Public policy influences on the formation of international joint ventures

The literature on international joint ventures (IJVs) devotes little attention to the influence of public policy on the formation of such alliances. This paper examines the influence on the recent growth in IJVs of U.S. and foreign governments’ antitrust, trade, and technology policies. Little evidence supports the claim that U.S. antitrust policy is a critical influence on the decisions of U.S. firms to collaborate with foreign enterprises. IJVs are rarely substitutes for the collaboration among U.S. firms that might develop in the absence of antitrust restrictions. The recent interest by governments in “strategic technology policy” and the growing importance of “managed trade” in some high-technology industries both have created new incentives for the formation of IJVs. There are some important parallels between recent international joint ventures and the international cartel agreements of the interwar period, but modern IJVs do not yet appear to have reproduced the cartelization associated with the international patent-sharing agreements of the interwar period. Nevertheless, the influence of these market-distorting government interventions on the incentives to form IJVs means that the effects of these alliances on economic welfare may be mixed and should be monitored carefully.     

美国的贸易保护:“国家利益”决定抑或“利益集团”导向——基于美国制造业的实证分析

在美国贸易保护政策的形成过程中,国家利益(或政府目标)以及国内利益集团都是重要的影响变量。对美国制造业贸易保护的实证分析表明,国家的核心利益或基本目标始终是决定贸易保护程度的主要变量,而美国国内利益集团对美国贸易政策的影响则是"边际性的";利益集团在很大程度上左右或影响美国对外贸易政策的观点,并没有得到来自制造业经验证据的支持。     

China: From imitator to innovator?

We examine the effects of a specific Chinese governmental policy change, and assess how it has impacted firm innovation. To address potential endogeneity concerns, we use the policy change as a quasi-natural experiment, and explain the exogenously caused variations. We also use a “difference-in-differences” approach to compare innovative activities of Chinese firms with those of matched U.S. peers, and find that the policy change had a positive effect on Chinese firms' research spending, as measured by research intensity. We show that Chinese firms increased their research spending in response to the strategic shift by the government after 2008, relatively outpacing their U.S. peers during the same time period. Chinese companies have not overtaken their U.S. peers yet, but they have reduced the gaps between them.     

战略性贸易政策理论的新发展

战略性贸易政策理论是在 2 0世纪 80年代初提出并建立的 ,该理论有两个基本模型 ,即第三国市场模型和相互倾销模型。其基本结论认为 :政府可以通过一定的干预政策改变本国厂商与外国厂商之间的博弈关系 ,使博弈的结果有利于本国厂商 ,进而提高国民福利。这便为政府的贸易干预提供了新的理论基础 ,引起了政界、学界的极大关注 ,出现了大量的研究文献。本文旨在较完整地概括该理论近 2 0年的发展 ,特别着重于最新的研究成果 ,以供贸易政策研究者参考 ,把握当今贸易政策研究的理论前沿。     

新贸易保护主义的新发展与中国的战略性贸易政策选择——基于弱势产业与贸易保护有效性的分析

本文在弱势产业划分与贸易保护有效性分析的基础上,探讨新贸易保护主义的新发展及其对中国进出口贸易的影响,分析我国的战略性贸易政策选择。本文认为:是否值得与能否对弱势产业进行贸易保护,在大国与小国的答案并不完全相同,可以利用大国规模经济效应提升弱势产业的比较竞争优势;对优势产业与“夕阳产业”同时进行保护、贸易保护的意识形态工具创新是新贸易保护主义新发展的主要特点;为了应对新贸易保护主义新发展对我国进出口贸易的冲击,必须制定符合我国国情的战略性贸易政策。     

Industry concentration and optimal discriminatory commercial policies

We derive the characteristics of firm-specific strategic trade policies when industries consist of heterogenous firms, and show how the informational requirements for policy design are thereby expanded. A knowledge of the Herfindahl index of concentration of the foreign industry is required for the design of optimal protection for domestic firms. It is shown that optimal firm-specific tariffs reduce the degree of foreign concentration, thus shifting rents to domestic firms.     

从历史视角看美国贸易政策的本质

美国的贸易政策是指能直接影响美国进出口地理方向和进出口商品结构、跨国投资的政府措施。必须从经济和政治结合的角度去理解美国的贸易政策,美国贸易政策的本质是实现美国国内外经济利益和政治利益的工具或手段。贸易保护主义和贸易自由化都是美国利益的实现方式。认识美国贸易政策的本质为认识中美贸易方面存在的问题提供一种思路。     

Going “purple”: Can military jointness principles provide a key to more successful integration at the marketing-manufacturing interface?

