Knowledge at work: Some neoliberal anachronisms

With a predilection for market solutions, neoliberalism upholds that the individual is generally the best judge of his or her interests. Yet markets are never universally applied as a mechanism of allocation and there are reasons, in principle, why capitalism will always have “missing markets.” Concentrating on the application and appropriateness of neoliberal theory to the workplace, this article argues that firms are not markets, despite some tendencies in modern theory to conflate the two. The employment contract is a key characteristic of modern firms, but neoliberal theory is often silent on the distinction between an employment contract and a contract for services, and largely ignores the asymmetrical rights of authority within contracts of employment. Furthermore, the social nature of knowledge represents a challenge to neoliberal theory and policy, because it sometimes makes it more difficult to define individual property rights. Accordingly, with the growth of the knowledge economy, neoliberalism to some extent is an anachronism.     

A Case Study of the Dual Labor Market Hypothesis

This paper is about corporations and the principles by which they are guided. The focus is on conceptualization of control issues, and changes in such conceptualizations over time. Among individuals who are in a position to affect the overall direction of corporations, there are broadly shared views of the overall orientation that should be adopted. Such “conceptions of control” are a response to important contingencies in the firm's institutional environment. In the United States the most broadly shared conception of control currently is a particularly narrow one, focusing on financial measures of performance. This has not always been the case: conceptions of control are subject to evolutionary change over time. The paper traces such changes, evaluates the current situation and its relation to shareholders, and speculates as to the possibility of a future change in a more socially conscious direction.     

Recognizing and Resolving Social Dilemmas in Supply Chain Public–Private Partnerships

The public–private partnership (PPP) is a popular strategy for creating global sustainable value. However, many PPPs struggle to realize their value‐added potential. Why do some public–private partnerships succeed while others fail, and how may those struggling succeed? Combining supply‐chain integration and social dilemma perspectives into the conversation of PPPs, we examine the dynamics and psychology of cooperation necessary for PPP success. Addressing the first part of our research question, we recognize three social dilemmas that can manifest while managing PPP supply chains: a give‐some dilemma, a take‐some dilemma, and a give‐or‐take‐some dilemma. To address the second part of our research question, we present a taxonomy of strategies resolving these PPP social dilemmas through the enhancement of trust, self‐efficacy, and social responsibility. We discuss implications for PPPs, supply‐chain, and social dilemma literatures.     

Fibre tracks: explaining investment in fibre optic backbones

This paper examines the US portion of the global communications network known as the Internet. The stages in the Internet's evolution, telecommunications deregulation, and a rush by new competitors to new market opportunities associated with the Internet combined to prompt a flurry of investment in new fibre-optic networks. Frameworks to explain new networks built upon, and added to, existing telecommunications networks include network economies and the opportunity-rich paths located between the large markets on the east and west coasts of the country and a capital-driven set of new and old network suppliers. The paper then reviews the small but growing body of research on the geographic structure of the Internet. The empirical section of the paper focuses on analyses of the variation among urban areas both in bandwidth on interurban Internet backbone networks and in the number of web design firms in the USA. Bandwidth investment was attracted not only to cities with larger populations but also to cities with ‘knowledge economies’, indicated by doctoral degree-granting institutions and economic dynamism. The paper concludes with remarks about future research priorities.     

Are supply-chain relationships more influenced by buyer-supplier relationships or the business environment of the country itself? Evidence from the ‘China-Australia’ trading relationship

In doing business with China, poor supply chain performance is reported as being caused by either poor relationships between firms in China or the business environment in which firms in China have to operate. This research paper explores the relative importance of these two factors for food supply chains from Australia to China. Results are based on surveys of 84 importers, wholesalers and retailers in China and 22 Australian exporters and wholesalers. They show that the country itself had a greater influence than firm to firm relationships. Firms exporting food to China should therefore keep supply chains as short as possible to minimize the uncertainties associated with the business environment.     

Private sector employment in Russia: Scale, composition and performance

In Russia, as across Central and Eastern Europe, privatization and the establishmemt of new private firms have been viewed as key factors in labour market adjustment during the transition period. This paper considers the overall employment developments in the private sector in Russia and the extent to which the private sector employment performance is differentiated from that of other sectors in five Russian regions. The analysis is based on a fresh look at these issues using official statistics published by Goskomstat and drawing on microdata from the March 1996 Russian Labour Force Survey (LFS). A special questionnaire attached to the LFS in the study regions provides supplementary information.
The paper highlights shifts in the sectoral composition of employment, including growth in private sector employment. Compared to other forms of ownership, the analysis confirms a tendency for private sector ownership in the study regions to be associated with stronger employment performance with respect to hours worked and, in some cases, timely payment of wages. Private sector firms appear to have relatively flexible employment patterns, utilizing more fixed-term or part-time employment than other types of firms and experiencing greater labour turnover. Also, private sector employees tend to be somewhat younger and probably more adaptable people. However, there is significant variation across the study regions and substantial exceptions exist with respect to the above-mentioned tendencies. With respect to employment issues, the differentiation between sectors appears to be less pronounced than one might have expected.     

Social networking relationships,firm‐specific managerial experience and firm performance in a transition economy: A comparative analysis of family owned and nonfamily firms

The effect of social networking relationships, firm‐specific managerial experience, and their interactions on performance between family owned and nonfamily firms are studied. Using data from 106 organizations in Ghana, the findings show that family owned firms benefit more from networking relationships with bureaucratic officials than do nonfamily firms. However, nonfamily firms benefit more from networking relationships with community leaders and firm‐specific managerial experience than do family owned firms. Networking relationships with politicians impede performance for nonfamily firms. Nonfamily firms are better able than family owned firms to use their firm‐specific managerial experience to manage the resources and capabilities obtained from networking relationships with community leaders to create value. Moreover, firm‐specific managerial experience attenuates the detrimental effects of networking with politicians for both types of firms. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于GEM理论的吉林省民营企业创业环境研究

目前，吉林省民营企业数量远低于全国水平。影响民营企业创业的因素有很多种，包括区域所在的地理位置、规模、历史、文化，以及经济、社会问题，这些都可以归结为一个区域内的创业环境。因此，优化创业环境对吉林省民营企业创业发展至关重要。     

官员更替影响企业行为和绩效了吗?——基于上市公司投资行为和市场绩效的实证检验

基于1998~2011年沪深两市A股上市公司数据,本文考察了官员更替对辖区上市公司投资行为和市场绩效的影响。研究发现:官员更替导致辖区上市公司投资支出增加,市场绩效降低,国有企业更易受官员更替的影响,地区人均财政支出强化了官员更替对公司投资支出的影响。文章还发现官员更替的影响具有异质性,市场化程度较低的中西部地区更易受官员更替的影响。研究表明官员更替产生的"翻烧饼"效应可能不同程度地存在于各地区,企业行为和绩效等效率的提高,需要公司治理机制的优化,也在很大程度上取决于政府治理模式的完善。     

我国私募股权基金发展中存在的问题及对策研究

私募股权基金是金融创新和产业创新的结果,对国民经济和企业的发展具有举足轻重的影响。但私募股权基金在我国的发展尚属于初级阶段,在实践中存在许多障碍,本文提出应从法律法规、退出机制、监管体制、资金来源等方面进行创新,以促进私募股权基金在我国的健康发展。