The Ambidextrous Effects of Path Dependence

The research idea of this study is to explore the ambidextrous effects of self-reinforcing mechanisms on organizational path dependence. In this paper, we present a conceptual model based on the duration of R&D intensity: the longer a firm maintains its R&D intensity, the more it will engage in diversification. In addition, we apply the effects of R&D intensity duration to the organizational slack effect. When a firm‟s level of organizational slack is high and is combined with duration of R&D intensity, it will create the explorative learning capability of the firm. On the contrary, if a firm‟s level of organizational slack is low and is combined with duration of R&D intensity, it will create the lock-in path of the firm. We can apply this idea to both the explorative learning capability and the lock-in path via the type of firm‟s diversification. The explorative learning capability tends to be coupled with the unrelated diversification, whereas the lock-in path tends to be coupled with related diversification

Markets and networks of organizations: A longitudinal study on collaboration of organizations in competition

This study gives attention to sources and outcomes of organizational ties and exchange networks. The research setting is the financial services industry, specifically, investment banking. We analyze the exchange relationships among investment banking firms in the management of corporate equity financing deals from 1980 to 1989. We first suggest a research framework linking market, network, and organizational modes of socioeconomic action. Historical and institutional backgrounds of the industry are presented next. Data on new common stock issues for public companies and the syndicates among investment banking firms were collected from various archival sources. The main body of the thesis consists of three empirical studies based on those data. The first study focuses on stability and reciprocity of organizational ties. The study shows that the stability of cooperative ties an organization maintains with the partners is a positive function of economic opportunities and geographic market advantage, and a negative function of organizational influence, reputation, and structural differentiation. The results also indicate that dyadic reciprocity is influenced positively not only by economic opportunities, resource commitment, and market power, but also by complementary market arenas, comparable levels of economic opportunities, and differences in market power. The second study gives attention to sources of structural positions that organizations hold in their exchange relationships. The niche-based structuration hypothesis was tested with blockmodeling of multiple exchange relations and multinomial logit modeling of structural positions. The results confirm that organizational capabilities and market strategy as key niche elements are bases of organizational positions in exchange networks. The third study concerns the relationship between organizational performance and relational behavior. Loglinear analysis of cooperative deal exchanges was conducted to test performance effects of expansive, popular, and reciprocal strategies in social exchange. The results indicate that expansive strategy leads to better performance than popular strategy, and that the early performance increases both expansiveness and popularity in relational behavior. In conclusion, theoretical and managerial implications of these findings are discussed

Who Is the Beneficiary of Slack on Corporate Financial Performance and Corporate Philanthropy? Evidence from South Korea

As stakeholder relations vary depending on firm characteristics, the associations among corporate financial performance (CFP), corporate giving, and corporate social performance (CSP) are complex. In this paper, we contribute to the literature by exploring CFP as a predictor of CSP by differentiating the stakeholder groups that firms interact with; that is, primary versus secondary stakeholder relations. Our study also extends the existing literature by examining who the beneficiaries of corporate philanthropy are, and the role played on the CFP/CSP association. By extracting a sample of 52 firms and 312 firm-year observations from the Korea Economic Justice Institute database, we find that while CFP has a positive effect only on primary stakeholder relations, corporate philanthropy has a positive impact on both primary and secondary stakeholder relations. Furthermore, we observe an overall influence of CFP on stakeholder relations when corporate philanthropy is high. Our findings suggest that differentiating multiple stakeholder groups together with the role played by corporate philanthropy provides a more valuable and meaningful analysis of the antecedents of CSP

Autophagy: A new strategy for host-directed therapy of tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB), which is primarily caused by the major etiologic agent Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), remains a serious infectious disease worldwide. Recently, much effort has been made to develop novel/improved therapies by modulating host responses to TB (i.e., host-directed therapy). Autophagy is an intracellular catabolic process that helps maintain homeostasis or the removal of invading pathogens via a lysosomal degradation process. The activation of autophagy by diverse drugs or agents may represent a promising treatment strategy against Mtb infection, even to drug-resistant strains. Important mediators of autophagy activation include vitamin D receptor signaling, the AMP-activated protein kinase pathway, sirtuin 1 activation, and nuclear receptors. High-throughput approaches have identified numerous natural and synthetic compounds that enhance antimicrobial defense against Mtb infection through autophagy. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge of, advancements in, and perspectives on new therapeutic strategies targeting autophagy against TB. Understanding the mechanisms and key players involved in modulating antibacterial autophagy will provide innovative improvements in anti-TB therapy via an autophagy-targeting approach. Abbreviations: TB: Tuberculosis; Mtb: Mycobacterium tuberculosis; HDT: host-directed therapy; MDR: multidrug resistant; XDR: extensively drug resistant; LAP: LC3-associated phagocytosis; ROS: reactive oxygen species; VDR: vitamin D receptor; TFEB: transcription factor EB; ERRα: estrogen-related receptor α; PGC1α: PPARγ coactivator-1

Partner Selection for International Marketing and Distribution in Corporate New Ventures

The software industry offers numerous options for a firm to arrange its international marketing activities. Although a prominent way to enter the international market is through co-operation, there is a limited amount of research regarding partner selection. The purpose of this paper is to explore how entrepreneurial corporate new ventures use partners in their international marketing. A representative case study is used to illustrate the partner selection and evaluation process in the software industry. Our findings indicate that small entrepreneurial firms can and should use partners in their internationalization. However, a more analytical approach to their selection is needed. Copyright Springer Science + Business Media, Inc. 2005partnering, partner selection, international entrepreneurship, corporate new ventures, software industry,