Search

Presents the titles of various papers that have been accepted for publication in the 'European Financial Management Journal.' 'Performance and Policy of Foundation-owned Firms in Germany,' by Markus Herrman and Guenter Franke; 'Diversification, Ownership and Control of Swedish Corporations,' by John A. Doukas, Martin Holmen and Nickolaos G. Travlos; 'Competition on the London Stock Exchange,' by Nicholas Taylor.

Applying the approach suggested by Gabaix (Econometrica 2011) this paper uses the newly available Top 100 Companies Panel Database for Germany to demonstrate that idiosyncratic shocks in the largest firms seem not to be important for an understanding of the aggregate volatility of the German economy. This evidence is in contrast with findings for other countries and it differs from earlier results for parts of the German economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A common fallacy is that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the translation for Mittelstand companies. Until today, no common, widely accepted, and consistently applied understanding of what constitutes the Mittelstand exists, and related international research is consequently less coherent as well as a strong evidence-base for policy makers lacking. Most empirical research has relied on data for SMEs, taking quantitative metrics on firm size as constituent features of Mittelstand companies. The paper challenges this simplified equation of Mittelstand and SMEs and provides a first comparison of different approaches to analyze Mittelstand companies. Focusing on the criteria owner-management, firm size, and a sense of belonging to the Mittelstand, we highlight systematic differences of these approaches. Consequently, we suggest a conceptualization of Mittelstand companies that paves the way for more comprehensive research by setting the distinctive company identity based on ownership and management at the core of what constitutes the Mittelstand. Plain English Summary: Research on Mittelstand companies is faced with a dilemma. On the one hand, Germany's Mittelstand companies have attracted increased attention in the entrepreneurship literature as well as from policy makers and media at an international level. On the other hand, there is no common, widely accepted and consistently applied understanding of what constitutes the Mittelstand. As a result, research on the Mittelstand is less coherent causing confusion in media, politics, and academia. The paper addresses this ambiguity of the term Mittelstand prevalent throughout the literature and compares different approaches to measuring, identifying, and classifying the Mittelstand. Highlighting their systematic differences, we finally suggest that research, policy makers, and practitioners should set the unity of ownership and management at the core of the Mittelstand. In this way, a more comprehensive and unified understanding of the Mittelstand and its heterogeneity should emerge at all levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Until now, classic investment appraisal approaches have exclusively focused on financial success. However, with the rising interest in and need to deal with sustainability, social and ecological aspects have to be considered in investment decisions. The aim of this paper is to present a systematically developed and applicable investment appraisal model, that will not only include financial aspects, but will cover sustainability issues as well by applying the concept of the triple bottom line. Thus, eight controlling and sustainability experts coming from backgrounds of academia and departments of small to medium sized companies in Germany were questioned in semi-structured interviews regarding their perceptions and requirements for a sustainability driven investment calculation model. As a result, there was no common consensus about how to integrate sustainability into an investment evaluation. Even though, sustainability is anchored in the strategy of many companies, clear guidance on planning and control are often missing. The interviewees expressed a need for a simple calculation model adoptable to each company's strategy making it flexible in terms of inclusion of sustainability factors and in weighing up between economic success and sustainability. Literature review and interview results lead to a systematic four-step framework. A materiality analysis will be used to detect relevant financial, ecological, and social features addressed by a potential investment. These features will be listed, measured, and ranked. By applying this approach, a multi-dimensional investment strength profile can be created for each investment alternative. This will then be forming the base for the ability to make solid investment decisions based on the triple bottom line. This paper presents an approach that needs to undergo further testing in practice for it to be verified as a generic framework. Further research is also needed to develop instruments particularly for social features to allow a more precise measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to answer the following research question: which factors relating to the international competitiveness of German enterprises are most important for the Polish market? Then, in a broader context: which competitiveness factors play a key role in helping enterprises from the highest developed countries conquer the market of a relatively less developed country? On the basis of a literature review, a research gap is identified, indicating there is a shortage of studies that clearly identify a group of factors that influence a company's success on the foreign market. The gap is filled with the empirical qualitative research and the conclusions regarding the key competitiveness factors and their effective combination. Competitive strategies and factors key for their implementation are identified, presenting the factors responsible for the growth of German enterprises on the international market (Poland) and achieving market success. The set of enterprises' competitiveness factors is established and the hierarchy those factors is presented. Although the qualitative research based on thirteen companies is not representative, the leading German enterprises provide a valuable lesson on how to successfully conquer a foreign market. The key competitiveness factors responsible for such success in the context of strategic goals, competition strategies and modern methods of competition are presented and discussed. The findings are very useful for real enterprises in internationalizing situations, where the management has to determine the competitive strategy which should lead to foreign growth and in consequence success on the international market. The study indicates what to focus on when entering the foreign market and which factors have a direct impact on the growth on the foreign market. The paper is a result of empirical research on competitiveness and provides valuable information about the set of ranked competitive factors that have a direct influence on success in a foreign market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

