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The 2015 mandate of Europay MasterCard and Visa (EMV) “chip card” technology in the U.S. left the payments market primed for the adoption of alternative technologies. The goal of this study is to determine the factors that contribute to the adoption of new, alternative payment technologies by integrating the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Switching Cost Theory and operationalizing both theories in a consumer context. Through a survey of 210 chip card and mobile payment users, this study finds the TAM dimensions of self-efficacy, perceived usefulness, and social influence are key determinants of a user’s propensity to use a new technology in a mandated consumer context and introduces switching costs as an important antecedent to a consumer’s likelihood to use an alternative payment technology. More generally, this work integrates those theories to gain insight into how industry mandates influence user behavior with regards to consumer acceptance of alternative technologies. / Business Administration/Interdisciplinary

Yes / Despite the significant role that multiparty international joint ventures (MPIJVs) play within multinational enterprises, we know little about the significant challenges associated with the management of these ventures. Therefore, we combine the Resource-based View of the Firm and Transaction Cost Economics to investigate the effects of the key aspects of partner diversity (i.e., variety, balance, and disparity) on MPIJV dissolution. We test our hypotheses using a dataset of 248 MPIJVs in China. We find empirical support for a U-curve shaped effect of variety and a negative linear effect of balance on MPIJV dissolution.

Examensarbete, Civilekonomprogrammet, Ekonomihögskolan vid Linnéuniversitetet, Företagsekonomi, 4FE17E, VT-2018. Författare: Jeanette Elbe och Ludvig Eriksson Handledare: Andreas Jansson Examinator: Karin Jonnergård Titel: Ekonomifunktionens roll för beslutsfattarna - Intern eller extern funktion i förhållande till organisationen? Sökord: Outsourcing, Ekonomisk administration, Kostnadslogiken, Strategiska logiken, Transaction Cost Economics, TCE, Resource-based View, RBV, Ekonomifunktionens roll   Bakgrund: Att betala en extern part för att utföra bolagets ekonomiska administration är ett växande fenomen och outsourcing av ekonomiska företagsprocesser är högaktuellt att förstå sig på. I outsourcinglitteraturen finns det två perspektiv som kan lyftas upp för att förklara outsourcingbeslutet och genom att studera beslutsfattarnas logik till outsourcingbeslutet tror sig författarna kunna bidra till en djupare förståelse inom ämnet.   Syfte: Studien syftar till att öka förståelsen för de logiker som ligger till grund för beslutsfattares outsourcingbeslut av den ekonomiska administrationen.   Metod och genomförande: Genom användandet av idealtyper bygger författarna upp två differentierade logiker för att utreda olika beslutsfattares förhållningssätt till outsourcing av ekonomisk administration - kostnadslogiken och den strategiska logiken. Logikerna har sedan studeras empiriskt genom en intervjustudie kopplad till ledande befattningshavare i medelstora företag lokaliserade i den småländska GGVV-regionen.   Slutsats: Studien visar att beslutsfattare som outsourcar större delar av den ekonomiska administrationen förhåller sig till kostnadslogiken. Den strategiska logiken är istället nära sammankopplad med den rationalitet som föreligger hos beslutsfattare som väljer att inte outsourca sin ekonomiska administration. Däremellan sker även ett möte mellan logikerna. De beslutsfattare som outsourcar mindre delar av den ekonomiska administrationen tar taktiska beslut vilket visar på ett yttrande gentemot kostnadslogiken. Dock blir det tydligt att det samtidigt finns ett bakomliggande strategiskt tankemönster i hur dessa beslutsfattarna resonerar kring ekonomifunktionen. Beslutsfattarna som omfattas av den strategiska logiken hämmas därför i dessa fall att outsourca större delar av ekonomifunktionens arbete. / Master Thesis in Business Administration, School of Business and Economics, Linnaeus University, 4FE17E, 2018. Author: Jeanette Elbe and Ludvig Eriksson Supervisor: Andreas Jansson Examiner: Karin Jonnergård   Title: The role of the accounting function for decision makers - An inhouse or outhouse function in relation to the organization? Keywords: Outsourcing, Accounting, Logic of cost, Strategic logic, Transaction Cost Economics, TCE, Resource-based View, RBV, The role of the accounting function   Background: Paying an external party to perform the company’s financial administration is a growing phenomenon and outsourcing of accounting and financial processes are highly relevant to understand. In the outsourcing literature, there are two perspectives that can be raised to explain the outsourcing decision, and by studying the decision makers’ logic to the outsourcing decision, the authors believe that they can contribute to a deeper understanding of the subject.   Purpose: The aim of this study is to increase the understanding of the logic that underlies decision makers' outsourcing decisions of the financial administration.   Method: Using ideal types, the authors build up two differentiated logics to investigate different decision makers' approaches to outsourcing of financial administration - the logic of cost and the strategic logic. The logics have been studied empirically through an interview study linked to senior executives in medium-sized companies located in the GGVV-area in the province of Småland in Sweden.   Conclusion: The study shows that decision makers who outsource major parts of the economic administration relate to the logic of cost. However, the strategic logic is closely linked to the rationality of decision makers who choose not to outsource their financial administration. In between, there is also a meeting between the logics. The decision makers who outsource smaller parts of the economic administration carry out tactical decisions, which indicates a relationship to the logic of cost. Anyhow, it becomes clear that there is an underlying strategic thinking pattern in how these decision makers argue about the financial function as a hole. The decision makers covered by the strategic logic are therefore in these cases hampered to outsource major parts of the financial administration.

