Search results
1 – 10 of 392Mohsin Shafi, Yongzhong Yang, Zoya, Liu Junrong, Imran Ur Rahman and Hina Fatima
Though certain characteristics of micro-firms affect the likelihood of their participation in external relationships, how cooperation in craft enterprises differs from low and…
Abstract
Purpose
Though certain characteristics of micro-firms affect the likelihood of their participation in external relationships, how cooperation in craft enterprises differs from low and high-tech enterprises has not been investigated yet. Therefore, this study aims to fill the above gap in the literature.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a descriptive approach by extensively reviewing relevant literature to explore the unique characteristics and nature of micro-firm's co-operative behavior. The theoretical approach of this research is grounded in resource-based view and dynamic capabilities theories.
Findings
This study finds that handicraft micro-firms possess special and unique characteristics that differentiate them from low- and high-tech firms. Further, handicraft micro-firms' co-operative behavior also differs from other firms in terms of cooperation motives, breadth, depth and factors that inhibit or promote cooperation. Additionally, in small handicraft firms, the co-operation is more informal, personal and through social networks, whereas in the corporate sector, it is more formal, direct and through supply chains. This study also argues that contrary to handicraft and low-tech firms, high-tech firms are more likely to cooperate with external partners and invest heavily in R&D for new product development (often radical in nature).
Originality/value
This study enriches our understanding of handicraft micro-firms' special and unique characteristics that differentiate them from low- and high-tech micro-firms. This research also provides in-depth knowledge to understand the handicraft micro-firms’ co-operative behavior and how it differs from low- and high-tech firms.
Details
Keywords
Despite their economic and cultural significance, the growth of handicraft micro firms is vulnerable, given their small size and resource limitations. By examining the impact of…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite their economic and cultural significance, the growth of handicraft micro firms is vulnerable, given their small size and resource limitations. By examining the impact of cooperation on firm performance via innovation capability, this study shows how micro firms can address constraints and achieve sustainable development by acquiring and utilizing external resources, complemented by innovation capability, through internal development.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 164 handicraft micro firms in Pakistan via a questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was employed to estimate interrelations of various constructs simultaneously and control measurement errors.
Findings
The impact of cooperation with customers and suppliers on firm performance via innovation capability was positive and significant. Contrarily, competitor cooperation did not significantly affect innovation capability. Furthermore, there was a positive and significant interaction effect of customer and competitor cooperation on innovation capability. Thus, micro firms must reinforce their customer and supplier relationships through innovation capability and internal transformation for sustainable development. Moreover, a balance must exist between cooperation and competition to achieve optimal innovation returns for the sustainable development of firms.
Originality/value
This study emphasized that micro firms must strengthen their customer and supplier relationships via innovation capability and internal development to achieve higher performance. Moreover, the study introduced a new dimension for measuring firm performance.
Details
Keywords
Sudip K. Tiwari and Tor Korneliussen
Relying on the theoretical lens of a knowledge-based view, the purpose of this study is to explore the sources and roles of experiential knowledge in the rapid…
Abstract
Purpose
Relying on the theoretical lens of a knowledge-based view, the purpose of this study is to explore the sources and roles of experiential knowledge in the rapid internationalisation of an emerging market-based micro export firms (EMMFs).
Design/methodology/approach
This is an inductive theory building study, which attempts to understand the “how” and “why” questions. In so doing, the study used nine micro export firms operating in the handicrafts sector of Nepal.
Findings
The findings suggest that internationalisation of resource-poor EMMFs relies on the entrepreneurs’ experiential knowledge, which is mainly acquired through prior experience, social networks and participation in international trade-fairs.
Research limitations/implications
This study contributes by formulating a number of propositions on the sources and roles of experiential knowledge, which could be tested in pursuit of theory building on micro firms’ internationalisation based in emerging markets.
Originality/value
The paper advances an understanding on the patterns of firms’ internationalisation, and discusses EMMFs’ possibilities to emerge as a faster internationalising firm, so-called “born globals”.
Details
Keywords
Naimatullah Shah, Nisren Farouk Moawad, Mitho Khan Bhatti, Nadia A. Abdelmegeed Abdelwahed and Bahadur Ali Soomro
This study investigates economic sustainability through orientation and absorptive capacity.
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates economic sustainability through orientation and absorptive capacity.
Design/methodology/approach
The researchers developed a conceptual framework based on vigorous literature for this investigation. This study targeted managers from Pakistan's SME sector as respondents and employed cross-sectional data. In total, the authors based this study's findings on 192 valid cases.
