组织因素对ERP使用绩效的影响机制——基于中国数据的实证研究

ERP系统使用过程中,企业组织内"非技术"要素起着协调系统与现有资源的关键作用.本文从组织的视角出发,基于中国数据研究组织变革与高层领导支持要素在ERP系统使用过程中对企业绩效的影响及其作用机制.利用结构方程模型方法对数据进行了统计分析.结果发现,ERP系统使用程度对企业业务流程效率和企业业绩都有积极影响,其中流程效率起到部分中介的作用;组织变革与高层领导支持在ERP系统使用过程中都对企业的业绩产生了积极的促进作用.组织变革通过影响ERP的使用来影响流程效率,进而影响企业业绩;而高层管理支持则通过同时影响ERP使用和流程效率来影响企业业绩.     

Connecting external knowledge usage and firm performance: An empirical analysis

Prior research suggests that firms create breakthrough innovations by using external knowledge, but it also underscores the difficulties firms face in acquiring and applying external knowledge. In this paper, we combine these insights to examine the conditions under which external knowledge usage will either enhance or erode firm performance. In particular, we argue that high external knowledge usage has a negative effect on performance when firms enter multiple new product markets, but a positive effect on performance when firms using external knowledge have higher absorptive capacity. We find general support for our hypotheses, which we test using patent citation data from the global integrated circuit manufacturing industry. Our findings have important implications for managers of firms making strategic decisions about their firms’ product portfolios and the degree to which they use external knowledge.     

Innovation in family firms: an empirical analysis linking organizational and managerial innovation to corporate success

Family firms play a significant role in national economies worldwide, accounting e.g. for 85% of all enterprises in the OECD countries as well as for the majority of companies in Central Europe. Previous scholarly research on family firms has mostly focused on the question of how they differ from public corporations, describing family firms as being more conservative, less risk-raking, or reluctant to grow—in sum, as being less entrepreneurial than their non-family counterparts. Similarly, the existing literature often criticizes the lack of innovation in family firms. But since innovation has long been discovered as one of the key drivers to company success, it is surprising that its role in family firms has been mostly neglected in existing academic research so far. The aim of this article is therefore to study the role of (managerial and organizational) innovation in family firms compared to non-family firms on the basis of an empirical survey of 533 companies from Finland, using structural equation modelling (MPlus) for the statistical analyses.     

Strategic technology alliance termination: An empirical investigation

There is growing consensus that overall alliance termination rates are high. However, despite this track record of termination and despite unsurpassed growth rates of strategic technology alliances, little is known about the reasons for their termination. Typically strategic alliances have been characterized as inherently instable, i.e. often involving unplanned and premature termination of the alliance by partnering firms indicating alliance failure. The literature on strategic technology alliances, however, proposes that alliance termination does not always indicate failure, but can be intended and can be a sign of strength. We examine these different perceptions by using a sample of 48 strategic technology alliances in different high-technology industries. The findings in the paper confirm that the rates of termination are rather high for strategic technology alliances. Overall, we found that in particular negative prospects about future cooperation, negative perceptions about joint benefits and the lack of a win-win situation had an impact on the decision to terminate a strategic technology alliance. Also, the fact that some companies opt only for short-term (not for long-term and renewed) cooperation seems to introduce a negative factor into the longevity of strategic technology alliances.     

Prioritization of corporate goals in Saudi Arabia: An exploratory investigation

This paper tries to fill partially the informational gap in the area of organizational goals. Data provided by four Saudi Arabian industries-namely: petrochemicals, packaging, electric & electronics, and food processing, indicate that goal-setting processes may be influenced by several factors. Profitability, growth, and social responsibility were ranked among the top four goals in all four industries. The nature of the industry and environmental factors have a strong influence on these processes. This study highlights the importance of culture for joint ventures and its impact on goal-setting in Saudi Arabia.     

Language effects in cross-cultural management research: An empirical investigation

This study investigates the extent to which language has effects on the responses of bilingual Arabian Gulf students and Arabian Gulf middle managers to questionnaire items in Arabic (their native language) and English (their second language). Findings relating to subjects showed a significant difference in responding to the Arabic and also English versions of the treatment instrument which supports a cultural contingency approach. That is, different levels of English language acquisition resulted in different findings.     

Hofstede's cultural dimensions in the GCC countries: An empirical investigation

Managerial values are not the same across the world. Therefore, Multinational Corporations may be making costly decisions if they assume that corporate policies will receive the same attention, understanding or acceptance in their branches over the world. This paper applies Hofstede's four cultural dimensions to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. It also compares Hofstede's results with regard to these four cultural dimensions with our findings. The results of this study show that countries change. They reemphasize the concept that ethnocentric management theories have been untenable. This implies the necessity that Multinational Corporations should study the culture of the country they plan to do business with before starting the negotiations process that precedes the operations in that country and also to monitor changes in the life style of these countries over time. When Multinational Corporations become aware of the international workforce management and the differences between different cultures, they will save themselves costly troubles, loss of qualified personnel as well as loosing international customers. Therefore, it is important for Multinational Corporations to utilize management theories available to them through research and experience.The program leading to this article was supported in part by a grant from KFUPM.     

