A computação em nuvem é considerada um paradigma computacional da atualidade. Sua adoção vem crescendo nos últimos anos, contudo ainda é incipiente nas organizações brasileiras. Por ser uma tecnologia inovadora, a computação em nuvem vem recebendo maior atenção da academia nos últimos anos, contudo a abordagem do assunto na literatura de Sistemas de Informação ainda é considerada baixa, apesar de crescente. A presente dissertação tem o objetivo de analisar os fatores de adoção da tecnologia, estabelecendo uma relação entre elementos de teorias de base e fatores de adoção. Foram identificados na literatura elementos teóricos e fatores relacionados à computação em nuvem, sendo realizadas associações entre tais fatores e elementos. Os elementos teóricos identificados na revisão da literatura são oriundos da teoria dos custos de transação, teoria da dependência de recursos e teoria de difusão da inovação. A pesquisa realizada é de caráter exploratório, por meio de estudos de casos múltiplos, realizados em três empresas que já adotaram computação em nuvem. O estudo utilizou como fontes de evidências entrevistas semiestruturadas, documentos e consulta a sites corporativos das organizações pesquisadas. Para análise das entrevistas foi utilizada a técnica de análise de conteúdo, com o auxílio do software MAXQDA10. Os resultados do estudo apresentaram como fatores de adoção de computação em nuvem: confiabilidade, escalabilidade, economia, privacidade e segurança. A pesquisa também contribui para o preenchimento da lacuna na literatura de Sistemas de Informação, oferecendo subsídios para estudos quantitativos que confirmem os fatores levantados. / Cloud computing is considered a new computational paradigm for many researchers and practitioners. The adoption of this technology has been arisen in the last few years by the organizations, nevertheless it is still emerging in Brazil. As considered an innovative technology, cloud computing adoption has been gathering more attention in the academy. However, this subject in the Information Systems literature still has little attention, although increasing. This dissertation intends to analyze the adoption factors of cloud computing and establish associations between technology adoption factors and theory elements. Initially were identified in the literature of economic and organizational theories some elements related to the Diffusion of Innovations Theory, Transaction Cost Economics and Resource Dependency Theory. Then, the technology adoption factors were related directly to the cloud computing features. Consequently the theory elements were associated with the technology adoption factors. This research was exploratory, through multiple case studies in three companies that already adopted cloud computing. The data collection was made by interviews and documents analysis. To analyze the seven interviews this research used the content analysis method, using the software MAXQDA10. Thereafter, was conducted an association between the theory elements and the technology adoption factors. As main results, were confirmed as adoption factors in cloud computing: reliability, scalability, security, privacy and economy. This study also contributes for fill in a lack in the literature, as well as offer information for future quantitative researches about the technology adoption factors.

A computação em nuvem é considerada um paradigma computacional da atualidade. Sua adoção vem crescendo nos últimos anos, contudo ainda é incipiente nas organizações brasileiras. Por ser uma tecnologia inovadora, a computação em nuvem vem recebendo maior atenção da academia nos últimos anos, contudo a abordagem do assunto na literatura de Sistemas de Informação ainda é considerada baixa, apesar de crescente. A presente dissertação tem o objetivo de analisar os fatores de adoção da tecnologia, estabelecendo uma relação entre elementos de teorias de base e fatores de adoção. Foram identificados na literatura elementos teóricos e fatores relacionados à computação em nuvem, sendo realizadas associações entre tais fatores e elementos. Os elementos teóricos identificados na revisão da literatura são oriundos da teoria dos custos de transação, teoria da dependência de recursos e teoria de difusão da inovação. A pesquisa realizada é de caráter exploratório, por meio de estudos de casos múltiplos, realizados em três empresas que já adotaram computação em nuvem. O estudo utilizou como fontes de evidências entrevistas semiestruturadas, documentos e consulta a sites corporativos das organizações pesquisadas. Para análise das entrevistas foi utilizada a técnica de análise de conteúdo, com o auxílio do software MAXQDA10. Os resultados do estudo apresentaram como fatores de adoção de computação em nuvem: confiabilidade, escalabilidade, economia, privacidade e segurança. A pesquisa também contribui para o preenchimento da lacuna na literatura de Sistemas de Informação, oferecendo subsídios para estudos quantitativos que confirmem os fatores levantados. / Cloud computing is considered a new computational paradigm for many researchers and practitioners. The adoption of this technology has been arisen in the last few years by the organizations, nevertheless it is still emerging in Brazil. As considered an innovative technology, cloud computing adoption has been gathering more attention in the academy. However, this subject in the Information Systems literature still has little attention, although increasing. This dissertation intends to analyze the adoption factors of cloud computing and establish associations between technology adoption factors and theory elements. Initially were identified in the literature of economic and organizational theories some elements related to the Diffusion of Innovations Theory, Transaction Cost Economics and Resource Dependency Theory. Then, the technology adoption factors were related directly to the cloud computing features. Consequently the theory elements were associated with the technology adoption factors. This research was exploratory, through multiple case studies in three companies that already adopted cloud computing. The data collection was made by interviews and documents analysis. To analyze the seven interviews this research used the content analysis method, using the software MAXQDA10. Thereafter, was conducted an association between the theory elements and the technology adoption factors. As main results, were confirmed as adoption factors in cloud computing: reliability, scalability, security, privacy and economy. This study also contributes for fill in a lack in the literature, as well as offer information for future quantitative researches about the technology adoption factors.

