INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND THE VERTICAL ORGANIZATION OF INDUSTRY

A model has been developed to study the interdependence between the choice of information technology and industry structure. Advances in information technology might provide incentives for a firm to specialize or focus on its core competence. However, the degree of specialization depends on the extent of industry-level specialization, which is, in turn, the result of the behavior of individual firms and their adoption of information technology favoring specialization. Emerging electronic markets and industries have been chosen as an application domain, as they would not exist without information technology.

Industrial districts as organizational environments: resources, networks and structures

The paper combines economic and sociological perspectives on organizations in order to gain a better understanding of the forces shaping the structures of industrial districts (IDs) and the organizations of which they are constituted. To effect the combination , the resource based view (RBV) and resource dependency theory are combined to explain the evolution of different industry structures. The paper thus extends work by Toms and Filatotchev by spatializing consideration of resource distribution and resource dependence. The paper has important implications for conventional interpretations in the fields of business and organizational history and for the main areas of theory hitherto considered separately, particularly the Chandlerian model of corporate hierarchy as contrasted with the alternative of clusters of small firms coordinated by networks

Balancing Selection Pressures, Multiple Objectives, and Neural Modularity to Coevolve Cooperative Agent Behavior

Previous research using evolutionary computation in Multi-Agent Systems indicates that assigning fitness based on team vs.\ individual behavior has a strong impact on the ability of evolved teams of artificial agents to exhibit teamwork in challenging tasks. However, such research only made use of single-objective evolution. In contrast, when a multiobjective evolutionary algorithm is used, populations can be subject to individual-level objectives, team-level objectives, or combinations of the two. This paper explores the performance of cooperatively coevolved teams of agents controlled by artificial neural networks subject to these types of objectives. Specifically, predator agents are evolved to capture scripted prey agents in a torus-shaped grid world. Because of the tension between individual and team behaviors, multiple modes of behavior can be useful, and thus the effect of modular neural networks is also explored. Results demonstrate that fitness rewarding individual behavior is superior to fitness rewarding team behavior, despite being applied to a cooperative task. However, the use of networks with multiple modules allows predators to discover intelligent behavior, regardless of which type of objectives are used

Industrial districts as organizational environments: resources, networks and structures

The paper combines economic and sociological perspectives on organizations in order to gain a better understanding of the forces shaping the structures of industrial districts (IDs) and the organizations of which they are constituted. To effect the combination , the resource based view (RBV) and resource dependency theory are combined to explain the evolution of different industry structures. The paper thus extends work by Toms and Filatotchev by spatializing consideration of resource distribution and resource dependence. The paper has important implications for conventional interpretations in the fields of business and organizational history and for the main areas of theory hitherto considered separately, particularly the Chandlerian model of corporate hierarchy as contrasted with the alternative of clusters of small firms coordinated by networks.clustering; dynamics; resource-based views; resource dependency

Mapping Specialisation and Fragmentation of Regulatory Bodies

The objective of the Flemish database is to determine the current level of proliferation of regulatory bodies and to map how regulatory regimes are structured (i.e. what kind of organizations are involved and what are their characteristics?). This paper explores whether there are ‘groups’ of regulators who share certain characteristics with other members of the same group, but differ from other groups. In specific, we test whether the sector in which a body is active and the level of government to which it belongs, have an impact on the organisational form of the body and the tasks it performs. We find that economic regulators differ significantly from other areas. They are more insulated from politicians, are more specialised and seem to have a relatively strong legal mandate. The level of government seems to be a relevant explanatory factor as well. Federal bodies are more insulated from government than other levels. In addition, they are more specialised in regulation and have a rather limited legal mandate. The results confirm the relevance of comparing different regulatory areas and levels of government.

Hierarchical Structure in Brazilian Industrial Firms: an Econometric Study

The paper investigates different implications of theoretical models for hierarchical structure. A sample of 6567 firms in the Brazilian manufacturing industry is considered and explanatory factors pertaining structural characteristics, network technology, technological innovations, managerial innovations and incentive mechanisms are investigated. Despite the broader availability of explanatory variables in some categories, one only detects important joint effects accruing from the group of network technology variables as had been previously obtained in the related literature. In contrast, however, one can detect a marginally significant joint effect of the newly considered group of incentive mechanisms variables. The evidence in terms of individual effects is largely consistent with the predicted effects from the theoretical literature on hierarchy.

A Task-Based Approach to Organization: Knowledge, Communication and Structure

We bridge a gap between organizational economics and strategy research by developing a task-based approach to analyze organizational knowledge, process and structure, and deriving testable implications for the relation between production and organizational structure. We argue that organization emerges to integrate disperse knowledge and to coordinate talent in production and is designed to complement the limitations of human ability. The complexity of the tasks undertaken determines the optimal level of knowledge acquisition and talent. The relations between tasks, namely, complementarities or substitutabilities and synergies, determine the allocation of knowledge among members of the organization. Communication shapes the relation between individual talent, and governs the organizational process and structure that integrates disperse knowledge to perform tasks more efficiently. Organization structure can also be deliberately designed ex ante to correct bias of individual judgement, the extent to which is dependent on the attributes of tasks. Organization process and the routinized organizational structure are the core of organizational capital, which generates rent and sustains organizational growth. This task-based approach enriches the existing body of organization studies, in particular the knowledge-based theory of the firm and the dynamic capabilities theory.task-based approach, complementarities, tacit knowledge, codifiable knowledge, code,vertical communication, horizontal communication, organizational architecture, decision bias

Hierarchical Structure in Brazilian Industrial Firms: An Econometric Study

The paper investigates different implications of theoretical models for hierarchical structure. A sample of 6578 firms in the Brazilian manufacturing industry is considered and explanatory factors pertaining structural characteristics, network technology, technological innovations, managerial innovations and Incentive mechanisms are investigated. Important joint effects are detected for all groups of variables in partial contrast with the related previous literature. Moreover, one detects significant joint effect of the newly considered group of incentive mechanisms variables. The evidence in terms of individual effects is largely consistent with the predicted effects from the theoretical literature on hierarchy.

The Effective Design of Managerial Incentive Systems:Combining Theoretical Principles and Practical Trade'-offs.

On the use of theoretical developments in agency economics for the practical design of incentive- and performance-based compensation systems.managerial compensation; principal-agent theory; incentive and performance based compensation systems