Findings
The structural equation modeling (SEM) results highlight that innovation orientation (IO), customer orientation (CO), supplier orientation (SO), network orientation (NO) and absorptive capacity (AC) have significant effects on economic sustainability (ES). Moreover, this study's findings show that ES significantly predicts environmental sustainability (ENS). Finally, the results also demonstrate that ES and ENS positively and substantially affect financial performance (FP).
Practical implications
This study's findings help SMEs continue sustainable business practices by avoiding adverse environmental effects and ongoing climate changes. This study's findings contribute also to the manufacture of eco-friendly environmental products to reduce the contamination of the environment. Financial institutions and policymakers would boost SME owners' capacity and the obtainability of financial resources to improve Pakistani SMEs’ sustainable economic and environmental performance.
Originality/value
This study's findings help to enrich environmental and economic sustainability and, more significantly, for developing countries.
Details
Keywords
Carla Susana Marques, Gina Santos, Vanessa Ratten and Ana B. Barros
Rural entrepreneurship is an emergent field of study, with these start-ups becoming one of the most noticeable ways to promote rural development, but the few studies concerning…
Abstract
Purpose
Rural entrepreneurship is an emergent field of study, with these start-ups becoming one of the most noticeable ways to promote rural development, but the few studies concerning innovation among artisans have thus far only been exploratory. The purpose of this paper is to examine the entrepreneurial artisan initiatives of young innovators in a peripheral northern area of Portugal where black pottery is produced.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative data analysis was carried out on in-depth semi-structured interviews with three young artisan innovators and entrepreneurs and one individual who functions as a cultural booster. The content analysis was done using QSR International’s NVivo Version 11 software.
Findings
These young entrepreneurs have developed commercial activities and introduced innovations (i.e. design and process) into black pottery production, while taking advantage of endogenous materials, local culture and traditional knowledge. These individuals have sought not only to generate their own innovations but also to keep their culture and local traditions alive, thereby contributing to rural development by establishing networks with local young artisans.
Research limitations/implications
Some limitations are linked to the sample’s size and basis in a specific geographic reality.
Practical implications
The findings provide a fuller understanding of why some rural artisan firms grow, suggesting that artisans’ networks and innovative and entrepreneurial behaviours play a key role.
Originality/value
This research’s results contribute to the literature on the role that innovation can play as a booster of rural artisanship through networks and entrepreneurship. This paper is among the first to discuss black pottery as a form of artisan entrepreneurship. The results underline the value of innovations and networks, which were found to be the core ingredients in rural artisan entrepreneurship.
Details
Keywords
Sara Dassouli, Virginia Bodolica, Harit Satt and Mohamed M'hamdi
This paper aims to examine the specific role that partnerships play in the relationship between adaptation strategy, international experience, and export performance of handicraft…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the specific role that partnerships play in the relationship between adaptation strategy, international experience, and export performance of handicraft firms in an emerging country setting. The authors' purpose is to identify the key factors that may contribute to the success of export activities of small handicraft companies in international markets.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on a non-probability sampling technique, the authors collected survey data from 410 handicraft companies located in Morocco. The authors' conceptual model, which draws on the network theory, was tested using covariance-based Structural Equation Modeling by means of AMOS 24 Software.
Findings
The results indicate that adaptation marketing strategy and partnerships impact positively the export performance of handicraft firms. Partnerships also play an intermediary role by partially (fully) mediating the relationship between adaptation strategy (international experience) and export performance.
Practical implications
This study may assist marketers and entrepreneurs in handicraft companies to better understand the causal relationship between adaptation strategy, marketing experience and export performance of entrepreneurs' firms. Managers in these companies should be aware of the importance that partnerships play in boosting the export performance through marketing practices and experience.
Originality/value
The authors' paper contributes to the scant literature on the adaptation marketing strategy and export performance and the intermediary role of partnerships in the specific context of handicraft businesses operating in North African emerging markets, namely Morocco.
Details
Keywords
Arunava Dalal, Subhajit Bhattacharya and Subrata Chattopadhyay
Crafts embody the history and heritage of their country of origin and can play an essential role in the country's socioeconomic development by providing significant job…
Abstract
Purpose
Crafts embody the history and heritage of their country of origin and can play an essential role in the country's socioeconomic development by providing significant job opportunities for the rural population. This article investigates the significant challenges that artisan entrepreneurs face when creating, communicating and selling handcrafted goods to potential customers in emerging economies. This study attempted to rate the impediments based on their severity using the voices of artisan entrepreneurs.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-method approach combining qualitative and quantitative data analysis was followed to identify the leading causes of the artisans' pain points. In the first phase, empirical observations were gathered through focus group discussions with artisan entrepreneurs, and the identified factors were quantitatively ranked using the analytic hierarchy process in the second phase.
