The Role of Taiwanese Firms in the Global Value Chain
Lecture by Shih-Fen Chen
May 18, 2011
(Taipei, ROC)

Hosted by the Harvard Business Review in Taiwan and organized by the Ivey Hong Kong campus, Professor Shih-Fen Chen presents to HBR readers his perspectives on the role of Taiwanese firms in the global value chain, and addresses key issues faced by most Taiwanese manufacturers.

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Emerging Market Consumers

Canadian Business Journal

by Dave Wu (MBA 2009)

Operating in an emerging market requires an open-minded and patient approach. Dave Wu observed that consumers in emerging markets often value practicality more than status symbol. "If you plan to target mass market, can you compete with local players on margin and also build a strong distribution network? If you’re going for premium brand strategy, can you sell and deliver your brand perception?" said Wu.

To read the article, click here.

More than a handshake

impact, Volume 17, Number 3

by Dina Ribbink

“The more different the parties were culturally, the more clauses were included in the contract,” Ribbink founds in her research. For example, a contract with China was considerably more complete than a contract with a neighbouring European country. These findings were consistent all along the cultural distance continuum.

To read the article, click here.

Entrepreneurship Flourishes in Areas with Terrorism
 

In a study entitled “Another Dollar, Another Day: Enterprise Resilience under Terrorism in Developing Countries” – lead-author Oana Branzei, Assistant Professor of Strategy, describes how terrorism conditions may create psychological incentives for entrepreneurs to be more resilient to hardship and to yield more favorable economic payoffs. The study was published in the 41st edition of the Journal of International Business Studies (2010). Read more

Full text available for viewing online here

Co-creating Value:
The changing face of global outsourcing

impact, Volume 17, Number 2

by Ning Su

Outsourcing today requires more than just setting up an office in a low-cost country. Ning Su, Assistant Professor of Information Systems, explores how companies from developed economies and emerging markets can share innovation and knowledge to create value for each other.
 

To read the article, click here.

Opportunity Knocks
How multinational firms can become more entrepreneurial

impact, Volume 16, Number 10

by Christopher Williams

The common thread in Williams’ research is the importance of “entrepreneurial knowledge.” In his thinking, there are two types of knowledge in multinational firms: knowledge that relates to ongoing international production activities, and knowledge about international opportunities that have yet to be exploited.
 

In one of his research projects, Williams conducted a survey of Indian software engineers who were partnering with US and European multinational firms as part of those firms’ outsourcing strategies. He found that the software engineers who had gone onshore to work and socialize within the client firm – a practice he calls “embedding” - were better able to understand its business model and innovate on its behalf. “Managers and decision makers tend to deal with other managers,” says Williams. “If we want our partners abroad to innovate for us, we need to get to the knowledge workers, those who are actually cutting the code.”

To read the article, click here.

How Can Organizations Be Competitive but Dare to Care?

by Andrew Delios
Academy of Management Perspectives

Volume 24, Number 3 /2010 Pages 25-36

The issue of social responsibility, manifested as an organization's caring efforts for its employees and the environment, has considerable importance in business practice and research. Although there is a ground-swell of interest supporting organizations that dare to care, the bounds of what it means to care, especially the organizational implications of caring, have yet to be established. In this exchange, I argue that it is certainly within the responsibility of an organization's leaders to develop socially responsible practices, but the nature of industry and the institutional environments in which organizations exist jeopardize the competitiveness of organizations that implement such practices. Further, globalization amplifies the economic risks to the organizations that dare to care. Organizational leaders thus need to proactively change the nature of their competitive environment to one more supportive of social responsibility. Organizational leaders can do so through their influence on policy makers and other organizations that shape the formal and informal norms of business practices across world regions.

To read the article, click here.

An Interview with Christopher Bartlett
Ivey Business Journal Online, January/February 2010

by Stephen Bernhut

Christopher Bartlett is one of the most prolific management thinkers, authors and academics of our time. He is the author or co-author of eight books, including Managing Across Borders: The Transnational Solution (Sumantra Ghoshal), named by the Financial Times as one of the 50 most influential books of the twentieth century, and The Individualized Corporation, named by Strategy + Business as one of the best business books for the Millennium. Another co-authored book, Transnational Management: Text, Cases and Readings in Cross Border Management, is about to have its 6th printing. Christopher Bartlett has also researched and written over 100 case studies and teaching notes.

To read the interview, click here.

The Emerging Market to Emerging Market Opportunity:
Are you Ready to Play?
Ivey Business Journal Online, January/February 2010

by Niraj Dawar

Trade patterns in Asia are shifting and traditional business models, built on buying cheaply in Asia and selling at higher prices in the United States, won’t easily fit the new reality. Multinationals need to evaluate the suitability of their business models for the booming opportunities in trade between emerging markets. 

