Hugh M. O'Neill

Ownership Structures and R&D Investments of U.S. and Japanese Firms: Agency and Stewardship Perspectives

This study analyzes the impact of ownership structure on R&D investments in the United States and Japan. It begins with the premise that U.S. and Japanese firms have distinct patterns of ownership that may result in disparities in R&D investments. Agency theory and stewardship theory are used to hypothesize about the relationship between ownership and R&D investments. Empirical evidence shows that the level of ownership concentration, and its impact, differ across countries. We argue that these differences result from a mixture of motives and incentives.

Fostering entrepreneurship during international expansion: - Managing key challenges

The rapid globalization of world markets has encouraged companies of all sizes and national origins to expand internationally. To benefit from their international expansion, companies need to foster entrepreneurship throughout their operations. This article identifies several challenges companies encounter as they attempt to promote entrepreneurship and it discusses ways executives can creatively address them. The article shows how managing these challenges can encourage organizational learning of new skills, thereby giving companies new competencies that allow them to profit from expanding their international operations.

Rigidity in Decision Behaviors: A Within-Subject Test of Information Acquisition Using Strategic and Financial Informational Cues

In contrast to prior investigations using between-subjects designs to infer the existence of rigidity in decision behaviors, this research used a within-subject design to directly measure rigidity....

Ownership and its Impact on Coping with Financial Crisis: Differences in State-, Mixed-, and Privately-Owned Enterprises in Thailand

Corporate turnarounds have been studied widely in Western contexts, but few empirical studies detail turnaround experience in non-western countries, especially those undergoing or recovering from financial crisis. An assumption in recent privatization policies has been that change in ownership triggers a form of performance reversal or turnaround. Here, we compare firms with three different forms of ownership two years after the financial crisis in Thailand. This study assesses the impact of ownership differences on the level of corporate entrepreneurship, human resource management practices, and worker effort among state-, mixed- and privately-owned enterprises in Thailand. The results suggest cautious optimism about changes in ownership as a potential means for triggering organizational changes that lead to increased productivity for threatened economies. Mixed ownership may be an effective substitute for private ownership or, alternately, an effective transitional form of restructuring state enterprises in preparation for private ownership.

Structuring dyadic relationships between export producers and intermediaries

How do export producers and intermediaries structure their dyadic relationships? This study examines the factors that guide the behaviour and relationships between export producer and intermediary dyads. We examine both sides of a dyadic transaction and develop an export producer?intermediary behaviour typology by using a grounded theory method through qualitative interviews. We propose three forms of export producer?intermediary dyads based on the degree of information sharing, intensity of price negotiation, level of transaction costs, and partner satisfaction and propensity to export directly. These three forms are as follows: (1) competitive, (2) cooperative and (3) mismatched relationships.

Post‐Entry Diversification in a Shifting Institutional Environment: How Strategy Patterns Differ for De Novo and Corporate Spin‐Off Ventures

In this study, we contend that the corporate spin‐offs entrance into a market is strongly conditioned by a strategic logic tied to its legacy history. Unencumbered by this logic, de novo entrants have at least two potential advantages. They learn differently, and they do not face the challenge of unlearning. We test our hypotheses in the context of a major shift in rules for drug approval in the pharmaceutical industry. The results show de novo entrants choose market options that were less connected to past decisions, while entrants with a tie to legacy firms shift less from their initial position. In addition, de novo entrants entered market areas that were less densely populated, as compared to corporate spin‐off entrants, which is evidence of a tendency for de novo entrants to avoid direct competition while corporate spin‐offs seek legitimacy through mimicry.