Global Competitive Pressures Research Articles

Research on Mergers and Acquisitions of Multinational Enterprises

Mergers and acquisitions are increasing due to global competition and financial pressure. The purpose of this paper is to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that contributed to the success of the international M&A. This dissertation select to investigate the successful case of the merger of Daimler and Chrysler, the failed case of acquisition of Lenovo and IBM. Then, a recommendation will be made that the measures taken in the post-merger phase are successful and why these companies are successful and the reasons for the failure to a great extent.

The Role of Labour Market Intermediaries for Migrant Workers in Global Production Networks: The Example of Filipino Migrant Workers in the Taiwanese Semiconductor Industry

ABSTRACTThis article contributes to the literature at the intersection of migration and global production networks (GPNs) by examining the role of labour market intermediaries (LMIs) for migrant workers. It demonstrates mediation processes by LMIs and elaborates on migration networks in the global labour market through qualitative and quantitative data. It examines the role of LMIs in responding to mechanisms in GPN, including zero inventory and just‐in‐time production, and the impact of private employment agents on migrant workers, particularly on their career paths. The article found that LMIs play an active role in the mediation and cooperation between migrant labour and firms and in shaping structural conditions for migrant workers in response to global competitive pressures. However, LMIs play a controversial role in social upgrading. Private LMIs are identified as having a negative impact on career paths of migrant workers.

СРАВНИТЕЛЬНЫЙ АНАЛИЗ ОТЕЧЕСТВЕННОГО ПО В СФЕРЕ ЛОГИСТИКИ

Current trends in the development of logistics emphasize the importance of using software to optimize business processes. In the context of global competition and sanctions pressure, Russian companies face the challenge of choosing between foreign and domestic software products. This article is a comparative analysis of three leading foreign and three Russian software products in the field of logistics, evaluating their functionality, flexibility of settings, integration and economic impact of use. Special attention is paid to aspects related to sanctions and the impact of the national economy.

Discussion on Improving the Level of Enterprise Business Administration Under the New Economic Environment

In the ever-evolving landscape of the new economy, businesses are confronted with numerous challenges and opportunities. This article examines three key aspects: technological innovation, market competition, and regulatory updates, and their impact on enterprise business administration. Firstly, technological innovation drives digital transformation, necessitating the active application of technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data to enhance efficiency. Secondly, intensifying market competition, coupled with the rise of new industries and global competitive pressures, calls for enterprises to expand their talent pool and strengthen management and innovation. Lastly, the continuous update of laws and regulations requires businesses to establish robust risk management systems, enhance compliance awareness, and ensure legal operations. In conclusion, by comprehensively addressing challenges in technology, market dynamics, and legal compliance, businesses can enhance their business administration levels to meet the demands of the evolving new economic environment.

Development and Application of a Timekeeping System to Maintain Lean Development Processes

The pressures of global competition and shorter product lifecycles, along with a growing number of product variations, necessitate companies to continually decrease their development times. Therefore, the most effective use of development time must be guaranteed. To enhance time management, it is necessary to recognize and minimize wastage in the development process. "Timekeeper" gadgets allow developers to decentrally measure interruptions in the development process and then automatically display them using a data processing system. Gadgets and data processing system complying with data protection regulations have produced a mobile and widely applicable time measurement system. Disruption times can be recorded e.g. as part of SixSigma activities. This enables prompt response to acute events and the monitoring of the success of implemented measures based on figures, data and facts. The timekeeping system allows numerous employees to record their time individually and concurrently, enabling its use over an extensive duration without external consultants. Unlike selective time recording, which is only useful in serial production, this system can also aid administrative areas that regularly handle activities with varying durations, such as the design of both small and large assemblies. This publication outlines the development, application and evaluation of the Timekeeping system.

Digitalization and network capability as enablers of business model innovation and sustainability performance: The moderating effect of environmental dynamism

