‘I want it fast,factual, actionable’—tailoring competitive intelligence to executives' needs

Today even corporate giants have been awakened from slumbering complacency by the intensifying forces of global competition. Deepening recession, political upheaval, volatile currency markets, and new, and more aggressive, competition all combined to signal the end of ‘the good old days’. As the hard hit fortunes of DEC, GM, IBM, NEC, Merck, Philips Electronics, VW and others prove, no company is invincible.In response to new and changing pressures in the competitive environment, managers virtually stumble into each other as they scramble for yet another look inwards, before the inevitable decision to restructure or fine-tune the organization and its offerings. But this is not enough.In order to formulate, and effectively implement, winning competitive strategies the firm must have in place a formal mechanism to collect, process, analyse, and disseminate competitive intelligence. Competitive intelligence enables managers to understand what the competition can and will do, and when and where it plans to do it.The article describes what competitive intelligence is, why it represents a key element in the strategic management system of the company, and how it works in practice.     

竞争环境下新创企业产量柔性技术战略决策研究

考虑新创企业与成熟企业相互竞争,重点研究竞争环境下,两企业的产量柔性技术选择及产能投资决策。首先分析了四种不同策略组合下两企业的最优产能决策、新创企业的最大生存概率以及成熟企业的最大利润;然后用传统博弈论的方法得出了二者的竞争均衡,并分析影响两企业产量柔性战略决策的因素;最后用数值实验进行验证。研究结果表明：在竞争中,新创企业更加关注成本因素,倾向于选择成本较小的无柔性技术;成熟企业对市场需求的波动更为敏感,当市场需求波动较大时,选择产量柔性技术能提高其收益;当产量柔性技术单位产量调整成本较大时,选择无柔性技术对两企业更为有利。     

整合能力与企业绩效：商业模式创新的中介作用

经济全球化的背景下,企业为了构建竞争优势,获取更好的绩效,开始利用整合能力和商业模式创新应对多变的外部环境。然而,当前研究对于两者之间存在何种联系的认识是模糊的。针对理论研究的缺陷,基于动态能力的理论视角,通过分析商业模式创新对整合能力与企业绩效的中介作用,揭示企业整合能力和商业模式创新促进企业绩效提高的内在机制,采用中国6省1市319个企业样本数据,运用线性回归的统计方法对理论假设进行实证检验。研究结果表明,整合能力和商业模式创新都对企业绩效具有正向的促进作用,同时整合能力与企业绩效之间存在着一定的中间机制。整合能力通过提高组织变革和价值创造效率两个方面促进商业模式创新,而商业模式创新作为中间纽带将整合能力与企业绩效联系起来。企业的整合能力越高,越有利于开展商业模式创新,进而促进企业绩效的提高。研究揭示了整合能力和商业模式创新共同促进企业绩效提高的内在理论机制,打开了能力与绩效间关系的“黑箱”,对于中国企业开展商业模式创新具有重要的实践指导意义。     

制度环境、公司治理对企业竞争优势的影响研究——基于中国上市公司的经验证据

如何通过外部制度和内部制度的安排延续企业的竞争优势,是制度变迁背景下中国企业面临的核心问题.本文以2002年-2005年的中国上市公司为样本,基于国内地区差距,实证分析了制度环境和公司治理时企业竞争优势的影响.回归结果发现,政府支持市场化程度、经济法律环境水平、股权集中度、股权竞争度、董事会独立性、专业委员会设置程度以及股东参与决策程度与企业竞争优势显著正相关.研究结果表明,好的制度环境与有效的公司治理能提高企业的竞争优势;企业持续竞争优势的源泉应包含以政府为主体的宏观层次的制度竞争和以企业为主体的微观层次的公司治理竞争.     

