Resolving ethical conflicts at workthrough cooperative goals and constructive controversy in the People's Republic of China

The idea of constructive controversy and the theory of cooperation and competition together suggest the type of interaction that promotes satisfactory resolution of ethical conflicts and the conditions under which this occurs. A sample of 101 Chinese mainland employees described and rated a critical incident of an ethical conflict at work. Structural equation analyses indicated that when the employees had goals that were cooperatively related with those of other stakeholders in the conflict, rather than competitive or independent goals, this facilitated constructive controversy, i.e., open-minded discussion, which, in turn, led to effective outcomes in terms of substantive ethical impact and interactional justice. Results also indicated that high levels of moral intensity strengthened competitive goals and rendered constructive controversy less likely. Implications are that organizations should make it clear to members that conflict avoidance and moral muteness are inappropriate responses to ethically unsound practices and policies, that it is important to detect ethically questionable behaviours or policies at an early stage, and that wherever possible these should be discussed promptly, before an uncomfortably high level of moral intensity is reached. Constructive controversy is suggested as a process through which corporate codes of conduct may be developed.     

Competition and Price Dispersion in International Long-distance Calling

This paper examines the relationship between changes in telecommunications provider competition on international long-distance routes and changes in prices. Overall, increased competition is associated with significantly lower prices to consumers of long-distance services. However, the relationship between competition and price varies according to the type of long-distance plan considered. For the plans frequently selected by price-conscious consumers, increased competition on a route is associated with lower prices. In contrast, for the basic international plans that are the default selection for consumers, increased competition on a route is actually associated with higher prices. Thus price dispersion appears to increase as competition increases. The views expressed in this paper are those of the author and not necessarily those of the OECD. I thank two anonymous referees, Joe Farrell, John Harkrider, Jim Lande, Bob Majure, Carl Willner and seminar participants at the FCC for their helpful comments. Special thanks for aid with data to Linda Blake, Mark Uretsky, Jim Lande, R.L. Smith and Carl Willner.     

河北省环保产业技术进步途径分析

环保产业被西方发达国家称为“朝阳产业”、“绿色经济”,在我国则被认为是21世纪新的经济增长点。本文以河北省环保产业现状及存在的问题为个案,分析其环保产业的技术特点,并对今后的技术进步途径提出全面发展战略。     

The Year in Review: Economics at the Antitrust Division, 2007–2008

This paper covers the activities of the Economic Analysis Group (EAG) of the Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice, during 2007–2008. It describes the economic analysis undertaken by EAG in several important investigations, and in other activities as an advocate for competition. The views in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Antitrust Division.     

The US fashion industry: A supply chain review

The fashion industry has short product life cycles, tremendous product variety, volatile and unpredictable demand, and long and inflexible supply processes. These characteristics, a complex supply chain and wide availability of data make the industry a suitable avenue for efficient supply chain management practices. The industry has also been in a transition over the last 20 years: significant consolidation in retail, majority of apparel manufacturing operations moving overseas and, more recently, increasing use of electronic commerce in retail and wholesale trade. This paper aims to review the current state of operations and recent trends across the fashion supply chain in the US. We use industry-wide data, articles from business journals, industry reviews and extensive interviews with an apparel manufacturer in California, and a major US department store chain to describe the current operational practices and how the industry is restructuring itself during the transition, focusing at the apparel manufacture and retail segments of the supply chain.     

The Wolf Is Coming?——Multinationals's Entry and Effect on China's Manufacturing Industry

Nowadays,China has become the country that introduces the largest amount of foreign capital.Up to June 2008,the accnmulative total number of foreign-invested enterprises in China is over 632 thousand;the total amount of actual use of foreign capital is over US＄582 billion.There are over 400 multinationals of top 500 investing in China,30 of which set up regional headquarters,and the number of R & D institutions funded by foreign firms is over 600.The investment from multinationals has become the mainstream of China's FDI.     

中国与日本、韩国农产品贸易的竞争关系研究——基于出口相似性指数的实证分析

利用出口相似性指数分别从产品和市场两个角度分析了中国与日本、韩国农产品贸易竞争关系的强弱及其变化趋势。结果表明:中国与日本、韩国农产品贸易的产品相似性指数高于市场相似性指数,农产品出口市场结构的巨大差异决定了中国与日本、韩国的农产品贸易关系不是以竞争为主;中国与日本、韩国农业领域内的合作将有利于强化产品差异、缓解农产品竞争程度。     

农业外商直接投资地区集聚状况的实证研究——以江苏省为例

外商直接投资在东道国一般会出现地区的集聚现象,农业外商直接投资是否会形成集聚呢?本文对江苏省农业FDI的地区集聚状况进行了实证研究,结果表明:江苏省某些地区的农业FDI存在较明显的国别集聚和产业集聚。文章还对农业FDI的来源国集聚和产业集聚原因进行了分析。     

Platform control during battles for market dominance: The case of Apple versus IBM in the early personal computer industry

We conduct a case study of the battle for market dominance between the industry platforms led by Apple and by IBM in the early personal computer industry (1977–1986). Platform leaders such as Apple or IBM need to consider many technological, strategic, and network factors in managing their industry platforms. We explore how platform leaders deploy these factors and their interactions during a battle for market dominance. We find that platform leaders choose various control modes to do so, ranging from central control to distributed control. The adoption of these control modes is dependent on the choice of being first entrant with a technological discontinuity (central control) or follower (distributed control). Within a control mode, technological, strategic, and network factors are managed in a coherent way.     

Host country network,industry experience,and international alliance formation: Evidence from the venture capital industry

Integrating resource dependence and social network theories, we investigate how foreign firms’ position in alliance network in host country influences their further allying with firms from the host and home countries. We introduce network centrality as a factor that influences two competing forces in alliance formation: willingness and attractiveness. Furthermore, we argue that foreign firms suffering from a low network centrality may find it easier to enhance their network position if they have industry experience. Our analysis of data on US venture capital firms’ investment in China supports our theoretical framework. Theoretical and managerial implications of our findings are discussed.