A MULTILEVEL FRAMEWORK OF FIRM BOUNDARIES: FIRM CHARACTERISTICS, DYADIC DIFFERENCES, AND NETWORK ATTRIBUTES

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Yang, Haibin; Lin, Zhiang (John); Lin, Ya (Lisa)
• 署名单位: University of Texas System; University of Texas Dallas; City University of Hong Kong
• 刊物名称: STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT JOURNAL
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0143-2095
• DOI: 10.1002/smj.815
• 发表日期: 2010
• 页码: 237-261
• 关键词: boundary choices; alliance and acquisitions; MULTILEVEL FRAMEWORK; social networks

摘要

Extending prior firm boundary research that tends to focus on economic explanations and rely on atomistic assumptions, we propose a multilevel framework by bridging the resource-based view and the social network perspective with their respective emphases on the importance of firms' internal resource endowments and external resource opportunities. Specifically, we argue that firms' boundary choices can be better understood by considering the tension between the need for external resources and the need for risk controls, affected by internal and external resource factors at three important levels: firm characteristics, dyadic differences, and network, attributes. We also explore firms' boundary choices under two conditions: whether to initiate external relationships (non-partnering vs. partnering) and whether to pursue either alliances or acquisitions if external relationships are needed. Our analyses of the United States computer industry over a nine-year span largely support our theoretical framework, and demonstrate the importance of unique factors at and across individual, dyadic, and network levels in understanding firms' boundary choices. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.