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Closed-Loop Supply Chain Models With Product Remanufacturing, R. Canan Savaskan, Shantanu Bhattacharya, Luk N. Van Wassenhove Feb 2004

Closed-Loop Supply Chain Models With Product Remanufacturing, R. Canan Savaskan, Shantanu Bhattacharya, Luk N. Van Wassenhove

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The importance of remanufacturing used products into new ones has been widely recognized in the literature and in practice. In this paper, we address the problem of choosing the appropriate reverse channel structure for the collection of used products from customers. Specifically, we consider a manufacturer who has three options for collecting such products: (1) she can collect them herself directly from the customers, (2) she can provide suitable incentives to an existing retailer (who already has a distribution channel) to induce the collection, or (3) she can subcontract the collection activity to a third party. Based on our observations …


Notes From An ‘Intelligent Island’: Towards Strategic Knowledge Management In Singapore’S Small Business Sector, Thomas Menkhoff, Yue Wah Chay, Benjamin Loh Jan 2004

Notes From An ‘Intelligent Island’: Towards Strategic Knowledge Management In Singapore’S Small Business Sector, Thomas Menkhoff, Yue Wah Chay, Benjamin Loh

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This essay outlines some of the benefits and challenges of implementing strategic knowledge management systems in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with reference to respective initiatives in the Republic of Singapore. The article addresses following research questions: What is knowledge management (KM) and why has it become an issue? How can SMEs benefit from strategic KM? What are the potential pitfalls of KM applications in small firms? What are the strategic imperatives of using KM in SMEs? Do small and large firms require different KM systems? What are the critical success factors which have to be considered during implementation? How …


Absorptive Capacity And Entrepreneurship, Shaker A. Zahra, Gerard George Jan 2004

Absorptive Capacity And Entrepreneurship, Shaker A. Zahra, Gerard George

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

No abstract provided.


The Performance Implications Of Ownership Driven Governance Reform, Toru Yoshikawa, Phillip H. Phan Dec 2003

The Performance Implications Of Ownership Driven Governance Reform, Toru Yoshikawa, Phillip H. Phan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This paper explores the performance impact of recent changes in foreign shareholdings and boardroom reforms in Japan. Empirical research on the impact of reform on the Japanese corporate governance system could provide useful lessons for their European counterparts who are themselves facing similar pressures to reform. We found that although participation of outside directors in strategic decision-making was associated with positive stock returns, the increase in the ratio of outside directors, the separation of the board members and executive officers, and the reduction of board size were not related to firm performance.


Entrepreneurship And Social Endeavours In Singapore, Wee Liang Tan Oct 2003

Entrepreneurship And Social Endeavours In Singapore, Wee Liang Tan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Many people would confine entrepreneurship to the business arena and entrepreneurs to profit enterprises. In truth, entrepreneurship can extend to all aspects of human activity as defined by Raymond Kao as “the process of doing something new and/or different to create wealth for oneself and to add value to the society” (Kao, 1993). Apart from entrepreneurship that is solely “for profit” and in the business sphere, there is social entrepreneurship. Social entrepreneurship spans a continuum of community-based enterprises and entrepreneurial activities by volunteers for the good of their communities. It also includes philanthropic acts by successful individuals. While many may …


Operationalizing Technology Improvements In Product Development Decision-Making, Shantanu Bhattacharya, V. Krishnan, Vijay Mahajan Aug 2003

Operationalizing Technology Improvements In Product Development Decision-Making, Shantanu Bhattacharya, V. Krishnan, Vijay Mahajan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Achieving competitive advantage and price premiums in many technology-based markets requires the incorporation of current technology in new products. To do so, firms in hyper-competitive environments increasingly plan and design their products concurrent with the independent development and validation of underlying technologies. Simultaneous validation of a core technology has important implications for a company's product positioning and launch sequence decisions making these traditional marketing decisions relevant to operations managers. Prior research has shown that to minimize cannibalization in the absence of such improvements in technology, a firm should not launch low-end products before high-end products. However, concurrent evolution of technology …


Developmental Financial Institutions As Technology Policy Instruments: Implications For Innovation And Entrepreneurship In Emerging Economies, Gerard George, Ganesh N. Prabhu Jan 2003

Developmental Financial Institutions As Technology Policy Instruments: Implications For Innovation And Entrepreneurship In Emerging Economies, Gerard George, Ganesh N. Prabhu

