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1 – 10 of 488Ibraheem Saleh Al Koliby, Nurul Aini Binti Mehat, Abdullah Kaid Al-Swidi and Mohammed A. Al-Hakimi
By combining relevant literature and using quantitative methodology, this study aims to look into the role of knowledge management (KM) as a mediator between entrepreneurial…
Abstract
Purpose
By combining relevant literature and using quantitative methodology, this study aims to look into the role of knowledge management (KM) as a mediator between entrepreneurial competencies (ECs) and the sustainable performance (SP) of manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Design/methodology/approach
The relationships in the proposed model were examined with data collected from 122 Malaysian SMEs using a cross-sectional technique and a standardized questionnaire and analyzed using structural equation modeling path analysis.
Findings
According to the findings, ECs have a positive and considerable impact on KM as well as the SP of manufacturing SMEs. Importantly, KM partially mediates between ECs and the SP of manufacturing SMEs.
Research limitations/implications
This research provides a theoretical contribution through the integration of ECs, KM and SP within a unified framework that takes into account the viewpoints of the resource-based view, the knowledge-based view and the triple bottom line. The results corroborate that ECs directly affect SP and indirectly through KM. Nevertheless, the study’s use of cross-sectional survey data makes it impossible to draw conclusions about causes. This is because ECs, KM and SP all have effects on time that this empirical framework cannot account for.
Practical implications
The findings of this research provide valuable insights for managers and decision-makers in SMEs, who are expected to show an increasing interest in adopting KM processes into their companies through which ECs can be translated into SP.
Social implications
By applying the proposed framework, SMEs can conduct their activities in ways that do not harm environmental and societal well-being while achieving appropriate economic performance at the same time.
Originality/value
As a result, the findings of this study can add to the literature on ECs and KM, as well as boost the chances of SME sustainability. Directions for future research are also provided in relation to a better understanding of the factors affecting the SP of SMEs.
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Mohammad Imtiaz Hossain, Boon Heng Teh, Mosab I. Tabash, Mohammad Nurul Alam and Tze San Ong
Manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are heading towards smart manufacturing despite growing challenges caused by globalisation and rapid technological…
Abstract
Purpose
Manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are heading towards smart manufacturing despite growing challenges caused by globalisation and rapid technological advancement. These SMEs, particularly textile SMEs of Bangladesh, also face challenges in implementing sustainability and organisational ambidexterity (OA) due to resource constraints and limitations of conventional leadership styles. Adopting paradoxical leadership (PL) and entrepreneurial bricolage (EB) is important to overcome the challenges. However, these dynamics are less explored in academia, especially in the Bangladeshi textile SMEs context. Hence, the purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of the adoption of smart technologies (ASTs), PL and OA, EB on sustainable performance (SP) of textile SMEs in Bangladesh.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional and primary quantitative survey was conducted. Data from 361 textile SMEs were collected using a structured self-administrated questionnaire and analysed by partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM).
Findings
The statistical outcome confirms that ASTs and PL significantly influence SP and OA. OA plays a significant mediating role for PL and is insignificant for ASTs, and EB significantly moderates among ASTs, PL and SP.
Research limitations/implications
As this study is cross-sectional and focussed on a single city (Dhaka, Bangladesh), conducting longitudinal studies and considering other parts of the country can provide exciting findings.
Practical implications
This research provides valuable insights for policymakers, management and textile SMEs in developing and developed countries. By adopting unique and innovative OA, PL and EB approaches, manufacturing SMEs, especially textile companies, can be more sustainable.
Originality/value
This study has a novel, pioneering contribution, as it empirically validates the role of multiple constructs such as AST, PL, OA and EB towards SP in the context of textile SMEs in a developing country like Bangladesh.
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This paper uses the complex proportionality assessment (COPRAS) method to examine the driving factors of Industry 4.0 (I4) technologies for lean implementation in small and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper uses the complex proportionality assessment (COPRAS) method to examine the driving factors of Industry 4.0 (I4) technologies for lean implementation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Design/methodology/approach
Adopting I4 technology is imperative for SMEs seeking to maintain competitiveness within the manufacturing sector. A thorough understanding of the driving factors involved is required to support the implementation of I4. For this objective, the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) tool COPRAS was used to efficiently analyze and rank these driving elements based on their importance. These factors can help small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) prioritize their efforts and investments in I4 technologies for lean implementation.
Findings
This study evaluates and prioritizes the nine I4 factors according to the perceptions of SMEs. The ranking offers significant insights into the factors SMEs consider more accessible and effective when adopting I4 technologies.
Originality/value
The author's original contribution is to examine I4 driving factors for lean implementation in SMEs using COPRAS.
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Abdullah Kaid Al-Swidi, Mohammed A. Al-Hakimi and Hamood Mohammed Al-Hattami
This study aims to explore the unique and synergistic effects of green human resource management (GHRM) and corporate environmental ethics (CEE) on the environmental performance…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the unique and synergistic effects of green human resource management (GHRM) and corporate environmental ethics (CEE) on the environmental performance (EP) of manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Yemen, a less developed country (LDC).
