University spin-offs vs. other NTBFs: Total factor productivity differences at outset and evolution

Previous empirical research suggests that university spin-offs under-perform in economic terms compared to other new technology-based firms (NTBFs) in their early years. The usual explanations suggest a lower capabilities endowment of university spin-offs compared to other NTBFs. Using a longitudinal Spanish dataset we compare the evolution of firms′ total factor productivity (capabilities endowment) in both kinds of firm. Productivity grew faster in university spin-offs and their initial underperformance disappeared after 2 or 3 years of operation. The evidence therefore suggests that university spin-offs have lower initial substantive capabilities but greater dynamic capabilities than independent NTBFs. Possible explanations are discussed.     

Linking green purchasing capabilities to environmental and economic performance: The moderating role of firm size

This study identifies firms’ green purchasing capabilities, classified into operational capabilities and dynamic capabilities, and measures their effects on the environmental and economic performance of a firm. We developed instruments to measure operational green purchasing capabilities and dynamic green purchasing capabilities. This study also investigates the moderating effect of firm size on the relationship between green purchasing capabilities and firm performance. The structural equation model (SEM) is used to analyse 239 responses from Japanese manufacturing companies. The results indicate that their green purchasing capabilities positively affect environmental and economic performance. Operational capabilities and dynamic capabilities have different levels of effects on green purchasing performance. A further analysis of the moderating effect of firm size shows that the high economic performance of green purchasing relies on the level of dynamic capabilities rather than firm size.     

Issues in New Political Economy: An Overview

A brief overview of the historical background, nature, and rapid growth in volume and scope of new political economy since the early 1980s is provided. the paper continues with some general reflections on the strengths and weaknesses of the new political economy approach, illustrated by the other contributions to this special issue of the Journal of Economic Surveys . The final Section summarises these contributions.     

智力资本要素联动效应与双元创新能力提升

与以往智力资本与创新能力的关系研究不同,本文提出了一个全新的双元创新能力提升模型,试图揭示双元创新能力提升并不是依赖于某一个智力资本要素,而是依赖于智力资本要素的不同配置。以146家中国外包企业为研究对象,采用代表构建理论的QCA方法,对构建模型进行了实证检验。研究结果显示有4个差异化的智力资本要素配置构成了提升创新能力的充分条件,其中人力资本是提升双元创新能力的必要条件,社会资本是提升激进式创新能力的必要条件,而提升双元创新能力的充分条件会因为外部环境的动荡性水平发生变化。     

Frontier-free Europe: a study of female migrants in the banking sector

Legislation on 'freedom of movement' guarantees the recognition of qualifications between countries of the European Union (EU), and is meant to provide migrants with access to employment in all member states. This paper reports on a study undertaken of EU migrant women in the banking sector in Britain, Germany and Spain. The discusses the experiences of migrants with regard to access to employment and positions abroad comparable to those held prior to migration. Migrants in this case experienced obstacles in the access to such employment. Although their experiences influenced by labour-market needs, findings suggest that the determining factors for barriers encountered were differences in the education and training cultures of countries pre- and post-migration, and the values and attitudes attached to these in of expectations by employers and migrants themselves.     

How do employment relationships enhance firm innovation? The role of human and social capital

Aiming to explore the effect of human resource management on innovation, this study examined how employment relationships (ER), human capital and social capital work together in influencing innovation in a sample of Spanish firms. We defined an indirect effects model in which both human and social capital mediate between ERs and innovation. We also expected that social capital would enhance human capital. Tests on a sample of 160 innovative Spanish firms confirmed that ERs are not directly associated with innovation. Nevertheless, there is an indirect effect of the mutual investment employment model on innovation through human and social capital. Finally, we observed a positive effect of social capital on human capital.     

500KV并网电厂断路器断口闪络保护误动作分析

通过针对一起发电机断路器闪络保护误动故障原因的分析,并结合发电机断路器闪络保护在实际应用中发现的问题和存在的缺陷,提出整改措施和方案,明确断路器断口闪络保护在运行及检修期间的注意事项。     

参与不同形式外包对中国劳动力就业动态效应的经验研究

本文基于投入产出法,利用日本RIETI-TID数据库测算了中国1997～2008年的承接外包水平与对外发包水平,并细分不同路线和形式的外包活动,构建了动态面板模型。利用广义矩估计方法从微观角度检验了外包对我国主要产业就业的动态效应。结果表明:总体上对外发包和承接外包均会对长期就业水平有积极影响,其中对外发包作用更大;制造业中,尽管承接加工品、零配件和资本品对长期就业的影响系数为负,但可以通过产出的扩大间接正向拉动就业;相对于对外发包的显著影响,吸收外商直接投资和消费品出口行为对长期就业影响不显著。     

Does aging influence structural change? Evidence from panel data

Our study represents a first attempt to single out the effects of aging on the entire structure of the economy that is approximated by employment shares in different sectors. We find that even after controlling for the effects of other relevant factors - e.g., income per capita, share of trade in GDP, government consumption share in GDP, population size - aging does have a statistically significant differentiated impact on the employment shares. In particular, we find that an increase in aging exerts a statistically significant adverse effect on the employment shares in agriculture, manufacturing, construction, and mining and quarrying industries. At the same time, an increasing share of the elderly (decreasing share of the youth) in society positively affects employment shares in community, social, and personal services as well as in the financial sector.     

