The choice of entry mode in sequential foreign direct investment

Relatively few studies have examined the importance of an entry's sequential position to the choice of foreign entry mode. We use a dynamic model to analyze sequential entries into the United States from 1975 to 1992. Our findings show that several independent variables which explain a firm's initial mode of entry do not explain the modes of subsequent entries. These findings underscore the importance of experience in foreign investment, as companies learn from early entries and adapt the modes of subsequent ones. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Are aliens green? Assessing foreign establishments' environmental conduct in the United states

Previous research has found that foreign‐owned establishments often lack specific capabilities needed to respond to local business conditions and are held to a higher standard by local stakeholders. These establishments compensate, however, by possessing offsetting capabilities such as technological excellence. In this article, we investigate how these conflicting forces shape the environmental conduct of foreign‐owned facilities. Using data from the Environmental Protection Agency, we find that foreign‐owned establishments generate more waste yet manage more waste than U.S.‐owned establishments. We also find evidence that both domestic and foreign‐owned firms generate more waste if they operate multiple facilities across multiple jurisdictions in the United States. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Economic and strategic considerations surrounding Chinese FDI in the United States

The growth of outward investment from China has generated expressions of concern from policymakers in the United States regarding the economic and national security impacts of such investments. While inward foreign direct investment (FDI) has come to be viewed by most observers as generally imparting net economic benefits to the host economy, acquisitions of US companies by Chinese multinational companies (MNCs) have been criticized on several grounds. One is based on the mode of entry itself: some critics believe that entry by acquisition brings lower benefits than greenfield entry. A second and more prominent concern is that acquisitions of US companies by Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) may be motivated by non-commercial objectives which, in turn, make those acquisitions of questionable value to the host economy. In this paper, we argue that Chinese FDI in the United States is more likely to take the form of acquisitions than greenfield investments for the foreseeable future. However, there is no strong case to be made that the host country economic benefits from Chinese FDI would be larger if entry took place primarily through greenfield investments. Furthermore, most of the alleged costs to the US economy from inward FDI from China are either unlikely to occur or are already anticipated by existing US laws and regulations, thus necessitating no additional, specific legislation.

中国15个省市 FDI 技术外溢潜力的比较研究

本文在对 FDI 技术外溢效应相关文献分析的基础上,构建了 FDI 技术外溢潜力指标,并利用2007～2011年的面板数据测度了中国15个省市的 FDI 技术外溢潜力,结果表明：各个省市 FDI 技术外溢潜力存在着较大差异。其中,北京、广东、江苏、福建、浙江发生 FDI 技术外溢的潜力较大,而贵州、山西、湖南、安徽较小,其他省市居中。因此,具有较高潜力的省份应该给予外商投资企业更高的投资激励吸引外资企业以获取技术外溢,潜力较小的省份应该采取提高本地企业技术水平、改善投资环境等措施来与外资企业接轨。     

我国服务业FDI结构、技术进步与经济增长

服务业外商直接投资可分为生产性服务业外商直接投资和消费性服务业外商直接投资,二者对国家经济增长有着不同的影响。本文从技术进步的角度,利用面板模型,研究了我国不同类型服务业外商直接投资对经济增长的影响,并分别讨论了东西部地区服务业外商直接投资对技术进步和经济增长的差异性影响。研究结果表明生产性服务业外商直接投资对经济增长和服务业技术进步均有明显促进作用,消费性服务业外商直接投资对经济增长有促进作用,但对服务业技术进步有阻碍作用,且这一趋势在我国东西部地区之间存在显著差异。     

Foreign Direct Investment,Imports and Innovations in the Service Industry

The paper analyses for the first time empirically the impact of foreign competition due to inward foreign direct investment and imports on the innovation activities using data of German service firms. Based on the hypothesis that foreign competition has a disciplining effect on domestic markets derived from the manufacturing sector, a positive impact can be expected on innovation in the service sector, while other theoretical considerations do not absolutely support this optimistic view. In the empirical analysis, variants of two probit models are estimated for a sample of 2,019 service firms to explain their product and process innovation activities. The results show that both foreign direct investment and imports have highly significant positive effects on product and process innovations. Vice versa, the export and foreign production activities of domestic firms support innovations, too.     