A computação em nuvem é considerada um paradigma computacional da atualidade. Sua adoção vem crescendo nos últimos anos, contudo ainda é incipiente nas organizações brasileiras. Por ser uma tecnologia inovadora, a computação em nuvem vem recebendo maior atenção da academia nos últimos anos, contudo a abordagem do assunto na literatura de Sistemas de Informação ainda é considerada baixa, apesar de crescente. A presente dissertação tem o objetivo de analisar os fatores de adoção da tecnologia, estabelecendo uma relação entre elementos de teorias de base e fatores de adoção. Foram identificados na literatura elementos teóricos e fatores relacionados à computação em nuvem, sendo realizadas associações entre tais fatores e elementos. Os elementos teóricos identificados na revisão da literatura são oriundos da teoria dos custos de transação, teoria da dependência de recursos e teoria de difusão da inovação. A pesquisa realizada é de caráter exploratório, por meio de estudos de casos múltiplos, realizados em três empresas que já adotaram computação em nuvem. O estudo utilizou como fontes de evidências entrevistas semiestruturadas, documentos e consulta a sites corporativos das organizações pesquisadas. Para análise das entrevistas foi utilizada a técnica de análise de conteúdo, com o auxílio do software MAXQDA10. Os resultados do estudo apresentaram como fatores de adoção de computação em nuvem: confiabilidade, escalabilidade, economia, privacidade e segurança. A pesquisa também contribui para o preenchimento da lacuna na literatura de Sistemas de Informação, oferecendo subsídios para estudos quantitativos que confirmem os fatores levantados. / Cloud computing is considered a new computational paradigm for many researchers and practitioners. The adoption of this technology has been arisen in the last few years by the organizations, nevertheless it is still emerging in Brazil. As considered an innovative technology, cloud computing adoption has been gathering more attention in the academy. However, this subject in the Information Systems literature still has little attention, although increasing. This dissertation intends to analyze the adoption factors of cloud computing and establish associations between technology adoption factors and theory elements. Initially were identified in the literature of economic and organizational theories some elements related to the Diffusion of Innovations Theory, Transaction Cost Economics and Resource Dependency Theory. Then, the technology adoption factors were related directly to the cloud computing features. Consequently the theory elements were associated with the technology adoption factors. This research was exploratory, through multiple case studies in three companies that already adopted cloud computing. The data collection was made by interviews and documents analysis. To analyze the seven interviews this research used the content analysis method, using the software MAXQDA10. Thereafter, was conducted an association between the theory elements and the technology adoption factors. As main results, were confirmed as adoption factors in cloud computing: reliability, scalability, security, privacy and economy. This study also contributes for fill in a lack in the literature, as well as offer information for future quantitative researches about the technology adoption factors.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Historically, the cooperatives are configured as collective arrangements with direct action on the needs of their associates. The cooperative system is expressive in both economic and social aspects, however, it is noticeable that the sector is undergoing a restructuring, given the downward trend in the number of enterprises, and especially in Rio Grande do Sul, where it has decreased of 31% from 2010 to 2013. This reduction in agricultural sector accounted for 14% in the same time period, which reinforces a need for readjustment of the management and governance system in agricultural cooperatives. Whether in literature or in the cooperative sector, it is a recurring approach that the opportunism and the lack of loyalty of members are the central problems faced by cooperatives. These organizations, without the loyalty of members, while they lose the sense of their existence, they also lose the operational and scale efficiency which puts the enterprise in disadvantage in its operating segment. For this thesis context and according to Williamson s approach, the governance is shaped by means of norms, rules, contracts, monitoring and incentives, to guarantee the continuity of a transaction in which potential conflicts threaten the achievement of cooperation. The loyalty of associates to the cooperative is understood as being the main characteristic of the cooperation. Thus, this thesis debates the relationship between the governance adopted by the cooperatives and the loyalty of members. Therefore, it was aimed to analyze gaps in governance of agricultural cooperatives in Rio Grande do Sul and their relationship on the loyalty of associates. This thesis was based upon the New Institutional Economics (NIE) approach: Property Rights, Agency Theory and Transaction Cost Economics. To perform this research, qualitative and quantitative methods were used. The qualitative phase consisted of in-depth interviews with experts in cooperatives. The information was categorized and examined through the technique of content analysis. The quantitative phase was characterized by a questionnaire sent to the agricultural cooperatives of Rio Grande do Sul. Descriptive and multivariate statistics were used. In the multivariate statistics case a factor analysis was performed, so that the sets of factors that influence the loyalty of members could be identified. Afterwards, regression analysis allowed to verify the direction and the intensity of the impact of these factors on loyalty. The main results pointed out that the governance adopted by the cooperatives is not the most efficient, i.e., governance and the offered incentives do not minimize transaction costs in order to maintain (and increase) the loyalty of members with the cooperative. Thus, a conceptual model was proposed for the gaps in governance. The model embraces six dimensions: Contractual Gaps; Operational Gaps; Communication Gaps; Management Gaps; Audit Gaps and Immediate Benefits Offer Gaps. The quantitative analysis indicated that the higher the Audit Committee Effectiveness it tends to be higher the loyalty of members, with about 17% of loyalty explained by the effectiveness of the audit board. / Historicamente, as cooperativas se configuraram como arranjos coletivos com atuação direta nas necessidades de seus associados. O sistema cooperativo é expressivo tanto nos aspectos econômicos como sociais, no entanto, percebe-se que o setor vem passando por uma reestruturação, haja vista a tendência de redução no número de empreendimentos, especialmente no Rio Grande do Sul, onde se teve um decréscimo de 31% de 2010 para 2013. No ramo agropecuário essa redução representou 14% no mesmo período, o que reforça uma necessidade de readequação do sistema de gestão e da governança nas cooperativas agropecuárias. Recorrente é a abordagem, seja na literatura ou no setor cooperativista, de que as ações oportunísticas e a falta de fidelidade dos associados são problemas centrais que as cooperativas enfrentam. Sem a fidelidade do cooperado, estas organizações, ao mesmo tempo em que perdem o sentido da sua existência, perdem em eficiência operacional e de escala, o que coloca o empreendimento em desvantagem no segmento de atuação. Para o contexto dessa tese, e a partir da abordagem de Williamson, a governança é a forma de, por meio de normas, regras, contratos, monitoramentos e incentivos, se garantir a continuidade de uma transação, na qual conflitos potenciais ameaçam a realização da cooperação. A fidelidade dos associados para com a cooperativa é entendida como sendo a principal característica da cooperação. Assim, esta tese versa sobre a relação da governança adotada pelas cooperativas com a fidelização dos cooperados. Dessa forma, objetivou-se analisar as falhas de governança de cooperativas agropecuárias do Rio Grande do Sul e suas relações com a fidelidade dos cooperados. Como fundamentação, foram utilizadas as abordagens teóricas da Nova Economia Institucional (NEI): Direitos de Propriedade, Teoria da Agência e Economia dos Custos de Transação. Para a operacionalização da pesquisa, foram utilizados métodos quantitativos e qualitativos. A fase qualitativa consistiu na realização de entrevistas em profundidade com experts em cooperativismo. As informações foram categorizadas e trabalhadas por meio da técnica de análise de conteúdo. A fase quantitativa caracterizou-se pelo envio de questionário para as cooperativas agropecuárias do Rio Grande do Sul. Foram utilizadas estatísticas descritivas e multivariadas. No caso das multivariadas, realizou-se a análise fatorial, para que se pudesse identificar os conjuntos de fatores que influenciam na fidelidade dos cooperados. Posteriormente, a análise de regressão permitiu verificar o sentido e a intensidade do impacto dos fatores na fidelidade. Os principais resultados apontaram que a governança adotada pelas cooperativas não é a mais eficiente, ou seja, a governança e os incentivos oferecidos não minimizam os custos de transação, de forma a se manter (e aumentar) a fidelidade dos sócios com a cooperativa. Assim, propôs-se um modelo conceitual para as falhas de governança. O modelo abrange seis dimensões: Falhas Contratuais; Falhas Operacionais; Falhas de Comunicação; Falhas de Gestão; Falhas de Fiscalização e Falhas na Oferta de Benefícios Imediatos. A análise quantitativa indicou que quanto maior a Efetividade do Conselho Fiscal , maior tende a ser a fidelidade dos cooperados, sendo que cerca de 17% da fidelidade é explicada pela efetividade do conselho fiscal.

