Frontiers of Business Research in China

ISSN 1673-7326

ISSN 1673-7431(Online)

CN 11-5746/F

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, Volume 8 Issue 1

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research-article
Harmonious Stock Prices
Hong Sun, Kai Zhu, Jacqueline Wenjie Wang, Wayne Yu
Front. Bus. Res. China. 2014, 8 (1): 1-17.  
https://doi.org/10.3868/s070-003-014-0001-4

Abstract   PDF (872KB)

Stock price movements in China still remain highly harmonious, in spite of the many significant regulatory and structural changes over the recent years. A survey of the literature reveals that harmony in the stock price movements is related to a few salient features in China’s capital market: high ownership concentration, high incidence of the use of pyramidal ownership structure, significant state ownership, and a lack of active institutional investors. In addition, we also point out that harmonious stock prices may generally result from low intensity of private information acquisitions by risk arbitrageurs.

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IT-Software SMEs in China, Technology Transfer from Universities and Entrepreneurship, a Successful Nexus?
Jianghong Cao, M. John Foster, Lorraine Watkins-Mathys
Front. Bus. Res. China. 2014, 8 (1): 18-48.  
https://doi.org/10.3868/s070-003-014-0002-1

Abstract   PDF (381KB)

Drawing on the empirical work of a broader study, this paper examines whether technology is being successfully transferred from universities to the IT-software SMEs present in China, and the effectiveness of entrepreneurship in effecting such transfers. A conceptual framework was generated to guide the investigation. Data were elicited using a detailed questionnaire which generated 53 usable responses; follow-up interviews with 17 of the 53 respondents; and four interviews with relevant government officials (civil servants from the Ministry of Science and Technology and state-owned banks). There were three main findings. Chinese software SMEs tend to be reluctant to adopt new technologies from local universities; there is a lack of common purpose between the parties; and entrepreneurs who did undertake such technology transfer felt the process was badly impeded by the lack of available finance, and expressed fears about poor protection of intellectual property rights in China. The majority of the sample firms acted opportunistically, taking advantage of the benefits offered under government schemes to earn rapid returns mainly using extant technologies. These conclusions suggest that the Chinese government’s policies in this area of technology transfer have had only limited success.

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Spanning Boundaries in Offshore Outsourcing Firms: A Case Study on KM System Initiatives in Wipro Technologies
Zheng Wang, Jing Chen
Front. Bus. Res. China. 2014, 8 (1): 49-72.  
https://doi.org/10.3868/s070-003-014-0003-8

Abstract   PDF (573KB)

Despite the increased attention on boundary spanning in organizations, we still know surprisingly little about how boundaries are formed and what spanning activities can be applied to the context of offshore outsourcing firms (OOFs). This paper examines the antecedents of boundary formation in OOFs and proposes that spanning activities can help OOFs to realize return from their IT investment in an effective and efficient manner. Our findings show that two theoretical models have been identified in this paper. The first model proposed that three boundaries are formed in the OOFs, namely structure, knowledge and subcultural boundaries. We explored the formation process and detailed with steps. The second model therefore is proposed to span these three boundaries and we have explored detailed mechanisms in this paper.

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Understanding Organizational Agility Development for a Government: A Process Model of Resource Configuration
Jin Chen, Jing Chen, Deliang Wang
Front. Bus. Res. China. 2014, 8 (1): 73-97.  
https://doi.org/10.3868/s070-003-014-0004-5

Abstract   PDF (490KB)

Organizational agility, the ability to sense and respond to changes quickly, has been regarded as an important index of organizational performance in rapidly changing environments. However, research on agility has largely overlooked the dynamics of the resource configuration process, which includes resource selection, acquisition, development, and management. Prior studies have mostly taken for granted a set of organizational resources deemed sufficient for developing agility, and overlooked the efforts required to render the resources ready for agility development. Adopting the resource-based view, this study aims to close such a theoretical gap by conceptualizing a dynamic resource configuration process. Based on a case study of the Shanghai Social Security Card System (SSSCS) project, we inductively develop a process model for resource configuration in agility development. This model demonstrates the configuration process of IT resources and institutional resources to create agility. Simultaneously, it stresses that IT resources may serve in initiating corresponding institutional resources, assist in the molding and shaping of new institutional resources, and also serve in sustaining institutional resources. Our research contributes to the organizational agility literature by elaborating on the dynamic resource configuration process embedded in the agility development process. Our findings offer suggestions to governments and guide them in configuring IT and institutional resources to develop organizational agility.

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Assessing Managerial Discretion across Different Industries in China
Runtian Jing, Xuelian Huang, Zeyu Wang
Front. Bus. Res. China. 2014, 8 (1): 98-112.  
https://doi.org/10.3868/s070-003-014-0005-2

Abstract   PDF (713KB)

In this study, managerial discretion in 37 industries in China is measured and ranked into high, medium and low groups. The results are compared with findings from Hambrick and Abrhamson’s (1995) study in the U.S. context, and changes are examined in two dimensions of managerial discretion from 2001 to 2009. This study contributes a reliable measure of managerial discretion for future organizational and strategic studies, which can help explain the differences in managerial phenomena across different industries in China’s institutional environment.

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Why Do Applications Request My Contacts Data? A Large-Scale Study on Openness and Control of User Contacts Permission in Android Mobile Applicaitons Marketplace
Jianhua Shao, Matthrew Terrell, George Kuk, Su Chen
Front. Bus. Res. China. 2014, 8 (1): 113-135.  
https://doi.org/10.3868/s070-003-014-0006-9

Abstract   PDF (2866KB)

To understand the value of data transfer, this paper uses consumers’ contact information in mobile application that resides in their mobile devices as a proxy to evaluate the value of user data to application developer and platform owner. Based on a data set of 567,730 Android mobile applications, our research results show that using user contacts can increase application popularity, enable developer to become more influential, and have a positive effect on developers’ productivity when developing future applications. In addition to examining the use and access of a consumers extending contact information on their device, we broaden our research to examine the context and appropriateness of using this information in the context of privacy, and to a less extent education. We conclude our research with a summary of guidance to developers, consumerss, and platform owners in order to maintain a healthy application ecosystem.

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6 articles