Findings
The mixed-method research assisted in identifying the primary constraints affecting the efficient and effective operation of the artisan-driven small handicraft business. This study identified six factors that were ranked based on the voices of artisan entrepreneurs during the survey, as barriers to effective handicraft marketing.
Originality/value
Few studies on the handcraft industry have sought to explore the issues faced by artisan businesses holistically. The voices of artisan entrepreneurs were gathered for this study to identify and rate the present obstacles influencing the functioning of small handicraft firms in emerging nations. Handicraft marketing will become more effective and efficient if these barriers are removed.
Details
Keywords
Suwastika Naidu, Anand Chand and Paul Southgate
– The purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of innovation in handicraft industry of Fiji and Tonga.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of innovation in handicraft industry of Fiji and Tonga.
Design/methodology/approach
Data for this study was collected via face-to-face interviews with handicraft sellers in Fiji and Tonga. In total, 368 interviews were conducted in Fiji and Tonga out of which, 48 was from Tonga and 320 was from Fiji.
Findings
The results of this study show that eight factors; namely, value adding, design uniqueness, new product development, cultural uniqueness, advanced technology, experience of owner, ability of owner to adapt to trends in market and quality of raw materials have significant impact on level of innovation in handicraft industry of Fiji and Tonga.
Originality/value
To date, none of the existing studies have examined determinants of innovation in handicraft industry of the Pacific Island countries. This is a pioneering study that examines determinants of innovation in handicraft industry of Fiji and Tonga.
Details
Keywords
Rohit Bhardwaj, Saurabh Srivastava, Rashi Taggar and Sunali Bindra
Social enterprises (SEs) operate with a primary goal of meeting a social purpose while creating economic wealth for the fulfillment of their primary mission. These organizations…
Abstract
Purpose
Social enterprises (SEs) operate with a primary goal of meeting a social purpose while creating economic wealth for the fulfillment of their primary mission. These organizations need to develop a certain set of capabilities that facilitates the successful pursuit of their dual mission goals. This paper aims at exploring the micro-foundations of dynamic capabilities (DCs) that enable SEs to recognize and exploit opportunities and reconfigure their resources to pursue their dual-mission goals and adjust with the environmental dynamics.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a multiple case design and an abductive research approach to conduct an in-depth and in-due course investigation of the development of DCs in two distinct SEs selected on the basis of theoretical-purposive sampling and availability of the richness of the information about them.
Findings
This study finds certain generic and exclusive micro-foundations of DCs that contribute to sensing opportunities, seizing opportunities and reconfiguring resources in SEs. The exclusive micro-foundations of DCs of SEs noted in this study are sustainability of beneficiaries, involving beneficiaries in decision-making, defining unique business models and selective suppliers for critical resources.
Research limitations/implications
The limitation of this study lies in its dependence on retrospective data, which may perhaps influence the comprehensiveness and accuracy of the acquired data. This study, although, implemented the measures to minimize the bias, by supplementing the interview data with archival sources.
Practical implications
To the researchers, this study proffers an in-depth and in-due course explanation of the micro-foundations of DCs that facilitate SEs to sense opportunities, seize opportunities and reconfigure their resources with time. To practitioners working in the area of social entrepreneurship, this process study is an outline of reference that answers the how and why concerning the importance of micro-foundations of DCs for SEs.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no prior study has explored the micro-foundations of DCs in the context of SEs from emerging economies. The exclusive micro-foundations of DCs for SEs found in this study are the unique and original contribution that outlines the path for future academic inquiry in this evolving research area.
Details
Keywords
Arunava Dalal, Subhajit Bhattacharya and Subrata Chattopadhyay
The handicraft sector is unorganized, with tremendous opportunities for generating employment, particularly for the non-urban and bottom of the pyramid (BOP) population. The aim…
Abstract
Purpose
The handicraft sector is unorganized, with tremendous opportunities for generating employment, particularly for the non-urban and bottom of the pyramid (BOP) population. The aim of this paper is to revisit the existing supply chain of the handicraft sector to identify the gaps that can help generate better marketing outcomes for the sector when addressed.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed method of qualitative and quantitative research has been used. Empirical observations from artisans have been collected to identify different variables impacting the functioning of the handicraft value chain.
Findings
Different variables were identified and grouped into six important dimensions through the mixed-method research. The components were ranked based on importance, which can help in developing a robust supply chain at BOP for the handicraft sector.
Originality/value
Studies on the supply chain of the handicraft sector are rare, and none has tried to understand issues in an integrated way directly from the artisans. This study has captured the voices of the artisans, and through qualitative and quantitative data analyses, the main reasons for the artisans' pain points were identified. This can give directions to a viable business model for the handicraft sector.
Details