Neale O'Connor - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Neale O'Connor
Operations Management Research
International purchasing and supply management (PSM) teams have long faced the visibility and und... more International purchasing and supply management (PSM) teams have long faced the visibility and understandability challenges of managing geographically dispersed and culturally distant suppliers. Problems arising from inadequate monitoring and control over suppliers can be attributed to geographical and cultural distance, capability gaps, weak institutions, and supply market dynamism. With transaction costs theory as our lens, we examine how international geographically and culturally distant purchasing and supply management (PSM) teams control emerging economy suppliers with formal management controls. We use interview survey data on 339 international customer-Chinese supplier relationships using supplier perceptions of the extent to which performance measurement and monitoring practices are used by their primary customer in the purchase reorder decision and control. The results demonstrate that the cultural and, to a lesser extent, geographical distance between the customer and the ...
Asia-Pacific Journal of Accounting, 1998
ABSTRACT In light of some of the conflicting expectations and results obtained in a number of cro... more ABSTRACT In light of some of the conflicting expectations and results obtained in a number of cross-cultural budget control studies, this study delineates a number of method issues and provides additional evidence of the relevance of national culture in the use of budgets for control purposes. Three method issues were put forward to explain the equivocal results found in the literature: the influence of multiple cultural dimensions; level of analysis and comparisons of means used to test hypotheses. These method issues are partly dealt with in the design of this study via measurement of cultural dimensions, using data from both local and foreign firms and using a budget emphasis instrument that suffers less from the method shortcomings in a cross-cultural comparability context. A hypothesis based on Hofstede's (1967, p. 281) statement ‘The game of budget control as I described it is a Western game’, is tested by a comparison of the use of budget criteria in performance evaluation between one Anglo-America...
Foreword Preface Acknowledgements About the Author Abbreviations 1. The International Business En... more Foreword Preface Acknowledgements About the Author Abbreviations 1. The International Business Environment and Information Needs Case Study 1: A Ltd - Guanxi and Agency Problems in China Case Study 2: SK Group - Selecting Capital Investment in China versus South Korea Case Study 3: Hotel Kunming Ltd - An Evaluation of a Hotel Investment in China 2. International Expansion and External Contracting Case Study 4: Adams Corporation - Best Mode of Entry for Further Expansion into China Case Study 5: Ace Style - Best Mode of Entry for Expanding Its Production in China Case Study 6: XYZ (HK) Ltd - Using a Distributorship versus Retail Outlet Ownership as a Mode of Entry into China Case Study 7: MHK Ltd - Using a Distributorship versus Branch Office as a Mode of Entry into China 3. Management Control of Wholly Owned Subsidiaries Case Study 8: ABC Ltd - Managing a Service Department in China Case Study 9: Sanyung Ltd - Can Activity-based Costing Improve Sanyung's Management Decision Making? Case Study 10: TSL Jewellery Ltd - Activity-based Costing Case Study 11: Healthcare Ltd - Multiple Performance Measures Case Study 12: Yunhong Group - Delegation and Performance Measurement 4. Management Control of International Joint ventures Case Study 13: Fortune Ltd - The Balanced Scorecard in a Sino-US Joint Venture in China Case Study 14: AB Holding Limited - A New Incentive Scheme Case Study 15: ECG Group - Fraud and the Liquidation of a Joint Venture in China 5. International Transfer Pricing Case Study 16: XYZ Group - Factors Influencing Its Transfer Pricing Strategy Case Study 17: MS Group - Organisation Efficiency and Regulatory Requirements: The Influence on Transfer Pricing Determination in a Competitive Environment Case Study 18: ABC Group - How Can a More Efficient Combination of Pricing and Resource Strategies be Achieved to Minimise the Group's Tax Liability? References Index
This note describes a degaussing procedure for the QG01 Quadrupole Magnet of the LCLS Injector Be... more This note describes a degaussing procedure for the QG01 Quadrupole Magnet of the LCLS Injector Beamline and some relevant observations made during the development and testing of this procedure. An important observation is that care must be taken not to cause a current spike when the power supply to the magnet is switched off.
