Fairness and the employment contract: North American regions versus Germany

Substantial evidence shows that North Americans are generallymore accepting of the market than Europeans and attribute marketoutcomes to a larger degree to effort or skill. Thus, NorthAmericans might be more accepting of layoffs and pay cuts thanGermans, and Germans might be more sensitive to the proceduresand conditions under which pay cuts and layoffs occur. The empiricalresults from our quasi-experiment are largely in line with thesehypotheses. The results may help to explain and be explainedby the different labour market institutions in the differentregions.     

Innovative practices in public procurement partnerships: The case of the United States

Public procurement partnerships represent a new approach to conducting government acquisition. These partnerships are predicated on the notion that governments today simply lack the requisite knowledge, skills and financing to provide core public services and acquire sophisticated services, IT and knowledge development by themselves. Instead, governments need to enlist the collective energies of the governmental, business and non-profit (third) sectors. This research looks at the concept of public procurement partnerships in the United States and the major trends promoting their use. Two case examples of public procurement partnerships are presented; one from the perspective of a government partner, the other from the perspective of a private (third) sector partner.     

发展经济学经济发展思想三种思路的比较分析

发展经济学自诞生以来 ,其经济发展思想基本上有结构主义、新古典主义、新古典政治经济学这三种基本思路。通过其理论特征和实践战略的比较分析 ,结构主义在实践中表现为唯资本论、唯计划论和唯工业化论 ;新古典主义主要强调微观经济基础、市场机制和资源配置效率的重要性 ;而新古典政治经济学却认为制度是内生的 ,制度结构和非经济因素对资源配置和经济发展的影响显著 ,强调技术内生化、边干边学、知识外溢、劳动分工和政府作用的内生性 ,而且提倡可持续发展是一种科学的发展观 ,是发展经济学的新发展。     

Managing competitive software component supplier relationships

This study addresses purchasing challenges faced by companies buying commercial software components. The purpose is to find out how we can understand the purchasing challenges in software component business. First we develop pre-understanding based on knowledge on competitive supplier relationships and competitive bidding. This is elaborated empirically through a qualitative case study. We contribute to prior literature by concluding that the nature of software component supplier relationships is influenced by the object and costs of exchange. We also argue that, in markets like software component business, it is essential to pay attention to the development of the whole supply market.     

Virtual forms for the organization of production: A comparative analysis

In the present competitive environment, excellence in each phase of the productive process and flexibility are critical requirements in every business. Virtual enterprises have been proposed as an inter-organizational model characterized by both strong incentives to suppliers’ performance and high flexibility. Nonetheless, virtual enterprises are not ubiquitous as some suggest they should be. This paper compares virtual enterprises with other models for the organization of production: Markets, vertically integrated firms and networks. We formulate hypotheses that virtual enterprises are suitable for firms producing complex, modular products, with frequent changes in components, but low knowledge specificity. Virtual enterprises are suitable for a group of industries that is limited, but of growing importance.     

EXAMINATION OF A PATH MODEL RELATING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE WITH FIRM PERFORMANCE

This article draws on the resource‐based view of the firm to investigate the mechanisms through which information technology (IT) impacts firm performance. Research suggests that the relationship between IT and firm performance may be both direct and indirect. In this study, a path model is tested that proposes a firm's IT infrastructure resources as having both a direct impact on organizational performance, as well as an indirect effect that is propagated through its impact on an intermediate organizational resource, a firm's logistics information system (LIS). The results suggest that positive firm performance may be derived directly from an organization's superior IT infrastructure, as well as indirectly, through its enabling impact on LIS's. These findings contribute to our understanding of the nature of the relationship between IT and firm performance by exploring the value of IT at both the process and organizational levels.     

数字技术应用情境下如何提升企业创新效应? 协同自发抑或协同响应

数字技术能够对组织协同创新活动以及数字经营环境产生差异化影响,重塑企业创新效应形成机制与实践路径。因此,深入探究数字技术与组织、环境间的联动交互及组态匹配关系对特质各异的企业协同创新路径研究具有重要意义。基于协同视角构建数字技术应用情境下的TOE分析框架,通过对64家数字密集型企业进行模糊集定性比较分析,结果表明：组织与数字技术在多主体协同过程中的交互方式主要分为协同自发与协同响应,具体包含4种组态类型。协同自发方式主要包括以高层次人才为主导的人才驱动型与以组织开放度为主导的文化引领型;协同响应方式主要包括以地区经济发展水平为主导的需求推动型与以政府注意力分配为主导的政策拉动型。结论能够为解释企业创新应用数字技术提供新的理论视角,为不同技术条件与资源禀赋的企业提供针对性协同策略,为我国协同创新实践提供新的优化路径,为推动数字经济高质量发展提供新的指导方向。     

涉农企业竞争力评价的难点问题及解决途径

涉农企业竞争力评价是政府、企业、金融机构和科教机构实现组织目标、提高决策质量的必然需求,现有涉农企业竞争力评价普遍存在评价对象认识困难、评价指标体系构建困难和评价指标权重确定困难三个难点问题,导致评价质量难以保证。本文在借鉴企业竞争力评价研究的一般理论和方法的基础上,以系统分析思想为指导,运用文献查阅、实地调研、比较研究等方法,重点分析指出了解决涉农企业竞争力评价三大研究难题、保证评价质量的有效途径。     

Multi-focused strategy in value co-creation with customers: Examining cumulative development pattern with new capabilities

The previous research of capabilities development has largely focused on the established capabilities, i.e., quality, delivery, cost and flexibility, although there are a wide variety of possible dimensions. Few studies report the accumulation effect about adding new capabilities on an established base in a different strategic setting. Motivated by the increasingly important strategy of value co-creation with customers, this study aims to examine the patterns of capability development with consideration of adding service and customerization capabilities. Taking a downstream-focused view and based on the data collected at Chinese firms, this study extends the cumulative theory to the scenario of value co-creation with customers by identifying the mutual enhancement effect when adding new capabilities on an existing base. Specifically, this study finds that firstly, new capabilities (i.e. service and customerization) and established capabilities (i.e. flexibility and delivery) are mutually supportive in value co-creation scenario; Secondly, flexibility plays a primary role to amplify other capabilities in the new strategy; Thirdly, the capabilities development follows a sequence of flexibility, delivery, service and customerization. The findings of this study also enrich value co-creation studies by offering proposed capabilities development pattern which facilitates strategists to operationize the concept of value co-creation with customers and helps guide companies to take both upstream-focused and downstream-focused views of capabilities development to excel in coming competition.     

Second‐Mover Advantages with Asymmetric Costs and Information Updates: A Product Life Cycle Perspective

Two firms with asymmetric costs engage in a Stackelberg game under multiple levels of uncertainty with information updating. A product life cycle perspective is employed to reveal when and why a second‐mover may have an advantage. At early stages in the product life cycle, when uncertainty is the dominating factor, the impact of uncertainty may be either positive or negative. As a result, the Stackelberg leader faces the possibility of either overshooting or losing its market leadership position to the second‐mover. In later market stages, when cost is more important, a process‐innovating second‐mover may accrue higher profits. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.