External managers,family ownership and the scope of SME internationalization

SMEs are important to world business and the majority of SMEs are family firms. Yet some family SMEs are inert, local firms while others are dynamic and international. Do certain governance structures encourage the scale and scope of their internationalization? We jointly apply social capital and corporate governance theories to explain the scope of family SMEs internationalization, and find that professional managers externally recruited from outside the family are important, but only for lower levels of family ownership, suggesting synergistic combinations of ownership and management. It is the combination of external capital with external managers that really works.     

跨国公司在华研发对我国技术创新的经济效应

研发国际化作为跨国公司全球竞争新战略正逐渐显现,这种战略既给东道国带来了良好的机遇,也带来了巨大挑战。本文对跨国公司研发国际化趋势以及跨国公司在华研发现状做出总结,分析了跨国公司在华研发对我国技术创新的影响,并选取上海进行了跨国公司研发本土化对上海经济影响的实证分析,得出从长远和全局来看,跨国公司在华研发投资有利于促进本土企业提升技术水平,有利于人才市场竞争机制的形成和经济体制的完善的结论。     

Experience as a catalyst of export destinations: The ambidextrous connection between international experience and past entrepreneurial experience

This paper examines how different forms of accumulated exploitable knowledge—i.e., export experience with the current firm and past entrepreneurial experience—stimulate export destinations, defined as the number of foreign markets where businesses sell their products/services. The proposed hypotheses are tested on a unique sample of Costa Rican entrepreneurial businesses for 2017. Results from the sequential deductive triangulation analysis (QUAN → qual) reveal that the ambidextrous connection between export experience with the current firm and past entrepreneurial experience is an essential prerequisite for explaining export destination figures. Also, the positive effect of export experience with the current business on export destinations is more prevalent among firms created by serial entrepreneurs. These findings corroborate our argument line on the importance of generative-based learning processes. Furthermore, the results of the qualitative analysis suggest that task-specific international experience and experience gained through past business venturing are relevant micro-foundations of international business expansion in the context of the export destinations of entrepreneurial firms.     

Universally-enabling and context-binding resources in new venture internationalization: Evidence from venture capital backed start-ups in an emerging market

Integrating institutional and effectuation theories, we examine the relationship between entrepreneurs’ means and internationalization in an emerging market. Results indicate that some means, such as technical expertise or business network membership, transform into valuable internationalization resources despite difficult institutional conditions. Others, however, such as industry or international experience, are best deployed locally. Findings also indicate that means such as entrepreneurial experience and number of founders act as catalysts of internationalization, allowing for other means to transform into internationalization resources. We extend effectuation theory by showing how different means transform into internationalization resources and contribute to research at the intersection of institutional theory and international entrepreneurship by expanding our understanding of universally-enabling and context-binding internationalization resources. In so doing, we identify a boundary condition to international entrepreneurship theories that emphasize the role of individual resources during venture internationalization by revealing a context in which certain traits exhibit nonstandard relationships with internationalization.     

Top management team’s formal network and international expansion of Chinese firms: The moderating role of state ownership and political ties

This article explores the role of the formal network centrality of top management teams (TMT) for foreign expansion, looking at the case of Chinese firms. The former is defined by the degree to which top managers are connected with TMTs of other firms in formal ways, through service as independent board members. We explore boundary conditions, comparing state ownership with political ties. The analysis of a panel data of 489 firms expanding to 72 developed and developing host markets in the period 2000–2012 confirms that network centrality facilitates internationalization. We found that TMT network centrality had a stronger effect on internationalization in developed than emerging markets. Conversely, state ownership had a positive moderating effect in the latter and political ties a negative effect in developed ones. The literature on comparative institutional analysis suggests that formal ties are more important in developed economies, and informal ties in emerging ones. However, formal political ties and/or links to the Chinese state may be more of value in internationalizing into other emerging markets, where the balance of diplomatic power may be more skewed in China’s favor.     

