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In recent years, firms' environment is more and more competitive. If they always use the same strategy, it is not easy to get success. By case study, I will try to find different other places. Also using "Resource-Based Theory", it finds company's major capability, resource and future. Offer to make a decision when firms use strategic alliances.

The R.O.C. has already joined World Trade Organization ¡]called WTO¡^ since January 2002, and it has brought our country the great impact in all aspects. The enterprises face many challenges, which are caused by the necessary and sharply changes of economical development policies, including the modulation of industrial structure, the renewal of commercial working mode, and the regeneration of the main power of the enterprises. In order to bring the synergy into full play, the enterprises must make good use of the Portfolio policy, select center industry for the foundation of the Diversification Strategy, utilize effectual managerial skills and advanced technology, and coordinate suitable organization structure and management philosophy. This research uses case method to analyze China Steel Structure Co.¡]called CSSC¡^; as for implanting the above-mentioned methods to reengineer corporation and using diversification strategy to deal with a company after it joins WTO, this research addresses effective operate strategies and specific suggestions. In addition, the research is based on Resource Based Theory and Diversification Strategy to confer company¡¦s resources-assets, skills, and capabilities to create core advantage and accumulate abilities to make the company reach interior consistency and bring the overall achievements, which included harmonized resources, scope of business/structures and coordinated/controlled systems into full play. Which mode should the company select for future management strategy? According to the result of generalization question, based on appropriate theory, the suggestion, which the company should adopt are as follows: 1¡BExpansion of the scope of business: ¡]1¡^Two alarming earthquakes occur continuously, then the steel structure substitutes the traditional structure, such as ferroconcrete and reinforced brick ones. It is not only able to be the precaution against earthquake and conform with the requirement of green architecture of environmental protection, but also the necessary product for the future architecture. ¡]2¡^The reachable range of CSSC manufactures are able to extend naturally with the superiority of excellent techniques, effective management skills, and punctual deliveries and CSSC can establish the factories in the mainland china first. 2¡BDiversification ¡]1¡^Related Diversification Strategy Diversify corporation supply chain: establish construction, engineering company. Diversify operation: corporate venture of employees and establish assemble company ¡]2¡^Mergence and strategic alliance Apply CSSC¡¦s financial resources to invest or merge companies which are healthy but lack of capitals or funds; launch joint ventures with project consultant companies, architects and construction professions. 3¡BAdjustment of organization To face the knowledge economy age, CSSC should take down, classify, and store the experience and knowledge of the core abilities, such as steel structure technology and production management. Then, organize all professional knowledge, rethink over the structure of the company¡¦s organization in coordination with the suggestions, which the research mentioned above.

Abstract Globally recognized for its investment strengths, Taiwan offers superior geographical and cultural advantages, a vibrant yet stable economy, technological prowess, tightly integrated industrial infrastructure, professional talent and a skilled labor force. Taiwan¡¦s economic strength is rooted in its industrial base, which started with a manufacturing boom in basic-level exported goods and progressed to technology intensive industries, such as electrical goods and chemicals. The Taiwan government is dedicated to attracting investment by establishing a free and open investment system, and by providing a good environment for corporate operations. According to the 2005¡ã2006 global competitiveness report issued by the World Economic Forum (WEF), in 2005 Taiwan ranks fifth in the world (behind the countries of Finland, the US, Sweden and Denmark), and first in Asia, in growth competitiveness. In its 2nd report in 2006, Business Environment Risk Intelligence (BERI) of Switzerland ranks our investment environment sixth in the world and third in Asia. The assessments compiled by these institutions, all of which enjoy a high degree of public trust, make it clear that Taiwan has a low-risk investment environment that is suitable for investment, and that its investment environment is a highly advantageous one1. Therefore, the study applies the resource-based theory to the exploration of relationship between core resources and strategy, makes use of records and case study to develop the relevant conclusion and further presents the academic and practical contributions, and provides suggestions for Taiwan enterprises to deliberate the further strategy and direct how the subsequent research concerned is conducted.