Development of a local Physician Executive Leadership Program

Dramatic changes are occurring at a rapid pace throughout the United States in virtually all aspects of health care delivery. Physicians, hospitals, consumer groups, and others are thus facing new and greater uncertainties and are forced to adapt to a continually shifting environment. Fundamental change of this magnitude has and will continue to result in the formation of new alliances and organizations within which physicians and others will be forced to function. To participate effectively in these processes of change and to maintain influence within these new organizations, physicians will need leadership and management skills. To address the challenges facing current physician leaders and the need to develop more effective leaders, Sharp HealthCare developed its Physician Executive Leadership Program. This article describes the program and summarizes some of the lessons learned regarding the training of physician executives and leaders in today's changing health care environment.     

跨国公司全球学习——新角度审视跨国公司

全球经济环境正日益显现出动态、复杂、不确定性特征,顺应这一特征,全球学习能力成为跨国公司赢得竞争优势的关键。全球学习过程主要通过各子公司自主灵活的学习,创造新知识,并迅速有效地在整个跨国公司内部进行传递与整合来实现。本文着重分析了跨国公司海外子公司角色的转变,跨国知识流动的基本模式,以及影响流动的主要因素,进而指出跨国网络结构是支持其全球学习行为的组织选择。本文认为,与传统的跨国公司理论相比,全球学习理论对跨国公司行为的新变化更具解释力,也能够为应对经济全球化的中国企业带来新的启示。     

An environmental decision model for dynamic planning

In the complex, rapidly changing environment facing the modern business enterprise, it has become increasingly difficult to make meaningful predictions concerning future activities. As such, it is especially important for the decision maker to seek means of gathering and evaluating information. Due to the immense amounts of subjective data, the need arises for the development of valid techniques for identifying and quantifying relevant information.Writers in the area of organization theory have emphasized the importance of the relationship between and organization and processes occurring within its environment to the extent that these environmental processes and their impact are considered vital to the ultimate survival of the firm. The Graphical Evaluation and Review Technique (GERT) is an analytical process upon which simulation models can be developed to examine the effect of more sophisticated information processing. The GERT technique serves as an input to decision making and for purposes of analysis will be studied under conditions of the disturbed reactive environment.The essential method upon which this study is based is the development of a model designed to capture the characteristics of the environment. The model in turn is tested under various conditions and changing sets of information to arrive at some idea of the possible implications for decision making under a situation affected by more and different information usage.     

火力发电厂企业集成体系结构的研究

在电力市场的竞争压力面前,火力发电厂对管理变革以及支持这样的变革的信息化支撑环境表现出迫切需求。本文以提升火力发电厂综合竞争力为出发点,分析了火力发电厂管理变革的特征,研究了支撑火力发电厂管理变革的企业集成的体系结构。     

Evolution of strategic management: The need for new dominant designs

The development of strategic management is explained from an evolutionary perspective on the basis of cycles of variation, selection and retention. In industry, breakthrough innovations, or technological discontinuities, initiate eras of ferment that end when a generally accepted standard, or dominant design, starts an era of incremental change. In strategic management, the original definition of strategy initiated an era of ferment characterized by a focus on the environment. The attention to the environment of firms and the integration with other areas of inquiry reached a point of maturity with development of a widely accepted model for analyzing industry and with the definition of generic strategies. The resource-based view of the firm created a new era of ferment by affirming that the main sources of sustainable competitive advantages reside in the development and use of valuable resources. A new period, marked by swift advances in technology and increasingly blurred boundaries among industries, markets and competitors as well as diverse and more complex sources of competitive advantages, imposes on scholars and practitioners an imperative need to conceive new dominant designs. This paper illustrates the evolution toward new directions and challenges of creating new dominant paradigms in strategic management that revolve around the concepts of knowledge, learning, and innovation.     

