Co–evolution of Industry Structure,Technology and Supporting Institutions,and the Making of Comparative Advantage

In recent years,a considerable body of research has been established on the co–evolution of technology and industry structure, from the time that the technology is young to the time when it is mature· A somewhat smaller body of research has been established on how private and public institutions, and public programs and policies co-evolved with a technology and industry· It is proposed here that nations differ in their pace and pattern of institutional response to the birth and development of an industry, and that the locus of comparative advantage is largely determined by these different kinds of national response.     

The Internet and Sustainable Consumption: Perspectives on a Janus Face

In the industrialized world, Internet use has grown exponentially to become a global communication and business resource. For the time being, both theoretical and empirical research on consumption and the Internet are still in their infancy. This paper discusses the possible influence of the Internet on sustainable consumption. In absence of a solid empirical data base, the approach is a conceptual one. The paper investigates the role of the Internet in the development of consumption patterns and lifestyles, looks at the Internetös role in developing public awareness of environmental and social issues, and discusses its potential contribution to support strategies for sustainable consumption such as sufficiency, efficiency, consistency, and political consumption. It concludes with implications for consumer policy and questions for further research.     

中国公共教育投资促进经济增长的实证研究

运用协整分析、误差修正模型、脉冲响应函数和方差分解计量分析工具,对中国公共教育投资与宏观经济结构的关系进行实证研究。结果表明:公共教育投资与三次产业总产值均具有长期正向均衡关系,其中,对第三产业的正效应最大;三次产业总产值对公共教育投资冲击的长期响应为正;公共教育投资对第二、三产业总产值增长误差的解释能力强于第一产业,但均不显著。     

Building trust—Evidence from Vietnamese entrepreneurs

In the context of underdeveloped market institutions, entrepreneurs in a transition economy are forced to rely on trust-based partnerships. In the absence of effective market institutions and sufficient elapsed time, these entrepreneurial firms find a great need to actively and intentionally develop trust with their partners. The current literature, however, has virtually overlooked the possibility of trust being intentionally developed in interfirm relationships. This study develops a model that links trust development strategies, trust, and interfirm collaboration, and reports an empirical test of that model in Vietnam. The results support the general thesis that trust can be intentionally developed to facilitate interfirm relationships.     

Entrepreneurial Marketing in the Public Sector: The Lessons of Headteachers as Entrepreneurs

This article argues that headteachers of primary schools have been at the forefront of the marketing/entrepreneurship interface since attempts to introduce competitive market forces into the maintained education system. It examines primary school headteachers' marketing strategies and compares them to those of owner managers of small firms. Case studies of ten schools illustrative of a variety of provision and market conditions provided the empirical data over a five year period. The headteachers shared many of the marketing problems of owner-managers of small firms. Headteachers found that the most effective marketing strategies consisted of: i) marketing to improve relationships with existing parents, staff and governors as an essential precursor to any external marketing effort; ii) parental involvement in the school which improved the likelihood of word of mouth recommendations; and iii) influencing such recommendations by marketing to improve parental and other involvement in the school. As word of mouth is also the most important source of new business for small firms, there are opportunities for lessons from the public to the private sector.     

协同是我国信息产业创新的推进器

缺乏"协同"使我国信息产业创新效率低下。目前,信息产业与政府、其它产业、科研院所之间缺乏协同。为给信息产业创新营造良好环境,使其带动全行业协同发展,必须制定相应对策。     

Industrial Organization of Banking: A Review

Empirical research about structure, conduct and performance in banking markets has developed mostly independently from the microeconomic theory of banking. The present paper reviews the literature by focusing on the links between theoretical and empirical research. It considers basic conditions, variables of market structure, conduct and performance and public policy special to the banking industry. It is shown that the competitive conditions are different in different market segments, and that the trend towards universal banks which are active in different geographic markets gives new challenges to research.     

Consumer Decision Making on the Web: A Theoretical Analysis and Research Guidelines

Recent empirical data on online shopping suggests that consumers have the potential to make better quality decisions while shopping on the web. But whether such potential is being realized by most consumers is an unresolved matter. Hence, the purpose of this research is to understand how (1) certain features of electronic environments have a favorable effect on the abilities of consumers to make better decisions, and (2) identify information‐processing strategies that would enable consumers to make better quality decisions while shopping online. A cross‐disciplinary theoretical analysis based on constructs drawn from economics (e.g., time costs), computing (e.g., recommendation agents), and psychology (e.g., decision strategies) is conducted to identify factors that potentially influence decision quality in electronic environments. The research is important from a theoretical standpoint because it examines an important aspect of online consumer decision making, namely, the impact of the electronic environment on the capabilities of consumers. It is important from both a managerial and public policy standpoint because the ability of shoppers to make better quality decisions while shopping online is directly related to improving market efficiency and enhancing consumer welfare in electronic markets.     