A review of the innovation and diffusion literature indicates a considerable amount of research, where attention is given to a range of features which may support integration technologies adoption. However, some literature suggests that the findings derived from the study of large enterprises cannot be generalised and applied in SMEs due to the distinct characteristics of SMEs. Although the adoption of integration technologies is recognised as being different between large and small companies, the literature on its adoption by SMEs remains limited. Nevertheless, in existing work, there is a lack of studies emphasising the reasons why SMEs and large companies take the decision to adopt integration technologies, focusing specifically on the different factors. This thesis therefore identifies the significant differences in the way that SMEs and large companies approach integration technologies, based on the existing literature, theoretical diffusion theories, and resource-based theory. In doing so, the parameters that can be used to explain the adoption of integration technologies in SMEs and large firms are identified, as nature of organisations, company size, integration needs, adoption factors for SMEs and large organisations, and time. Additionally, adoption factors are found and classified into three categories: adoption factors explicit to SMEs, adoption factors explicit to large organisations, and common factors. Based on this, a conceptual model is introduced to explain the different factors that influence adoption between SMEs and large organisations. The empirical contexts of the research are one project on integration technologies adoption, and four case studies on a large firm and three SMEs, which are analysed using an interpretive and qualitative research approach. The evidence suggests that the empirical data complement the identified dimensions nature of organisations, integration needs, company size and time. The empirical data also confirm that the current integration technologies adoption factors reported in the literature can be classified into common factors, factors explicit to SMEs, and factors explicit to large firms, to support a more comprehensive view of this area. An additional factor perceived future prospect has been considered as an influence on adoption in large organisations. The findings of this research can be useful to guide analysts and researchers in determining critical aspects of the complex issues involved for integration technologies adoption, and lead to suggestions for further valid research.

This study investigates small firm internationalisation from an individual owner-manager’s perspective. Despite advancing our understanding of small firm internationalisation, process-based theories including the Uppsala, innovation-related and networks explanations, and more recently entrepreneurial-based theories remain vague in relation to what characterises and constitutes the internationalisation practices of small owner-managed firms. Process theories overlook the owner-manager and their practices, while entrepreneurial explanations focus on individual characteristics to the exclusion of their internationalisation practices. Furthermore, existing explanations are constrained by rationalistic assumptions prevalent in small firm internationalisation research which de-emphasise comprehensiveness, connectedness and complexity in favour of de-contextualised parsimonious causal relationships, thereby limiting investigations into how owner-managers understand and practice firm internationalisation. As a way forward, an alternative interpretive lens is adopted using a phenomenographic approach to explore how owner-managers understand and practise firm internationalisation. Consequently, the owner-manager’s lived experiences of firm internationalisation provide the point of departure for this study. In-depth interviews with owner-managers of small internationalising wineries, together with observations, field notes, documentation and secondary data formed the basis of my empirical material which was analysed in two-stages. The material was initially analysed in terms of what constituted firm internationalisation practice, and was subsequently examined to explore how owner-managers understand firm internationalisation. A small firm internationalisation activity cycle comprising: assessing and knowing markets, prospecting and attracting agent interest, assessing agent compatibility, supporting and sustaining agent relationships and termination or failure of agent relationships emerged as what constituted their internationalisation practice. Subsequent analysis revealed how owner-managers understood firm internationalisation by identifying four qualitatively different understandings of firm internationalisation practices: seeking market knowledge, competing on price, portraying distinctiveness and storytelling. The internationalisation activity cycle and the understandings of firm internationalisation were later connected to form an understanding-based theory of small firm internationalisation. This study contributes to small firm internationalisation theory in two ways: first, the articulation of an on-going and inter-connected internationalisation activity cycle of the small firm extends existing theories by providing a more complete and accurate explanation of how owner-managers of small firms conduct their internationalisation practices. It makes visible the activities, processes and relationships obscured by existing theories. The internationalisation activity cycle, through the inter-relatedness of each of the activities concurrently, combines market knowledge processes with processes of attracting, building and replacing network relationships with domestic and foreign-based actors. Second, revealing different understandings of internationalisation practices of small owner-managed firms, and associating these understandings of internationalisation with their internationalisation activity cycle not only extends existing theories but offers a new explanation of small firm internationalisation. An understanding-based theory of small firm internationalisation advocates that variations in conduct and activities undertaken by owner-managers are determined by their different understandings of firm internationalisation. As a result, owner-managers attach different meanings to the activities within the internationalisation activity cycle as they conduct their internationalisation practices. Consequently, the variability and idiosyncratic nature of small firm internationalisation is captured as one of multiplicity, rather than demanding universal explanation proposed by existing theories. Keywords: small firm, internationalisation, understanding-based theory, internationalisation activity cycle, phenomenography Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classifications (ANZSRC): 150304 entrepreneurship 10%, 150308 international business 70%, 150314 small business management 20%

