Complexities in the Japanese distribution system are well-publicized. An emerging body of literature has documented recent changes in the Japanese distribution system. In this paper, it is examined whether foreign firms' accessibility to the Japanese distribution system has changed in a...

Institutions influencing entrepreneurship are undergoing significant transformation in China. During the Mao era, private entrepreneurship was virtually eradicated and was a political taboo. As reflected in the macro-level economic data, there has been an evolution of entrepreneur-friendly...

The Internet can extend market reach and operational efficiency of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and enhance their contributions to the U.S. economy. This paper reports an empirical study conducted to identify the factors that impact SMEs' involvement with the Internet. Internal and...

As important sources that shape institutional structures in an economy, professional and trade associations play significant roles in bringing and legitimating institutional changes. This paper examines the roles of professional and trade associations' impacts on institutions associated with a...

In the history of warfare, there are a number of examples of strategic uses of asymmetric technologies. Consistent with history and theory, individuals, organizations and nations have spotted opportunities to employ information and communications technologies to gain and exploit asymmetric...

Micro and macro level impacts of offshore outsourcing are far from clear. Thus there are some well-founded rationales for and against offshore outsourcing as well as a number of misinformed and ill guided viewpoints. Using institutional theory as a lens, this paper analyzes the drivers of...

Institutions are slow to change in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) economies. More to the point, institutions promoting free enterprise economy are lacking in the region. Concepts and theory building are lacking on the dynamics and forces related to institutional changes in GCC economies. In...

There are unique and distinct institutional processes associated with the Chinese government's support of the domestically developed third generation (3G) cellular standard, TD-SCDMA. After postponing several times, China awarded three third generation cellular licenses in January 2009: a...

The global e-retail industry is growing rapidly. Economies worldwide, however, differ greatly in the development of the e-retail industry. Using data from forty-seven economies, this paper empirically examines how technological, economic, and institutional factors explain international...