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The objective of this study is to investigate how country risk, different political actions from the government and bureaucratic behavior influence the activities in industry supply chains (SCs) in emerging markets. The main objective of this study is to investigate the influence of these external stakeholders’ elements to the demand-side and supply-side drivers and barriers for improving competitiveness of Ready-Made Garment (RMG) industry in the way of analyzing supply chain. Considering the phenomenon of recent change in the RMG business environment and the competitiveness issues this study uses the principles of stakeholder and resource dependence theory and aims to find out some factors which influence to make an efficient supply chain for improving competitiveness. The RMG industry of Bangladesh is the case application of this study. Following a positivist paradigm, this study adopts a two phase sequential mixed-method research design consisting of qualitative and quantitative approaches. A tentative research model is developed first based on extensive literature review. Qualitative field study is then carried out to fine tune the initial research model. Findings from the qualitative method are also used to develop measures and instruments for the next phase of quantitative method. A survey is carried out with sample of top and middle level executives of different garment companies of Dhaka city in Bangladesh and the collected quantitative data are analyzed by partial least square-based structural equation modeling. The findings support eight hypotheses. From the analysis the external stakeholders’ elements like bureaucratic behavior and country risk have significant influence to the barriers. From the internal stakeholders’ point of view the manufacturers’ and buyers’ drivers have significant influence on the competitiveness. Therefore, stakeholders need to take proper action to reduce the barriers and increase the drivers, as the drivers have positive influence to improve competitiveness.

This study has both theoretical and practical contributions. This study represents an important contribution to the theory by integrating two theoretical perceptions to identify factors of the RMG industry’s SC that affect the competitiveness of the RMG industry. This research study contributes to the understanding of both external and internal stakeholders of national and international perspectives in the RMG (textile and clothing) business. It combines the insights of stakeholder and resource dependence theories along with the concept of the SC in improving effectiveness. In a practical sense, this study certainly contributes to the Bangladeshi RMG industry. In accordance with the desire of the RMG manufacturers, the research has shown that some influential constructs of the RMG industry’s SC affect the competitiveness of the RMG industry. The outcome of the study is useful for various stakeholders of the Bangladeshi RMG industry sector ranging from the government to various private organizations. The applications of this study are extendable through further adaptation in other industries and various geographic contexts.

The purpose of this paper is as follows: first, this study aims to identify the impact of internal and external factors on the implementation of halal logistics (IHL). Second, this study aims to investigate the impact of internal factors on the IHL through competitive pressure (COP) as a moderating variable.

This study used primary data that were collected through offline questionnaires. The questionnaires were intended to identify the internal and external conditions of a company and the level of the IHL. The internal condition consists of five factors, namely corporate image and reputation (CRE), entrepreneurial intensity, social responsibility (SRE), expected business benefit and halal integrity (HIN). The external factors consist of demand or customer pressure (DCP), government support (GOV), market share expansion and COP. This study considered the factors belonged to internal and external companies on the basis of the conceptual model from Ab Talib et al. (2015), Zailaini et al. (2015) and Ab Talib and Chin (2018) as they have clearly distinguished the important factors for the implementation of the concept of halal into internal and external groups and most of those factors are frequently stated by the other researchers.

There were 148 questionnaires administrated, 84.5% of which were properly filled in, completed and returned. For internal factors, the result of the study confirms that CRE, SRE and HIN have a positive significant impact on the IHL. For external factors, the result of the study confirms that DCP, GOV and COP have a positive significant impact on the IHL. Then, the result of the study also confirms that COP can make the impact of good CRE on the IHL stronger. This condition did not happen for the other internal factors.

First, it is debatable that internal and external factors and the IHL are only measured by the Likert scales. Future research may take the benefits of inducing qualitative approaches to better measure the condition of internal and external factors and the level of IHL practices through observation and probing. Second, this study was limited to the respondents from companies in Indonesia, which is a Muslim-dominant country and this study does not take into account the differences in the target market and the company’s owner, size of operation and financial capacity. Future research should test the conceptual model in a non-Muslim country and should include controlling for variables to generate a more conducive finding. Third, this study only uses the limited variable as the internal and external factors. Therefore, as many variables represent technological, organisational and environmental factors, they could be included in the future research framework.