Strategic management of dynamic growth

A great deal of theoretical and empirical work has been performed on firm growth following Edith Penrose's (1959) classic book, but there is growing concern among researchers and practitioners about the relevance of research as the business environment becomes increasingly dynamic. This Special Issue is motivated by concerns surrounding the need to rethink established theories of firm growth in the face of blurring boundaries among markets and technologies, increased competition, innovation, and intense competitive dynamics. Comprised of six articles, the Special Issue examines growth in a variety of ways and across industries and types of firms, showing how firm choices for pursuing growth extend beyond the dichotomy between internal and external growth. The contributions include a review of existing literature and new ideas on the role of human capital on firm growth, such as recruiting and retaining the right people, or developing managerial capabilities to direct limited resources to more productive uses. The impact of regulatory policies, industry life-cycle, and venture capital on firm growth are also investigated in novel ways.     

Towards New Public Management in Greek Public Organizations: Leadership vs. Management,and the Path to Implementation

In the beginning of the 21st century, when the notion of constant transformation is so frequently invoked, organizational change in the public sector is gaining increased attention. Responding to regulatory, economic, competitive and technological shifts, the challenge of reorganization is universal for all public organizations. This paper aims to explore the shift from Traditional to New Public Management (NPM), as well as the driving forces (such as the information economy, the need for better public performance, the opening of global markets, greater knowledge intensity etc.) that lead to the formulation of transformational programs to Greece. A presentation of a transformational program called Politeia, will be provided, analysed and compared to previous efforts. Finally, we address the important role of leadership and management in Greek public organizations that want successful to implement any change effort successfully.     

Successfully integrating organisations and cultures: A case study

Several years ago, facing up to the need to be a global trader, Borg-Warner Chemicals developed a long-term strategy based on diversification and growth. This type of strategy, particularly where growth comes through acquisitions, joint ventures and possible greenfield site development, has a profound effect on the human resources function of any company. This article is intended as a route map around some of the more obvious minefields, and details the actual experience of Borg-Warner Chemicals (BW) as the majority shareholder of a joint-venture operation in Europe.In this case-study of the role of human resources in a joint-venture or takeover environment the company referred to is in rural France, but it could be logically anywhere around the world - the same basic rules apply.     

Dynamic Capabilities and Knowledge Management: an Integrative Role for Learning?*

Modern strategic management theories try to explain why firms differ, because new sources of competitive advantage are keenly sought in the dynamic and complex environment of global competition. Two areas in particular have attracted the attention of researchers: the role of dynamic capabilities, and the firm's abilities for knowledge management. In this paper, we argue that there is a link between these two concepts, which has not been fully articulated in the literature. The aim of the paper is therefore to ascertain the conceptual connection between them as a basis for future research. Our proposed framework acknowledges and critiques the distinct roots of each field, identifies boundaries, and proposes relationships between the constructs and firm performance.     

面对新世纪的管理教育与培训

由于科学技术突飞猛进的发展与全球化进程的加速 ,新世纪的管理教育与培训应在内容上具有前瞻性 ;并从我国的实际出发 ,源于实践又高于实践 ;重视培养学员对市场与环境变化作出迅速正确反应的能力 ;不断提高管理专业人员的口头与书面表达能力 .管理教育与培训不仅要借鉴国际上最新的管理理论与经验 ,做到“洋为中用”,同时应从我国源远流长的悠久文化遗产与管理思想中汲取营养 ,做到“古为今用”,形成有中国特色的管理教育与培训     

Governing complexity to challenge neoliberalism? Embedded firms and the prospects of understanding new realities

Many initial assumptions about the appeal of global development and governance have run aground on the shoals of countervailing realities and interests. The overall trend of political despair and disillusionment, the loss of confidence in the markets as a unique arbiter of value creation and distribution, and the marketable appeal of governance best practices seem to have reached their nadir. Management literature has begun to question these issues and to call for a deeper understanding of the dynamics of political, social and corporate change. The question of (corporate) governance is plural and needs multilevel approaches to meet the new challenges of complex realities, especially the pressure of neoliberalism with two central consequences: financialization and globalization of economies. In this reflexive article, we aim to initiate avenues for new thinking at the institutional, corporate and academic levels. Institutional and regulatory frameworks need to be seen as local systems connected internationally and not global systems adapted locally. Theoretical frameworks need to be more integrated to grasp the same phenomena with multiple lenses. Methodological approaches and tools need also to be reinforced mutually to overlay the dichotomic examination of these complex realities.     

