IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/asiapa/v29y2012i3p773-798.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Diversification and diffusion: A social networks and institutional perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Nan Zhou
  • Andrew Delios

Abstract

We examine the diffusion of a major firm strategy, unrelated diversification, among a population of Chinese listed firms during the 1991 to 2002 period. We propose that a firm’s social network can serve as both an information disseminator and a channel of influence in the diffusion of the diversification decision. Further, we investigate how the institutional environment alters the role of a network over time. We find that firms are more likely to diversify into conglomerates if (1) they occupy a central position in the network; (2) they have higher levels of government shareholding; and (3) the firms with which they have network ties diversify. Moreover, as the institutional environment strengthens over time, the influence of a firm’s network partners decreases. Consistent with these results, we contend that diversification is not only a response to economic and agency concerns, but also a function of the social and institutional context in which a firm is embedded. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012

Suggested Citation

  • Nan Zhou & Andrew Delios, 2012. "Diversification and diffusion: A social networks and institutional perspective," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 29(3), pages 773-798, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:asiapa:v:29:y:2012:i:3:p:773-798
    DOI: 10.1007/s10490-010-9242-4
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s10490-010-9242-4
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10490-010-9242-4?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Andrew Delios & Witold J. Henisz, 2003. "Political hazards, experience, and sequential entry strategies: the international expansion of Japanese firms, 1980–1998," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(11), pages 1153-1164, November.
    2. Justin Tan & Yong Zeng, 2009. "A stage-dependent model of resource utilization, strategic flexibility, and implications for performance over time: Empirical evidence from a transitional environment," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 26(3), pages 563-588, September.
    3. Jensen, Michael C. & Meckling, William H., 1976. "Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 305-360, October.
    4. Zuliu F. Hu & Mohsin S. Khan, 1997. "Why Is China Growing So Fast?," IMF Staff Papers, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 44(1), pages 103-131, March.
    5. Tarun Khanna & Krishna Palepu, 2000. "Is Group Affiliation Profitable in Emerging Markets? An Analysis of Diversified Indian Business Groups," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 55(2), pages 867-891, April.
    6. Abhirup Chakrabarti & Kulwant Singh & Ishtiaq Mahmood, 2007. "Diversification and performance: evidence from East Asian firms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(2), pages 101-120, February.
    7. Lianxi Zhou & Bradley R Barnes & Yuan Lu, 2010. "Entrepreneurial proclivity, capability upgrading and performance advantage of newness among international new ventures," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 41(5), pages 882-905, June.
    8. Geng Xiao, 2005. "Nonperforming Debts in Chinese Enterprises: Patterns, Causes, and Implications for Banking Reform," Asian Economic Papers, MIT Press, vol. 4(3), pages 61-113, Fall.
    9. Andrew Delios & Zhi Jian Wu & Nan Zhou, 2006. "A New Perspective on Ownership Identities in China's Listed Companies," Management and Organization Review, The International Association for Chinese Management Research, vol. 2(3), pages 319-343, November.
    10. Tan, Justin, 2005. "Venturing in turbulent water: a historical perspective of economic reform and entrepreneurial transformation," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 20(5), pages 689-704, September.
    11. Sayan Chatterjee & Birger Wernerfelt, 1991. "The link between resources and type of diversification: Theory and evidence," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(1), pages 33-48, January.
    12. Qian Sun & Wilson H. S. Tong & Jing Tong, 2002. "How Does Government Ownership Affect Firm Performance? Evidence from China’s Privatization Experience," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(1‐2), pages 1-27.
    13. Jeffry M. Netter & William L. Megginson, 2001. "From State to Market: A Survey of Empirical Studies on Privatization," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 39(2), pages 321-389, June.
    14. Fama, Eugene F & French, Kenneth R, 1995. "Size and Book-to-Market Factors in Earnings and Returns," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 50(1), pages 131-155, March.
    15. Shujie Yao & Dan Luo, 2009. "The Economic Psychology of Stock Market Bubbles in China," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(5), pages 667-691, May.
    16. Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra, 2006. "Business groups and their types," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 419-437, December.
    17. Fama, Eugene F & Jensen, Michael C, 1983. "Separation of Ownership and Control," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 26(2), pages 301-325, June.
    18. Lang, Larry H P & Stulz, Rene M, 1994. "Tobin's q, Corporate Diversification, and Firm Performance," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 102(6), pages 1248-1280, December.
    19. Hsin-Yu Liang & Alan K. Reichert & Larry D. Wall, 2007. "The last frontier: the integration of banking and commerce in the U.S," Proceedings 1046, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
    20. Rhonda K. Reger & Anne Sigismund Huff, 1993. "Strategic groups: A cognitive perspective," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(2), pages 103-123, February.
    21. Li, Julie Juan & Zhou, Kevin Zheng, 2010. "How foreign firms achieve competitive advantage in the Chinese emerging economy: Managerial ties and market orientation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 63(8), pages 856-862, August.
    22. Servaes, Henri, 1996. "The Value of Diversification during the Conglomerate Merger Wave," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 51(4), pages 1201-1225, September.
    23. Yee, Helen, 2009. "The re-emergence of the public accounting profession in China: A hegemonic analysis," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 71-92.
    24. Prowse, Stephen D, 1992. "The Structure of Corporate Ownership in Japan," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 47(3), pages 1121-1140, July.
    25. Belinna Bai & Jerome Yen & Xiaoguang Yang, 2008. "False Financial Statements: Characteristics Of China'S Listed Companies And Cart Detecting Approach," International Journal of Information Technology & Decision Making (IJITDM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 7(02), pages 339-359.
