As the role of emerging markets become increasingly important in today‘s global economy, recent research has proliferated in topics such as new marketing perspectives (Sheth, 2011), successful firm entry (Johnson and Tellis, 2008), and innovation in emerging markets (Immelt, Govindarajan, and Trimble, 2009). Innovation in particular has become an important topic. Following this line of research this two-part thesis covers two different perspectives of firm innovation in an emerging market: (1) How domestic Chinese firms globalize and learn through innovation and (2) How foreign firms effectively innovate within China. Through this two-part thesis, I hope to contribute to the growing body of literature on firms’ strategies, particularly in developing innovative capacity for performance, in emerging markets. In the first part, I investigate how domestic Chinese firms learn through innovation and other mechanisms, as they internationalize through exporting activities. As China continues to display its influence on developed markets and the global economy, it is increasingly important to examine issues surrounding the globalization of Chinese firms. Research has documented a “learning-by-exporting” (LBE) effect in which firms (especially from emerging markets) learn through exporting, leading to productivity improvements. Yet prior studies have not discovered the exact learning mechanisms involved. Thus, this study “opens the black box” in examining how and under what conditions firms learn and achieve these productivity gains. I posit that firms leverage their learning through innovativeness, production capability improvements and managerial improvements. I test my hypotheses with panelized data on over 240,000 privately-owned Chinese firms between 2001 and 2007. All three mechanisms show a parallel and significant mediation between firm exporting and firm productivity. Furthermore, I find that the salience of these mechanisms is contingent upon industry characteristics: firms in industries with intensive R&D and moderate exporting demonstrate the most learning through all three conduits. In the second part, I take a reverse perspective and investigate how foreign firms set up their operations in China with the purpose of innovating, and highlight the effective strategies involved in this process. Foreign firms are increasingly moving their research operations to emerging markets, which represents a new technology strategy involving significant investments in R&D resources and local technological talent. Using absorptive capacity as a theoretical framework, I examine the effectiveness of this strategy and its boundary conditions. Specifically, how can establishing a local knowledge base (reflecting path dependency), obtaining local government support (to mitigate appropriability risks), and employing a strongly controlled organizational mode (wholly owned subsidiaries) facilitate foreign firms’ technology strategy in an emerging market? To test these postulates, I consider the innovative and local market performance of 524 foreign firms (216 wholly owned foreign subsidiaries and 308 international joint ventures) in China in 2008. The significant empirical support for my hypotheses contributes to the growing literature on foreign firms’ R&D strategy, emerging market innovations, and organizational entry modes. / published_or_final_version / Business / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The purpose of the present research was to examine the behavioral and individual-differences characteristics of a key figure in the innovation process—the champion. The champion, also known as corporate entrepreneur (Kanter, 1982), and intrapreneur (Pinchot, 1985) is an individual who emerges informally in an organization to introduce and promote innovation. These individuals have been described as forceful, driven, energetic, and visionary and have been found to be critical players in the success of organizational innovation. The majority of research on the champion has not, however, been conducted with a focus on this key figure. Rather, the emphasis of much of the previous research has typically been on the process of innovation, with the champion acknowledged and discussed, but not featured or described in detail. Given the importance of the champion in promoting innovation, it would be desirable to conduct research in which this figure was the focus of attention. The three studies carried out as part of this research project were designed with this purpose in mind. Methods of individual-differences assessment were applied to the study of the champion. The present research began with a study of the champion’s behavior. Techniques from the act frequency approach (Buss & Craik, 1980) were used to develop a comprehensive behavioral profile of the champion in order to establish a structural model of championship. Acts describing championship were generated by panels of middle- and senior-level managers and these items were factor analyzed separately in two samples, involving over 600 managers from seven Western Canadian organizations. Ultimately, 10 first- and two second-order factors were identified and named by subject matter experts. Evidence was found for a heroic and a dark side to championship at the second order factor level. In Study 2, the focus turned to predictor measurement. Supervisory ratings of championship on the criterion dimensions identified in Study 1 were obtained for 174 middle- and senior-level managers. These same managers had been participants in a three-day Assessment Center in which they were administered: (a) cognitive ability tests, (b) personality inventories, (c) management simulations, and (d) a structured interview. Correlations computed between the Assessment Center measures, on the one hand, and the criterion dimensions on the other, led to the conclusion that the dark side of championship could be predicted, but that, unfortunately, the heroic side could not. On the basis of the Assessment Center scale correlations with the dark side, the champion was found to be: dominant, assertive, exhibitionistic, aggressive, independent, competitive, driven, impulsive, impatient, and likely to break rules and take risks. The results of Study 3 led to the development of a low-fidelity simulation, based on the behavioral consistency model (Wernimont & Campbell, 1968). This simulation, called the Management Practices Simulation (MPS), was administered to the Assessment Center participants involved in Study 2 and scores on the MPS were correlated with scores on the criterion dimensions from Study 1. Two higher-order MPS scales were found to correlate significantly with the two second-order criterion factor scales identified in Study 1. Moreover, the criterion-related validity of these scales surpassed that achieved with any component of the Assessment Center. The results of Studies 1, 2, and 3 indicate that championship is a multi dimensional construct that, at a higher-order level, can be described with reference to two orthogonal dimensions, labeled the dark and heroic side. Individuals can be ordered along a continuum on these dimensions and this scaling reflects meaningful differences in behavior. Psychological tests can be used to predict ratings of championship, at least those associated with the dark side. Finally, application of the behavioral consistency model to the development of a low-fidelity simulation, led to the creation of a new instrument—the Management Practices Simulation—whose scales correlated significantly and at a slightly higher-level with the criterion than any of the Assessment Center battery scales.

