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This study aimed to explore the antecedents of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) internationalization and to compare the different resources required to enter different geographical regions. This study adds to the discussion on internationalization from a resource-based view (RBV) and a focus on dynamic capability, especially the linkage with resources such as digital capability, domestic industrial networks and the business-to-business (B2B) model.

This study used secondary data collected by an SME association in 2020, using a logistic regression model to examine the hypotheses. The respondents were selected according to stratified random sampling.

Digital capability and the B2B model significantly and positively affect the likelihood of internationalization by SMEs, while domestic industrial networks were negatively correlated with this process. In addition, Taiwanese SMEs with high digital capability tend to expand to North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, Oceania and the Middle East. Smaller firms tend to develop in Southeast Asia, whereas larger firms opt to establish business in Oceania.

A research limitation is the generalizability of the sample. Findings could be enhanced if future studies include more industries and draw comparisons among different industries or countries. Future studies could explore digital entrepreneurship from a global perspective.

Managers need to emphasize better the development of digital capabilities and skills for SMEs. With limited financial resources and workforce, SMEs can strengthen the competence in international markets by adopting a suitable business model. When SMEs join an association to expand SMEs foreign networks, the study suggests that SMEs carefully evaluate the characteristics of each industrial association first, given that some associations are domestic-oriented. As for public policymakers, a project grant can be used to provide digital capability training for SME employees and owners or promote building a B2B model when internationalizing.

The authors' findings fill the research gaps in RBVs of internationalization, especially in linking resources such as digital capability, domestic industrial networks and the B2B model. The outcomes of this research serve as a reference not only to policymakers for improving the current SME ecosystem, but also to business practitioners positioning themselves in this system.

This study investigates organizations' non-adoption intention towards the enterprise metaverse. The innovation resistance theory (IRT) is used as an underpinning theory to examine the impact of various risks on non-adoption intention towards the enterprise metaverse.

A total of 294 responses were collected to examine the proposed hypotheses. A structural equation modelling technique was used to investigate the hypotheses using SPSS AMOS and PROCESS MACRO.

The results of this study reveal that performance, security and psychological risks are significantly associated with non-adoption intention towards enterprise metaverse. Further, distrust significantly meditates the association between performance risk, social risk, technological dependence risk, security risk and psychological risk and non-adoption intention towards enterprise metaverse. Moreover, the results of moderated-mediation hypotheses indicate that the mediating effect of distrust on the association among performance risk, social risk, psychological risk and non-adoption intention towards enterprise metaverse is higher for individuals having high technostress compared to individuals having low technostress.

The study's findings will enrich the metaverse literature. Further, it provides a deeper understanding of enterprise metaverse adoption from a B2B perspective using the underpinnings of IRT. The study helps organizations understand the risks associated with the adoption of the enterprise metaverse.

The main purpose of the study is to identify the differences and similarities in the communication between B2B participants in cross-cultural environments.

The research methods used in the study are two-fold: the literature analysis is complemented by primary qualitative research conducted in small- and medium-sized enterprises operating in Poland and doing business internationally. The research was focused on two culturally different markets: China and the United States. In the empirical research, the authors used one of the qualitative methods – Individual Depth Interview (IDI).

General findings showed that the strongest influence of culture was identified among older (+50 years old) business partners. The younger ones are eager to adapt and try to understand others' viewpoints. The research results may be used in creating business communication models in the countries researched for companies that plan to enter both American and Chinese markets.

The results of the study may have useful applied managerial value and be used in cooperation between SMEs' B2B business partners, not only from Poland but also from the whole region of Central and Eastern Europe and the United States and China.

The findings may help to understand and communicate with culturally different social groups such as co-workers, students, teachers, etc.

The research presented in the paper covers the gap in the literature because it relates to some new factors (like cultural heritage, age and type of industry) which determine the effectiveness of personal business communication between partners in the international marketplace.

This study aims to explore the role customer satisfaction play in mediating the nexus between commitment, trust, relative dependence and customer loyalty from an emerging market context under a business-to-business (B2B) setting.

