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Digital Transformation of International Trade for SMEs in Developing Countries: Opportunities, Challenges
... Global business executives are incorporating digital transformations into their operations to meet the demands of the market (Masongsong et al., 2024;Ofosu-Ampong et al., 2024). In response to the growing presence of AI technologies in the business sector, higher education institutions are also working to integrate digital technologies, including AI education ecosystems. ...
A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T Purpose-This study examined the effectiveness of a chatbot workshop conducted at Lovely Professional University, Punjab, in promoting student involvement among undergraduate students taking the elective course "Doing Business with AI." In this course, non-STEM students learn how to create a chatbot prototype using the 'Dialogue' Programme and suggest potential applications for AI chatbots. Design/methodology/ approach-Students develop a strong understanding of conversational and user-centric design methodologies through engaging workshops and practical learning exercises. The chatbot workshop aims to help inexperienced learners with limited AI knowledge understand and connect the knowledge inputs and outputs of conversational agents driven by NLP, to effectively respond to user inquiries. Findings-According to the findings, a significant majority of the students (81.3%) who took part in the hands-on workshop showed active involvement. Additionally, a high percentage (90.7%) reported feeling moderately to highly skilled in the experiential learning chatbot session. Most students who were surveyed expressed their agreement that the experiential chatbot workshop successfully achieved its intended learning outcomes. Practical implications-The findings of this study can provide valuable insights for practitioners who are developing strategies for chatbot-based workshops focused on experiential learning. Originality/value-Through the validation of a conceptual model rooted in learning theories and technology-mediated learning (TML) models, we have put forth two applications pertaining to business game simulation, as well as an additional application focused on outlier detection in data.
The purpose of this research is to investigate the influence that marketing communication and information sharing have on the performance of businesses. The relationship between marketing communication, information sharing, client retention, and personalization, as well as the success of the firm, is investigated in this approach. In this research endeavour, a questionnaire was the instrument of choice for data collecting. A questionnaire was constructed with the help of previously discovered scale items relevant to marketing communication, information sharing, customer retention, personalization, and business performance. This led to the development of the questionnaire. The staff members of India's small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) each received one of the 500 questionnaires that were handed out to them. Partial Least Square was the statistical tool that was used to do the analysis of the data (PLS). It has been discovered that effective marketing communication has a beneficial effect on the retention of existing customers, which in turn leads to improved company performance. Additionally, the exchange of information has a beneficial effect on customisation, which ultimately leads to the performance of the company.
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) have a potential impact on achieving many of the sustainable development goals much greater than their size. This review aimed to investigate existing literature on the contribution of MSMEs to the sustainable development of Ethiopia and its challenges. The review provides a comprehensive and systematic summary of evidence and provides future research directions. A systematic review methodology was adopted through reviewing the available literature comprehensively including research articles, policy documents, and reports over the period 2011–2021 from ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, ECONBIZ, IJSTOR, EBSCO, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. A search on these databases and grey literature returned 1270 articles; 87 papers were included in this review following screening of aticles using pre-determined criteria. The paper found that MSMEs significantly contributed to the sustainable development goals of Ethiopia through creating employment, alleviating poverty, and improving their living standards. However, the review has identified access to finance, access to electricity, and trade regulation are the major constraints for the development of the sector. The review outlines key policy implications to develop a comprehensive policy that alleviates the existing challenges of the sector and calls for further MSMEs impact evaluation research.
Disregarding cybersecurity risk management by SME decision-makers became a phenomenon that needs to be studied. Specifically, the lack of cybersecurity risk management investments, which will lead to further risks. The Covid-19 pandemic has proven how the seriousness of cybersecurity threats could increase dramatically in a short period. The authors attempt to detect the role of SMEs' decision-makers in addressing cybersecurity risks nowadays and to suggest avenues for further studies. This paper aims to find out the encouragement factors and how they positively impact cybersecurity risk management investment in SMEs based on conducting several interviews with decision-makers in the sector. The results reveal that eight factors are playing a major role in encouraging SMEs' decision-makers to invest in cybersecurity risk management as a strategic priority. These encouragement factors have been categorised as follows technological context, organizational context, and environmental context. Importantly, a proposed framework of these factors has been discussed widely in order to illustrate expected returns of this investment on the SMEs' sector in the long term. Meaningfully, this research contributes to the financial cybersecurity risk management literature with new insight into the current cybersecurity risk management investment situation in SMEs.