Design/methodology/approach
Through a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 262 manufacturing SMEs in Yemen and analyzed using “hierarchical regression analysis” via PROCESS Macro.
Findings
The empirical results showed that GHRM and CEE positively affect EP and, more importantly, that CEE and GHRM have a synergistic effect on EP.
Research limitations/implications
This study makes a theoretical contribution by integrating GHRM, CEE and EP into a single framework, taking into account the perspectives of the resource-based view and the ethical theory of organizing. The results corroborate the unique and synergistic effects of GHRM and CEE on EP of SMEs in the manufacturing sector.
Practical implications
The results of this study offer valuable insights for SME managers/decision-makers, who are anticipated to become more interested in integrating environmental ethics into their companies. This has implications that with the consideration of CEE, SMEs can benefit from GHRM practices to improve their EP.
Social implications
The study highlights the positive economic and social impact of SMEs adopting eco-friendly practices like GRHM. In today’s economy, it is not sufficient to simply strive for economic growth. It is possible for SMEs to achieve well-rounded performance by implementing the recommended framework that emphasizes the importance of social and environmental well-being.
Originality/value
This study advances the existing work on the impact of GHRM on EP by demonstrating the crucial role of CEE in predicting EP of manufacturing SMEs in LDCs like Yemen. Previous research on GHRM has mainly been conducted on SMEs in developed nations, which may not be entirely applicable to LDCs. It is crucial to understand this aspect in the context of LDCs so that SMEs can adopt environmental practices effectively in the future: how SMEs conserve the environment through their environmental practices.
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Rashmi Ranjan Panigrahi, Avinash K. Shrivastava and Sai Sudhakar Nudurupati
Effective inventory management is crucial for SMEs due to limited resources and higher risks like cash flow, storage space, and stockouts. Hence, the aim is to explore how…
Abstract
Purpose
Effective inventory management is crucial for SMEs due to limited resources and higher risks like cash flow, storage space, and stockouts. Hence, the aim is to explore how technology and know-how can be integrated with inventory practices and impact operational performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The basis of the analysis was collecting papers from a wide range of databases, which included Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. In the first phase of the process, a search string with as many as nine related keywords was used to obtain 175 papers. It further filtered them based on their titles and abstracts to retain 95 papers that were included for thorough analysis.
Findings
The study introduced innovative methods of measuring inventory practices by exploring the impact of know-how. It is the first of its kind to identify and demonstrate how technical, technological, and behavioral know-how can influence inventory management practices and ultimately impact the performance of emerging SMEs. This study stands out for its comprehensive approach, which covers traditional and modern inventory management technologies in a single study.
Research limitations/implications
The study provides valuable insights into the interplay between technical, technological, and behavioral know-how in inventory management practices and their effects on the performance of emerging SMEs in Industry 5.0 in the light of RBV theory.
Originality/value
The RBV theory and the Industry 5.0 paradigm are used in this study to explore how developing SMEs' inventory management practices influence their performance. This study investigates the effects of traditional and modern inventory management systems on business performance. Incorporating RBV theory with the Industry 5.0 framework investigates firm-specific resources and technological advances in the current industrial revolution. This unique technique advances the literature on inventory management and has industry implications.
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Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the effect of collaboration networks (domestic and international collaboration networks) on the innovation performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It also investigates the mediating role of business model innovation, the moderating role of entrepreneurial orientation and government institutional support between them.
Design/methodology/approach
Hierarchical regression analysis is adopted to test the hypotheses based on survey data provided by 223 manufacturing SMEs in China.
Findings
The results reveal that domestic and international collaboration networks positively affect SMEs' innovation performance. Business model innovation mediates domestic and international collaboration networks-SMEs’ innovation performance relationships. Entrepreneurial orientation positively moderates international collaboration networks–SMEs’ innovation performance relationship, and government institutional support positively moderates domestic and international collaboration networks–SMEs’ innovation performance relationships.
Practical implications
The findings indicate that managers of SMEs should invest in domestic and international collaboration networks and business model innovation to enhance SMEs' innovation performance. Moreover, entrepreneurial orientation and government institutional support should be valued when SMEs try to enhance their innovation performance by embedding in domestic and international collaboration networks.
Originality/value
This study broadens the authors' understanding of the relationship between collaboration networks and firms' innovation performance by classifying collaboration networks into domestic and international dimensions and investigating their direct impacts on SMEs' innovation performance. Besides, this study reveals how and when domestic and international collaboration networks influence the innovation performance of SMEs.
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Thomas Trabert, Luca Doerr and Claudia Lehmann
The organizational digital transformation (ODT) in companies presents small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – who remain at the beginning of this transformation – with the…
Abstract
Purpose
The organizational digital transformation (ODT) in companies presents small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – who remain at the beginning of this transformation – with the challenge of offering digital services based on sensor technologies. Against this backdrop, the present paper identifies ways SMEs can enable digital servitization through sensor technology and defines the possible scope of the organizational transformation process.
