Lorenzo Ardito, Raffaele Filieri, Elisabetta Raguseo and Claudio Vitari
The conventional notion that adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) positively affects firm performance is often confronted with various examples of failures. In this context…
Abstract
Purpose
The conventional notion that adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) positively affects firm performance is often confronted with various examples of failures. In this context, large-scale empirical evidence of the economic performance implications of adopting AI is poor, especially in the context of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs). Drawing upon the Resource-Based View and the Digital Complementary Asset literature, we assessed whether the adoption of AI affects SMEs’ revenue growth.
Design/methodology/approach
First, we examine the relationship between the adoption of AI and SMEs’ revenue growth. Second, we assess whether AI complements the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data Analytics (BDA). We use firm-level data from the European Commission in 2020 on 11,429 European SMEs (Flash Eurobarometer 486).
Findings
Among the key findings, we found that ceteris paribus, the adoption of AI positively affects SMEs’ revenue growth and, in conjunction with IoT and BDA, appears to be even more beneficial.
Originality/value
Our results suggest that AI fosters SME growth, especially in combination with IoT and BDA. Thus, SME managers should be aware of the positive impacts of investments in AI and make decisions accordingly. Likewise, policymakers are aware of the positive effects of SMEs’ reliance on AI, so they may design policies and funding schemes to push this digitalization of SMEs further.
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Lorenzo Ardito, Viviana D'Angelo, Antonio Messeni Petruzzelli and Enzo Peruffo
This paper adopts an intellectual capital perspective to investigate the role of owners who are ethnic minorities in the foreign market expansion performance of SMEs, and in…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper adopts an intellectual capital perspective to investigate the role of owners who are ethnic minorities in the foreign market expansion performance of SMEs, and in particular considers the human capital dimension of intellectual capital.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the empirical investigation of a sample of 10,326 small- and medium-sized US high-tech manufacturing enterprises, the authors’ results reveal a positive relationship between the number of foreign markets where these SMEs operate and their financial performance, and that this effect is reinforced by the presence of ethnic minority owners, as ethnic minorities constitute a valuable source of intellectual capital which bring value to firms.
Findings
The authors’ findings reveal the importance of intellectual capital in an SME’s leadership position, specifically in terms of having individuals from normally disadvantaged groups as owners. In this sense, policymakers are crucial in supporting the inclusion of ethnic minorities in SME ownership, through advantageous treatment in firms, for example.
Practical implications
The study presents practical implications for managers seeking foreign market expansion. In addition, when defining ownership structure (e.g., in the start-up phase), the role of human capital, in the form of ethnic minorities, should not be neglected, especially if an SME intends to operate or is already operating in different national contexts.
Originality/value
The authors’ results provide important insights into the positive effect of human capital on SME foreign market performance. The idea of a moderating role played by owners from ethnic minorities suggested here contributes to the literature on human capital and is one of the first attempts to consider this moderating factor in this relationship, especially in the SME context.
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Manlio Del Giudice, Pedro Soto-Acosta, Elias Carayannis and Veronica Scuotto
Chengyun Liu, Kun Su and Miaomiao Zhang
This study aims to examine whether and how gender diversity on corporate boards is associated with voluntary nonfinancial disclosures, particularly water disclosures.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine whether and how gender diversity on corporate boards is associated with voluntary nonfinancial disclosures, particularly water disclosures.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses corporate water information disclosure data from Chinese listed firms between 2010 and 2018 to conduct regression analyses to examine the association between female directors and water information disclosure.
Findings
Empirical results show that female directors have a significantly positive association with corporate water information disclosure. Additionally, internal industry water sensitivity of firms moderates this significant relationship.
Originality/value
This study determined that female directors can promote not only water disclosure but also positive corporate water performance, reflecting the consistency of words and deeds of female directors in voluntary nonfinancial disclosures.