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The purpose of the study is to investigate the international opportunity development process of born global firms embedded in two different institutional contexts: China, an emerging economy and Italy, a developed country. Drawing on the entrepreneurial opportunity literature and institutional theory, this study explores and draws insights into how home country institutions of born globals can influence the international opportunity development process of the firms.

This paper adopts a qualitative case study approach with in-depth, semi-structured interviews of six born global companies from China and Italy. In doing so, this study uses a flexible pattern matching design, which is consistent with the qualitative research design of the paper.

The findings of the study indicate that home institutions play an influential, yet differential role in the international opportunity development processes of Chinese and Italian born global firms. While the Italian firms shape their opportunities mainly through product innovation, their Chinese counterparts develop opportunities primarily through networks embedded in their home institutional context.

The key contributions of the paper relate to an integrated analysis of the international opportunity development process of born globals in China and Italy based on institutional theory, which has received limited attention in the international entrepreneurship literature. In addition, the study advances the similarities and differences in the international opportunity development process in two different countries, thus providing valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners to enter international markets successfully.

This study explains the international opportunity development of SMEs from emerging economies during institutional transition. This research enriches our understanding of how these firms adopt different approaches to developing international opportunities when they confront the turbulent institutional environment. We develop a phase-based framework for the evolution of transitional institution for SMEs’ internationalization and the SMEs’ internationalization process in that framework. By providing an empirical case study of a privately owned SME from China, the main finding is that SMEs from emerging economies become more entrepreneurial and proactive in developing the international opportunity during the institutional transition.

The emerging live streaming technology has provided a novel means for streamers to interact with viewers, allowing for synchronous and vivid demonstrations of products for sale. However, individual streamers as sellers still struggle to improve sales in their live stores. Drawing upon flow theory, our study proposes and tests a moderated-mediation model that explores (1) the indirect influences of telepresence and social presence as two important live streaming affordances on viewers’ purchase intentions through the immersive state of flow and (2) the dynamic contingency embedded in the indirect relationships between presence and purchases through flow as created by mindfulness.

We collected survey data from 251 experienced consumers of a three-year Kuaishou store run by an Inner Mongolian singer in China. We applied a covariance-based structural equation modeling approach to examine the first-stage moderated-mediation model.

Our results show that viewers’ flow state mediated the effects of telepresence and social presence on purchase intentions of both virtual gifts and physical products. Additionally, mindfulness toward live streaming strengthened the mediation effect of flow on the relationship between telepresence and purchase intentions but weakened its mediation effect between social presence and purchase intentions.

Our study not only expands the existing knowledge on live commerce but also systematically addresses the theoretical tension between flow and mindfulness as two important user states that coexist in the live commerce context. Our findings also reveal practical implications for streamers, managers and designers of live commerce.

The lack of a direct link between business value and sustainability is a critical roadblock to truly embedding sustainability in business strategies. Before launching the sustainability journey, every organisation should answer the question: “What value would this strategy offer our organisation?” Conversely, when organisations are opportunistic toward quick profits, the negative consequences of one domain spill over to another. The desire to produce more may result in overproduction, overconsumption or environmental pollution.

To give a complete analysis of sustainable capabilities, this study combines current theoretical understanding from past literature, followed by exploratory interviews and a thorough case study. The case study ventured into uncharted territories, unveiling an exciting new sphere of value catalysed by the mechanisms of sustainable co-creation. Additionally, it exposed thought-provoking motives driving supply chain actors’ unwavering commitment to ethical decision-making, even amidst towering challenges.

Our empirical lens reveals the hidden mechanics of resource sharing and the genesis of newfound value, illuminating previously obscure corners of the sustainability field. Moreover, it sheds light on retailers striving to cultivate green retail supply chains. It delivers an actionable framework that bolsters business sustainability and fuels competitive edge, which is vital in the rapidly evolving landscapes of emerging economies.

This study offers insights into the sustainable value-creation mechanism in ALPHA, a Malaysian retailer, uncovering how supply chain actors’ business activities generate economic, social and environmental performance.