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1 – 10 of over 3000Jacob Donkor, George Nana Agyekum Donkor and Collins Kankam Kwarteng
This paper aims to examine the interacting effect of market dynamism and strategic planning on the performance of small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the interacting effect of market dynamism and strategic planning on the performance of small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana.
Design/methodology/approach
This study has used quantitative approach in dealing with the interacting effect of market dynamic on strategic planning and SMEs’ performance in Ghana. Purposive sampling is used to select 200 small- and medium-sized manufacturing and service firms in Ghana. The hierarchical multiple regression analysis is performed to test the hypotheses.
Findings
This study finds that a consistent application of strategic planning methodologies contributes to the advancement of SME performance in Ghana. In addition, it was ascertained that market dynamism has a significant positive relationship with firm performance, although its effect is not significant. Finally, the study reveals that market dynamism only influences SME performance when there is strategic planning.
Research limitations/implications
The findings are limited to the SMEs in Ghana. The study of market dynamism, strategic planning and performance is a very complex activity; therefore, to gather rich data on such research work may be best accomplished if the researchers adopt mixed method data gathering techniques. This will enrich the understanding on market dynamism, strategic planning and SMEs’ performance relationship.
Practical implications
The findings of this research work offer guidance to owners or managers considering how to develop market dynamics and strategic planning to enhance firm performance.
Originality/value
This study reports on an obvious gap in the prevailing literature that few empirical research works have explored on the possible impacts of market dynamism and strategic planning on performance of SMEs in a third world country.
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This paper aims to examine the effect of employees’ emotional labor on work engagement and boundary-spanner creativity based on the job demands-resources model from the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the effect of employees’ emotional labor on work engagement and boundary-spanner creativity based on the job demands-resources model from the perspective of salespeople.
Design/methodology/approach
To analyze the data, a confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling procedure using LISREL 8.5 were used. Next, the conditional process modeling was fitted to test the moderated mediation hypotheses.
Findings
The analysis results showed that deep acting has a positive effect on work engagement, whereas surface acting has a negative effect, indicating that work engagement of sales representatives is differently related to each factor of emotional labor. Second, work engagement of salespeople has a positive effect on boundary spanner creativity. Next, entrepreneurship has a moderate effect in the relationship between emotional labor and work engagement with customer stewardship and has a positive moderating effect in the relationship between work engagement and boundary spanner creativity.
Practical implications
Considering the positive effect of boundary spanner creativity on work engagement, it is important to maintain interaction with customers, including adaptive behaviors and customer orientation, as customers’ demand increases. The individual competence and capability of salespeople such as entrepreneurship are directly related to interaction with customers, so when the right strategy is defined for each type of entrepreneurship of salespeople, it will create a positive corporate culture and lead to performance improvement.
Originality/value
Compared with most studies, more direct factors of emotional labor were assessed to detect positive effects in this study. More specifically, when salespeople were forced to fake their feelings, they were more likely to recognize stress or burnout due to emotional dissonance between what they really felt and what they had to express to comply with organizational regulations.
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Antonis Skouloudis, Walter Leal Filho, Georgios Deligiannakis, Panagiotis Vouros, Ioannnis Nikolaou and Konstantinos Evangelinos
This paper aims to investigate aspects of flood experience, attitudes and responses of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Greece and to indicate a typology of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate aspects of flood experience, attitudes and responses of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Greece and to indicate a typology of strategies associated with their relative effort to build flood resilience capacity.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative study protocol was used, based on pertinent literature that considers how business entities withstand, adapt and/or recover from non-linear climate change impacts, natural hazards and extreme weather. Data was obtained by conducting semi-structured interviews with 82 MSMEs’ owners-managers who had recently experienced flooding.
Findings
The study reports limited activities of MSMEs towards flood resilience capacity despite the threat of relevant disasters. Findings suggest that most owners-managers of these enterprises are not adequately preparing their businesses for the impacts of flooding.
Research limitations/implications
The findings call for multi-level and dynamic perspectives to be examined in assessing MSME resilience capacity to floods. It is attitudinal, managerial, organisational, behavioural and regulatory (as well as other institutional) factors that merit further investigation. Such an investigation would allow a better understanding as to whether these factors hinder or enable conditions for microeconomic flood preparedness and resilience as well as how they may interact with each other or create feedback loops.
