Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1990.

Muitas mudanças observadas na economia chinesa, principalmente desde os anos 2000, têm revelado uma crescente importância das grandes empresas nacionais desse país. Apesar de tantas transformações, poucos trabalhos foram direcionados para o tema. Destarte, essa dissertação propõe-se a fazer sua contribuição, examinando a real importância das grandes empresas chinesas no desenvolvimento econômico de seu país. Tal objetivo, entretanto, possui duas perspectivas. Primeiro, procura-se analisar o impacto desse grupo de empresas nos indicadores econômicos agregados de seu país. Em segundo lugar, analisa-se a sua interação com o governo chinês desde 1978. Para alcançar o objetivo do trabalho, houve uma análise teórica e uma histórica, além da apresentação dos processos de formação e internacionalização de grandes grupos nacionais. Conclui-se que: (i) a grande empresa chinesa, como um grupo, tem um papel relevante no desenvolvimento econômico de seu país, pela importância de suas economias de escala, de sua capacidade de aprendizado tecnológico e organizacional e pela sua aptidão para a inserção internacional; (ii) o Estado, por meio do suporte concedido a esse grupo, reconhece sua importância como um vetor fundamental a transformar a China em uma potência econômica. / There have been many significant changes observed in the Chinese economy over recent years and especially after the first half of 2000´s. Large enterprises have proven to be of increasing importance in this context. However, few papers have critically assessed this subject. Thus, this thesis aims to verify the actual importance of Chinese big enterprises in these economic shifts. It will be discussed in two perspectives. On the one hand, the impact most important national big enterprises have on the economy is examined. On the other hand, the relationship between the government and these corporations since 1978 is analyzed. In order to achieve the proposed aim, not only a theoretical and an historical analysis will be used but also it will be presented the discussion about the formation and internationalization processes of Chinese big businesses. It is concluded that: (i) large Chinese enterprises have had great importance to the development of China‟s economy according to their advantages in economies of scale, technological innovation and availability, organizational learning capabilities, and internationalization aptitude; (ii) clearly the government has played a key role in supporting this group of enterprises - what can be considered as a political recognition of the Chinese big business importance to push China into a world economic power position.

Muitas mudanças observadas na economia chinesa, principalmente desde os anos 2000, têm revelado uma crescente importância das grandes empresas nacionais desse país. Apesar de tantas transformações, poucos trabalhos foram direcionados para o tema. Destarte, essa dissertação propõe-se a fazer sua contribuição, examinando a real importância das grandes empresas chinesas no desenvolvimento econômico de seu país. Tal objetivo, entretanto, possui duas perspectivas. Primeiro, procura-se analisar o impacto desse grupo de empresas nos indicadores econômicos agregados de seu país. Em segundo lugar, analisa-se a sua interação com o governo chinês desde 1978. Para alcançar o objetivo do trabalho, houve uma análise teórica e uma histórica, além da apresentação dos processos de formação e internacionalização de grandes grupos nacionais. Conclui-se que: (i) a grande empresa chinesa, como um grupo, tem um papel relevante no desenvolvimento econômico de seu país, pela importância de suas economias de escala, de sua capacidade de aprendizado tecnológico e organizacional e pela sua aptidão para a inserção internacional; (ii) o Estado, por meio do suporte concedido a esse grupo, reconhece sua importância como um vetor fundamental a transformar a China em uma potência econômica. / There have been many significant changes observed in the Chinese economy over recent years and especially after the first half of 2000´s. Large enterprises have proven to be of increasing importance in this context. However, few papers have critically assessed this subject. Thus, this thesis aims to verify the actual importance of Chinese big enterprises in these economic shifts. It will be discussed in two perspectives. On the one hand, the impact most important national big enterprises have on the economy is examined. On the other hand, the relationship between the government and these corporations since 1978 is analyzed. In order to achieve the proposed aim, not only a theoretical and an historical analysis will be used but also it will be presented the discussion about the formation and internationalization processes of Chinese big businesses. It is concluded that: (i) large Chinese enterprises have had great importance to the development of China‟s economy according to their advantages in economies of scale, technological innovation and availability, organizational learning capabilities, and internationalization aptitude; (ii) clearly the government has played a key role in supporting this group of enterprises - what can be considered as a political recognition of the Chinese big business importance to push China into a world economic power position.

