The role of personal relationships in inter-firm alliances: Benefits, dysfunctions, and some suggestions

Strategic alliances have become an important means for developing and improving a firm's level of competitiveness. Although attractive, alliances are risky and difficult to manage. One crucial mechanism in managing and reducing alliance risk is reliance on personal relationships between managers in partnering firms. Personal ties are beneficial in that they can form the basis for developing trust between partners, and aid joint decision-making and information sharing, thereby reducing some of the risks inherent in alliances. Despite their usefulness, however, personal relationships may have drawbacks. For example, strong interpersonal ties in alliances can sometimes prevent dissolution of faltering arrangements, as feelings may prevent the making of difficult, yet prudent, termination decisions. In order to combat this possibility, firms can reduce the downside of personal relationships by carefully managing the role of performance managers across the life of the relationship.     

How Do Innovations Affect Mergers and Acquisitions—Evidence from Finland?

We have analysed whether innovations in a firm's possession increase a firm's propensity to buy other firms and, on the other hand, whether this possession attracts other firms so that they buy the firm concerned. Our results suggest that in the heavily investing processing industries high entry costs and the incumbency of all the firms make more efficient firms—the possessors of innovations—acquire inefficient firms. On the other hand, in the non-processing industries innovators become, according to our findings, easily purchased by the other firms whose strength obviously lies in other areas than in innovative activity. JEL classification  G34, O31, O32     

From hierarchy to hybrid: The evolving nature of inter-firm governance in China's automobile groups

Despite the rapid growth of automobile industry in China, much remains to be known about the governance structure especially the inter-firm relationship within the Chinese automobile groups. Against China's changing institutional environment and compared to the established knowledge on automobile group governance in Japan, this study provides a case analysis of the evolving nature of inter-firm relationship in one of China's major automobile groups, Tianjin Automotive Group (TAG). A top-down hierarchical administration characterizes the inter-firm relationship in TAG before 1999 due to the heavy influence of the old institutional arrangement. Over time, especially entering 2000, weakening institutional ties between the state and TAG forced the group to be more responsive to market changes and to systematically learn Japanese-style supplier management from a joint venture with Toyota Group. The paper provides rare insights into the evolution of governance structure among the emerging Chinese automobile groups and extends the institution-based view of strategy into the studies of inter-firm relationship in automobile industry.     

Can Intellectual Property Rights Affect Multinational Enterprises’ Entry Modes? The Chilean Case

Abstract

Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) can choose between exporting, introducing foreign direct investment (FDI), and licensing to a domestic firm among other modes of entry to a new market. Yet, this decision may be affected by the strength of intellectual property rights (IPR). Thus, this paper analyzes the effect of stronger IPR on the entry modes chosen by MNEs. We propose a theoretical model that predicts that in the presence of stronger IPR, MNEs would choose licensing instead of FDI as an entry mode. We test the predictions of the model using plant-level data for Chile for the period 2001–2007. We exploit the exogenous reform of IPR in 2005, controlling for the activities of industries where high levels of technology transfer and imitation are important factors. The main results show that stronger IPR change the mode of entry chosen by MNEs. In this case, FDI is replaced by licensing. This is explained by Chile’s high absorptive capacity during this period. We test whether this effect differs across high- and low-tech industries and conclude that the displacement of FDI is less severe in high-tech industries.     

外资技术溢出吸收能力的衡量指标体系及国际比较

吸收能力分析的是影响外资技术溢出的东道国因素,本文构建的吸收能力指标体系主要包括宏观经济、自然资源和人力资本三个方面。计算出的指标值表明:领先国的教育指标值都很高,落后国没有显示明显的共同点,意味着影响技术溢出吸收能力的因素是综合性的。     

Are there demonstration-related spillovers from FDI?: Evidence from Switzerland

This paper examines whether there are signs of demonstration-related spillovers from foreign direct investment (FDI). It hypothesizes that the size and the extent of such benefits vary according to the level of the absorptive capacity of local firms. Using detailed firm data from Swiss manufacturing and services/construction, we find strong evidence for demonstration-related spillovers when (a) local firms are not far behind the technological frontier of the industry with a technological gap slightly greater than one, and (b) local firms demonstrate high investment in the absorptive capacity. The results are found to be more consistent in manufacturing than services/construction.     