Purpose
This study aims to analyze the inhibiting factors of small and medium enterprises (SMEs’) technology innovation, supporting institutions for SMEs technology innovation development, SMEs’ technology innovation development model and strategies for developing SMEs in technology innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a mixed-method research project conducted through a survey of SMEs in Riau Province, Sumatera Indonesia (primarily in the districts of Siak, Kampar and Pelalawan) from April to July 2019. SMEs that have been operating for at least five years were chosen purposively as samples. Based on the requirement, there are 277 entities used in this study. A focus group discussion (FGD) was also conducted to formulate SME models and development strategies in technological innovation. In addition, in-depth interviews and observations were also carried out on technological innovations undertaken by respondents.
Findings
It was found that there are five inhibiting factors of SMEs’ technology innovation: government support, quality of human resources, funding of technological innovation, economic conditions and business partners. The biggest inhibiting factor remains to be the funding of technological innovation. Therefore SMEs provide independent technological innovation costs to develop technological innovations for business sustainability. Supporting institutions for developing SME technology innovation consist of government institutions, private institutions, financial institutions (banks) and nonbank financial institutions. To survive and excel amid competition, SMEs need to pay attention to technological innovation. The business strategy that needs to be done is to improve services to consumers and improve their attitude toward innovation in the implementation and development of SMEs’ businesses.
Research limitations/implications
This research is limited to research on the inhibiting factors for SME technology innovation from the aspect of the production sector. This research has not studied various business fields in the trade, service and digital SME sectors. Future studies can reveal factors inhibiting SME technological innovation, except production aspects and various SME business fields. In addition, this study has not analyzed the cost of technological innovation provided by SMEs. Therefore, future studies could also reveal the large costs of technological innovation provided by SMEs.
Originality/value
This research investigates barriers hindering the SMEs’ technological innovations in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia as a maritime country. It also formulates strategies to reduce the barriers to SME’s technological innovation and contributes to the development of knowledge of technological innovations in SMEs. Moreover, this paper involves investigating government support from a nonfinancial aspect. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this aspect has not been much discussed by studies on innovation at SMEs till now.
This study was aimed at developing a cognitive—econometric model for assessing the effectiveness of the current governmental policies to support enterprises in Russia in the context of pandemic propagation. Using the Granger test and correlation analysis, we formed a system of key indicators that characterizes the economic development of SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) in Russia. Based on the revealed causal relationships and correlation coefficients, a model describing the impact of public policy support instruments on SME economic development was built using cognitive modeling. By means of the additive convolution method, the correlation coefficient between the Russia Small Business Index (RSBI) and the COVID-19 prevalence rate was used to predict the 2020 year-end RSBI value. Regarding the RSBI index forecast, the effectiveness of instruments of the state support for SMEs was evaluated. It was determined how much these indicators of the anti-crisis package of measures should change to increase SMEs’ business activities. The developed cognitive model can be utilized by private and governmental institutions to continuously monitor the effectiveness of public policies that support SMEs. It can also be used as a preventive indicator to evaluate the impact of the anti-crisis measures during pandemics and in the case of other exogenous risks threatening SMEs. The originality of the research results was determined by the econometric methods applied to empirically assess the effectiveness and degree of impact of governmental measures on the operation of SMEs under conditions of uncertainty.
Economic globalization has created many challenges for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) due to the rapid increase in competition. Therefore, the downfall rate of SMEs is relatively high, a short period after their commencement. Accordingly, SMEs need to adopt survival strategies and strategic methods to succeed in confronting the various global challenges faced by the SME sector. This study critically examined the existing literature on global challenges for SMEs to understand the SMEs’ survival and successive mechanisms in the present competitive business background. Published information related to the field by the multilateral institutions and 110 research papers published by four recognized publishing companies, i.e., Emerald, Elsevier, Taylor and Francis, and MDPI, were chosen for this study. The review revealed the critical global challenges for SMEs within the context of economic globalization. They are the global market competition, global finance and economic crises, information communication technology, the emergence of multi-national corporations, transnational corporations, consumer changes and especially their preferences, trade dumping, international terrorism, and religious conflicts and trade wars. Furthermore, the study considered the survival strategies of SMEs in the industrial platform to recognize sustainability-related policies, specifically, the necessity for a robust theoretical examination on the survival strategies of SMEs in the field of global challenges.
