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1 – 10 of over 113000Viktor Prokop, Jan Stejskal, Beata Mikusova Merickova and Samuel Amponsah Odei
The purpose of this study is to introduce innovative ideas into the treatment of the radical and incremental innovations and to fill the research gap by using: (1) methods that…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to introduce innovative ideas into the treatment of the radical and incremental innovations and to fill the research gap by using: (1) methods that can perform complicated tasks and solve complex problems leading in creation of radical and incremental innovation and (2) a broad sample of firms across countries. The authors’ ambition is to contribute to the scientific knowledge by producing evidence about the novel usage of artificial neural network techniques for measuring European firms' innovation activities appearing in black boxes of innovation processes.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, the authors incorporate an international context into Chesbrough's open innovation (OI) theory and, on the one hand, support the hypothesis that European radical innovators benefit more from foreign cooperation than incremental innovators. On the other hand, the results of the analyses show that European incremental innovators rely on domestic cooperation supported by cooperation with foreign public research institutes. Moreover, the use of decision trees (DT) allows the authors to reveal specific patterns of successful innovators emerging within the hidden layers of neural networks.
Findings
The authors prove that radical European innovators using either internal or external R&D strategies, while the combinations of these strategies do not bring successful innovation outputs. In contrast, European incremental innovators benefit from various internal R&D processes in which engagement in design activities plays a crucial role.
Originality/value
The authors introduce innovative ideas into the treatment of hidden innovation processes and measuring the innovation performance (affected by domestic or international cooperation) of European firms. The approach places emphasis on the novelty of innovation and the issue of international cooperation in the era of OI by designing the framework using a combination of artificial neural networks and DT.
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Aim of the present monograph is the economic analysis of the role of MNEs regarding globalisation and digital economy and in parallel there is a reference and examination of some…
Abstract
Aim of the present monograph is the economic analysis of the role of MNEs regarding globalisation and digital economy and in parallel there is a reference and examination of some legal aspects concerning MNEs, cyberspace and e‐commerce as the means of expression of the digital economy. The whole effort of the author is focused on the examination of various aspects of MNEs and their impact upon globalisation and vice versa and how and if we are moving towards a global digital economy.
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Shinichi Ishii and Jean-François Hennart
Purpose – We investigate whether the partnership behavior of Japanese partners in their joint ventures (JVs) with European partners in Europe can be explained by the Trojan horse…
Abstract
Purpose – We investigate whether the partnership behavior of Japanese partners in their joint ventures (JVs) with European partners in Europe can be explained by the Trojan horse hypothesis (THH) view or by the cooperative specialization (CS) view. The THH view assumes that Japanese firms establish JVs to steal the knowledge of their partners and dissolve JVs as soon as they have achieved their goals. The CS view, on the other hand, argues that Japanese firms set up JVs to achieve CS and that these JVs will be stable.
Methodology – First, we derive implications of both the THH and the CS views for the longevity of JVs. Second, we make a census of all Japanese–European JVs manufacturing in 1987 and analyze their evolution to 1996. Third, we count how many of these JVs have evolved in ways that are predicted by the THH and the CS views. We argue that a particular view is supported if the number of JVs following the predicted path is larger than that following alternative paths.
Findings – We find that the partnership behavior of Japanese firms is more consistent with a CS view than with a THH view.
Limitations – This is a conservative test of THH behavior since JVs can dissolve for other reasons than the knowledge-stealing behavior of their Japanese partners.
Value of chapter – This is, as far as we know, the only study that has investigated the evolution of the population of Japanese–European JVs in Europe and has derived implications for the validity of the THH and CS views of JVs.
Australia has strong European traditions, rooted in its history of the past 200 years. On the other hand, Australia differs from many European countries in a number of important…
Abstract
Australia has strong European traditions, rooted in its history of the past 200 years. On the other hand, Australia differs from many European countries in a number of important respects, including geography, population density and aspects of government economic policy. This paper uses data from the International Manufacturing Strategy Survey (1996‐98) to examine how these similarities and differences may have impacted on the manufacturing strategies adopted by firms in the two regions. Whilst Australian and European manufacturers seem similar in many respects, in that they are listening to their customers, adopting quality strategies and utilizing technology, there are important differences in the speed of adoption of some aspects of these approaches. In particular, European manufacturers introduced a number of manufacturing technologies earlier and are using them more extensively than their Australian counterparts, whilst health, environmental and safety activities seem to be more prominent among Australian firms.
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This paper aims to explore internationalisation strategies of service firms in sectors where markets become increasingly globalised while resource environments still remain…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore internationalisation strategies of service firms in sectors where markets become increasingly globalised while resource environments still remain distinctively shaped by national institutions.
Design/methodology/approach
A theoretical framework is proposed that suggests that the more firms expand their business activities across borders by building up offices abroad or merging with firms from other countries, the more likely they are to embrace recombinant strategies to blend elements of different societal legacies. Subsequently, a comparative case study of internationalisation strategies, governance modes and organisational forms of European and US law firms is presented to illustrate the value of the framework, followed by the analysis of a novel data set on multi‐jurisdictional qualifications of partners in these international law firms.
