http://dspace.cityu.edu.hk:80/handle/2031/768 2013-05-01T04:21:50Z http://dspace.cityu.edu.hk:80/handle/2031/6120 Title: Exploitative innovation and exploratory innovation in industrial clusters : moderating effects of different network ties Authors: Zhang, Wen (張雯) Abstract: The phenomenon of firms co-locating to cluster within a region has been observed for a number of years. Clusters significantly influence the competitiveness and innovativeness of regional economies. Firms need to consider both location-related and network-based strategies because geographical proximity and networks are intertwined and important to organizations' innovation and performance. This study empirically examines the main effects of industrial cluster on firms' innovation, as well as the moderating effects of a firm's network ties in the relationship between its location choice and different types of innovation. Theories of economic geography and network suggest that firms benefit from spatial concentration or organizational relationships. This study developed hypotheses regarding the effects of location-specific and network-centered strategy on firms' innovation, aiming to measure the unexplored issue of actual relationships between geographical proximity and innovation, and disentangle the effect of networks from cluster mechanisms. To test the hypotheses, data were collected from a number of industrial clusters and non-clusters located in China. The results support the hypotheses that clusters indeed matter and that networks play important moderating effects on the relationship between cluster and innovation. The effect of spatial proximity on firm innovation is best exploited together with a firm's institutional (formal) or managerial (informal/social) connections. Institutional and managerial network ties exert distinct effects on different types of innovation for regionally clustered firms. In short, although being a member of an industrial cluster facilitates firms' exploitative innovation, it does not improve their exploratory innovation. The moderating effects of distinct network ties on the relationship between clustering and innovation are different. For example, institutional networks' moderating effects on the relationship between cluster and exploitative and exploratory innovation are negative. Managerial networks strengthen the positive relationship between cluster and exploitative innovation. However, managerial networks weaken the relationship between industrial cluster and exploratory innovation. In summary, proximity and institutional networks offer partially exclusionary advantages for innovation, whereas proximity and managerial networks present contingencies for exploitative and exploratory innovation. Notes: CityU Call Number: HC79.D5 Z42 2009; vii, 152 leaves : ill. 30 cm.; Thesis (M.Phil.)--City University of Hong Kong, 2009.; Includes bibliographical references (leaves 125-149) 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z http://dspace.cityu.edu.hk:80/handle/2031/6119 Title: Dancing with your competitors : competitor alliances and market returns Authors: Lin, Ya (林娅) Abstract: Firms often cooperate and compete simultaneously with their alliance partners. This thesis attempts to explore the mechanisms that firms can use to promote cooperation and limit competition in competitor alliances. Specifically, I investigate how firms can minimize competition through alliance designs such as alliance scope and alliance governance, while maximizing cooperation through resource complementarity, repeated alliance experience and external technological uncertainty. I also examine firms’ relative bargaining power in their value appropriation from competitor alliances. The data were collected from four industries (computer, pharmaceutical, steel, and food) in the United States from 1980 to 2006, and an event study methodology was used. The findings suggest that, in order to benefit from competitor alliances, firms need to form equity governance mode, find partners with resource complementarity, form competitor alliances with repeated partners, and conduct competitor alliances under a high degree of technological uncertainty. It is also interesting to find that small firms, compared with large firms, are likely to reap more market returns from competitor alliances. Notes: CityU Call Number: HD69.S8 L5526 2010; 60 leaves 30 cm.; Thesis (M.Phil.)--City University of Hong Kong, 2010.; Includes bibliographical references (leaves 53-60) 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://dspace.cityu.edu.hk:80/handle/2031/5791 Title: The relationship between organizational authority-control and employees' proactive behavior : the moderating role of individual proactive personality Authors: Zhang, Yi (張毅) Abstract: To engage in proactive behavior requires employees to take freedom and autonomy at work. Although organizational control tactics affect employees’ authority to a large extent, prior studies had paid limited attention on the predicting effects of organizational authority-control on employees’ proactive behavior and potential individual difference that may moderate this relationship. Therefore, this research explores the relationship between organizational authority-control and employees’ proactive behavior (taking charge, voice, proactive feedback seeking, and career initiative) and the moderating role of individual proactive personality on this relationship. Starting from the initiative and change-oriented nature of proactive behavior, this research claims that via influencing the freedom and authority in employees’ action, delegation is positively related to proactive behavior, while the main effect between job routinization and proactive behavior is negatively predicted. Proactive behavior, in turn, is proposed to enhance employees’ job satisfaction and career satisfaction. However, the relationship between organizational authority-control and proactive behavior is not stopped with the aforementioned main effects. As such, this research further explores the moderating role of individual proactive personality: the positive relationship between delegation and proactive behavior, and the negative relationship between job routinization and proactive behavior are both stronger with low proactive personality rather than high proactive personality. Two studies were conducted to test all the hypotheses. In Study 1, a three-wave longitudinal study was designed to examine the main effects between organizational authority-control tactics (delegation and job routinization) and proactive behavior (taking charge, voice, proactive feedback seeking, and career initiative), and those between proactive behavior and outcomes (job satisfaction and career satisfaction). In Study 2, another field study was conducted to examine the moderating role of proactive personality on the relationship between organizational authority-control and proactive behavior. This research contributes to the literature of proactive behavior in that it begins from the nature of proactive behavior to examine how organizational environment may affect employees’ proactive actions. In addition, the interactive effect between environmental factors and individual difference is explored to flesh out the antecedent of proactive behavior. Notes: CityU Call Number: HD58.7 .Z4237 2009; ix, 153 leaves 30 cm.; Thesis (M.Phil.)--City University of Hong Kong, 2009.; Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-147) 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z http://dspace.cityu.edu.hk:80/handle/2031/5533 Title: Utilization of foreign knowledge by Chinese firms : effects of relationship- specific human capital and institutional externalities Authors: Low, Yi Jia (盧奕嘉) Abstract: Emerging economy firms have become increasingly reliant on foreign sources of knowledge to upgrade capabilities, as previously closed societies have opened to international competition. Utilization of knowledge from foreign sources can be difficult for these companies, and risky relationship-specific human capital may be required. This thesis explores the conditions for utilization of foreign-source knowledge by Chinese firms using data from a sample of technology-intensive companies in the PRC. I find that relationship-specific human capital is important to knowledge utilization and that it is more likely when relationships provide additional externalities through effects on reputation. Notes: CityU Call Number: HD30.2 .L69 2007; i, 120 leaves 30 cm.; Thesis (M.Phil.)--City University of Hong Kong, 2007.; Includes bibliographical references (leaves 85-118) 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z