This study practically contributes to the halal concept implementation body of knowledge by identifying the relationships between the internal and external factors and the IHL. Understanding this relationship will help the management of food, beverage and ingredient companies, as well as the government or policymakers in making better decisions and strategies to strengthen the IHL.

The IHL may help the food, beverage and ingredient companies to be competitive and achieve organisational improvements.

This study is among the few studies that scrutinized the rationale behind the IHL by Indonesian companies. Although halal logistics plays a key role in protecting the halal status of any given product, this topic is still rarely explored, especially with the case study of Indonesian companies.

The purpose of this paper is to explore whether internal audit's reporting relationship with the audit committee and the client's business risk environment impact external auditors' reliance on the work of internal audit.

An experiment is conducted using a 2×2 between‐subjects design where we manipulate the above two factors at strong and weak levels. Participants are 66 audit partners, managers and seniors, all experienced with clients having internal audit functions.

The results indicate that both factors affect external auditors' reliance on work already undertaken by internal audit and their use of internal auditors (IA) as assistants. The results also indicate that external auditors are more likely to use internal audit for control evaluation tasks than for substantive tests of balances. The study does not find any significant interaction effects between the two factors.

No prior studies have examined the influence of reporting relationship and client business risk on external auditors' reliance decisions in the current governance environment. Further, the paper examines the impact of these factors on reliance on work already undertaken by internal audit and on using IA as assistants, with respect to both control evaluation work and substantive testing of balances.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the influence of internal and external factors of SNOWA Corporation on its marketing strategic planning. Is there a relationship between internal and external factors and strategic marketing planning? How severe is this relationship?

The present study is an applied research using a descriptive-analytic method. The statistical sample of this research includes 300 personnel of SNOWA Corporation. Data were collected applying a standard questionnaire in a five-point Likert scale. Content validity ratio and content validity index were used to evaluate the content validity of the questionnaire, and a Cronbach’s alpha test was applied to assess its reliability. SPSS Software (factor analysis) and Amos Software (structural equation modeling) were applied to analyze the collected data. Results of this research show that internal and external factors influence the development of its marketing strategic planning.

Results of this research show that internal and external factors influence the development of SNOWA marketing strategic planning. Another result of this study is that the severity of the relationship between the independent and dependent variables varies from the viewpoint of the employees of different departments.

The study will help managers deal with environmental opportunities effectively while formulating corporation strategies. In addition, findings reveal that having vision and mission help managers find a clear way to reach the goals.

This is one of a few papers to provide empirical evidence of the influence of internal and external factors of SNOWA Corporation on its marketing strategic planning. Identification of the external-internal factors used in formulating marketing strategic planning may prove useful for other researchers working in this under-researched area.

This study aims to examine the antecedent factors (internal and external) that influence intentions to buy over-the-counter (OTC) medicines in Jordan.

A conceptual framework was developed based on consumer buying behavior theoretical background and a review of the relevant literature. A quantitative approach and a convenience sampling method were used to obtain data from self-administered questionnaires, which were completed by 351 academic staff from selected Jordanian universities.

The results indicate that all antecedent factors (internal, external and combined) have significant positive influences on the intentions to buy OTC medicines. Internal factors are more influential than external factors; however, the combination of internal and external factors resulted in the greatest influence on buying OTC medicines compared to each category separately.

This paper has integrated and examined empirically the antecedent factors that influence intentions to buy OTC medicines (internal, external and combined) in Jordan’s business environment context as a developing country for the first time.

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to investigate the direct effect of internal and external drivers on full implementation of the green supply-chain management (GSCM) practice; and second, to investigate the direct effect of internal drivers and indirect effect of external drivers on the full implementation of the GSCM practice.

The study is based on the data collected from 30 to 35 furniture small and medium enterprises (SMEs) chosen from each surveyed region. In this case, the selected SMEs should have been conducted some GSCM practices. So, the total number of samples used in this study is 100 SMEs. The relationships between internal and external drivers and the success of the implementation of the GSCM practices are analyzed using structural equation modeling.

The results of this study have revealed that internal and external drivers, which consist of involvement, technology, financial, regulation and customer pressure, have a direct effect on early adoption of GSCM practices. Among these drivers, technology gives the most significant effect. The results have also shown that only financial factor has a direct effect on the full implementation of GCSCM practices, whereas regulation and customer pressure have positive effect on the full implementation through early adoption of GSCM practices.

