RESEARCH IN STRATEGY AND AGRIBUSINESS

• Sponsoring Institution: State Agricultural Experiment Station
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: STATE
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0202778
• Project Start Date: Feb 10, 2011
• Project End Date: Feb 9, 2016
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
750 AGRONOMY RD STE 2701
COLLEGE STATION,TX 77843-0001

Performing Department
Agri Economics

Non Technical Summary
Traditionally, businesses in agricultural and food systems have relied on cost reductions and improvements in operational efficiencies, as key sources of competitive advantage and survival (Boehlje, 1996, 1999; Ng, 2008). However, in recent years, amidst considerable change in consumer preferences, technological advances in biotechnology have introduced two basic challenges to researchers and managers of agribusiness. First, such changes in marketing settings require that a firms competitive advantage not only depends on an "entrepreneurial ability" to develop new product / service innovations (e.g. DAveni, 1994; Eisenhardt and Martin, 2000; Slater and Narver, 1995), but such creative endeavors often require gaining access to technologies not possessed by the individual firm (e.g. Perry-Smith and Shalley, 2003; Powell, Koput, Smith-Doerr, 1996). As a result, a growing body of agribusiness researchers has called for a greater attention to organizational innovation and network processes as sources of competitive survival (e.g. Boehlje, 1996; Ng, Unterschultz, and Laate, 2006; Ng, 2008; Omta, Trienkens and Beers, 2001). As agricultural systems have evolved towards "value added" products / services (Boehlje, 1996), understanding a firms innovation and networking process can improve an agribusiness managers ability to develop alternative sources of competitive advantage that extend well beyond that of traditional cost cutting measures. Yet, a foundational understanding of the mechanisms and processes that contribute to such value creation remains a significant challenge in management and agribusiness research. Second, changes in agricultural markets place considerable cognitive challenges on the agribusiness manager. Namely, there is a general consensus by cognitive and psychology researchers that individuals often make decisions about uncertain events with less than complete information and often have limited cognitive ability to develop solutions to complex decision settings (e.g. Tversky and Kahneman, 1974). Such limits in the cognitive abilities of managers are well established in the management and entrepreneurship literature (e.g. Shaver and Scott, 1991; Russo and Schoemaker, 1992) and have recently become a subject of growing interest among agribusiness management scholars (e.g. King, Boehlje, Cook and Sonka, 2010; Klein, 2009). Research that recognize such limits in cognition can provide an important contribution to models of management decision making because they underscore that managers make decisions based on biases / heuristics that challenge economic decision models based on rationality. As agribusiness markets are increasingly defined by uncertain and complex decision settings (i.e. a value chain) (e.g. Boehlje, 1996; Ng, 2008; Omta et al., 2001), research that examines the relationship between such decision settings on a managers decision making can introduce an alternative model of decision making that is not traditionally examined in agricultural economic and agribusiness research.

Animal Health Component

(N/A)

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

(N/A)

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
602	6199	3100	100%

Knowledge Area
602 - Business Management, Finance, and Taxation;

Subject Of Investigation
6199 - Economy, general/other;

Field Of Science
3100 - Management;

