The Bind that Ties: Socioemotional Wealth Preservation in Family Firms

A growing body of research shows that family firms are different from other organizations in significant ways. In this paper we review this literature by examining how family firms differ from nonfamily firms along five broad categories of managerial decisions. These categories encompass a set of key organizational choices concerning management processes, firm strategies, corporate governance, stakeholder relations and business venturing. We argue that socioemotional wealth or affective endowment of family owners explain many of these choices. We also examine some contingency factors (namely family stage, firm size, firm hazard, and the presence of nonfamily shareholders) that moderate the influence of socioemotional wealth preservation as a point of reference when making managerial decisions in family firms. Lastly, we explore the firm performance consequences of family ownership.     

A new approach for understanding dominant design: The case of the ink-jet printer

We study dominant design strategies concerning the allocation of technological resources for ink-jet printers. We find that the dominant design for each firm can be quantitatively represented by the number of ink-jet patents in nine categories of a matrix that distinguishes patents according to method of implementation and type of module. Further, we find that annual firm ink-jet revenue from 1990 through 2000 is positively correlated with a balanced dispersion of patents across the nine categories. Results suggest that higher revenues will accrue to firms in integrated industries when resources are balanced among important sub-technologies in the dominant design.     

Towards a Theory of Network Facilitation: A Microfoundations Perspective on the Antecedents,Practices and Outcomes of Network Facilitation

Firms cooperate in inter‐firm networks to foster their competitiveness and improve their innovation outcomes. In many cases, network facilitators who are either embedded in a lead firm or a third‐party organization manage the cooperation among the network firms. This qualitative study adopts a microfoundations perspective to investigate the behavioural antecedents of the network facilitators, their facilitation practices and the related network‐level outcomes. Results show that lead‐firm facilitators more strongly invest in trust‐building measures since they are considered deficient in benevolence and integrity. Without these investments, they run the risk that conflicts of interest hinder the stimulation of positive network‐level outcomes. Third‐party facilitators, by contrast, enjoy certain credits of trust and focus on balancing firm interests from the network's activation, but need to invest in enhancing their competencies and skills with regard to the industry the firms operate in. The findings contribute to developing a theory of network facilitation by providing a nuanced understanding of how network‐level outcomes can be reduced to individual‐level factors.     

基于混合定向方式的移动定向广告投放策略研究

以移动广告为研究背景,研究地理定向和消费者产品偏好定向相结合的混合定向方式下企业的定向广告投放策略,同时通过对比企业投放定向广告与大众广告,研究企业的广告策略选择问题。研究发现,企业运用定向广告策略应针对不同的消费者群体提供差异化较大的营销策略:对属于企业近距离范围且偏好企业产品的优势市场,企业应加大广告投放力度并实行高价;为了争取部分远端劣势市场的收益,企业应向其投放一定力度的广告并实行低价;对属于双方的竞争市场,企业应选择中等程度的广告和价格。同时,通过与企业投放大众广告相比较,发现竞争企业使用定向广告策略反而不如使用大众广告策略。     

Success Traps,Dynamic Capabilities and Firm Performance

Dynamic capabilities (DCs) are fundamental to the understanding of differential firm performance. However, the question remains why some firms are better at developing and applying DCs than others. In particular, successful firms have been warned against the tendency to fall into a success or competence trap, where success reinforces exploitation of existing competences and crowds out exploration of new competences, hindering the development of DCs. Therefore, this study examines the effects of success traps on DCs and consequently firm performance, taking into account firm strategy and market dynamism. To facilitate this, our study also identifies the commonalities of DCs across firms. Drawing on survey data from 113 UK high‐tech small and medium‐sized firms, we find that success traps have a significant, strong negative effect on DCs, which in turn have a weak positive effect on firm performance; DCs are manifested through absorptive and transformative capabilities as two common features across firms. We also find that the development and application of DCs is related to internal factors (such as success traps) rather than external factors (such as market dynamism).     

Strategy and Human Resource Management Integration in Fast Growth Versus Other Mid-sized Firms1

The nature and integration of strategy and human resource management practices, and the effects of such integration on firm performance were examined in two groups of mid-sized flrms: fast-growth firms and a random sample of similar sized mature firms. The results indicated that the fast-growth firms emphasized fewer human resource activities and experienced a lower degree of strategy-human resource integration than the mature firms. Some evidence was found that the relation between the level of integration and firm performance was moderated by the organization's stage of development.     