Cause mapping of simple and complex marketing strategies

Business-to-business relationships between original equipment manufacturing (OEM) suppliers and customers (brand name buyers) are an often studied issue; however, theoretical and empirical studies seldom focus solely on the suppliers' perspective. This paper examines OEM suppliers' perspectives and reports on the phenomenon of some suppliers choosing single customers while others focus on multiple customers to achieve the adaptive selling as their profit making that cause the parsimonious and complex customer strategies through the empirical studies. The study also uses mental models to analyze two specific cases of OEM suppliers within Taiwan's shoe industry in relation to what kinds of environmental changes that successful managers apply to their parsimonious and complex customer strategies. Mental models are used to map the evolution of these two OEM suppliers' customer strategies, along with their culture, competitive advantages, cooperation relationships, and environment. The study explores these five core propositions to show suppliers to employ different approach to customer strategies, and map the evolution of strategic development of Taiwan shoes companies from the 1970s through to the present day.     

Do Japanese electronics firms still follow traditional vertical integration strategies? Evidence from the liquid crystal display industry

In the past, Japanese electronics firms have been known for following vertical integration strategies. Such strategies are consistent with Japanese managerial preferences, traditional relationships, and institutions in Japan. However, changes in the technological and competitive environment have resulted in increasing vertical specialization in the electronics industry outside of Japan. This paper examines whether and to what extent Japanese information technology and consumer electronics firms involved in active matrix Liquid Crystal Display production implemented and maintained integration strategies. While focusing on one industry, this paper aims to shed further light on changing attitudes and practices in Japanese management relating to strategy and internationalization.     

Retail Philanthropy: Firm Size,Industry, and Business Cycle

This article investigates the effects of firm size, profitability, industry affiliation, and the business cycle on retailer philanthropy. The importance of industry and firm effects on giving was analyzed with regression models using industry-fixed effects as well as firm strategy variables. The analysis included instrumental variables methodology to account for simultaneity in the charitable giving–profits relationship. Data were gathered from the IRS Corporate Statistics of Income Sourcebook, data that provide firm size class measures covering the entire firm size distribution ranging from small retailers up to large multi-national retail firms. Retailer philanthropy was measured as the ratio of charitable contributions to total receipts. Important findings include a cubic relationship between retailer philanthropy and firm size; industry effects stronger than those observed for retail profit; and the absence of business cycle effects. The empirical research relating retail charitable giving to firm attributes including firm size and advertising, industry and business cycle factors are unique in the business ethics literature. Prior studies regarding the importance of industry on charitable giving utilized data across broad sectors of the economy. Firms from different sectors could be expected to differ in philanthropic approach due to differences in public contact as well as differences in public relations exposure. The strong industry effects reported for this sample of exclusively retail firms, with similar public contact, provide strong evidence for the importance of industry in determining firms’ charitable strategies.     

Public Policy and British Commercial Vehicles during the Export Drive Era, 1945–50

The relationships between business and public policy are examined in terms of the commercial vehicle industry during the post-war British export drive. The issues of planning and control are considered from the perspective of the varying priorities of government departments. The immediate and longer term effects of policy on sales, marketing arrangements and production strategies are examined at the level of the firm and industry associations. Commercial vehicles provide a counterpoint to studies of the motor car sector and an indication of elements of continuity in business strategies.     

The impact of regulations on the FDI-growth nexus within the institution-based view: A nonlinear specification with varying coefficients

The impact of Multinational Enterprise (MNE) activities on economic development and poverty reduction constitute a specific field of study within International Business (IB) scholarship during the last decade. Extending the institution-based view that “institutions matter”, we shift the focus of interest on the effect of institutions in the FDI-growth nexus which, surprisingly, have been overlooked by respective literature. A profound understanding of the FDI impact on economic growth cannot neglect institutions that shape the macro environment where MNEs operate. Within this rationale, this paper examines the effect of FDI on growth under different formal institutions placing emphasis to credit and labour market regulatory systems in both advanced and developing countries. Most empirical studies stemming mainly from the economics perspective, assume that the FDI growth effect is linear and incorporate specific functional forms for their regression relationships. We rely on more advanced econometric methods that allow for the regression coefficients to vary as smooth functions of other variables, allowing for more plausible empirical results. Our findings strongly support our suggestion that the host institutional context shape the strategies, structures and competitiveness of MNEs’ activities which they then affect differently economic growth. We thus provide useful insights regarding the long-lasting debate on the FDI-growth nexus.     

蜂窝网络自组织研究及展望

自组织网络技术是提高蜂窝网络运行效率、降低运营成本的重要工具,已作为基本功能在4G标准化初始版本获得引入并得到不断发展。在复杂度更高的5G网络中实现网络自动化管理的需求将进一步增强。回顾了蜂窝网络自组织技术的基本概念、分类和主要用例,分析了主要研究方法;总结了学术界、标准化组织及研究机构的研究进展,重点介绍了基于机器学习的最新研究成果;调查了工程应用现状,分析了自组织网络面临的主要挑战,同时指出了新的研究方向。     

Vertical Relationships in the Automotive Industry: Do They Matter?