Keywords

alliances

innovation

cognition

decision making

entrepreneurship

Goals / Objectives
Project objective: The objective of this project is to undertake activities relating to the development of basic research and publishing of research in agribusiness and strategic management that examine firm and inter-firm level innovation processes and to develop decision making models in explaining the decision processes of management and entrepreneurial agents. The specific research outputs are as follows: Output 1: Ng will build upon his expertise on organizational change processes and social networks to develop theoretical and empirical testable models that explain the organizational innovation process. As value creation in agriculture is increasingly tied to innovation, Ng will develop theoretical models that explain the intra- and inter- organizational processes and mechanisms that impact a firms ability to innovate. These theoretical models will draw from a growing body of research found in the area of "strategic entrepreneurship" (Hitt, Ireland, Camp and Sexton, 2001). Output 2: Ng will draw on fields from psychology and sociology to develop decision models that rely on explanations based on heuristics and biases. These models will be used to explain the decision making mechanisms and processes of managers and entrepreneurs. Specifically, as agribusiness manager face complex (i.e. value chain interdependencies) and often novel decision settings (i.e. new products), conceptual models that relate such decision settings to specific types of heuristic biases in judgment will be developed. This includes biases involving an entrepreneurs overconfidence. Furthermore, as the creation of new product / services destroys existing enterprises (i.e. Schumpeter, 1934), entrepreneurial researchers recognize that judgments about the prospects of a new innovation has "ethical" consequences that need to be also accounted for in an entrepreneurs decision making (e.g. Hannafey, 2003). As a result, conceptual models detailing biases that can impact the ethical aspects of entrepreneurial and managerial decision making will be explored. As ethics have become an important aspect of business decision making, Ng anticipates that ethics amongst agribusiness entrepreneurs and managers will likely to be a significant aspect of decision making that is not typically examined in rational models of decision choice. Although the development of these conceptual models offers an alternative to more traditional models of rational choice, these models are not principally concerned with a comparative analysis of such models of rational choice, but is concerned with the development of conceptual models that reflect the decision contexts faced by these agents. Outcome 3: From outcomes 1 and 2 and pending on the suitability of data and grant support, Ng will empirically test the conceptual insights of these objectives. In the event that data is not available or that data does not reflect the concepts introduced by these objectives, Ng will propose measures that will advance future empirical research.

Project Methods
For outcomes 1 and 3, Ng is nearing the completion of collecting a multi-year sample (unbalanced panel data set) set of biotechnology firms. This data set includes firm level (i.e. R&D expenditures, patents) and inter-firm level (i.e. numbers and types of alliance) attributes that can be suitable in empirically testing the theoretical models proposed in objective 1. Pending on the development of the theoretical models, Ng will investigate relevant econometric estimation procedures that will be suited to empirically testing the arguments presented in outcome 1. It is anticipated that panel data estimation and / or structural equation estimation procedures will be used. For instance, one possibility is developing a structural model of biotechnology firms that involve a path of influence that can be econometrically identified. Such paths can be subsequently estimated. This or other relevant estimation approaches will be examined and will compliment the theoretical or foundational aspects of Ngs research program. For outcomes 2 and 3, studies in cognition often involve the design of experimental studies, development of surveys and / or case studies. Ng will pursue collaboration with members in psychology or members from other related disciplines to pursue grant funding opportunities - where available- that can support such efforts. Yet, as the nature of Ngs projects tend to be more foundational (i.e. outcome 2), such projects may be viewed as speculative and thus may face a higher risk of not being funded. Nevertheless, Ng has developed collaboration with members in other university institutions who have expertise and have secondary data sources that can be amendable to empirical testing. Specifically, faculty members at the University of Missouri have been using the "World Values Survey" to illicit judgments about ethics and cognitive decision making. By collaborating with these faculty members, Ng will explore this data set for opportunities to empirically examine outcome 2. Efforts will be made to influence agribusiness and management scholarship through presentation in professional meetings. The success of Ngs research project will be based on publications in peer review journals.

Progress 02/10/11 to 02/09/16

Outputs
Target Audience: Nothing Reported Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? PI has started a new State project.

Publications

Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience: Nothing Reported Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Published article on entrepreneurial models on overconfidence.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2015 Citation: Ng, D. 2015. Entrepreneurial Overconfidence and Ambiguity aversion: Dealing with the Devil you known, than the devil you dont know, Technology Analysis and Strategic Management Journal. 27 (8): 946-959.

Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/14

Outputs
Target Audience: Nothing Reported Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Ng will continue with the development of manuscript, their professinal presentations and publications as a means to accomplish the above goals

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The specific goals pertains to a forthcoming pubilcation titled "Cognition, Ethical Judgment, and Entrepreneurial Decision-Marking under Uncertainty" in which an empirical testing of a theoretical model of entreprneurial ethical decision making was made. Such a model examined conditions of novelty and complexity as it related to the ethical decision making of entrepreneurial businesses.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2015 Citation: James, H., Ng., D and Klein, P. (2014). Cognition, Ethical Judgment, and Entrepreneurial Decision-Marking under Uncertainty, Forthcoming in International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing.