Practical implications
The study carries managerial implications and policy recommendations in terms of nurturing opportunities towards awareness-raising campaigns for reducing deficits in managerial knowledge and competencies. It also encapsulates practical implications in terms of emphasising supporting mechanisms from key institutional stakeholders to allow MSMEs scan available options they have in effectively reinforcing the business premises from the forces of rising waters.
Originality/value
Most of the related studies have examined flood impacts, responses and/or resilience capacity at the household- or community-level. Empirical work that is conducted to ascertain how MSMEs cope with flooding remains thin on the ground. In response to this, the current study and the typology of MSMEs’ strategic postures that are suggested seek to contribute to this under-researched topic.
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A conducive and enabling environment is imperative for the formation of sustainable social business enterprises (SBEs). This paper aims to identify the macro-level enabling…
Abstract
Purpose
A conducive and enabling environment is imperative for the formation of sustainable social business enterprises (SBEs). This paper aims to identify the macro-level enabling conditions necessary for SBE formation and to analyze them in the context of the Philippines, an emerging economy that is yet to be transformed into an inclusive one.
Design/methodology/approach
Major developments on micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, specifically on social enterprises, were revisited and analyzed. The author also looked into how they are sustained, supported and nurtured in the Philippines’ overall economic landscape. Extensive data were collected from relevant agencies in public and private sectors, after which they were analyzed parallel to existing academic literature, i.e. theories, models and concepts, on social entrepreneurship and development nexus.
Findings
It has been found that the four macro-level enabling conditions, namely, governance, socially inclusive economic approach, financial services and entrepreneurial culture, presumed to be vital for SBE formation, contribute to the latter at various levels, but surely complement each other in the process.
Research limitations/implications
The significance of exploring the context in which social enterprises are formed and flourish lies in the sheer importance of understanding the sustained prevalence of SBEs in many economies – both in developed and developing ones.
Originality/value
By having a more structured knowledge of the components surrounding SBE formation, the community may be able to also simultaneously explore why and how social entrepreneurs form profit-earning business entities that are primarily driven by social advocacies and goals.
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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of entrepreneurs’ social competence (SC) on small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) performance.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of entrepreneurs’ social competence (SC) on small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Primary data of 250 manufacturing SMEs were collected through a survey method. The influence of SC on performance was tested using structural equation modelling (SEM).
Findings
Overall, the findings suggest that SC dimensions have a positive influence on SME performance in terms of nonfinancial perspective. More clearly, the findings show that out of five dimensions of SC, which include social adaptability, social perception, social expressiveness, persuasiveness and impression management; social perception, persuasiveness and impression management have direct effect on customer perspective; persuasiveness, social expressiveness and social adaptability have a direct influence on internal business processes and social adaptability, social perception, impression management and social expressiveness are directly related with learning and growth. Contrary to expectations though, social perception and social adaptability were significantly and negatively associated with internal business processes and customer perspective, respectively, while there was no significant correlation between social expressiveness, persuasiveness and impression management with customer perspective, business processes and learning and growth in that order.
Practical implications
The current study affirms that SMEs managed by entrepreneurs and managers who possess high levels of SC, may have a better performance compared to those operated by entrepreneurs with low levels of SC. This justifies a need for SME entrepreneurs and managers to work hard to improve their SC capabilities.
Originality/value
This study is pertinent and unique because, it extensively examines each of the five dimensions of SC in relation to nonfinancial indicators of SME performance. Besides, the study also provides additional evidence of the impact of SC on SME performance by suggesting that entrepreneurs who are socially competent are more likely to own highly successful ventures.
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The Korean government has begun to implement the TAA system since May 2007 in order to support small and medium firms whose sales, production and profits have decreased due to the…
Abstract
The Korean government has begun to implement the TAA system since May 2007 in order to support small and medium firms whose sales, production and profits have decreased due to the intensified import competition. This paper analyzes the performance of the Korean TAA program based on the experience for the last five years and aims to suggest some relevant policy implications out of it. We find that the newly introduced Korean TAA system failed to accomplish the objectives of the program it had originally planned. It also failed to be an effective means for internal negotiations. All the efforts to retain marginal firms in comparative disadvantage turned out to be a big failure. This poor performance will threaten the system’s own existence in the near future. Even if the TAA system continues to exist, it will inevitably be converted into a worker-centered program instead of a firm-oriented industrial policy. Protecting people by protecting their jobs could be a strategy mistake. With the launch of new government of Korea in 2013, curtailing or abolishing the financial assistance program for marginal firms needs to be implemented immediately. Moreover, consulting services need to be more professional and customized.
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