In this note we examine how vertical relationships are related to the efficiency of the operations in the automotive production chain. We first provide an overview of the nature of supplier arrangements by comparing current practices in the countries Japan, US, and Germany. Current best practices show that vertical linkages in the automotive industry have shifted away from simple market transactions and now involve closer long-term interactions coupled however with subtle incentive elements. We outline the economic issues which are present in vertical relationships and include a brief account of differing theoretical perspectives. Then, we use a refined methodology to measure productivity at the industry level for the supplier industries automotive parts and metalworking and for the final assembly industry. It turns out that Japanese industries achieve the highest productivity level at the supplier and at the assembly level. We interpret the empirical results and relate the differences in vertical arrangemen s with the efficiency of both parts in the relation.     

The effects of industry cluster knowledge management on innovation performance

Research on industrial clusters mostly focuses on the effects of the competitive advantage they generate. This study takes a different approach, conducting empirical research on three types of Taiwanese parks (export processing zones, industrial zones, and science parks), in which economic development is particularly prominent, and which have industry cluster characteristics. The study explores the effects of special resources and relationships among cluster firms on innovation performance, and focuses on knowledge management as the mediator for investigation. A survey, regression analysis, and correlation analysis probe into the effects of the special resources and relationships among industrial clusters on corporate knowledge management and innovation performance. Knowledge management emerges as the mediator of industry clusters in terms of corporate innovation performance, thus providing support for the research hypotheses. The findings of this study are valuable for further research and strategic thinking on the sustainability of corporate operations.     

Fashion and the metaverse: Clarifying the domain and establishing a research agenda

In recent years, the metaverse has garnered significant attention as a term referring to a network of 3D virtual worlds that integrate elements of both physical and digital worlds. Fashion brands have begun exploring the metaverse as a new marketing platform, which is expected to bring about substantial changes in the fashion and retail industry. However, a lack of consensus on the nature of the metaverse and its impact on the fashion industry currently exists, and limited academic research is available on the metaverse's influence on fashion brands' marketing strategies and brand experiences. To address this gap, this study employs a thematic analysis approach on trade journals and industry articles that cover fashion brands' metaverse strategies. Through this analysis, the study provides a typology of current marketing strategies of fashion brands in the metaverse. Based on these empirical findings, this research proposes a theoretical framework that explains how different metaverse strategies affect different dimensions of brand equity. Finally, this study offers research directions for fashion brands' metaverse strategies by presenting an integrated framework that synthesizes the key insights from our research findings.     

Institutions and the location strategies of South African firms in Africa

This study explores the influence of institutions on the location strategies of firms in Africa. Specifically, the research examines the effect of governance infrastructure, a country's overall public institutions and policies, on the expansion strategies of three South African firms as they entered selected African countries between 1996 and 2015. These firms include SABMiller, MTN, and Massmart. The study makes use of structured interviews with senior directors of the three firms, mini case studies, and the World Bank's Worldwide Global Governance Indicators, in an effort to understand the impact of institutions, or lack thereof, on these companies’ location choices. Results suggest that by and large, the quality of formal institutions did not have a direct effect on the location decisions of the three firms in this study, and that these firms found ways to mitigate the so‐called institutional voids.     

中国流通产业技术装备度:基于因子综合的水平定位与结构考察

文章基于对流通产业技术装备问题的前期研究,依托我国流通产业技术装备层面的既存统计数据,借助因子分析法构建了流通产业技术装备度评价模型,实现了对流通产业技术装备从规模、效率、密度、发展和产出五个角度的分项评价以及对"流通产业技术装备度"的综合评价。文章一方面为评价不同时期、不同地域、不同类别的流通产业技术装备水平开创了动态、开放的方法体系;另一方面对我国流通产业技术装备化演进过程以及我国不同省份和地区流通产业技术装备发展水平的结构特征进行了实证考察,为认识我国流通产业技术装备的演进现状、发育水平、存在问题以及发展重点提供了翔实的依据。     

Discursive power as a source of legitimation in food retail governance

In the food sector, retailers often present themselves as guardians of consumer interests, with superior efficiency and effectiveness in the governance of food, in relation to public actors. Concerns about retail governance institutions, such as private standards or Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), mainly emphasise a lack of input legitimacy, that is legitimacy relying on democratic procedures. Less often concerns are raised regarding output legitimacy, that is legitimacy based on the effectiveness of retail governance institutions. Based on concepts of discursive power, this paper explores how retail corporations establish their claim to legitimacy in food governance via concepts of output legitimacy. The paper pursues its aim by performing a critical discourse analysis of retailers' discursive strategies identified here as imperialist, recursive, symbiotic and ironic.