Knowlege networks for innovation in small Scottish software firms

This paper examines the emergence of small indigenous software companies in Scotland, focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of the region's socio-economic infrastructure as a foundation for innovative new business ventures. Following a brief review of some of the accepted wisdom on high-tech start-ups and regional economic development the paper provides some background information on the Scottish region, comparing new firms in the software industry with the foreign multinationals that dominate the local IT industry. A framework - the ‘sociotechnical constituencies’ approach - is then proposed that allows the author to examine networks of specialist knowledge that underlie new business development. Agglomeration effects and the influence of ‘clusters’ of complementary types of knowledge, expertise and innovative competencies at the regional level are at the heart of the analysis. The framework is applied to a sample of local firms, looking at how ‘learning’ via sociotechnical networks underlies their evolution. Policy-makers' attempts to boost the region's new business birth rate and promote the hoped-for ‘silicon glen’ effect are viewed in the light of the study's findings.     

Regulating labour management in small firms

There is a relative paucity of evidence on the management of labour in smaller firms. Research that has been undertaken, while recognising the heterogeneity of the sector, does note the prevalence of informality regarding employee relations. Such informality could be challenged by the increasing regulation of the employment relationship following the election of successive Labour governments since 1997. To illuminate this discussion further, evidence drawn from a study of employment regulation is offered. A number of smaller firm owners and their employees were interviewed to ascertain their views on the impact of regulation on the employment relationship. Owners were largely resistant to it but felt they could accommodate changes with relatively little disruption to their existing approach to labour management. Meanwhile, most employees felt the effect of regulation would be muted due to their position as smaller firm labour.     

Project management and management of innovation in small industrial firms

In innovation projects, three sub-processes have to evolue concurrently. These are problem solving, to bring about a new product or process; internal innovation diffusion, to disseminate information and engender a positive attitude towards new developments; and change in the organization so that it may function successfully with new products or processes. The characteristics of these sub-processes and a need for special roles relating to them were suggested by a study of the innovation processes in small companies. A case history shows the possible use of the processes and roles indicated above to manage innovation projects.     

Foreign remedies for local difficulties: the case of three Scottish manufacturing firms

Literature on Japanese transplant manufacturing firms in the automotive sector often emphasise the importance placed on attitude as opposed to skills in the hiring decisions for line workers. In this paper, a case study of one second-tier components supplier for a major Japanese automotive assembler in the Midwestern United States provides the opinions of senior managers and human resource associates regarding recruitment and selection practices. In-depth interviews, carried out over a two-week period in August 2000, are used to develop an understanding of the recruitment and selection process for line workers as well as to investigate the desired skills and value of previous Japanese experience. Results of the case study analysis are compared with two models from the literature: (1) a model of recruitment and selection at Japanese automotive-related firms in Japan and (2) a model of recruitment and selection at Japanese transplant automotive-related firms abroad. Deviations from the two models point not to a new paradigm of ‘second-generation’ Japanese transplants – those that have moved into regions quite familiar with Japanese firms and related management and production methods – but rather to overall weaknesses in the stereotypical models. Managerial opinions within the case study firm place limited value on familiarity with a Japanese environment, considering such experience secondary to attitudes and work ethics that are in line with the philosophy of the case study firm.     

White-collar human resource management in large Japanese manufacturing firms

This article explains white-collar Human Resource Management practices in large Japanese manufacturing firms. It first deals with the structural characteristics of white-collar HRM systems and some of its constraints. Then, the article discribes the personnel staff organization and analyzes in detail the four basic HRM functions: selection, development, appraisal, and rewards with data collected in two large Japanese firms. Implications for Western managers are suggested in the conclusion.     

Overview: Strategic human resource management in five leading firms

This article synthesizes findings from five case studies conducted in firms known to be leaders in the management of people. We drew three broad conclusions:

• 1 The foundation of a value‐added HR function is a business strategy that relies on people as a source of competitive advantage and a management culture that embraces that belief;
• 2 A value‐added HR function will be characterized by operational excellence, a focus on client service for individual employees and managers, and delivery of these services at the lowest possible cost; and
• 3 A value‐added HR function requires HR managers that understand the human capital implications of business problems and can access or modify the HR system to solve those problems.

