Role of search for domain knowledge and architectural knowledge in alliance partner selection

Research Summary: The literature on technological alliances emphasizes that search for knowledge drives alliance formation. However, in conceptualizing technological knowledge, prior work on alliances has not made a distinction between domain knowledge—knowledge that firms possess in distinct technological domains—and architectural knowledge—knowledge that firms possess about how to combine elements from different technological domains. We argue that firms seek partners that are similar in domain knowledge to deepen their knowledge, and partners that are dissimilar in architectural knowledge to broaden their knowledge. Our results indicate that the likelihood of alliance formation increases when two firms are similar in domain knowledge and dissimilar in architectural knowledge. Further, our results show that these effects are positively moderated by the degree of decomposability of a firm's knowledge base. Managerial Summary: In dynamic environments, companies need to continually deepen and broaden their technological knowledge, and they often look for alliance partners who can provide them that knowledge. For knowledge deepening, companies are more likely to form alliances with those companies that have expertise in similar technological fields. For knowledge broadening, they are more likely to form alliances with those companies that have expertise in the same technological fields, but have different recipes for combining knowledge from those fields. Furthermore, a company with a modular knowledge base is more likely to seek a partner that has expertise in similar technological fields or whose recipes for combining knowledge from different technological fields are different from the recipes it has.     

Flow Signals: Evidence from Patent and Alliance Portfolios in the US Biopharmaceutical Industry

Integrating signalling theory and the portfolio diversity literature, we theorize that diversity in a firm's patent and alliance portfolios sends contrasting flow signals impacting its market value in a nuanced way. Diversity in an alliance portfolio mediates the patent portfolio diversity – market value relationship by suppressing the negative effect of patent portfolio diversity creating an overall positive effect. We test our mediation model on a longitudinal set of 225 US biopharmaceutical firms that were awarded 17,078 patents and participated in 37,744 alliances between 1990 and 2006. Our theory and findings contribute three novel insights. First, we demonstrate the value of a temporal lens in explaining why diversity in a firm's patent and alliance portfolios send flow signals that establish expectations among market observers and have performance implications. Second, establishing that patent and alliance portfolio diversity are temporally sequenced provides compelling evidence for the value of studying multiple types of portfolios, their temporal relationships and effects on firm outcomes. Third, since diversity in a firm's portfolios can send contrasting flow signals conditioned on the cognitive demands and proximity involved in interpreting the signals, firms that do not maintain a ‘signalling fit’ with market observers increase the probability of unintentional negative signalling effects.     

Choose to Fight or Choose to Flee? A Network Embeddedness Perspective of Executive Ship Jumping in Declining Firms

Research summary: Executives in declining firms may engage in ship‐jumping behavior (i.e., voluntarily move to new employers before the failure occurs) to avoid the stigma of failure. However, it is unclear how executives decide whether or not to jump ship. Building on a network embeddedness perspective, we highlight how three network‐based indicators (i.e., executive social capital, the social capital of other peers in the declining firm, and the declining firm's alliance network) influence the executive‐level ship‐jumping decision by shaping its benefits and opportunity costs. Using data from executives at failing firms in China, we find support for our hypothesized relationships. Our research provides important insight into the network mechanisms driving the ship‐jumping decision. Managerial summary: Executives at failing firms have a choice: stay and attempt to rescue the firm from failure or exit and avoid the stigma of the failure (i.e., jump ship). Yet, little is known about what factors affect this choice. We propose that social capital plays an important role in the decision. Our evidence from specially treated (*ST) public firms in China finds that ship jumping is lowest at low and high values of social capital, and highest at moderate levels of social capital (an inverted U‐shaped relationship). In addition, higher levels of peer social capital (in the declining firm) as well as a well‐established firm‐level alliance network discourage the ship‐jumping choice. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The assignment of call option rights between partners in international joint ventures

We examine call option rights as a contractual clause in international joint ventures (IJVs) and propose that the assignment of the call option right in an IJV is determined by certain ex ante asymmetries between the partners. Results show that between the two partners in an IJV, the firm with greater complementarity with the venture and greater prior IJV experience is more likely to hold the call option right; in addition, the firm's contractual choice on the call option right and its ownership choice on a greater initial equity stake are substitutive. Our focus on explicit call options advances the real options theory of collaborative agreements, and our results also highlight that option rights be considered an important part of alliance design. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Increasing the Effectiveness of Export Assistance Programs

Abstract

This study focuses on the export assistance needs of small and medium-sized firms in the California EnviroTech industry. The objectives of this study are to: (1) provide public sector assistance providers research-based recommendations to increase the effectiveness of their export assistance programs to the EnviroTech industry; and (2) promote the advantages of a single industry study as the basis for providing public sector export assistance.     

Organizational Cultural Intelligence: A Competitive Capability for Strategic Alliances in the International Construction Industry

Cultural intelligence (CQ) on the organizational level is an organization's capacity to reconfigure its capability to function and manage effectively in culturally diverse environments and to gain and sustain its competitive advantages. This study aims to present a model, examining how organizational CQ through competitiveness framework might potentially affect the strategic alliancing ability of contracting firms operating abroad. The research involves a questionnaire survey conducted with the contracting firms. The research findings support the contracting firms leveraging their cultural intelligence as their main cross‐cultural competence for establishing and increasing the performance of international strategic alliances.     

专利联盟的垄断性分析

科技时代的竞争就是专利战略的竞争。发达国家的许多企业早已将专利战略视为发展的生命线和护身符,并对我国企业的发展产生影响,本文从经济学角度对这一问题进行更为深入的分析。     

基于博弈理论的大宗商品定价权联盟构建

目前,我国已经成为国际上许多大宗商品的最大买家。但全球大宗商品的定价权并未因我国成为最大买家而移至我国。在商品与服务的价格方面,我国还没有与自身地位相匹配的话语权。这是因为,我国铁矿石行业间缺乏有效的联盟,存在行业集中度低、竞争无序等问题,结果导致定价权与国内企业离得越来越远。大宗商品联盟缺失是导致我国定价权缺失的重要原因。基于博弈理论构建大宗商品的定价权联盟,是打破目前状况的一条根本途径。我国企业应借鉴国外企业的经验和路径,积极构建产业链联盟、企业联盟、金融联盟、采购联盟和营销联盟,以谋求我国企业在大宗商品上的国际定价权。     

渔业技术创新联盟的困境与对策

产学研合作是渔业技术创新的主要方式,但当前我国渔业产学研合作创新仍然存在诸多问题。构建渔业技术创新联盟能够较好地解决这些问题并推动渔业产学研合作向更高层次发展。我国渔业技术创新联盟正处于发展的初期阶段,对渔业技术创新联盟构建及发展现状的分析,发现存在着联盟重复建设、运行机制不完善、组织管理体系不健全以及政府管理不规范等问题。因此,应围绕联盟的主要任务构建有序的组织管理体系;应设计完善的联盟运行机制以保障联盟内的知识共享和知识创新活动;通过加强宏观调控和完善各项配套政策以提高政府的联盟管理水平。     

基于产业集群甩挂运输模式设计——以淮安为例

基于产业集群设计甩挂运输模式对推动产业集群物流效率的提高具有重要意义.文章首先对物流虚拟联盟内涵和特征进行了归纳,分析了淮安化工产业集群开展甩挂运输的需求,最后构建了基于产业集群的淮安甩挂运输模式.