The study was a descriptive survey, and using convenience sampling technique, questionnaires were used to gather data from 356 businesses that were distributors of Guinness Ghana Company Limited. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed hypotheses for this study, and macro-PROCESS was performed to test the mediating effect of customer satisfaction.

The findings show that relative dependence had the most considerable significant and positive impact on B2B partners satisfaction, followed by commitment and trust, respectively. A positive and significant relationship was also found between B2B firms’ satisfaction and loyalty. The result also indicates that customer satisfaction mediates the relationship between commitment, trust, relative dependence and B2B loyalty.

Practitioners can manipulate specific relative dependence, commitment and trust features to increase customer satisfaction with their firm’s services, thus ensuring longer-term customer loyalty.

Drawing on the social exchange theory, this study provides a more profound perspective focusing on an emerging market context, by examining from a B2B setting the significance of commitment, trust, relative dependence and B2B partners satisfaction on loyalty.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the motivation behind Google’s development of Gemini and its potential impact on the information industry.

This viewpoint paper relies on a comprehensive analysis of the advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technology, specifically in the field of chatbots.

The findings reveal that Gemini is designed to enhance user experiences by providing personalized and contextually relevant information. It aims to streamline information retrieval, improve customer service and offer tailored content recommendations. The competition among companies in building AI-powered chatbots is driving rapid advancements and innovation in the field.

The originality of this paper lies in its analysis of Google DeepMind’s Gemini and its potential impact on the information industry. It highlights the significance of AI-powered chatbots in transforming how users access and interact with information. This paper contributes to the existing literature by examining the competition in building AI tools and its implications for the future of the information industry. It offers insights into the motivation behind Google’s development of Gemini and its potential value in enhancing user experiences and driving monetization opportunities.

The purpose of this study is to define and investigate the governance requirements of supply chain finance (SCF).

A qualitative analysis of 849 news articles published in UK newspapers (2000–2022) using the Gioia method.

SCF governance relies on developing capacities for reflexive scrutiny at two stages: (1) prior to entering into an SCF relationship and (2) during its operation. Based on the notion of SCF as a complex adaptive system, we theorise SCF governance requirements as a dual-layered semipermeable boundary. The semipermeability of the two layers allows for a dynamic exchange between the SCF system and its environment. The first layer is the capacity to selectively enable or control the entry and access of certain actors and practices into the SCF system. The second layer is a capacity for ongoing scrutiny of the SCF operation and its development. Further, we identify five aspects of governance to be enabled, i.e. enhancing adaptability, building confidence, improving efficiency, advancing technology and promoting transparency; and four aspects to be controlled, i.e. preventing abuse of power, curbing fraud risk, constraining operational risk and restricting risky extensions to SCF practices.

Our dynamic framework can guide supply chain (SC) members in making decisions about whether to participate, or continue to operate, in an SCF relationship. Moreover, the findings have implications for policymakers and authorities who oversee entry/access and the involvement of SCF providers, particularly, fintech firms.

The study contributes to both the SC and governance literature by providing a systematic analysis of what SCF governance has to accomplish. Our novel contribution lies in its analysis of SCF governance based on a complex adaptive system approach, which expands the existing literature where SCF is described in rather static terms. More specifically, it suggests a need for a dynamic duality of SCF governance through the semipermeable boundary that selectively enables and controls certain SCF actors and practices.

Entrepreneurial orientation is among the vital factors that contribute to performance, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, the empirical studies provide mixed results and call for new studies to examine this relationship. Therefore, this study aims to determine the entrepreneurial orientation's (EO) direct and indirect impact (via entrepreneurial competencies) on firm performance. Additionally, the moderating role of environmental dynamism is also tested in entrepreneurial competencies and firm performance relationships.

The data (N = 332) were collected from managerial rank employees, using a self-administered questionnaire, working in different SMEs in Pakistan. In addition, structural equation modeling (SEM) was executed using SmartPLS 3.2.

The study's results demonstrate that EO positively influences entrepreneurial competencies and firm performance, and entrepreneurial competencies also mediate the relationship between EO and performance. Additionally, environmental dynamism strengthens the positive relationship between entrepreneurial competencies and performance.