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Developmental financial institutions (DFIs) in emerging economies regularly assess new technology platforms to support their investments in new ventures, established firms, and technology institutions (TIs). Their financing decisions are guided by national priorities such as achieving technological self-reliance. By providing attractive financing options and related support, DFIs are well placed to consciously channel finance into designated priority technology areas. To better understand DFI roles, we conducted multiple interviews with participants affiliated with DFIs, firms and TIs in India. From data gathered from these interviews and secondary data on DFIs in emerging economies, we develop a preliminary framework to suggest that …


Social Entrepreneurship In Singapore, Wee Liang Tan, Teck Meng Tan Sep 2002

Social Entrepreneurship In Singapore, Wee Liang Tan, Teck Meng Tan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Social entrepreneurship is a new phenomenon in Singapore. Unlike the US, where there are entrepreneurship programs offered at various ACCSB accredited universities such programs do not as yet exist in Asia. The motivations for social entrepreneurship in Asia differ from those in developed countries. While as social entrepreneurship often stem from the social agenda of successful entrepreneurs who are motivated to repay society, the recent trend of social entrepreneurship in Asia may stem from initiatives directed at political liberalisation and the development of civil society on the part of existing governments. The Singapore government in 1997 introduced a series of …


National Culture And Entrepreneurship: A Review Of Behavioral Research, James C. Hayton, Gerard George, Shaker A. Zahra Jul 2002

National Culture And Entrepreneurship: A Review Of Behavioral Research, James C. Hayton, Gerard George, Shaker A. Zahra

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Conceptual arguments for the association between cultural characteristics and entrepreneurship have existed for decades but only in the last 10 years has this relationship been the focus of empirical scrutiny. In this article, we review and synthesize the findings of 21 empirical studies that examine the association between national cultural characteristics and aggregate measures of entrepreneurship, individual characteristics of entrepreneurs, and aspects of corporate entrepreneurship. The study concedes that a predominant number of empirical studies have used Hofstede's conceptualization of national culture and that other domains have been underdeveloped. A preliminary model that integrates past findings is extended. The review …


Small And Medium Enterprises In Singapore And The New Economy, Boon Chye Lee, Wee Liang Tan Jan 2002

Small And Medium Enterprises In Singapore And The New Economy, Boon Chye Lee, Wee Liang Tan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

From its earliest days as a British outpost, Singapore has relied heavily for its economic survival on its position as an entrepot trading centre. In the first decades after independence in 1965, economic strategy was focused on building infrastructure, attracting foreign direct investment, and export-led growth. The political commitment to openness in both trade and capital — and, more recently, labour — is one of the key features of a strategy that has delivered remarkable returns in terms of the economic well-being of the people of Singapore. Between 1961 and 1996 GDP per capita grew at an average rate of …


Das Wirtschaftsimperium Der Ethnisch Chinesischen Unternehmer In Südostasien Zwischen Kontinuität Und Wandel (In German), Thomas Menkhoff Jan 2002

Das Wirtschaftsimperium Der Ethnisch Chinesischen Unternehmer In Südostasien Zwischen Kontinuität Und Wandel (In German), Thomas Menkhoff

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Der Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit den wenig erforschten, komplexen Wechselwirkungen zwischen der rapide voranschreitenden globalen Marktvergesellschaftung einerseits sowie den Marktkulturen in Südostasien, in denen ethnischchinesische Unternehmer, Geschäftsleute und Händler mit ihren Familienkonglomeraten und Handelsnetzwerken eine prominente Rolle spielen. Ausgehend von der Asienkrise 1997-99, die eine deutliche Zäsur für ethnisch-chinesisches Wirtschaftshandeln in der Region darstellt, werden die Auswirkungen der rapiden Wandlungsprozesse auf das ethnisch-chinesische Unternehmertum in der Region und deren sozio-ökonomische Beziehungsnetzwerke skizziert sowie unternehmerische Anpassungsstrategien aufgezeigt. Der Beitrag schliesst mit einer kurzen Prognose über die Zukunft des chinesischen Kapitalismus in Asien.


Coping With Growth Transitions: The Case Of Chinese Family Businesses In Singapore, Wee-Liang Tan, Siew Tong Fock Jun 2001

Coping With Growth Transitions: The Case Of Chinese Family Businesses In Singapore, Wee-Liang Tan, Siew Tong Fock

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Families control more than half of the corporations in East Asia. The contribution of family businesses to Asia's economic growth is predicated upon successfully growing their businesses. Many family businesses in East Asia, spanning countries such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia, are Chinese owned and managed. Some claim that these businesses will never develop into full-fledged multinational enterprises because of their cultural heritage (Redding, 1990). However, some Chinese family businesses have successfully made the transition.This paper presents an in-depth study of five Chinese family businesses in Singapore that have successfully made the transition in growth and size …


Networking Strategy Of Boards: Correlates, Performance Effects, And Implications For Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises, Gerard George, D. Robley Wood, Raihan Khan Jan 2001

