Coordination Mechanisms and Overseas Knowledge Acquisition for Chinese Suppliers: The Contingent Impact of Production Mode and Contractual Governance

This article examines how production mode and contractual governance moderate the effects of two distinct interfirm coordination mechanisms on overseas knowledge acquisition for suppliers in offshore cooperation. An investigation of 204 offshore suppliers in China finds that the positive effect of technology-based coordination mechanism (TCM) on overseas knowledge acquisition for an original equipment manufacturing (OEM) supplier is stronger than that for an original design manufacturing (ODM) supplier. By contrast, the positive effect of personal coordination mechanism (PCM) on overseas knowledge acquisition for an ODM supplier is stronger than that for an OEM supplier. Besides, as the degree of contractual control grows, the positive effect of TCM on overseas knowledge acquisition becomes stronger, whereas the positive effect of PCM becomes weaker. Further, when considering coordination, production, and governance jointly, we find that the strengthening effect of contractual control on the influence of TCM for OEM is stronger than that for ODM, and that the weakening effect of contractual control on the influence of PCM for ODM is stronger than that for OEM.     

Knowing,Power and Materiality: A Critical Review and Reconceptualization of Absorptive Capacity

Most studies on absorptive capacity (AC) are based on assumptions that are characteristic of viewing knowledge from an epistemology of possession (knowledge is possessed by individuals and is transferrable). However, the literature on managing knowledge (or better knowledge work) acknowledges also an epistemology of practice (knowledge is unpredictable and dynamic and constituted in and through practice). Moreover, the literature on AC is relatively silent on the relationship between knowledge and power. In this paper, the authors argue that the AC construct should be interpreted in light of the possession and the practice perspectives of knowledge and power. The analysis includes a systematic literature review of AC that supports the authors' claims and, based on this, they suggest an interpretation of the construct that takes into account knowledge–power relationships. This review and theorizing contribute to a richer and processual view of AC.     

Risk‐Taking and the Media

In recent years, media formats with risk‐glorifying content, such as video games that simulate illegal street racing (“bang and crash” games), films about extreme sports, and risky stunts have emerged as top sellers of the media industry. A variety of recent studies conducted by several researchers revealed that exposure to risk‐glorifying media content (e.g., video games that simulate reckless driving, smoking and drinking in movies, or depictions that glorify extreme sports) increases the likelihood that recipients will show increased levels of risk‐taking inclinations and behaviors. The present article (1) reviews the latest research on the detrimental impact of risk‐glorifying media on risk‐taking inclinations (cognitions, emotions, behaviors), (2) puts these findings in the theoretical context of recent sociocognitive models on media effects, and (3) makes suggestions to science and policymakers on how to deal with these effects in the future.     

Views on inter-enterprise relationships

The paper gives an overview of major scientific approaches to inter-enterprise relationships. A distinction is made between approaches that focus on business process integration (Supply Chain Management, Costing approaches), approaches that focus on organizational collaboration (Transaction Cost Theory, Agency Theory), and approaches that focus on the business environment (Strategic Management, Network Theory, Resource Dependency Theory). Although these approaches are different with regard to their perspectives on collaboration, variables and methods, the paper shows that they are complementary tools in the analysis and design of inter-enterprise relationships.     

Continued usage of technology versus situational factors: An empirical analysis

Mainstream technology management literature suggests that research on continued usage of technology is largely based on two perspectives, namely (i) a forward-looking perspective that underpins the technology acceptance model (TAM), and (ii) a retrospective perspective that is based on the expectation disconfirmation theory (EDT). We propose an extended framework to re-examine continued usage of technology by combining these two perspectives and incorporating individual, social and environmental factors as additional variables. Our study, in the context of users’ continued usage of e-learning tools, reveals that in addition to user satisfaction and perceived usefulness, self-efficacy, system service support and social pressure are significant factors that affect continued usage of technology. Our findings enrich the theoretical framework of continued usage of technology, and provide e-learning developers with managerial insights on how to entice learners to continue using their e-learning tools.     

