Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2006. / Title from title screen (viewed Mar. 12, 2007). PDF text: v, 135 p. : ill. UMI publication number: AAT 3225994. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche format.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1984. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 192-203).

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Queensland, 2005. / Includes bibliography.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 198-210). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

Interfirm governance has been the subject of buyer-supplier relationships studies for decades. Given the substantial hazards and uncertainties involved in interfirm exchanges, governance devices becomes critical in ensuring satisfactory performance outcomes. Despite the great insights provided by extant governance literature, the complexity of governance mechanisms has not been fully addressed. The goal of this dissertation is to better understand the role of contractual and relational governance in influencing interfirm co-exploration, protecting transaction-specific investments, and fostering interfirm exchanges in the challenging context of China. The first study looks at how contracts function in emerging economies in which legal institutions are underdeveloped but guanxi norms are pervasive. Drawing on transaction cost economics and institutional theory, this study disentangles two facets of contractual governance: (1) task specificity, which primarily safeguards transactions, and (2) contingency specificity, which mainly coordinates adaptations. This study examines their direct effects on exchange performance and their contingent effects, given different levels of legal inadequacy and guanxi importance. A survey of 307 manufacturer–supplier dyads in China reveals that, compared with contingency specificity, task specificity is associated with better exchange performance. However, the role of task specificity declines when the legal system is inadequate and guanxi is important. In contrast, contingency specificity is more helpful when guanxi importance is high. The second study explores how relational ties affect exchange partners’ co-exploration of novel products and processes. A tension between the strength and brokerage dimension of relational ties becomes evident during buyer-supplier co-exploration. Tie strength facilitates coordinating but creates the novelty problem; tie brokerage expands the knowledge diversity but aggravates the coordination difficulty. Drawing on the relational exchange theory, this study compares and examines the contingent value of tie strength and tie brokerage under different levels of environmental factors and exchange characteristics. The findings from a survey of 396 manufacturer–supplier dyads in China show that guanxi importance increases the effects of strength while decreases the value of brokerage. As market uncertainty increases, the role of brokerage becomes more salient. Brokerage also exerts a stronger impact on co-exploration when exchange is highly formalized, whereas tie strength has a weaker impact when exchange centralization is high. / published_or_final_version / Business / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

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Relationships between the collective actors within interorganizational relationships are a growing area of research in management. Interorganizational networks continue to be a popular mechanism used by organizations to achieve greater performance. Organizations develop competencies to work with other organizations, but the confidence of these organizations to use these strengths for a competitive advantage has yet to be empirically examined. The purpose of this study is to examine organizational efficacy, how competencies may related to that efficacy, and the relationship of efficacy with performance. The goal of this study is to observe the relationship among trust, dependence, information quality, continuous quality improvement, and supplier flexibility with organizational efficacy. In addition, the relationship between organizational efficacy and performance is also observed. There are two primary research questions driving this study. First, what is the relationship between trust, dependence, information quality, continuous quality improvement, supplier flexibility and organizational efficacy? Second, what is the relationship between organizational efficacy and performance? The theories supporting the hypotheses generated from these questions include theories such as social cognitive theory, quality improvement, and path-goal theory. Data collected from the suppliers of a large university support the hypotheses. Regression analysis and structure coefficients were used to analyze the data. Results indicate that both research question one and research question two are supported. In addition, the theoretical model as a whole, which indicates a mediating relationship, was examined and discussed. This study contributes to both academic and practice by examining efficacy in an interorganizational setting. In addition, as organizations better understand the relationship between competencies and confidence, they will better know how to collectively work to achieve greater results with more attention being placed on monitoring the relationship in order to experience more desired outcomes. Limitations of the current study and opportunities for future research are also discussed.

This study explored the dynamics, challenges, and complexities encountered in forming, managing, and evaluating the interorganizational relationships of a nonprofit organization and its partners in the public, nonprofit, and commercial sectors. Using a partnership process model developed from various theoretical frameworks (Kouwenhoven, 1993; Oliver, 1990; Provan & Milward, 2001; Wood & Gray, 1991), this study examined three phases of partnership relationships (i.e., formation, management, and evaluation) to gain a better understanding of the interactions among partnering organizations in Canadian sport. Qualitative research methods were employed to investigate partnerships of one National Sport Centre (NSC). Data were collected from three sources: 28 interviews, 110 organizational documents, and attendance at three organizational meetings. Interviews, relevant document passages, and field notes were transcribed and analyzed using Atlas.ti, a qualitative analysis software program. Results indicated that environmental and organizational conditions facilitated the formation of partnerships. Interdependence among organizations, presence of a broker, presence of a network, and convergence of objectives were evident. Specific reasons for partnership formation included efficiency, stability, necessity, legitimacy, reciprocity, and asymmetry. Partnership management structures and processes were central to interactions between organizations. Partners struggled to find a balance between pressures to compete and pressures to collaborate. Power imbalances, political dynamics, and control issues primarily related to resource concerns existed, and in some cases weakened the bonds among partners. Some partnerships were formalized, while others were loosely structured and primarily based on mutual trust, previous history, and personal interest. Ambiguities regarding roles and responsibilities, and 'representativeness' influenced how partners interacted and contributed to challenges in managing partnerships. Allocating resources was a prime concern for the organizations. Several levels of analysis for outcome evaluation existed. At the community level, the performance of NSC athletes at international competitions' was a key measure of success. At the network level, effective coordination of programs and services contributing to improved performances of athletes was perceived as an important measure of effectiveness. Finally at the organizational level, factors including ability to attract and retain partners, ability to remain economically viable through resource acquisition, and achieving legitimacy were all viewed as criteria to evaluate partnership effectiveness.

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