Ryan J. Orr

Chinese Contractors in Africa: Home Government Support, Coordination Mechanisms, and Market Entry Strategies

Africa is a traditional overseas market for Chinese contractors. Since the launch of “going out’ national strategy in the new century, and with the support and control of the government and subordinate agencies, associations and banks, and innovative approach such as Angola Mode, Chinese contractors’ presence in the emerging African market continues to grow. Based on original empirical data collected through interview and questionnaire surveys, this paper analyzes the mechanisms the Chinese government has established to facilitate Chinese contractors’ entry into Africa and the perspectives of Chinese contractors about the African market in terms of opportunities and threats. Regression analysis based on existing datasets indicates that despite perceived opportunities and threats, Chinese contractors’ performance in Africa in terms of business revenue actually hinges upon the availability of construction capital. The study also reviews the market entry modes used by Chinese contractors, concluding that the...

Global projects : institutional and political challenges

List of figures List of tables List of contributors Preface Ray E. Levitt and Ryan J. Orr Introduction W. Richard Scott Part I. Foundational Themes: 1. Global projects: distinguishing features, drivers, and challenges Ryan J. Orr, W. Richard Scott, Raymond E. Levitt, Karlos Artto and Jaakko Kujala 2. The institutional environment of global projects W. Richard Scott 3. Social movements and the growth in opposition to global projects Doug McAdam Part II. Institutional Differences and Global Projects: Empirical Studies: 4. Rules vs. results: sources and resolution of institutional conflicts on Indian Metro Railway projects Ashwin Mahalingam, Raymond E. Levitt and W. Richard Scott 5. Institutional exceptions on global projects: a process model Ryan J. Orr and W. Richard Scott 6. Local embeddedness of firms and strategies for dealing with uncertainty in global projects Ryan J. Orr and Raymond E. Levitt 7. Who needs to know what? Institutional knowledge and global projects Amy Javernick-Will and W. Richard Scott Part III. Political Conflicts and Global Projects: 8. Site fights: explaining opposition to oil and gas pipeline projects in the developing world Doug McAdam, Hilary Schaffer Boudet, Jenna Davis, Ryan J. Orr, W. Richard Scott and Raymond E. Levitt 9. To talk or to fight? Effects of strategic, cultural and institutional factors on renegotiation approaches in public-private concessions Henry Chan and Raymond E. Levitt Part IV. Governance Strategies and Structures: 10. Network-based strategies and competencies for political and social risk management Witold J. Henisz 11. Organizations enabling public-private partnerships: an organization field approach Stephen F. Jooste and W. Richard Scott References Index.

Local operations of chinese construction firms in africa: An empirical survey

Abstract Over the past decade, Chinese construction activity in Africa has been dramatically enhanced with the launch of China’s ‘going out’ national strategy and the support and coordination of the Chinese government, business associations, and banks, and with innovative financing approaches such as Angola Mode. Based on original empirical data collected through interviews and questionnaire surveys, this paper analyzes the local operations of Chinese construction firms (CCFs) in the African construction market. It provides a descriptive profile of CCFs in terms of project pursuit, procurement of materials and equipment, workforce composition, financing sources, technology practices, environmental and social safeguards, and language barriers. The study offers a unique look into the behaviour of a crosssection of the largest players from the Chinese construction industry at a time when they are expanding aggressively beyond their traditional home market. The article also characterizes indirectly the expanding but complex African construction market.

Multilaterals and Infrastructure Funds: A New Era

Multilateral development finance institutions (MDFIs) are increasingly looking to private-equity style infrastructure funds as a new vehicle for investing in emerging markets infrastructure. Since the late 1980s, 14 MDFIs have developed private equity fund investment programs, of which at least five have emphasized infrastructure fund investments, namely, African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, Inter-American Investment Corporation, Islamic Development Bank, and Multilateral Investment Fund. This article explores several rationales provided by MDFIs for their investments in private infrastructure funds, including positive multiplier effects, efficient capital deployment, political risk cover, deal flow agglomeration, and encouragement of clean energy. It also reviews the preferences of MDFIs in manager selection, fund management, and fund creation practices, as well as some of the challenges faced by MDFIs in building up private infrastructure investment programs. Finally, the article raises a number of questions concerning performance, social and environmental safeguards, and developmental impact.

The Rise of MDFI Investments in Private Equity Funds

Abstract This article examines the recent and dramatic rise of emerging markets private equity fund investment programs within multilateral development finance institutions (MDFIs). Data is presented from eight MDFIs with more than

Streams of shared knowledge: computational expansion of knowledge-flow theory

12.5 billion currently committed to private equity fund investments. Primary rationales for establishing these programs include developing financial markets, supporting infrastructure, promoting growth in SMEs, encouraging clean energy, deploying capital efficiently, and fostering restructuring, transition, and efficiency. This article also examines MDFI staffing, fund selection, fund management, fund creation, and performance reporting practices. Questions are raised about the impact of MDFI involvement on fund performance, the dilemma of selecting new versus proven fund managers, the effectiveness of passing down social and environmental safeguards, and the possibility of expanding fund performance assessment to include developmental as well as financial metrics.

Global Projects: Institutional exceptions on global projects: a process model

In this article, we investigate empirically the theoretical split between emphases upon specialist vs trans-specialist knowledge in the organization – or more generally between exploitation and exploration – a split that divides knowledge-flow theory at present, and hence represents an important issue for knowledge management (KM). We review the relevant literature, articulate hypotheses, and employ computational experimentation to test them empirically. Our findings provide novel, insightful understanding of the factors that contribute toward understanding the relative balance between specialist vs trans-specialist knowledge in particular, and exploitation vs exploration more generally. We offer three main contributions: (1) we critique extant theory relating to the substitutability of specialist and interspecialist knowledge; (2) we offer new conceptual insight and empirical evidence concerning substitutability of these knowledge types in the organization; and (3) we demonstrate the empirical power of computational experimentation to examine KM questions of both theoretical and practical interest.

Institutional exceptions on global projects: a process model

Received: 7 February 2006 Revised: 16 August 2007 Accepted: 4 September 2007 Online publication date: KK Abstract This inductive study offers an examination of 23 cases in which informants from firms engaged in large-scale global projects reported unforeseen costs after failing to comprehend cognitive-cultural, normative, and/or regulative institutions in an unfamiliar host societal context. The study builds on the conceptual framework of institutional theory. The findings, which include propositions and a generic narrative model, contribute to theoretical knowledge of how institutional exceptions arise, how they are resolved, and how they typically involve three general phases: ignorance, sensemaking, and response. The findings also articulate the kinds of institutional transaction costs that an entrant incurs in each of the three phases, and the conditions that lead to the growth of these costs. Journal of International Business Studies (2008) 0, 1–27. doi:10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400370