Fei Fei Wang, Jiong Wu and Xiaoxian Gong
Aiming at the key issue of interpersonal interaction process between successors and top management teams in the context of family business trans-generational entrepreneurship…
Abstract
Purpose
Aiming at the key issue of interpersonal interaction process between successors and top management teams in the context of family business trans-generational entrepreneurship, this paper aims to explore the motivation, action and results of interpersonal conflict between these two subjects mentioned above.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses grounded theoretical research methods based on the research objects of three family businesses with both inheritance and transformation needs.
Findings
Motivation difference, mediation mode and relationship utilization, that is, the successor and top management team take the goal-orientation, interest orientation and rational tendency as the starting point for relationship coordination. Then it mediates the interpersonal conflicts through compromise, collaboration and compliance, and ultimately provide successors with resources, opportunities, capabilities and motivation advantages to promote trans-generational entrepreneurship. Second, the path of relationship coordination comes from the background of social embedding, that is, the motivation difference comes from the embedding of motivation seeking, the mediation mode comes from the embedding of mediation elements and the relationship utilization comes from the embedding of relationship optimization. The research conclusions not only provide a theoretical framework for family businesses to solve the problems of interpersonal conflicts faced by family businesses but also have practical guiding significance for the trans-generational entrepreneurship.
Originality/value
There are two theoretical contributions in this study. First, the research starting point of social embeddedness theory from the perspective of interpersonal relationships at the microlevel is revised. Since Granovetter (Granovetter, 1985) put forward the theory of social embeddedness, its research scope has been gradually expanded, but the mainstream research in the past focused on analyzing the social network embeddedness of enterprises to obtain social capital from the macro- and meso-level (Nahapiet and Ghoshal, 1998). In fact, this may deviate from the essential interpretation of Granovetter’s theory of social embeddedness, while this study returns to the study of interpersonal relationships. Second, a theoretical model of relationship coordination for successors and top management team is put forward in general. On the basis of the motivation, action and result of interpersonal interaction between the successor and top management team, the interpersonal coordination action path and embedded logic during trans-generational entrepreneurship of family businesses are revealed, which enriched the research scope of social embedded theory in family business.
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Yufeng SU, Nengquan WU and Xiang Zhou
Entrepreneurial process strongly relies on context. The previous entrepreneurship research in developed countries over-emphasizes on its economic impact, but ignores its social…
Abstract
Purpose
Entrepreneurial process strongly relies on context. The previous entrepreneurship research in developed countries over-emphasizes on its economic impact, but ignores its social impact, which leads to the slow development of entrepreneurship theories. Transitioning China provides entrepreneurs with a typical environment where opportunities and constraints coexist, which is a new research area in the field of entrepreneurship study.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the grounded theory approach, this paper generalizes a local entrepreneurial process model from a multiple case study.
Findings
The paper states that the interaction among entrepreneurs, opportunities and institutional context is the core of the process. To be specific, entrepreneurial process includes an inner and an outer mechanism. The inner mechanism is based on the relations among institutional constraints, entrepreneurs and opportunities: nascent entrepreneurs, forced by institutional constraints to start a business, undergo a psychological process with entrepreneurial angst, reflective learning and effectuation and finally create business opportunities. The outer mechanism is grounded in the relations among new ventures, institutional evolution and opportunity development: new ventures facilitate institutional evolution through institutional entrepreneurship strategies, which in turn supports the ventures in the sustainable development of opportunities.
Originality/value
This study illuminates the social and institutional impact of entrepreneurial behavior, which is gradually fading and forgotten in modern society. The findings of the study enrich the research on entrepreneurial process, entrepreneurial cognition and institutional entrepreneurship and also provide implications for entrepreneurs.
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Qiqiang Cao, Jiong Zhang, Shuai Chang, Jerry Ying Hsi Fuh and Hao Wang
This study aims to further the understanding of support structures and the likely impacts on maraging steel MS1 parts fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM) at 45°, 60° and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to further the understanding of support structures and the likely impacts on maraging steel MS1 parts fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM) at 45°, 60° and 75° building angles.
Design/methodology/approach
Two groups of samples, one group with support structures and the other group without support structures, were designed with the same specifications and printed under the same conditions by SLM at 45°, 60° and 75° building angles. Differences in dimensional accuracy, surface roughness, Vickers microhardness, residual stress and microstructure were compared between groups.