Why doesn’t downsizing deliver? A multi-level model integrating downsizing,social capital,dynamic capabilities,and firm performance

Firms downsize to improve their bottom line results often in reactive response to negative external shocks, such as economic downturns, but even in proactive efforts to enhance organizational performance when they are financially ‘healthy’, such as restructuring. Research reveals, however, that not only does downsizing generally fail to improve a firm’s financial performance, but that it may even lead to reduced financial performance. To investigate this puzzling outcome, we build on previous research and integrate the concepts of downsizing, social capital, dynamic capabilities and performance in a multi-level model as well as discuss how social capital mediates the relationship between downsizing and dynamic capabilities. Thereafter, we develop (a) four propositions to elucidate how changes to the structural dimension of social capital due to downsizing, i.e. the removal of three key social network positions and changes to the firm’s network structure, negatively mediate the relationship between downsizing and a firm’s dynamic capabilities, and (b) two propositions incorporating internal (knowledge intensity) and external (institutional pressures) contextual variables in our model. We conclude by discussing how our research contributes to the downsizing and SHRM literature as well as the resource-based view and social capital literature before providing suggestions for future research and practitioners.     

Does the market provide sufficient employment protection?

We ask whether there is an efficiency rationale for public intervention in the form of an employment protection policy. Unlike most of the literature supporting current employment protection legislation we allow employers and workers to include severance payments in their private contracts. We focus attention on a model where firms learn over time about the value of the match. If future wage bargaining cannot be prevented, and even though severance payments may be part of the equilibrium contract, separations are too frequent (private employment protection is insufficient). Mandatory severance payments are not a remedy for this inefficiency. Instead, a Pigouvian tax/subsidy scheme will correct the inefficiency by enhancing employment protection.     

The effects of labour costs and workplace constraints on foreign direct investment among highly industrialized countries

Drawing on economic propositions underlying theories of foreign direct investment and organizational propositions underlying international human resource management strategic decision making, the theoretical model developed herein integrates two distinct but interrelated strategic HRM assessments. In deciding where to invest, multinational companies (MNCs) assess both (1) the net comparative labour cost advantages associated with alternative host-country IR systems and (2) the comparative flexibility afforded them by alternative IR systems to either transfer or create preferred HRM strategies abroad. The results of the present study indicate that, on average, MNCs from the major investor countries of the world give substantial weight to differences in national IR systems in deciding how much to invest across alternative high-skill, highwage countries. In particular, the evidence indicates that MNCs have invested more in countries with higher skills, lower compensation costs and lesser government and collective bargaining constraints on MNCs' flexibility to set the terms and conditions of employment or otherwise deploy preferred HRM practices abroad.     

Building dynamic capabilities in product development: How do contextual antecedents matter?

This paper contributes to elucidate the nature, antecedents and outcomes of dynamic capabilities in product development. Building on the organizational context literature, the paper uses an input–process–output framework to argue that a context characterized by a combination of autonomy, performance management, support and trust facilitates dynamic capabilities for continuous product development. Further, dynamic capabilities shape product development competences. Empirical evidence is provided by performing survey research with data collected from 80 product development efforts developed in Spain. The paper includes conclusions, limitations and future research potentials for those with an interest in supporting dynamic capabilities.     

Testing for Intermediate Outputs in Dynamic DEA Models: Accounting for Soil Capital in Rotational Crop Production and Productivity Measures

Inagricultural production, a stylized fact known as the rotationeffect says crop rotations generate higher yields or productivitythan identical crops grown in isolated monocultures. This paperdevelops a dynamic data envelopment analysis (DEA) model of cropproduction that accounts for the rotation effect. The model isapplied to data from an experimental farm in Pennsylvania toinvestigate the role soil capital plays in observed productivitygrowth and the rotation effect.     

代工企业产品开发能力的提升:社会资本、组织间学习与组织内学习

面对日益增强的全球竞争,代工企业必须不断地进行产品开发能力的提升才能满足国外顾客企业快速变化的需求.为实现这一目的,代工企业需要向国外顾客企业学习.然而,现有研究很少实证探讨这一问题.因此,基于组织学习视角,本文实证探讨了国际代工关系中的社会资本、组织间学习、组织内学习与代工企业产品开发能力之间的关系.通过珠三角143家代工企业的数据收集,研究结果显示代工企业同国外顾客企业之间社会资本显著正向影响双方的组织间学习,组织间学习显著正向影响组织内学习和产品开发能力,组织内学习显著正向影响产品开发能力.     

HRM practices for human and social capital development: effects on innovation capabilities

This paper analyzes the effect of systems of human resource management (HRM) practices on a company's innovation capabilities. To date, few studies have analyzed the way a firm may be more innovative by using specific sets of high-performance HRM practices from an intellectual capital-based view of the firm. From an extensive literature review, a model was established and tested through structural equation modelling, using the statistical technique of partial least squares. The study was applied to a sample of technological firms in Spain and the results show that high-profile personal HRM practices positively influence human capital while collaborative HRM practices influence social capital, which, in turn, affect innovation capabilities by means of, respectively, total and partial mediating effects. Managerial and HRM implications of these results are drawn by the authors, highlighting the idea of paying increased attention to managing firms with a focus on strategic intangible assets in order to gain competitive advantages based on innovation.