622 This paper discusses steward ownership, a concept of business ownership aiming at long-term and purpose-oriented entrepreneurship developed in Germany. Steward ownership can be seen in the context of the current worldwide discussion of corporate purpose and legal innovations like the US-American benefit corporation and the French société a mission has developed a unique approach. The concept is currently put into practice using German company law and the law of foundations. However, in the coalition agreement of the current German government, a new legal form is envisaged to facilitate the founding of steward-owned businesses. The paper presents the concepts and discusses a draft law developed as food for thought for the legislature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to show the interaction effects between clusters and cluster-specific attributes and the industrial internet of things (IoT) knowledge of a firm on the innovativeness of firms. Cluster theory and the concept of key enabling technologies are linked to test their effect on a firm's incremental and radical knowledge generation. Design/methodology/approach: Quantitative approach at the firm-level. By combining several data sources (e.g. ORBIS, PATSTAT and German subsidy catalogue) the paper relies on a unique database encompassing 8,347 firms in Germany. Ordinary least squares (OLS)-regression techniques are used for data analysis. Findings: Industrial IoT is an important driver of radical patents, mediated positively by firm size. For incremental knowledge, a substitution effect occurs between a cluster and IoT effects, which is bigger for larger firms and dependent on cluster attributes and firms' outside connections. Research limitations/implications: The paper opens up new research paths considering long-term disruptive effects of the industrial IoT compared to short-term effects on the innovativeness of firms within clusters. Additionally, it enables further research enriching the discussion about cluster attributes and how these affect ongoing processes. Practical implications: Linking cluster theory and policy with Industry 4.0 raises awareness for being considerate in terms of funding and scrutinising one-size-fits-all approaches. Originality/value: Connecting the concepts of a cluster and advanced manufacturing technologies as a proxy for industrial IoT, specifically focussing on both radical and incremental innovations is a new approach. Especially, taking into account the interaction effects between cluster attributes and the influence of industrial IoT on the innovativeness of firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper follows the negotiations for a model to calculate supplementary child allowance inside a radical democratic organization based in Germany. This model is conceptualized as an evaluation device: a device that standardizes how people and things are evaluated. To understand the process in which the collective tries to come to a shared understanding of fair supplementary child allowance, the paper utilizes Boltanski and Thévenot's notion of the test. The solution the collective eventually settles on is a compromise between the need for a general solution and the hesitation to use a standardized format to evaluate the financial needs of different parents and their children. By highlighting the tension between the general and the particular in evaluation practices, the paper contributes to studies of evaluation in contexts of moral complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the philanthropic behaviour of companies listed on four stock markets: the IBEX 35 (Spain), CAC-40 (France), DAX-30 (Germany) and AEX-25 (Netherlands). A bibliometric method was used to obtain keywords related to corporate philanthropy in literature, while a qualitative content analysis was undertaken to obtain specific philanthropy-related words from company annual reports. 19 groups of words (codes) were defined, indicating the terms used by companies to express corporate philanthropy and community involvement, the forms they use to express such involvement, and the formulas chosen to channel their aid. The word analysis also gave information about the stakeholders that companies take into account when they become involved in community issues. Different hypotheses were stated to determine whether the use of words was related to country, firm size (revenues and employees) or industry. The use of probit regression also allowed us to obtain combinations of these variables that explained the probability of using every term together but not separately. The results indicated that the variables which most affected philanthropic codes were country and revenues. Conversely, the variables which least influenced philanthropic codes were number of employees and industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Max-Planck-Institut für Gesellschaftsforschung Discussion Papers is the property of Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper uses a tailor-made new data set of 7,112,614 observations for export quality (measured by the unit value of exports) at the firm-product-destination level for German and the reporting year 2011. Data are from 119,280 firms that exported 4986 products (recorded at the HS6-level) in 1,632,731 firm-product combinations to 174 countries. The paper investigates for the first time the link between the quality of firms' exports and the distance to destination countries for Germany. It is shown that, in line with theory, the quality of exported goods and distance to destination countries are statistically positively correlated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, Chinese firms have become more active in attempting to go public on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FWB). This paper uses multivariate probit analysis to test the motivations of Chinese firms to list on the FWB. In general, Chinese firms are driven by the following motivations. Firstly, they pursue relatively more stringent listing standards and closer monitoring than the Hong Kong Growth Enterprise Market (GEM) and the London Alternative Investment Market (AIM). Secondly, they are motivated by emerging needs for external financing. Moreover, this paper also examines the post-issue performance of Chinese listings on the FWB. It turns out that Chinese firms listed on the FWB not only show bad operating performance but also bad stock performance. However, they are no exceptions since many Chinese firms listed on other foreign stock exchanges also under-perform the market average. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines behavioural and regional/geographic cultural antecedents of sustainability in SME contexts. The study identifies prevailing macro-representations of sustainability in the literature and highlights an over-focus on large firms constituting the predominant unit of analysis. Moreover, there is a propensity in the literature to view sustainability primarily in terms of 'environmental' – closely linked to a corporate strategic imperative narrative of economic competitiveness and profitability. Overall, this perspective tends to generate accounts which are acultural, apolitical and ahistorical in terms of innovative actions and sustainability practices. In response, using a conceptual framework of moral identity, the paper develops a more micro-foundational insight to sustainability (developing notions of 'tangible' and 'intangible') and examines regional economic development attitudes at individual owner-manager/managing director level in small-to-medium-sized firms. Methodologically, an inductively framed interview schedule was employed with owner-managers and managing directors (n = 30) of manufacturing SMEs in the Baden-Württemberg region (Germany). The study identified a range of micro-foundational behavioural antecedents operating in the sample companies. In particular, it underlined that many of the SME owner-managers/managing directors expressed views informed by a particular moral identity connected with a perspective rooted in regionally bound, longstanding and 'expected' behaviours of trust, fairness, honesty and community responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a detailed institutional study of the German technology transfer system using material from a survey of practitioners and observations of the system over a 2 year period. The purpose of this research was to understand the dynamics within the system which, despite heavy criticism over the past 10-15 years, has proved remarkably resilient, competitive and capable of change. It is argued that the dynamism lies within the funding and the institutional structures of the system which allow competition to exist alongside collaboration and networking, thus incorporating the best of a 'market-based' technology transfer system with the advantages of regulation and coordination. These inherent, but contradictory, pressures are termed 'symbiotic tension': it is argued that this is key to understanding the resilience of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper employs a practice perspective to understand the hanging-together of networking and production practices in small craft-food businesses. Based on a case study from a rural region of Germany, we explore how practices are held together by teleoaffective structures and socio-material arrangements, pointing to the role of machines as nodes in networking and production practices. We furthermore demonstrate how the niche-specific mode of these practices facilitates cooperation within the niche but hampers cooperation beyond the niche. Last, the hanging-together of producing and networking practices eventually leads to a niche-specific path for business growth. We add to the blossoming entrepreneurship-as-practice (EaP) literature by delineating how the bundle of entrepreneurial practices of producing, selling, and networking works to constitute a niche business realm, highlighting the agency of matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the nature and characteristics of crowd logistics business models. Using this evaluation, a new concept for a sustainable implementation of crowd logistics services is proposed.Design/methodology/approach The Design Science process was followed to develop the proposed crowd logistics business model concept. The data are derived from expert interviews and a document-based data analysis of 13 companies.Findings Four relevant steps that companies should follow to implement sustainable crowd logistics services are identified. Open research questions are also identified and guide five research tasks, which may lead to a greater understanding of this emerging field.Research limitations/implications The present research is based on data from companies operating in Germany. The holistic approach gives a broad overview but lacks detailed descriptions.Practical implications Managers can use the four steps and the crowd logistics business model concept to plan future activities (e.g. new service provision). These steps increase the understanding, awareness and knowledge of opportunities and risks of specific crowd logistics services.Social implications This paper provides initial insights into social changes in terms of drivers for the use of crowd logistics services. However, further research is needed to capture the social implications in detail.Originality/value Crowd logistics is an emerging concept, and this paper is one of the first dealing with this topic generally and the first providing an analysis of crowd logistics business models. The developed concept includes implications for practice in the forms of common, and best practices, and science in the form of open research questions and tasks. Overall, the present research provides new insights into this emerging topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article deals with a case study discussing the opportunities and challenges of printing companies that take a strategic approach to environmental issues. The authors summarize the experiences of four environmentally proactive printing companies based in the U.S. and Germany namely . The similarities and differences across these firms are discussed. The results of the case study results indicate a transition in the printing industry away from an instant approach to environmental actions and towards a process of formulating and implementing environmental strategies.

