Back to the future. Is industry 4.0 a new tecno-organizational paradigm? Implications for Latin American countries

ABSTRACT

The objective of this article is to establish a dialogue between the recent ‘Industry 4.0’ (I4.0) literature and evolutionary neo-Schumpeterean studies about techno-organizational paradigms. In that direction, we wonder whether I4.0 constitutes a new paradigm, as it is assumed by the first group of literature, or it represents – until the moment – an intensification of key features of the information and communication technology (ICT) paradigm, following the second group of studies. Some questions are raised about the implications of I4.0 for developing countries (DEC), afterwards. Specifically, we reflect on the possibilities of these countries to identify and take advantage of new windows of opportunity, opened by the development and diffusion of these technologies. In this regard, the review of recent Latin American experience raises strong concerns regarding I4.0 as a new source of intra- and international heterogeneity, linked to the severe difficulties these countries have in appropriating these technologies in the form of productivity gains and quasi-rents. It seems that this is partially derived from weak technological, organizational, and connectivity capabilities paths of accumulation between institutions and actors.     

双重重压下六国化工盈利能力分析及突围之路探析

2012年下半年以来，由于市场不景气导致中国化工行业产品价格下降，而成本却不断攀升，企业盈利能力不容乐观，六国化工也不例外。文章对六国化工进行了介绍，并利用杜邦体系分析法等盈利能力指标对其分析，进而提出了相关建议，以便于六国化工找到突破困境的途径，获得持久的竞争优势及长期可持续发展。     

Managing the foreign investment portfolio: How industry and governance diversity influence firm performance

Foreign investment has been seen as an important strategy for learning about new technologies and markets. However, the link between the characteristic of a foreign investment portfolio and firm performance has not been examined in detail. Using panel data from 199 Taiwanese firms, this study examines how the foreign investment portfolio in terms of industry and governance diversity influences firm performance. This study finds that governance diversity has an inverse U-shaped relationship to firm performance, whereas industry diversity does not. In addition, this study also finds that their relationships are affected by R&D capability and industry profitability. The empirical findings of our study are useful for firms that invest in emerging economies.     

试论我国行业管理法的地位与体系

行业管理法是经济法体系中的一项法律，但是从宏观和微观的分类上行业管理法既不属于宏观经济调控法，也不属于微观的市场规制法，从其功能上来说行业管理法属于调整中观管理的经济法，行业管理法体系包含行业管理基本法、行业管理部门规章以及行业协会的自治规范等内容，具有指导思想和制度规范的立法，行业管理法对于促进行业领域的正常运行具有重要的意义。行业管理法与产业政策法规具有密切的关系，两者之间相辅相成，在国家的产业发展中共同发挥着指引和规范作用，研究行业管理法的地位和体系离不开产业政策法的分析介绍。笔者在本文中对行业管理法的地位和重要作用进行了分析，对行业管理法的体系内容也进行了详细的阐述，旨在通过本文的研究让更多人的认识到行业管理法，从而促进行业管理法作用的有效发挥。     

基于钻石模型的滨海新区制造业产业集群发展研究

天津滨海新区升格为国家级综合改革试验区的战略目标,是把以滨海新区为增长极的京津冀打造为环渤海乃至中国北方经济增长的发动机和最具国际竞争力的都市圈。本文借鉴迈克尔·波特的国家竞争优势钻石模型,构建一个地区制造业升级的竞争模型,并借助于这一模型对滨海新区制造业产业集群竞争力进行分析,从而就提升其产业集群竞争力进行了对策探析。     

Capability accumulation,innovation, and technology diffusion: Lessons from a Base of the Pyramid cluster

Although research on industry clusters has made many valuable contributions, a dearth of empirical evidence and theoretical reflection about the characteristics of Base of the Pyramid (BOP) clusters has persisted. Consequently, the literature still lacks a framework that incorporates the context, challenges, and dynamics encountered in such clusters. Drawing from clusters, capability accumulation, and innovation literatures, we develop a theoretical framework that provides a more fine-grained understanding of the dynamics encountered in BOP clusters, the role of support organizations, the importance of capabilities accumulation in firms, and the challenges associated with technology development and diffusion within such settings. We use case study research method conducted in a traditional granite-mining cluster in Brazil, based on 154 interviews with key informants between 1999 and 2011. Our findings suggest that BOP clusters present different dynamics when compared to clusters elsewhere, because of the existence of idiosyncrasies such as additional barriers to technology diffusion, especially when coupled with a lack of coordination and misaligned policy approaches. We contribute to the literature by arguing that the process of technology diffusion in BOP clusters is hindered by these barriers, and that technology development without wide diffusion within BOP clusters can become a source of social exclusion and wealth concentration. Moreover, in large emerging economies, global pipelines are not necessarily the only path for BOP clusters to achieve competitive advantage and sustainable growth, as suggested in the clusters literature.     

新中国成立60周年新疆的工业发展回顾与成就

解放前，新疆的工业几乎一片空白。新疆成立后，在国家的大力支持下，新疆工业发展从无到有、从小到大，特别是改革开放三十年，更是新疆工业发展最快、成效最好的时期。本文通过对新疆工业发展历程的回顾，阐述了新疆工业发展取得的显著成就，即逐步形成了以石油天然气开采和石油化工为主导，以纺织、轻工、建材、钢铁、电力为支柱，包含煤炭、食品、机械电子、有色金属等门类较为齐全、产品丰富、特色鲜明的较为完善的现代工业体系。     

行业商会在广东产业转移中阶段性推进作用

集体行动的逻辑在于获取最大限度的集体效率,行业商会比企业无私,比政府节约。本文通过建立阶段性推进模型,探究行业商会在广东产业转移中的推进作用,及其在四个阶段中扮演的角色。     

Regional and Sector-specific Determinants of Industry Dynamics and the Displacement–replacement Effects

In this paper, we empirically assess the importance of regional and sector-specific determinants of industry dynamics. To this aim we test three hypotheses (originally proposed by Shapiro and Khemani (1987, Int J Indust Organ 5:15–26)) for the relationship between the entry and exit of firms: independence, symmetry and simultaneity. Estimates from a panel data system of equations seem to confirm the simultaneity hypothesis for Spain, i.e. we find evidence of a displacement (replacement) effect between the gross rate of entry (exit) and the gross rate of exit (entry). Also, our results show that, irrespective of the hypothesis we use, both sectorial and regional variables affect entry and exit.

银行危机与政府干预——基于中国金融史的研究

当银行危机到来时,政府是否应当进行干预？政府干预对银行业会产生何种影响？这些问题在金融史研究中长期以来备受关注,且具有重要的现实意义。本文以1934年白银风潮冲击下中国大规模的银行危机为背景,对比了当时中国最大的两个金融中心上海和天津的银行业同业组织在危机中的表现,发现天津银行业同业公会成员相比于非银行同业公会的成员受到了更严重的挤兑危机,且在危机期间放款额出现了更显著的下降。而上海银行同业公会则没有受到大规模挤兑,且反而在金融危机期间扩大了信贷规模。本文认为是由于政府干预程度的不同导致了津沪两地银行同业公会的不同表现。具体机制为:其一,政府干预推动了银行业信息公开,降低了信息不对称带来的恐慌和挤兑;其二,政府干预下银行组织承担了更多的财政义务。