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Article
Publication date: 11 January 2024

Luca Simone Macca, Nazia Shehzad, Maria Kovacova and Gabriele Santoro

The recent pandemic period (COVID-19), while negatively impacting many companies, has contributed to the growth and adoption of online platforms such as marketplaces and…

Abstract

Purpose

The recent pandemic period (COVID-19), while negatively impacting many companies, has contributed to the growth and adoption of online platforms such as marketplaces and e-commerce. This environment has led many companies, which previously acted only through offline channels, to adopt new technologies and online channels and develop new e-commerce strategies. Small and micro enterprises are most vulnerable due to their limited resources and lack of capabilities. For this reason, the main objective of this paper is to unveil the e-commerce implementation capabilities that micro and small enterprises should build and the challenges they must face when managing an e-commerce strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors adopted an inductive qualitative research design approach focused on multiple case studies. The firms operate in the food and beverage industry.

Findings

The findings identify several e-commerce implementation capabilities that micro and small enterprises operating in the food and beverage industry should build to manage e-commerce strategies. These are related to outsourcing management, multichannel management, time management, internal stock management and marketplace choice. Moreover, the paper identifies key e-commerce implementation challenges these firms must cope with. These regard distribution management, potential loss of control, fresh product management and lack of resources, time and capabilities.

Originality/value

This research shows that proper capacity management in the implementation of micro and small enterprises e-commerce strategies is critical to achieving efficient results and preventing challenges that threaten such strategies. The research offers guidelines and frameworks for micro and small enterprises to understand how to manage e-commerce and face its challenges.

Details

European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-1060

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 May 2023

Thanh Tiep Le and Sukalpa Chakrabarti

The aim of this study is to provide a further understanding of how and when social media (SM) boosts firm performance (FP) by exploring the mediation role of business innovation…

293

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study is to provide a further understanding of how and when social media (SM) boosts firm performance (FP) by exploring the mediation role of business innovation capabilities (BI) and firm competitiveness (FC) in the link between SM and FP.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a quantitative approach using small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging market as an empirical field of research. The population of this study is the management level of SMEs and professionals. This study surveyed 425 samples to get primary data for quantitative analysis. This study uses Smart PLS SEM version 3.3.2 to analyze the collected data.

Findings

This study found that SM directly and indirectly affects FP through BI and FC. Besides, BI and FC mediated the relationship between SM and FP.

Originality/value

The originality of this study lies in the operationalization of an unexplored integrated framework using SMEs in emerging market as an empirical field of research from the perspective of combination of diffusion of innovations theory and resource advantage theory. This study thus provides a new approach to the potential of SM for business innovation capabilities oriented toward sustainability. Drawing on the findings of this study, theoretical and managerial implications are proposed which may be of great interests to business practitioners, business owners, business directors and managers to operate their organizations efficiently through making optimal use of SM platforms.

Details

Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7835

Keywords

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