Digital platform organizations challenges the organizational landscape by utilizing technology enabling cost efficient transactions. Uber is a commonly known example of such an organization, where tensions have arisen in various local contexts due to that the organization draw their boundary tightly around the platform to the benefit of organizational efficiency. Uber has as a consequence, been highly questioned in its liability of their primary operations: Is it a technology platform, or a transportation firm?   This thesis sets out to answer:  How is the organizational boundary of Uber challenged in various local contexts? The purpose is to provide an explanation towards how the organizational boundary of a digital platform organization could be understood in relation to local context, and how it can or cannot evolve in regards to these contexts. The results show that context matters for the boundary of Uber. In addition, a pattern amongst the context specific events emerged influencing the boundary. These can be categorized into four configurations: Adjusting, Expanding, Withdrawing and Intertwining. Each of the configurations explain the underlying reasons for the varying fluctuations the boundary of Uber show, and thus answer how the organizational boundary of Uber is challenged in various local contexts.

No início dos anos 2000 consolidou-se o quadro de significativas alterações e ajustes nas estratégias das organizações agrícolas. Destacam-se: a consolidação das organizações, a internacionalização dos sistemas de base agrícola, a inovação presente em processos e produtos e de natureza organizacional, a introdução da variável socioambiental, e a adoção de estratégias de transparência. A cooperação pode exigir investimentos especializados, e os incentivos para a sua realização dependem de mecanismos de controle de custos de transação. Com a presença de incerteza no ambiente econômico e nas transações, a flexibilidade planejada visa eventuais ajustes em face de eventos inesperados. Arranjos institucionais complexos (leia-se, contratos) são observados como forma de responder a necessidades apontadas. Além de confiança, reputação, e mecanismos relacionais, a evolução dos mecanismos sociais por trás dos contratos de sociedade é algo a ser desenvolvido. O presente estudo propõe que as cooperativas agrícolas podem desenvolver mecanismos de governança que geram uma competência adaptativa para enfrentar eventos inesperados. O presente estudo explorou uma visão retrospectiva de estratégias adotadas por cooperativas brasileiras. Assumiu-se aqui uma nova vertente analítica da \"História de Negócios\" e suas implicações voltadas ao sistema agroindustrial. Como diretriz de método, foram seguidas as etapas de identificação das principais estratégias relatadas nos estudos de casos escolhidos, sobre cooperativas, desenvolvidos entre 1991 e 2002. Na sequência compararam-se as estratégias com as diretrizes apresentadas no capítulo teórico. Admite-se que as estratégias que implicam em maiores investimentos em ativos específicos tendem a tornarem mais rígidos os arranjos e dificultam a plasticidade, ou adaptação, das cooperativas agrícolas - onde naturalmente as mudanças ocorrem de forma mais lenta - frente a choques ou eventos externos. / The early 2000s consolidated the framework of significant changes and adjustments in the strategies of organizations working in agribusiness systems. Of note are: the consolidation of the organizations themselves, the internationalization of agricultural-based systems, the innovation in processes and products, organizational innovations, environmental variables and the adoption of transparency strategies. Cooperative efforts may require specialized investments in the form of incentives that depend on transaction cost control mechanisms. The environmental and transactional uncertainties and the need for flexibility on the part of organizations are all considered in the relevant literature. Complex institutional arrangements (contracts) are seen as a means to meet these needs. In addition to trust, reputation and business relationships, the evolution of the social mechanisms behind the contracts of society is an area of study to be further developed. Farming cooperatives are good examples how unexpected events can be addressed and strategies of adaptation can be implemented. In this study, we presented a retrospective view of the strategies adopted by Brazilian cooperatives. We adopted a new analytical \"business history\" approach to agro-based systems. When researching this work, we noticed a lack of research into the history of agribusiness. As a guideline method, we followed the steps of identifying key strategies reported in chosen case studies of cooperatives published between 1991 and 2002. Subsequently, the strategies were compared with the guidelines presented in the work. We admit that strategies based on high levels of asset specificity become more inflexible the arrangements and difficult plasticity or adaptation of the agricultural cooperatives - where changes naturally occur slowly - in face of external shocks or events