When the colors of all the U.S. armed services’ uniforms are combined, the color purple appears; therefore, military insiders refer to inter-service operations as “purple” operations. Now a core concept, the “jointness” of U.S. military strategic response to a critical operational failure encapsulates principles and processes through which two or more armed services are best able to integrate strategies, strengths, and capabilities in ways that yield genuine synergies, despite the differences in mission and culture that naturally separate the services. The now ingrained ability of military services to “go purple” quickly has materially contributed to strategic and operational successes during the last 20 years. The internal circumstances as well as global environmental challenges faced by domestic firms, particularly at the marketing-manufacturing (M-M) interface, resonate with those faced by the U.S. military. Firms may benefit from evaluating the prospect of “going purple” at this crucial point of interface. This article integrates military-like jointness principles into an organizational framework that functions as a guide to pursuing cross-functional M-M integration more successfully. The framework also provides a methodology through which managers can determine whether and how much purple ought to be pursued.     

Minimizing effects of ‘liability of foreignness’: Response strategies of foreign firms in the United States

While anecdotal and research evidence exists supporting the difficulties faced by foreign firms in host nation environments due to liability of foreignness, it is clear that many foreign firms have been successfully operating in the U.S. over the years. This study seeks to understand the strategies foreign firms use to cope with liabilities of foreignness in an alien environment and compete successfully with domestic firms, specifically through boundary spanning. Using a sample of 3861 firms in the U.S., we find that foreign firms on the average underperform compared to domestic firms. We also find these firms take a differing strategic posture to cope with the disadvantages of being a foreign firm compared to domestic rivals. Multiple mediation models indicate that once this strategic posture of foreign firms is controlled for, performance differentials do not exist between foreign and domestic firms.     

政府补贴、国际知识产权保护与企业创新——来自战略性新兴产业上市公司的证据

政府补贴对企业创新的影响存在争议,在美国重点打击中国战略性新兴产业的背景下,补贴这一产业政策的有效性再次引起热议。本文以2012-2017年沪深A股战略性新兴产业上市公司为样本,研究在国际知识产权保护加强的背景下政府补贴对战略性新兴产业创新绩效的影响。研究发现:中国政府实施的补贴政策有利于促进战略性新兴产业创新,但国际知识产权保护加强约束了中国政府补贴的规模和空间,从而抑制了补贴政策对战略性新兴产业创新的激励作用;此外,基于企业和产业异质性视角,国际知识产权保护的加强主要抑制了补贴对国有企业、内资企业和新材料产业创新的促进作用。进一步完善补贴政策和国内的知识产权保护制度,有利于提升中国在构建国际经济新秩序中的话语权。     

The Challenges of Full-Service Restaurant Brand Internationalization: A United States/Canada Perspective

The purpose of this research is to identify the challenges faced by full-service restaurant brands internationalizing across the border between the United States and Canada. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from 54 senior executives across the US and Canada. The results show differences in the challenges faced by U.S. versus Canadian full-service restaurant brands when they are expanding across the border based upon the context of the full-service restaurant and how they are internationalizing. This is the first empirical study about cross border expansion challenges for U.S. and Canadian full-service restaurant brands.     

Is History Repeating Itself?

Though American pharmaceutical companies continue to dominate global markets, Japanese drug firms are catching up. And with the advent of biotechnology as a commercially viable means of producing drugs, Japanese firms may, in fact, be able to leapfrog their American competitors. To determine whether this is likely to be the case, the following article focuses on Japanese biotechnology policy, which has been taking shape for roughly a decade. Comparison to the laissez-faire American approach to the development of this technology reveals that history may indeed be repeating itself. If the U.S. government does not soon articulate a comprehensive industrial policy, America's mighty pharmaceutical firms may share the unfortunate fate of their predecessors in the automotive and computer industries.     

Understanding supplier selection practices: Differences between u.s. And korean executives

Over the past decades, U.S. firms have increasingly explored strategic supply chain partnerships with Asian firms. Although shaken by the financial crises in 1997, Asian firms also continue to make significant investment in the U.S. and develop strategic supply chain partnership with U.S. firms. These trends have prompted academic researchers to start focusing on global supply chain management prac‐tices. One important domain of supply chain management is the selection of sup‐pliers. This research examines the differences in supplier selection practices between U.S. and Asian (in particular, Korean) executives. The results provide important implications for both U.S. and Korean firms to successfully manage global supply chain management. ? 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Trade liberalization and industrial restructuring through mergers and acquisitions

This paper analyzes mergers and acquisitions (M&As) as a channel of industrial restructuring after trade liberalization. Using the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement (CUSFTA) of 1989 as a source of exogenous variation in trade barriers, I show that trade liberalization increased domestic Canadian M&A activity (Canadian firms buying other Canadian firms) by over 70%. There is no robust link between tariff reductions and either domestic U.S. or cross-border M&As. I also provide evidence that domestic M&As transferred resources from less to more productive firms and that the magnitude of the overall transfer was quantitatively important.     

The Defense Industry: Tradeoffs Between Fiscal Constraints and National Security Challenges

The global defense sector is faced with uncertainty and volatility in government demand, which is driven by fiscal constraints, as well as shifting defense priorities in various nations. This paper discusses the challenges facing the U.S. government and defense contractors, and provides perspectives on potential strategies for these groups which are designed to mitigate risks and to sustain the defense sector. It emphasizes the importance of the continued growth of the defense sector through greater stability in funding, which would, in turn, assist in sustaining defense demand in response to national security challenges. The paper discusses the trends and composition in U.S. defense spending, the strategies used by the armed services to handle national security concerns and fiscal constraints, the impact on the defense industry of closure or development of key programs, and the strategies used by defense firms to handle the volatility in demand. Collaboration between nations may be a key strategy for sustaining global stability, since combining equipment and forces in various regions helps to alleviate fiscal constraints in various countries.     

