published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

published_or_final_version / Real Estate and Construction / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

presented by Chow Sung Ming. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1992. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 155-160). / Abstract / Chapter I. --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1. --- Objective / Chapter 2. --- Empirical Problems / Chapter 3. --- Theoretical Concern / Chapter 4. --- Data Collection / Chapter II. --- Players of the Game: Political Organizations and Political Leaders in Hong Kong --- p.15 / Chapter 1. --- Historical Development of Liberal Political Organizations: a Retrospect / Chapter 2. --- Amorphous Mass and Amateur Politicians: Socio-cultural Factor / Chapter III. --- Rules of the Game: Political Change in Late Transitional Hong Kong --- p.48 / Chapter 1. --- Possibilities and Constraints under the Basic Law: Politico- institutional Factor / Chapter 2. --- Institutional Locations and Opportunity Structures: a Prospect / Chapter IV. --- Inter-party Relationships: Strategic Choices of Adaptative Elites --- p.80 / Chapter 1. --- Prologue / Chapter 2. --- External Threats and Opportunities / Chapter 3. --- Interorganizational Linkages / Chapter 4. --- Problems of Mobilization / Chapter V. --- Conclusion --- p.132 / Footnotes --- p.139 / Appendix --- p.150 / Chapter 1. --- Conceptual Scheme / Chapter 2. --- list of Interviewees / Chapter 3. --- Sample Questionnaire / Chapter 4. --- Abbreviations / Bibliography --- p.155

The interaction of the personnel boundary in inter-firm relationship management is viewed as particularistic in China instead of universalistic as in many Western cultures. Specifically, guanxi networks, the Chinese system of inter-personal relationship, have strong strategic implications for business interactions. The practices of guanxi and the social norms associated with guanxi are complicated. On the one hand, guanxi practices can be traced back to Confucianism; on the other hand, guanxi???s significance has been changing in line with China???s economic reform. In this research, we have attempted to find what presently constitutes good guanxi in inter-firm relationship management against this dynamic backdrop. Additionally, from the transaction cost economies (TCE) perspective, we provide an analysis that guanxi-based business practices offer transaction cost advantages as an alternative to market-based practices. We argue that such advantages partially result from guanxi???s effect on the reduction of opportunist behaviors. Backed up by 97 questionnaire responses from firms in Shanghai and 15 semi-structured interviews, our study confirms that, in inter-firm relationships management, trust, affection and long-term orientation are features of close guanxi. To enhance guanxi quality, familiarization by self-disclosure and the presence of mutual benefits are also necessary, providing practical implications for business practitioners in China. Our study also indicates that guanxi business partners are expected to be obligational in business and flexible in contingencies. Opportunistic behaviors can be mitigated by adopting guanxi practices, supporting the TCE logic. In an absence of a rationalized legal system, guanxi may fill the gaps in the enforcement of the written contract.N

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

published_or_final_version / Politics and Public Administration / Master / Master of Philosophy

The interaction of the personnel boundary in inter-firm relationship management is viewed as particularistic in China instead of universalistic as in many Western cultures. Specifically, guanxi networks, the Chinese system of inter-personal relationship, have strong strategic implications for business interactions. The practices of guanxi and the social norms associated with guanxi are complicated. On the one hand, guanxi practices can be traced back to Confucianism; on the other hand, guanxi???s significance has been changing in line with China???s economic reform. In this research, we have attempted to find what presently constitutes good guanxi in inter-firm relationship management against this dynamic backdrop. Additionally, from the transaction cost economies (TCE) perspective, we provide an analysis that guanxi-based business practices offer transaction cost advantages as an alternative to market-based practices. We argue that such advantages partially result from guanxi???s effect on the reduction of opportunist behaviors. Backed up by 97 questionnaire responses from firms in Shanghai and 15 semi-structured interviews, our study confirms that, in inter-firm relationships management, trust, affection and long-term orientation are features of close guanxi. To enhance guanxi quality, familiarization by self-disclosure and the presence of mutual benefits are also necessary, providing practical implications for business practitioners in China. Our study also indicates that guanxi business partners are expected to be obligational in business and flexible in contingencies. Opportunistic behaviors can be mitigated by adopting guanxi practices, supporting the TCE logic. In an absence of a rationalized legal system, guanxi may fill the gaps in the enforcement of the written contract.N

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

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 / Politics and Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration