Small Firm Marketing in China: A Comparative Study

This paper examines the influence of Chinese cultural values on marketing practices in different socio-cultural settings and business contexts, for example the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and China. 20 Chinese small firms in China were selected and their owner-managers were interviewed. Findings of interviews undertaken by Brooksbank et al. (1992) with 20 British small firm chief marketing executives, and Siu (1997) with 26 Chinese owner-managers in Hong Kong, were collated to form a database for comparison purposes. The research results suggest that the specific marketing practices of Chinese small firms in mainland China are different from those of their counterparts, for example, British and Hong Kong Chinese small firms. A tentative model is developed explaining the factors that appear likely, on the basis of this research, to affect the marketing performance of small firms in China.     

Managerial Behavior, Entrepreneurial Style, and Small Firm Performance

Considerable effort has been devoted to identifying the general characteristics of entrepreneur; however, much of this has been conducted from a trait–based rather than from a behavioral perspective. In this study of small firms in the United Kingdom, we explored the relationships among managerial behaviors (based upon a competence model), entrepreneurial style (based on Covin and Slevin's theory), and firm type (in terms of sales growth performance). Principal components analysis of a management competence inventory identified six broad categories of managerial behavior. Regressing a measure of entrepreneurial style on these six behaviors suggested that managing culture and managing vision are related to an entrepreneurial style, while managing performance is related to a nonentrepreneurial style. Entrepreneurial style—but not managerial behavior—was associated positively with the probability that a firm would be a high–growth type. The results are discussed from the perspective of a model of small firm management that posits separate entrepreneurial, nonentrepreneurial, and generic management behaviors derived from a global competence space.     

Firm Internationalization and Corporate Social Responsibility

Using a large sample of 3,040 U.S. firms and 16,606 firm-year observations over the 1991–2010 period, we find strong evidence that firm internationalization is positively related to the firm’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) rating. This finding persists when we use alternative estimation methods, samples, and proxies for internationalization and when we address endogeneity concerns. We also provide evidence that the positive relation between internationalization and CSR rating holds for a large sample of firms from 44 countries. Finally, we offer novel evidence that firms with extensive foreign subsidiaries in countries with well-functioning political and legal institutions have better CSR ratings. Our findings shed light on the role of internationalization in influencing multinational firms’ CSR activities in the U.S. and around the world.     

Small Firm Growth: Intentions, Implementation and Impediments

Recent evidence suggests that many small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK experience difficulty growing from the start-up phase into larger well established firms. This research uses survey data from UK instruments, printing and software SMEs to explore the attitudes of SME managers towards growth, to identify the strategies they pursue to achieve growth, and to establish the main factors they perceive to be limiting their growth. We find that although most managers profess to value growth and follow expansionary strategies, the main limits on the growth of SMEs are the intensity of competition stemming from the recession, and the inability or unwillingness of management to deal with the increased administrative burden arising from expansion.     

小企业国际化研究:一个概念模型

早期的国际化理论认为企业规模是影响企业国际化的关键因素,并认为企业的国际化过程是顺序的、渐进的.但是小企业的国际化参与,以及瞬间国际化、国际化新投机企业和天生全球化企业等新现象的出现使得传统的国际化理论的现实解释力极大地被削弱.最新的一些研究发现,将企业家理论引入到对小企业国际化过程的研究当中将能够比较好地对小企业国际化现象作出解释,因此,文章在对相关研究进行回顾的基础上,借鉴其他研究领域的相关成果发展出一个新的小企业国际化过程概念模型.     

Small Firm Statistics: A Hotel Sector Focus

This article contrasts and compares statistics from the UK small firm sector in general with those related to small firms within the hotel industry. In doing so, it is clearly illustrated that there is a need to focus research, resultant policy and strategy on the specific issues facing small firms at a sub-sector level, rather than assuming a homogeneity of the small firm population in general. The paper concludes that the plight of the small firm operating within the hotel industry is dire and questions what the future holds.     

Supplier Partnerships and the Small, High-Growth Firm: Selecting for Success

Strategic partnerships are commonplace in today's global economy. Effective use of partnerships are viewed increasingly as an important issue facing small, growth-oriented firms. A key debate is how small firms should manage supplier partnerships. Contrasting the debate about the extent to which small firms are inertial versus adaptive, the impact of growth on value chain partnerships with suppliers was investigated. Data collected from 91 pharmaceutical-related firms is used to test the proposition that firm growth is related positively to maintaining or to expanding relationships with suppliers, not to terminating partnerships. The paper further posits that this relationship between firm growth and the amount purchased from a supplier is moderated by the perceived effectiveness of the value-chain partnerships such that when effectiveness is higher, the relationship between sales growth and the amount purchased from a value-chain partner is stronger. The propositions, which are tested with regression analysis, are supported partially.     

国外所“本土化”与国内所“国际化”的思考

目前,中国会计师事务所呈现出国外所“本土化”和国内所“国际化”的趋势。“四大”本土化是其生存的基础,也给中国的会计市场带来巨大的影响,其实质是在瓜分中国市场。面对国外所的“本土化”,中国的内资所适时地提出了“国际化”的发展思路,从而与国外所抗衡。     

The Internationalization of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: A Policy Perspective

Small Business Economics - Small and medium sized firms play an important role in the process of creative destruction. The focus of the paper is on the international diffusion of small and medium...     