Trade liberalization and industrial restructuring through mergers and acquisitions

This paper analyzes mergers and acquisitions (M&As) as a channel of industrial restructuring after trade liberalization. Using the Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement (CUSFTA) of 1989 as a source of exogenous variation in trade barriers, I show that trade liberalization increased domestic Canadian M&A activity (Canadian firms buying other Canadian firms) by over 70%. There is no robust link between tariff reductions and either domestic U.S. or cross-border M&As. I also provide evidence that domestic M&As transferred resources from less to more productive firms and that the magnitude of the overall transfer was quantitatively important.     

The Retail Travels of the U.S. Greenback: A Comparative Study of Currency Substitution Along the U.S.-Canadian and U.S.-Mexican Borders

This currency substitution study explores the extent of retail firm-level U.S. dollar acceptance in Canada and Mexico. Employing a stratified random sampling approach of retail business in the border region, results demonstrate that all Mexican firms (N = 300/300) and nearly all Canadian (N = 257/261) firms accept the U.S. dollar in retail transactions. Of greater interest is the difference between firms in the two countries in how acceptance of the U.S. dollar is operationalized. On average, U.S. dollar sales of Canadian border firms comprise just 3.4% of total sales whereas U.S. dollar sales of Mexican firms encompass 23.7% of total sales. Our results also indicate a stark contrast as to the effective exchange rate for U.S. dollar acceptance— Canadian firms typically charge a premium (2.1% on average) while 69.3% of Mexican firms transacted business at a discount (?0.8% on average). Additional analyses further refine the currency substitution distinctions between Canadian and Mexican firms in the sample including a logistical regression which reveals significant differences as to firm-level predictors of U.S. dollar acceptance (whether at a discount or premium).     

摆脱“美元陷阱”路径论析

经济活动严重依赖于美元致使我国对外贸易和国际储备安全受制于美国的战略黑箱,宏观调控的独立性受到掣肘,汇率政策面临二难选择。出于自身狭隘利益的考量,美国当局不可能自愿改变我行我素的行事风格,所以跳出“美元陷阱”不能奢望于美国当局的良心发现,只有唯一路径———“去美元化”———在美元之外构建一种新的国际支付手段为我所用。构建这种新的国际支付手段的应然路径是联合主要大宗矿产资源大国构建共同货币。     

The Globalization of Furniture Industries/Markets

The globalization of industries and markets represents a key trend of the last decade. This evolutionary process, anticipated to become more prevalent in the future, requires long-term strategies whereby firms, industries and nations utilize competitive advantage to expand beyond domestic borders. In order to remain competitive, manufacturers of industrial and consumer goods must address the threats of both domestic and foreign origin and, increasingly utilize a global context for strategic planning, operations and marketing. Global communications and transportation technologies for electronic data interchange, materials resource planning, international finance, management and marketing have enhanced the ability of firms to operate internationally and offer true world brands. Furniture is an example of a product that naturally lends itself to internationalization in that if performs the same basic function across geographic areas and cultures such as seating, bedding, dining, storage and display. Moreover, the use of international furniture and woodworking machinery shows rapidly diffuses new technologies and designs through the global marketplace. Wood furniture represents a prime example of a U.S. industry that has felt the competitive pressures of market globalization. In 1978, imports claimed only 6.6% of the U.S. consumption of wood household furniture. By 1990, they had reached nearly 25% of consumption. The secondary wood manufacturing industries in the United States, including wooden furniture, have been largely insulated from foreign competition due to their established position within the domestic market, abundant and high quality materials with high consumer acceptance and appeal and certain transportation barriers as associated with relatively high volume to value items. However, as the international competitive arena changes, manufacturers, industries and nations must reevaluate their future strategies in terms of the forces shaping competition. This paper presents a framework based upon a multitude of factors affecting competitive advantage in the global context using a furniture industry example. These considerations may be categorized into six domains: (1)raw material supply; (2) production/technology; (3) design and marketing; (4) related/supplying industries; (5) home country demand; and (6) government influence on trade. Global strategic options are then briefly addressed as they pertain to the wood furniture industry. The synthesis of key strategic inputs combined with a global involvement strategy may provide insight not only to wood furniture, but to many other industries attempting to cope with similar changes as evolutionary momentum builds toward global markets, consumers and competition.     

国际政治经济视角下美国对外贸易政策的分析

美国是当今世界贸易大国,它的对外贸易政策对我国经济发展有举足轻重的影响。深刻理解美国对外贸易政策有着重要意义。本文从美国的全球战略、政治因素和国际政治经济因素三个角度分析了美国对外贸易政策的本质,从而得出结论,美国对外贸易政策的目的是实现美国的国家利益。