Design/methodology/approach
Around 21 semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts from different hierarchical levels across the German manufacturing SME ecosystem. Using the Gioia methodology, fields of action were identified by focusing on influencing factors and opportunities for developing these digital services to offer them successfully in the future.
Findings
The complexity of existing sensor offerings must be mastered, and employees' (data) understanding of the technology has increased. Knowledge gaps, which mainly relate to technical and organizational capabilities, must be overcome. The potential of sensor technology was considered on an individual, technical and organizational level. To enable the successful implementation of service offerings based on sensor technology, all relevant stakeholders in the ecosystem must network to facilitate shared value creation. This requires standardized technical and procedural adaptations and is an essential prerequisite for data mining.
Originality/value
Based on this study, current problem areas were analyzed, and potentials that create opportunities for offering digital sensor services to manufacturing SMEs were identified. The identified influencing factors form a conceptual framework that supports SMEs' future development of such services in a structured manner.
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Thanh Tiep Le, Minh Hoa Le, Vy Nguyen Thi Tuong, Phuc Vu Nguyen Thien, Tran Tran Dac Bao, Vy Nguyen Le Phuong and Sudha Mavuri
This study aims to investigate the influence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on corporate sustainable performance (CSP) of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the influence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on corporate sustainable performance (CSP) of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by looking into the significance of mediating factors, namely, brand image (BI) and brand loyalty (BL), within the context of an emerging economy.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conduct an extensive literature study on the subjects of CSR, BI and BL to assess their influence on the sustainable performance of SMEs in an emerging market. The study adopts a quantitative methodology. A total of 438 answers were obtained from a sample size of 513. The data of the SMEs in Vietnam was analyzed using the smart partial least squares structural equation modeling software, specifically version 3.3.2.
Findings
The results of the authors demonstrate notable and favorable correlations between CSR and CSP, CSR and BI and CSR and BL. Importantly, the findings contribute to existing knowledge by looking into the mediating influence of BI and BL in the relationship between CSR and CSP.
Originality/value
According to the authors’ understanding, a number of research have investigated the correlation between CSR and CSP within the realm of SMEs. Nevertheless, there is a scarcity of scholarly research examining the mediating function of BI and BL in this association. The study’s findings have important implications for entrepreneurs and senior management in effectively guiding their enterprises and improving their business strategies with an emphasis on sustainability in emerging markets. The outcome of this study has the potential to significantly contribute to SMEs in Vietnam as well as other emerging countries.
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The importance of financial dependence of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) on their performance is a relatively unaddressed area of research. Relatedly, whether and to what…
Abstract
Purpose
The importance of financial dependence of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) on their performance is a relatively unaddressed area of research. Relatedly, whether and to what extent foreign bank penetration exerts an impact in the presence of financial dependence also remains an open question. The purpose of the paper in this regard is to exploit unit-level data on Indian SMEs and assess the independent and interactive effects of financial dependence on SME behaviour, in the presence of foreign banks.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses fixed effects specification to address the issue. In subsequent analysis, this study also uses an instrumental variable approach for robustness.
Findings
The results indicate that financial dependence improves investment and employment, although there is a decline in productivity. These findings differ across size classes of SMEs. Similar is the evidence in the presence of foreign banks. In particular, foreign bank penetration leads to a decline in investment for micro and medium SMEs, although for small SMEs, the impact is found to be the opposite.
Originality/value
To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is one of the early within-country studies to examine the interface between SMEs and financial dependence and the role played by foreign banks in this regard.
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Krisztina Demeter, Levente Szász, Béla-Gergely Rácz and Lehel-Zoltán Györfy
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how different manufacturing technologies are bundled together and how these bundles influence operations performance and, indirectly…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how different manufacturing technologies are bundled together and how these bundles influence operations performance and, indirectly, business performance. With the emergence of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies, manufacturing companies can use a wide variety of advanced manufacturing technologies (AMT) to build an efficient and effective production system. Nevertheless, the literature offers little guidance on how these technologies, including novel I4.0 technologies, should be combined in practice and how these combinations might have a different impact on performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a survey study of 165 manufacturing plants from 11 different countries, we use factor analysis to empirically derive three distinct manufacturing technology bundles and structural equation modeling to quantify their relationship with operations and business performance.
Findings
Our findings support an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary perspective. I4.0 technologies build on traditional manufacturing technologies and do not constitute a separate direction that would point towards a fundamental digital transformation of companies within our sample. Performance effects are rather weak: out of the three technology bundles identified, only “automation and robotization” have a positive influence on cost efficiency, while “base technologies” and “data-enabled technologies” do not offer a competitive advantage, neither in terms of cost nor in terms of differentiation. Furthermore, while the business performance impact is positive, it is quite weak, suggesting that financial returns on technology investments might require longer time periods.
Originality/value
Relying on a complementarity approach, our research offers a novel perspective on technology implementation in the I4.0 era by investigating novel and traditional manufacturing technologies together.
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