When Does University Research Get Commercialized? Creating Ambidexterity in Research Institutions

We examine the tensions that make it difficult for a research‐oriented university to achieve commercial outcomes. Building on the organizational ambidexterity literature, we specify the nature of the tensions (between academic and commercially‐oriented activities) at both organizational and individual levels of analysis, and how these can be resolved. We develop hypotheses linking specific aspects of the organization and the individual researcher to the likelihood of their research projects generating commercial outcomes, and we test them using a novel dataset of 207 Research Council‐funded projects, combining objective data on project outcomes with the perceptions of principal investigators. We show that the tension between academic and commercial demands is more salient at the level of the individual researcher than at the level of the organization. Universities show evidence that they are able to manage the tensions between academic and commercial demands, through for example their creation of ‘dual structures’. At the individual level, on the other hand, the tensions are more acute, so that the people who deliver commercial outcomes tend to be rather different to those who are accustomed to producing academic outcomes.     

Ownership and Control of German Corporations

In a study of the ownership of German corporations, we finda strong relation between board turnover and corporate performance,little association of concentrations of ownership with managerialdisciplining, and only limited evidence that pyramid structurescan be used for control purposes. The static relationship ofownership to control in Germany is therefore similar to theUnited Kingdom and the United States. However, there are markeddifferences in dynamic relations involving transfers of ownership.There is an active market in share blocks giving rise to changesin control, but the gains are limited and accrue solely to theholders of large blocks, not to minority investors. We provideevidence of low overall benefits to control changes and theexploitation of private benefits of control.     

Taxation and Integrated Financial Markets: The Challenges of Derivatives and Other Financial Innovations

The past decade has witnessed the explosive growth of a multiplicity of new instruments which have altered the financial landscape. These transactions have highlighted many of the inconsistencies, asymmetries and shortcomings of current tax practices and challenged some basic tax principles. The ensuing uncertainties could over the long term place considerable strain on the tax system by increasing the opportunities for abuse and raising overall compliance costs. At the same time derivatives have provided a better understanding of the operation tax laws and from this standpoint have provided a positive input into policy design. This paper has three objectives: (a) to illustrate some of the weaknesses of the current tax system by focusing on several types of novel transaction; (b) to assess the validity of various types of adjustment proposed to tax code; (c) to draw out the implications of these developments for the ongoing debate over fundamental tax reforms and over source versus residence based taxes.     

Ownership and trust

In unique research, Julian Franks looked at over 100 years of data on corporate ownership and found that relationships of trust have been a crucial historical ingredient in the ownership of firms. He argues that relationships of trust are as important now as ever.     

Why is Knowledge Management So Difficult?

Knowledge management promises much, but often delivers very little. There are no simple solutions to this challenge. This article starts by trying to define what knowledge management is. It then identifies where the problems lie and suggests five steps to resolve those problems. The article is based on research in a dozen leading companies, including HP, Ericsson, ABB, Skandia and Xerox.     

Trade Union Responses to Outsourcing in a Neo-Liberal Environment: A Case Study Analysis of the Australian Public Sector

Australia has witnessed a rapid growth in outsourcing over the past decade with the public sector being the clear leader in these initiatives. Explanations of the rise of outsourcing tend to emphasize economic and human resources management factors and neglect the political dimension. In particular, unions and collective labour relations have been a target of a neo-liberal reform agenda pursued by both Labour and conservative governments, which has included outsourcing as a means of individualizing the employment relationship and reducing union influence. This can be seen clearly from the experience of the state of Victoria both in its reform of local government and its electricity generation industry where a carefully implemented programme of downsizing and outsourcing played upon existing divisions in the workforce. In both cases a pragmatic, survival oriented response from the major unions was elicited.