In the face of relentless global competition and regulatory pressures, the imperative for firms to digitally transform has become critical. This is particularly salient for Chinese manufacturing firms as they strive for sustainability, a multidimensional construct comprising both economic and environmental performance. Leveraging dynamic capabilities theory, this study aims to unravel the intricate interplay between digitalization, network capability, business model innovation (BMI), and environmental dynamism in shaping a firm’s sustainability performance. Our research is driven by a compelling question: How do digitalization and network capabilities impact firms’ sustainability performance, and what roles do BMI and environmental dynamism play in this relationship? To answer this question, we employed a robust survey-based methodology encompassing 1600 Chinese manufacturing firms, yielding 255 completed and validated responses. The findings reveal that network capability mediates the influence of digitalization on two types of BMI—novelty-centered and efficiency-centered. Further, these forms of BMI act as mediators between digitalization and network capability, and the two dimensions of sustainability: economic and environmental performance. Notably, environmental dynamism serves as a double-edged sword. It negatively moderates the impact of digitalization on efficiency-centered BMI, but positively moderates the influence of network capability on the same. Our study offers nuanced theoretical and practical implications. It extends dynamic capabilities theory by elucidating how digital and network capabilities can be leveraged for sustainable outcomes via business model innovation. Moreover, the research provides managerial insights, particularly for Chinese manufacturing firms, on navigating the complex landscape of digital transformation toward sustainability. Considering these insights, we recommend that firms prioritize network capabilities and strategically innovate their business models to harness the full potential of digital transformation. Simultaneously, organizations should be cognizant of the environmental dynamism within which they operate, as it can both hinder and enable their journey toward sustainability.

Modeling the dynamics of firms’ international and product market diversification strategy: the case of U.S. firms’ response to late 20th century globalization

PurposeThis paper aims to derive and estimate a theory-based empirical specification that models a firm’s choices of its international diversification (ID) and product diversification (PD) and how they evolve over time in response to shocks that alter the relative cost and relative profitability of ID and PD.Design/methodology/approachWe use longitudinal data on U.S. manufacturing firms from 1984 to 1999, a period of intense shocks associated with rapid globalization, to estimate a dynamic panel data Tobit model that permits lags in a firm’s adjustment to its optimal mix of ID and PD over time.FindingsWe find strong support for the theoretical framework underlying our empirical specifications and posited dynamics, with full adjustment estimated to require, on average, 1.5 years, a finding with implications for the time spacing of observations in empirical studies of ID and PD to avoid biased inferences. Among the globalization shocks during the time period studied, our results indicate that global competitive pressures and efficiency gains from global supply integration to be the more important factors driving U.S. firms toward greater ID relative to PD. Augmentation of firms’ organizational (managerial) and physical capital resources is also found to be important for supporting an expansion of ID relative to PD. Technological resource augmentation is instead found to favor expansion of PD relative to ID.Originality/valueOur empirical specification is novel. It readily incorporates an often ignored but necessary theoretical condition that defines a firm’s optimal choices of its ID and PD, and it allows observed choices at a point in time to deviate from their optimal values.

The Impact of Enhanced Digital Development on China's Economics in the Post-Epidemic Period

The global economy has been severely disrupted in the context of COVID-19, and China has not been immune to its impact. China is advocating a more comprehensive digital development plan, including a model that combines new technology and existing sectors, to offset COVID-19's influence on economic growth. The objective of this paper is to analyze the potential impact of enhanced digital development on the Chinese economy in the post-epidemic period. This paper uses a literature review and comparative case study analysis to analyze digital development in two of China's fastest-growing dynamic cities, Guangdong and Shanghai, and compare digitalization trends in developed countries. Finally, worldwide experiences and insights are used to analyze China's digital age prospects and problems and how to boost China's digitalization potential to boost economic growth. The study shows that enhanced digital transformation has a positive impact on China's economic development in the post-epidemic period. Digital development is advancing more quickly in healthcare and education, particularly under the influence of COVID-19, increasing people's digital literacy while eradicating traditional time and space restrictions and fostering resource sharing and information transparency. In addition, it may boost economic development, provide new business possibilities, and enhance individuals' quality of life. China's digital transformation and upgrading face many challenges due to global competitive pressures, ecological and security environments, traditional industrial models, and consumer perceptions, but international experience and inspiration provide many new ideas.

Evaluation of a Soft Sensor Concept for Indirect Flow Rate Estimation in Solenoid-Operated Spool Valves

Concepts, such as power and condition monitoring or smart systems, are becoming increasingly important but require extensive insight into the process or machine, which is mostly gained by additional sensors. However, this development is contrasted by growing global competition and cost pressure. The measurement concept of a soft flow rate sensor presented here, addresses this discrepancy by means of a cost-effective software-based sensor, utilizing the dependence between flow rate and flow force in hydraulic spool valves. In the presented work, the feasibility of the introduced approach and the anticipated challenges, such as the modeling of disturbances in the mechanical, fluidic and electromagnetic subdomain, are assessed. For this purpose, important phenomena influencing measurement accuracy are identified on the basis of previous work. With the help of these findings, a greatly simplified version of the soft sensor is built and evaluated with a commercial valve to perform an initial test of the concept. Regardless of future implementations, the soft sensor concept presented here may have limitations in terms of dynamics and accuracy. However, the aim is not to replace a classic flow rate sensor, such as a gear sensor, but rather to create a cost-effective way to determine the flow rate without any additional integration effort.