To read the article, click here.

The Passage to India
Ivey Business Journal Online, January/February 2010

by Carol Stephenson

Emerging markets, and notably India, have a voracious appetite for business knowledge. Their workforces are keen, nimble and bright. They need young managers and many organizations could benefit from more business knowledge to take their companies to the next level.

To read the article, click here.

Marketplace Literacy:
A Key to Unleashing Rural Consumption and Entrepreneurship

Wall Street Journal, September 2, 2009

by Madhubalan Viswanathan and Srinivas Sridharan

As part of WSJ's dedicated site on Rural India, the article reveals insights gained from a marketplace literacy educational program administered in South India and how such education has potential to spur entrepreneurship in rural marketplaces.

To read the article, click here.

The Learning Space

Times of India Delhi, June 8, 2009

by Charles Dhanaraj and Paul Beamish

Since the business world is always changing, there is demand for timely and relevant information that drives B-schools around the world to do research. Asian economies have seen an increase in new B-schools, and many schools report rising enrolments, so the issue of research is vital. The need for research is also evident in situations such as the current economic crisis.

To read the article, click here.

From subsistence to sustainable: A bottom-up perspective on the role of business in poverty alleviation

Economist Intelligent Unit - Executive Briefings, April 24, 2009
(article first appeared in Ivey Business Journal March/April 2009)
by Madhubalan Viswanathan and Srinivas Sridharan

The efficacy – and appropriateness – of monetizing the poor may be questionable for some. Reality and research, however, suggest that enabling the poor to make the economic and psychic step up from merely subsisting has transformative benefits. These authors have conducted extensive research on how helping the poor make the move up ought to be done and how the benefits of such a move underpin change that lasts.

To read the article, click here.

Laying a Strong Foundation at the Base of the Pyramid

impact, Volume 15, Number 6

by Srinivas Sridharan

The World Bank estimates that 3 billion people in the world live on less than $2 a day. They are members of the world’s poorest populations and their biggest hope may lie in the development of a burgeoning entrepreneurial spirit. Professor Srinivas Sridharan's research examines and explains how consumption and entrepreneurship are inseparable among the global poor, and that living in poverty does not preclude opportunities that can produce positive outcomes. It can, in fact, produce an entrepreneurial spirit – and a strong foundation for economic progress.
 

To read the article, click here.

Making Collaborations Work

impact, Volume 15, Number 3

by Charles Dhanaraj

Although statistics indicate that joint ventures (JVs) are high risk and often fail, these risks can be reduced dramatically by establishing the right structure for the partnership, according to research from Professor Charles Dhanaraj.

Managers thinking about an alliance or joint venture often focus on the wrong things and ask the wrong questions.  In this month's issue of impact, Professor Charles Dhanaraj reveals what managers should focus on, the correct structure for a successful joint venture, and the importance of "relational capital" and collaborative leadership.
 

To read the article, click here.

Lessons from the 1997 Asian Economic Crisis

Financial Times (FT.Com), January 22, 2009

by Paul Beamish

When it comes to managing in a downturn, multinational companies may find guidance from lessons learned from past economic crises.  Paul Beamish, director of the Asian Management Institute at the Richard Ivey School of Business, has written an article for the Financial Times on lessons from the 1997 Asian Economic Crisis.  The article draws from his research with Chris Chung from Florida International University and Jane Lu from National University of Singapore.  It discusses the benefits of being part of a multinational network during times of economic crisis due to the flexibility for subsidiaries to modify their operating routines to increase their effectiveness.  Beamish also explains why acquired wholly owned subsidiaries and joint ventures staffed with expatriates give companies greater control over the establishment of strategy and daily operations.

To read the article, click here.

Joint Venturing

by Paul W. Beamish

Click to listen to a 4-minute interview with

Professor Paul Beamish on joint ventures

Watch a video clip of Paul Beamish discuss principals

from his new book, Joint Venturing.

This reader-friendly book is about best practice in joint ventures: the factors and processes which lead to success. Joint ventures can work. They require however an open mind, and the willingness to work through a series of questions which are provided. These relate to: testing the strategic logic; partnership and fit; shape and design; and operating the JV.

The format of the book is intentionally conversational. It uses the Socratic method (question, answer, question, answer) which works so effectively in a case study classroom. Here the “classroom” is several business class seats on an international flight.  This book is written for practicing managers and executives. Those contemplating the formation of a JV and those currently engaged in JVs will see improvement in the duration and performance of their collaborative ventures by following the recommended actions.