Thesis (M.Phil.(Entrepreneurship))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Abstract in English. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D. (Entrepreneurship))--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 204-224).

本文在管理文献研究的基础上，构建一个以企业创新为中间变量的理论模型，该模型把企业创新作为企业家领导力和企业业绩的中间变量，同时把企业家的专业技能和管理能力作为企业家领导力与企业创新之间的调节，把市场导向和创新导向作为企业创新与企业业绩的调节变量。并通过实证研究，印证了前期的理论预设，开拓创新语境下对企业家领导力研究的新领域，同时将企业家的管理能力和专业技能、中小企业的创新导向和市场导向纳入到领导力研究的理论范式中。本文基于中国本土中小企业领导力研究的理论背景，在研究中首次建立了一个企业家领导力、企业创新能力交叉作用的研究模型，并探索作为调节变量的市场导向、创新导向在中小企业发展过程中的作用。通过实证发现，不同创新环境（企业的市场导向和创新导向）主题下的企业发展问题，通过模型拟合与数据分析，证实了作为调节变量的市场导向和创新导向，作为企业创新与企业发展的中间变量，具有实质性的影响作用。本文同时讨论了研究成果对相关管理理论以及实际工作的启示作用。Based on the research of management literature, this paper constructs a theoretical model with enterprise innovation as the intermediate variable, which takes enterprise innovation as the intermediate variable of entrepreneur leadership and enterprise performance. At the same time, the professional skills and management ability of entrepreneurs are taken as the adjustment between entrepreneurial leadership and enterprise innovation, and the market orientation and innovation orientation are taken as the adjustment variables of enterprise innovation and enterprise performance.Through empirical research, this paper proves the theoretical presupposition of the previous period, explores the new field of entrepreneurship leadership research in the context of innovation, and at the same time integrates the entrepreneur's management ability and professional skills, the innovation guidance and market orientation of small and medium-sized enterprises into the theoretical paradigm of leadership research Based on the theoretical background of local SME leadership research, this paper establishes for the first time a research model of the interaction between entrepreneurial leadership and enterprise innovation ability, and explores the role of market orientation and innovation orientation as regulatory variables in the process of SME development. Through empirical results, we find that the problems of enterprise development under the theme of different innovation environments(market orientation and innovation orientation of enterprises) have confirmed the market orientation and innovation orientation as regulatory variables through model fitting and data analysis. As an intermediate variable of enterprise innovation and enterprise development, it has a substantial impact. At the same time, this paper discusses the enlightenment effect of the research results on related management theory and practical work.

M.Comm. / The main purpose of this study is to investigate the main issues relating to the creativity or creative ability of management in organisations and business. A definition and circumscription of creativity is developed from which the relevance of creativity to management can be qualitatively assessed. The role and functions of management are then discussed. With the definition and circumscription of creativity as reference, and the roles and functions of management described, the need for creativity, and benefit of creativity to management is investigated. Specific references to creativity and management roles and functions are assessed, and the importance of creativity in performing these functions determined. The specific objectives of this research can be stated as follows: To determine a definition and compile a circumscription of creativity that is suitable for the evaluation and assessment of the importance of creativity or creative ability in management. The definition and circumscription will include all aspects of creativity such as the nature of creativity, the traits of creative people, the characteristics of the creative process and creative products, ideas or responses. To describe the role and functions of management at all levels in the organisation. This will include a description of management philosophies and paradigms. To investigate the need for creative ability of management in fulfilling their role and functions as determined, and to determine the advantages that improved creativity in the management function affords organisations. To investigate the possibility for the development or improvement of the creative skills and abilities of management. To investigate the factors that negatively influence or stifle creativity.

M.Com. / For most people the word "creativity" is more applicable to art than to business. In reality one of the highest art forms is, and could be, business. In business the tools with which we are working are extremely dynamic : capital, people, market and ideas. In order to enable people to discover and live up to their creative potential, the company has to establish and maintain an environment which promotes and enhances the creative abilities of its members. Most people have been part of a system, either at school, in their homes or elsewhere, where their creative abilities have not been promoted and supported. This experience background of a person still remains the strongest factor that can either stimulate or discourage creativity ...

