Browsing by Author "Li, Xin"
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Li, Xin (Frederiksberg, 2011)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: All of the three major theories of the firm, i.e., the transaction cost theory, knowledge-based theory and the entrepreneurship theory, offer some insightful analyses of the nature of the firm. However, they all have limitations and weaknesses in answering the fundamental question of the existence of the firm. In addition, they are all partial due to their particular focus on the multifaceted phenomenon of the firm. We argue that it is necessary and sufficient to develop a comprehensive yet integrative theory of the firm that combines the three competing yet complementary logics. Toward this end, we propose an aspirational community theory of the firm (ACT) as a candidate theory by conceptualizing the firm as an aspirational community, the core of which is a group of like-minded people sharing similar or same aspiration/vision. To explain the existence of the firm, we make a distinction between contractual labor and aspirational labor, the former being defined as services provided by a laborer in fulfillment of a contract while the latter as services provided by a laborer in pursuit of an aspiration; and argue that firms exist because while the market may be effective and efficient for allocating contractual labor it is less effective and efficient than the firms for allocating aspirational labor. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8382 Files in this item: 1
Xin Li_INT working paper wp2-2011-xl.pdf (433.7Kb) -
Li, Xin; Worm, Verner (, 2009)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: With China’s rapid economic progress and steady increase in its international influence, China has gradually embarked on the soft power idea and has made developing its soft power as its national strategy. We argue that China’s soft power strategy is in accordance to Chinese Confucian culture and political value and fits well with its grand strategy of peaceful rise. Based on existing conceptualizations of soft power, we expanded the sources of soft power to six pillars: cultural attractiveness, political values, development model, international institutions, international image, and economic temptation. We also identified three channels for wielding soft power: formal, economic, and cultural diplomacies. Putting all the basics together, we present an integrative model of soft power. Accordingly, we analyze the sources and limits of China’s soft power and suggest how to improve it. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7829 Files in this item: 1
CDP 2009-028.pdf (264.2Kb) -
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Abstract: This paper describes the current state of the management academia as a naked carnival, namely, most of the management researches have no such a clothes called practical relevance. It is intended to provide an explanation why management research has become irrelevant to the real management practice. It argues there are three factors behind the irrelevance problem: first, the ‘scientific model’ of management studies generates an initial and internal force which pushes the management research away from practice management studies supposed to serve; second, paradigm maintenance effort of the mainstream management scholars prevents the irrelevant management academia moving back towards management practice; third, the surrounding environment provides the management academia anything but a strong counter force to change the irrelevance reality. This paper also argues any solutions under the ‘scientific model’ are doomed to failure; and the only way out is to completely abandon the ‘scientific model’ and adopt a ‘professional model’ of management studies. Unfortunately, this paper argues such a radical change from within is highly unlikely to happen. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7826 Files in this item: 1
wp1-2009-xl.pdf (264.4Kb) -
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Abstract: This paper is intended to propose a relationship-based theory of the firm (R’BT), an alternative to the transaction cost theory. The R’BT takes relationship disharmony (rather than transaction costs) as its basic unit of analysis of the nature of the firm, and argues relationship disharmony derives from conflict of interests, a problem faced by any human organizations; to reduce the conflict of interests, the best way is to harmonize relationships by mutually accommodating or internalizing the other party’s interests into its own consideration; the degree of harmony or disharmony in the relationships will in turn determine the performance of the organization in question. This paper provides a completely different explanation from the transaction cost economics when addressing issues such like the existence, boundary and internal organization of the firm. Also discussed are its implications for organizational management and economy. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7828 Files in this item: 1
wp3-2009-xl.pdf (160.1Kb) -