企业国际化研究新视角 ——战略控制力

本文针对现有企业国际化理论缺乏战略因素综合考虑的研究现状,从战略控制力的视角对企业国际化问题进行研究,剖析了企业国际化战略控制力的内涵与特征,并提出了国际化战略控制力五要素,指出国际化战略控制力是维持企业国际化持续发展和优胜地位的根源,同时对中国大企业国际化战略控制力的构建问题进行了有益探讨。     

企业异质性与FDI行为:理论研究进展综述

基于企业异质性视角解释跨国企业的对外直接投资行为是目前国际直接投资领域的研究前沿和热点之一。本文从国际化路径、投资方式、投资动机三个方面对异质性跨国企业FDI行为的相关理论研究成果进行了梳理和评述,以清晰地刻画关于企业异质性与FDI行为的最新理论研究动向和成果,最后指出了该领域目前研究的不足及未来可拓展的方向。     

An Empirical Investigation of the Growth Cycle Theory of Small Firm Financing

This paper empirically tests the financial growth cycle model for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which postulates that as firms become larger, older, and more informationally transparent, their financing options become more attractive. We add to the literature by providing one of the first empirical tests of the model using a large, cross-sectional data set. Our results partially support the financial growth cycle model. Specifically, our results show larger firms, as measured by total number of employees, are more likely to use public equity funding or long-term debt as opposed to insider funding.     

Explaining Firm Internationalization in Africa Using the Competence Approach

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to explore, through secondary research, the potential influence of the top management (key decision makers) of firms on the degree of internationalization of firms in sub-Saharan Africa.

More specifically, an attempt was made, firstly, to characterize the problem of low exports and low firm internationalization in Sub-Saharan Africa with a view to discussing the potential influence of the characteristics of key decision makers on firm internationalization. Secondly, to explore the competence theory and determine whether it could provide a viable analytical framework to facilitate future empirical investigations into the influence of key decision makers (top management) on firm internationalization focusing on sub-Saharan Africa.

Previous studies on firm internationalization from different parts of the world including Sub-Saharan Africa were examined. The characteristics and behaviors of top management reported to relate strongly to high levels of firm internationalization and export performance were extracted. The literature on competence then was examined with a view to obtaining theory that would be used to integrate the various managerial variables, which strongly related to high levels of firm internationalization.

The process of analysis and integration resulted into the development of the Competence Model of Firm Internationalization, which has been proposed. The analysis indicated that the top managers of firms had profound influence on the level and intensity of export activities mainly through the firms' production and marketing functions. The managerial implications of the findings and future research directions are discussed along with the limitations of the study.     

Accountants and Small Firm Development: Filling the Expectation Gap

As a supplier of rzecessaty expertise, the professional accountantis in a potentially strong position to influence the small business.Previous research indicates, howevec that the injluence of theaccountant on the performance of the smallfirm is limited. Thispaper examines the relationship between small firms and theaccountancy profession in the North East of international. It is basedon two surveys of 31 small businesses and 33 accountancypractices. It reveals a mismatch in the expectations of the twogroups- and argues that if the accountancy profession is to fulfilits potential in assisting small firms develop and improve theirmanagement capability, changes are required in the wayaccountancy services are marketed and provided.     

Barcode Empires: Politics,Digital Technology,and Comparative Retail Firm Strategies

Like other service sectors, information technology has dramatically altered the growth and character of the retail trade sector in the affluent economies. Nevertheless, significant variation exists in the typical strategies of retail firms in different countries. This article explores this variation and proposes an explanation for why retailers achieved scale and solved their make, buy, and partner decisions along such different trajectories. It argues that national bases for scale retailing were shaped by a series of political negotiations starting in the 1960s and 1970s. This demonstrates once again that technology implementation is rarely determined by the technology itself, but more often by social and political rules. Future technology platforms, such as web-based or mobile commerce, should be expected to follow similar political logics. As multinational retailing firms spread around the globe, this has important implications for national competition policy.     

New Technology and The Small Firm

This paper examines how and why the role of small business has become more important over time. A special focus is placed on the role of small business in the New Economy.     

Small Firm Survival and Technological Activity

The paper investigates the post entry performance of small firms competing under different technological environments. Small firm survival is compared over technical and non-technical products and over stages of differing technological activity. The empirical results, in the context of the product life-cycle framework, show that small firms enjoy a higher probability of survival in stages of high technological activity, and in products that are more technical in nature. Technological activity is also seen to affect the shape of the hazard rate function, implying that the relation between technological activity, age and small firm survival may be complex.     

内生创新、进出口行为与企业的绩效

企业创新能力与企业的绩效紧密相连。文章以异质性企业实证产业组织理论模型为基础,提出了全面测度企业内生R&D与进出口行为影响企业绩效的实证研究框架,探究了企业异质性与R&D的动态交互机制和企业绩效之间的相互关系。研究结论表明,企业进口的产品类别、R&D以及它们的交互机制,在提高企业的TFP的同时,能够显著地提高企业的价格加成。不同所有制结构下的效应明显不同。据此提出了优化异质性企业R&D投资组合和提升企业绩效的对策建议。     

跨国战略联盟:对现代企业竞争关系一种新的诠释

跨国战略联盟是跨国经营企业为了实现战略目标所建立的合作关系,是企业可以扩大经营范围而不扩大企业规模的一种经营方法,作为介于市场和企业组织间的“混成组织”,跨国战略联盟体现了一种新型的“柔性”竞争,是在竞争的基础上加入了合作的内涵,是一种合作性的竞争或竞争性的合作,它对现代企业的竞争关系进行了新的诠释。