Findings
By virtue of their integrative organisational model and mobilisation of versatile legal competences, large pan‐European law firms are challenging the dominance of US law firms in international legal markets, while the latter in response are revising their own previous export‐oriented internationalisation strategy.
Research limitations/implications
The present study provides a starting point for further research on internationalisation in service industries.
Originality/value
The framework is useful to expand effect societal analysis to dynamic international environments.
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This empirical research based on a sample of 154 companies in Canada,USA, Germany and Denmark compares new product development practices inNorth America and Europe. A literature…
Abstract
This empirical research based on a sample of 154 companies in Canada, USA, Germany and Denmark compares new product development practices in North America and Europe. A literature survey established a research model consisting of six blocks of criteria thought to influence the outcome of new product development efforts. The data collection tool, a mailed questionnaire, was established. It was hypothesized that new product development programmes and their outcomes were not different between Europe and North America. The findings indicate there are significant programme and outcome differences between those two areas. On average the European firms followed more practices that are considered “good new product development practices” and were more positive about their new product development results. The differences between North American and European firms′ approaches can be, at least to some degree, explained by cultural/national conditions.
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Tanveer Ahsan, Muhammad Azeem Qureshi, Ammar Ali Gull and Fazal Muhammad
The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of policy uncertainty on firm performance and to examine how the different cultural societies deal with the policy-induced…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of policy uncertainty on firm performance and to examine how the different cultural societies deal with the policy-induced uncertainty.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use data of European non-financial firms to extend the growing literature on policy uncertainty, firm performance and national culture. The authors consider financial as well as market proxies to measure firm performance and use Hofstede's cultural dimensions as a proxy for national culture. The authors apply the generalized method of moments (GMM-system) regression technique on a dataset of 702 non-financial European firms, listed during the period 2002–2018.
Findings
The authors find overwhelming evidence that policy uncertainty reduces the performance of the European firms; however, cultural differences among different European countries moderate the impact of policy uncertainty on the financial as well as the market performance of the firms. The results of this study show that European cultures with high power distance, individualism, masculinity and indulgence efficiently deal with the economic policy uncertainty. While the European societies with high uncertainty avoidance fail to cope with policy-induced uncertainty. The results are robust to different regression models, alternate proxies of firm performance and endogeneity issues.
Practical implications
The authors argue that policy uncertainty increases information asymmetry and decreases firm performance, therefore, the policymakers shall be considerate of the consequences of the policy-induced uncertainty in the society and business arena that would not only adversely affect the firms but also the economy.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study that investigates the role of national culture on the relationship between policy uncertainty and firm performance in the European context.
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Keith Hartley, Renaud Bellais and Jean-Paul Hébert
The European defence industry has changed considerably since the late 1980s. The end of the Cold War required the industry to undertake major restructuring, especially when…
Abstract
The European defence industry has changed considerably since the late 1980s. The end of the Cold War required the industry to undertake major restructuring, especially when governments, expecting to reap a “peace dividend,” drastically cut procurement spending. In the early 2000s this restructuring was also influenced by the new context of international security, even though defence budgets have started to increase again since 1998. The European defence industry could not expect to escape from a radical transformation, beyond the specific crisis engendered by the end of the Cold War.
Fabio Bertoni and Pier Andrea Randone
This chapter analyses how capital is raised and employed by a sample of 28 European biotechnology companies listed on Europe’s new stock markets from 1996 to 2000. We find that…
Abstract
This chapter analyses how capital is raised and employed by a sample of 28 European biotechnology companies listed on Europe’s new stock markets from 1996 to 2000. We find that biotechnology companies rely heavily on IPO proceeds in order to finance their growth. We compare the behaviour of European firms to a sample of comparable U.S. firms. The analysis reveals that European companies tend to raise more capital at the IPO and to invest more aggressively in the short-run, whereas U.S. biotech firms tend to have more cash available before the IPO and invest more conservatively in the short-run.
Lance Eliot Brouthers, Timothy J. Wilkinson and David McCalman
The intent of EC 92 (European Community, 1992) is to unite Europe into a gigantic trading block and turn it into the dominant world trading partner. Presumably European…
Abstract
The intent of EC 92 (European Community, 1992) is to unite Europe into a gigantic trading block and turn it into the dominant world trading partner. Presumably European corporations will then be able to compete head to head with Japanese and American firms. We predict, however, that instead of being a boon to European competitiveness EC 92 will have the opposite effect. Our prediction is based on three assertions: (1) a unified Europe will become protectionist, thereby encouraging foreign direct investment and increased competition in its home markets; (2) a new, unified Europe is a far more favorable business environment for American and Japanese multinational corporations (MNCs) than for European companies; and (3) most European firms are not strategically or operationally equipped to compete in the new EC environment.