An Alternative IntegrationLi, Xin (Frederiksberg, 2010)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: In a recent article in European Management Review, Pitelis and Teece (2009) argue that extant explanations of the nature and scope of firms, such as transaction costs, property rights, metering team production, and resource-based, can be integrated into a more general (capability-based) theory of the firm. Despite acknowledging their account offers new insights on the issue, I am critical of their claim that the (dynamic) capability-based perspective can integrate the existing theories, which they in fact have failed to substantiate for three reasons. Firstly, they downplay the role of opportunism and simply categorize it as a kind of market failure, which they suspect its explanatory power. Secondly, their account is entrepreneur-centric, ignoring the role of employees in the formation of the firm, a problem they see in the transaction cost theory but nevertheless fail to address themselves. Thirdly, their critique of the market-failure-based explanation is problematic. I briefly introduce my own relationship-based theory as an alternative integration of the existing theories. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8055 Files in this item: 1
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Abstract: This paper presents a critique of Freek Vermeulen’s synthesis of rigor and relevance in management research, and argues (1) at the first glance, Vermeulen’s papers are very appealing; (2) but with a closer scrutiny, we can unveil the weak and shaky foundations of his argument; (3) as a consequence, his solution of ‘adding a second loop’ to make management research meet dual needs of rigor and relevance is illusory and merely an applied science fiction; (4) and finally, there are two real contributions of his papers to the irrelevance debate, but they are not like what we might have thought. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7827 Files in this item: 1
wp2-2009-xl.pdf (223.8Kb) -
Ten general principlesLi, Xin; Brødsgaard, Kjeld Erik; Jacobsen, Michael (, 2009)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: We argue, due to the conspicuous failure of Washington Consensus-guided reforms in most part of the developing world in 1990s and the outbreak of the current global financial crisis, Washington Consensus, as a general term of the neoliberal free market economic thinking, has been withering. In the meantime, Chinese economic model has gain wide recognition and praise worldwide. Joshua C. Ramo coined the term of Beijing Consensus as an alternative approach to economic development for developing nations. There has been hot debate on the notion of Beijing Consensus. We argue even though there are some problems in Ramo’s original definition of Beijing Consensus, we should not reject this notion altogether. Instead, we should try to come up with better conceptualizations of this term. In this paper, we sum up ten general principles of the Chinese development model as our new definition of the Beijing Consensus. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7830 Files in this item: 1
CDP 2009-029.pdf (112.1Kb) -
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Abstract: In this paper, I argue that all the existing theories of the firm, i.e., the transaction cost, knowledge-based, and entrepreneurial theories, are insightful yet partial since they only deal with one or another possible situation in which the first ever firm came to exist. In addition, all of them have a common problem of buyer/entrepreneur/firm-centrism because they all ignore the role of employees in the formation of the firm. I argue, since they are complementary to each other, a new, comprehensive and integrative theory of the firm must be able to unify them with a consideration of employees. I propose a relationship-based theory of the firm (R’BT) as such a candidate theory. The R’BT places the employer-employee (or broader, firm-stakeholder) relationships at the centre of its whole theoretical framework and argues that the notion of relationship harmony is fundamental in explaining the nature of the firm. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8054 Files in this item: 1
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An application to ChinaLi, Xin (Frederiksberg, 2011)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: The starting point of this PhD research is two observations. The first is that people often tend to discuss a country’s national competitiveness in a general tone, i.e., judging a country to be either competitive or uncompetitive, rather than making more balanced assessment, and therefore their opinions often contradict each other. The second observation is that there are many competing international reports that rank a large number of countries in terms of their national competitiveness. These reports often provide different rankings for a given country (e.g., China), and therefore the readers of these reports are often left with a confusing picture. The first observation reflects the reality that there has been a lack of commonly accepted definition of national competitiveness. The second reflects the methodological problems of the indexing-and-ranking methods commonly used by international competitiveness reports... URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8357 Files in this item: 1
Xin_Li.pdf (5.486Mb) -
A Relationship-based ApproachLi, Xin (Frederiksberg, 2011)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This paper argues that the existing four major theories of the firm, i.e., the transaction cost theory, resource-based view, the entrepreneurial theory, and the stakeholder theory, are all insightful yet partial because each of them has a particular focus on the phenomenon of the firm. To better understand the nature and behaviors of the firm, we need a comprehensive yet integrative theory. Toward this end, this paper proposes a relationship-based theory of the firm (R’BT) which claims that it is the relationships between the entrepreneur and other individuals or firms that determine the existence, boundary, internal organization and competitive advantage of the firm. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8361 Files in this item: 1
Xin_Li_INT_2011.pdf (275.3Kb)
Now showing items 1-10 of 10