Trade policy and Spanish specialization, 1978-93

This article uses a simplified general equilibrium model to analyse the short and long run incidence of trade policy in Spain between 1978 and 1993. The incidence model is usually specified in an inter-industry framework, with increasing tariffs and either increasing or non-existent export subsidies. However, in this paper it is applied in a period of rapid liberalisation and with an intra-industry pattern of trade. The results, based on seasonal integration and cointegration techniques, show that, in the long run, the prices of exportables relative to non-tradables followed the fall in prices of import-competing goods. Hence, the effect of the liberalization process that took place in Spain during this period was precisely the intended one - that is to say, the enhancement of the competitiveness of the tradable sector as a whole. The slow reaction on the part of suppliers in shifting production from importables to exportables resulted in a certain gap between relative prices of tradables only in the short-run. In the end, the effect of trade policy was to create incentives for the reallocation of resources to the production of non-tradables.     

Foreign Direct Investment,Transactions Linkages,and the Performance of the Domestic Sector

Using data from the UK Census of Production, including foreign ownership data, and information from UK industry input-output tables, this paper examines whether the intensity of transactions linkages between foreign and domestic firms affects productivity growth in domestic manufacturing industries. The implications of the findings for policies promoting linkages between multinational and domestic firms in the UK economy are outlined.     

Patience, persistence, and welfare costs of incomplete markets in open economies

We investigate the welfare implications of alternative financial market structures in a two-country endowment economy model. We obtain an analytic expression for the expected lifetime utility of the representative household when sovereign bonds are the only internationally traded asset, and we compare this welfare level with that obtained under complete asset markets. The welfare cost of incomplete markets is negligible if agents are very patient and shocks are not very persistent, but this cost is dramatically larger if agents are relatively impatient and shocks are highly persistent. For realistic cases in which agents are very patient and shocks are highly persistent, the welfare cost of incomplete markets is highly sensitive to the specific values of these parameters.     

From a Theory to a Paradigm: Examining the Eclectic Paradigm as a Framework in International Economics

Over the course of a quarter of a century, the eclectic paradigm has derived its strength from being a general framework of analysis that explains the level and pattern of foreign value-added activities of firms, and/or of countries, and allows for the co-existence of complementary and alternative theories in the discipline of international economics in a logically consistent manner without being inextricably wedded to any one particular approach. The current study aims to support such broad theoretical appeal of the paradigm by refining its theoretical interpretations of the concepts of ownership advantages and internalisation. To support its view that asset ownership advantages are both competitive advantages and monopolistic advantages, the theoretical interpretation of asset ownership advantages in the paradigm needs to be broadened from a narrow emphasis on Bain-type monopolistic advantages which enable firms to erect barriers to entry to new competition and exercise monopoly power in final product markets. It must also accommodate the theoretical perception of asset ownership advantages as part of the rivalrous behaviour or competitive process between firms consistent with the approach of Cantillon and the classical economists starting with Adam Smith, the Austrian economists such as Schumpeter and Hayek, as well as Penrose. The eclectic paradigm must also effectively address the important distinction between 'internalisation of ownership advantages or intermediate products' and the 'internalisation of the markets for ownership advantages or intermediate products' within the context of endogenous structural market imperfections in final products and exogenous transactional market imperfections in intermediate products. In clearly distinguishing between the alternative interpretations of the concepts of ownership advantages and internalisation, the paradigm could more effectively synthesise alternative theories of the firm and the multinational corporation in one cogent framework of economic analysis.     