Since the oil price downturn of 2015, the United Arab Emirates and fellow Gulf Cooperation Council countries have worked hard to expand digital payments in the interest of improved tax and revenue collection, transparency, and security. Yet despite a deep transformation and diversification of their payment ecosystems and the formalization of plans to become "cashless economies" modelled on South Korea and Sweden, cash continues to dominate payments in both countries. While industry players typically attribute the prevalence of cash in the region to questions of infrastructure readiness, transaction costs, and cyber-security, this paper finds that plans to expand digital payments at the expense of cash may not be well-adapted to countries with high levels of socioeconomic inequality. It proposes a link between socioeconomic inequality and use of cash in emerging economies, and concludes that it may be better to not view the relationship between cash and digital payments in binary zero-sum terms, until there is a better understanding of the socioeconomic , technological, and policy context in which countries like South Korea and Sweden have managed to reduce their reliance on cash in favor of a diversified digital payments ecosystem .
The COVID-19 outbreak is a global crisis that has placed small and medium enterprises (SMEs) under huge pressure to survive, requiring them to respond effectively to the crisis. SMEs have adopted various digital technologies to cope with this crisis. Using a data set from a survey with 518 Chinese SMEs, the study examines the relationship between SMEs’ digitalization and their public crisis responses. The empirical results show that digitalization has enabled SMEs to respond effectively to the public crisis by making use of their dynamic capabilities. In addition, digitalization can help improve SMEs’ performance. We propose a theoretical framework of digitalization and crisis responses for SMEs and present three avenues for future research.
The upheaval caused by the spread of COVID-19 is having a devastating effect on small businesses. A review of the data on COVID-19’s impact on micro-, small, and medium-sized enterprises suggests the economic fallout from this pandemic will get worse for small businesses and their employees before it gets better. To help combat the negative effects, this article offers practical and tactical strategies for navigating the uncertainty and risk especially prevalent in today’s pandemic-filled business environment.
Trade shows are a key vehicle where SMEs often develop networks, through which valuable resources for internationalisation can be acquired. However, there tends to be a scarcity of research on the performance outcomes of network development of international SMEs (ISMEs), particularly, in trade show forums. Adopting a network-based view, we investigate the influence of trade shows on the performance of ISMEs. Results from a survey of 229 Australian and New Zealand SMEs indicate that proactiveness is positively associated with the development of networks through trade shows, which, in turn, increases the firms’ operational performance, but not financial performance. In addition, the effect of trade shows is generally more beneficial for ISMEs in the service industry, compared to other industries.
We consider how the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged European small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the manufacturing sector, and draw suggests policy implications. The sudden onslaught of the pandemic has acted as an economic shock, and we consider how it is likely to affect different types of manufacturing SMEs. We distinguish between immediate effects, a result of the almost-simultaneous lockdowns across Europe and its major trading partners, and longer-term implications for both SMEs and the global value chains where they are inserted. In the shorter run, most SMEs have faced logistical challenges in addition to demand disruptions, although the severity has differed across firms and industries. We argue that in the longer-term, there will be different challenges and opportunities depending on the type of SME. Policy interventions will also need to be sensitive to the different types of SMEs, rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all approach. The policy mix will need to shift from its initial focus on the survival of European SMEs in the short term, towards a more structural and longer-term approach based on promoting their renewal and growth through innovation, internationalization and networking.
The liberalization of the Nigerian financial sector inevitably resulted in the phenomenon of financial innovation. While studies exist that investigate the effect of financial innovation on economic growth in Nigeria, only a few have addressed its impact on the performance of SMEs. Yet, the few existing ones are micro studies that emphasize more on specific regional firms. The dearth of empirical studies at the economy-wide level, therefore, mandates this study, which fills this gap in the literature. This study employs autoregressive distributed lag methodology on quarterly data of financial innovation measures. Our findings indicate that financial innovation has a positive and significant effect on SMEs’ productivity in Nigeria. In particular, of the seven financial innovation instruments used (Automated Teller Machine, Point of Sales, Web or Internet Banking, Cheques, Nigeria Inter-bank Settlement System Electronic Fund Transfer, Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Instant Payment, and Mobile Money Operations), all but one turned out in both the short run and long run as significant predictors of SMEs’ performance in Nigeria. Furthermore, the Toda-Yamamoto causality test reveals unidirectional causation running from financial innovation instruments to SMEs’ performance. These results have implications for SMEs’ growth and the current cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in both the manufacturing and service sectors have been viewed as an important driving force behind the rapid economic growth in China. There are multiple factors that drive the success of SMEs. In this paper, we study the effect of innovation culture, technological capability, and organization size on the performance of SMEs in China. We hypothesize that firm performance is positively affected by each of these factors. We use data from 1124 SMEs in China and apply regression analysis to test our hypotheses. We find that technological capability and organization size have a statistically positive effect on the performance of SMEs. Because manufacturing and service industries have distinct characteristics, we also compare the effects of these factors on firm performance within these industries. We find that technological capability is positively and statistically significantly related to firm performance in the manufacturing industry but not in the service industry, while innovation culture is positively and statistically significantly related to firm performance in the service industry but not in the manufacturing industry.