Progress 01/01/13 to 09/30/13

Outputs
Target Audience: Nothing Reported Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? This activity has been disseminated through means of publication to an audience consisting of complexity management scholars What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Yes, as it pertains to explaining entrepreneur decision making models of overconfidence, Ng has published an article surrounding complex decision making under ambiguous decisions setting that has been absent in entrepreneurial decision making research.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Ng, D. 2013.Seeing through the fog of ambiguity: Entrepreneurial judgments under decision settings of complexity Human Systems Management, 32, 57-66.

Progress 01/01/12 to 12/31/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Project objective: The long standing objective of this project is to undertake activities relating to the development of basic research and publishing of research in agribusiness and strategic management that examine firm and inter-firm level innovation processes and to develop decision making models in explaining the decision processes of management and entrepreneurial agents. For this fiscal year, the research outputs consistent with this of objective are as follows: Output 1: Ng has conducted guest-editorial activities along Wes Harrison (LSU) in service of advancing the scholarship of defining some of the key facets of Agribusiness management research. This activity has been disseminated through means of publication to an audience consisting of agribusiness managers and scholars. Output 2: As managerial decision making has increasingly called for greater consideration of ethical concerns, Ng along with his co-authors Harvey James and Peter Klein have been developing papers on the role of ethics amongst entrepreneurs and small business managers. This output has been disseminated in the form of both a peer reviewed publication and presentation in an annual management meeting to which has been given a best paper award distinction. Output 3: As food safety remains a key strategic concern in agribusinesses, Ng and co-author Salin have develop an institutional approach to explaining the formal and informal incentives as well as organizational structures required in the provision of food safety. This output has been disseminated through means of publication to an audience consisting of agribusiness managers and scholars Output 4: As entrepreneurial business, especially those involved agricultural related business, tend to operate in a supply chain system, Ng develop a conceptual model to offering a basic foundation to explaining how entrepreneurs can manage and exploit changes in system that involves nested or hierarchical relationships. Such a perspective can be useful to explaining opportunities in a value chain agricultural system. This output has been disseminated through means of publication. Output 5: Ng and co-authors (Salin, Williams, Jones, and Ishdorj) have completed a competitive analysis of the U.S. nutraceutical industry in which such a report is to assist Namibia producers develop a market assessment of the attractiveness of Devil's claw; a root that exhibits anti-inflamatory properties. This report has been disseminated as a work report and was made available to the funders of the project. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
As the impacts of the various outputs involve both changes in (basic) knowledge as well changes in managerial practices, each output has an impact that varies with respects to these dimensions. However, as these outputs are in the form of publications, their impacts in terms of citations and subsequent changes in management behavior can only be accessed at a later date.

Publications

• Ng, D., James, H., Klein, P. (2012). Doing the right entrepreneurial thing: Ethical decision making under uncertainty published in the Best Paper Proceedings for the 2012 Academy of Management Annual Meetings. Less than 10% of conference papers are selected in the Best Paper proceeding and is widely recognized in as an important distinction in Business School evaluation of faculty performance.
• Ng, D. and Salin, V. (2012). An Institutional approach to the Examination of Food Safety International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, 15 (2): 21-45
• Ng, D. (2012). The Entrepreneurship of Nested Systems: A Socially Complex Approach Journal of Complexity in Leadership and Management, 1(4), 379-394.
• Harrison, W. and Ng. D. (2012) (Eds). The Scientific Pluralism of Agribusiness: A Special Issue on Theory and Practice: Forward International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, 14 (5), 1-10. (Served as Co-Editor in this Special Issue)
• Salin, V. (PI), Ng, D. Williams, G. W., Jones, E., and Ishdorj, A., and Elliot, J. Ishdorf, A. Jones, E., Williams, G. Elliot, J. (2012). U.S. Market Study and Market Entry Strategy for Namibian Devils Claw, Funded by Foreign

Progress 01/01/11 to 12/31/11

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Outputs: Two peer reviewed articles have been published to which their primary means of dissemination to agribusiness researchers is through print and online publications. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Both peer reviewed article are expected to influence the management of innovation to which emphasizes the role of external knowledge assimilation and that of alliance partnerships. It is expected that the conclusions from such research should aid agribusiness researchers as well as practitioners in their investment of internal and external knowledge assets.

