Search results for " enterprises"
showing 10 items of 134 documents
Impact of psychic distance to the internationalization behavior of knowledge-intensive SMEs
2009
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the internationalization behavior of knowledge-intensive small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by using macro-level psychic distance indicators and managers' perceptions of psychic distance. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses both quantitative and qualitative approaches. In the quantitative approach, the impact of psychic distance to the internationalization behavior is analyzed by using bivariate correlation analysis. The qualitative case study approach is employed to investigate managers' perceptions of psychic distance as regards market entries. Findings: Findings of this study indicate that psychic distance has an impact…
Microfinance beyond self-employment: Evidence for firms in Bulgaria
2017
This paper provides new evidence on the impact of microfinance on job creation beyond self-employment. We examine wage-employment effects for a typical program in Eastern Europe with average loan sizes that are considerably above what has been studied so far. We apply propensity score matching extended by a difference-in-differences estimator to panel data from an individual-lending program to firms in Bulgaria. Our results indicate that microcredit has very positive effects on job creation. Participating firms have on average 2.5 (or 33 percent) more employees two years after receiving a microcredit than matched non-participants. This strong effect seems to be related to a certain loan siz…
Do we really know the predictors of competence-creating R&D subsidiaries? Uncovering the mediation of dual network embeddedness
2017
Abstract Many changes have been recorded in the R&D role played by the foreign subsidiaries of multinational corporations (MNCs), to the extent that today many are recognised as key players in the development of firm innovation-related competences. Given this trend, we examine the predictors of a subsidiary's R&D role as a competence-creating contributor to the MNC's long-term success. Traditionally, the predictors of subsidiaries' R&D roles have been sought in the specific features of the internal corporate and external host-country environments. However, we find that favourable corporate- and country-level conditions may not necessarily lead to the enhancement of a subsidiary's R&D role u…
The requisite match between internal resources and network ties to cope with knowledge scarcity
2020
PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the internationalization strategies of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), focusing on the interaction between network ties and “soft” internal resources at the foundation of knowledge management (KM). Specifically, it identifies the firms’ internal capabilities that affect KM strategies, and their collective influence on the degree of internationalization; verifies the influence of network ties on the internationalization process itself; and develops a conceptual “preliminary theoretical framework of SME internationalization capabilities and networks.”Design/methodology/approachThe primary research and analysis are based on a proportional stratified s…
Barriers in organizing the Romanian firms in responsibility centers
2017
In the current turbulent business environment, the big and medium enterprises must organize their activity in order to face new challenges. One of the organizational forms that can stimulate the performances of the firms is the one in responsibility centers. This paper addresses the issue of the responsibility centers starting from the possibility of using benchmarking before and after the implementation of this organizational form. After highlighting the advantages of the responsibility centers, we presented a study made in Romanian big and medium organizations, regarding the barriers in the design and implementation of this organizational form. The main causes that determine Romanian mana…
Successful SME web design through consumer focus groups
2011
Purpose – The purpose of this research is to pursue two major objectives. First, to identify the key design variables for building successful transactional SME (Small Medium Enterprises) websites. Second, the transactional relevance of each key design variable is tested in order to establish priorities.Design/methodology/approach – The present paper is developed through seven consumer focus groups. Two approaches were used: an ethnographic summary of each focus group (qualitative approach) and a systematic coding procedure (quantitative approach).Findings – The findings indicate that a transactional website should have three main strong points: it must be secure; price information should be…
ERP System Implementation in Make-to-Order SMEs: An Exploratory Case Study
2011
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the issue of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system implementation in the context of Make-To-Order (MTO) Small and Medium-size Enterprises (SMEs). No prior study has investigated the whole ERP implementation process in MTO SMEs. Because of the special requirements of both the SME and the MTO context, ERP implementations under these conditions are challenging. We investigate how these organizational characteristics influence the implementation of an ERP system. This study is part of a larger research project to investigate ERP implementation issue in SMEs. We present the empirical findings from an exploratory case study of an ERP implementation …
The Politics of Explanatory Nationalism and the Evolution of the United Nations Agenda on Multinational Enterprises
2020
The contemporary world continues to suffer from a number of social problems that are global in scope but impact the Global South disproportionately. While broad and coordinated policy responses to overcome these problems exist, such policies are not shaped solely by the political will to address the problems. On the contrary, their content largely depends on how societies in general and the social problems in particular are routinely explained and conceptualized. We refer to these as explanatory tendencies or paradigms of explanation. As complex problems always have multiple root causes with long causal chains, explanations of these causes necessarily involve some assumptions about relevant…
Manager gender, entrepreneurial orientation and SMEs export and import propensities: evidence for Spanish businesses
2022
This paper investigates the role of manager gender in SMEs’ decisions to get involved in exporting and importing activities, using a sample of 1,405 Spanish SMEs. We borrow insights from international entrepreneurship theories and feminist theories to set testable hypotheses regarding how managerial gender and entrepreneurial orientation (proactiveness, risk-taking and innovativeness) may influence SMEs export and import propensities. Using a bivariate probit model and controlling for other managerial and business characteristics, results reveal that there are not significant disparities in exporting propensities between men- and women-run businesses. However, female-led SMEs show a lower i…
Pequeña y mediana empresa en el mundo rural medieval. Formas de organización de la producción. Ejemplos del País Valenciano (s. XV)
2020
El presente estudio analiza el concepto empresa aplicado al periodo medieval, e intenta un mínimo recorrido historiográfico por aquellos autores que se han acercado a la «Business History». Además intenta una reconstrucción de los distintos tipos de empresa manufacturera en un ámbito rural que se nos muestra cada vez más dinámico, pero poco estudiado todavía por parte de los historiadores interesados en el mundo del artesanado y de la industria. Se estudian las distintas formas de organización de la producción que condicionan los diferentes modos de gestión de la empresa manufacturera tomando como referencia el espacio valenciano. This article analyses the concept of «enterprise» as applied…