MNE linkages in international business: A framework for analysis

Empirical research demonstrates backward, forward and collaborative linkages between foreign subsidiaries and firms in host economies can have a major impact on the success of the development of these firms’ capabilities and resources. However, there is insufficient conceptualisation of this phenomenon in the international business literature, which has either presented a list of determinants of the occurrence of inter-firm linkages without identifying underlying constructs, focused on aggregate impacts of specific types of linkages or explored individual firm case histories. Such approaches inhibit our understanding of linkages at the firm-level generally and how they impact both local and foreign participants, in particular. Drawing on insights from other disciplines, a framework for analysis and future research is developed in this paper. This framework identifies three underlying constructs that determine the efficacy of linkages. It is argued that potential for firm capability and resource development via foreign–local interaction depends on the scope, quantity and quality of linkages formed. This approach reinforces the notion that particular dimensions of linkages, such as type, depth or duration, cannot be considered in isolation. Further, the paper argues that the relative emphasis on linkage scope, quantity and quality will involve trade-offs between them and maintaining equilibrium between global and local considerations.     

中国ODI逆向技术溢出对全要素生产率的影响程度研究

随着我国对外直接投资的不断增加,我国企业能否通过对外直接投资获取东道国先进技术,增强我国企业自主创新能力?全要素生产率作为一个综合指标,可代表一个国家的技术进步水平。本文运用Var模型,针对我国1987-2009年的对外直接投资存量等数据,对我国对外直接投资与全要素生产率的关系进行了实证分析,得出对外直接投资存量每增加1个单位,全要素生产率增长2.07个单位的结论。本文根据我国对外直接投资的现状,提出在更大程度上发挥对外直接投资促进国内全要素生产率提高及技术进步效应的政策建议。     

Spillovers and international competition for investments

Two jurisdictions compete to attract shares of the investment budget of a large multinational enterprise, whose investments confer positive spillovers on national firms. The firm has private information about its efficiency and about spillovers. It is shown that the firm may be harmed by tax competition. Relative to a cooperative tax agreement, tax competition may induce excessive investments in the country where the positive spillover effects are lowest. Also, with sufficiently asymmetric spillovers, investments under competition will be excessively spread out, not properly concentrated to the country where spillovers would be largest.     

Do strategic marketing and social capital really matter in regional clusters? Lessons from an emerging economy of Latin America

This research explores the relationship between geographic proximity and the building of social capital and inter-firm cooperation in strategic marketing. By emphasizing social interactions and the building of social capital, we extend the research on industry clusters beyond traditional economic perspectives and factors motivating cooperation between firms. The empirical study is based on a survey of 90 senior managers from three natural resources-based industries (two non-clustered and one clustered) in Chile. The results show that managers in clustered versus non-clustered industries differ in terms of the perceived value of location, the perceived value of building social capital, their involvement in activities that build social capital, their attitudes toward cooperative marketing, their history of involvement in cooperative marketing activities, and their intentions for engaging in cooperative marketing activities in the future. Trade associations in clustered versus non-clustered industries play different roles in regard to creating social capital. The article concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for researchers, managers and policy makers.     

Modeling the relationship between networking and firm performance

Network theory suggests that successful business ownership might depend on the ability of owners to gain access to resources not under their control in a cost effective way through networking. To date, however, there has been little empirical support for this proposition, particularly for established firms. The results of this study, based on a large longitudinal database, indicate a significant positive relationship between networking (particularly with formal networks such as external accountants) and both firm survival and, to a lesser extent, growth, but not ROE. Further, network intensity is found to be associated with survival, and network range with growth.     

Taking Actively Advantage of MNCs’ Presence

In this paper, not only do we posit that the presence of a multinational corporation may entail significant benefits for the host economy and local firms’ performance, but also that these benefits can be actively sought and dynamically reinforced by local firms through the development of intense, embedded customer–supplier relationships. Building on the relational view, we argue that this may happen through the commitment of resources to relation-specific investments. Our hypotheses find support in a sample of SMEs suppliers of ST Microelectronics, the fourth largest producer of microelectronic components in the world. We show that by making relation-specific investments, local firms can grow quantitatively and qualitatively, improve their innovativeness, and acquire new clients.