What Makes Firms Competitive? States,Markets, and Organisational Embeddedness in Competitive Firm Restructuring in Postsocialist Economies

The prevailing transitions literature suggests that dynamic firms in postsocialist economies are the result of macroinstitutional reforms leading to the making of markets. This article builds on work in comparative political economy and economic sociology to show that the degree of competitive behaviour of postsocialist firms is determined not by the existence of general market institutions alone but by the kinds of organisational allies firms possess and the kinds of markets they compete in. Using firm survey data across 28 postsocialist economies, the article examines the determinants of competitive restructuring by firms, including product innovation, standards upgrade, financial transparency, and investments in research and development. The article confirms insights from comparative political economy which suggest that dynamic enterprise sectors emerge when governance is effective. However, at the firm level, the article finds that transnational ties and supportive policy environments are most significant in the making of dynamic postsocialist enterprises. The article also highlights important regional variation in firm behaviour and discusses the relationship between institutional frameworks, organisational embeddedness, and firm restructuring in postsocialist economies.     

Stress and turnover intents in international organizations: social support and work–life balance as resources

Abstract

This study investigates whether work opportunities have an impact on stress and the related turnover intentions of employees working in intergovernmental international organizations (IOs). It contextualizes the job resources and demands model within IOs’ specific work conditions. The empirical test is based on original data from a survey administered in four major organizations of the United Nations system. Results demonstrate that social work opportunities and work–life balance are organizational levers reducing stress and willingness to quit for employees who are facing red tape or the stresses of being an expatriate. In this context, the relationships between these work opportunities and turnover intention are partially mediated by stress. Contextualized HR management propositions are made to help organizations coping with these management challenges.     

河北省加强与国际金融组织合作研究

新形势下河北省与国际金融组织具有拓展合作的空间,如知识合作、民营经济发展,新的资金合作渠道等。为此,深化与国际金融组织合作的路径主要为:注重合作,提升服务水平;加强管理,提高项目质量;立足实际,创新资金合作模式;与时俱进,争取世行新的贷款品种;提升素质,打造涉外队伍。     

Seven key steps for rapidly scaling up multi-unit operations

While there are many organizations that seek to quickly grow into multi-unit operations, the academic literature is surprisingly limited in what advice it provides to those confronting the managerial capacity limitations scaling up to multiple units presents. In this Executive Digest, we detail one co-author’s experience in rapidly developing the east coast market for Starbucks and outline the knowledge he brought to the process that came from prior rapid growth experiences with Burger King, Blockbuster, and Wendy’s. We present seven key steps for rapidly scaling that can guide any manager seeking to build a multi-unit operation quickly.     

MNE-NGO partnerships for sustainability and social responsibility in the global fast-fashion industry: A loose-coupling perspective

Stakeholders are increasingly aware of the environmental and human rights issues related to highly conspicuous fashion merchandising. To mitigate the negative responses from environmentally conscious consumer groups, fashion merchandisers have sought to partner with non-governmental organizations (NGOs). While there is a growing body of literature on sustainability and social responsibility (SSR), the increasingly popular practice of fast-fashion industry partnering with NGOs has been neglected, and so far, remained under the radar. Such partnerships may be of success, but at the same time while promising on the surface, they can actually go awry, resulting in adverse outcomes for both parties. We build upon the loose-coupling theory to explain the relationships between fast-fashion multinational enterprises (MNEs) and NGOs. We discuss three causes (casual indeterminacy; fragmented external environment; discrete internal environment) and four key benefits (adaptability to environmental changes, flexibility, innovation, and firewalls for separate identity) for loosely-coupled partnerships. We then explore the dark side of such partnerships, identifying three challenges (power imbalance, mistrust and opportunism, and misaligning goals). Finally, we offer a set of propositions as a way of advancing our knowledge of partnerships in fashion merchandising industry.     

我国非营利组织的财务管理

发展非营利组织对推进社会主义现代化建设有重要的现实意义。然而,目前我国非营利组织的财务管理存在许多的问题。非营利组织财务管理的这些问题不仅严重制约了自身的发展,而且增加了社会的不稳定因素。因此,要采取措施加强我国非营利组织的财务管理,进而营造一个良好的社会环境,使整个社会更加和谐安定。     

电信企业转型中的组织与人力资源机制创新研究

电信企业转型是一个从市场转型到服务与技术转型再到企业管理转型的多种内容并存、全方位、相互交叉的过程,而管理转型中的一个关键问题是组织与人力资源机制创新问题。通过对当前电信企业转型中组织与人力资源机制创新的必然性和基本内涵的阐述,研究了电信企业组织人力资源机制创新的主要措施,即以市场化导向创新组织架构、以岗位和职务通道分类管理创新用人机制、以多渠道吸纳新兴业务人才创新用工机制和以市场与客户价值为导向创新分配机制。     

跨期环境下的巨灾风险分担：一个比较分析

资本市场通过衍生品交易增强的管理风险能力,大大改善了其跨期风险分担功能。作为风险中介的再保险公司通过储备流动性的方式,在跨期风险分担方面具有比较优势,而传统的资本市场缺乏衍生品交易,更多地体现为跨地风险分担的功能。在资本市场的竞争压力下,直保公司和再保险公司都面临融资和风险转移问题,如果通过新的资本市场工具,将资产负债表上的成熟产品通过证券化的形式转移到资本市场上,那么资本市场将是有效率的。     

Valuing the project: a knowledge-action response to network governance in collaborative research

The delegation of research to self-directed networks is a relatively new strategy to focus academic endeavour on public priorities. Networks involve policy-makers, knowledge producers and knowledge users in unfamiliar governance and management relationships. Here we reflect, as practitioners, on research networks as complex governance systems and on their projects as knowledge-action systems designed to deliver public value. Projects represent the currency in which delegated research is issued, but their conversion into monetary grants and awards diverts attention from their potential as boundary organizations or communities of practice in the production of societal knowledge and understanding. Recognizing and supporting projects as scalable components of enduring knowledge-action systems, rather than as transient instances of research funding, is key to sustaining delivery of public value under conditions of network governance.