职工薪酬分配比例、产权性质与企业价值

随着现代企业的发展，职工在企业中扮演的角色越来越重要，职工激励问题对企业的重要性也不言而喻。已有研究主要集中于薪酬和期权等绝对激励，关于职工激励对企业的影响程度的研究则较少。 利用2003年至2013年中国上市公司数据，基于公平理论构建职工薪酬分配比例与企业价值关系的OLS模型，对职工薪酬分配比例对企业价值的影响进行实证检验。 研究结果表明，全样本中职工薪酬分配比例越高，企业价值越低；区分产权性质后，国有企业薪酬分配比例明显高于民营企业，继续提高国有企业薪酬分配比例会降低国有企业价值，民营企业薪酬分配比例仍有提升空间；行业收入较高会弱化提高薪酬分配比例带来的激励作用；劳动密集度会提高薪酬分配比例带来的激励作用；薪酬分配比例显著影响企业价值，产权性质、行业收入差距和劳动密集度影响薪酬分配比例与企业价值的关系。研究结论在用工具变量和外生事件考虑二者的内生性问题后仍然成立。 研究结果丰富了企业价值的影响因素和薪酬契约激励经济后果方面的研究，也为职工薪酬分配比例对企业价值的影响提供了新的经验证据，同时对上市公司制定合理的薪酬激励政策和中国当前提高劳动分配比例的政策具有重要的借鉴意义。建议监管者在制定薪酬管制政策时应根据公司的实际情况(如产权性质和非货币性福利等)对不同的公司进行监管，以促进企业发展。     

信息化建设、供应链信息分享与企业绩效——基于中国制造业企业的实证研究

信息化建设是现阶段国家和企业都难以回避的问题,本文建立信息化建设-信息分享-企业绩效的分析框架,从信息传递的视角探讨信息化建设对企业绩效的影响机理,认为企业的信息化建设能够通过促进供应链上下游企业之间的沟通,带来更好的企业绩效。以我国制造业企业为样本进行的实证研究表明,企业信息化设备建设投入以及网站的建立能够促进其与供应链上下游企业有关需求、库存、产量等信息的分享,并通过这些有价值信息的分享推动企业绩效提升。进一步的分析表明,信息化建设使得信息分享在支持企业业务活动和提升企业绩效方面的效果更加显著。     

Board size and firm value: evidence from Australia

We study the effect of board size on firm value in Australia. Using a large sample of Australian firms over the period 2001–2011, we find strong evidence of a negative relationship. We show that firms with a large board are associated with CEO compensation that is sensitive to firm size, but not to firm performance. This incentive to accumulate assets is congruent with the fact that firms with a large board also exhibit lower operating performance and higher operating costs. Furthermore, we find that the effect of board size is stronger in small firms. This result might explain why earlier studies, which focused on large Australian firms, found board size to have little impact on firm value.     

环境不确定性、企业高层管理者社会资本与企业绩效关系的实证研究

在对来自中国企业的438份有效问卷进行调查,以及对14位中国企业的高层管理者开展深度访谈的基础上,研究了企业高层管理者社会资本与企业绩效的关系,以及环境不确定性在两者关系间的权变作用。研究结果表明,企业高层管理者社会资本分成市场社会资本和非市场社会资本2种,这2种社会资本都会显著提高企业绩效。随着外部环境复杂程度越来越高,企业高层管理者非市场社会资本对企业绩效的正影响越来越显著;随着外部环境动荡程度越来越高,高层管理者市场社会资本对企业绩效的正影响越来越显著。此研究结论不仅通过实证检验了企业高层管理者对企业绩效的积极作用,拓宽了现有的战略管理体系对其作用的认识,而且有助于解决中国企业高层管理者的现实困惑。     

Location models for ceding market share and shrinking services

New location models are presented here for exploring the reduction of facilities in a region. The first of these models considers firms ceding market share to competitors under situations of financial exigency. The goal of this model is to cede the least market share, i.e., retain as much of the customer base as possible while shedding costly outlets. The second model considers a firm essentially without competition that must shrink it services for economic reasons. This firm is assumed to close outlets so that the degradation of service is limited. An example is offered within a competitive environment to demonstrate the usefulness of this modeling approach.     

A learning perspective on the offshoring of advanced services

Based on longitudinal case studies of offshoring of advanced IT and engineering services from Danish firms to Indian firms, this paper explores organizational learning that occurs over time in both home and host firms and uses learning as a measure of the firm impact of advanced services offshoring. The findings are consistent with the theoretical view that advanced services offshoring must be understood as an antecedent for strategic business development and organizational change in both home and host firms. The study shows that when offshoring partnerships mature and firms gain experience, learning in both home and host firms evolves over time and differs in many cases from their initial objectives and expectations. In some of the Danish firms engaging in offshoring even ignites a process of strategic transformation. Both Danish and Indian firms use the input from their offshoring partnership to upgrade their organizations and business processes.     

Managing Technology Selection and Development Risk in Competitive Environments

Managing development decisions for new products based on dynamically evolving technologies is a complex task, especially in highly competitive industries. Product managers often have to choose between introducing an incrementally better, safe new product early and a superior, yet highly risky, product later. Recommendations for managing such performance vs. time‐to‐market trade‐offs often ignore competitive reactions to development decisions. In this paper, we study how a firm could incorporate the presence of a strategic competitor in making technology selection and investment decisions regarding new products. We consider a model in which an innovating firm and its rival can introduce a new product immediately or pursue a more advanced product for later launch. Further, the firm can reduce the uncertainty surrounding product development by dedicating more resources; the effectiveness of this investment depends on the firm's innovative capacity. Our model generates two sets of insights. First, in highly competitive industries, firms can adopt different technologies and effectively use introduction timing to mitigate the effects of price competition. More importantly, the firm could strategically invest in the advanced product to influence its rival's technology choice. We characterize equilibrium development and investment decisions of the firms, and derive innovative capacity hurdles that govern a firm's choice between the risky and safe alternatives. The effects of development flexibility—where firms might have the option to revert to the safe product if the advanced product fails—are also considered.     