Lean six sigma for improving supply chain management - A literature review

Supply chain management (SCM) is essential for any company to survive increasing global competitive pressures. SCM depends on continuous improvement and how it is implemented to support performance. Lean Six Sigma (LSS) enables supply chains to become more efficient and effective in sustaining continuous improvement. The integration of SCM and LSS is in its very initial stages. This work highlighted the most important LSS tools for improving SCM. Furthermore, a general framework for LSS-SCM is developed. This framework provides a step-by-step roadmap for improving SCM especially in manufacturing. Using this study, practitioners can determine which combination of LSS tools leads to the best performance and rapid success.

Applications of IoT in Manufacturing: Issues and Challenges

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the global network of inter-related physical devices such as sensors, objects, computing devices, mechanical instruments, smart applications and human resources that are becoming an essential part of the internet. These devices are the sources of data which provide abundant information in manufacturing processes. In an industrial environment, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) plays a pivotal role in manufacturing. IIoT is the transformation of manufacturing process by making the industries more efficient, productive, and smarter. In order to survive, withstand in the market place and gain competitive advantage, the manufacturers are initiating to leverage IIoT technologies and data analytics. With globalization, global competitive pressures are challenging industries and manufacturing companies to manage the gaps in the workforce skills, drive out inefficiencies from the existing systems and enhance their business opportunities. The world is plunging into an era of data inter-connectivity and companies are able to enhance their production after adapting new technologies. In this context, this paper provides an understanding of the concept of IIoT and smart manufacturing. Further, the paper discusses in detail the issues concerning different applications of IoT in the industrial sector; and presents the challenges encountered in an IoT-based Industrial Data Management System (IDMS), which can manage the huge industrial data, support online monitoring and control smart manufacturing.

Global competitive pressures and career ecosystems: contrasting the performance management systems in UK and French business schools

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to compare the effects of global competitive pressures on the UK and French B-schools' management systems through the lens of career ecosystems.Design/methodology/approachThis is a qualitative inquiry employing in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 44 business school academics in the two countries.FindingsThis paper demonstrates the importance of top-down and bottom-up ecosystem influences for creating contrasting performance management systems in competitive B-schools in the two countries, to different outcomes for institutions and faculty careers.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors focus on faculty working in top business schools, which limits the generalizability of the findings. Future research could apply the ecosystem lens to other institutions and geographical areas to highlight best practices and evaluate their transferability across borders.Practical implicationsThe study highlights alternative HR practices and potentially workable adjustments to current systems that could be envisaged in order to enhance performance of individuals and institutions without jeopardizing the chances of valuable human resources to bring their contributions to the success of B-schools.Originality/valueThis paper compares and contrasts different performance management systems, taking into account exogenous and endogenous influences on B-schools that operate in a highly competitive and rapidly changing global management education market.

Misconduct and Innovation as a Response to Global Competitive Pressure

This article theoretically examines the effect of an intensified global competition. Since consumers observe product quality imperfectly, inefficient firms are incentivized to supply less valuable goods deceptively, which spreads consumers’ distrust of the market. On the other hand, escaping its negative externality, efficient firms undertake innovation to build trust with consumers. Using a model that describes this market dynamism, this article shows that in some circumstances, the intense competition negatively affects average domestic product quality, social welfare, and, inequality across firms.

Principles and Practices of Agile Techniques in Automotive Product Operations

Agile approach and its practices are becoming more and more critical to many organisations in the face of accelerating global competitive pressure and customers' growing demands. While agility promises to bring values to business, organisations are facing a range of challenges in their agile transformation journey. This article aims to examine the principles and practices of Agile techniques in automotive product operations. The results find that Agile implementation helps automotive organisations increase customer satisfaction due to the more emphasis on customer preferences and frequent value delivery. Also, Agile promotes feedback loops, and continuous improvement across multi-layers within the organisation resulted in higher-quality automotive products. The implementation of Agile practices leading to higher productivity and efficiency in automotive operations is another finding. Agile approach and practices transform multifaceted aspects within the automotive organisation in terms of strategy, organizational structure, management methodology, processes, people, and technology, which resulted in the sweeping changes across the agile-based company. The final finding is that existing automotive organisations may face a wide range of challenges in their agile transformation journey. By contrast, it is easier for start-up companies as they begin with the blank page and do not need to obliterate anything.