Cette thèse étudie la période de transition associée à l’externalisation d’une activité d’une organisation vers une autre et a pour objectif de décrire la manière dont un dispositif de contrôle hybride entre marché et hiérarchie émerge au cours de cette période. Pour ce faire, nous nous sommes appuyé sur une étude in situ de quinze mois d’un projet mondial d’externalisation de l’activité IT d’un client auprès de trois centres de services mutualisés d’un prestataire. La description du terrain s’articule autour de deux voies de passage conceptuelles ancrées dans l’Actor Network Theory. La première propose de partir de la Théorie des Coûts de Transaction pour aller vers une « économie des coûts de traduction ». La seconde avance le concept d’accumulation de petits points de contrôle fondée sur l’étude d’un « contrôle en train de se faire » (Vosselman & Van der Meer-Kooistra, 2006). La description de la phase de transition émet l’idée que les coûts de traduction et l’accumulation de petits points de contrôle forment un « registre en double » permettant de tracer le mouvement de co-construction de la prestation de services et du dispositif de contrôle associé. Au cours de cette période, les faits locaux furent circonscrits par l’équipe projet pour les ramener au sein du centre de services mutualisés. Ce travail permit d’amorcer un cycle d’accumulation des connaissances. Ce mouvement rendit progressivement le projet et la prestation de services plus réels, mais au prix d’un éloignement irrémédiable avec ce qui avait été spécifié dans le contrat. Dorénavant, le coût pour agir à distance était réduit et le centre de services mutualisés pouvait a priori être considéré comme un dispositif « économe ». Cependant, le processus d’externalisation conduisit à une transformation profonde de l’activité externalisée et de l’identité des différents groupes d’acteurs associés. La comparaison entre les deux situations, avant et après l’externalisation, était rendue complexe du fait de l’existence des coûts de traduction inhérents au passage du contrat au dispositif sociotechnique nécessaire à la réalisation de la prestation de services. / This dissertation is dedicated to the transition period related to the outsourcing of an activity from an organization to another one. Its objective is to describe the emergence of a hybrid control device between market and hierarchy. We studied during 15 months a global IT outsourcing project from a client to three customers’ shared service centers. The field analysis is based on two “conceptual ways” grounded in Actor Network Theory. The first moves from Transaction Cost Economics to “Translation Cost Economy”. The second one puts forward the concept of small points of control accumulation responding to Vosselman & Van der Meer-Kooistra’s call to investigate “control in the making” (2006). The transition phase shed light on the proposition that costs of translation and small points of control accumulation created a “double register” tracing the movement of services co-construction and the related control device emergence. The local facts were framed by the project team and brought into one of the shared IT service center. An accumulation cycle of knowledge was running. This movement made both the project and the service actual but at the cost of translating the initial service defined by the contract. The price to act at distance was reduced and the shared IT service center could be considered as “economic”. However, the outsourcing process led to a transformation of the IT activity and modified the identity of the groups of actors. The comparison between the two situations, before and after outsourcing, was made difficult because of translation costs inherent to the transformation of the contract into a socio-technical device implemented to deliver the service.

