Trade liberalization and industrial restructuring through mergers and acquisitions

This paper analyzes mergers and acquisitions (M&As) as a channel of industrial restructuring after trade liberalization. Using the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement (CUSFTA) of 1989 as a source of exogenous variation in trade barriers, I show that trade liberalization increased domestic Canadian M&A activity (Canadian firms buying other Canadian firms) by over 70%. There is no robust link between tariff reductions and either domestic U.S. or cross-border M&As. I also provide evidence that domestic M&As transferred resources from less to more productive firms and that the magnitude of the overall transfer was quantitatively important.     

Exploring the relationship between strategic reactiveness and entrepreneurial orientation: The role of structure–style fit

Theory suggests that firms may derive the greatest benefits from an entrepreneurial orientation (EO) when they concurrently exhibit a high degree of strategic reactiveness. This paper explores the relationship between strategic reactiveness and EO as well as the moderating effect of structure–style fit on this relationship. Data collected from 110 manufacturing firms indicate that strategic reactiveness is not significantly related to EO. However, firms that exhibit theoretically-congruent alignments between their organization structures and top management decision-making styles tend to have positive strategic reactiveness–EO relationships.     

我国中小企业融资问题研究

改革开放以来,我国的中小企业得到迅猛的发展,已成为数量颇为庞大的企业群体,在我国国民经济和社会发展中具有举足轻重的地位和作用。但是,我国中小企业在发展过程中获得的资金支持,与其社会贡献程度不成正比,中小企业贸易融资难正日益限制着中小企业的发展。近年来,中国外贸发展很快,进出口贸易额大幅增长,其中出口量的印％来自于中小企业。但是,这些中小企业在参与国际贸易的过程中,都面临着市场开拓难、融资成瓶颈、收汇风险多等难题。这些难题严重困扰着中小企业的发展,影响中小企业经营规模的扩大,甚至威胁到企业的生存,同时也影响了中国对外贸易的发展。     

中国“国际热钱”的现状及对策研究

在我国对外来投机资本实施严格限制的情况下,“热钱”的流入采取了多样化、隐蔽的方式进行。如何有效遏止国际热钱流入和流动性过剩,需要从解决我国经济发展中的自身结构问题、调整人民币升值预期、完善国内经济体制政策和建立健全风险防范机制几个方面着手。     

Size, strategic, and market orientation affects on innovation

Based on a random sample of 500 South Yorkshire non-hi-tech manufacturing small, medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) the quantitative findings support the hypothesis that size, strategic, and market orientation associate with innovation. The results show that prospectors are medium-sized companies and small companies, defenders. Prospectors are more innovative and market-oriented than defenders. The findings reveal that to succeed in an intense competitive environment, non-hi-tech manufacturing SMEs have to be proactive toward market opportunities, receptive to innovation and take the lead in new product innovation. However, their weaknesses include a lack of flexibility, a partial open culture and an organizational structure that impedes sustained innovation. This study addresses a gap in the literature, by linking innovation to the strategic orientation of the firm instead of examining firms' specific characteristics or the effects of external environment and structural factors. The research focuses on non-hi-tech manufacturing SMEs.     

Linking multi-channel customer behavior with shopping motives: An empirical investigation of a German retailer

Operating multiple channels, in store as well as non-store, allows a retailer to cater to the different shopping motives of its customers. This research into the buying behavior of 525 customers of a multi-channel retailer that operates five channels in Germany shows that most customers use only one channel within a buying process, selecting the channel that best satisfies their shopping motives in each situation. Based on exploratory qualitative and quantitative research, this study identifies five shopping motives: “recreational orientation”, “convenience orientation”, “independence orientation”, “delivery-related risk aversion” and “product- and payment-related risk aversion”. In the majority of the store channels examined in this study (chain stores and bakeries), single-channel users primarily look to satisfy emotional and social needs. Single-channel users of non-store channels (catalogue and online-shop) look for convenience and strive for independence. Multi-channel users, who obtain their information from the online-shop and then make their purchase in the chain store, are combining the independence of online-shop information with the reduction of risks associated with buying products in the chain store. These findings can be used to develop recommendations for managing the individual channels.     

International advertising campaigns in fast-moving consumer goods companies originating from a SMOPEC country

A particularly interesting area of research concerns how international fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies from small and open economies that operate in turbulent markets plan successful advertising campaigns for international markets. The objective of this research was to determine how they are planned and what factors affect this planning. The theoretical part of the study reviews literature related to the internationalization of firms, international advertising campaigns, and standardization versus adaptation of international advertising. Based on the literature, a theoretical framework and propositions regarding the international campaign planning process for FMCG companies were developed. The empirical part uses the multiple-case study method to examine four FMCG companies that were founded in Finland. The empirical results show that five stages are especially important in the international campaign planning of FMCG companies. Moreover, the companies need to consider a number of factors when deciding on international adverting campaigns. The study presents a number of theoretical contributions and managerial implications. A novel finding relates to the importance of understanding the impact of the internationalization/globalization phase of the company. During internationalization often within the home continent, companies increasingly adapt advertising campaigns to different countries, whereas globalization to other continents calls for increased standardization across countries. Another interesting finding was that FMCG companies from small and open-economy (SMOPEC) countries often use innovative non-traditional campaigns to overcome the resource limitations.     

National and corporate culture differences in international strategic alliances: Perceptions of Chinese partners

We consider the effect of national culture and corporate culture differences on the management of international strategic alliances (ISAs). Findings are based on the perceptions of a relatively large sample of Chinese partner firms in ISAs with foreign partners. We find that differences in national culture and corporate culture have contributed to a similar extent to differing views on ISA management. However, findings indicate that differences in national culture and corporate culture have a differential impact on aspects of ISA management. Perception of national culture and corporate culture differences and the contribution of those differences to differing views on the management of ISAs are greater in relatively younger ISAs compared with older ISAs. Managers in equity-based ISAs report fewer problems with culture related impediments to managing ISAs than managers in non-equity-based ISAs.

对我国外汇储备高增长的国际政治经济学分析

近年来,我国外汇储备一直保持快速增长,但单纯从经济角度就得出我国外汇储备“过多”的结论有失偏颇。在世界多极化和经济区域化的背景下,只有从国际政治经济学的综合视角才能得出符合事实的结论。我国持有现有规模的外汇储备是国内外政治经济因素综合作用的结果。     

经济管理类专业教学改革存在的问题及对策

经济管理专业是实用性较强的专业,为了适应经济全球化和加入世贸组织的要求,必须不断深化教学改革,更新教育观念,适度拓宽专业领域,优化课程体系,进行开放式教学。