Leader-Member Exchange across two hierarchical levels of leadership: concurrent influences on work characteristics and employee psychological health

Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) theory suggests that the quality of the leader–employee relationship is linked to employee psychological health. Leaders who reside at different hierarchical levels have unique roles and spheres of influence and potentially affect employees' work experiences in different ways. Nevertheless, research on the impact of leadership on employee psychological health has largely viewed leaders as a homogeneous group. Expanding on LMX theory, we argue that (1) LMX sourced at the levels of the line manager (LM) and senior management (SM) team will be differentially linked to employee psychological health (assessed as worn-out) and that (2) these relationships will be mediated by perceived work characteristics (reward and recognition, workload management, quality of relationships with colleagues and physical environment). Structural equation modelling on data from 337 manual workers partially supported the hypotheses. Perceptions of the physical environment mediated the relationship between LMX at the LM level and employee psychological health, whereas perceptions of workload management mediated the relationship between LMX at the SM level and psychological health. These findings corroborate arguments that leaders are not a uniform group and as such the effects of LMX on employees will depend on leadership hierarchy. Implications for expanding leadership theory are discussed.     

Unions and Income Inequality: A Heterogeneous Panel Co‐integration and Causality Analysis

Although a large body of research has examined the effects of unions on the wage distribution, surprisingly little attention has been devoted to the effects of unions on the distribution of income. This paper examines the long‐run relationship between unionization and income inequality for a sample of 20 countries. Using heterogeneous panel co‐integration and causality techniques, we find that (i) unions have, on average, a negative long‐run effect on income inequality, (ii) there is considerable heterogeneity in the effects of unionization on income inequality across countries (in 40 per cent of the cases the effect is positive) and (iii) long‐run causality runs in both directions, suggesting that, on average, an increase in unionization reduces income inequality and that, in turn, higher inequality leads to lower unionization rates.     

The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility Activities on the Consumer Purchasing Situation

To explore the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities on the consumer purchasing situation, we arranged a scenario where participants (n = 451) purchased workout clothes. The results (r = 0.996, p = 0.000) show that (1) relative to other relevant marketing activities, CSR activity was not the most salient antecedent stimulus, (2) general CSR activities may have a lower impact on purchasing behavior than more specific CSR activities, (3) some CSR activities may have a negative impact on purchasing behavior, and (4) CSR activities may have a different impact on different segments. We propose that the impact of CSR can be understood as rule-governed behavior situated in the consumer’s situation. A functional understanding of the impact of CSR on the purchasing situation could help companies to develop more effective marketing campaigns and, in addition, maintain activities that benefit not only the company but also society as a whole.     

Daily work role stressors, mood and emotional exhaustion

This paper suggests that role stressors (role ambiguity, conflict and overload) influence emotional exhaustion both directly and indirectly through their effects on negative mood. Fifty-three instructors in the military (M age = 30.8 years) completed questionnaires at the end of each work day for between 10 and 20 workdays (M= 17.8 days). Path analyses showed that only role overload exerted a direct effect on emotional exhaustion, that mood mediated the effects of both role overload and role ambiguity on emotional exhaustion, and that role conflict exerted neither direct nor indirect effects on emotional exhaustion. The model obtained using daily data was replicated using cross-sectional data. These results provide an innovative way of understanding the effects of role stressors on emotional exhaustion, and suggestions for further research are offered.     

Entrepreneurial orientation dimensions and the performance of high-tech and low-tech firms: A configurational approach

Building on the entrepreneurial orientation (EO)-as-experimentation perspective, we examine how configurations of the EO dimensions (innovativeness, risk-taking, and proactiveness) might lead to high and low firm performance, and how the configurations differ under different firm contexts. We adopted a configurational approach and applied fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to a sample of 110 UK small and medium-sized enterprises. Our findings show that three (four) configurations can result in high (low)-firm performance, demonstrating that the EO dimensions can contribute to as well as hinder firm performance. Moreover, the configurations leading to the same outcome are distinct between high-tech and low-tech firms, indicating that the impacts of the EO dimensions on firm performance depend on the firm context. Our findings offer useful insights for managers on how to configure the portfolio of firms' entrepreneurial activities to achieve superior performance.     

Big Data‐Savvy Teams’ Skills,Big Data‐Driven Actions and Business Performance

Prior studies on big data analytics have emphasized the importance of specific big data skills and capabilities for organizational success; however, they have largely neglected to investigate the use of cross‐functional teams’ skills and links to the role played by relevant data‐driven actions and business performance. Drawing on the resource‐based view (RBV) of the firm and on unique data collected from 240 big data experts working in global agrifood networks, we examine the links between the use of big data‐savvy (BDS) teams’ skills, big data‐driven (BDD) actions and business performance. BDS teams depend on multi‐disciplinary skills (e.g. computing, mathematics, statistics, machine learning and business domain knowledge) that help them turn their traditional business operations into modern data‐driven insights (e.g. knowing real‐time price changes and customer preferences), leading to BDD actions that enhance business performance. Our results, raised from structural equation modelling, indicate that BDS teams’ skills that produce valuable insights are the key determinants for BDD actions, which ultimately contribute to business performance. We further demonstrate that those organizations that emphasize BDD actions perform better compared to those that do not focus on such applications and relevant insights.     

Assessing Interventions to Reduce the Risk of Campylobacter Prevalence in Broilers

As part of a comprehensive risk assessment on the Campylobacter prevalence in the chicken production chain (from young born chicken till chicken fillet) in the Netherlands, we formulated a quantitative model on the transmission dynamics of Campylobacter at Dutch broiler farms. This model is used to quantify the risk of Campylobacter prevalence in broilers at the time that flocks leave the farm for processing. To this end, we assumed that the Campylobacter prevalence is primarily determined by two parameters, that is, the within- and between-flock transmission. The within-flock transmission was assessed fitting experimental data to a logistic growth model and the between-flock transmission was assessed fitting field data to a generalized linear model (GLM), which included three possible infection routes: (1) via an infected flock in the previous cycle, (2) via other infected flocks present on the farm, and (3) from other sources. This model was applied to assess the efficacy of three control scenarios; (1) a ban on other livestock on broiler farms, (2) a ban on thinning, and (3) a reduction of the between-flock transmission. In contrast to the other scenarios, the third one was shown to be most effective. Theoretically, this is accomplished by improved biosecurity. However, the impact of improved biosecurity cannot be specified into specific control measures, and therefore it is not clear what investments are needed. Finally, we also assessed the efficacy of scheduled treatment, that is, fresh meat production solely from test-negative flocks. We found that the reliability of negative test results, which is crucial, strongly depends on the length of time between testing and slaughter. The sensitivity and specificity of the test appeared to be of minor importance.     

Diverse effects of diversity: Disaggregating effects of diversity in global virtual teams

Global Virtual Team (GVT) member diversity provides many advantages but also poses many challenges. Diversity comes in different forms that each has different effects on GVT dynamics and performance. Past research typically explored the effect of only one type of diversity at a time. Using multi-source, multi-wave data from 5728 individuals working in 804 consulting project GVTs, the present study is unique in that it explores and compares the effects of different forms of team member diversity on different aspects of GVT effectiveness in a single sample. It proposes a refined theoretical model that differentiates between the effects of personal versus contextual diversity and articulates how these distinct forms of diversity affect different aspects of GVT effectiveness (i.e., task outcomes versus psychological outcomes). The results reveal that (1) team member diversity in general has a substantial effect on GVT effectiveness; (2) contextual diversity has a positive effect on task outcomes; and (3) personal diversity has a negative effect on psychological outcomes. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.     

Searching for innovation: Product,process, and business model innovations and search behavior in established firms

Prior research indicates that search practices are an important part of the innovation process. But where established firms search for different innovation types is not clear. Drawing on knowledge-based theory of innovation and using state-of-the-art statistical techniques (copula with Bayesian inference), we find that established firms predominantly rely on several external sources (broad external search) when introducing new business models, on internal and external sources with high intensity (deep search) when innovating processes, and on broad and deep external search when innovating products. We explain that broad external search is important for business model innovation (BMI) because increased exploration is needed when introducing new business models that rely on general rather than specialized technical or tacit business knowledge. We contribute to the innovation and business model literatures by nuancing the differences between innovation types (BMI, product, and process innovation) and the associated search behavior. It is important to consider these differences because they give us clues to understand how established firms can explore unfamiliar territories through BMI.     

On the Asymptotic Sizes of Subset Anderson–Rubin and Lagrange Multiplier Tests in Linear Instrumental Variables Regression

We consider tests of a simple null hypothesis on a subset of the coefficients of the exogenous and endogenous regressors in a single‐equation linear instrumental variables regression model with potentially weak identification. Existing methods of subset inference (i) rely on the assumption that the parameters not under test are strongly identified, or (ii) are based on projection‐type arguments. We show that, under homoskedasticity, the subset Anderson and Rubin (1949) test that replaces unknown parameters by limited information maximum likelihood estimates has correct asymptotic size without imposing additional identification assumptions, but that the corresponding subset Lagrange multiplier test is size distorted asymptotically.     