Organisationsprobleme im Ökomarketing - eine transaktionskostentheoretische Analyse im Absatzkanal konventioneller Lebensmittelhandel Die im Vergleich zum großen Nachfragepotential zögerliche Entwicklung des Ökomarkts in Deutschland ist auf Organisationsprobleme zurückzuführen. Die Organisationsprobleme behindern insbesondere die großskalige Ökomarkterschließung über die konventionellen Supermarktketten, erschweren aber auch die Effizienzsteigerung im kleiner strukturierten alternativen Naturkosthandel. Die Erschließung des großen Marktpotenzials für ökologische Produkte wird auf Ebene der Marktakteure durch drei Aspekte des Organisationsproblems erschwert, nämlich (1) Marktstrukturprobleme, (2) Ressourcenbeschaffungsprobleme (beschränktes Angebot) sowie (3) Absicherungsprobleme. Die Frage der Absicherung spezieller (Pionier-) Investitionen vor Opportunismus ist Hauptgegenstand der vergleichenden Institutionenanalyse, der Transaktionskostentheorie nach WILLIAMSON (1990). Die Organisationsprobleme im Ökomarketing wurden in 23 Experteninterviews entlang der Vermarktungskette mit einem transaktionskostentheoretisch basierten Untersuchungsmodell qualitativ untersucht. Schwerpunkt dabei war der Absatzkanal konventionelle Lebensmittelketten. Dabei zeigte sich die Dominanz marktnaher Organisationsformen, obwohl bei undifferenzierter Analyse der Transaktionsdimensionen eine Wahl hierarchienäherer Organisationsformen zu erwarten gewesen wäre. Die differenzierte Verwendung der Analysekriterien der Transaktion weist auf ausgleichende Kräfte hin, die marktnahe Koordination im Ökomarketing ermöglichen, trotz teilweise hoher Faktorspezifität und hoher externer Unsicherheit (z.B. labiles Marktgleichgewicht aufgrund von Beschaffungsproblemen und durch große Nachfrageschübe infolge von Lebensmittelskandalen). Wichtige Ausgleichskräfte sind vor allem die symmetrische Verteilung der Faktorspezifität zwischen den Marktpartnern, ihre Reputation und die Einflüsse des menschlichen Faktors (z.B. Beziehungsfähigkeit, außerökonomische Präferenzen). Außerdem gibt es zahlreiche Alternativen zur Absicherung durch vertikale Unternehmensintegration, die im einfachen Markt-Hierarchie-Paradigma übersehen werden. Die genauere Beschreibung der Transaktionsdimensionen und Absicherungsformen in der vorliegenden Dissertation bildet die Grundlage für ein effizienteres Management der Organisation innerhalb der Vermarktungskette. Dies betrifft z.B. die Frage, ob die Gründung einer Erzeugergemeinschaft, also einer hierarchienahen Organisationsform, nützlich ist. Im deutschen Ökomarkt wird es zu wachsenden Absicherungsproblemen kommen, wenn sich das Marktwachstum stark beschleunigt, denn beim Übergang zu einem offensiven, großskaligem Ökomarketing begeben sich die Marktpioniere in zeitweise asymmetrisch verteilte Faktorspezifitäten. Aber auch dann ist es effizienter - wo es möglich ist - die symmetrische Entwicklung der Verbindlichkeiten in einer marktnah koordinierten Vermarktungskette zu betreiben oder partielle Integrationsschritte, wie gegenseitige Beteiligungen oder gemeinsame Tochtergesellschaften zu bevorzugen. Ein marktnah koordiniertes Sicherheitsmanagement erfordert die genaue Kenntnis und Analyse der Transaktionsdimensionen, ihrer Wirkungsbereiche und -verteilung und der ausgleichenden Faktoren an jeder Stelle der Vermarktungskette. Der Vorteil marktnaher Koordination gegenüber der Hierarchie liegt in ihrer höheren Flexibilität, den besseren Leistungsanreizen und geringeren internen Verwaltungskosten. Vertikale und horizontale Kooperation kann bürokratiearm umgesetzt werden, wenn auf die symmetrische Entwicklung der Interessen und Faktorspezifitäten bei den beteiligten Geschäftspartnern geachtet wird und gleichzeitig die Kooperationsfähigkeit als soziale Kompetenz der Beteiligten entwickelt wird. / Organizational Problems in Marketing of Organic Products - a qualitative Analysis based on Transaction Cost Economics in the Trade Channel of conventional Supermarket Chains (Thesis - Humboldt-University of Berlin 2000) The market share of organic products is developing slowly compared with the potential demand forecasted. Organizational problems can be regarded as the main reason; they hamper especially the large scale market extension into conventional supermarket chains, but also diminish efficiency in smaller scaled alternative natural food trade systems. Market extension for organic products is inhibited due to three aspects relating to organizational problems: (1) deficits in market structure, (2) problems on resourcing (limited supply) and (3) problems of safeguarding an agreement. Safeguarding of special (pioneer) investment against opportunism is a central issue of comparative institutional analysis, in this case the transaction cost economics after O. E. WILLIAMSON (1985) Organizational