Among the limitations of this study is related to the sample that was restricted to SMEs of furniture in three regions. The other limitation could be related to variable involved as internal and external drivers. This study has only used involvement, technology, knowledge, financial, and regulation and customer pressure as the antecedent variables of early adoption of the GSCM practices. Moreover, this study has only used the Likert scale as an approach to measure the implementation of GSCM practice management, which could be the source of bias in expressing the level of the implementation.

From the internal side of enterprises, the top management or the owner of SMEs can develop an effective comprehensive environmental strategy. This strategy requires the top management of SMEs show an environment oriented, allocate a specific person for implementing the GSCM practice and learn about the current technology that can support the environmentally friendly products, and also allocate the specific budget to support the implementation of GSCM practice. Moreover, since the study also found that financial factor was just the only factor having a direct effect on the full implementation of GSCM practices; therefore, the government should help the SMEs of furniture in developing low cost-GSCM implementation techniques and also provide easiness for the SMEs to get the needed fund for implementing the GSCM practice.

The research has confirmed that regulation and customer pressure have the positive and significant effect on the full implementation of GSCM practices. It may encourage the government to make some policy related to improvement of the implementation of GSCM practice by SMEs of wooden furniture, specifically in the Central Java Province. Another implication would be to encourage the customer to make purchasing oriented decision for the implementation of GSCM practices by the SMEs of wooden furniture.

This study contributes to the literature of GSCM by combining the critical factors of implementation of GSCM practices toward internal and external drivers and empirically testing the direct and indirect impacts on the level of adoption of GSCM practices.

Information and communications technology (ICT) offers enormous opportunities for individuals, businesses and society. The application of ICT is equally important to economic and non-economic activities. Researchers have increasingly focused on the adoption and use of ICT by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as the economic development of a country is largely dependent on them. Following the success of ICT utilisation in SMEs in developed countries, many developing countries are looking to utilise the potential of the technology to develop SMEs. Past studies have shown that the contribution of ICT to the performance of SMEs is not clear and certain. Thus, it is crucial to determine the effectiveness of ICT in generating firm performance since this has implications for SMEs’ expenditure on the technology. This research examines the diffusion of ICT among SMEs with respect to the typical stages from innovation adoption to post-adoption, by analysing the actual usage of ICT and value creation. The mediating effects of integration and utilisation on SME performance are also studied. Grounded in the innovation diffusion literature, institutional theory and resource-based theory, this study has developed a comprehensive integrated research model focused on the research objectives. Following a positivist research paradigm, this study employs a mixed-method research approach. A preliminary conceptual framework is developed through an extensive literature review and is refined by results from an in-depth field study. During the field study, a total of 11 SME owners or decision-makers were interviewed. The recorded interviews were transcribed and analysed using NVivo 10 to refine the model to develop the research hypotheses. The final research model is composed of 30 first-order and five higher-order constructs which involve both reflective and formative measures. Partial least squares-based structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) is employed to test the theoretical model with a cross-sectional data set of 282 SMEs in Bangladesh. Survey data were collected using a structured questionnaire issued to SMEs selected by applying a stratified random sampling technique. The structural equation modelling utilises a two-step procedure of data analysis. Prior to estimating the structural model, the measurement model is examined for construct validity of the study variables (i.e. convergent and discriminant validity).

The estimates show cognitive evaluation as an important antecedent for expectation which is shaped primarily by the entrepreneurs’ beliefs (perception) and also influenced by the owners’ innovativeness and culture. Culture further influences expectation. The study finds that facilitating condition, environmental pressure and country readiness are important antecedents of expectation and ICT use. The results also reveal that integration and the degree of ICT utilisation significantly affect SMEs’ performance. Surprisingly, the findings do not reveal any significant impact of ICT usage on performance which apparently suggests the possibility of the ICT productivity paradox. However, the analysis finally proves the non-existence of the paradox by demonstrating the mediating role of ICT integration and degree of utilisation explain the influence of information technology (IT) usage on firm performance which is consistent with the resource-based theory. The results suggest that the use of ICT can enhance SMEs’ performance if the technology is integrated and properly utilised. SME owners or managers, interested stakeholders and policy makers may follow the study’s outcomes and focus on ICT integration and degree of utilisation with a view to attaining superior organisational performance.