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2007
ABSTRACT We examine the performance consequences of the fit between environmental factors surroun... more ABSTRACT We examine the performance consequences of the fit between environmental factors surrounding publicly-listed firms in China's emerging economy, and the firms' use of, and emphasis on management accounting and control systems (MCS): formal planning and budget controls, participative budgeting and performance evaluation, strategic performance measures and rewards, and socialization practices. We use archival data and survey data collected from senior- and middle-level managers in 158 publicly-listed Chinese firms. We find robust and consistent evidence that more extensive use of MCS is associated with higher concurrent and lagged accounting (return on assets) and market (market return) performance, and lower market beta. More importantly, we find robust and consistent evidence for the alignment hypothesis that less - but not more - extensive use of MCS than predicted by the firms' market competition and growth opportunities adversely affects performance, both subjective-based (assessed by senior-level managers) and accounting- and market-based. Our results suggest that a misfit between the firms' environmental characteristics and their MCS practices hurts the firms' performance. We discuss the implications of our findings, and provide some directions for future research.
Pacific Accounting Review, 2011
... Jingsong Tan, Zhongshan University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China. ... SOEs,... more ... Jingsong Tan, Zhongshan University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China. ... SOEs, which has lowered the average government shareholding to 30 percent (Cheng, 2001). ... of social responsibility reduces concern with efficiency, and productivity improvement (Shirley and Xu ...
Managerial Finance, 1998
Studies the characteristics, control and performance of joint ventures producing a model based on... more Studies the characteristics, control and performance of joint ventures producing a model based on four cases. Explains the theory of complementary strategic objectives, and the need for delineating specific transaction costs and management controls under differing cultures. Interviews managers of four Sino‐American Joint Ventures in manufacturing for several years. Finds that the US partner controlled the technology, the Chinese partner wanted to reduce imports and import management and product skills. Focuses on raw material sourcing as a cause of conflict, as well as slow learning and high transaction costs from a poorly controlled system. Points out the keenness for incentive payments among Chinese workers and the reluctance by Chinese managers to have their performance evaluated.
Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 2001
Unlike free-standing companies, joint ventures involve more complex governance structures and org... more Unlike free-standing companies, joint ventures involve more complex governance structures and organizational systems. Because of interpartner dependence in the managerial process, it is more difficult for joint ventures to configure their strategies with environmental dynamics. Without such configuration, however, joint ventures will suffer from operational instability and resource misallocation. This study assesses the strategic response of joint ventures to a
Drawing on a Chinese management perspective, this article examines factors that contributed to th... more Drawing on a Chinese management perspective, this article examines factors that contributed to the failure of Faith Oriental, a Hong Kong-Sino -Japanese joint venture (JV). The JV involved a quarry provided by the Chinese partner that was vertically integrated for 60% of its planned sales to the Japanese JV partner. The JV began operations in April 1996 with an investment of US$10 million. By December 1996 it was legally bankrupt. Factors contributing to the failure include the lack of attention given to: (1) the alignment of partner strategies; (2) unanticipated costs due to PRC government and foreign exchange events; and (3) weak management controls. The findings of this study have significant implications for Sino-U.S. joint venture management. Since reforms were initiated in the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1978, growth in foreign investment has been dynamic. Foreign investment in 1995 was $US38 billion (China Statistical Press 1996). International Joint ventures (IJVs) between overseas companies and domestic state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have been the dominant mode of entry. However, many JV investments have been less than successful. Much has been written about the problems faced by foreign companies who joint venture with SOEs in the PRC (Allen et al. 1995; Yan and Gray, 