Germany is among the largest countries in the world in terms of total GDP, owing largely to rapid industrialization and expansion of economic activities into several sectors. This paper contributes to the literature on German economic development by investigating the evolution of industry diversification in Germany; particularly focusing on the recent concepts of related (RV) and unrelated variety (UV) in West German regions. It also identifies the statistical and economic determinants of variation in variety over time. Among several industry structure measures; RV is the only measure that reveals a pronounced increasing trend. Since RV is composed of two parts: 1) entropy at five-digit within a two-digit classification, and 2) shares of two-digit sectors in total output, we examined which of the two components dominate. Our findings suggest that the entropy component within two-digit sectoral shares of the RV index is more dominant than the two-digit sectoral shares themselves. We further examined entries and exits of the firms among regions with top and bottom rankings in RV. Findings suggest that both the top and bottom regions experienced an increase in the total number of industries, however, exits were much less pronounced in the bottom regions. It suggests that an increase in variety among top regions is the result of the creative destruction type effect where new industries force inefficient old industries to leave the region. Finally, analysis shows support for the inverse u-shaped relationship between development and diversification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The paper's primary purpose is to assess macroeconomic conditions' impact on the sustainable development of transport companies in France, Germany and Poland from 2008 to 2020. The study is important for the stable development of the transport sector and for ensuring a balance between socioeconomic and environmental development. Design/methodology/approach: The research goal was achieved thanks to creating sustainable development indicators using the normalization method of variables; additionally, econometric models were developed using the Ordinary Least Square (OLS) and the Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) methods. Findings: The analysis results indicate that in France, Germany and Poland, there is a positive trend in the sustainable development of transport companies. What is more, its high rates also remain at the time of the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Economic growth is an essential macroeconomic condition which positively affects sustainable development and its pillars. Research limitations/implications: The research limitations are related to data availability at the level of sectors, the selected research period, the selection of variables, and the normalization method. Moreover, the econometric methods were selected for estimating equations. Practical implications: The empirical implications include that the research results can help those in power (formulation of specific legal regulations and conditions for sustainable development of enterprises). Furthermore, those managing enterprises should focus not only on the company's internal situation but also on analyzing macroeconomic factors continuously. Social implications: Social development is crucial for the sustainable development of enterprises. Therefore it is necessary to take measures to develop human capital. Originality/value: The study's novelty is the comparative assessment of the sustainable development of the transport sector in France, Germany and Poland. In addition, it should be noted that modern statistical methods were used for the analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the asset write‐off behavior of loss firms in response to tax rule changes. In particular, we investigate two simultaneous changes in tax‐loss carryforward offsetting in opposite directions in Germany and France. Understanding if and how tax losses affect firms' financial reporting is important because investors could receive a biased signal of the firm value without such knowledge. We hypothesize and find that following changes in tax‐loss carryforward offsetting rules, loss firms adjust their financial reporting write‐offs to avoid costly large book‐tax differences. In particular, German loss firms reduce their financial reporting write‐offs in the post‐period by 0.61% of total assets, whereas French loss firms increase their write‐offs by 0.15% of total assets as a response to changes in tax‐loss offsetting rules in opposite directions. We contribute to the literature by shedding light on the under‐researched question of how changes in tax rules affect the financial reporting of loss firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the characteristics of labor demand for different levels of qualification in family-managed firms. As the majority of firms in Germany but also in other European countries is family-controlled, the outcome of this study is relevant on an international level. While most studies on employment in family firms have focused on the firms' total workforce, this study analyzes labor demand in family-managed firms on three different skill levels. Applying large panel data from German establishments and a fractional panel probit regression model, the outcomes show that there are some remarkable differences between family- and non-family-managed firms. On average, only medium-skilled workers experienced higher job stability in family-managed firms, whereas highly- and low-skilled workers do not. Highly skilled workers might have valid outside opportunities and probably do not seek higher job stability, while low-skilled probably do not profit from the firm owners' loyalty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emissions trading has been established as an important instrument of pollution control in many world regions. However concerns have been raised whether or not emission-trading schemes may distort competition either on the permit market itself or on related output markets. In this paper we review tradable emission-allowance schemes with special reference to anti-competitive effects. Such distortions may be caused by large firms exercising market power on the allowance market by holding down supply or suppressing demand in order to manipulate prices to their advantage. Firms may also try to abuse the allowance market to put other firms, with whom they compete on the output market, at a competitive disadvantage. Further distortions and abuses may be caused by special or ill-defined rules on the allowance market or other markets. In this paper we survey theoretical insights on potential anti-comptitive effects of emissions trading and also provide some empirical evidence for market power abuses on auctioned and grandfathered allowance markets with a particular focus on the (alleged) allowance market abuse by power utilities in Germany and California. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the agency theory (Jensen & Meckling 1976), it is expected that there exists a positive relationship between corporate governance and company performance which is also generally assumed in recent research (Dignam & Galanis 2016). This relationship is investigated in the study performed by the author of this paper. Two different approaches were chosen in parallel: (1) quantitative data analysis, based on financial figures and corporate governance variables, and (2) a survey of supervisory board members of listed German companies. This paper is about the results of structured interviews with 30 supervisory board members. The survey confirms that corporate governance regulations have an important influence on the administration of supervisory board activities and on board competence. Many supervisory board members stated that the German Corporate Governance Codex leads to extended meeting time to fulfil regulatory requirements, more data requirements to identify and estimate risk issues and to rising risk awareness. The interview results converge with the results from the multivariate analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to analyse the influence of corporate governance (CG) on corporate performance. The debate on CG goes back on Berle and Means who in 1932 discussed the separation of ownership and management of public stock corporations. Since the 90s, CG is one of the most discussed topics in business administration. The overall goal of CG is to support and ensure a sustainable value creation of a corporation for its shareholders. There can be prevalently observed the opinion that "good" CG goes along with an increased corporate performance. For this reason, the paper reviews a broad sample of literature related to the topic. After a theoretical overview, possible causal connections between CG and the company value are discussed. Furthermore, results of previous empirical studies are presented, whereby the paper focuses on empirical studies conducted in Germany. In this context, the German Corporate Governance Code is also dealt with. Finally, the validity of the presented results is critically analysed. Due to the fact that the paper focuses on studies in German it presents research results that otherwise would remain unnoticed by broad parts of the scientific community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at explaining whether R&D subsidies, the engagement in collaboration networks and the location influence the patent activities of biotech firms in Germany! We demonstrate that R&D subsidies focusing on single firms do not increase patent intensity, while subsidies which are granted to joint R&D projects do so to a certain extent. The number of knowledge links firms have is not influencing performance, but the type of network partners has an effect. We found strong evidence that some but not too much cognitive distance between collaboration partners and being located in a cluster have a positive effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to introduce a tool for mapping how consumers' past experiences influence the consumer's present corporate brand image. Design/methodology/approach - A qualitative approach was used for analysing in-depth conversational interviews collected on three IKEA markets (Sweden, Finland, and Germany). Findings - The study shows that the tool gives an understanding of how past and present brand experiences are inter-dependent. Practical implications - The paper gives management an insight into consumers' perspectives of their corporate brand. Originality/value - The value of the paper is that it offers a practical tool for mapping the roots of companies' current corporate brand images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- This paper seeks to explore the personal motives of subsidiary CEOs in taking initiatives in multinational corporations. In essence, the paper proposes that subsidiary initiative-taking is strongly driven by the socio-political positioning of subsidiary CEOs, which consists of specific "social aspects" that account for the basic orientation that subsidiary CEOs maintain in initiative-taking, as well as "political aspects" that affect the ability of subsidiary CEOs to strategize and the ways they do it in the highly politicized processes of initiative-taking. Design/methodology/approach -- The paper is based on four exploratory case studies undertaken in German subsidiaries in France. Applying a matched pair approach it compares two subsidiaries run by parent country nationals (PCNs) with two subsidiaries run by host country nationals (HCNs). Findings -- The paper demonstrates that the nationality of the subsidiary CEO alone does not explain subsidiary CEOs initiative-taking behaviour. Other factors that make up the socio-political positioning of subsidiary CEOs, such as career aspiration, career orientation, access to resources and specific skills to form internal and local coalitions, as well as "external" coalitions with the headquarters, need to be considered as well. Research limitations/implications -- Given the qualitative research design and exploratory nature of the study there are limits to how far the findings can be generalized and applied elsewhere. More in-depth research is needed to further develop the socio-political perspective put forward here, especially to more closely analyze the interplay of actors' (CEOs') socio-political positioning approaches within different contexts of subsidiary initiative-taking. Originality/value -- The socio-political perspective proposed here goes beyond and extends existing IRHM approaches, which narrowly focus on the overarching impact of nationality as a predictor of differences in the behaviour of subsidiary CEOs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to understand the current state and challenges of deploying collaborative applications in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Germany. Design/methodology/approach: A survey of 101 SMEs in Germany showed how intensively collaborative applications are used today and the positive and negative effects associated with their use. Analyses proved correlations between the use of collaborative applications, the need for cooperation within SMEs and the effects and benefits of their use. Findings: The company representatives surveyed reported a positive balance of their pro and con experiences with collaborative applications. The use of collaborative applications closely interacts with work-related demands: the more complex the requirements of