© 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Knowledge acquisition processes during the incubation of new high technology firms

High technology incubators have been funded in universities by the UK government as part of the ‘third mission’ for higher education (DTI 2000a). The provision of such facilities is premised on the notion that new technology firms achieve success at least in part from the benefits of incubators as rich networked environments where specialist knowledge acquisition can occur. This paper presents a exploration of how this process takes place, based on a case study of the high-tech incubator at the University of Southampton. The paper shows that firm founders adopt different approaches to the networked environment provided by the incubator; in this case the shift from Directorial support to that embedding in external networks was significant as firms grew. Taking account of this process should enable incubator managers to develop practices that ensure firms gain maximum advantage from the available resources.     

Diffusing 'best practice' in multinational firms: prospects,practice and contestation

This article explores the possibilities and problems of transferring best practice within multinational enterprises. Following a discussion of the literature on the transfer of best practice, we draw on a case study of ABB to highlight some of the issues and problems involved. In particular, we focus on the use of benchmarking as a powerful tool for the diffusion of best practice in ABB. We conclude that under certain conditions the case for the transfer of best practice within multinational enterprises is relatively sound and that the use of internal benchmarking can be a highly effective method of producing such organizational change. However, any form of diffusion has to take into account (a) the local cultural and institutional context and (b) the ability and incentive of local managers to implement best practice.     

Knowledge interests in corporate environmental management

We know from earlier studies that corporate environmental management is a young discipline, not yet integrated in general management and organization studies, but that researchers take an increasing part in the ongoing scientific conversation. However, the underlying knowledge interests characterizing the field of corporate environmental management is yet empirically unsubstantiated. One way to find out what elements make up the field is to analyse the contents of the most influential writings in the field. The present article identifies the 10 most cited works in Business Strategy and the Environment in 1992–2000 and explores the content of these texts. We conceptualise a typology for analysing corporate environmental management theory and formulate a characterization of the dominating knowledge interests. Our findings show that the theoretical fundament of corporate environmental management lacks a hermeneutic knowledge interest. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

论股权高度分散企业的财务管理目标

财务管理目标是财务理论和实践活动的出发点,目前理论界和实务界对这个问题的认识还存在分歧.本文借助财务学中最基本的概念,如时间偏好、投资机会等,从一个新的角度论证了股权高度分散企业的财务管理目标是企业价值最大化.     

Human resource management and the performance of Western firms in China

The study examines the relationship between human resource management and organizational performance in sixty-two manufacturing Chinese-Western joint ventures and wholly owned subsidiaries located in different parts of the People's Republic of China. A positive relation was found between firm performance and the extent to which firms used a 'high-performance' HRM system as well as the degree to which they engaged in the integration of HRM and firm strategy.     

Yield management: A tool for capacity-considered service firms

Airlines typically sell their seats for a variety of different fares. If customers make reservations early, low fares might be available, but if customers call at the last minute, they will probably have to pay the full fare. Since deregulation, early all airlines have been using a technique called yield management. Yield management allows the airlines to allocate their fixed capacity of seats in the most profitable manner possible. Since the airline's inventory of seats is perishable, the airlines must have a method of quickly and accurately allocating potential demand to capacity. The airline industry has been in the forefront of using management, but yield management has potential application to any firm constrained by capacity. Other services which have adopted yield management include the lodging, rental car, delivery service, rail and cruise line industries.The objective of yield management is to maximize the revenue or yield of the firm. A good yield management system will help the firm decide how much of each type of inventory (whether it be seats on an airplane, rooms in a hotel, or cars in a rental car fleet) to allocate to different types of demand. This article attempts to structure the concept of yield management by reviewing current literature, classifying types of solution approaches, discussing the managerial implications of yield management and presenting a future research agenda. While corporate research on yield management has been performed, most firms are understandably reluctant to share the results of their research with others. Operations management researchers could assist small and medium sized capacity-constrained firms by developing simple and accurate yield management techniques. The intent of the paper is to focus attention n the yield management and stimulate practical and theoretical research in this area.     

