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The purpose of this paper is to investigate what role national top management team diversity (TMTD) plays in foreign-owned subsidiary performance. The authors develop a conceptual framework based on the asset bundling model and the neo-configurational perspective to argue that the impact of TMTD on subsidiary performance depends on its conjunction with other assets.

The authors test our framework on a sample of subsidiaries located in the emerging economies of Thailand and Taiwan. The authors utilise structural equation modelling and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis techniques.

The results indicate that TMTD can contribute and hurt subsidiary performance depending on its bundling with other assets such as organisational network strength, competencies, as well as regional and cultural differences between the home and host country.

This is one of the first studies to empirically test the asset bundling model in the context of national TMTD in foreign-owned subsidiaries using a configurational approach.

The performance of public–private partnership (PPP) projects depends on how the project has been structured. The traditional PPP option analysis for structuring project scope and size relating to the bundling of functions concerning a single component of the value chain will need to be extended to handle multi-component sectors such as municipal solid waste (MSW) in formulating the project scope. This analysis is currently missing in the extant literature. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Through a comprehensive literature review as the methodological backbone, this study develops a testable holistic framework for the procurement of MSW PPP projects that examines how various factors of bundling affect the performance of the PPP projects.

Using transaction cost economics, agency and auction theories, the review identifies that innovation, maturity, quality specifiability, scope, competition, information asymmetries and transaction attributes have a significant influence on the performance and success of the PPP projects.

Alternative supply chain management possibilities and firm-level organisational ways can be predicted using this framework to strategize the solutions for the municipal infrastructure. Based on this contribution, future research can test the framework to increase the knowledge of bundling theory about how to structure network infrastructure PPP projects.

Studies on how to bundle/unbundle the projects having components of the value chain are in a nascent stage. The present study attempts to extend the body of knowledge on PPP to the complexity of bundling both the functions and components of the value chain in structuring the PPP project scope.

This research aims to assess variations of motivations when studying international location decisions. In particular, this study aims to assess the influence of diverse motivations – seeking technology, seeking brand assets, seeking markets, seeking resources and escaping institutional constraints – as determinants of the international location choice of emerging market multinational enterprises (EM MNEs) entering least developed, emerging, and developed countries.

The authors develop a set of hypotheses based on the ownership–location–internalization framework and complement it with an institutional perspective. The conceptual model posits that the different internationalization motivations (seeking technology, seeking brand assets, seeking markets, seeking resources and escaping institutional constraints) will impact the location choice of EM MNEs in developed economies, emerging markets or least developed countries. This study uses the 2013 survey data collected by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. The final sample of analysis of this research includes 693 observations.

After controlling for several variables, two-stage Heckman regressions show there is a variation of motivations when EM MNEs enter least developed countries, emerging markets and developed economies. EM MNEs are motivated to enter least developed countries to seek markets and resources. Conversely, those firms enter developed countries in their search for technological assets and to escape institutional constraints at home. While the present study findings show a clear difference in the motivations that lead to location choice in least developed vs developed countries, the results are not as clear for location in other emerging countries.

The paper offers empirical support for the importance of motivations as crucial determinants of location choice.

This paper provides a detailed quantitative study on the internationalization location choice of EM MNEs based on their motivations. Though theoretical models underscore the importance of motivations, we know very little about how, in practice, motivations drive location choice. This study contributes to the international location choice literature a deeper understanding of how diverse motivations drive choices of expansion into developed economies, emerging markets or least developed countries.

Recent research studies have increasingly suggested leadership as a major antecedent to encourage innovative work behavior among business employees. Empirical studies which investigated the influence of various leadership aspects such as style and ethics on employees' innovative performance and unraveled the mechanism through which leadership exerts its impact on employees' innovative work behavior were restricted. Thus, the purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between ethical leadership and employees' innovative performance by focusing on the mediating role of two forms of the intellectual capital (IC), i.e. human capital and social capital.

Data for present research were collected through in person administered questionnaire-based survey from the managerial level employees of the targeted sample of the manufacturing firms. Furthermore, due consideration was given while selecting the individuals from R&D departments of these organizations, who were typically involved in knowledge-intensive jobs and where application of intellectual assets was needed.

Ethical leadership was observed as to positively influencing employees' innovative performance. Two forms of IC, i.e. human capital and social capital were observed as playing mediating role in the ethical leadership – employees' innovative performance relationship.

The contemporary research study adds value in the literature of the ethical leadership. The most imperative theoretical contribution of the present research study underlines the psychological process, i.e. IC by which ethical leaders encourage innovative behavior among employees.

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to ongoing debates regarding the human resource management (HRM)-firm performance relationship. In seeking to provide a more complete picture of the relationship, the paper discusses the existing literature and proposes an integrative framework that draws upon different literatures and multiple theoretical perspectives.

This review includes nearly 100 research studies published in this field. The review includes papers published in mainstream HRM journals and broader management journals with strong ties to HRM literature. Importantly, the paper also identifies a gap – a missing link – that concerns the importance of incorporating insights from corporate governance (CG) literature when considering strategic HR decision-making.

A significant contribution of this paper to theory is to propose an integrative framework that conceptualises the elusive relationship between HRM and firm performance, and which draws on different literatures and multiple theoretical perspectives in to offer more holistic insights into the relationship. The paper discusses the implications of the integrative perspective for theory and practice.

