Seminal theories of the firm posit that firm ownership is allocated to minimize contractual inefficiencies. Yet, it remains unclear how much the optimal ownership choice affects firm performance in practice. This paper provides a first quantification of the gains from optimal ownership within...

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...

Seminal theories of the firm posit that firm ownership is allocated to minimize contractual inefficiencies. Yet, it remains unclear how much the optimal ownership choice affects firm performance in practice. This paper provides a first quantification of the gains from optimal ownership within...

Firms have been investing millions of dollars on information technology (IT) in their manufacturing plants. However, the research literature is unclear about the extent and scope of the impact of IT use on plant operations. This study examines the impact of IT use on the structure, practices,...

Purpose – Examining the strategic contingency of plant improvement capability and innovation capability. Two forms of fit between the two capabilities and competitive priorities were empirically tested. Design/Methodology/Approach – Data collected from a sample of 238 manufacturing plants...

This research examines which firms achieve high growth in policy-dependent industries. Using the European solar photovoltaic industry as our empirical setting, we investigate the impact of policy support on the growth of independent startups and corporate-backed ventures operating across...

Product clockspeed as represented by the rate of product changes has important implications for supply chain design. The literature suggests that external integration with customers and suppliers is associated with increased improvement and innovation capabilities of the focal firm. However, the...

Using data collected by the World Bank, we empirically investigate the relationship between Chinese manufacturers' supply chain attributes, raw material and finished goods inventory turnover, and return on sales. Our findings indicate that location proximity, relationship continuity, and the...

Existing research on ecosystems is overly descriptive and structural. While description and structure are important, in this essay we argue for a microanalytic and firm-specific approach to ecosystems. We focus on the “hypothesis-led” firm—the role that a firm-specific hypothesis plays in...

This paper develops and applies a test of the property rights theory of the firm in the context of global input sourcing. We use the model by Pol Antràs and Elhanan Helpman, “Global Sourcing,” Journal of Political Economy, 112:3 (2004), 552-80, to derive a new prediction regarding how the...