Shobha S. Das

INTEGRATING MULTIPLE THEORIES OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE: A MULTI-COUNTRY EMPIRICAL STUDY.

In this paper we integrate agency, resource dependence, institutional and stakeholder perspectives of corporate governance, to suggest that each theory holds good in a different regulatory and comp...

When is Two Really Company? The Effects of Competition and Regulation on Corporate Governance

In this paper we bring together agency, stakeholder, institutional and resource-dependence theories to study the direct and interactive effects of country regulation and competition on two dimensions of corporate governance: the overall quality of corporate governance of firms in a country, and firm-to-firm variations in corporate governance. Interactive conditions are more representative of the real-world context of corporate governance, and the contradictory pressures that firms face in such interactive conditions are better explained through the use of multiple theories of corporate governance. Using a dataset that spans 15 countries and includes 463 firms, we find that firm corporate governance is better in conditions where either regulation or competition is well-developed, by comparison with interactive conditions. We also find that while regulation enhances within- country convergence, it is likely that competition serves to enhance across-country convergence.

INNOVATION IN HIGH-TECHNOLOGY SMES: INSIGHTS FROM SINGAPORE

Researchers have examined innovation by small and medium enterprises (SMEs), identified factors that contribute to innovation, and concluded that SMEs tend to be innovative and innovation improves performance. Do these findings hold for high-technology SMEs that are located in a newly industrialized economy? Drawing on the resource-based view of the firm, and literature from entrepreneurship and innovation studies, we develop and test hypotheses using quantitative data collected from a survey. While the results of the study generally support prior research conclusions, there is a surprising finding: top management experience negatively moderates the effect of innovation on performance. Qualitative data from follow-up interviews with CEOs of SMEs helped us understand this finding.

Entry in the global liner shipping industry: a population ecology study, 1996–2006

This study examines the global population of container liners and their trade route entry patterns from 1996 to 2006. Concepts from population ecology (population density, forces of legitimacy, competition and imitation, and the liability of smallness) are applied to empirically test the probability of entry by liners into a particular trade route. The findings show that entry into trade routes follows an inverted-U shaped (∩) relationship with the number of players operating in the trade route, increases with the number of trade routes operated by a player, and has a sharper inverted-U shaped relationship for Asian and North American firms. These findings, from the first comprehensive population level study of the liner shipping industry, provide insights into the strategic decision of entry into trade routes made by liner shipping firms during an 11-year period.

COMPETITIVE INSTITUTIONAL STRATEGIES: A NEW GENERIC TYPOLOGY.

This paper places firm competitive strategy in an institutional context to offer a competitive institutional strategy typology. The structure of a competitive institutional environment is explained in terms of its constituents: institutional support, and institutional influence on governance orientation. Firm and competitor position are given in terms of this framework. Proposals dealing with firm strategic aim are identified. Firm strategy is described in terms of movement towards or maintenance of positions within the framework through four strategy types: Dominant market competition, niche market competition, institutional competition-support and institutional competition-governance. Propositions relating firm position, competitor position, strategy and performance are advanced in the context of short and longer time frames. Finally, the paper includes a discussion of firm characteristics, which affect the choice of strategy by firms.