吸收外商直接投资与产业结构优化升级--"十一五"时期利用外资政策目标的思考

作者认为，改革开放以来吸收外商直接投资的成效。证明这是实现我国产业结构优化升级的一条重要途径。未来在全面建设小康社会进程中。要把继续利用外商直接投资促进产业结构进一步优化升级作为重要政策目标。作者分析了在国内经济方面出现的若干新形势、新要求和新任务；还分析了在国际方面跨国直接投资和产业转移出现的新机遇。针对未来的新形势、新任务，作者提出了利用外商直接投资促进产业结构优化升级的新认识和对策措施。     

谁从谁获益:中国制造业中的外商直接投资

本文利用中国制造业1995年和2003年的行业数据，实证研究了不同国别外资企业与不同所有制内资企业组合产生的溢出效应模式。结果发现．外资存在与内资企业绩效间的关系并不是普遍而一致的．而是与外资企业的国别和内资企业的所有制类型密切相关。我们研究的主要结果表明，西方国家的投资较港、澳、台和海外华人投资对内资企业的影响相对更大。进一步发现西方企业对国有企业具有正向的溢出效应。而港、澳、台和海外华人企业则改进了内资非国有企业而不是国有企业的绩效。本文所发现的外资在中国制造业中溢出效应的有趣模式建议外资政策设计应着力促进不同类型外资与内资企业之间的特定组合，特别是西方跨国公司与本土国有企业及港、澳、台和海外华人企业与本土非国有企业之间的合作和良性互动．从而最大化外资溢出带来的溢出好处。     

An economic analysis of the optimal information security investment in the case of a risk-averse firm

This paper presents an analysis of information security investment from the perspective of a risk-averse decision maker following common economic principles. Using the expected utility theory, we find that for a risk-averse decision maker, the maximum security investment increases with, but never exceeds, the potential loss from a security breach, and there exists a minimum potential loss below which the optimal investment is zero. Our model also shows that the investment in information security does not necessarily increase with increasing level of risk aversion of the decision maker. Relationships between vulnerability and investment effectiveness and two broad classes of security breach probability functions are examined, leading to interesting insights that can be used as guidelines for managers to determine the optimal level of security investment for certain types of security threats faced by risk-averse firms. Future research directions are discussed based on the limitations and possible extensions of this study.     

Antecedents and consequences of opportunism in buyer–supplier relations: Research synthesis and new frontiers

Buyers and suppliers must concern themselves with opportunism, a phenomenon empirically established in exchange relationships. What causes firms to behave opportunistically? What are the consequences of firms' opportunistic behavior? To date, these antecedents and consequences have not been comprehensively synthesized. Herein, the opportunism phenomenon is revisited to expose research gaps and chart new directions that will enhance our understanding of buyer–supplier relationships. First, we provide a brief review of two critical theories of exchange that provide a theoretical foundation for opportunism. We next provide an overview of opportunism. Then each of the antecedents and consequences is discussed with emphasis on the contribution of each finding. Finally, and most importantly, several promising paths for further research are proposed.     

Competitive positioning within and across a strategic group structure: the performance of core,secondary, and solitary firms

Drawing from economic and cognitive theories, researchers have argued that firms within an industry tend to cluster together, following similar strategies. Their positioning in strategic groups, in turn, is argued to influence firm actions and firm performance. We extend this research to examine performance implications of competitive positioning not just among but also within groups. We find that performance differences within groups are significantly larger than across groups, suggesting that some firms within groups develop better resource or competitive positions. We also find that secondary firms within a group outperform both core firms within the group and solitary firms, the latter being those not belonging to any multifirm strategic group. This suggests that secondary firms may be able to effectively balance the benefits of strategic distinctiveness with institutional pressures for similarity. We conclude that the primary implication of strategic groups does not relate to the ability of firms to create stable, advantageous market segments through collusion. Instead, strategic groups represent a range of viable strategic positions firms may stake out and use as reference points. Moreover, our results concerning secondary firms indicate that firm positioning within a group structure can have performance implications. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The ladder of investment in Europe,in retrospect and prospect

The ladder of investment was adopted by many European (and other) regulators in the era of copper networks as a means of implementing unbundling in a way which progressively promotes competitive providers׳ infrastructure investment in fixed networks. The paper reviews the evidence of its application and effects, in comparison with the most likely alternative, argues that it probably conferred benefits. In the more recent era of transition to fibre in Europe, regulatory priorities have shifted towards promoting roll-out. Two broad approaches are identified; one continues the focus on a programme of infrastructure competition in taking fibre to the home; another, relying on fibre to the cabinet, reverses it with bitstream used as the access product. It is soon to evaluate the two approaches.     

第二价格密封拍卖理论框架下政府投资项目招投标模式改进研究

在政府投资项目招投标过程中,招标人所面临的最大问题便是与投标人间的信息不对称.招标人发布招标信息,但却难以了解投标人的相关信息,而且由于投标人会利用招标人的信息缺陷寻求更多的利润,有意的陈蔽其真实心理价格几乎成为一种必然选择,在这种情况下,业主怎样突破困境寻找到对自身最有利的报价呢?可以将政府投资项目的招投标过程看作是第二价格密封拍卖的逆向形式,在这种情况下,本着趋利避损的动机,投标人拄往会按照其真实心理价格来报价,使得业主可以较好地克服其信息缺陷,在招标过程中占据主动,从而选择到最适合的承包商,更有效地优化资源配置.     