Networking Strategy Of Boards: Correlates, Performance Effects, And Implications For Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises, Gerard George, D. Robley Wood, Raihan Khan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Development of linkages with the external environment, e.g. interlocks, is a mechanism to access scarce resources. Creating and maintaining these linkages may be an organizational capability that creates a competitive advantage for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). A partial model of networking strategy is proposed, which includes measures of board composition, interlocks, entrepreneurial orientation and environmental hostility. Analysis of 70 community bank Chief Executive Officer (CEO) responses (58% response rate) lends support to the proposition that firms with a networking strategy performed better (higher return on assets (ROA) and higher return on expenditure (ROE)) than those firms that did not …


Developmental Financial Institutions As Catalysts Of Entrepreneurship In Emerging Economies, Gerard George, Ganesh N. Prabhu Jul 2000

Developmental Financial Institutions As Catalysts Of Entrepreneurship In Emerging Economies, Gerard George, Ganesh N. Prabhu

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

With ongoing privatization efforts in emerging economies, governments have supported developmental financial institutions (DFIs) to spur entrepreneurial activity. The authors use stakeholder theory to suggest that postprivatization stakeholders differ in their preference to seek DFI support. The authors then posit that national developmental priorities influence the DFI's willingness to be involved in the governance of the privatized firm, and they discuss implications of DFI involvement for value creation and entrepreneurship in emerging economies.


Achieving Growth Through Corporate Partnerships And Joint Ventures: Will Singapore's Strategic Leap Into The Region Work?, Ravinder K. Zutshi, Wee Liang Tan Jun 2000

Achieving Growth Through Corporate Partnerships And Joint Ventures: Will Singapore's Strategic Leap Into The Region Work?, Ravinder K. Zutshi, Wee Liang Tan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

One of the characteristic features of the East Asian economic development strategy has been the interventionist role of the government in the economic sphere (Amsden 1989; Kwon 1994; Wade 1990; Zutshi and Gibbons 1998). Governments in East Asia have traditionally, worked closely with the private sector. As a result unique business systems embedded in networks and alliances have evolved in countries like Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Singapore (Hamilton and Biggard 1988). Singapore has attempted to extend this model of strategic cooperation beyond its borders into the region. Schein (1996) identifies a number of major development eras in the evolution of …


Entrepreneurial Infrastructure In Singapore: Developing A Model And Mapping Participation, Teck Meng Tan, Wee Liang Tan, John E. Young Jan 2000

Entrepreneurial Infrastructure In Singapore: Developing A Model And Mapping Participation, Teck Meng Tan, Wee Liang Tan, John E. Young

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Entrepreneurial infrastructure, as the term is used in this article, represents the facilities and services present within a given geographic area which encourage the birth of new ventures and the growth and development of small- and medium- sized enterprises. The model of entrepreneurial infrastructure developed here and applied to the nation of Singapore suggests that they provide support to poten tial new business owners, owners of small growing businesses, and existing small- and medium-sized enterprises by way of assisting them with tasks, physical and monetary resources, information and knowledge. This article also develops a map ping function to predict the …


Using Strategic Partnerships To Create A Sustainable Competitive Position For Hi-Tech Start-Up Firms, Arnoud De Meyer Oct 1999

Using Strategic Partnerships To Create A Sustainable Competitive Position For Hi-Tech Start-Up Firms, Arnoud De Meyer

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In most cases these companies chose or were forced to engage in a technology partnership in order to develop and survive. As one would expect, some of these partnerships succeeded whilst others failed. With hindsight it occurred to the author that success or failure was not necessarily a random event, or idiosyncratic to one particular company, but that there seemed to be a pattern. Some partnerships failed because they were a strategic misfit, others probably because they were badly implemented. Based on these clinical case studies, The author addresses these questions: when and under what conditions a partnership is needed; …


Managing New Product Definition In Highly Dynamic Environments, Shantanu Bhattacharya, Viswanathan Krishnan, Vijay Mahajan Nov 1998

Managing New Product Definition In Highly Dynamic Environments, Shantanu Bhattacharya, Viswanathan Krishnan, Vijay Mahajan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In highly dynamic environments, characterized by changing customer preferences and uncertainty about competitive products, managing the development of a new product is a complex managerial task. The traditional practice, recommended in the literature, of reaching a sharp definition early in the new product development (NPD) process may not be optimal, desirable or even feasible in such dynamic situations. Under high uncertainty, forcing early finalization of specifications may result in a firm getting locked into an incorrect definition. Based on our study of NPD in the high technology industry, we present a model of an approach called real-time definition, in which …


Entrepreneurship On The Threshold Of 21st Century, Wee Liang Tan Jun 1997

Entrepreneurship On The Threshold Of 21st Century, Wee Liang Tan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

With this issue we would have joined the world in watching Hong Kong, reknown as an entrepreneurial economy, move across the threshold to mainland Chinese control. In Hong Kong, entrepreneurship moves across a threshold to another environment the conditions of which may be different. There are opposing views whether the situation will be restrictive to entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs operating in Hong Kong would have made alternative plans and strategies. Only time will tell how the events will unfold, suffice to be prepared for the transition is far better than not to have been.