Human resource management in smaller firms: A contradiction in terms?

Human resource management came into popular parlance in the late 1970s. as a managerial approach aimed at re-ordering the employment relationship to ensure employee efforts were strategically focused on achieving organisational performance and competitiveness in increasingly volatile markets. Since then there has been much consideration of whether HRM is a robust academic concept supporting a particular managerialist ideology, a status enhancing label for people managers, or a practitioner tool kit. There has also been a consideration of how HRM is articulated in small and entrepreneurial firms. This paper suggests that the concept of HRM is, in most instances, uncertainly theorised and, therefore, how it, whatever ‘it’ is, might be identified in such firms is challenging. Unless HRM is theorised in context with more care, there is a danger of it remaining a ‘fuzzy concept’ encouraging abstract empiricism which, rather than clarifying our understanding, only further muddies already muddy waters. In pursuit of this argument, in this paper current debates about the notion of HRM are considered as is how these fit with what is known about the management of labour in small firms. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to question how appropriate it is to talk about HRM as an approach to managing labour in small firms.     

劳务派遣的法律与实践思考

所谓劳务派遣,是指劳务派遣企业与被派遣劳动者订立劳动合同后,将劳动者派遣到用人单位从事劳动的一种特殊的用工方式。劳务派遣用工方式是一种招聘和使用分离的用工方式,它使用工的管理和使用相分离,用人单位只"用"不"管",派遣企业只"管"不"用"。     

知识共享与知识管理

本文主要讨论了知识与谁共享、共享什么、如何以及是否共享等问题.     

Knowledge combination in networks: evidence from the international venturing of four small biotech firms

Although international forms of venturing are critical for the sustained economic growth of small firms, this phenomenon remains surprisingly unexplored in international small business research. This study aims to contribute to this field by shedding light on the underlying factors of the international venturing of these firms. In this endeavor, the study rests on the assumption that knowledge combination in networks is a critical requisite for seizing business opportunities in foreign markets. Hence, the specific purpose of this study is to investigate how knowledge combination in networks underlies the international venturing of four small biotech firms. The findings demonstrate that international venturings are strongly shaped by proactive strategies of identifying and implementing knowledge combinations that span across internationally dispersed network relationships. The findings also reveal that different strategies of knowledge combination in networks are pursued depending on the nature of the venture (namely, international product ventures and international market ventures).     

The impact of US GAAP reconciliation requirements on choice of foreign stock exchange for firms from common law and code law countries

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate whether the impact of the SEC's Form 20-F reconciliation requirements on non-US firms' choices of foreign stock exchanges was different for firms from common law and code law countries, that is, for firms with different accounting, legal and financial systems. We examined attributes of 253 cross-listed firms from the UK, Australia, France, Germany and Japan in the 1999 financial year. We found the ability to raise further capital in the home market was relevant for firms from both groups. In addition, firms from code law countries listing on the NYSE or NASDAQ were more likely to have greater foreign revenue and lower leverage. We expected differences in accounting requirements to be a greater barrier to listing on the NYSE or NASDAQ for code law firms. However, we found firms from code law countries were more likely to select a Form 20-F exchange than firms from common law countries, providing support for suggestions that a NYSE/NASDAQ cross-listing has a bonding role for code law firms.     

医院经营管理“1+X+Y”

<正>在医院物业管理的实践中,武汉同济物业越来越深刻地体验到,企业的单打独斗难以发展,强强联合方能抱团取暖。早在上世纪90年代,武汉同济物业管理有限公司(下称武汉同济物业)就瞄准医院后勤管理市场潜力,积极探索医院物业经营管理,从单一的保洁外包服务开始,逐步拓展服务项目,不断增加医院物业经营管理市场的规模和容量,服务产品由保洁、秩序维护、保修、保绿等基本物业服务拓展到电梯操作、水电工程运行维修、导医陪护、物流、餐饮、支