Comparing value orientations of German and Chinese managers: impacts of demographic and business-related factors

This article investigates the impact of demographic and business-related factors on universal values through surveying a large sample of German and Chinese managers. ANOVA analyses indicate that especially the factors age, job tenure and business sectors have substantially large and significant effects on basic human value orientations of German managers. For Chinese business leaders, the educational level and job tenure are the most relevant factors affecting their value priorities, while the factor age has lower impacts. Consistently with Schwartz (2006b), who postulates a pan-cultural consensus regarding value priorities, the findings of this study reveal a broad basis of similarities between both countries' managers. However, distinctions evolve; the factor company location has impacts on Chinese managers' but not on German managers' values. This indicates a distinctive Chinese intra-cultural variety which may have arisen from the heterogeneity of Chinese culture, whereas the relatively low degree of intra-cultural variety in Germany is likely to result from the homogeneity of German culture. Whether the diverse geographic sizes of both countries have impacts on the degree of intra-cultural diversity is an issue which may be debated.     

A Temporal Model of Vertical Relationships

Purpose: The authors developed a model framework for buyer–supplier relationships and used it to extend theory in 4 areas: (a) maintenance of long-term relationships; (b) conversion of relationships from adversarial to cooperative; (c) changes in relationships over their lives; and (d) levels of commitment and trust between partners.

Methodology/approach: The authors analyzed existing research on buyer–seller relationships and theoretical concepts in various disciplines to develop a 3-stage temporal relationship model consisting of pre-deal (t–1), deal enactment (t), and deal continuation (t+1) stages. From the model and existing research, the authors drew propositions for relationships in the areas of buyer and seller power, several forms of commitment and trust, intellectual capital, and financial performance.

Findings: Briefly, the authors proposed that (a) at the pre-deal stage, increased buyer power may instigate supplier input commitment or vice versa; (b) at deal enactment, both parties may commit to a written contract and build contractual trust through a low degree of relational commitment; and (c) in the deal continuation stage, contractual trust, and attitudinal commitment of one of the parties is likely to foster attitudinal commitment in the other party. The authors found that buyer's and supplier's total commitment fosters goodwill trust and helps build intellectual capital and financial performance, and that the weaker party in the relationship likely gains more from the partnership than the stronger party.

Research implications: In addition to existing research, the authors used several actual situations to provide support for our propositions. However, more research should be done in all areas to additionally confirm our propositions and otherwise add to theory development.

Practical implications: By looking at buyer–seller relationships in three stages, the authors developed several implications for both parties. These included long-term results of short-term actions, importance of industry factors on buyer and seller commitment, and the role of commitment in determining whether long-term relationships are developed.

Originality/value/contribution: The authors extended and coordinated existing theory by consolidating the implications of previous research into a cohesive buyer–supplier relationship model. This model should enable both researchers and managers to better comprehend the dynamics of vertical relationships with a multi-dimensional, reciprocal approach. The results should also provide managers an additional tool to gauge and forecast the fate of a relationship by analyzing levels of trust and commitment as the relationship progresses.     

From local to global innovation: The role of subsidiaries’ external relational embeddedness in an emerging market

This study examines factors that influence the development and transformation of local innovations into global innovations from an emerging market subsidiary. We argue that subsidiaries’ relational embeddedness with the external local network is essential for the development of local innovations. Turning local innovations into global ones is the result of the level of innovativeness evoked by the subsidiary located in an emerging market. However, the transformation of local into global innovations is more likely to happen in the case of subsidiaries having previous reverse knowledge transfers in functional areas. Reverse knowledge transfers indicate internal embeddedness, which is essential for local innovation to be transformed into global innovation. We draw on survey evidence from 131 foreign subsidiaries operating in Brazil. Using a Structural Equation Modeling technique, our results support our hypotheses and show that subsidiaries’ relational embeddedness with the external local network is positively associated with local innovation, which is transformed into global innovation, especially when innovation is developed in the subsidiary´s functional areas with previous reverse knowledge transfers. We draw implications for the field of subsidiary management research, specifically to understand the role of local innovation from foreign subsidiaries in emerging markets.     

浙江民营企业跨区域迁移的"根植性"策略

近年来,浙江省民营企业跨区域迁移活动日益活跃,这是民营企业资本逐利本性和自身机制灵活性的现实体现。究其原因,既有受传统文化熏陶所孕育的企业家精神、迁移企业自身生态位跃迁等企业内部因素的影响,也有生产要素禀赋区域差异、迁移企业"晕轮"效应以及产业群外部不经济性等外部因素的作用。企业迁移是在动态环境下的战略决策,不仅要考虑企业自身行为,而且还要考虑植入这些行为之中的社会和文化内涵,这种根植性也是迁移企业构筑核心能力的基石,迁移企业应根植于区域生产网络、创新网络和社会网络以获得战略性资源,实现可持续成长。     

Network dynamics of tourism development in South Korea

This study utilizes network analysis to trace the evolution in the organizations of tourism development during South Korea’s transition from a developing to a developed country spanning the period from 1945 to 1999. This is studied by examining changes within a network of organizations as their means and objectives evolve. Data are drawn from news articles that deal with tourism and development from 1945 to 1999, and coded into organizations, development-related means, and objectives. Two-mode and a one-mode metric network analysis and correspondence analysis of coded data were undertaken. The results show the dynamic nature of networks interacting among organizations along with their means and objectives. Furthermore, this study states that the “social embeddedness” of the tourism network became stronger over time, leading to further development opportunities.     

关于主动离职问题研究的文献综述

离职率高是近年来企业家面临的一个突出问题,员工离职对组织和个人都有很大的影响。很多学者都对离职产生的原因和过程进行了大量的研究,其中大部分学者是以态度因素作为中介变量来解释离职意向的产生,也有一些学者从其他新的视角解释员工离职,如"工作嵌入模型",这些研究可为企业构建预防体系提供有益的启示。     

Does family employment enhance MSEs performance?: Integrating socioemotional wealth and family embeddedness perspectives

This paper analyzes the effect of family employment on performance in micro and small enterprises (MSEs) by combining two research perspectives that, until now, have been conducted separately: the family embeddedness perspective of entrepreneurship (Aldrich and Cliff, 2003) and the socioemotional wealth (SEW) approach to family business (Gomez-Mejia et al 2007). Our integrated perspective allows us to highlight how the nature of the employment relationships in MSEs enhances the benefits derived from the socioemotional endowment associated with family labor, and reduces the opportunity costs of employing relatives. Moreover, we assert that this relationship is moderated by specific family characteristics that determine the firm's ability to preserve the SEW, while at the same time pursuing financial goals. Our results provide partial support to the enhancing role of family labour on MSEs performance: employing family members increases sales but decreases profitability as measured by ROA. This effect also results in improved performance for women-led firms and for firms that have received family funding, but impairs MSEs performance when the business is the main source of the owner´s household income.     

嵌入性理论研究综述

通过分析国内外有关嵌入性理论的原始研究文献,对嵌入性理论的发展脉络、分析框架和层次结构进行了综述,并对未来理论发展提出了相关建议。