Publications

• Ng, D. 2011. Thinking Outside the Box: An Absorptive Capacity approach to the product development process, International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, 14, 3, 67-94.
• Ng, D. 2011. Absorptive link: an absorptive capacity and alliance approach to Biotechnology product success, Journal of Chain and Network Science, 11, 1: 31-47

Progress 01/01/10 to 12/31/10

Outputs
OUTPUTS: OUTPUTS: The outcomes of this year's progress has been disseminated not only though traditional means (i.e. a journal publication), but also through a variety of conference presentations including the Agricultural and Applied Economics (AAEA), International Food and Agribusiness Management, and WERA-72 annual meetings. In particular, to cultivate frontier research in the field of agribusiness (project objective), I organized a joint paper session for the Agribusiness Economics Management (AEM) / Institutional Behavioral Economics(IBES) Sections of the AAEA on a special theme of ethical entrepreneurship. Furthermore, I served as Chair for WERA-72 in which I had facilitated in the logistics, organization, and planning of this year's annual meetings that involve industry, extension and research faculty in the area of agribusiness. Lastly, Ng along with Dr. Wes Harrison of LSU have been invited to serve as guest co-editors for a special issue on Agribusiness Pluralism for the International Food and Agribusiness Management Review. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Ng and Goldsmith (2010) publication offers findings that can impact understanding of entry strategies in the bio-fuels industry. In their dynamic programing simulation analysis, they find that entry timing is not only dependent upon the density or population at the point of entry, but also on the degree of technological specialization. Namely, ethanol processors that employ dry milling technologies are more likely to enter early and thrive in low population settings than firms using cellulosic based technologies that are more specialized in nature. Furthermore, entry is not only dependent upon the uncertain conditions of market entry but such uncertainty distinctly impacts the degree of technological specialization. Cellulosic firms are more likely to enter in mature and stable markets than than of dry milling firms. These results suggest that an optimal mode of entry depends on a combination of population, uncertainty and asset specific considerations. In addition to these outcomes/ impacts, Ng's publication and presentations generally involves "basic" research in which their immediate and long term impact on the agribusiness and management community are difficult to assess at this time. Nevertheless, Ng's efforts to create, coordinate and disseminate agribusiness research will serve to help advance the disciplinary status of this field.

Publications

• Ng, D. and Goldsmith, P. 2010. Bio Energy Entry Timing from a Resource Based View and Organizational Ecology Perspective. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review 13 (2): 69-100.

Progress 01/01/09 to 12/31/09

Outputs
OUTPUTS: The outcomes of this year's progress has been disseminated not only though traditional means (i.e. a journal publication), but also through conference presentations at the Agricultural and Applied Economics (AAEA) Annual Meetings and the Academy of Management (AOM) Meetings. In particular, to cultivate frontier research in the field of agribusiness (project objective), I organized a joint paper session for the Agribusiness Economics Management (AEM) / Institutional Behavioral Economics(IBES) Sections of the AAEA on a special theme of entrepreneurship. Furthermore, I organized An Agribusiness Research Forum that consisted of the 25 leading scholars. The objective of this forum is to advance the theoretical and methodological frontiers of agribusiness management. PARTICIPANTS: Not relevant to this project. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience include changes in knowledge for the Agribusiness Management as well as the Agricultural Economics research community. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.

Impacts
As these research outputs involves generally "basic" research, their immediate impact on the agribusiness and management community is difficult to assess at this time.

Publications

• Ng, D., and Siebert, J. 2009. Toward Better Defining the Field of Agribusiness Management. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, 12 (4).

Progress 01/01/08 to 12/31/08

Outputs
OUTPUTS: The outcomes of this year's progress has been disseminated not only though traditional means (i.e. journals), but also through conference presentations. In particular, Ng, D (2008) (a) was presented earlier in the 8th International Conference in Agri-food Chain and Networks in the Netherlands. This paper was also nominated for a best paper award. PARTICIPANTS: Not relevant to this project. TARGET AUDIENCES: Not relevant to this project. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.

Impacts
As these research involves generally "basic" research, their immediate impact on the agribusiness and management community is difficult to assess at this time. However, the article published by Ng et al. (2008)(b) in the Strategic Management Journal is the leading journal in the field with a high social impact factor. Furthermore, Ng, D. (2008) (a) has also been the basis - as well as earlier Ng's earlier research - for developing a "entrepreneurship" area in the department of agricultural economics.