Innovation as a subject is very broad and has received attention from a large number of researchers. Senior managers that see the value in formally managing innovation are not only faced with making decisions about where to start and what to focus on, but also with specific challenges that make innovation difficult to manage. These challenges include definitions of innovation that differ widely within organizations, ownership of different stages of the innovation process, cultural issues as well as lack of innovation performance measures. To assist executives under such circumstances, the aim of the research was to identify key elements of an innovation strategy as well as the appropriate performance measures that will determine the extent to which the innovation strategy is bearing fruit. This research was carried out in two stages. The first stage consisted of documentary (secondary) research, the purpose of which was to develop an innovation strategy scorecard. The scorecard was developed by firstly identifying the key components of an innovation strategy, arranging them into perspectives and thereafter developing performance measurements for each perspective. The purpose of the second stage was to validate the results obtained in stage one using feedback from a panel of experts in innovation management. At the end of the research, the key components of the innovation strategy were represented as perspectives similar to those in the Balanced Scorecard methodology. The perspectives consisted of innovation vision, innovation goals and objectives, innovation sources and resourcing, innovation metrics as well as innovation deployment. Performance measures were identified for each of these perspectives to develop the innovation strategy scorecard. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

The purpose of the present research was to examine the behavioral and individual-differences characteristics of a key figure in the innovation process—the champion. The champion, also known as corporate entrepreneur (Kanter, 1982), and intrapreneur (Pinchot, 1985) is an individual who emerges informally in an organization to introduce and promote innovation. These individuals have been described as forceful, driven, energetic, and visionary and have been found to be critical players in the success of organizational innovation. The majority of research on the champion has not, however, been conducted with a focus on this key figure. Rather, the emphasis of much of the previous research has typically been on the process of innovation, with the champion acknowledged and discussed, but not featured or described in detail. Given the importance of the champion in promoting innovation, it would be desirable to conduct research in which this figure was the focus of attention. The three studies carried out as part of this research project were designed with this purpose in mind. Methods of individual-differences assessment were applied to the study of the champion. The present research began with a study of the champion’s behavior. Techniques from the act frequency approach (Buss & Craik, 1980) were used to develop a comprehensive behavioral profile of the champion in order to establish a structural model of championship. Acts describing championship were generated by panels of middle- and senior-level managers and these items were factor analyzed separately in two samples, involving over 600 managers from seven Western Canadian organizations. Ultimately, 10 first- and two second-order factors were identified and named by subject matter experts. Evidence was found for a heroic and a dark side to championship at the second order factor level. In Study 2, the focus turned to predictor measurement. Supervisory ratings of championship on the criterion dimensions identified in Study 1 were obtained for 174 middle- and senior-level managers. These same managers had been participants in a three-day Assessment Center in which they were administered: (a) cognitive ability tests, (b) personality inventories, (c) management simulations, and (d) a structured interview. Correlations computed between the Assessment Center measures, on the one hand, and the criterion dimensions on the other, led to the conclusion that the dark side of championship could be predicted, but that, unfortunately, the heroic side could not. On the basis of the Assessment Center scale correlations with the dark side, the champion was found to be: dominant, assertive, exhibitionistic, aggressive, independent, competitive, driven, impulsive, impatient, and likely to break rules and take risks. The results of Study 3 led to the development of a low-fidelity simulation, based on the behavioral consistency model (Wernimont & Campbell, 1968). This simulation, called the Management Practices Simulation (MPS), was administered to the Assessment Center participants involved in Study 2 and scores on the MPS were correlated with scores on the criterion dimensions from Study 1. Two higher-order MPS scales were found to correlate significantly with the two second-order criterion factor scales identified in Study 1. Moreover, the criterion-related validity of these scales surpassed that achieved with any component of the Assessment Center. The results of Studies 1, 2, and 3 indicate that championship is a multi dimensional construct that, at a higher-order level, can be described with reference to two orthogonal dimensions, labeled the dark and heroic side. Individuals can be ordered along a continuum on these dimensions and this scaling reflects meaningful differences in behavior. Psychological tests can be used to predict ratings of championship, at least those associated with the dark side. Finally, application of the behavioral consistency model to the development of a low-fidelity simulation, led to the creation of a new instrument—the Management Practices Simulation—whose scales correlated significantly and at a slightly higher-level with the criterion than any of the Assessment Center battery scales. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

Group diversity and group size were manipulated in a laboratory experiment for their influence on the quantity and quality of creative performance. Student subjects were preselected to high and low diverse groups and were randomly assigned to dyads, four-person groups, or individual work. The task was the identification of unusual uses for three common objects. The quantity criterion was the number of non-duplicate uses produced by each group. The quality criterion was the extent to which the uses identified were unusual for the whole sample. The prediction that dyad groups would demonstrate the greatest creative performance was generally not supported. With respect to the number of ideas produced, dyad groups outperformed four-person groups. In the quality of creative performance there was no difference found between dyad and four person groups. For both quantity and quality measures, dyad and four-person groups were outperformed by individuals in nominal groups. Contrary to the prediction that dyads would show the greatest influence of diversity, no difference in creative performance was found in either dyad or four-person groups due to the diversity condition. The influence of diversity was, however, found in both the quantity and quality of creative performance of individuals in nominal groups. Results indicate that for the particular task of producing a number of quality creative ideas, the one-to-one dyad condition is superior to the group, but individuals, working independently, outproduce members in either of the group conditions. Explanation for the unpredicted results explore a number of "group effects" as intervening variables between group size and performance. Considering the nature of the task it was concluded that social loafing is the most likely group effect.