Partners in crime: Transnational television’s role in the emergence and distribution of narratives of European solidarity

Television was heralded as a catalyst of European solidarity when satellite technology arrived, but financial failure, regulatory barriers and contrived cross-border stories – defamed as ‘Europuddings’ – quickly stifled this enthusiasm. This article reconsiders television as a medium for narratives of European solidarity within today’s TV industry, policy and culture. The crime drama The Last Panthers (2015), co-produced by Sky and Canal+, serves as a case study of the interplay between economic, political and cultural Europeanization in contemporary TV production. The analysis builds on Jürgen Habermas’s reflections on crisis dynamics in late capitalist societies (1980, 2005), which informs his response to the crisis of the European Union (2012). The case study shows how the pressure of global competition on European broadcasters, the European Commission’s support for distribution of audio-visual media, and the lessons learnt from the Europudding years have created a fragile window of opportunity for narratives of transnational solidarity.

Künstliche Intelligenz verändert viel mehr als nur die Produktion

The development of AI requires cooperation and large volumes of data. Applications of “narrow AI”, many of which are already functioning, can be understood and managed. “General AI”, which humans can only understand abstractly, is in development every-where, with China full steam ahead in the fast lane. Rules must be developed and measures taken to ensure control over AI. The EU can use its traditional strengths (e. g. its emphatically democratic opinion formation) to make a pioneering contribution on the subject of AI governance. A goal-oriented, multistage approach is required for the usage of AI in production. After developing scenarios based on data transparency and intelligent, real-time-capable processing to simulate and calculate parameters such as batches, batch sizes, or pro-duction orders, the full potential of AI can be utilized in the final step. Given ethical considerations, its use in an industrial setting is far less critical than in political, social, or military contexts – unless the pressure of global competition results in an overly careless adaptation of laws to the real technical possibilities.

The German advertising industry – from 1950 to 2018

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the development of the German advertising industry starting from 1950 to 2018 with a special focus on the American influence. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses the oral history methodology. The content is based on 27 semi-structured interviews with current and former experts from the German and American advertising industry. An analysis of secondary sources supports the line of argumentation. Findings The paper confirms the outstanding role of the American influence on the German advertising industry, owing to new standards of professionalism, to novel versions of terminology and to the introduction of the theory of marketing. However, incompatible management styles, increasing global competition and financial pressure diminished the impact. Likewise, the American interference did not suppress the development of specific German industry characteristics such as a strong entrepreneurial culture or sustainable leadership. Originality/value This paper provides an overview of the history of German advertising with a focus on advertising agencies in the period from 1950 to today (2018). Further, this paper assesses the special impact of the American influence on the German advertising industry. Further, subjects of investigation are particularities of the German advertising industry, such as special attributes of agency leaders and their relationship with clients, distinct versions of ownership structures, agency service offerings and, finally, the role of creativity.

Narrative and narrator credibility during identity change: A comparative study of two subsidiaries

Substantial shifts in an MNC’s global priorities and competitive pressures invoke changes to the relationship between headquarters (HQ) and their subsidiaries and the balance between independence-i...

Women production workers’ introduction into a Norwegian Shipyard 1965–1989

We investigate women’s introduction to skilled production jobs in Norway’s largest shipyard, 1965–89, estimating the experiment’s success. We analyse the difficulties experienced in adapting working conditions and culture to the women entrants, using a theoretical industrial relations/occupational health and safety lens. Working conditions resulted in considerable occupational illness among the women. Job tenure was therefore short, helping sustain an intra-occupational gender pay gap. A management-union alliance established and maintained women’s ‘reserve’ and ‘helper’ statuses. Women’s collective voice was highly circumscribed. Our evidence supports previous arguments that social and industrial relations configurations were among Norwegian yards’ problems in responding to powerful global competitive pressures. However, we argue that management-union cooperation, rather than conflict, underlie this experiment’s limited success.

Push button design requirements and relations to button architecture elements

The automotive industry supply chain has been subjected to new and global competition pressures, which are pushing for collaborative, interdependent and strategic product development partnerships among its agents, with the objective of improving the processes and responsiveness to product engineering requirements. Thus, some research has been dedicated to the analysis and translation of these user needs into product engineering requirements in order to provide methods to increase the conversion responsiveness. However, there is an additional conversion phase which is the definition of the product architecture to meet those requirements. So, the objective of this paper is to present a method and case study where button parameters are related to its architecture elements by applying Morphological Analysis and Artificial Neural Networks on the data collected from measurements made on in – car radio interfaces. The precision power of the models was demonstrated, meaning that it is possible to have an expected haptic behavior for the button, predicted in the form of a set of relevant haptic characteristics, based on the button architecture, and so, facilitating the initial detail design stages of in-car radio interfaces and potentially increasing its responsiveness to the client needs.