From bias to exclusion: A multilevel emergent theory of gender segregation in organizations

This article presents a multilevel emergent theory of organizational segregation linking gender bias in performance assessment (a micro-level phenomenon) to gender segregation in organizations (a macro-level phenomenon). Based on an integration of multilevel research, emergence and signaling theory, we propose the following: (a) gender segregation in organizations is an emergent phenomenon that arises from the collective behavior of individuals who express only a small bias in favor of males, in concert with the signals governing promotion decisions and organizational mobility; (b) the emergence of a gender-segregated organization is often unintentional and the bottom–up and top–down processes that produce segregation are difficult to see; and (c) agent-based modeling is especially well-suited for illuminating the dynamics of bias that produce gender-segregated organizations. This multilevel emergent-based theory contributes to the research literature on organizational stratification by: (a) revealing the manner in which micro-level and macro-level forces conspire, oftentimes unwittingly, to produce gender-segregated organizations; (b) providing new and very different directions for future research on gender segregation that rely on agent-based modeling; and, most importantly, (c) moving a 30-year debate over the “real-world” impact of gender bias that continues to occupy the field of human resource management and, most recently, Supreme Court justices on to more fertile ground.     

Dealing with high-risk environments: Institutional-based tools to reduce political risk costs

The international business (IB) literature on political risk mitigation has assigned explanatory preeminence to the organizational capabilities of multinational corporations (MNCs). The literature has assumed that political risk is avoidable for MNCs with specific political capabilities. We argue that political risk is inevitable. We posit that even if MNCs have political capabilities, host countries' political risk and its associated costs will not simply disappear. Extending the literature on political risk mitigation, we highlight the role of institutional-based tools in curbing political risk costs. Specifically, we posit that MNCs can reduce political risk costs through (i) international investment agreements, (ii) investment contracts with host governments, (iii) political risk insurance, and (iv) guarantees with binding enforcement mechanisms in unison with relying on political capabilities, thereby dampening the negative effect of uncontrollable host country political risk. We leverage the political-institutional approach to political risk and draw on relevant literature from law and IB to develop a framework to describe the conditions under which MNCs may use these institutional-based tools.     

管理者过度自信与企业激进负债行为

本文基于行为金融研究,抛弃了传统债务融资理论的理性管理者假设,分析管理者过度自信是否会导致企业采取激进的债务融资决策。实证分析在控制了其他可能影响债务融资的因素以后,发现管理者过度自信与资产负债率尤其是短期负债率显著正相关,与债务期限结构也显著正相关。由此证明管理者的过度自信是影响企业债务融资决策的一个重要因素。因此,本文从管理者过度自信的视角,丰富和拓展了企业债务融资理论研究。     

房价上涨、家庭债务与城镇居民消费:贷款价值比的视角

家庭借贷是缓解居民支大于收、平缓消费的重要手段，而贷款价值比的约束迫使家庭的债务规模必须控制在一定的范围之内；与此同时，持续上涨的房价不断逼近贷款价值比约束，最终表现为消费的大幅度波动。基于家庭追踪调查（CFPS）微观数据，本文细致考察了房价上涨、家庭债务对城镇居民消费的影响。结果表明：（1）家庭债务对城镇居民消费的杠杆显著，即使将样本细分为有房家庭与无房家庭，杠杆效应依然显著；（2）持续上涨的房价将显著促进有房家庭的消费，且这正向作用将被贷款价值比放大；而上涨的房价将抑制无房家庭的消费。（3）无论是有房家庭还是无房家庭，贷款价值比对居民消费的作用存在明显的门槛效应，即只有当贷款价值比增大到一定水平时，其对居民消费的影响将由促进转为抑制。（4）房价上涨对城镇居民消费的作用在不同群体间差异明显，受教育程度高的城镇家庭，或者持有二套房以上的家庭，房价上涨对城镇居民消费的促进效应更强。     

A Comparison of Reorder Point and Material Requirements Planning Inventory Control Logic*

This paper reports the results of simulation experiments that compared the inventory efficiency (i.e., the customer service level provided by a given level of inventory) for two different inventory policies. One of these policies uses time-phased information on future demands like that found in material requirements planning (MRP) systems, while the other (the reorder point or ROP policy) relies on forecasts implicitly based on average past demands. After establishing that the MRP policies dominate for reasonable conditions, the uncertainty of the forecasts was manipulated until the policy preference was reversed. It requires a very perverse relationship between the forecast and actual demand before ROP beats MRP on inventory efficiency.