Research On The Impact Of Enterprise External Network On Its Performance

With the development of globalization economy and knowledge economy, there have been great changes in enterprise living space and growth model. Networks have become an important way to improve enterprise performance. Enterprise external network not only combine enterprise performance decision theory both external and internal, but also expand the source of enterprise resources. Therefore, it is significant both in theory and in reality to making research on the impact of enterprise external network on its performance.While, however, most of the existing research on the impact of enterprise external network on its performance merely emphasize the role of their network location and neglect the heterogeneity themselves, and thus, leading to contradictory conclusions. In this paper, independent variable is enterprise external network, intermediate variable is absorptive and dependent variable is enterprise performance. Based on these definitions, the paper conducts a further study on the mechanism of enterprise external network affecting its performance. Specifically, this research addresses three issues: first, redefine the concept of absorptive capacity based on literature review, enterprises interview and factor analysis. Second, make a quantitative analysis on enterprise external network, absorptive capacity and enterprise performance from organizational level. Third, probe into the mediating role of absorptive capacity, set up and verify the mechanism that enterprise external network affecting its performance.Around the above issues, this paper takes advantage of social survey methods and social network analysis methods. Through carrying out semi-structured interviews, small sample test research and large sample survey, a total of 205 valid questionnaires are acquired. According to the valid questionnaires, the research takes a study by using of the statistical analysis software SPSS 13.0, which in details including reliability and validity analysis, descriptive statistics, factor analysis, correlation and regression analysis. The main research results are shown below after the empirical analysis:First, enterprise external network has a significant impact both on profit performance and on innovation performance. The empirical analysis show that enterprise external network affect its performance apparently. In more detail, some indicators such as network size, support network stability and resource network intensity have a direct significant impact on enterprise innovation performance. And all the seven indicators of enterprise external network have an indirect but significant impact on enterprise profit and innovation performance.Second, it is of great differences on the impact of different enterprise external network indicators on enterprise performance and absorptive capacity. According to the empirical analysis, the impact of enterprise external network indicators on enterprise performance and absorptive capacity is multidimensional. Different external network indicators have different kinds of impacts on dependent variable, and even the same external network indicator has different kinds of impacts on different level of dependent variable.Third, absorptive capacity plays an intermediary role in the process of enterprise external network affects enterprise performance. Enterprise external network not only has a significant positive impact on enterprise performance, furthermore, the absorptive capacity, as the intermediate variable, decides the extent of this impact. The intermediary role of absorptive capacity are mainly in two aspects. On one hand, enterprises external network do not affects enterprise performance significantly, but affects absorptive capacity apparently. That is, the impact of enterprise external network on its performance is indirect. These indicates include network density, network centrality, network heterogeneity, resource-network stability and support-network intensity. One the other hand, enterprises external network affects enterprise performance significantly, while, the extent of this impact are decided by absorptive capacity. These indicates include network size, network quality and support-network stability.Fourth, the potential absorptive capacity mainly affects enterprise profit performance and the realized absorptive capacity mainly affects enterprise innovation performance. The absorptive capacity can be divided into the potential absorptive capacity and the realized absorptive capacity. The potential absorptive capacity is the ability to recognize and acquire resources such as information, knowledge and technology. It represents the abundance of resources and mainly affects the profit performance. The realized absorptive capacity is the ability to assimilate and apply resources. It mainly decides the ability of innovation, and therefore, it affects both the innovation performance and the profit performance.Fifth, when introduced the control variable, the relations among enterprise external network, absorptive capacity and enterprise performance for different type changes subsequently. The aggression result classified by enterprise scale shows as following: the impact of enterprise external network on its performance for small-scale enterprises is much higher than that for large-and-medium-scale enterprises; the impact of network centrality and support-network stability on innovation performance is more significant for small-scale enterprises; the impact of network size and resource-network intensity on innovation performance is more significant for large-and-medium-scale enterprises; for small-scale enterprises, recognize-value, acquire-resource, assimiiate-resource and apply-value all have a significant impact on profit and innovation performance; for large-and-medium-scale enterprises, recognize-value and acquire-resource both have a significant impact on profit performance while assimiiate-resource and apply-value both have a significant impact on innovation performance. The aggression result classified by enterprise type shows as following: for traditional enterprises, network size has a significant impact on profit performance, while for high-tech enterprises, network quality and resource-network stability both have a significant impact on profit performance; for high-tech enterprises, network quality and resource-network stability both have a significant impact on innovation performance, while for traditional enterprises, it also includes network density and network heterogeneity; only the dimension of apply-value for absorptive capacity do not have a significant impact on profit performance of traditional enterprises.The innovation points of this research include the following four aspects:First, redefines the concept of absorptive capacity. The essence of the absorptive capacity is a kind of accommodation capacity in the ever changing business environment. However, the existing research rarely consider the process of absorptive capacity. Based on literature review, Chinese enterprises interviews and large sample factor analysis, the paper clearly defines the four dimensions of absorptive capacity, that are recognize value, acquire resources, assimilate resources and apply resources.Second, taking the absorptive capacity as the intermediate variable, this paper builds the analysis framework of "enterprise external network, absorptive capacity, enterprise performance". Based on this analysis framework and according to the empirical results, this paper finds the the mediating role of absorptive capacity. All these analysis clarify the impact mechanism of enterprise external network affects its performance, detail the role of absorptive capacity, and improve the conceptual model.Third, make a quantitative analysis on the impact of enterprise external network on its performance from organizational level. At present, the empirical studies on enterprise network are mostly from the macro level and related to issues such as industrial clusters and regional economic. The focus of these researchs are in the collective level, while the empirical analysis are still rare on individual enterprise. Thus, according to 20S valid questionnaires, this paper takes a study by using of the statistical analysis software SPSS 13.0, and this have some exploratory.Forth, make a comparative analysis through introducing two control variables, enterprise age and enterprise type. According to the result of independent-sample T test, enterprise age and enterprise type are select as the control variable. The further comparative analysis shows that there are significant differences not only between small-scale enterprises and large-and-medium-scale enterprises but also between traditional enterprises and high-tech enterprises. For different kinds of enterprises, the relations among enterprise external network, absorptive capacity and enterprise performance are different subsequently. And this, give valuable guidance for enterprises.