problems of "organic-marketing" were investigated qualitatively using interviews with 23 experts involved in the marketing process at different levels. The framework of investigations were based upon transaction cost economics. Focus was set on the trade channel of the conventional retail chains. As a result it could be shown that organizational forms close to market-driven coordination dominates over forms of vertical integration, even though an undifferentiated analysis would have favored the latter. A more differentiated use of transaction dimensions shows balancing powers, which allow market-based coordination in "organic-marketing" in spite of high asset specificity and high external uncertainty (e.g. fragile market equilibrium as a result of procurement problems and influence of rapid growth of demand due to food scandals). The essential balancing factors are an equilibrium of asset specificity between market partners, their reputation and influence of the human factor (e.g. soft skills like human relations, non-economic preferences). In addition there are many alternatives to safeguarding by vertical integration that are otherwise overlooked in a simple market-hierarchy-paradigm. The exacter description of transaction dimensions and different forms of safeguarding given in this thesis leads to a more efficient marketing chain management. This can, for example, raise the issue whether a horizontal cooperation of agricultural producers, i.e. a hierarchical organization, is beneficial. In the German market for organic products safeguarding problems will increase once the market growth accelerates, because transition to offensive large-scaled "organic-marketing" temporarily leads market-pioneers into an asymmetrically distributed asset specificity. But even in this case it will be more efficient - where possible - to search for a symmetric development of obligations or to prefer partial vertical integration such as mutual participation or common affiliated companies. A market oriented management of safeguarding requires exact knowledge and analyses of transaction dimensions, their sphere of influence and their distribution of action and of compensating factors on every point of the marketing-chain. The advantage of a market-driven coordination compared to hierarchy is based on a higher flexibility, higher incentives and lower internal administration costs. Vertical and horizontal cooperation can be implemented on efficient bureaucracy basis, if partners pay attention to symmetric development of their interests and asset specificities and develop their social skills at the same time.

By using a natural experiment approach and longitudinal national hospital data, this study sheds light on the objective functions of hospitals with different ownership forms by comparing their relative reductions in HH provision after the implementation of the BBA. The empirical findings reveal that for-profit hospitals behave differently as compared to public and private nonprofit hospitals, due to their different operational objectives. While the response of for-profit hospitals is consistent with the profit-maximizer model, both public and private nonprofit ownership types behave consistently in accordance with the model of two-good producers whose objective is to maximize market outputs for meeting the health care needs of the community, given the break-even requirement. This finding provides support for the tax exemption the United States government has granted private nonprofit hospitals. Although the response patterns of the nonprofit ownership types are in general similar, this study found that, contrary to expectation, religious hospitals were more likely than secular nonprofit hospitals to have reduced HH provision after the BBA. Further studies are needed to explore the difference in operational behaviors between these two ownership types. Built on previous related studies and applying a more comprehensive set of independent and control variables with improved data sources, this study is able to examine the effects of certain organizational and market factors on hospital offering of HH care pre-BBA and the change in the provision of HH care in the six years following the implementation of the BBA. Hospital proportion of Medicare patients, hospital size, total profit margin, case mix index, elderly density in the market are found to be positive determinants of a hospital’s likelihood of offering HH care. However, these organizational and market factors, in general, play a non-significant role in influencing hospitals’ changes in HH care provision after the implementation of the BBA. In the study, explanations and implications of these finding are discussed. Finally, potential limitations to this study and opportunities for future research are addressed.