Post-crisis market realities in Greece are expected to lead to increased M&A activity in the coming years, little evidence is provided in the academic literature on Greek M&A post-acquisition performance and its driving factors. The overall aim of this thesis is to complement and enhance the existing M&A literature by examining the impact of two post-acquisition actions, of asset divestiture and resource redeployment on the long-term performance of Greek M&A deals over the period 2005-2009. The conceptual framework of this thesis draws on the strategic management perspective. Using the cost efficiencies argument, the thesis examines how cost savings, due to asset divestiture affect the post-acquisition performance of both the target and the acquiring firm. In addition, by drawing on the resource-based view of the firm and the dynamic capabilities perspective, the thesis explores the effects of post-acquisition resource redeployment from acquirers to targets and vice versa, on revenue-enhancing capabilities. The findings revealed that the divestiture of the acquirers’ assets does not reduce costs. In addition, the importance of revenue-based synergies was shown, through the mediating variables of market coverage and innovation capabilities. Finally, acquirer’s resource redeployment has a positive and significant effect on cost savings and the same holds true for the resource redeployment to the target. These results indicate that resource redeployment contributes in achieving higher cost efficiency. The originality of this study is that it tries to obtain new insights on the subject of the post-acquisition performance using arguments from the cost-based and resourcebased synergies, the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm and the dynamic capabilities perspective. In addition, this is a large-scale empirical study conducted in Greece drawing on detailed primary data on a high range of post-acquisition actions followed by the managers of the acquiring companies rather than secondary data.

The question regarding what makes child trafficking persistent in conflict and post-war settings has been subject to intense debate. The human trafficking literature makes general conclusions that trafficking is a by-product of civil wars, and in the process child traffickers exploit the breakdown of the rule of law. As such it is perceived that the governance of the problem of child trafficking can be effective whenever peace and stability is realised and when legal frameworks for protecting children are in place. Prompted by these assertions, I conducted a field study in South Sudan, a country emerging from one of Africa’s longest running and most brutal civil wars fought between the government in Khartoum and Sudanese Peoples Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A). The Sudan’s civil wars ended after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005. Whilst the termination of the war raised expectations that the international anti-trafficking conventions, treaties and customary laws protecting children would have enforcement powers and would guarantee the rights and safety of the child, the peace failed to deliver on these expectations. Based on empirical data obtained through an intensive micro-level qualitative research conducted in South Sudan over three months, the research findings reveal that a number of challenges pose serious difficulties in enforcing international counter-trafficking legislations and child protection instruments. These challenges are compounded by the interplay of the emerging socio-economic and political development in the post-independent South Sudan.