This study identifies that entrepreneurial competency is the missing link between EO and firm performance, due to which the relationship between them is indecisive. This study also contributes to the contingency perspective by explaining the role of environmental dynamism as a boundary condition in strengthening the relationship between entrepreneurial competencies and SMEs' performance in an emerging economy.

The aim of this research is to explore the impact of digital resilience on firms' international performance. Using internal operation efficiency and innovation as channel variables, this paper explores the relationship between digital resilience and international firm performance of Chinese listed firms.

The research design follows a quantitative approach. Using firm-level panel data from 2007 to 2020, this paper tests the hypotheses between digital resilience and international firm performance through internal efficiency and innovation.

The results note that digital resilience has a positive effect on internationalization while operation efficiency is a channel through which digital resilience promotes internationalization. Digital resilience also facilitates innovation by improving research and development (R&D) efficiency and matching innovation collaborators.

This paper is one of the first to explore digital resilience in the context of internalization and international firm performance. This paper extends the notion of resource-based view (RBV) to examine the relationship between digital resilience, internal efficiency and innovation on international firm performance.

This paper aims to explore the challenges and opportunities faced by buying centers in small and medium enterprises (SME) manufacturing companies in view of recent technological changes and the virtualization of communication.

This study uses a qualitative approach with multiple case studies to portray complex realities within the buying centers in the manufacturing SME context. The authors selected five Italian companies to portray the diverse characteristics, practices and policies of relevant stakeholders before reaching saturation with the issues explored.

The authors find that interactions among buying center members are more effective with greater collaboration and exchange (as opposed to competition and a struggle for power). Virtual/hybrid relations require greater intra-group cooperation, whereas diverse backgrounds and collaborative interactions help the flexibility and performance of the buying center. Greater use of technology produces certainty and automation, but it may also cause overload and biases that can be solved with the ability to analyze and clear responsibility for decisions.

The authors studied only five Italian companies in this study. Future research in other countries with diverse cultural and socio-economic conditions and methods would help extend this research.

The findings would improve the understanding of the challenges of adopting new purchase process technologies that would help automate routine tasks, produce useful data and support decision-making.

Unlike prior studies, this study uses an exploratory design to study the evolution of buying centers in SMEs to seek deeper insights into the challenges and opportunities faced by SMEs because of the growing use of emerging technologies.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic review of literature on corporate engagement with start-ups (CEWS) by identifying the modes, contexts, antecedents, barriers and outcomes. As an emerging field, CEWS presently has no such review available which will help in building consensus within the field and shape future research directions.

The study followed a two-phased systematic review of literature. Three research databases (i.e. Web of Science, ScienceDirect and SCOPUS) were accessed to gather and conduct the review. Of the total 379 papers retrieved, 63 total relevant papers were studied and analysed. The exhaustive review of literature helped to uncover the contexts, perspectives, antecedents, outcomes and barriers reported across the different modes of CEWS.

The study highlighted the five prominent modes of CEWS favoured by large corporations and start-ups. It found that the large corporations and start-ups associate with one another on the basis of complementarities of activities, resources and motives to pursue their strategic orientations. The engagements also face barriers on the ground, such as incompatibility of goals, power imbalances, cultural differences and weak engagement plans. Most important contexts seen were the high-technology industries in the developed economies like the USA and Europe. It also found that ecosystem creation, accessing innovation and corporate strategy have been preferred as the most productive modes of CEWS in the literature.

This review provides practitioners with a detailed list of the modes and drivers of CEWS. Subsequently, the barriers that need to be managed to successfully execute a specific mode of engagement. This shall enable the practitioners in developing and adopting the best practices while engaging with the start-ups to better facilitate the outcomes of CEWS.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is no systematic literature review available in the domain of CEWS – thus, this study makes an important methodological contribution to the field. By consolidating the fragmented yet growing knowledge on CEWS, the study presents a detailed understanding of what drives and obstructs the engagement between large corporations and start-ups.