How To Meet China’s Cost Innovation Challenge

Ivey Business Journal Online, November/December 2008

by Peter Williamson and Ming Zeng

Forget the idea that the rise of Chinese competitors simply means cheap, low-quality imitations flooding world markets. Chinese companies are starting to disrupt global competition by breaking the established rules of the game. Their tool of choice is cost innovation, the strategy of using Chinese cost advantage in radically new ways to offer customers around the world dramatically more for less. This article describes just how Chinese companies are doing it and suggest strategies to counter Chinese “cost innovation.”

"Toy Recalls and China: One Year Later"

Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, Research Report, November 2008

by Hari Bapuji and Andre Laplume

A follow-up report "Toy Recalls and China: One Year Later" by Professor Hari Bapuji and Andre Laplume was published by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.  This paper analyzes the data on toy recalls and notes that the number of recalls continued to increase in 2008. However, the total number of toy units recalled appears to be decreasing. This decrease in units, relative to recalls, is particularly salient for toys recalled for excessive levels of lead. Further, a marginal increase in the recalls of toys made in countries other than China is noted.

The Growing Power of Emerging Market Economies

and Its Impact on Investment in Canada
Ivey Business Journal Online, September/October 2008
by Larry Wynant

In his inaugural speech as the new Governor of the Bank of Canada, Mark Carney spoke about how globalization has propelled Canada’s economic growth, helping to create the “second longest economic expansion in our history, characterized by rising real incomes, surging employment, and low, stable and predictable inflation.” He concluded, in part, by urging governments “to concentrate on removing barriers to trade and investment to maximize the benefits of globalization.”

There’s no doubt that globalization has and can continue to stimulate our country’s economic prosperity and the competitiveness of Canadian companies. But in recent years, a massive transformation in global financial markets has dramatically changed the investment dynamics. New players are now emerging with more power, more dollars and more influence than many of the countries that have traditionally called the shots. The game will never be same. And it has critical implications for Canadian policy makers and Canadian companies.
 

Interview with Shih-Fen Chen on "Globality"
Impact Faculty Focus, October 2008

Businesses today increasingly find themselves competing with everyone, from everywhere, for everything. How can Canadian companies continue to compete? What does this mean at the individual level?

Shih-Fen Chen, Professor of International Business at the Richard Ivey School of Business, delves into some of the issues around Globality in this month’s Faculty Focus. In this Q&A, he talks about the new era of international business competition and what it means for Canadian companies and for consumers.
 

"The TATA Way: Evolving and Executing Sustainable Business Strategies"
Ivey Business Journal Online, March/April 2008
by Oana Branzei and Anant G. Nadkarni

This best-practice example demonstrates how a firm can sustain competitive advantage and be socially responsible. Starting with a Tata Workout in 2001, CEOs of the TATA companies have collectively evolved an integrated approach to embedding a sustainability mindset into their systems, people, and processes. In 2007, their efforts culminated in the launch of a Leadership Protocol that promotes both a systemic legacy and personality footprints for the next generation of TATA leaders. The authors discuss how this comprehensive approach for the execution of sustainability strategies can strengthen the connection between corporate social responsibility and global competitiveness.
 

"Avoid Hazardous Design Flaws"
Harvard Business Review, March 2008, 86(3): 23
by Hari Bapuji and Paul W. Beamish

Companies can do a much better job of avoiding the design mistakes which are at the root of the majority of toy recalls. Companies should establish a learning culture in which employees feel safe reporting concerns. Once a product flaw is discovered, they should engage in reactive learning by examining and improving the systems and processes that contributed to it. Companies should also engage in four major types of proactive learning: study competitor’s recalls and overall recall trends; listen to design and test engineers; test effectively for safety issues; track customer feedback.
 

"Toy Import and Recall Levels: Is There a Connection?"

Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, Research Report, November 2007

by Hari Bapuji, Paul W. Beamish and Andre Laplume

"Toy Recalls – Is China Really the Problem?"

Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada

Canada-Asia Commentary Number 45, September 2007

by Hari Bapuji and Paul W. Beamish

In the wake of backlash against Made-in-China toys in 2007, two studies done by Ivey Professor Paul Beamish and his colleagues at the University of Manitoba, Professor Hari Bapuji and Andre Laplume, generated significant international attention.  The two studies: “Toy Recall – Is China Really the Problem?” and “Toy Import and Recall Levels: Is There a Connection?” were published by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and quoted in over 200 media outlets.  The earlier research showed that most toy recalls were the results of design flaws by the creator companies rather than attributed to Chinese manufacturers. The follow up findings showed that toy recalls have increased at a faster rate than the increase in imports from foreign countries. Also, design-related recalls were higher, and increased faster, than manufacturing-related recalls, and that the trends were less pronounced for Chinese-made toys.