Muitas mudanças observadas na economia chinesa, principalmente desde os anos 2000, têm revelado uma crescente importância das grandes empresas nacionais desse país. Apesar de tantas transformações, poucos trabalhos foram direcionados para o tema. Destarte, essa dissertação propõe-se a fazer sua contribuição, examinando a real importância das grandes empresas chinesas no desenvolvimento econômico de seu país. Tal objetivo, entretanto, possui duas perspectivas. Primeiro, procura-se analisar o impacto desse grupo de empresas nos indicadores econômicos agregados de seu país. Em segundo lugar, analisa-se a sua interação com o governo chinês desde 1978. Para alcançar o objetivo do trabalho, houve uma análise teórica e uma histórica, além da apresentação dos processos de formação e internacionalização de grandes grupos nacionais. Conclui-se que: (i) a grande empresa chinesa, como um grupo, tem um papel relevante no desenvolvimento econômico de seu país, pela importância de suas economias de escala, de sua capacidade de aprendizado tecnológico e organizacional e pela sua aptidão para a inserção internacional; (ii) o Estado, por meio do suporte concedido a esse grupo, reconhece sua importância como um vetor fundamental a transformar a China em uma potência econômica. / There have been many significant changes observed in the Chinese economy over recent years and especially after the first half of 2000´s. Large enterprises have proven to be of increasing importance in this context. However, few papers have critically assessed this subject. Thus, this thesis aims to verify the actual importance of Chinese big enterprises in these economic shifts. It will be discussed in two perspectives. On the one hand, the impact most important national big enterprises have on the economy is examined. On the other hand, the relationship between the government and these corporations since 1978 is analyzed. In order to achieve the proposed aim, not only a theoretical and an historical analysis will be used but also it will be presented the discussion about the formation and internationalization processes of Chinese big businesses. It is concluded that: (i) large Chinese enterprises have had great importance to the development of China‟s economy according to their advantages in economies of scale, technological innovation and availability, organizational learning capabilities, and internationalization aptitude; (ii) clearly the government has played a key role in supporting this group of enterprises - what can be considered as a political recognition of the Chinese big business importance to push China into a world economic power position.

Over the last few decades the wind power industry has grown very rapidly, and dozens of wind turbine manufacturers now operate all over the globe. Worldwide, installed capacity has increased tenfold in the last ten years, and the average rated power of the wind turbines available on the market has quadrupled in the same period (BWE 2010). However, in recent times wind turbine manufacturers have struggled to achieve profitable value performance, typically including wind turbine engineering, production, project management, logistics, installation, and commissioning (Knight 2012; McKenna 2012; Quilter 2012). The wind energy industry is customer-driven and regulated by local laws and guidelines. Both have a strong influence on the technology of wind turbines. Wind turbine manufacturers attempt to provide wind turbines that fit the specific requirements of each market or customer exactly. This regularly leads to a high variety of products, which are designed to fit many different market and customer demands. Furthermore, in times of overcapacity, markets demand that product manufacturers are more responsive and provide short and reliable lead times for customer-specific products (Albrecht 1999). The wind turbine market currently faces these challenges (Knight 2012; McKenna 2012; Quilter 2012). In such market environments, an excellent strategy planning with innovative elements, e.g. in product development, manufacturing procedures, the supply chain or the sales channels is inevitably a key factor for companies looking to maintain and/or improve their competitive position and profit outlooks (Albrecht 1999). The overall goal of this research is to investigate whether lean or agile manufacturing techniques can help manufacturers respond to these challenges. In particular, to evaluate whether lean or agile manufacturing techniques exist that have the capability to improve the value performance of wind turbine manufacturers and simultaneously enable sufficient product variety, as demanded by the different markets. The evaluation of the identified manufacturing strategies, concepts and methods resulted in Mass Customization being chosen as most suitable for wind turbines, due to its capabilities for managing a large number of product variants and a reduction of inventory. Finally, the manufacturing concept Mass Customization was implemented in a single case study at a wind turbine manufacturer, in order to investigate the physical and organizational impacts caused by the implementation. The research showed that there are lean and agile manufacturing techniques that address the needs of wind turbine manufacturers. The research further showed that the implementation of Mass Customization had a significant impact on the customer order process of a wind turbine manufacturer. Besides certain product preparations, a timely and comprehensive communication concept was required. The effects of both proper and poor project measures became evident in the case study. In summary, the research proved that Mass Customization has the capability to create corporate-wide and seamless communication on the product and customer order process at a wind turbine manufacturer, which can create the basis for an improved value performance.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board is a private sector rule making body. Congressional inquiries have questioned whether the setting of accountin standards should remain in the private sector. Congressional critics have charged that the FASB has been captured by special interests and recommended that a governmental agency assume responsibility for standard setting. Specifically, critics charge that large corporations capture the Big Eight accounting firms who, in turn, have captured the FASB. Previous capture studies have concluded that the standard setting process is pluralistic and that the FASB has not been captured. The studies have focused on the influence of the Big Eight to determine if the FASB has been captured. They assume if standards do not reflect the expressed preferences of the Big Eight, then Congressional criticisms are invalid. The studies also assume a unidirectional influence between participants in the process and have ignored the intensity of preferences of the respondents.The purpose of this study is to provide a theoretical framework to specify selection of standards that would be expected to be subject to capture. This framework also recognizes the duo-directional nature of influence. The allegations of capture were tested using the standards selected in accordance with the theoretical framework. The following hypotheses were tested. HO_1 There is no positive statistically significant relationship between clients' preferences and an accounting firm's support for an outcome. HO_2 There is no positive statistically significant relationship between the preferences of large corporations and standards enacted by the FASB. HO_3 There is no positive statistically significant relationship between the preferences of the Big Eight firms and the standards enacted by the FASB. These hypotheses were tested for each Big Eight accounting firms and for each standard. A logist procedure was employed. The results of the tests, with three exceptions, indicate that any relationships that occurred happened by chance.