Many of the countries all over the world, with different experiences, own state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Even though these enterprises are useful socioeconomic policy instruments, evidence from most of these countries shows that these enterprises do not fulfil their mandates, especially when wholly owned, and in developing and corrupt countries. As a result, owning SOEs has become a trend rather than a means to an end. Several models, from privatisation, then back to renationalisation, have been attempted in mitigating the numerous problems of these enterprises. These models did not mitigate the problems of SOEs as they were, in summary, mere models backed by powerful advocates and favoured by the turn of socio-political and economic cycles at that time. However, irrespective of the numerous problems of SOEs, these enterprises can still be useful socioeconomic policy instruments now, as in the past. Using multiphase exploratory mixed methods, this thesis explores ways of mitigating the problems of SOEs by developing a best practice structural corporate governance model that takes into account various aspects of corporate governance of SOEs. In this context, the empirical part of this study was conducted in three phases. The first phase analyses the contents of relevant enterprises’ documents. The second phase analyses survey responses from purposively selected expert respondents from sample SOEs. The third phase analyses interviews from purposively selected expert participants from sample SOEs. Thus, this thesis determined the problems of SOEs, detailed the problem implications, identified contingent areas of the models considered vis a vis problems explored, extended the role of government, developed a conceptual framework, established useful models for organising and owning SOEs as a way of mitigating the identified problems, analysed the thesis statement and thesis propositions and developed a structural corporate governance model for SOEs. The study found that the holding company model, both wholly and partly owned, appears to be better in mitigating corporate governance problems of SOEs, compared with the traditional wholly and partly owned models, with the partly owned model of the holding company model a better model compared with the other models. Thus, this thesis harnesses the stages detailed above into contributing to the field of scholarly knowledge by harnessing the stages described into developing a structural corporate governance model that takes into account relevant aspects of corporate governance of SOEs and related enterprises. Following this, this thesis proposes that, in addition to emulating the developed model, establishing a supervisory board that constitutes representatives from public and private role players, as well as other external assurance providers and regulatory inspectors is key in mitigating problems of SOEs, especially in developing countries. This thesis contributes to the field of scholarly knowledge by synthesising disjointed literature on public entrepreneurship, developing and demonstrating a theoretical comparative sampling method, extending the role of government, theoretically developing a conceptual framework, dimensional theory, as well as developing a structural corporate governance model. / Business Management / D. Phil. (Accounting Sciences)

本研究旨在探討研發取得策略，情境因子，研發人力資本，與公司績效之間的關聯性。藉由理論模型的推導與實務訪談研發中心主管來發展假說，進而以混合資料模型(pooled data models)與橫斷面資料模型來進行實證分析。主要結果為：當公司的研發多樣化程度較高，專利權數目較少，公司較可能採取內外部研發並進策略(R&D hybrid strategy)，而非完全內部研發策略(make strategy)。最重要地，過度/低度的外部研發取得(under-/over-external R&D sourcing)對於公司績效有負/正向影響。相較於會計績效，此效果對市場績效的影響尤其顯著。同時，研發取得策略對於公司績效的影響，取決於公司的研發人力資本。相較於採取完全內部研發策略的公司，為了吸收外來的異質技術，採取內外部研發並進策略的公司較可能聘任不同研發種類的研發人員；而如此的研發取得策略與研發人力資本契合將進而改善會計與市場績效。本研究的發現與交易成本理論與supermodular理論一致。如同預期，相較於橫斷面資料模型，本研究的實證分析在混合資料模型較為顯著。 / The association between performance and R&D sourcing strategy in relation to contextual variables and R&D human capital is determined by the analytical model coupled with field interviews with directors or managers in R&D centers. Capitalizing on a unique database of the 2001-2003 Taiwan Industry R&D Investment Survey containing more detailed information available on the R&D activities to verify this association, the researcher tests the empirical results by cross-sectional and pooled data models. The findings are that an innovating firm will prefer to implement the R&D hybrid strategy when the higher degrees of R&D diversity and fewer counts of patents are exhibited. Perhaps most importantly, this study shows compelling evidence that over-/under-external R&D sourcing affects negatively/positively a firm’s performance. This effect is more significant in the market-based performance (Tobin’s q and average two-year Tobin’s q) than accounting-based performance (ROS and ROA). Moreover, the associations between R&D sourcing strategy and a firm’s performance are contingent on the use of R&D human capital. Innovative firms with the R&D hybrid/make strategy are more/less prone to employee diverse types of R&D experts to absorb the coming external knowledge, and such alignment between R&D sourcing strategy and R&D human capital thus improves both accounting- and market-based performance. The results are consistent with both transaction cost paradigms that discriminating alignment of transactions with strategy leads to more efficient outcomes, and the supermodularity model that a firm’s performance is a function of coherent alignment between strategy and structural elements of an organization. As predicted, these effects are noticeable and more pronounced in the pooled data model than in the cross-sectional design.