This study investigated how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in a country perceive major global risks. The aim was to explore how country attributes and circumstances affect SME assessments of the likelihood, impacts, and rankings of global risks, and to find out if SME risk assessment and rankings differ from the global rankings. Data were gathered using an online survey of manufacturing SMEs in Turkey. The results show that global economic risks and geopolitical risks are of major concern for SMEs, and environmental risks are at the bottom of their ranking. Among the economic risks, fiscal crises in key economies and high structural unemployment or underemployment were found to be the highest risks for the SMEs. Failure of regional or global governance, failure of national governance, and interstate conflict with regional consequences were found to be among the top geopolitical risks for the SMEs. The SMEs considered the risk of large-scale cyber-attacks and massive incident of data fraud/theft to be relatively higher than other global technological risks. Profound social instability and failure of urban planning were among the top societal risks for the SMEs. Although the global environmental and disaster risks were ranked lowest on the list, man-made environmental damage and disasters and major natural hazard-induced disasters were ranked the highest among this group of risks. Overall, the results show that SMEs at a country level, for example Turkey, perceive global risks differently than the major global players.
In the era of economic globalization, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are recognized as an engine of sustainable economic development in both the developed and developing world. In literature, three competitive challenges-the sustainability challenge, the global challenge and the technological challenge-faced by industrial entities in the current globalized economy, are categorized. Of them, this paper undertakes a systemic review of the literature covering the theme of SMEs and technology in order to identify how technological progress in the SMEs, correlates with SMEs survival improvement in the global competition. The review identified six driving forces-social capital, link with MultiNational Corporations (MNCs) and Transnational Corporations (TNCs), innovation, sharing and networking, information technology, and adoption of productivity-enhancing technology-influencing technological upgrade in the SMEs. The review also identified two conditions for successful technological adaptation in the SME sector-availability of technologically skillful workforce in the economy, and identification of opportunities of new technologies in the competition. These conditions could be viewed in the macro environment and emphasize the need for the economies' readiness towards SMEs' success.
In today’s global marketplace, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly looking at internationalisation strategies to boost growth, profitability and competitiveness. However, challenges, such as, socio-cultural differences, political institutions, limited resources, competitive challenges, market threats, economic and technological barriers all hinder SMEs from entering and competing favourably in the international markets. Considering the important link between lack of resources and internationalisation of SMEs, this study examined economic and technology related barriers of SMEs internationalisation from a neglected yet emerging market context in Bangladesh.
To compare the relative importance of these two particular categories of barriers, this study developed and validated a Partial Least Square based Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) with primary data gathered from questionnaires from 212 Bangladeshi SMEs. The findings of the paper suggest that, technology related barriers seem slightly more influential than economic barriers. As the difference is very low, importance should be given to both types of barriers as found.
Conceptually, this study extends this area of research by reframing economic and technology related barriers of internationalisation as a hierarchical reflective model within an emerging economy context. Empirically, it confirms that PLS-SEM can be used to compare the relative importance of these two types of barriers. Practically, policy makers can give slightly more priorities on the technology related barriers where it is not possible to give equal importance to both because of limited resource and research neglect on developing economies.
China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has provided Chinese firms with significant incentives to speed up the pace
of internationalization. Yet very little international business (IB) research has been found to empirically examine
such policy effects. This study explores this important issue using Chinese firms of different ethnicities in the
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of China. We propose that the BRI has a positive formal institutional
effect on the export performance of XUAR firms that target the “Belt” countries. Both cultural friction and
ethnicity serve as the unique cultural contingencies that moderate the relationship between the BRI and export
performance. More specifically, the cultural friction that results from the process of internationalization will
negatively affect the export performance prompted by the BRI. The Uygur-owned firms will benefit more from
the BRI due to their cultural similarity. Overall, the study takes the lead in investigating both internal conditions
and external environments that promote and inhibit the internationalization process of small-to-medium enterprises
(SMEs) in the XUAR that are geographically close to the “Belt” countries. The findings help enrich the
understanding of the dual “push” and “drag” effects on the outcomes of SMEs’ international activities due to the
government-led initiatives and the understanding of micro-foundation toward internationalization from an
ethnicity perspective.
