Wong Lai Fong Yvonne. / Thesis submitted in: July 2005. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.iv / TABLE OF CONTENT --- p.v / Chapter CHAPTER 1 --- INTRODUCTION / Chapter 1.1 --- Motivation --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Common explanations of economic success --- p.2 / Chapter i) --- Explanation from Neoclassical Economic Perspectives --- p.3 / Chapter ii) --- Explanation from the Statist Perspective --- p.5 / Chapter iii) --- Limitations of Neoclassical and Statist Perspectives --- p.7 / Chapter iv) --- Importance of the interorganizational relationships perspective --- p.10 / Chapter 1.3 --- The Research --- p.11 / Chapter i) --- The choice of studying the software industry --- p.11 / Chapter ii) --- Research questions and significance --- p.12 / Chapter 1.4 --- Thesis Layout --- p.13 / Chapter CHAPTER 2 --- LITERATURE REVIEW: THE STUDY OF INTERORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS AND THEIR IMPORTANCE TO THE IT INDUSTRY / Chapter 2.1 --- Importance of Social Networks --- p.15 / Chapter 2.2 --- Theories in the Network Approach I - Social Embeddedness: The Fundamental Building Block of the Network Approach --- p.17 / Chapter 2.3 --- Theories in the Network Approach II - The Social Network Approach --- p.20 / Chapter 2.4 --- Theories in Network Approach III - Factors affecting the formation of networks --- p.22 / Chapter i) --- Prior ties or pre-existing network --- p.22 / Chapter ii) --- Expectations from social networks --- p.23 / Chapter iii) --- Incentive schemes by government - industry promotion schemes nurturing public-private or private-private partnership --- p.26 / Chapter iv) --- IT clusters --- p.29 / Chapter 2.5 --- Theories in Network Approach IV ´ؤ Interorganizational Alliances and Social Capital --- p.31 / Chapter i) --- Interorganizational alliances and organizational outcomes --- p.31 / Chapter ii) --- Enhanced performance through social capital --- p.33 / Chapter 2.6 --- Mechanisms: From Interorganizational Relationships to Performance --- p.34 / Chapter i) --- Client acquisition --- p.35 / Chapter ii) --- Capital Accumulation --- p.36 / Chapter iii) --- Product Innovation --- p.37 / Chapter iv) --- Interorganizational Learning --- p.39 / Chapter 2.7 --- Implications from the Literature Review --- p.42 / Chapter CHAPTER 3 --- RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY / Chapter 3.1 --- Introduction --- p.43 / Chapter 3.2 --- Research Objectives --- p.44 / Chapter i) --- Research Questions --- p.44 / Chapter ii) --- Propositions --- p.45 / Chapter 3.3 --- Definition of Concepts in the Proposals --- p.46 / Chapter i) --- Performance --- p.46 / Chapter ii) --- Interorganizational relationships --- p.47 / Chapter iii) --- The mechanisms affecting performance by IOR --- p.48 / Chapter iv) --- Factors affecting IOR --- p.50 / Chapter 3.4 --- Methodology --- p.52 / Chapter 3.5 --- Chapter Summary --- p.58 / Chapter CHAPTER 4 --- INDUSTRY OVERVIEW AND THE NATURE OF INTERORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS --- p.60 / Chapter 4.1 --- Introduction --- p.60 / Chapter 4.2 --- Mode of Production of the Software Industry in Hong Kong --- p.60 / Chapter 4.3 --- Performance of the Software Industry in Hong Kong --- p.61 / Chapter i) --- Definition of the Software Industry --- p.61 / Chapter ii) --- About the Industry --- p.62 / Chapter iii) --- Performance Indicators --- p.64 / Chapter 4.4 --- Performance of the Software Firms in Hong Kong --- p.70 / Chapter 4.5 --- Nature of Interorganizational Relationships in the Software Industry --- p.71 / Chapter 4.6 --- Summary Remarks of the Chapter --- p.81 / Chapter CHAPTER 5 --- INTERORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS AND PERFORMANCE --- p.1 / Chapter 5.1 --- Performance and Network Position of Firms --- p.82 / Chapter 5.2 --- Case Studies --- p.88 / Chapter i) --- A peripheral firm with negative performance: Company L --- p.88 / Chapter ii) --- Node firm with negative performance: Company C --- p.94 / Chapter iii) --- Node firm with a positive performance: Company A --- p.98 / Chapter iv) --- Node firm with a positive performance: Company M --- p.104 / Chapter 5.3 --- The Mechanism ´ؤ Resource-based perspective --- p.110 / Chapter i) --- Client acquisition --- p.110 / Chapter ii) --- Capital Accumulation --- p.112 / Chapter iii) --- Product Innovation --- p.117 / Chapter iv) --- Interorganizational Learning --- p.118 / Chapter 5.4 --- Concluding Remarks of this Chapter --- p.121 / Chapter CHAPTER 6: --- FACTORS CONDUCIVE TO NETWORK DEFICIT / Chapter 6.1 --- Introduction --- p.122 / Chapter 6.2 --- Pre-existing Ties --- p.123 / Chapter 6.3 --- Government --- p.128 / Chapter 6.4 --- Intensity of Competition --- p.134 / Chapter 6.5 --- Cluster Effect --- p.137 / Chapter 6.6 --- Concluding Remarks --- p.138 / Chapter CHAPTER 7: --- CONCLUSION / Chapter 7.1 --- The Hong Kong Story: IOR and Performance --- p.140 / Chapter 7.2 --- Research Limitations --- p.144 / Chapter i) --- Difficulty in Explaining a Negative Story --- p.144 / Chapter ii) --- Effect of the Economy --- p.145 / Chapter iii) --- Response Rate --- p.146 / Chapter iv) --- Time Factor --- p.147 / Chapter 7.3 --- Discussion and Further Research --- p.149 / APPENDIX I: LIST OF IT ASSOCIATIONS IN HONG KONG --- p.AI-1 / APPENDIX II: INTERVIEW OUTLINE --- p.AII-1 / REFERENCES --- p.R-1

published_or_final_version / Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering / Master / Master of Philosophy