Publications

• Ng, D. 2008 (a). Understanding the Market Dynamics of Entrepreneurial Networks, Journal of Chain and Network Science, 8 (2): 93-105 (nominated for Best paper on 8th international Conference in Agrifood Chain and Networks, Waginegen).
• Ng, D, Westgren, R., Sonka, S. 2009. Competitive Blind Spots in an Institutional Field. Strategic Management Journal, 30 (4), 349-369.
• Ng, D. 2008 (c). Structural Change in Food Supply Chains, International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, Vol. 11, Issue 2. pp 17-48.

Progress 01/01/07 to 12/31/07

Outputs
OUTPUTS: A primary output involved the advancement of basic or fundamental knowledge to the area of diversification research in strategic management. An article -as indicated in the publication section, outlines a novel approach to addressing an unresolved problem in diversification literature. In particular, empirical examinations of firm diversification and its relationship to performance have shown firms who perform related diversification tend to earn a premium over that of unrelated diversifiers. Yet, more recent evidence on diversification has shown firms diversify into unrelated experiences and have been reported to earn a diversification premium. However, a basic understanding of such unrelated diversification phenomena remains poorly understood. As a result, a conceptual approach was developed to explain for this phenomena to which a counterintuitive explanation of firm diversification process was proposed. In addition, two conference presentations were also given to a professional audience of agribusiness scholars (WERA 72). Both presentations offered advancements in the fundamental knowledge of areas in the agribusiness research domain and in the area of innovation processes. PARTICIPANTS: For the conference presentation, Dr. John Siebert was instrumental in preparing the initial half of the presentation in which the problems of agribusiness research were outlined. This is an important component in this presentation TARGET AUDIENCES: Directed to primarily agribusiness academics, practitioners and graduate students.

Impacts
With respect to published research on diversification, it is difficult to assess its impact on diversification researchers. This is because the publication was in print as of December, 2007. Nevertheless, despite this short duration, a leading and prominent academic in this area (Prof. Mike Peng) from the school of business at U of Texas has contacted me to express his interest in my recent work. Dialogue with this individual has ensued. Furthermore, a doctoral student working on a dissertation to this area has also expressed interest in this work and has even requested earlier versions of this manuscript. With respect to the conference presentations, I can only conject that the dissemination of such knowledge could provide opportunities for participants to examine new ways to investigate agribusiness problems.

Publications

• Ng, D. 2007. A Modern Resource Based Approach to Unrelated Diversification. Journal of Management Studies. 44, 8, 1481-1502.

Progress 01/01/06 to 12/31/06

Outputs
Practical Summary of Accomplishments. Agribusinesses are increasingly confronted with not only changing market conditions but are also relying on partnerships to gain an advantage in capitalizing on these changing opportunities. This demands a greater attention to organizational dynamic, and network processes as sources of competitive survival. However, basic understanding of such mechanisms is not well understood. Hence, the purpose of this grant is to advance basic scholarship in these dimensions. Through out the funding period (2005 to 2006), this grant has resulted in four peer viewed publications that pertain to the examination of strategic dynamics and networks. Two of these publications were also awarded best paper awards. These papers were also presented in both domestic and international academic conferences. For Fiscal Year 2005. Over the course of this fiscal year, various reviews of literatures in organizational change, entrepreneurship and social network theories have been examined. This has been instrumental to the development of various manuscripts, peer reviewed conference and publications. A total of 3 peer reviewed publications with international circulations were the results of such research effort. In particular, the article titled: strategic change through a competition of realizes was awarded the outstanding paper award from the Academy of International Business and Economics. In addition, two manuscripts on social networks have been completed. The manuscript with authors, Ng, D., McCullock, K. (Agecon Graduate Student), Jackson, R. (Agecon Graduate Student) Value of Strategic Alliances and Absorptive Capacity in the Biotechnology Industry was presented in the American Agricultural Economic Association meeting in Rhode Island. In addition, the paper titled: Social Network Performance and Governance In the Biotechnolgy Industry was presented at Texas Science Partnership. Both of these papers are currently under revision, and the Editor of the online journal Agbioforum had requested that such a paper be submitted for consideration in their journal. As a whole, this fiscal year has resulted in several productive outcomes, in the form of peer reviewed presentations and publications. For Fiscal Year 2006. In continuing the progress of FY 2005, one article titled The Performance of Relational Ties: A Functional Approach in the Biotechnology Industry is published in a peer reviewed journal that specializes in the areas of social networks and alliances. This paper was also the recipient of a best paper award. Furthermore, two conference presentations at a highly regarded management conference (Academy of Management Annual meetings) were presented. They are titled as Determinants of Biotechnological Product Success An Absorptive Link Approach and Organizational Crisis And Deep Structure Dynamics An Agent Based Approach. Selection of papers at this conference is highly competitive and is based on criteria that reflect the leading developments in management research.

