Leveraging the common and outsourcing the distinct: institutional difference and multinational company identity in emerging economies

ABSTRACT

This paper explores the challenges of outsidership faced by multinational companies (MNCs) accessing emerging economies. The paper departs from popular conceptualisations of culture drawing instead on social identity theory as part of an institutions-based view, to explain how employing a singularities approach can allow the identification of commonalities of Indianness and Australianness that can be leveraged to ameliorate negative socially embedded business norms that pose a challenge to MNC success in emerging economies. This study shows that despite recognised formal (regulatory) and informal (cultural) differences, managers of Australian MNCs operating in India were able to innovatively identify and exploit cultural commonalties/singularities to ease cultural adjustment and mitigate intergroup conflict, allowing them to achieve an innovative institutional fit. The paper discusses how, using this approach, sole-venture MNCs can access many of the benefits provided by collaborative entry modes while preserving MNC identity. We further propose that the singularities approach can provide a valuable starting point to develop culturally appropriate competence training initiatives.     

制度环境、风险感知对供应链网络治理模式选择的影响研究

本文以新制度理论与交易成本理论进行对话,从合法性视角构建中国情境下制度环境、风险感知与供应链网络治理模式选择之间影响机理的理论模型。通过问卷调查的方式收集117份有效问卷,并采用结构方程模型方法实证检验制度环境、风险感知对供应链网络治理模式的"形塑"作用。研究结果表明,制度环境是影响供应链网络治理模式选择的重要因素,强制制度对供应链网络治理模式选择具有显著影响,规范制度的影响作用不显著。在供应链网络治理模式选择过程中关系风险感知具有完全中介作用,而绩效风险感知具有部分中介作用。     

组织特点、外部约束与行业协会能力

构建行业协会制度能力和服务能力测度指标,实证研究表明:协会组织特点、外部约束对于制度能力以及制度能力对于服务能力具有影响。组织特点中,协会兼职或离退休官员的存在不利于协会制度能力提高,尤其是离退休官员。收入虽然对制度能力没影响,但显著影响了服务能力。外部约束中,行业竞争不利于协会制度能力,也没有影响服务能力,反而容易诱发协会寻租活动。协会间竞争对于制度能力、服务能力都没有影响,但对寻租活动抑制效果显著。政策只对协会促进会员遵守规则的制度能力具有正向作用,对协会服务能力提升没有产生效果,仅减少了协会寻租可能。制度能力对于协会总体服务能力和正向服务能力都具有积极作用,而对于负向能力没有影响。     

新制度经济学视阈中的当代中国意识形态建构

整体上看,中国的意识形态为改革演进起到了新制度经济学所说的良好的社会动员、社会整合和激励作用,确保了改革的成功。但主流意识形态在理论和现实的挑战与冲突中趋于弱化,也是不争的事实。建构当代中国的意识形态,要以马克思主义为指导,牢牢把握先进文化的前进方向;应把个人精神生活、一般思想理论与国家意识形态适当分离,在个人观念的竞争中实现接合;应提炼现实、接轨世界、转型话语,以社会公正与和谐为中心进行价值重组,积极创新与发展马克思主义,赢得接合中的主导权;应继续保证政治统治的"绩效合法性"。     

我国旅游资源经营权转让中的制度安排研究

转让旅游资源经营权已成为当前我国许多景区管理和经营改革过程中引入企业化经营的一种制度创新模式,目前在旅游资源经营权转让问题上存在一些政策的禁区和理论的障碍。通过对经营权转让存在问题的分析,认为通过科学合理的制度安排是解决问题的关键。旅游景区(点)经营权转让中制度安排的重点是各利益主体的责、权、利制度安排。同时应用重复博弈中的重复剔除占优策略均衡模型,论证了在合理的制度安排下,旅游景区经营者为了长期的经济效益,必将采取保护景区生态环境的战略。     

Sense of School Membership and Associated Academic and Psychological Outcomes in Post-Institutionalized Adopted High School Students

Research highlights lasting cognitive and academic challenges in youth internationally adopted from institutional care. However, there is a lack of research examining internationally adopted students' sense of membership at school and associated academic and psychological outcomes. The current study measured sense of school membership and academic and psychological outcomes in post-institutionalized internationally adopted high school students (n = 29) compared to adolescents internationally adopted from foster care (n = 28) and non-adopted adolescents (n = 32). Post-institutionalized males had a lower sense of school membership than males adopted from foster care or non-adopted males. Group differences in school membership were mediated by academic achievement and psychological well-being.     

Good personal finances or a strong social capital—on different life conditions of importance for an active life when becoming alone in old age

Becoming alone in old age can be a decisive life event that brings major changes depending on various causes as health status, financial resources, family situation, and available welfare services. This article discusses the situation of older people in Sweden who have transitioned from a two-person to single-person household in recent years and what impact this might have on their everyday lives. Through in-depth interviews with 18 older people, age 67–90, their experiences about life conditions and opportunities were examined. Findings showed large differences between the men and women. They all tried to live as they always had done and they used the same personal life strategies that they always had. But the men could live as before on their own financial merits, while the women needed assistance from children, grandchildren and the welfare system. Transportation options were central and clearly related to both private economy and social services available. Shortcomings in the welfare state's way of caring for the elderly were clearly uncovered. The gap between social policy promises of opportunities for autonomy and independence to live an active life in old age and the everyday reality for older people still seems to be wide.     

Using institutional ethnography's ideological circle to portray how textually mediated disability discourse paralysed a Supreme Court of Canada ruling

Persons with disabilities created through texts as damaged goods are being ‘cured’ by workplace accommodation, a textually mediated work process. Prior to 1999, workplace accommodation in the Canadian federal public service signified the adjustments necessary to enable a disabled worker to fit into a workplace designed for able-bodied workers. In 1999, a Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) ruling known as Meiorin turned this accommodation provision on its head. Instead of being focused on individual-level fixes so that a disabled worker could be accommodated in an existing workplace, this legislation required employers to transform their workplaces so as to make them ready to receive as many different types of workers as reasonably possible from the outset. Using Dorothy E. Smith's institutional ethnography, I use my experiences as a disability rights activist employed in the Canadian federal public service to explicate how textually mediated disability discourse paralysed this groundbreaking SCC ruling.     

城市基础设施供给不足的制度经济分析

文章从计划经济体制的弊端、投资体制改革落后、对消费者的需求偏好界定成本过高等制度经济学的角度入手,分析了基础设施供给不足的原因。政府只有转换角色定位,创新融资模式,开展多元化融资、进行地方政府联合投资、引入私人合作开发,才能加快城市化进程中基础设施的供给。