动态能力如何影响企业绩效——基于中国企业的实证研究

本研究以中国企业为样本对动态能力如何影响企业绩效的问题进行了分析和探讨。数据分析结果表明,战略过程对动态能力与企业绩效的正向作用关系具有明显的中介作用。但是,不同的动态能力维度对绩效的不同方面影响程度也不同,动态外部协调能力对企业绩效各个方面影响的显著程度在所有维度中最为突出,是企业在超竞争环境中树立竞争优势的关键。此外,动态能力构成维度间的路径关系表明,动态信息利用能力在企业动态适应外部环境变化过程中具有非常重要的节点作用,是企业培育动态能力路径的关键。     

QUEST—Quick Environmental Scanning Technique

This paper describes a new technique designed to scan the environment quickly and inexpensively to focus management's attention upon critical issues for strategy formulation. The technique has been applied successfully in several different corporate settings including a major savings and loan association, three divisions of a large food manufacturing firm and a medium-sized moving and storage company.     

平衡开发式创新和探索式创新一定有利于提升企业绩效吗?

在日益动态的商业环境下,平衡开发式创新和探索式创新是企业兼顾当前和未来竞争所必须重视的问题。现有研究过度强调了同时重视开发式创新和探索式创新的二元平衡的价值,假设二元平衡是对任何企业都普遍适用的,但实证检验的结果却并非如此。本研究注意到资源紧缺条件对企业开发式创新和探索式创新平衡战略的影响,发展了资源紧缺条件下中国企业开发式创新和探索式创新的平衡理论,指出,开发式创新和探索式创新的平衡策略不仅有二元平衡,还有间断平衡,究竟哪种策略有效取决于企业资源约束条件决定的开发式创新和探索式创新之间究竟是正交关系还是竞争关系起主导作用。最后,本研究以新创企业和成熟企业的大规模调查数据的比较性实证研究证实了本文的主要理论假设。     

Applying firm attention theory to assess the antecedents of firm participation in regulatory processes

This study applies firm attention theory to explain how factors including regulatory inspection ratings, media coverage of regulatory issues, new regulations, and the political activities of opposing interest groups influence firm participation in regulatory processes. Findings suggest that firm political participation is driven by factors that attract firm attention to political processes as well as by factors that threaten to draw stakeholder attention to political processes and firm operations. These relationships are explored by examining automobile manufacturer participation in National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration rulemaking comment periods.     

An Empirical Study of the Volkswagen Crisis in China: Customers’ Information Processing and Behavioral Intentions

Product‐harm crises usually lead to product recalls, which may cause consumers concern about the product quality and safety. This study systematically examines customers’ immediate responses to the Volkswagen product recall crisis in China. Particular attention was given to customers’ responses to the risk information influencing their behavioral intentions. By combining the protective action decision model and the heuristic‐systematic model, we constructed a hypothetical model to explore this issue. A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect data involving 467 participants drawn from the customers of Volkswagen. We used structural equation modeling to explore the model. The results show that customers’ product knowledge plays an important role in their responses to the crisis. Having more knowledge would make them perceive a lower risk, but they might need even more information, making them more likely to seek and process information, and subsequently increasing their positive behavioral intentions toward the firm (that is pro‐firm behavioral intentions). Risk perception increased customers’ information needs, information seeking, and information processing but decreased their pro‐firm behavioral intentions. In addition to promoting information seeking, information needed to also facilitate customers’ systematic processing and thus increase their behavioral intentions to take corrective action. Customers’ behavioral intentions were also spurred by systematic processing, but failed to be predicted by information seeking. In summary, theoretical and practical implications and suggestions for further research are also discussed.