The decision to vertically integrate services and deliver care has both management and policy concerns for healthcare in the United States. The change in reimbursement, which was enacted with the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, influenced the availability of post acute services for acute hospital inpatients. Prior to this change, post acute services were reimbursed based on cost similar to the pre DRG era of Medicare reimbursement. The change in payment had the potential to make discharging patients more difficult resulting in a prolonged length of stay without additional payment and at increased costs for hospitals. As a result of this change hospitals made arrangements to provide care for this population. The choices included vertical integration, contracting or hybrid arrangement and simply relying on the spot market. This makes or buy decision is a focus of this study. Were hospital decisions different after the BBA, than before this legislation?This study utilizes Oliver Williamson's transaction cost economics theory as the framework for the study and is a replication of a prior study by Chiu (1995) hybrid arrangement and simply relying on the spot market. This makes or buy decision is a focus of this study. Were hospital decisions different after the BBA, than before this legislation?This study utilizes Oliver Williamson's transaction cost economics theory as the framework for the study and is a replication of a prior study by Chiu (1995) The Williamsons theory is based on the proposition that three transaction dimensions determine the most efficient method of operation for a firm: uncertainty, frequency, and asset specificity. Depending on the "market", organizations may elect to arrange services through the spot market, contract for services, or vertically integrate the service. The study uses data from the American Hospital Association survey as well as the Area Resources files to determine if individual hospitals have made contract arrangements, vertically integrated, or relied on the spot market to provide skilled nursing services. Data is collected before and after the BBA and analyzed using multiple regression analysis and then subjected to significance testing. Sixteen hypotheses are tested that focus on the three dimensions of transaction cost theory. Findings support the importance of transaction frequency and asset specificity, while only weak support is offered for transaction uncertainty. The results differ from the Chiu study, which found strong support for uncertainty and weak support for frequency. This study is unique in that it examines data from two time periods surrounding a major reimbursement change in Medicare. It makes an important contribution to the empirical testing of transaction cost economics and the decision to vertically integrate in health care.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. / This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. As such, it is in the public domain, and under the provisions of Title 17, United States Code, Section 105, it may not be copyrighted. / MBA Professional Report / In an effort to align sources with requirements, the Department of Defense has implemented initiatives that mirror industry's strategic sourcing practices. These initiatives include Consolidated Purchasing, Commodity Councils and Regionalization. This project will examine a successful Commodity Council (CC), a failed CC, and one in the early stages of development. We will seek characteristics common to both successful and unsuccessful councils, as well as characteristics that differentiate the outcomes. We will include a brief history of strategic sourcing as a long-term supply-chain management solution in the private sector, the impetus behind AF implementation of strategic sourcing through CCs; associated transactions costs, and finally, the resource management practices necessary to move beyond theory to practical application. The results are illustrated in a case study which will provide a template for successful implementation.

During the last decade, the global liquefied natural gas (LNG) market altered substantially. Significant investments have been realized, traded volumes increased and contracting structures gained in flexibility. Various governance forms co-exist, including the poles of spot market transactions and vertical integration as well as numerous hybrid forms such as long-term contracts, joint ventures, and strategic partnerships. This dissertation empirically investigates, based on transaction cost economics and recent extensions thereof, which motivations drive companies towards the choice of hierarchical governance forms. First, the likelihood of vertical integration and the impact of inter-organizational trust as a shift parameter accounting for differences in the institutional environment are analyzed. Estimation results confirm transaction cost economics by showing that relationship-specific investments in an uncertain environment drive LNG companies to invest in successive stages along the value chain. Furthermore, the presence of inter-organizational trust increases the likelihood of less hierarchical governance modes. Second, alternative theories of the firm are linked in order to explain the menu of strategic positions recently observed in this dynamic market. Estimation results support the positioning-economizing perspective of the firm. The three strategic choices of target market position, resource profile, and organizational structure are interdependent. Third, the determinants of optimal contract length as a trade-off between the minimization of transaction costs due to repeated bilateral bargaining and the risk of being bound in an inflexible agreement in uncertain environments is discussed. Estimation results show that the presence of high asset specificity results in longer contracts whereas the need for flexibility in today’s LNG market supports shorter agreements. When firms have experience in bilateral trading, contract duration decreases. In addition, countries heavily reliant on natural gas imports via LNG are often willing to forgo some flexibility in favor of supply security. Contracts dedicated to competitive downstream markets on average are shorter than those concluded with customers in non-liberalized importing countries.

Australia and the UK are both prominent economies in the international arena and share a strong trade and investment relationship. Interestingly, the UK while being a significant destination for Australian exports is an even more significant destination for Australian direct investment, a case anomalous to international trends. Analysis of this case elicits the question as to what factors differentiate between the firms that export and those that FDI. It is imperative to understand the differentiating factors between exports and direct investment as market entry decisions are decisive to the success of firms in international markets. A number of theories of international market entry have developed over the last quarter century, the ownership, location, and internationalisation model (OLI) is used in this study. The importance of the variables developed in this model are identified, and assessed as to their relevance to entry of Australian firms into the UK market through FDI or Exports. Qualitative information is used to support initial quantitative profiling. Results of the investigation indicate that while some variables were at times decisive, they were not predictive at all in other situations. The full interaction of the variables in the model was therefore concluded to be essential to fully differentiate between exports and FDI in all cases.