Today, fostering gas-fired power plants is recognised as a significant step towards a low-carbon economy. Gas fired-power plants are favoured over other types of fossil-fuelled power plants due to their various advantages, including lower emissions, flexibility of technology, higher efficiency, short construction times and lower capital investment. The gas turbine is the main machine and the most technologically advanced part of a gas-fired power plant. There have been a limited number of companies in industrialised countries that have developed these sophisticated technologies over the last 50 years. The global market for land-based gas turbines has an oligopolistic structure. The evolution of these technologies has been greatly influenced by countries' government policies, and in particular energy policies. In this light, one question is: to what extent have industrialising countries built their technological capabilities in gas turbines? Consequently, one focus of interest here is the way in which, and the extent to which, industrialising countries have synthesised their indigenous technology development efforts with overseas technology inflows. Countries such as Iran, India and China, which have large and growing domestic electricity markets, are appropriate candidates for research in order to understand the possible technological gaps and associated dynamics between the industrialised and industrialising worlds. To answer these questions, this thesis research deals with Iran's gas turbine industry and, for the first time, systematically examines this industry in the context of a developing country. The study delves deeply into the dynamics of interactions between indigenous technology development and overseas technology inflows. It casts light upon the influences, challenges, and difficulties associated with technological catching-up processes. The framework of the analysis is based on an extensive literature review on technological catch-up, the substitution/complementarity debate, and the gas turbine industry. The framework was operationalized through qualitative interviews as well as supplementary documents. The thesis uses a ‘dynamic approach', and argues that understanding the interaction processes cannot be reduced to examining only the type of relationship between the two technology sources. Instead, far more attention needs to be devoted to analysing the complexity and associated influences on this relationship. The thesis also provides empirical insights into the development of gas turbine capabilities in India and China, the two largest emerging economies. It reveals that a high level of state involvement in developing countries is a prominent feature of the industry. It also demonstrates that the evolution of the industry also in both developed and developing countries is closely interrelated with each country's national energy policies.

<p>Much is assumed about the professionalisation of managers, but the subject has been little studied within the social sciences. Did it take place and if so, how did it happen? Previous studies suggest that the managers in Swedish industries were professionalised after the Second World War, without, however, thoroughly investigating this claim. To be able to study the professionalisation process of managers, this thesis argues that it is necessary to look at both the ideals and the practice of management. This thesis constructs two different management ideals: the patriarchal ideal and the professional ideal, which are then joined together in a model. The model is then used to interpret the management behaviour of Swedish managers in 1910-1945.</p><p>The results of this thesis show that the professionalisation process of managers was not a strict process forward. The ideals were relatively easy to change from a patriarchal ideal to a professional ideal. But the practice of management could be patriarchal as well as professional, depending on the situation and the context. One explanation for this is that the managers could not always live up to the professional ideal. Instead they reverted to the system of personal trust and its loyalties in line with the patriarchal ideal. Therefore the professionalisation process of managers was not as successful as it might have been.</p>

Much is assumed about the professionalisation of managers, but the subject has been little studied within the social sciences. Did it take place and if so, how did it happen? Previous studies suggest that the managers in Swedish industries were professionalised after the Second World War, without, however, thoroughly investigating this claim. To be able to study the professionalisation process of managers, this thesis argues that it is necessary to look at both the ideals and the practice of management. This thesis constructs two different management ideals: the patriarchal ideal and the professional ideal, which are then joined together in a model. The model is then used to interpret the management behaviour of Swedish managers in 1910-1945. The results of this thesis show that the professionalisation process of managers was not a strict process forward. The ideals were relatively easy to change from a patriarchal ideal to a professional ideal. But the practice of management could be patriarchal as well as professional, depending on the situation and the context. One explanation for this is that the managers could not always live up to the professional ideal. Instead they reverted to the system of personal trust and its loyalties in line with the patriarchal ideal. Therefore the professionalisation process of managers was not as successful as it might have been.

Many studies on Korean economic development exist, but few scholarly works specifically address the relationship between the state and big business groups called the chaebol. The state-chaebol relationship is an important aspect of Korean economic development, but conventional analyses fail to capture the subtleties of the dynamic and tend to moralize rather than elucidate. This study argues that predominantly negative perceptions of close government-business relations tend to obscure the significant positive effects of close co-ordination and collaboration between the state and private capital. It is not the closeness per se that matters as much as the nature and dynamic of the relationship. Moreover, a more careful look at the state-chaebol nexus reveals a relationship in flux, in contrast to the rather static image provided in the media. Assuming that close government-business collaboration poses serious challenges to the economy, effective prescriptions must then be based on accurate diagnoses. Failing to understand the complexities of the state-business nexus prevents one from accurately diagnosing the roots of the current economic problems currently facing Korea. This thesis examines the political factors that influenced state-chaebol relations in South Korea. The causes and the importance of those factors are analyzed in terms of particular economic strategies adopted by the government, aspects of domestic politics, the economic and political influence of the chaebol and the international environment.