This study urges concerned business enterprises and government to look at the environmental and cultural factors with a view to achieving ICT usage success in terms of enhanced firm performance. In particular, improving organisational practices and procedures by eliminating the traditional power distance inside organisations and implementing necessary rules and regulations are important actions for managing environmental and cultural uncertainties. The application of a Bengali user interface may help to ensure the productivity of ICT use by SMEs in Bangladesh. Establishing a favourable national technology infrastructure and legal environment may contribute positively to improving the overall situation. This study also suggests some changes and modifications in the country’s existing policies and strategies. The government and policy makers should undertake mass promotional programs to disseminate information about the various uses of computers and their contribution in developing better organisational performance. Organising specialised training programs for SME capacity building may succeed in attaining the motivation for SMEs to use ICT. Ensuring easy access to the technology by providing loans, grants and subsidies is important. Various stakeholders, partners and related organisations should come forward to support government policies and priorities in order to ensure the productive use of ICT among SMEs which finally will help to foster Bangladesh’s economic development.

This paper aims to holistically reconcile internal and external customer satisfaction using probabilistic graphical models. The models are useful not only in the identification of the most sensitive factors for the creation of both internal and external customer satisfaction but also in the generation of improvement scenarios in a probabilistic way.

Standard Bayesian networks and object-oriented Bayesian networks are used to build probabilistic graphical models for internal and external customers. For each ward, the model is used to evaluate satisfaction drivers by category, and scenarios for the improvement of overall satisfaction variables are developed. A global model that is based on an object-oriented network is modularly built to provide a holistic view of internal and external satisfaction. The linkage is created by building a global index of internal and external satisfaction based on a linear combination. The model parameters are derived from survey data from an Italian hospital.

The results that were achieved with the Bayesian networks are consistent with the results of previous research, and they were obtained by using a partial least squares path modelling tool. The variable ‘Experience’ is the most relevant internal factor for the improvement of overall patient satisfaction. To improve overall employee satisfaction, the variable ‘Product/service results’ is the most important. Finally, for a given target of overall internal and external satisfaction, external satisfaction is more sensitive to improvement than internal satisfaction.

The novelty of the paper lies in the efforts to link internal and external satisfaction based on a probabilistic expert system that can generate improvement scenarios. From an academic viewpoint, this study moves the service profit chain theory (Heskett et al., 1994) forward by delivering operational guidelines for jointly managing the factors that affect internal and external customer satisfaction in service organizations using a holistic approach.

This article presents a comprehensive analysis of innovation in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in India, focusing on the barriers and facilitators within their internal and external ecosystems.

A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 1430 MSMEs across India, employing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to analyze the relationships between internal and external factors and innovation adaptation.

The findings indicate that factors such as top management and organization structure, communication, technological capability and adaptation and organizational culture have a positive impact on innovation adaptation within the internal environment. Conversely, employee and market orientation, as well as financial factors, have a negative influence. Regarding the external environment, industry and competitive analysis, internationalization and partner alliances were found to positively affect innovation adaptation, whereas the country's infrastructure and policies had a negative impact.

The study emphasizes that MSMEs have the potential to leverage their internal and external environments to foster innovation within their organizations.

Food delivery apps (FDAs), as a well-known technology, have been widely adopted by restaurants and customers. Different from existing studies in this field that mainly focused on the technical (internal) parts, the study aims to introduce a new framework by linking up technical (internal) factors and service-related (external) factors in the context of FDAs. This study also empirically analyzes a comprehensive model that identifies the impacts of internal and external factors in FDAs on the continuous use intention.

This study proposes a comprehensive model integrating internal and external factors with a sample of 498 respondents who had ordered or purchased food through delivery apps for the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis.

The results of the study show that time-saving is the most significant factor on customers' perceptions, and various food choices and usefulness have also direct positive impacts on perceived value and satisfaction. In addition, perceived value shows a stronger effect than satisfaction on customers' continuous usage.

These findings provide a new perspective on FDAs, which not only simplify the elements of FDAs but also classify internal and external factors to foster the theoretical and practical development. Ultimately, the model proposed and validated in this study can serve as the basis for future FDAs and other service apps development.