Impacts
Over all, such outcomes are expected to improve our understanding of organizational change process. This will not only benefit academic research in agribusiness but also for agribusiness firms that facing changing market conditions. In particular, the article titled strategic change through a competition of realities provides a novel approach to the understanding of market dynamics. Namely, unlike standard economic treatments of markets, this paper argues managers are not only defined by their markets environments but that such environments can be constructed. This has an important implication as it places a greater role for management to intervene in the market process and thus enables a better ability to create as well as respond to the changing market opportunities. Furthermore, in the study of alliances in biotechnology industries, this study shows that excessive reliance on alliances can unintentionally lead to reductions in a biotechnology firms financial performance. The implication of this finding is managers should be economical in their use of alliance relationship not only because of the resources that are required but also excessive reliance can reduce a firm's ability to innovate and can create governance problems of mistrust. Lastly and more broadly, the four publications and conferences serve to raise this depts international / domestic reputation in this area of agribusiness research. To my knowledge, I am not aware of any such studies that examine such organizational dynamic issues.

Publications

• Ng, D., Unterschultz, J. and Laate. E. 2006. The Performance of Relational Ties: A Functional Approach in the Biotechnology Industry. Journal on Chain and Network Science, 6,1, 9-21. (Also awarded as best paper in the 7th International Conference on Management in Agrifood Chains and Networks, Wagingen).

Progress 01/01/05 to 12/31/05

Outputs
The primary objective of this project is to advance basic research in contemporary areas of management, that include subject areas in organizational change, social networks, and market dynamics. Over the course of the year, various reviews of literatures in organizational change, entrepreneurship and social network theories were examined. This has been instrumental to the development of several manuscripts , peer reviewed conference and publications. A total of 3 peer reviewed publications with international circulations were the results of this research effort. In particular, the article titled: "Strategic Change through a Competition of Realities" was awarded the outstanding paper award from the Academy of International Business and Economics. In addition, two manuscripts on social networks have been completed. The manuscript with authors, Ng, D., McCullock, K. (Agecon Graduate Student), Jackson, R. (Agecon Graduate Student) Value of Strategic Alliances and Absorptive Capacity in the Biotechnology Industry was presented in the American Agricultural Economic Association meeting in Rhode Island. In addition, the paper titled: Social Network Performance and Governance In The Biotechnolgy Industry was presented at Texas Science Partnership (Institute of Food Science and Engineering. Both of these papers are currently under revision, and the Editor of the online journal Agbioforum had requested that such a paper be submitted for consideration in their journal. As a whole, this fiscal year has resulted in several productive outcomes, in the form of peer reviewed presentations and publications.

Impacts
Such developments are expected to improve our understanding of organizational change processes. This will not only benefit academic research in agribusiness but also for agribusiness firms that facing changing market conditions.

Publications

• Ng, D. 2005. Strategic Change through a Competition of Realities, Journal of International Business Strategy, 1 (1):1-10. (International Circulation) (also Recipient of Outstanding Research Paper award from the Academy of International Business and Economics)
• Ng, D. 2005. Strategic Entrepreneurship: An Austrian Economic Approach to Competitive Strategy, Journal of International Business Strategy, 1 (1):75-84. (International Circulation).
• Ng, D. 2005. The Discovery of and Coordination of Resource Complements in a Dispersed Knowledge Society, Int. J. Human Resource Development and Management, 5 (2), 142-163. (International Circulation)