Antecedents and performance outcomes of global competence: An empirical investigation

We examine the role of commitment to supply chain management (CSCM) and information technology (IT) in the achievement of global competence (GC). Through an empirical examination of 667 manufacturing business units in the U.S., we confirm the importance of global competence using two objective measures of firm performance. We investigate the direct effects of CSCM and experience with IT on performance, in addition to their indirect effects through global competence. We show global competence to be linked directly to objective measures of sales, and indirectly to return on assets (ROA). Despite manufacturers’ hefty investments in IT, we find that experience with IT does not drive ROA directly, but only indirectly through global competence and sales.     

Understanding innovation performance and its antecedents: A socio-cognitive model

Little attention in the previous literature has been paid to understanding employees’ factors that drive customer development knowledge and performance from the perspective of social psychology. Drawing on social cognitive theory, this study validates a research model that examines the above issue. In the setting of new product development across high-tech firms in Taiwan, this study postulates that innovation self-efficacy, role conflict, and role ambiguity influence innovation performance directly and indirectly via the mediation of customer knowledge development and innovation outcome expectation. This study contributes to the social science literature by applying social cognitive theory to the rarely explored area of innovation performance and by presenting an operationalization of role stressors (i.e., role ambiguity and role conflict) in the area. Lastly, managerial implications and limitations from the empirical findings are provided.     

An outsourcing model for lead users: an empirical investigation

Product development costs have been increasing constantly over the past few decades. Outsourcing some or all of the new product development (NPD) activities to external parties is increasingly becoming a popular option in the quest to reduce costs. Lead users (LUs), a special group of users that experience needs earlier than the public, have been identified as an important source of innovative ideas. In this article, we explore and compare the cost impact of outsourcing activities to LUs relative to in-house NPD. Using survey data from 376 European manufacturers, we show that LUs’ impact on cost reduction is higher than that achieved through higher performing in-house NPD teams. The unique attributes of LUs make them a favourable outsourcing partner of NPD activity that can help reduce costs whilst increasing an organisation's innovative ability. The reduction in costs is a combination of the information sharing benefits achieved through in-house NPD and the outsourcing of NPD activities to LUs.     

An empirical investigation of stalled residential sites in England

Drawing upon a national database of unimplemented planning permissions and 18 in-depth case studies, this paper provides both a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the phenomenon of stalled sites in England. The practical and conceptual difficulties of classifying sites as stalled are critically reviewed. From the literature, it is suggested that planning permission may not be implemented due to lack of financial viability, strategic behaviour by landowners and house-builders, and other problems associated with the development process. Consistent with poor viability, the analysis of a national database indicates that a substantial proportion of stalled sites are high density apartment developments usually is located in low house value areas. The case studies suggest that a combination of interlinked issues may need to be resolved before a planning permission can be implemented. These include; the sale of the land to house-builders, renegotiation of the planning permission and, most importantly, improvement in housing market conditions.     

Information systems,strategic flexibility and firm performance: An empirical investigation

This study investigated the bottom-line impacts of IS support for strategic flexibility. The performance effects of IS support for two key components of strategic flexibility (product flexibility and cross-functional coordination) and the moderating effects of unique, complementary knowledge and information were examined and tested with both survey and archival data. The results showed that IS support for product flexibility was positively related to sales growth and returns on sales. The study also found a stronger association between IS support for product flexibility and ROS, and a positive relationship between IS support for cross-functional coordination and sales growth, when IS were complemented by unique knowledge and information.     

HRM practices of Canadian and US manufacturing firms: An empirical investigation

This research investigates human resource management HRM practices of manufacturing firms in Ontario, Canada n = 141 , and midwestern United States n = 100 . Differences in sources of recruitment and selection instruments used by firms in the two countries are examined. The study also compares various training, compensation, and other HRM issues. We found major differences in HRM practices of manufacturing firms in the US and Canada.     

An empirical study of the relationship between a self-service technology investment and firm financial performance

More and more enterprises are taking advantage of self-service technologies (SSTs) in their customer-related operating activities, especially service firms. Although research on SSTs is prevalent, few studies have examined the impact of SSTs on firm financial performance. Given the growing importance of SSTs in the service industries in general and in the banking industry in particular, we therefore empirically examined the impacts of ATMs, one of the most widely accepted SSTs, on bank financial performance. Contrary to the existing literature, our results show ATMs have a positive relationship with profitability. However, we find no association between ATMs and growth performance.     

