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During the last decade the demand to comprehend the overarching success factors of the multilocation process in distant countries such as China has increased significantly. In this context, the purpose of this paper is to explore and understand the nature and scope of the collaboration between the public support services (PSS) in China and the Spanish enterprises which decided to be multilocated there.

The present study examines the necessity of the PSS in China by employing a review of literature as well as both quantitative and qualitative surveys from 31 Spanish companies multilocated in China.

The main conclusions highlight the fact that the PSS do not seem to have a big and homogenous influence on the multilocation process, although those companies with higher levels of commitment that have been operating in China for a longer time have used it more frequently.

While other studies of multilocation have isolated the companies from their host environment, the aim of this paper is to evaluate the weak links between the PSS and companies in a culturally and psychically distant market. By providing an insight into the dynamics of how firms interact and collaborate with the PSS, this study contributes to guiding policy makers and managers in designing and implementing strategies to support enterprises in the multilocation process in China.

This paper introduces a newly developed knowledge management concept, dynamic intellectual capital (IC), which refers to a company’s ability for self‐renewal. The paper presents how dynamic IC is created in three different knowledge environments – mechanistic, organic and dynamic – and brings out relevant empirical evidence from three case studies of multinational and Chinese firms. The paper concludes that knowledge‐intensive organizations need to master all the three knowledge environments regardless of their different strategic focus. Failures on any environment might form a hindrance for market efficiency. The development of dynamic IC is subject to the firm’s ability to balance both current arena (e.g. realized IC) and potential force (e.g. potential IC). The development of dynamic IC is strongly based on multi‐way communication, which must include both top‐down and bottom‐up as well as cross functional communication. The analysis of tensions, problems and challenges can be a critical step toward a self‐renewing organization in managing such complexity of dynamic IC.

This article aims to analyze emergent learning practices for globalizing work through two research questions: “What are the conceptualizations of work represented by the Virtual Factory and how do they mediate globalizing work?” and “What is the potential of expansive learning efforts to expand conceptualizations towards the emergent learning practices of globalizing work?”.

Cultural‐historical activity theory is applied, specifically the historical tool‐mediated activity, concept formation and the zone of proximal development. A dynamic hierarchy of conceptualizations forms the framework for expansive learning efforts. Data were gathered by ethnographic and development interventionist methods from a distributed engineering design project.

The paper finds that, historically, multi‐layered conceptualizations of work face developmental challenges in globalizing work. Expansive learning efforts enhance the emergent learning practices when orienting global participants to motivating “why” and “where‐to” conceptualizations. In order to turn emergent practices into sustainable learning practices, material representations need to be created to mediate the bottom‐up and top‐down conceptualizations at the interfaces of distributed work.

Emergent learning practices are studied longitudinally through concrete work in transformation. The learning approach emphasizes developmental interventions at global workplaces.

Expansive learning efforts at different levels of conceptualization, may be supported by tools that mediate and sustain emergent learning practices.

Global workplace learning should be a concern of those involved with corporate social responsibility.

Emergent learning practices offers a new approach for studies of globalizing work through its multi‐layered conceptualizations of work.

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether there are any significant differences between native Swedish and immigrant entrepreneurs in business advice sought at start-up.

The study, based on a unique and large database consisting of 304 immigrant and 2,512 native-owned firms, applies several univariate and multivariate statistical methods including ANOVA and regression analysis.

According to the results there are certain similarities and differences between Swedish native- and immigrant-owned firms concerning the type of external business advice they seek. The results suggest there are significant differences between native and immigrant-owned firms for four of 20 types of advice received. Native-owned firms, on average, tend to seek more advice on accounting and on the choice of business form as well as the help of a knowledgeable person. On the other hand, immigrants seek, on average, more advice on export questions than their native counterparts.

This research contributes to policy-making by helping authorities gain a better understanding of the impact of immigrant background on business network decisions at the nascent stage of development. Immigrant access to good advice in the nascent stage should increase new firm survival. This study does not, however, measure performance. As this research is based on aggregate level secondary data, more specific analysis has been impossible. This is an important limitation of this paper. In addition, immigrants are not homogenous groups and they differ in age, education, work experiences, etc. The results should therefore be interpreted carefully.

This paper is one of the first and few empirical studies investigating the issue of immigrant business advice strategies in the Swedish context. The study provides a detailed overview of how ethnicity influences entrepreneurs’ use of external business advice in the firm formation stage for micro and small firms.

The purpose of this paper is to suggest two main objectives: to analyze if the size of the company is determined by the use of external legal and human resources (HR) advice; and to analyze if the size of the family business is determined by the use of these two same types of external advice.

The assessment is developed (2,013 firms, the Spanish industrial sector) by using descriptive statistics to compare the features of the different types of firms in the sample: family and non-family ones. This is completed with a test of equality of means and using econometric models.

Regarding legal advice, results show that as far as legal matters are concerned, when family businesses make greater use of this type of advice, they are smaller. This is a remarkable and interesting result because it differs from non-family firms, in which the use of this type of advice is positively related with size. Regarding the use of HR advice, while it remains significant in general cases with a positive result, this is not the same for family firms.

The use of advising in family firms is seldom dealt with in the literature, despite its helpfulness for family firm managers. There is gap in this field and a great deal of interesting research remains to be developed, because the authors consider that factors determining the use of advice in family and non-family firms are different.

El presente documento propone dos objetivos principales: (1) analizar si el tamaño de la empresa está relacionado con el uso de asesoramiento externo tanto jurídico como de recursos humanos. (2) examinar si para el caso de la empresa familiar su tamaño está relacionado por el uso de estos dos mismos tipos de asesoramiento externo.