Trading Networks Of Chinese Entrepreneurs In Singapore, Thomas Menkhoff, Chalmers E. Labig Apr 1996

Trading Networks Of Chinese Entrepreneurs In Singapore, Thomas Menkhoff, Chalmers E. Labig

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The entrenchment of entrepreneurs in local, regional, or global business networks based on kinship, clanship, territorial, or ethnic ties has often been cited as characteristic of Chinese business communities in Southeast Asia. Qualitative interviews with Singaporean Chinese merchant-exporters were conducted in order to examine this thesis. The findings reveal that there is a strong tendency among Chinese entrepreneurs in Singapore to rely on external commercial relationships with ‘outsiders’ and ‘friends’ rather with those related by blood or marriage. It is suggested that kinship reciprocity may under some circumstances curb the autonomy and freedom of the transacting actors, thus limiting their …


Towards An Understanding Of Chinese Business Networks In Asia-Pacific: The Singapore Case, Thomas Menkhoff, Chalmers Labig Jan 1995

Towards An Understanding Of Chinese Business Networks In Asia-Pacific: The Singapore Case, Thomas Menkhoff, Chalmers Labig

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The embeddedness of entrepreneurs in local, regional or global business networks based on kinship, clanship, territorial or ethnic ties and solidarities has often been cited as characteristic of the Chinese business community in Southeast Asia. Qualitative interviews with Singaporean Chinese merchant-exporters were conducted in order to examine this thesis and shed light on the various "guanxi bases" of their international trading networks. The findings suggest that there is a strong tendency among these Singaporean entrepreneurs towards external commercial transactions with "outsiders" and "friends" rather than with "kin" whether by blood, marriage, or ascription. Kinship reciprocity may curb the autonomy and …


Vertrauen Und Chinesisches Wirtschaftshandeln In Singapur: Zur Kulturellen Und Sozialstrukturellen Bedingtheit Von Vertrauensbildung Und Kooperation In Chinesischen Geschäftsbeziehungen, Thomas Menkhoff Jan 1995

Vertrauen Und Chinesisches Wirtschaftshandeln In Singapur: Zur Kulturellen Und Sozialstrukturellen Bedingtheit Von Vertrauensbildung Und Kooperation In Chinesischen Geschäftsbeziehungen, Thomas Menkhoff

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Based on in-depth interviews with Chinese merchant exporters in Singapore, the article explores why personal forms of trust (the Chinese translation is xinyong) are key elements in the complex web of business and associated social relationships.


The Creation Of Wealth And Value - Yet Another Definition Of Entrepreneurship, Wee Liang Tan Jan 1994

The Creation Of Wealth And Value - Yet Another Definition Of Entrepreneurship, Wee Liang Tan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

It seems strange that we should in this journal be defining entrepreneurship as if it were a philosophy in Raymond W Y Kao’s definitions that emblazons the inside cover of the journal. They are unlike other definitions of entrepreneurship that have focused either on the individual entrepreneur, his or her traits, or a process that ranges from the pre-launch to post-launch stages of a business venture. One might argue that it does not provide a working definition for research in view of its breadth. However, if one were to be open-minded, not dismiss the definitions and examine them, one discovers …


Xinyong Or How To Trust Trust? Chinese Non-Contractual Business Relations And Social Structure :The Singapore Case, Thomas Menkhoff Jan 1992

Xinyong Or How To Trust Trust? Chinese Non-Contractual Business Relations And Social Structure :The Singapore Case, Thomas Menkhoff

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

One key for an understanding of Chinese economic behaviour in Singapore, Hong Kong or Malaysia is tmst - a term which has not been thoroughly dealt with in contemporary studies. With reference to the Chinese business community in Chinese-dominated Singapore and sociological concepts of trust, the article aims at analyzing the different levels of meaning of the trust mechanism (Chinese: xinyong) which is seen as essential lubricant in Chinese personalistic and non-contractual business relations. But trust in itself is no guarantee of cooperative behaviour. To enable interpersonal trust as precommitment and basis of local or international trading networks and commercial …