Network governance: A cross-level study of social mechanisms,knowledge benefits,and strategic outcomes in joint-design alliances

Drawing on multiple-level embedded case study research of eight dyadic joint-design alliances and 14 collaborative ventures within them, this study sheds light on how value, in the form of common and private benefits, is created in interorganizational relationships. To do so, I focus on network governance (i.e., interorganizational coordination based on social networks) and its outcomes. As a result, I advance a cross-level model of how a system of reciprocally influencing network-level (i.e., structural) and dyad-level (i.e., relational) social mechanisms affects the propensity of allied organizations to engage in knowledge-intensive activities that yield considerable knowledge-based benefits and strategic outcomes at the alliance and firm levels. I conclude that simultaneous consideration of structural and relational embeddedness can enrich our understanding of network-based forms of organization and their impact on the outcomes of interorganizational cooperation. Although the system of social mechanisms needs to be understood as an interconnected whole, practicing alliance managers are advised to leverage different social mechanisms depending on the specific knowledge benefits they intend to achieve.     

试析高校基建投资造价的控制与监管

在高校的扩招扩建中基建投资占有相当大的比重,在投资造价管理中存在着漏洞和问题,迫切需要加强基建管理部门对工程投资中各个环节的管理,严格控制投资造价。文章提出了控制高校基建投资造价的对策与措施。     

Managing the Inter-Firm Cooperation Process: Exploratory Case Studies of Hong Kong Architects and Contractors

Researchers have suggested that both the contract and the process of inter-firm cooperation are important for its success. However, empirical knowledge of the inter-firm cooperation process is very limited. Drawing on extant literature on cooperation and competition and social exchange theory, we propose an action pattern model which describes the cooperating process in a parsimonious and systematic way. Twelve case studies were conducted on architect-contractor cooperation dyads in Hong Kong to explore the cooperation process using the lens of the action pattern model. Results gave rich anecdotal accounts of the three key parameters of the model: action acquiescence as a lubricant to deal with unspecified contractual situations, action simplicity as a signaling device to partners, and action reciprocity as a reward and punishment tactic. The implications of the action pattern model are discussed.     

Corporate governance,investment bandwagons and overcapacity: an analysis of the worldwide petrochemical industry, 1975–95

Previous research has provided conflicting arguments and evidence on which corporate governance system—bank based or market based—is better in preventing managers from investing in value‐destroying projects. This paper attempts to further the debate by comparing the effect of these different corporate governance systems on preventing capacity expansion bandwagon behavior in the worldwide petrochemical industry in the period 1975–95. Our study shows, first, that neither system is particularly effective in curbing overinvestment; however, the market‐based system seems to be less ineffective than the bank‐based system. Second, free cash flow appears to drive greater bandwagon behavior in the market‐based system than in the bank‐based system. Finally, within the bank‐based system, companies that rely on one bank–shareholder are more likely to join the bandwagon than those with more than one. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

输变电工程设计阶段造价控制的问题及对策

基于输变电工程设计和管理工作的实践,论述了输变电工程设计阶段造价控制存在的一些问题,如基础设计保守,包括勘测设计费、前期工程费在内的工程其他费计费标准执行中存在不足,管理工作中存在加大可研阶段投资估算的倾向等。结合电网项目工程实际,从技术、管理、体制等方面分析提出了控制造价的相关措施,认为立足于技术、管理、体制三位一体,应在设计阶段建立“方案合理、投资可控、造价节省”的工程造价控制体系。     

Comparison of benefits of radio frequency identification: Implications for business strategic performance in the U.S. and Korean retailers

This study explores a model to compare the benefits of RFID technology on supply chain management by focusing on retail industry. A path model was estimated to examine structural relationships among technological infrastructure, RFID benefits, and business strategic performance in the U.S. (n = 70) and Korean samples (n = 87). Result showed that technological infrastructure was required to more improve inventory management, store operation and demand management, leading to business strategic performance. Especially, data system automation was perceived as a prerequisite for improving inventory management for both countries. Hardware/software application was significantly related to the RFID benefit of inventory management for U.S. retailers, whereas, it was related to the benefits of efficient store operation and demand management for Korean retailers. Business strategic performance was significantly determined by RFID benefit factors (e.g., inventory management and demand management) for U.S. retailers and Korean retailers. The managerial implication for business to business strategic performance in the U.S. and Korean retail industries was discussed from a retailer's perspective.