joint action, the broader the benefits and challenges are of their use. The data also revealed three gaps between demand of cooperation and use of specific applications, supporting the argument that implementation of collaborative applications is challenging for SMEs. A successful use requires major changes in work systems and culture of the company. Research limitations/implications: The data of the survey are not representative of the population of SMEs in Germany. Originality/value: These empirical findings contribute a unique as well as substantive view of today's state of digitalisation of project communication and management within SMEs, specifically their deployment of collaborative software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial activity patterns of firms in a multi-regional system are closely connected with the structure and evolution of regional labour markets. Based on an extensive data set (cross-section) on commuting flows in Germany, this paper aims to identify the relationship between entrepreneurial activity and spatial labour markets, by employing in particular the concept of ‘entrepreneurial city’. A network connectivity model is adopted to assess connectivity patterns, using the power-law and exponential law as a statistical test framework, in order to detect the presence of economic activity hubs that may resemble the concept of entrepreneurial cities. Various results are presented and interpreted in the final part of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how entrepreneurs from different national cultures deal with cultural diversity of their entrepreneurial teams. The explorative research looks at six case studies in different stages of the venture process. The paper delivers insights from early to later phases of start-ups. From the case-study research and theoretic considerations the paper develops different propositions. Core findings are: first, in cross-cultural teams monochronic/low-context/high-space entrepreneurs strongly structure tasks. Second, polychronic/high-context/low-space founders tend to supply external contacts to the diverse team. Third, polychronic/high-context/low-space founders have a propensity to stimulate communication procedures. Fourth, enhanced communication in cross-cultural teams seems to be related to creativity. At last, monochronic/low-context/high-space founders tend to deny positive effects from cultural diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines whether and how the increasing internationalization of firms impacts on the operation of a co-ordinated market economy. Following the tenets of agency theory, it assumes that an emerging market for corporate control changes the monitoring mechanisms that oversee management. Since Anglo-American forms of monitoring are usually associated with a higher return for investors compared with Continental European firms, a change in the distribution of the net value added of firms is expected. Using financial data on fifty-nine large German companies, the paper shows that the emerging convergence of German corporate governance practices to Anglo-American standards has had a weak, but significant, impact on the distribution of net value added. This is in contrast to the impact of the internationalization of firms on product markets, which does not have an effect. Since the market for corporate control is, however, still underdeveloped in Germany, the main effects remain to be seen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the influence of stakeholder pressures and family ownership on strategic decarbonization choices of German Mittelstand firms. It distinguishes between symbolic strategies focusing on compensating CO2-emissions and substantive strategies directed toward reducing carbon emissions. The relative pressure exerted by internal and external stakeholders on these strategic choices is examined. Data from 443 manufacturing firms reveal that overall stakeholder pressures increase the pursuit of decarbonization strategies. Internal stakeholders pressures are associated with increased reliance on substantive decarbonization strategies both in family-owned and non-family-owned firms. Pressure from external stakeholders are associated with increased reliance on both substantive and symbolic decarbonization strategies only in non-family-owned firms. No effect of external pressures was found in family-owned firms. Implications for theory, management practice, and policy makers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The international trade literature highlights the importance of firm productivity and economies of scale on the firm's international export success. In the context of agglomeration economies, firms enjoy productivity gains when they are located close to related firms and they gain from knowledge spillovers and other positive externalities. They may also benefit from a potentially large supply of diverse workers that possess distinct knowledge and problem-solving skills. In such environments, firms may be more prone to export. In this paper, we employ a comprehensive German data set that combines survey and administrative data. We ask whether German firms (i.e., establishments) export more as a result of localization and urbanization externalities, and labor market pooling associated with workforce diversity, while controlling for a variety of establishment characteristics. Using a fractional response model, we provide evidence that manufacturers and smaller establishments benefit more from externalities and especially from knowledge spillovers. There is less evidence supporting the benefit of workforce diversity; however, that factor may be associated with between-establishment variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zeszyty Teoretyczne Rachunkowości is the property of Stowarzyszenie Ksiegowych w Polsce Rada Naukowa and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to quantitatively evaluate of the current status of productivity management of industrial and non-industrial service companies in Germany. Based on that knowledge, best practices and needs regarding tools and methods can be identified. Design/methodology/approach -- In two qualitative pre-studies the theoretical foundation of service productivity was built. Using this knowledge, a quantitative empirical survey was conducted, including almost 2000 service companies. The sampling frame was based on a company database provided by Hoppenstedt. Samples were randomly selected using proportionate stratified sampling. Findings -- The findings show the economic importance and meaningfulness of service productivity management, independently from the industry. Research limitations/implications -- Due to the chosen population, the findings are limited to