1994; Beamish and Wang, 1993; Child and Markoczy 1993; Child, 1994; Shan, 1991; Shenkar 1990; Eiteman 1990). A recently published report on Chinese JV performance (Andersen Consulting 1995) is consistent with the academic literature findings of mixed IJV success. They found that among surveyed companies, only 44% reported meeting profit targets. The report concluded that predominant problems included: (1) business vision and strategy; (2) strength of relationship with Chinese partner; (3) choosing the right partner; (4) cost controls; (5) human resources; (6) product quality; and (7) product pricing. Given the mixed success of IJVs in China, the question arises as to what challenges are facing managers and what solutions are available for foreign investors who joint venture in China. This study directly addresses this issue through a detailed case analysis of the failure of a Hong Kong-PRC-Japanese IJV (hereafter, JV). In particular, we posit that one of the main challenges facing managers is the attention given to: (1 ) the alignment of partner strategies; (2) the competitive cost structure under various host PRC government and foreign exchange scenarios; and (3) the lack of management control over the internal operations of the JV. The study proceeds as follows. We first outline the case background, including the partners, their respective contributions and JV motives. This is followed by an analysis of the problems faced by the venture. Finally, solutions for more successful JV management are proposed. Figure 1 presents the framework for the case study, framed in terms of the main challenges and solutions for successful venture management. CASE BACKGROUND Partners to the Joint Venture Prosperity Ltd was an experienced quarry extractor with existing quarry joint ventures in Guangdong. Building on its experience and connection with the Shanghai provincial office of the State Administration for Industries and Commerce, Prosperity Ltd., in conjunction with two Japanese investors, set up Oriental Ltd. to extract high quality stone involving the use of heavy equipment in Shanghai. The shareholders of Oriental Ltd. comprised Prosperity Ltd. and two Japanese Companies, namely Tomiyama Construction Machinery Ltd ("Tomiyama") and Tagawa Crush Stone Ltd ("Tagawa") (see Figure 2). Under a separate shareholding agreement, Oriental Ltd. entered into a co-operative JV with a PRC company, named Tien Shan Ltd The JV, estimated to have a 20-year life, was used to establish a quarry in an offshore island 18 kilometers from Shanghai. Annual production capacity was estimated at two million tons. …
Operations Management Research
International purchasing and supply management (PSM) teams have long faced the visibility and und... more International purchasing and supply management (PSM) teams have long faced the visibility and understandability challenges of managing geographically dispersed and culturally distant suppliers. Problems arising from inadequate monitoring and control over suppliers can be attributed to geographical and cultural distance, capability gaps, weak institutions, and supply market dynamism. With transaction costs theory as our lens, we examine how international geographically and culturally distant purchasing and supply management (PSM) teams control emerging economy suppliers with formal management controls. We use interview survey data on 339 international customer-Chinese supplier relationships using supplier perceptions of the extent to which performance measurement and monitoring practices are used by their primary customer in the purchase reorder decision and control. The results demonstrate that the cultural and, to a lesser extent, geographical distance between the customer and the ...
Asia-Pacific Journal of Accounting, 1998
ABSTRACT In light of some of the conflicting expectations and results obtained in a number of cro... more ABSTRACT In light of some of the conflicting expectations and results obtained in a number of cross-cultural budget control studies, this study delineates a number of method issues and provides additional evidence of the relevance of national culture in the use of budgets for control purposes. Three method issues were put forward to explain the equivocal results found in the literature: the influence of multiple cultural dimensions; level of analysis and comparisons of means used to test hypotheses. These method issues are partly dealt with in the design of this study via measurement of cultural dimensions, using data from both local and foreign firms and using a budget emphasis instrument that suffers less from the method shortcomings in a cross-cultural comparability context. A hypothesis based on Hofstede's (1967, p. 281) statement ‘The game of budget control as I described it is a Western game’, is tested by a comparison of the use of budget criteria in performance evaluation between one Anglo-America...