This paper explores previously discarded phenomena in the internationalization process literature, namely the non-predictive logic of foreign market entry, and employs effectuation theory to examine how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) network during internationalization. It integrates effectuation theory with the revisited Uppsala internationalization process model to understand the unintentional aspect of networking by internationalizing SMEs. The research design is a multiple-case study approach. The findings show how entrepreneurs network with interested partners, instead of carefully selecting international partners according to predefined network goals. Entrepreneurs who network effectually enter markets wherever an opportunity emerges, and commit to network relations that increase their means. Network relations become an integrating point for effectuation theory from entrepreneurship research and the revised Uppsala model from international business. This bridge between the two areas suggests some implications for network research in International Entrepreneurship.
This paper investigates the macroeconomic effects of terror by using a novel data set from Turkey for the period of 1987:1 to 2004:4. This research contributes to the literature by controlling for the possible non-linear and endogenous relationship between political conflict and economic activity. Empirical evidence from both linear and non-linear models confirms that terrorism has a large significant negative impact on economic activity. Finally, the results from the non-linear model show that the impact of terrorism on the aggregate economy is more severe during expansionary periods, and that the impact of economic activity on terrorism is significant only in recessionary periods.
Digital transformation requires the implementation of different technologies that may improve the firms' capability in the collection, combination, processing, and use of business data. To guarantee an adequate combination of these technologies, several maturity models have been proposed in the literature, but only a few papers have investigated the actual implementation paths adopted by firms for digital transformation. In particular, no studies have investigated the implementation paths followed by SMEs, whose limited financial and human resources may prevent the adoption of the roadmaps developed for large firms. In this paper, we analyse the implementation paths for digital transformation adopted by a wide sample of Italian SMEs operating in different sectors. By combining Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling with Necessity Condition Analysis, we clarify the specific enabler and enhancer roles played by different digital technologies. The study sheds further light on the relationship among these technologies and their contribution to the development of SMEs’ information processing capability. In particular, our analysis shows that digital technologies associated with Industry 4.0 can be classified into four hierarchical layers, Sensor, Integration, Intelligence, and Response, that are in charge of the collection, combination, processing and use of organizational data. Our results show that the implementation of these layers is not based on a standalone approach since the lower layers enable and enhance the adoption of the upper layers. The present paper may also offer useful insights to managers and policymakers, interested in improving the digital transformation of SMEs.
SMEs are significantly affected by COVID‐19 crisis as they overrepresent hardest‐hit sectors such as retail, hospitality, food services, entertainment services, and construction. The discovery and the spread of COVID‐19 in the absence of cure have led governments to take drastic measures, including the lockdown of large parts of society and social distancing resulting in behavioral changes. Some SMEs are responding to the crisis by applying creativity to problems to obtain opportunities. However, it is because of resilience that they can see an opportunity in chaos and survive uncertain times, but, to convert those opportunities to reality, some government interventions are needed to correct the negative effects of lockdown restrictions by revitalizing the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
SMEs around the globe are often challenged by the issues related to productivity enhancement, material usage, waste management and sustainability. Material flow cost accounting (MFCA) is considered as a green productivity tool that can be utilised by SMEs to overcome these challenges. Despite the benefits, its adoption among SMEs, especially in developing countries, remains low. The purpose of this research is to examine how MFCA can be suitably implemented in an SME set-up to improve the financial and environmental performance of the enterprise. This study utilises case based research methodology to exemplify the application of MFCA tool in an Indian steel pipes and tubes manufacturing SME. As a part of MFCA analysis, material cost, system cost and energy cost at each quantity center was calculated to identify inefficiencies in the production process of the SME. Thereafter, several solutions were implemented to address these inefficiencies. The result of the MFCA implementation showed an overall annual savings of 21,028,452 INR (USD 302,350) through an investment of 495,400 INR (USD 7,123). The present study reveals that the application of MFCA tool leads to higher productivity, better energy efficiency and improved environmental performance. The SME’s performance was also monitored for five years to study the long-term benefits of MFCA implementation. The findings suggest that, post MFCA implementation, the return on invested capital of the SME increased by 29.37% and the material usage cost reduced by 26.58%. This research would be beneficial to managers, practitioners, and policymakers for effectively implementing MFCA in SMEs.