Findings
The results showed that with support structures, more accurate dimension and slightly higher Vickers microhardness could be obtained. Larger compressive stress dominated and was more uniformly distributed on the supporting surface. Without support structures, the dimension became more precise as the building angle increased and alternating compressive and tensile stress was unevenly distributed on the supporting surface. In addition, the surface roughness of the outer surface decreased with the increase of the built angle, regardless of the support structures. Furthermore, whether the building angle was 45°, 60° or 75°, the observed microstructures revealed that the support structures altered the orientation of the molten pool and the direction of grain growth.
Originality/value
This paper studies the influence of support structures on the workpieces printed at different building angles. Support structures affect the residual stress distribution, heat dissipation rate and microstructure of the parts, and thus affecting the printing quality. Therefore, it is necessary to balance the support strategy and printing quality to better apply or design the support structures in SLM.
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Cong Feng, Jiong Sun, Yiwei Fang and Iftekhar Hasan
This paper aims to examine the presence of an executive with customer experience (ECE) in a supplier firm’s top management team (TMT). The role of ECE presence remains…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the presence of an executive with customer experience (ECE) in a supplier firm’s top management team (TMT). The role of ECE presence remains understudied in the marketing literature. This study attempts to examine the relationship between ECE presence and firm performance.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper draws on the resource-based view of the firm and adopts a panel firm fixed effects estimator to test the proposed hypotheses. The empirical analysis uses a sample of 1,974 firm-year observations with 489 unique supplier firms. Selection-induced endogeneity is mitigated through the Heckman procedure.
Findings
ECE presence improves firm performance. Additionally, firms benefit less from ECE presence if a board member with customer experience (BCE) is also present, if a chief executive officer commands a higher pay slice (compared to other executives), and if a TMT is more functionally diversified. However, ECE presence is particularly beneficial if the overall economy is in contraction. Comparing the functional positions held by ECEs reveals that ECE in the marketing function (as a chief marketing officer) offers the largest benefit to an average supplier firm. ECE presence is also associated with other firm outcomes (e.g. bankruptcy odds, innovation and customer orientation).
Research limitations/implications
This study makes four contributions to the literature. First, this research contributes to existing studies that investigate marketing expertise in the upper corporate pyramid. Second, the study contributes to the burgeoning body of work across business disciplines that attempt to understand the impact of CxOs on firm performance. Third, the study contributes to the vast literature on customer orientation indirectly. Finally, this paper contributes to the broader literature studying the influence of board and TMT characteristics.
Practical implications
The findings are of particular importance to business-to-business firms. This paper shows that suppliers can benefit significantly from managers with customer experience. Four contingency factors moderate the relationship between ECE presence and firm performance. Among the various functional positions held by an ECE, the findings suggest that hiring an ECE for the marketing functional area is the most beneficial. ECE stands out as a better option for a company than BCE to improve firm performance. ECE presence is also associated with bankruptcy odds, innovation and customer orientation.
Originality/value
This paper provides the first empirical evidence regarding how ECE affects firm performance and also extends prior research on the value of human capital in TMT.
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Abstract
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Ruling Hong, Minlu Zhan and Fuxi Wang
This study explores configurations that promote the development of collective economies in China's rural villages and reveals the multiple development pathways that otherwise…
Abstract
Purpose
This study explores configurations that promote the development of collective economies in China's rural villages and reveals the multiple development pathways that otherwise remain relatively unexamined in the literature.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors obtained first-hand representative case data from 20 villages in 12 counties in 5 provinces in East, West and Central China via fieldwork and applied fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to conduct a configurational comparative study of the development of village collective economies.
Findings
This paper identifies five factors in the current literature that affect the development of village collectives, based on an “entrepreneur–situation” analytical framework. Using the fsQCA method, this study further obtains two main configurations of conditions that culminate in the growth of rural collective economies in China. The first solution is the “top-down path”: When entrepreneurial leadership (EL), resource endowment (RE) and government assistance (GA) are present, a village collective economy will experience a high level of development, irrespective of policy support (PS) and villagers' participation (VP). The second solution is the “bottom-up path”: When EL, VP and PS are present and GA is not present, a village collective economy will experience a high level of development, irrespective of RE. In both situations, EL stands out as the core condition for the development of village collective economies, implying the need for the government to vigorously cultivate the entrepreneurial skills and aspirations of village cadres.
Originality/value
Taking a configurational perspective and using an fsQCA approach, this research constructs an “entrepreneur–situation” analytical framework to investigate the key combinations of factors and pathways involved in the high level of development of Chinese village collective economies.