    26. Xiaohong He, 2009. "The Development Of Entrepreneurship And Private Enterprise In The People'S Republic Of China And Its Relevance To Transitional Economies," Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship (JDE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 14(01), pages 39-58.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Bilgili, Tsvetomira V. & Kedia, Ben L. & Bilgili, Hansin, 2016. "Exploring the influence of resource environments on absorptive capacity development: The case of emerging market firms," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(5), pages 700-712.
    2. Hongjuan Zhang & Rong Han & Liang Wang & Runhui Lin, 2021. "Social capital in China: a systematic literature review," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 20(1), pages 32-77, February.
    3. Daisuke Uchida, 2021. "The consequence of differences: How heterogeneity in practice adaptations affects the diffusion process," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 38(1), pages 209-230, March.
    4. Nan Zhou, 2018. "Hybrid State-Owned Enterprises and Internationalization: Evidence from Emerging Market Multinationals," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 58(4), pages 605-631, August.
    5. Hongjuan Zhang & Rong Han & Liang Wang & Runhui Lin, 0. "Social capital in China: a systematic literature review," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 0, pages 1-46.
    6. Paulina Kubera, 2023. "Behavioural Insights in Corporate Sustainability Research: A Review and Future Agenda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-15, September.
    7. Robert E. Hoskisson & Mike Wright & Igor Filatotchev & Mike W. Peng, 2013. "Emerging Multinationals from Mid-Range Economies: The Influence of Institutions and Factor Markets," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(7), pages 1295-1321, November.
    8. Jakob Arnoldi & Yulia Muratova, 2019. "Unrelated acquisitions in China: The role of political ownership and political connections," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 36(1), pages 113-134, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Chen, Chiung-Jung & Yu, Chwo-Ming Joseph, 2012. "Managerial ownership, diversification, and firm performance: Evidence from an emerging market," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(3), pages 518-534.
    2. Nan Zhou, 2018. "Hybrid State-Owned Enterprises and Internationalization: Evidence from Emerging Market Multinationals," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 58(4), pages 605-631, August.
    3. Angélica María Sánchez-Riofrío & Luis Ángel Guerras-Martín & Francisco Javier Forcadell, 2015. "Business portfolio restructuring: a comprehensive bibliometric review," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 102(3), pages 1921-1950, March.
    4. Tomas Jandik & Craig G. Rennie, 2008. "The Evolution of Corporate Governance and Firm Performance in Transition Economies: The Case of Sellier and Bellot in the Czech Republic," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 14(4), pages 747-791, September.
    5. Jayesh Kumar, 2004. "Does Ownership Structure Influence Firm Value? Evidence from India," Finance 0406008, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Mouna Mrad & Slaheddine Hallara, 2014. "The Relationship Between the Board of Directors and the Performance/Value Creation in a Context of Privatization: The Case of French Companies," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 14(1), pages 83-108, March.
    7. Jayesh Kumar, 2003. "Ownership Structure and Corporate Firm Performance," Finance 0304004, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Bamiatzi, Vassiliki & Cavusgil, Salih Tamer & Jabbour, Liza & Sinkovics, Rudolf R., 2014. "Does business group affiliation help firms achieve superior performance during industrial downturns? An empirical examination," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 195-211.
    9. Pablo de Andrés-Alonso & Valentín Azofra-Palenzuela & Juan A. Rodríguez-Sanz, 2000. "Endeudamiento, oportunidades de crecimiento y estructura contractual: un contraste empírico para el caso español," Investigaciones Economicas, Fundación SEPI, vol. 24(3), pages 641-679, September.
    10. Dorra Ellouze & Khadija Mnasri, 2020. "Business group diversification, financial constraints and firm performance: the case of Tunisian group affiliated firms," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 24(1), pages 273-301, March.
    11. Wu, Hsueh-Liang, 2011. "Can minority state ownership influence firm value? Universal and contingency views of its governance effects," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 64(8), pages 839-845, August.
    12. Ömer Tuğsal Doruk & Bahadır Ergün, 2023. "Friend or foe? The link between agency cost and financialization in Turkey," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 44(3), pages 1689-1705, April.
    13. Rupambika Bharati & Biresh K. Sahoo, 2022. "Evaluating the profitability and marketability efficiency of group‐affiliated vis‐à‐vis nonaffiliated firms: A study on Indian manufacturing firms," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(7), pages 2759-2774, October.
    14. Laeven, Luc & Levine, Ross, 2007. "Is there a diversification discount in financial conglomerates?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(2), pages 331-367, August.
    15. Jayesh Kumar, 2004. "Does Corporate Governance Influence Firm Value? Evidence from Indian Firms," Journal of Entrepreneurial Finance, Pepperdine University, Graziadio School of Business and Management, vol. 9(2), pages 61-92, Summer.
    16. Nan Zhou & Seung H. Park, 2020. "Growth or profit? Strategic orientations and long‐term performance in China," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(11), pages 2050-2071, November.
    17. Ma, Xufei & Yiu, Daphne W. & Zhou, Nan, 2014. "Facing global economic crisis: Foreign sales, ownership groups, and corporate value," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 87-100.
    18. Bernard Yeung & Randall Morck & Daniel Wolfenzon, 2004. "Corporate Governance, Economic Entrenchment and Growth," Working Papers 04-21, New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, Department of Economics.
    19. Shleifer, Andrei & Vishny, Robert W, 1997. "A Survey of Corporate Governance," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 52(2), pages 737-783, June.
    20. Ihsan Yigit & Nihal Kartaltepe Behram, 2013. "The Relationship Between Diversification Strategy and Organizational Performance in Developed and Emerging Economy Contexts: Evidence from Turkey and Netherlands," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 3(2), pages 121-136, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:asiapa:v:29:y:2012:i:3:p:773-798. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.