Germany. Furthermore, a more detailed comparison of service industries beyond industrial and non-industrial services was not feasible. Practical implications -- The data contained evidence that companies conducing productivity management are more successful than those who are not. This underlines the economic importance service productivity management. Originality/value -- The paper provides reliable, quantitative insights of the current status, demands, and benefits of service productivity management in the industrial as well as non-industrial sector. Keywords Germany, Industrial services, Performance measures, Service engineering, Service productivity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper employs socioeconomic and remote sensing data to develop a novel approach to analysing the morphological urban spatial structure in select German city-regions. Furthermore, the suggested multidimensional procedure facilitates the analysis of the implications of different urban spatial structures in terms of physical urban form. All analyses are conducted on the spatial scale of 1 km? grid cells to allow for spatially detailed results and to account for intra-municipality differences in the urban spatial structures in the study regions. The results indicate fundamental differences among the study regions' distribution of employees and built-up volumes and, as a result, among their urban spatial structures. Both employees and built-up volumes are found to be highly spatially clustered primarily within the core cities but with notable exceptions, which thus qualifies the regions as polycentric. This finding is consistent with prior research but also reveals that built-up volumes can be understood as physical manifestations of proximity advantages to which firms and employees are subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses an approach recently suggested by Gabaix (Eonometrica 2011) to investigate for the first time the role of idiosyncratic shocks to the largest firms in the dynamics of imports by firms from manufacturing industries. For Germany we find evidence that imports are power-law distributed and that the distribution of imports in the industries can be characterised as fat-tailed. Results show that idiosyncratic shocks to very large firms are important for the import dynamics in 2010/2011 but not in 2009/2010. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses comprehensive high-quality panel data from official statistics for exporting enterprises to investigate the micro-structure of the recent export recovery in 2010 in manufacturing industries in Germany after the great recession of 2008/ 2009. Almost all of the increase in exports was due to positive changes of exports in firms that continue to export (i. e. at the so-called intensive margin) while the increase of exports due to export starters (at the so-called extensive margin) was tiny. It is shown that very large firms played a decisive role in shaping the export recovery. These findings are remarkably symmetric to the results from an analysis of the great export collapse of 2008/09. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literature has identified formal and informal channels in university knowledge and technology transfer (KTT). While formal KTT typically involves a legal contract on a patent or on collaborative research activities, informal transfer channels refer to personal contacts and hence to the tacit dimension of knowledge transfer. Research is, however, scarce regarding the interaction of formal and informal transfer mechanisms. In this paper, we analyze whether these activities are mutually reinforcing, i.e., complementary. Our analysis is based on a comprehensive data-set of more than 2,000 German manufacturing firms and confirms a complementary relationship between formal and informal KTT modes: using both transfer channels contributes to higher innovation performance. The management of the firm should therefore strive to maintain close informal relationships with universities to realize the full potential of formal KTT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the last ten years, Chinese outward direct investment (CODI) has undergone dramatic development. It has become increasingly important on the global stage. This paper attempts to integrate the guanxi concept into the Uppsala internationalisation process model to explain CODI motivation, location choice and knowledge acquisition channels. It reveals that Chinese investment in Germany is mainly driven by the desire to explore markets and to search for strategic resources. It favours location rich in network resources. Guanxi acts as an important channel of knowledge acquisition, but it is not as important as contractual linkage because of the limited professional and industry‐related knowledge in the local Chinese community. Chinese capitalism has been shaped into a hybrid form that incorporates both modern corporate management and traditional guanxi utilisation. Research which ignores or overemphasises the role of guanxi could lead to an incorrect understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent shifts in technology have created a data-rich environment and made it necessary for firms to develop new capabilities to cope with these changes. To address this challenge, this study introduces marketing-enabled data analytics capability, a specific type of information technology (IT) capability that enables firms to better understand customer needs and achieve a competitive advantage in the digital era. Using empirical results collected via online survey, we argue that marketing-enabled data analytics capability, which comprises data analytics infrastructure, marketing-oriented analytics expertise, and IT-marketing social capital, positively influences a firm's organisational agility and innovation success. Moreover, the results show that organisational agility partially mediates the relationship between marketing-enabled data analytics capability and innovation success. By developing the construct of marketing-enabled data analytics capability, this paper lays a foundation for future research on this new type of IT capability, which is critical in the digitization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a phenomenon of increasing interest. Today, it is practiced in most countries around the globe and studied in various fields of academia. However, the focus still lies on Western developed countries, their understanding, and implementation of CSR. This paper focuses on the comparison of the orientation towards CSR in Germany and Qatar, thereby closing a research gap by providing insights from a Middle Eastern country. Based on a survey among 265 business students in both countries, the research examines their perception of the economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities of a firm. Findings suggest that, next to economic obligations, Qataris appear more willing to support philanthropic activities of a business while Germans highly value ethical standards. Moreover, females in both countries value economic responsibilities less important than males do. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Investigaciones Historicas is the property of Universidad de Valladolid, Facultad de Filosofia y Letras and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose – The research question which this paper aims to address is: To what extent does (labour) flexibility contribute to crisis resistance at establishment level? More specifically, the authors seek to analyse the determinants of variation in the extent to which establishments showed resistance to the global financial crisis (GFC), i.e. the extent to which they were affected by the crisis, focusing on an available secondary dataset related to organizational, industry-level, and (numerical) labour flexibility. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a unique cross-sectional dataset of 8,000 establishments in Germany, the authors use binary logistic regression to assess the link between organizational characteristics, industry-specific factors and workforce characteristics, and the fact that some establishments were affected by the GFC while others were not affected. Findings – Establishment size, being located in western Germany and business problems before the crisis were positively associated with being affected by the crisis. The sector of economic activity also played a significant role. Contrary to predictions relating to the strategies employed by flexible firms, the extent to which they made use of temporary agency workers or of fixed-term employees showed no significant association with crisis resistance. Practical implications – The dependent variable measures the management respondent's (subjective) perception of being affected by the crisis, although it does not specify the ways in which a company has been affected, for example by a drop in demand or by difficulty in extending credit. The set of independent variables permits several tentative conclusions regarding numerical and functional flexibility, but it does not take alternative forms of flexibility into account. Originality/value – Using a unique and representative dataset, the findings suggest a less important role for numerical flexibility in establishment performance and crisis resistance when compared to other variables, at least within the authors' research framework and its exceptional external economic circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A wide range of empirical studies has analysed exporter performance, especially the relationship between exports and productivity in the manufacturing sector. By contrast, a detailed investigation of the services sector has remained largely neglected. To close this gap this paper focuses on the relationship between exports and several performance characteristics in the German business services sector - average wage, productivity, size, and turnover profitability - in order to determine whether export premia and self-selection into export markets exist in the business services sector. To ensure the comparability of the results with those from the manufacturing sector, empirical models used to analyse the manufacturing sector are transferred to investigate the business services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents results about the determinants of export behaviour of services firms. Using a unique panel of enterprises for the years 2003 to 2005, the impact of size, productivity, human capital, experience on the national market, etc. on export behaviour are analysed. In addition, the researchers control for unobserved time-invariant characteristics by using a pooled fractional probit estimator. When there is no control for unobserved time-invariant heterogeneity the overall results are in line with previous studies. When there is a control for unobserved effects, the positive effects of productivity and human capital disappear, and only size has a positive significant effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the empirical results of a comparison of technology licensing expenditures of German companies in order to test implications of the Gilbert and Newbery (1982) model. Aside from standard control variables, the motives for innovation expenditures are also taken into account. We differentiate between firms intending to secure their present position in the market (incumbents) and those intending to enter a new market (challengers). In line with the prediction of the Gilbert and Newbery model, we find that incumbents show higher expenditures for technology licenses than potential entrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the representation of migrant employees in German organizations and to demonstrate that their employment opportunities are outcomes of diversity strategies – i.e. patterns of personnel practices and the reasons that cause them or are alleged to do so. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on a typology of diversity strategies where elements of strategy and diversity research are combined with resource dependence theory. Propositions on the strategies' relation to personnel structures and practices are examined through empirical data stemming from telephone interviews conducted with HR managers of 500 German companies. Findings – Empirical analyses revealed that diversity strategies are tightly related to personnel structures and practices. The best employment opportunities and career prospects for skilled migrants are offered by companies pursuing a diversity strategy labelled learning. In addition, the findings demonstrate the robustness of this typology. Research limitations/implications – The empirical data suffer from common method bias: information was gathered on the pursued strategy, the personnel structure and practices of each company by interviewing one single person. Moreover, to dig more deeply into the relation with career prospects, a supplementary qualitative approach would be fruitful. Practical implications – The results highlight conditions which are beneficial for advocating the integration of migrant employees. Equally, they may incentivise organizational decision makers with the "good reasons" to employ migrants. Originality/value – By this paper's typology of diversity strategies, an innovative approach is contributed to the theoretical foundation of diversity research as their relation to personnel structures and practices is empirically analysed for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]