提高技术创新的商业化比率,加强技术创新主体的创新意识和人才培养,营造良好的中观和宏观环境。以此不断地完善产业集群技术创新扩散机制,促进产业集群的技术创新、再创新和扩散。     

THE CREATION AND DIFFUSION OF INNOVATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

In this study, we review the literature on the creation and diffusion of innovation in the private sectors (industry and services) in developing countries. In particular, we collect evidence on what are the barriers to innovation creation and diffusion and the channels of innovation diffusion to and within developing countries. We find that innovation in developing countries is about creation or adoption of new ideas and technologies; but the capacity for innovation is embedded in and constituted by dynamics between geographical, socio‐economic, political and legal subsystems. We contextualize the findings from the review in the current theoretical framework of diffusion of innovations, and we emphasize how the institutional context typical of developing countries impacts the diffusion itself.     

Hyperlinked actors in the global knowledge communities and diffusion of innovation tools in nascent industrial field

Innovation is accomplished through collaborations of thousands of researchers embedded in a growing international knowledge community, where some hyperlinked actors can strongly impact the diffusion of innovation tools within the community. Few extant studies have empirically inspected the following issues which govern the influence of hyperlinked actors: (1) how the heterogeneity in their actor attributes regulates the volume of their influences; (2) how the nature of connectivity of these actors impacts the volume of their influences. Our current study intends to address this gap by examining the diffusion of innovation tools among life scientists around the world in a time span of 16 years, and we find that for hyperlinked scientists: (1) heavy usage and high variety of usage behaviors have stronger relationship with diffusion rate than light usage and low variety of usage; (2) light usage and high variety usage behaviors have stronger relationship with extent of diffusion than heavy usage and low variety usage; (3) international links have stronger relationship with both the rate and extent of diffusion than domestic links. Our work contributes to innovation research by providing a sharper understanding on the social contagion mechanism in innovation diffusion within global knowledge communities.     

The role of network density and betweenness centrality in diffusing new venture legitimacy: an epidemiological approach

To survive and grow, new ventures must establish initial legitimacy, and subsequently diffuse this legitimacy through a given population. While the notion of initial legitimacy has received substantial attention in the recent literature, diffusion has not. This work endeavors to outline the legitimacy diffusion process via drawing parallels with the field of epidemiology. Ultimately, to effectively diffuse legitimacy (and grow) a firm must gain positive judgments of appropriateness from members of a given network. Importantly, as with diseases, the characteristics of the network are critical to the diffusion process. A relatively dense network is posited to invoke a normative evaluation process by its members, and can be difficult for new ventures to access, but subsequent diffusion of new venture legitimacy can be rapid. A less dense network, on the other hand, is posited to invoke a pragmatic evaluation process by its members, and is likely easier for new ventures to access initially, but may result in lower levels of new venture legitimacy diffusion in the long run. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

金融集聚视角下区域技术扩散的机制与成效 ——基于长三角六大都市圈的实证及比较

本文通过构建不同的空间权重矩阵将金融集聚促进区域技术扩散的融资支持、信息传递、风险分散三大机制引入空间杜宾模型,利用2006—2018年长三角地区地级市层面数据,实证分析并比较金融集聚对长三角六大都市圈技术扩散的促进机制与成效差异。结果显示：上海大都市圈金融集聚促进技术扩散主要体现为融资支持机制,宁波都市圈主要体现为融资支持和信息传递机制,苏锡常都市圈和杭州都市圈的作用机制全面且成效显著,南京和合肥都市圈内技术扩散成效不显著;从金融子行业集聚来看,银行业集聚在各都市圈技术扩散中起主导作用,证券业集聚对苏锡常和杭州都市圈的促进成效突出,保险业集聚的技术扩散成效不显著;在各都市圈中心城市构成的Z字型辐射带域中,上海的辐射带动作用明显,南京、苏州、杭州、宁波、合肥对所处都市圈的技术扩散起到承上启下的枢纽作用。     

Innovation alignment and project network dynamics: An integrative model for change

Innovation research has predominantly focused on hierarchically organized firms competing within single markets. Recently, however, researchers have debated over whether the increasing use of project networks within and across industries promotes or stifles innovation. This paper discusses a model based on crossnational diffusion data from three technological innovations in three‐dimensional computer‐aided design (3D CAD) and related implementation data from 82 firms. From the data we induce a set of constructs that form the basis of a two‐stage model for understanding innovation in project networks. In the first stage of the model the alignment of an innovation to the existing allocation of work in a project network is ascertained. In the second stage, the implementation success and diffusion outcomes for innovations misaligned with the allocation of work are governed by the relational stability, accrual of interests, boundary permeability, and existence of an agent for project network change. In developing this integrative, two‐stage model we resolve the contradiction in the academic literature regarding the degree to which project network dynamics can promote or stifle innovation.