This paper argues that one of the main stumbling blocks for developing a better understanding of the mechanisms through which HRM creates value in an organisation is the fragmentation of the HRM literature between “HR as practices” and “HR as the department/profession”, as well as a tendency to neglect insights from the CG literature.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role and the relevance of knowledge‐based capital as a strategic resource and a source of regional innovation capacity. The paper identifies human, relational, structural and social capital as the four main knowledge‐based categories building the knowledge‐based capital of a region. The role of each knowledge‐based category in determining regional innovation capacity is analyzed. Specifically, the authors discuss the relationships among the knowledge‐based categories and a regional innovation capacity.

The paper is based on an in‐depth literature review of the knowledge management and regional innovation research stream. The fundamental underlying research questions that have driven the research are: “What are the knowledge‐based capital categories affecting a region's innovation capacity?” and “How do knowledge‐based categories influence regional innovation capacity?”. The paper is conceptual in its nature and aims to delineate a theory‐based framework to drive further empirical research.

The paper first clarifies the concept of knowledge‐based capital and of regional innovation capacity. These are two key concepts for understanding the role and relevance of the knowledge assets bundles in the creation, development and management of innovation capabilities at regional level. Then the paper explores how knowledge‐based components affect the innovation capacity of a region. This is an issue of great relevance for both theory and practice. From the theory point of view it allows the identification of the main factors characterising the links between knowledge assets and innovation capacity, while from a practical point of view it can provide implications for policy makers for the definition of policies oriented towards the development of regional knowledge asset domains to develop regional innovation capacity.

The paper provides an answer to the need to develop a holistic view of the links between a region's knowledge‐based capital and its innovation capacity. Indeed, most of the studies in the literature have analysed the links between isolated knowledge asset categories and innovation capabilities. The paper, on the basis of a clear definition of knowledge‐based capital and innovation capacity, analyses why regional knowledge foundations make differences in the innovation capacity of regions.

This paper proposes and models stock loan lotteries, a financial innovation that improves individual investor welfare. Stock loan lotteries are prize-linked payoffs using securities lending fees.

This paper solves an existing theoretical model for an investor's utility-maximizing choices with and without stock loan lotteries and compares outcomes.

Stock loan lotteries motivate prospect theory investors to buy and hold risky assets with high expected returns. Stock loan lotteries improve welfare more for poor investors and improve welfare more in a model with market frictions such as trading costs.

Stock loan lotteries increase household savings, leading to greater financial wealth and security in retirement.

This paper proposes a new financial product that improves financial outcomes for individual investors.

The Web 3D virtual display technology for personalized clothing based on Unity3D is studied in this paper. The framework of the technology is described. The development steps including personalized clothing design and modeling, interaction and virtual display technology based on Unity3D are given out. The purpose of this paper is to provide a feasible technical route and support for the virtual display for the customized products.

The paper opted for an exploratory study using the open-ended approach of grounded theory, including the Web 3D virtual display technology for personalized clothing based on Unity3D.

A feasible technical route for the virtual display of the customized products is provides in this paper.

This paper fulfills a software and has practical use.

Outsourcing is a common practice that is often adopted to reduce costs and enhance capabilities. The underlying logic of a firm's outsourcing strategy is not always evident due to multiple antecedents with interacting effects. This study identifies critical factors that influence outsourcing strategies and reveals their interactions with empirical evidence from Chinese construction firms.

The quantitative decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method was applied to analyze the interrelationships among the antecedents of project outsourcing strategies. First, 24 experts from 13 Chinese construction firms were invited to evaluate and score the influence of each factor on the other. Second, the graph theory and matrix tools of DEMATEL were used to quantitatively obtain the causality among factors and the prominence of each factor within the system.

Among the antecedents, a firm's pursuit of cost efficiency, identity, technological capability and contracting capability are the most prominent factors influencing project outsourcing strategies. For the interactions among these factors, this study reveals that the focal firm's technological capability significantly influences its contracting capability, and they jointly influence the firm's outsourcing practices, the selection of outsourcing vendors and, eventually, its pursuit of cost efficiency. Moreover, legal restrictions in the institutional environment strongly shape this capability–cost efficiency relationship.

Twelve critical factors following different theoretical perspectives at varying levels of analysis were identified from the literature review. By revealing the interrelationships among these factors, this study develops a holistic framework that integrates the transaction cost and capability perspectives for understanding project outsourcing strategies embedded in different institutional environments.

This paper seeks to outline the driving forces behind the acceleration of cross‐border mergers and acquisitions (CBMAs) and to review the recent trends involving United Kingdom (UK) companies.

The paper draws on data available from Thomson One Banker and the Office of National Statistics, to examine the trends in CBMAs between 1996 and 2005.

The driving forces underlying the trend of CBMAs are complex and vary by sector. One of the most significant driving forces is technological change. In addition, changes to government policies influence CBMAs by opening up opportunities and increasing the availability of favourable targets for mergers and acquisitions (M&As). Other forces are market drivers, industry‐level drivers and firm‐level drivers. The scale of CBMAs involving UK companies has increased rapidly in recent years. The area analysis shows that European Union (EU) companies are the most significant target for UK companies followed by the USA and Canada. In terms of distribution within sectors, UK companies tend to acquire more manufacturing companies in the EU, the USA and Canada than in the Asia‐Pacific region. In contrast, UK companies tend to acquire more service sector companies in the Asia‐Pacific region than in the EU, the USA and Canada.

The paper provides an accessible account of drivers of CBMAs and considers in detail the value and scale of activity relating to UK CBMAs. The paper will be of value to academics and practitioners interested in CBMAs as an important element of firm strategy.