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Supplier-Focused Knowledge Management in the Automobile Industry and its Implications for Product Performance

This study focuses on the impact of knowledge management in supplier relations (termed as supplier-focused knowledge management, SFKM) within the automobile industry of an emerging economy (Brazil), on financial and product performance. A model of the relationship between supplier-focused knowledge management, including its associated processes, and performance is described and the associated hypotheses are developed and then tested. Knowledge sharing through face-to-face communication is positively related to both product and financial performance, while technological knowledge sharing has a positive impact on product performance under conditions of high technological dynamism. Supplier involvement in the production process is related to product performance and use of knowledge management tools is related to financial performance. The results support the major hypotheses of our SFKM model. These results are discussed in the context of the knowledge management and supplier-relations literatures in terms of the contributions, implications for research and practice, and directions for future research. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2007.

Institution-based weaknesses behind emerging multinationals

Essays about how multinationals in emerging countries differ from those in developed countries and their implications.

Can Hofstede's Model Explain National Differences in Perceived Information Overload? A Look at Data From the US and New Zealand

Hofstedes cultural dimensions model has been widely used as a basic explanatory and predictive model in a variety of business studies, including studies addressing information management and electronic communication issues. This study aimed at assessing Hofstedes model by looking into a key issue for information management and electronic communication-information overload. The study compared information overload-related data from the US and New Zealand. The sample involved 108 MBA students who held professional or management positions. Data analyses employed comparisons of means and partial least squares (PLS)-based structural equation modeling techniques. Information overload perceptions in the two countries appear to differ significantly. This finding seems to be inconsistent with the relatively small differences in cultural dimension scores between the US and New Zealand, and with those two countries being placed in the same country cluster in Hofstedes model. The results call into question the adequacy of Hofstedes model as a basis to explain information management phenomena.

Organizing for Innovation Ambidexterity in Emerging Markets Taking Advantage of Supplier Involvement and Foreignness

Firms struggle to be ambidextrous in the sense of being able to successfully manage both new and incremental innovation activities simultaneously. Applying the knowledge-based view, we examine the important moderating influences of supplier involvement and foreignness on the relationship between innovation ambidexterity and performance. We test our hypotheses at the business-unit level of analysis in the emerging market of Brazil. We examine two types of innovation ambidexterity: the balanced dimension and the combined dimension. We found that firms possessing greater supplier involvement reap higher performance benefits from the combined dimension of innovation ambidexterity. Last, foreign subsidiaries also achieved higher levels of performance than domestic firms from the combined dimension of innovation ambidexterity.

INTERNATIONALIZATION OF BRAZILIAN FRANCHISE CHAINS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

El principal objetivo del articulo es comprender las diferencias organizacionales fundamentales entre redes de franquicias brasilenas solo con operaciones domesticas en comparacion con las redes que tienen operaciones internacionales. Como criterio para la seleccion de la muestra fueron elegidas 96 redes de franquicias con operaciones domesticas y 67 redes de franquicias brasilenas con operaciones internacionales. En los analisis de datos se utilizo la regresion logistica. Los resultados sugieren que es estrategico el desarrollo de una marca en las operaciones internacionales. Parece ser un recurso escaso para muchas redes de franquicias que pueden ser desarrolladas por medio de operaciones internacionales. Con relacion a las tasas cobradas, los resultados muestran que las cadenas brasilenas con operaciones internacionales cobran tasas mas bajas para sus franquiciados para la instalacion. Con relacion al monitoreo y control de franquicias se verifica que la capacidad de monitoreo es uno de los factores determinantes para las franquicias brasilenas con operaciones internacionales.The primary goal of this paper is to comprehend the fundamental organizational differences between Brazilian franchise chains that only operate in the home market and Brazilian franchise chains that operate internationally. The sample chosen for this study comprehends 96 Brazilian franchises operating in the home market and 67 franchises with international operations; logistic regression was used to analyze data obtained from these sources. Our findings suggest that the development of a brand in international operations can be strategic for certain Brazilian franchise chains; this seems to be, however, a scarce resource for many franchises and it could be developed through international operations. With regard to the fees charged, the outcomes demonstrate that Brazilian franchises with international operations tend to charge lower fees from its franchisees to install new units. Regarding the monitoring and control of franchises, there is evidence that the monitoring capability is one of the determining factors in the development of Brazilian franchises international operations.

A critical assessment of Brazilian manufacturing competitiveness in foreign markets

This study aims to examine the competitiveness of firms operating in the emerging economy of Brazil. This study examines the current perception of Brazilian business leaders regarding the level of competitiveness in various sectors of industrial activity and the country’s business environment.,Survey data were collected in a joint study developed by Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration (EBAPE) and the Brazilian Institute of Economics (IBRE). The population surveyed was composed of businessmen, managers and directors of Brazilian manufacturing firms. This survey was created based on a similar survey conducted by the Harvard Business School, which was also aimed at identifying the reasons behind national loss of competitiveness.,The results of the survey point out that the worsening competitive nature of companies operating in Brazil can be primarily attributed to the deterioration of its country-specific advantages and in particular those linked to government policies, services and bureaucratic procedures, all of which bear a negative impact on the country’s business environment.,Future research should explore in more depth the specific types of initiatives that these firms have and are continuing to eagerly adopt with the aim of improving their domestic competitiveness and, namely, firm-specific advantages, whether it be by contributing to the improvement of the business environment as a whole, or by improving their own operations and management systems.,The main obstacles related to competitiveness are associated with the “Brazil Cost”, namely, the tax system, infrastructure, political system, labor laws and bureaucracy that do not appear to offer much room for maneuvering in terms of reducing these barriers in the short term. Managers not addressing these important input factors of competitiveness not only divert attention away from innovation and creativity but also could lead to more serious political, social welfare and economic implications in the global marketplace.,This study helps to gain a better understanding of the initiatives that could and are being used to contribute to a fruitful discussion about leading public policies and government actions geared toward upgrading Brazil’s business environment and country competitiveness as a whole.,This research contributes to the understanding of the initiatives that could and are being used to improve firm competitiveness in Brazil. These initiatives contribute to a fruitful discussion about leading public policies and government actions geared toward upgrading Brazil’s business environment and country competitiveness as a whole.