Retrospective and prospective learning: Accelerating the internationalization process

This paper contributes theoretical understanding to the learning processes adopted by firms for successful internationalization. Drawing from the internationalization process and organizational learning research, our longitudinal case study examines a firm’s learning processes as it grows internationally. In different phases and in different areas the firm learned at different paces, gradual and steep, and by responding retrospectively to past failings, and prospectively to anticipated challenges. From case data we identify and develop four constructs of internationalization learning: Gradual Retrospective, Steep Retrospective, Gradual Prospective, and Steep Prospective learning. The appropriateness of each depends on the urgency towards addressing challenges, and the firm’s learning capabilities. Firms can develop and steepen retrospective learning capability, enabling rapid identification and response to internationalization problems. Firms can also employ prospective learning to plan the development of knowledge capabilities ahead of future internationalization activity, to accelerate their learning, and increase the speed and effectiveness of internationalization.     

基于模块化的大型企业国际化战略路径设计

全球价值网络模块化为大型企业实现国际化目标提供了重要路径。按照“系统或流程模块化—组织架构模块化—系统规则设计”这一研究思路,论证了大型企业构建全球模块化价值网络的两阶段过程,设计了保障全球模块化价值网络有效运行的选择机制、联动机制和激励机制,以期为大型企业整合全球资源提供制度保障。同时,选取中国商飞为典型案例,探讨其在国际化进程中利用模块化方式整合全球优势资源的实践,为中国大型企业国际化战略提供可操作性路径。     

改革开放以来我国研究机构"走出去"的探索与实践

系统回顾了改革开放40年来中国研究机构“走出去”的演变历程、特征、动因、进入模式、组织结构及成效等内容。研究发现,中国研究机构“走出去”经历了“萌芽→起步→调整→加快”4个发展阶段,呈现出投资规模增长迅速、投资主体多元、领域日益拓展、形式丰富多样、转向“一带一路”沿线国家等主要特征。拓展国际市场,追踪、获取技术前沿,培育国内研发人才,规避母国和东道国的政治、经济、文化、科技差异风险是中国研究机构“走出去”的主要动因。跨国公司结合自身实力,普遍采取并购、绿地投资、共建研发联盟等模式进入东道国,且呈现出综合研发网络等多元化组织结构类型。最后,结合当前中国研究机构“走出去”面临的困境,从模式转型、组织战略变革、新兴经济体间合作、政策整合与集成方面提出研究展望。     

人民币国际化视野下中国石油进口的人民币结算探讨

中国能否随着石油买方地位的不断提高,实现并不断扩大石油进口的人民币结算,进而推动人民币国际化,是具有战略意义的现实问题。本文构建理论框架就中国十大进口来源国对于美元、美国市场和中国市场的态度以及双边贸易差额情况进行逐一分析,研究发现,中国同主要石油进口来源国以人民币结算石油贸易具有很大的可行空间,对此,我们可以进一步扩大人民币作为结算货币的作用,进而将其作为推动人民币国际化的突破口。     

Digitalization,internationalization, and firm performance: A resource-orchestration perspective on new OLI advantages

Digital forces and digital global connection weaken traditional ownership, location and internalization (OLI) advantages and intensify new OLI advantages (open resources, linkages and integration). However, by building on the resource-orchestration theory, we raise the question of how digitalization (utilization and orchestration of digital resources) and internationalization (firm-level outward internationalization and country-level inward internationalization) affect firm performance. We introduce the degree of outward internationalization and home-country inward foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows as moderators in achieving firm performance as a result of digitalization. Using a panel dataset of 571 U.S. manufacturing firms, we find a curvilinear relationship between digitalization and performance. The top quartile of digitalization efforts is rewarded by significant profitability. Moreover, high levels of outward internationalization and high net-FDI inflows increase the performance gains attributable to high levels of digitalization. Overall, the resource-orchestration theory complements new OLI advantages in explaining firm performance in the digital world.