Research on the Impact of Network Embeddedness on the Growth of Scientific and Technological Enterprises: The Chain Mediating Effect of Organizational Legitimacy and Business Model Innovation

Guo Tao; Li Panpan; Qiao Han; Zhang Chunyu

doi:doi:10.16538/j.cnki.fem.20201216.402

Home > All Issues > 2021 > No.07 > Article Details

Research on the Impact of Network Embeddedness on the Growth of Scientific and Technological Enterprises: The Chain Mediating Effect of Organizational Legitimacy and Business Model Innovation

Guo Tao1, 3, Li Panpan1, Qiao Han2, Zhang Chunyu1, 3

Author Affiliations

Full Article | PDF Article(782.0 KB) View

9074

4217

Foreign Economics & Management Vol. 43, Issue 07, pp. 97 - 110 (2021) DOI:10.16538/j.cnki.fem.20201216.402

First published at:Jul 20, 2021

Summary

References

Summary

Network embeddedness, which determines the various resources obtained by the sci-tech enterprise and ultimately affects its growth status, is the stable connection formed in the enterprise due to its previous ties and interactions. This paper introduces organizational legitimacy and business model innovation as causal dual mediating variables, constructs the chain mediating conceptual model of “network embeddedness–organizational legitimacy– business model innovation–enterprise growth”, and presents the research hypothesis accordingly.

We conduct the research in the form of questionnaire and select the scale widely used in the Chinese context. In order to ensure the rationality of the questionnaire, we carry out a small sample prediction test for managers of scientific and technological enterprises as well as university experts, in which the questionnaire is modified according to their feedback results. Following this, we commission a professional research company to collect 371 valid questionnaires. The conclusions are carried out through exploratory factor analysis, correlation analysis, hierarchy regression analysis and Sobel model.

The research shows that: First, both relational embeddedness and structural embeddedness promote the growth of scientific and technological enterprises. Second, organizational legitimacy and business model innovation play a mediating role in the relationship between network embeddedness and the growth of scientific and technological enterprises respectively, in which the mediator effect of organizational legitimacy is more significant. Third, organizational legitimacy and business model innovation play a chain mediating role in the relationship between relational embeddedness and growth of scientific and technological enterprises. Fourth, the improvement of organizational legitimacy promotes the influence of relational embeddedness and business model innovation on the growth of scientific and technological enterprises. Therefore, this paper verifies the chain mediating role of organizational legitimacy and business model innovation, clarifies the influence mechanism of network embeddedness on the growth of scientific and technological enterprises, enriches the research content in the field of network embeddedness and firm growth, and expands the applicable scope of the iceberg theory of business model.

The main contributions of this research are as follows: First, it analyzes the influence mechanism of network embeddedness on the growth of scientific and technological enterprises, confirms that network embeddedness, organizational legitimacy and business model innovation are important antecedent variables in the field of enterprise growth, and further enriches the related studies of network embeddedness and enterprise growth theory. Second, it introduces organizational legitimacy and business model innovation as causal dual mediating variables, analyzes the chain mediating role of organizational legitimacy and business model innovation, as well as explores the moderating role of organizational legitimacy. These results expand the research on the influence mechanism of network embeddedness on enterprise growth, and provide a novel perspective to explain the divergence in previous research. Third, it takes Chinese local scientific and technological enterprises as the research samples, and explores the antecedents and after-effects of business model innovation from an empirical perspective, which further develops the research content of the iceberg theory of business model and establishes a foundation for the follow-up research.

Keywords

network embeddedness; organizational legitimacy; business model innovation; growth of scientific and technological enterprises

[1] Guo Hai, Shen Rui, Wang Donghan. Research on double-edged sword effect of organizational legitimacy in firm growth [J]. Nankai Business Review, 2018, (5): 16-29.

[2] Guo Tao, Ding Xiaozhou, Qiao Han. The simulation analysis of system dynamics about the effect of value network on the business model innovation of high-tech start-ups——From the perspective of system management and CET@I methodology [J]. Management Review, 2020, (7): 41-53.

[3] Pan Hongliang. The effect of absorptive capacity of the entrepreneurs and ambidexterity innovation strategy on the growth performance of born globals [J]. Science of Science and Management of S.&.T, 2018, (12): 94-110.

[4] Song Jing, Chen Jin. Entrepreneur social network, organizational legitimacy and entrepreneurial enterprise resources bricolage [J]. Studies in Science of Science, 2019, (1): 86-94.

[5] Tan Yunqing, Zhai Sengjing. Relationship Embeddment, Resource Acquisition and Internationalization Performance of Chinese OFDI Firms [J]. Management Review, 2020, 32 (2): 29 − 39.

[6] Wen Qiaotian, Guo Rong, Xia Jianming. Transformational Leadership and Collaborative Innovation in Cross-boundary Teams: The Mediating Role of Knowledge Sharing and the Moderating Role of Power Distance [J]. Foreign Economics and Management, 2020, 42 (2): 17 − 29.

[7] Zhang Chun-yu, Guo Tao, Liu Hong-de. The impact of network embedding on the business model innovation of technological entrepreneurship [J]. Studies in Science of Science, 2018, (1): 167-175.

[8] Zhang Xiu-e, Xu Xue-jiao. Entrepreneurial learning and growth of new ventures: A chain mediating effect model [J]. R&D Management, 2019, (2): 11-19.

[9] Achtenhagen L, Melin L, Naldi L. Dynamics of business models-strategizing, critical capabilities and activities for sustained value creation[J]. Long Range Planning, 2013, 46 (6): 427-442.

[10] Amit R, Zott C. Business models[J]. International En-cyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 2015, 15(6): 33-36.

[11] Bitektine A, Haack P. The “macro” and the “micro” of legitimacy: Toward a multilevel theory of the legitimacy process[J]. The Academy of Management Review, 2015, 40(1): 49-75.

[12] Karimi J, Walter Z. Corporate entrepreneurship, disruptive business model innovation adoption, and its performance: The case of the newspaper industry[J]. Long Range Planning, 2016, 49(3): 342-360.

[13] Letaifa S B, Goglio P K. How does institutional context shape entrepreneurship conceptualizations? [J]. Journal of Business Research, 2016, 69(11): 5128-5134.

[14] Lyu Y B, He B Y, Zhu Y Q, Li L. Network embeddedness and inbound open innovation practice: The moderating role of technology cluster[J]. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2019, 144: 12-24.

[15] Mazzola E, Perrone G, Kamuriwo D S. Network embeddedness and new product development in the biopharmaceutical industry: The moderating role of open innovation flow[J]. International Journal of Production Economics, 2015, 160: 106-119.

[16] Teece D J. Business models and dynamic capabilities[J]. Long Range Planning, 2018, 51(1): 40-49.

[17] Wei Z L, Shen H, Zhou K Z, et al. How does environmental corporate social responsibility matter in a dysfunctional institutional environment? Evidence from China[J]. Journal of Business Ethics, 2017, 140(2):209-223.

[18] Zheng Q Q, Luo Y D, Maksimov V. Achieving legitimacy through corporate social responsibility: The case of emerging economy firms[J]. Journal of World Business, 2015, 50(3): 389-403.

Cite this article

Guo Tao, Li Panpan, Qiao Han, et al. Research on the Impact of Network Embeddedness on the Growth of Scientific and Technological Enterprises: The Chain Mediating Effect of Organizational Legitimacy and Business Model Innovation[J]. Foreign Economics & Management, 2021, 43(7): 97-110.