Knowledge-based theorists have developed two primary arguments to explain the existence of firms: one based on avoiding knowledge transfer and the other based on facilitating knowledge transfer. These arguments are not only contradictory, but also fail to predict when hierarchies supplant...

Knowledge-based theorists have developed two primary arguments to explain the existence of firms: one based on avoiding knowledge transfer and the other based on facilitating knowledge transfer. These arguments are not only contradictory, but also fail to predict when hierarchies supplant...

The aim of this arti cle is to show that the New Insti tuti onal Economics is an interdisciplinary stream combining economics, law, organizati on theory, politi cal sciences, sociology, and anthropology. The main theories which are part of the New Insti tuti onal Economics are: Agency Theory,...

This paper proposes a different theory of the firm and demonstrates how it can be employed to yield hypotheses about differences in innovation and human resource strategy according to the shareholder/stakeholder and liberal/coordinated market dichotomies. The theory assumes that feasible...

Research in the “theory of the firm” tradition has often characterized firms as subeconomies in which economic exchange is shaped by a central authority. We propose an expanded view of firms as subsocieties in which authority is further responsible for establishing principles that shape...

This article deals with the contribution of organization theory to transaction cost economics from an examination of Williamson's theory of the firm. Borrowing and applying some conclusions of organization theory, Williamson rightly differs from other theories of the firm, particularly in his...

While the literature on firm boundaries has been greatly influenced by transaction cost economics, strategy scholars often emphasize the importance of capabilities considerations in these decisions. This has led to a debate that, we suggest, has generated more heat than light. We argue that the...

I interpret the theory of entrepreneurial discovery from the perspective of the theory of property rights. I analyze pure entrepreneurial profit and the logical construction of the theory as an extension of neo-classical microeconomic analysis and I argue that the key motivation for...

We describe and discuss Ronald Coase's approach to managerial authority, placing it in the broader context of recent economics and management research on intrafirm coordination. To do so, we make use of work by Coase that is relatively little known, namely his writings on opportunity cost...

This paper attempts to formalize the transaction cost theory of the firm. Building on the formal approach of Grossman and Hart (1986), a model is developed to capture the essential elements of the transaction cost theory, particularly those that are distinct from the formal property rights...