The Effect of Board of Directors’ IT Awareness on CIO Compensation and Firm Performance

Chief information officers (CIOs) play increasingly strategic roles in firms in this competitive global economy, which is now largely powered by information technology (IT). However, research has shown a lack of board of directors’ oversight on CIO‐ and IT‐related issues. Drawing on agency, resource dependence, and alignment theories, we investigate the effect of board of directors’ IT awareness on CIO compensation structure and firm performance. We conduct cross‐sectional time series analyses of data collected from various sources. Our study underlines three important findings. First, we show that some commonly known executive compensation determinants, such as individual characteristics and governance structure, do not have significant effects on CIO compensation structure. Second, with regard to CIO compensation structure, firms respond to increasing information asymmetry differently according to the level of IT awareness of their boards. Finally, firms perform better when their boards have higher levels of IT awareness, and this positive effect of IT awareness is considerably larger in IT intensive industries. Overall, our study provides empirical support for the important role of boards’ IT awareness in shaping CIO compensation and improving firm performance. Our results suggest that boards with functional area knowledge—or higher IT awareness in this case—can more effectively monitor and better incentivize executives, and consequently lead to better firm performance.     

The Distinctive Patterns of Dynamic Learning and Inter‐firm Differences in the Indian Pharmaceutical Industry

Technological or institutional change has proven to be a major cause of the failure of established firms, and history is full of examples. In a globalized world the capability of a firm to reconfigure existing competencies and create new knowledge for innovation has emerged as a dynamic capability to succeed. I examine the learning processes involved in the development of innovative R&D capabilities in Indian pharmaceutical firms as a response to the strengthening of patent law. The strong patent law represented a major institutional change for Indian firms which had grown in a weak patent era. The analysis shows that the development of new capabilities involved the removal of rigidities and the acquisition of new knowledge, and reveals that Indian firms are adopting strategies such as hiring of Indian scientists educated or working overseas in pharmaceutical R&D and collaborative R&D to acquire innovative R&D capabilities. It further points out the inter–intra firm heterogeneity in learning processes and suggests that the move from basic to advance level capabilities is neither linear nor automatic. It requires a deliberate effort and investment by firms in different mechanisms of learning. The Indian pharmaceutical firms' responses provide important insights for firms from other developing countries.     

竞争环境下的以旧换新策略

企业通过对拥有旧产品的老消费者提供以旧换新补贴能够提升自身销量与利润。然而,面临竞争对手时企业的以旧换新决策是否会受到影响?本文求解了先后进入市场的双寡头竞争企业所面临的以旧换新与定价博弈均衡,并分析了竞争存在与否对于企业以旧换新策略产生的影响。研究结果表明,第一,面对竞争时企业的定价决策受到市场中老消费者比例、两家竞争企业各自新产品的创新提升水平、老产品的使用残值这四个因素的共同影响。第二,当老产品残值相对较低而市场中老消费者数量适中时,两企业均不提供以旧换新可能成为博弈均衡,而其他条件下,两企业均提供以旧换新为博弈均衡。第三,先进入的企业没有动机单独为消费者提供以旧换新补贴。第四,竞争对手的存在对于先进入企业自身的以旧换新决策与相应的定价策略都产生了显著的影响。     

Promotion,Turnover, and Compensation in the Executive Labor Market

This paper develops a generalized Roy model with human capital accumulation, moral hazard, and career concerns. We identify and estimate the model with a large panel that matches data on publicly listed firms to information on their executives. The structural estimates obtained are used to decompose the firm‐size pay gap. We find that although total compensation and incentive pay increase with firm size, certainty‐equivalent pay decreases with firm size. In larger firms, and for more highly ranked executives, weaker signal quality about effort results in higher risk premiums. This risk premium accounts for roughly 80 percent of the firm‐size gap in total compensation. Larger firms are also willing to pay more than smaller ones to attract executives. Finally, the estimated coefficients on human capital accumulation from formal education and experience gained from different firms are individually significant, but their collective effect on firm‐size pay differentials nets out.     

Equilibrium Labor Turnover,Firm Growth,and Unemployment

This paper considers equilibrium quit turnover in a frictional labor market with costly hiring by firms, where large firms employ many workers and face both aggregate and firm specific productivity shocks. There is exogenous firm turnover as new (small) startups enter the market over time, while some existing firms fail and exit. Individual firm growth rates are disperse and evolve stochastically. The paper highlights how dynamic monopsony, where firms trade off lower wages against higher (endogenous) employee quit rates, yields excessive job‐to‐job quits. Such quits directly crowd out the reemployment prospects of the unemployed. With finite firm productivity states, stochastic equilibrium is fully tractable and can be computed using standard numerical techniques.