Suchergebnisse

Purpose
This paper aims to study the learning-by-exporting effect among small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Specifically, the authors propose a dynamic perspective and suggest that learning-by-exporting is duration-dependent and contingent upon the born global internationalization strategy. In earlier phases of export activities, exporting has had a strong positive effect on SMEs' innovations, which, however, diminishes over time. This inverted U-shape effect is even more distinct for born global firms.


Design/methodology/approach
The authors used longitudinal data with 1,689 Canadian SMEs to test their hypotheses. A two-stage instrumental approach is used to take into account the endogeneity of the born global international strategy on new product innovations.


Findings
Born globals learn faster at the early stages of exporting but also restrain their innovations more strongly than gradual internationalizers in the longer run, leveling out the initial learning advantages of newness. Thus, this study suggests that born globals have a significantly different learning trajectory than gradual internationalizers.


Practical implications
To maximize the benefits of exporting on innovation, managers should focus on learning during the initial years of exporting. However, once this period has passed, it is advisable for managers to invest in research and development as well as other innovation activities to complement the learning effect of exporting. Born global firms experience more rapid learning at the initial stage of exporting, but such learning effects wear off quicker later than gradually internationalized firms. For SME managers, this study helps draw their attention to the learning benefits of exporting in the initial years of export participation.


Originality/value
This study corroborates recent studies arguing for a "learning-by-exporting" effect. Providing longitudinal firm-level evidence, the authors also forward a dynamic perspective and show that learning by exporting is duration dependent and contingent upon the market entry strategy pursued by SMEs.

Theory construction and data reconstruction are required for the evaluation of quality in China. Taking into consideration existing mature quality evaluation models (particularly the methods of evaluating customer satisfaction) and China's unique national conditions during its economic transition, four dimensions are proposed to evaluate quality in China: consumer satisfaction with quality, product safety, government regulations on quality, and citizen's concept of quality. Based on empirical investigation data in this framework, the overall evaluation of quality in China is summarized as quality in China has just reached a general standard, product safety remains steady as a whole, government quality regulations are ineffective, and Chinese citizens' concept of quality is poor. Correlation analyses show a positive relation between the effectiveness of government regulation on quality and Chinese citizens' concept of quality, consumer satisfaction with quality, and product safety. Finally, the paper proposes the implementation of an emphasis on product safety during quality elevation and quality improvement systems, such as the constant enhancement of quality regulation effects and Chinese citizens' concept of quality, to drive quality development.

Abstract Theory construction and data reconstruction are required for the evaluation of quality in China. Taking into consideration existing mature quality evaluation models (particularly the methods of evaluating customer satisfaction) and China's unique national conditions during its economic transition, four dimensions are proposed to evaluate quality in China: consumer satisfaction with quality, product safety, government regulations on quality, and citizen's concept of quality. Based on empirical investigation data in this framework, the overall evaluation of quality in China is summarized as quality in China has just reached a general standard, product safety remains steady as a whole, government quality regulations are ineffective, and Chinese citizens' concept of quality is poor. Correlation analyses show a positive relation between the effectiveness of government regulation on quality and Chinese citizens' concept of quality, consumer satisfaction with quality, and product safety. Finally, the paper proposes the implementation of an emphasis on product safety during quality elevation and quality improvement systems, such as the constant enhancement of quality regulation effects and Chinese citizens' concept of quality, to drive quality development.

Purpose
According to the real environment of China, the authors collect micro data about Chinese family firms (FFs) to explain why some Chinese FFs still tend to introduce external managers though they have to face governance conflict between family-based managers and external managers.


Design/methodology/approach
This study analyzes the effect of governance conflict between family-based managers and external managers on firm performance by using ordinary least square test, which is also used to test which factor has influence on governance conflict's profit promotion effect.


Findings
This study finds that governance conflict significantly improves firm performance (profit promotion effect). The governance conflict caused by the introduction of external managers in Chinese FFs can significantly improve a firm's performance by raising its management efficiency and capital investment.


Research limitations/implications
The governance conflict of the family business needs to be further refined in following research. Besides, this study is only based on the empirical study of cross-section data.


Originality/value
Different from the existing related research is mainly based on the sample data of listed family enterprises, the China employer-employee matched survey data includes a large number of small and medium-sized FFs, and has obtained the actual situation of how many of the middle and senior managers are external not family members.

AbstractPast research suggests that personal Internet usage (PIU) at work can carry both costs and benefits for employees, but offers no explanation for these mixed results. In this research, we argue that the competing findings might be due to the existence of different types of PIU. We take a daily approach and propose that hedonic PIU (HPIU, i.e. relaxing oneself) benefits employees' end‐of‐workday well‐being and work engagement while utilitarian PIU (UPIU, i.e. solving others' problems) hinders their well‐being and work engagement. We test our theorizing using three studies. In Study 1, we summarized previous PIU studies and relied on machine learning methods to classify the 618 PIU activities identified in prior studies. We found that prior research mixed HPIU and UPIU and might reach different conclusions. In Study 2, we condensed the PIU activity list in Study 1 and developed measurement scales of HPIU and UPIU. In Study 3, we analysed 1063 multi‐wave daily inputs from 125 employees and found that on a daily basis, HPIU benefits employees' well‐being by fostering a state of recovery, while UPIU impedes well‐being and work engagement by inducing a state of depletion. Moreover, supervisor support for employees' personal behaviours strengthens the beneficial effect of HPIU.