Foreword Preface Acknowledgements About the Author Abbreviations 1. The International Business En... more Foreword Preface Acknowledgements About the Author Abbreviations 1. The International Business Environment and Information Needs Case Study 1: A Ltd - Guanxi and Agency Problems in China Case Study 2: SK Group - Selecting Capital Investment in China versus South Korea Case Study 3: Hotel Kunming Ltd - An Evaluation of a Hotel Investment in China 2. International Expansion and External Contracting Case Study 4: Adams Corporation - Best Mode of Entry for Further Expansion into China Case Study 5: Ace Style - Best Mode of Entry for Expanding Its Production in China Case Study 6: XYZ (HK) Ltd - Using a Distributorship versus Retail Outlet Ownership as a Mode of Entry into China Case Study 7: MHK Ltd - Using a Distributorship versus Branch Office as a Mode of Entry into China 3. Management Control of Wholly Owned Subsidiaries Case Study 8: ABC Ltd - Managing a Service Department in China Case Study 9: Sanyung Ltd - Can Activity-based Costing Improve Sanyung's Management Decision Making? Case Study 10: TSL Jewellery Ltd - Activity-based Costing Case Study 11: Healthcare Ltd - Multiple Performance Measures Case Study 12: Yunhong Group - Delegation and Performance Measurement 4. Management Control of International Joint ventures Case Study 13: Fortune Ltd - The Balanced Scorecard in a Sino-US Joint Venture in China Case Study 14: AB Holding Limited - A New Incentive Scheme Case Study 15: ECG Group - Fraud and the Liquidation of a Joint Venture in China 5. International Transfer Pricing Case Study 16: XYZ Group - Factors Influencing Its Transfer Pricing Strategy Case Study 17: MS Group - Organisation Efficiency and Regulatory Requirements: The Influence on Transfer Pricing Determination in a Competitive Environment Case Study 18: ABC Group - How Can a More Efficient Combination of Pricing and Resource Strategies be Achieved to Minimise the Group's Tax Liability? References Index
This note describes a degaussing procedure for the QG01 Quadrupole Magnet of the LCLS Injector Be... more This note describes a degaussing procedure for the QG01 Quadrupole Magnet of the LCLS Injector Beamline and some relevant observations made during the development and testing of this procedure. An important observation is that care must be taken not to cause a current spike when the power supply to the magnet is switched off.
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2007
ABSTRACT We examine the performance consequences of the fit between environmental factors surroun... more ABSTRACT We examine the performance consequences of the fit between environmental factors surrounding publicly-listed firms in China's emerging economy, and the firms' use of, and emphasis on management accounting and control systems (MCS): formal planning and budget controls, participative budgeting and performance evaluation, strategic performance measures and rewards, and socialization practices. We use archival data and survey data collected from senior- and middle-level managers in 158 publicly-listed Chinese firms. We find robust and consistent evidence that more extensive use of MCS is associated with higher concurrent and lagged accounting (return on assets) and market (market return) performance, and lower market beta. More importantly, we find robust and consistent evidence for the alignment hypothesis that less - but not more - extensive use of MCS than predicted by the firms' market competition and growth opportunities adversely affects performance, both subjective-based (assessed by senior-level managers) and accounting- and market-based. Our results suggest that a misfit between the firms' environmental characteristics and their MCS practices hurts the firms' performance. We discuss the implications of our findings, and provide some directions for future research.
Pacific Accounting Review, 2011
... Jingsong Tan, Zhongshan University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China. ... SOEs,... more ... Jingsong Tan, Zhongshan University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China. ... SOEs, which has lowered the average government shareholding to 30 percent (Cheng, 2001). ... of social responsibility reduces concern with efficiency, and productivity improvement (Shirley and Xu ...
Managerial Finance, 1998
Studies the characteristics, control and performance of joint ventures producing a model based on... more Studies the characteristics, control and performance of joint ventures producing a model based on four cases. Explains the theory of complementary strategic objectives, and the need for delineating specific transaction costs and management controls under differing cultures. Interviews managers of four Sino‐American Joint Ventures in manufacturing for several years. Finds that the US partner controlled the technology, the Chinese partner wanted to reduce imports and import management and product skills. Focuses on raw material sourcing as a cause of conflict, as well as slow learning and high transaction costs from a poorly controlled system. Points out the keenness for incentive payments among Chinese workers and the reluctance by Chinese managers to have their performance evaluated.
Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 2001
Unlike free-standing companies, joint ventures involve more complex governance structures and org... more Unlike free-standing companies, joint ventures involve more complex governance structures and organizational systems. Because of interpartner dependence in the managerial process, it is more difficult for joint ventures to configure their strategies with environmental dynamics. Without such configuration, however, joint ventures will suffer from operational instability and resource misallocation. This study assesses the strategic response of joint ventures to a
Drawing on a Chinese management perspective, this article examines factors that contributed to th... more Drawing on a Chinese management perspective, this article examines factors that contributed to the failure of Faith Oriental, a Hong Kong-Sino -Japanese joint venture (JV). The JV involved a quarry provided by the Chinese partner that was vertically integrated for 60% of its planned sales to the Japanese JV partner. The JV began operations in April 1996 with an investment of US$10 million. By December 1996 it was legally bankrupt. Factors contributing to the failure include the lack of attention given to: (1) the alignment of partner strategies; (2) unanticipated costs due to PRC government and foreign exchange events; and (3) weak management controls. The findings of this study have significant implications for Sino-U.S. joint venture management. Since reforms were initiated in the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1978, growth in foreign investment has been dynamic. Foreign investment in 1995 was $US38 billion (China Statistical Press 1996). International Joint ventures (IJVs) between overseas companies and domestic state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have been the dominant mode of entry. However, many JV investments have been less than successful. Much has been written about the problems faced by foreign companies who joint venture with SOEs in the PRC (Allen et al. 1995; Yan and Gray, 1994; Beamish and Wang, 1993; Child and Markoczy 1993; Child, 1994; Shan, 1991; Shenkar 1990; Eiteman 1990). A recently published report on Chinese JV performance (Andersen Consulting 1995) is consistent with the academic literature findings of mixed IJV success. They found that among surveyed companies, only 44% reported meeting profit targets. The report concluded that predominant problems included: (1) business vision and strategy; (2) strength of relationship with Chinese partner; (3) choosing the right partner; (4) cost controls; (5) human resources; (6) product quality; and (7) product pricing. Given the mixed success of IJVs in China, the question arises as to what challenges are facing managers and what solutions are available for foreign investors who joint venture in China. This study directly addresses this issue through a detailed case analysis of the failure of a Hong Kong-PRC-Japanese IJV (hereafter, JV). In particular, we posit that one of the main challenges facing managers is the attention given to: (1 ) the alignment of partner strategies; (2) the competitive cost structure under various host PRC government and foreign exchange scenarios; and (3) the lack of management control over the internal operations of the JV. The study proceeds as follows. We first outline the case background, including the partners, their respective contributions and JV motives. This is followed by an analysis of the problems faced by the venture. Finally, solutions for more successful JV management are proposed. Figure 1 presents the framework for the case study, framed in terms of the main challenges and solutions for successful venture management. CASE BACKGROUND Partners to the Joint Venture Prosperity Ltd was an experienced quarry extractor with existing quarry joint ventures in Guangdong. Building on its experience and connection with the Shanghai provincial office of the State Administration for Industries and Commerce, Prosperity Ltd., in conjunction with two Japanese investors, set up Oriental Ltd. to extract high quality stone involving the use of heavy equipment in Shanghai. The shareholders of Oriental Ltd. comprised Prosperity Ltd. and two Japanese Companies, namely Tomiyama Construction Machinery Ltd ("Tomiyama") and Tagawa Crush Stone Ltd ("Tagawa") (see Figure 2). Under a separate shareholding agreement, Oriental Ltd. entered into a co-operative JV with a PRC company, named Tien Shan Ltd The JV, estimated to have a 20-year life, was used to establish a quarry in an offshore island 18 kilometers from Shanghai. Annual production capacity was estimated at two million tons. …