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The aim of this paper is to use a new approach of performance evaluation, grey relation analysis (GRA), which is a concept borrowed from the study of industry and is increasingly…
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to use a new approach of performance evaluation, grey relation analysis (GRA), which is a concept borrowed from the study of industry and is increasingly applied to commerce. GRA is used to evaluate the relative performance of three of Australia's major banks The result of the study indicates that although the sample size is small and the distribution of data is unknown, GRA can still be successfully used in evaluating bank performance. In addition, this paper compares the GRA results with the financial statement analysis and shows that the same result can be obtained.
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Huawei Zeng, Qiao Jie, Zeng Xin, Xu Dayong, Xiong Minghua, Li Feng, Sun Jianfan, Jiang Xuan and Dai Chuanyun
Monascus pigment was widely applied in food processing industry as functional additive, so more attention was paid to the fermentation optimization of pigment production…
Abstract
Purpose
Monascus pigment was widely applied in food processing industry as functional additive, so more attention was paid to the fermentation optimization of pigment production. Therefore, this paper aims to evaluate the best possible fermentative conditions for maximum production of biopigment using submerged fermentation (SFM) and solid state fermentation (SSF) by Monascus purpureus HBSD 08.
Design/methodology/approach
The biopigment was produced by using an SMF and an SSF with optimized substrate to achieve higher yield. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH radical scavenging ability, superoxide anion radical scavenging ability and hydroxyl radical scavenging ability. The pigment composition was analyzed by thin layer chromatography.
Findings
Maximum Monascus pigment production (79.6 U/ml and 1,102 U/g) were obtained under an SFM and an SFF. The antioxidant activity of the pigment in an SFM was significantly higher than that in an SFM. The composition of pigment was not different in an SFM and an SFF.
Originality/value
The study developed new conditions, and Monascus strain was a candidate for producing pigment in an SFM and an SFF. To the authors’ best knowledge, this is a first attempt toward comparative evaluation on antioxidant capacity and composition between pigment in an SSF and an SFM. This result will serve for Monascus pigment production.
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In the past 70 years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, China’s economic studies have been constantly centered on major issues such as national modernization…
Abstract
Purpose
In the past 70 years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, China’s economic studies have been constantly centered on major issues such as national modernization, social economic development and the establishment, reform and improvement of socialist economic system. The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
It has experienced a process of transition from the establishment of traditional Soviet’s paradigm of political economics to that of modern economics, during which drastic changes have been observed in various aspects of China’s economics, including research content, scope and methods.
Findings
Based on that, a discipline system of economics in line with international economics has been initially established. Currently, under the guidance of Marxism, scholars in China’s economics actively draw on the beneficial knowledge system and analytical methods from modern economics, emancipate their minds, seek truth from facts and constantly fortify confidence in the socialist path, theory, system and culture, continuously enhance the discourse power of China’s economics in global economic governance system, so as to push forward to the building of a theoretical system of socialist economics with Chinese Characteristics in the new era.
Originality/value
Economics is a discipline that studies resource allocation and human’s behavior of making a choice based on rationality. Emerged in the industrial revolution and developed in the exploration of a large-scale socialized mode of production and resource allocation system, this discipline has gradually become a broadly explanatory force in social sciences which profoundly affects the economic decision-making behaviors of the government and various economic entities.
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Abstract
Purpose
This paper traces the incorporation of western educational histories in the development of normal-school curricula during the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China (1901–1944). It uses publication networks to show how the study of comparative educational history facilitated the international circulation of knowledge in the teaching profession, and how the “uses” of educational history were shaped by larger geopolitical forces.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper analyzes the international exchange of texts between normal schools in China and Japan and, subsequently, between normal schools in China and the United States. A database of 107 publications in the field of western educational history that were adopted in China reveals specific patterns of textual citation, cross-reference, and canon-formation in the field of educational historiography.
Findings
With conclusions derived from a combination of social network analysis and clustering analysis, this paper identifies three broad stages in China's development of normal-school curricula in comparative educational history: “Japan as Teacher,” “transitional period” and “America as Teacher.”
Research limitations/implications
Statistical analysis can reveal citation and reference patterns but not readers' understanding of the deeper meaning of texts – in this case, textbooks on the subject of western educational history. In addition, the types of publications analyzed in this study are relatively limited, the articles on the history of education in journals have not become the main objects of this study.
Originality/value
This paper uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to uncover the transnational circulation of knowledge in the field of comparative educational history during its formative period in China.