El análisis se desarrolló (2.013 empresas, el sector industrial español) utilizando técnicas de la estadística descriptiva para comparar las características de los diferentes tipos de empresas de la muestra: familiares y no familiares queridos. Esto se completa con una prueba de la igualdad de medios y el uso de modelos econométricos.

En cuanto a asesoramiento jurídico, los resultados muestran que, en lo que se refiere a asuntos legales, las empresas familiares hacen un mayor uso de este tipo de consejos a medida que son más pequeñas. Este es un resultado notable e interesante, ya que se diferencia de las no familiares, en las que el uso de este tipo de asesoramiento se relaciona positivamente con el tamaño. Respecto al uso de asesoramiento de recursos humanos, mientras que sigue siendo significativa en los casos generales con un resultado positivo, este no es el mismo para las empresas familiares.

El uso de asesoramiento en las empresas familiares rara vez se aborda en la literatura, a pesar de su utilidad para los directivos de este tipo de empresas. Hay un vacío en este campo y una gran cantidad de investigación interesante que queda por desarrollar, teniendo en cuenta sobre todo, que los factores que determinan el uso de asesoramiento en las empresas familiares y no familiares no son los mismos.

This paper aims to consider a problem of assembly sensitivity in a multi-station assembly process. The authors focus on the assembly process of aircrafts, which includes cabins and inertial navigation system (INSs), and establish the assembly process state space model for their assembly sensitivity research.

To date, the process-related errors that cause large variations in key product characteristics remains one of the most critical research topics in assembly sensitivity analysis. This paper focuses on the unique challenges brought about by the multi-station system: a system-level model for characterizing the variation propagation in the entire process, and the necessity of describing the system response to variation inputs at both station-level and single fixture-level scales. State space representation is used to describe the propagation of variation in such a multi-station process, incorporating assembly process parameters such as fixture-locating layout at individual stations and station-to-station locating layout change.

Following the sensitivity analysis in control theory, a group of hierarchical sensitivity indices is defined and expressed in terms of the system matrices in the state space model, which are determined by the given assembly process parameters.

A case study of assembly sensitivity for a multi-station assembly process illustrates and validates the proposed methodology.

This study aims to investigate rheological and extrusion behavior of thermosetting epoxy resins, which to find the universal property and printing parameters for extrusion-based rapid prototyping applications.

The thickener proportion greatly influences its viscosity and rheological behavior and therefore plays an important role in the shape of the cross-section of the extrudate.

A pseudoplastic (shear-thinning) is a basic requirement for obtaining extruded lines with plump cross-sections. In addition to the effects of the rheological behavior of the composite, shape maintenance and its wettability on the substrate, the cross-sectional geometry of the extrudate is also strongly affected by printing process parameters including the extrusion nozzle height, nozzle moving speed, extrusion rate and critical nozzle height. Proper combinations of these process parameters are necessary to obtain single-line extrudates with plump cross-sections and 3-D objects with dimensional accuracy, uniform wall thickness, good wall uprightness and no wall slumping. Formulas and procedures for determining these extrusion parameters are proposed and demonstrated in experiments.

The results obtained have been explained in terms of the interactions among the rheological properties of the composite, the shear rate imposed on the composite during extrusion, the wettability of the composite on the substrate and the shape maintenance of the composite during extrusion.

Finance is the core of the economy. For the construction of modern and innovative city, the development and function of finance can not be ignored. The research on urban planning and design based on financial support has become a hot topic. Based on this, the Grey relation analysis was used to study the modern financial support driven innovative urban planning and design. First of all, the progress of the innovative urban construction was expounded, and the progress of the research on the financial support innovative urban construction was introduced; then the content and financial planning of the innovative urban construction planning were put forward; in addition, taking the innovative urban planning and design project in Chongqing as an example, different urban areas and traffic design were introduced. The results of Grey relation analysis show that Chongqing has high comprehensive innovation value.

This paper aims to introduce the history and major achievement of the Chinese private enterprise survey (CPES), which is one of the most enduring large-scale nationwide sample surveys in China, providing important micro firm-level data for understanding and studying the development of Chinese enterprises and entrepreneurs over the past 26 years.

The main body of this paper is based on a bibliometric analysis of all literature using CPES until 2017.

This paper discusses problems that users may encounter during data mining. By doing so, it can assist other researchers to get a better understanding of what has been done (e.g. journals, topics, scholars and institutions) and do their research in a more targeted way.

As members of the survey project team, the authors also take a prospect of the future data design and use, as well as offer some suggestions about how to use the CPES data to improve high-quality development and business environment evaluation in China.

This paper is the first to provide an overall picture of academic papers in China and abroad that have used the CPES data.

Adopting an evidenced‐based approach, this paper seeks to examine the usage of external business services by small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in China.

The empirical data are based on the first large‐scale survey of small businesses (around 500 in each city) and service providers (90‐200 in each city) designed and organised by the authors in Chengdu, Lanzhou and Shenzhen between November 2005 and March 2006, as part of a DFID project. The three cities were selected to enable the market conditions to be assessed in cities that are at different levels of economic development.

There is a variety of business services market in China. Using logistic models it is found that firm size, sector, exporter and growth‐intention appear to be important factors influencing demand side of services. It is also indicated that professional staff, referral via local SME bureau and networking appear to be the main variables influencing supply‐side behaviour.

In order to specify the nature of business service market, it is important to understand the needs of (small) firms and how these are currently being addressed. This will enable policy measures to be designed that meet the needs of businesses.

This is an empirical study that utilises the logistic model to examine the relationship of service usage with demand variables and supply variables. In this context, the value of the research is to assess the supply‐demand gap in a developing country.