Organizational emotional capability,product and process innovation,and firm performance: An empirical analysis

The concept of emotional capability is one of the competencies that a firm has which is vital for the daily life of the organization. However, the effect of emotional capability, involving the dynamics of encouragement, displaying freedom, playfulness, experiencing, reconciliation, and identification constructs on the firm innovativeness (i.e., product and process) is interestingly missing in the technology and innovation management (TIM) literature. In this study, by investigating 163 Turkish firms, the dynamics of encouragement and experiencing were found to have a positive association with both firm product and process innovativeness; and the dynamics of displaying freedom have a positive relationship with firm process innovativeness. We also demonstrate that the impact of emotional capability constructs on firm innovativeness is contingent upon environmental uncertainty. Specifically, we find that the influence of the dynamics of encouragement on firm product innovation increases with increased rate of environmental uncertainty. Interestingly, the relationship between the dynamics of experiencing and product innovation across low, medium, and high levels of environmental uncertainty is an ∩-shaped. And, the relationship between the dynamics of displaying freedom and product innovation across low, medium, and high levels of environmental uncertainty is a U-shaped. In addition, we show that a firm's emotional capability influences its financial and market performance via firm innovativeness. We discuss the theoretical and managerial implications of the study's findings.     

The negotiating style of Saudi industrial buyers: An empirical investigation

This study investigates the negotiating styles of Saudi industrial buyers. Thomas’s Topology as measured by Rahim’s instrument is used in this study. The results suggest that three are two dominant styles of negotiation in the Saudi context, namely: the competitive and collaborative styles.     

An empirical investigation of managerial achievement,job statisfaction and values: An informational perspective

Provision of appropriate information and feedback to managers is crucial for the success of an organization. This study examines the availability and desirability of various informational feedback mechanisms to a group of managers in Saudi Arabia. Study results highlight some interesting differences among managers with varying value orientations and satisfaction profiles in terms of their informational needs. Implications of the findings are discussed.     

电子商务应用能力——理论构建与实证检验

为了更好地理解企业间电子商务技术改善供应链绩效需要哪些中间能力以及它们之间的相互关系,基于IT过程观和能力层级观,识别出了三种不同层级的中间能力,即电子商务应用能力、电子商务系统能力及电子商务协同战略支持能力,并构建了电子商务应用能力影响其他两种能力的概念模型.152份来自我国制造企业的有效样本通过验证性因子分析验证了电子商务应用能力的多维度组成,及其对电子商务系统能力的直接效应、对电子商务协同战略支持能力的直接和间接效应、以及对这两种能力的调节效应.     

Just-in-time purchasing: an empirical investigation

The just-in-time (JIT) literature suggests that, for JIT to be successful, a manufacturing firm has to make changes in its purchasing operations. However, empirical examination of the JIT purchasing related issues is limited. For example, a literature search identified 49 JIT purchasing articles. Of these, only 14 are empirical studies; two dealing with statistical testing of a few JIT purchasing issues. This comprehensive empirical study is undertaken to investigate (a) changes in the purchasing attributes since JIT implementation, (b) supplier evaluation cri-teria, and (c) problems with JIT purchasing implementation. Statistically significant changes are observed in 28 out of 32 attributes identified in the literature, suggesting that the manufacturing firms are successfully implementing JIT purchasing programmes. Of the 14 supplier evaluation criteria, the empirical investigation shows nine of them being important. Erratic demand for the product and customized product are found to be problematic (but not very problematic as suggested in the JIT literature( in JIT purchasing implementation.     

家族期望落差与创业退出：基于中国数据的分析

作为创业过程的重要活动之一, 创业退出并未引起学者太多的关注, 大多数现有研究文献从企业家、企业、行业和宏观环境去分析创业退出的原因, 而忽略了创业家族的影响.本文以家族期望作为分析单元, 从理论上探讨了家族期望落差与创业退出之间的关系, 以及寻租活动在其间的传导效应.本文的经验分析主要得到了以下研究结论: (1) 新创企业的创始人及其家族具有多重期望目标, 包括家族财富、家族声望、家族团结以及人丁兴旺期望的实现. (2) 家族期望落差对企业家是否选择创业退出具有显著的影响, 即家族的财富丰腴、团结和谐和社会声望期望落差越大则家族企业创始人越倾向于退出经营领域, 而人丁兴旺期望落差越小则越有可能坚持创业. (3) 寻租行为在家族期望落差与创业退出之间起中介传导效应, 即家族期望的未实现将导致企业主倾向于选择非法性寻租行为, 而寻租的高成本与潜在的风险则会进一步增加其退出创业的可能性.