Marshall S. Jiang

Brand as credible commitment in embedded licensing: a transaction cost perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study brand embedded licensing (technology licensing and brand licensing combined) and its theoretical difference from standard licensing (technology licensing only). The following research questions are asked: What makes embedded licensing theoretically different from standard licensing, and what determines a licensors decision to select brand embedded licensing over standard licensing?Design/methodology/approach – This paper compares brand embedded licensing to standard licensing and argues that brand embedded licensing is a quasi‐hierarchical organizational structure, while standard licensing is a market‐based structure. Brand embeddedness in licensing serves as a credible commitment from the licensor and induces the licensee to invest sufficiently in complementary assets. Drawing on the transaction cost perspective, the determinants of embedded licensing are examined.Findings – Embedded licensing is determined by both the licensees characteristics and the li...

Effect of government subsidization on Chinese industrial firms’ technological innovation efficiency: A stochastic frontier analysis

AbstractThis study aims to gain a better understanding of how effective government subsidization is in helping foster firms’ innovation. Drawing on the exploration/exploita- tion perspective and based on data collected from Statistical Yearbook on Science and Technology Activities of Industrial Enterprises, we look into the relationship between gov- ernment subsidization and Chinese firms’ innovation efficiency by applying a stochastic frontier analysis. The results show that when government subsidies are provided in small scale, firms’ innovation efficiency decreases; only when government subsidies increase to a certain scale, does firms’ innovation efficiency start to increase. We suggest that govern- ment subsidization would generate better innovation performance should it concentrate on a smaller number of firms at one time. As existing research is still inconclusive regarding the relationship between government subsidization and firms’ technological innovation output, we shed light on the issue by re...

Learning alongside and learning apart: successor nurturing styles in family business succession

Abstract Successor nurturing is vital to family business succession. However, research on successor nurturing styles remains limited. This paper aims to contribute to the literature by examining this issue. We identify two nurturing styles, namely, learning alongside and learning apart. Drawing on the knowledge-based view, we discuss the influence of the necessity of passing on various types of tacit knowledge on determining nurturing styles. Specifically, we argue that family firms in manufacturing industries and industrial products are more likely to adopt a nurturing style of learning apart, while those in service industries and consumer products are more likely to adopt learning alongside. We posit that these relationships are stronger for large firms and higher successor educational level, but weaker under a good relationship between the incumbent and successor. Using a sample of 199 Chinese family firms, we found support for the proposed relationships.