This paper explores the process through which institutional support initiatives contribute to the international performance of firms from the small open economy of Malaysia. We examine both direct and indirect causal effects of institutional support (informational, training, trade mobility and financial aid-related support) on internationalization. We develop a model to address how institutional support initiatives affect the performance of export-oriented or so-called born global firms. From a survey of 250 firms from Malaysia, an emerging Southeast Asian market, we find that government support initiatives do not have significant impacts on firm performance unless examined based on processes of government support initiatives, international knowledge, commitment, competitive capabilities, and international performance. Government support initiatives play a critical role in export-oriented firms from small open economies (SMOPECs) in emerging markets by contributing to a number of contextual deficits that determine the international performance of a firm. This study provides guidelines for policy makers and business owners on how institutional support can facilitate the accumulation of knowledge about international markets, enhance commitment to exports and help firms gain competitive capabilities in the export market for greater success in international markets.
This study examines the effect of key internationalization contingencies on SME survival. We argue early in-ternationalization increases the probability of firm failure, while international experience reduces it. However, the survival odds among international new ventures may be improved by their post-entry international expansion scope and speed, and by managers' competencies. These internationalization facets provide firms with opportunities to develop and exploit their resources and capabilities, and thus enhance their survival chances. Drawing on a sample of 271 manufacturers followed between 2005 and 2014, we find results that provide support to most of our arguments, and hold theoretical and managerial relevance.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of every economy. So, when an external crisis jeopardizes markets, such as the recent COVID-19 outbreak, SMEs are hit with great force. Their so-called liability of smallness, a lack of resources that would shield them from outside shocks, worsens the situation. This manuscript conducts a literature study on 69 manuscripts that studied SMEs in previous crises and proposes ways to overcome economic downturns in the areas of finance, strategy and the institutional environment. The paper finds a “strategy/funding chicken-and-egg-problem” and proposes an effectual world view when dealing with situations of great uncertainty.
This paper aims to contribute to the lack of design knowledge on digital platforms (DPs), by studying the new and specific context of DPs managed by industrial business associations (IBAs) to improve the internationalisation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). A specific objective is to elicit detailed digital platform’s requirements and features for this particular organisational context. A design science research (DSR) approach is adopted to develop design propositions (the artifact), following the context-intervention-mechanism-outcome logic (CIMO-logic). The design propositions are derived for DPs that can support different types of generative mechanisms of social interaction: information sharing, collaboration, and collective action. The design propositions are obtained by balancing empirical knowledge based on interviews performed with IBAs and SMEs in Portugal and in the UK, with theoretical knowledge from the literature of information systems, DPs and collaborative networks (CNs). The utility of the design propositions is further evaluated by experts and IBAs. The findings are proved to be relevant for practice, mainly for IBAs, SMEs, and digital platform designers to develop more effective collaborative DPs and sociotechnical systems, supporting CNs and the internationalisation needs of SMEs. The knowledge generated in this study brings new design knowledge on DPs, contributing with design propositions translated into tangible and concrete requirements and capabilities, situated in a specific context and empirical setting.
Through an empirical research developed based on a sample of five international social SMEs in a Chinese city, this study examines the internationalization of social enterprises. Its purpose is to evaluate the role played by governments in supporting international growth. This is done using behavioural theory dimensions of prevalence, relevance, urgency, accessibility, and radicalness. From our analysis, local government supports the launch of social SMEs but this is limited to their growth stage. Entrepreneurial skills and external networks, thus, become crucial factors in the development of a new international business development model, encouraging further scholarly investigation.
This study analyzed how information and communication technology (ICT) influences international trade volume, and it undertook a comparative analysis of BRICS countries using panel data from the 2000 to 2016 period. The findings showed that (1) the effect of ICT was more positive on exports than imports, (2) the higher the ICT levels in the value chain were, the less effective they simultaneously were on both exports and imports, (3) the effect of ICT levels on trade increased over time, and (4) ICT improvement levels have more positive effects on trade in labor-intensive countries than on resources-intensives BRICS countries. To improve their export volume, BRICS countries would benefit from increasing their use of fixed-broadband and the internet.
Combatting Illicit Trade on the EU Border
- Nowak Editor