Item Response Theory and Construct Measurement in Emerging Markets

Purpose – The purpose is to present item response theory (IRT) as a promising approach to deal with theoretical and methodological challenges which may not be adequately addressed with linear factor analysis (LFA) techniques. Approach – We address this limitations and present IRTs approach to counteracting these difficulties. We further present two IRT models in greater detail and make a theoretical comparison between these models and LFA techniques. Then, we illustrate how IRT is applied in practice by analyzing a scale of trust by an IRT and an LFA approach and comparing their results. Practical implications – Scale properties may vary among countries because some items may function differently in different contexts. Moreover, a scales reliability depends on the value of the latent variable being assessed, which implies that the scale may discriminate better among certain ranges of the latent trait than among others. The theory we hereby present offers a more adequate approach to dealing with these issues than extant LFA methods. Originality/value – This chapter presents a methodology of recognized value in other fields of knowledge into the field of strategy and international business, thereby advancing the methodologies available for doing research in these domains.

Internacionalización de las redes de franquicias brasileñas: un estudio comparativo

El principal objetivo del articulo es comprender las diferencias organizacionales fundamentales entre redes de franquicias brasilenas solo con operaciones domesticas en comparacion con las redes que tienen operaciones internacionales. Como criterio para la seleccion de la muestra fueron elegidas 96 redes de franquicias con operaciones domesticas y 67 redes de franquicias brasilenas con operaciones internacionales. En los analisis de datos se utilizo la regresion logistica. Los resultados sugieren que es estrategico el desarrollo de una marca en las operaciones internacionales. Parece ser un recurso escaso para muchas redes de franquicias que pueden ser desarrolladas por medio de operaciones internacionales. Con relacion a las tasas cobradas, los resultados muestran que las cadenas brasilenas con operaciones internacionales cobran tasas mas bajas para sus franquiciados para la instalacion. Con relacion al monitoreo y control de franquicias se verifica que la capacidad de monitoreo es uno de los factores determinantes para las franquicias brasilenas con operaciones internacionales.The primary goal of this paper is to comprehend the fundamental organizational differences between Brazilian franchise chains that only operate in the home market and Brazilian franchise chains that operate internationally. The sample chosen for this study comprehends 96 Brazilian franchises operating in the home market and 67 franchises with international operations; logistic regression was used to analyze data obtained from these sources. Our findings suggest that the development of a brand in international operations can be strategic for certain Brazilian franchise chains; this seems to be, however, a scarce resource for many franchises and it could be developed through international operations. With regard to the fees charged, the outcomes demonstrate that Brazilian franchises with international operations tend to charge lower fees from its franchisees to install new units. Regarding the monitoring and control of franchises, there is evidence that the monitoring capability is one of the determining factors in the development of Brazilian franchises international operations.

Internacionalização das redes de franquias brasileiras: um estudo comparativo

El principal objetivo del articulo es comprender las diferencias organizacionales fundamentales entre redes de franquicias brasilenas solo con operaciones domesticas en comparacion con las redes que tienen operaciones internacionales. Como criterio para la seleccion de la muestra fueron elegidas 96 redes de franquicias con operaciones domesticas y 67 redes de franquicias brasilenas con operaciones internacionales. En los analisis de datos se utilizo la regresion logistica. Los resultados sugieren que es estrategico el desarrollo de una marca en las operaciones internacionales. Parece ser un recurso escaso para muchas redes de franquicias que pueden ser desarrolladas por medio de operaciones internacionales. Con relacion a las tasas cobradas, los resultados muestran que las cadenas brasilenas con operaciones internacionales cobran tasas mas bajas para sus franquiciados para la instalacion. Con relacion al monitoreo y control de franquicias se verifica que la capacidad de monitoreo es uno de los factores determinantes para las franquicias brasilenas con operaciones internacionales.The primary goal of this paper is to comprehend the fundamental organizational differences between Brazilian franchise chains that only operate in the home market and Brazilian franchise chains that operate internationally. The sample chosen for this study comprehends 96 Brazilian franchises operating in the home market and 67 franchises with international operations; logistic regression was used to analyze data obtained from these sources. Our findings suggest that the development of a brand in international operations can be strategic for certain Brazilian franchise chains; this seems to be, however, a scarce resource for many franchises and it could be developed through international operations. With regard to the fees charged, the outcomes demonstrate that Brazilian franchises with international operations tend to charge lower fees from its franchisees to install new units. Regarding the monitoring and control of franchises, there is evidence that the monitoring capability is one of the determining factors in the development of Brazilian franchises international operations.