This study investigates the acquisition of Chinese connectives by second language learners under the theoretical framework of usage-based theory. Language is not a random set of words and phrases, but rather a coherent and cohesive set of utterances. As such, learning a second language (L2) entails, among other processes, learners’ development of employing cohesive devices to construct a coherent discourse in their target language. One type of cohesive devices frequently used by L2 learners is connectives. In Chinese, connectives are utilized to denote various semantic relationships between the clauses in a compound sentence. Due to their flexibility and complexity in nature, Chinese connectives present a huge challenge to L2 learners’ learning. However, to date no study has been set up to explore the learners’ development of Chinese connectives within L2 Chinese research community. This study aims to fill this gap in the literature and build an L2 acquisitional model of Chinese connectives under the theoretical framework of Constructionist Usage-based Theory. Constructionist Usage-based Theory maintains that the basic unit of language is constructions and that the syntactic and lexical form of constructions and its corresponding semantic and discourse functions are conventionalized in language usage. According to these notions, language learning is believed to be driven by the factors grounded in the form and function of constructions in language usage. This study specifically examines how the factors of frequency, form, function, contingency (interaction of form and function), and L1-tuned attention affect L2 Chinese learners’ development of Chinese connectives. Furthermore, the study investigates the learners’ knowledge about the distribution of Chinese connectives across different proficiency levels. Specifically, this study aims to address four research questions: (1) what is the relationship between L2 learners’ proficiency level and language background and the acquisition of Chinese connectives?; (2) do L2 learners overuse or underuse Chinese connectives in constructing responses when the other in a pair is given and what errors do L2 learners make when using Chinese connectives?; (3) how can 12 target pairs of Chinese connectives be categorized into (hierarchical) groups based on L2 Chinese learners’ performance?; and (4) how do theoretically-motivated models represent the factorial structure underlying L2 acquisition of Chinese connectives? To address the four research questions, this study elicited L2 Chinese learners’ performance in two tests: a mini-discourse completion test and a form-function association test. In the mini-discourse completion test, learners were required to supply a missing clause to complete a three-clause discourse in which one of paired connectives was embedded; in the form-function association test, learners were asked to choose options of paired connectives to link two given clauses where connectives were omitted. Results showed that the development of all Chinese paired connectives was positively correlated to L2 learners’ L2 proficiency level. Learners with heritage language background seemed to have an advantage over less frequent and less prototypical connectives. Predominantly, L2 learners underused Chinese connectives, resulting from the cross-linguistic influence of disparity between English and Chinese connectives at the structural level in particular and between English and Chinese textual cohesion at the discourse level in general. Based on L2 learners’ performances in the two tests, the 12 pairs of Chinese connectives were classifier into four hierarchical groups. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the usage-based factors (i.e., frequency, co-occurrence strength, formulaicity, prototypicality, contingency, and L1-tuned attention) jointly determined the L2 acquisition and development of Chinese connectives in a complex, adaptive, dynamic manner. Summarizing these findings, this study proposed a usage-based acquisitional model of L2 Chinese connectives, providing theoretical contributions to the usage-based theory and pedagogical implications for Chinese connectives.

Immigrant entrepreneurs play a significant role in the economic development of the United States. However, some small business immigrant entrepreneurs are less successful than small business nonimmigrant entrepreneurs. The purpose of this multicase study was to explore the strategies some small business immigrant entrepreneurs use to sustain and grow their businesses profitably. Using a purposeful sampling technique, the population for this study consisted of 5 small business immigrant entrepreneurs having sustained and grown businesses for a minimum of 5 years in Houston, Texas. The conceptual framework that grounded this study was a combination of Barney's resource-based theory and the Light's disadvantage theory of business enterprise. Data collection consisted of interviews, field notes about observations, and review of documentation related to business strategies. Data analysis involved a process of disassembling data into common codes, reassembling data into themes, interpreting meaning, and making conclusions. The following 4 themes emerged from data analysis: providing good customer service, offering lower prices than competitors, offering popular products, and keeping costs and expenses low. Results showed that small business immigrant entrepreneurs concentrate on differentiation and cost control to sustain and grow their businesses profitably. The implications for positive social change included the potential to provide small business immigrant entrepreneurs with knowledge to improve their business strategies, thereby enhancing their contribution to the prosperity of their families, their employees, and their local community.