This study aims to investigate the constraints that entrepreneurs face in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Bangladesh and suggests measures to remove the constraints to…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the constraints that entrepreneurs face in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Bangladesh and suggests measures to remove the constraints to entrepreneurship development.
Design/methodology/approach
Survey data were collected from 60 entrepreneurs to investigate problems and evaluate the effectiveness and relevance of the government policies and programs as perceived by the entrepreneurs. Secondary data were also used for this purpose.
Findings
The findings indicated that to the extent that the political stability and rule of laws were enforced, infrastructure facilities were improved, and corruptions were rooted out, education and training were imparted, and financial help was provided, new and energetic entrepreneurs, for the development of SMEs, would emerge in the country.
Research limitations/implications
This study implies that a positive environment through encouragement and positive reinforcement of a stable socio‐political climate for a sound market economy and specialized schools of entrepreneurs will foster a positive climate for the development of SMEs in Bangladesh. The limitations of the study are that it does not concentrate on a particular company type and does not include a region comprising many cities.
Originality/value
Built on theories and researches on entrepreneurship, this paper captures the essence of identification of the constraints facing entrepreneurs and facilitating the identification of implementable strategies and approaches necessary for the promotion and strengthening of entrepreneurship in Bangladesh, thus constituting an aid to the policy makers, researchers, and businesses for improving the various aspects of entrepreneurship in Bangladesh in particular and in developing countries in general. Further research can be undertaken in this direction.
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Md Maruf Hossan Chowdhury, Mohammed Quaddus and Mesbahuddin Chowdhury
Grounding on relational view and contingent resource-based views, the authors investigate the conditional indirect effect of Supply Chain Relational Practices (SCRPs) on supply…
Abstract
Purpose
Grounding on relational view and contingent resource-based views, the authors investigate the conditional indirect effect of Supply Chain Relational Practices (SCRPs) on supply chain performance (SCP) through proactive and reactive supply chain resilience (SCRE) capabilities at different levels of network complexity (NC).
Design/methodology/approach
The authors adopt an “exploratory sequential mixed methods design” combining the qualitative and quantitative approaches under a positivist paradigm. The qualitative method is primarily used to contextualize and develop better measurements of the factors and variables using content analysis of the field studies. This then informs the quantitative phase which conducts a questionnaire survey among the apparel manufacturing firms in Bangladesh. The authors analyzed the quantitative data using Partial Least Square based Structural Equation Modelling. The authors also used PROCESS integrated regression analysis to test conditional indirect effects.
Findings
Our research findings indicate that the indirect effect of SCRPs on SCP through proactive and reactive SCRE is positive and significant. It also finds that the conditional indirect effect is high at higher NC.
Practical implications
The results have immense practical implications as it proposes to enhance relational practices in order to develop SCRE as a contingent resource to mitigate disruptions. This will also help the supply chain (SC) managers to work through smoothly at different levels of supply chain NC and improve SCP.
Originality/value
Extant literature does not provide a deeper understanding of the impact of SCRPs on SCP, while SCRE and NC influence the link. Therefore, investigation of the conditional direct and indirect effect of SCRPs on SCP through proactive and reactive SCRE at different levels of NC is novel in SC management literature.
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Md Maruf Hossan Chowdhury, Eijaz Khan, A.K.M. Shakil Mahmud, Md Nuruzzaman, Fazlul K. Rabbanee and Mohammed A. Quaddus
Configuring strategies to ensure a health service provider’s resilience when extreme disruptions occur is not simple. Optimal configuration in such circumstances is rare…
Abstract
Purpose
Configuring strategies to ensure a health service provider’s resilience when extreme disruptions occur is not simple. Optimal configuration in such circumstances is rare. Therefore, this research has relied on the dynamic capability view (DCV) to develop a decision-support framework for configuring resilience strategies that will mitigate the worst challenges and improve the performance of health service providers during “extreme” disruptive events.
Design/methodology/approach
The research adopted a multi-study, multi-method approach comprising interviews, quality function deployment (QFD), and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA).
Findings
The findings reveal that, during a crisis, standalone resilience strategies are not enough. To guarantee performance, healthcare services require a combination of resilience strategies and a negation of challenges.
Originality/value
This research extends our current knowledge of healthcare operational management by offering optimal configurations of resilience strategies to manage performance during extreme disruptions. Thus, it offers strategic insights into how health-service managers can be more resilient during a crisis.
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Md Maruf Hossan Chowdhury, A.K.M. Shakil Mahmud, Shanta Banik, Fazlul K. Rabbanee, Mohammed Quaddus and Mohammed Alamgir
Drawing on the dynamic capability view (DCV), this research determines the suitable configurations of resilience strategies for sustainable tourism supply chain performance amidst…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on the dynamic capability view (DCV), this research determines the suitable configurations of resilience strategies for sustainable tourism supply chain performance amidst “extreme” disruptive events affecting the entire supply chain.
Design/methodology/approach
This research applies a multi-study and multi-method approach. Study 1 utilizes in-depth interviews to identify a list of tourism supply chain sustainability risks and resilience strategies. Study 2, using quality function deployment (QFD) technique, determines the most important resilience strategies corresponding to highly significant risks. Study 3, on the other hand, adopts a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to determine the best recipe of resilience strategies and risks to make the tourism supply chain performance sustainable.
Findings
The findings reveal that sustainable tourism performance during an extreme disruptive event (e.g. COVID-19 health crisis) depends on the combined effect of tourism resilience strategies and risks instead of their individual effect.
Practical implications
The research findings offer significant managerial implications. Managers may experiment with multiple causal conditions of risks and resilience strategies to engender the expected outcome.
Originality/value
This research extends current knowledge on tourism supply chain and offers insights for managers to mitigate the risks and ensures sustainable performance in the context of extreme disruptive events.
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Md. Maruf Hossan Chowdhury, Shams Rahman, Mohammed A. Quaddus and Yangyan Shi
This research aims to develop a decision support framework to determine the optimal strategies for mitigating supply chain sustainability (SCS) barriers.
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to develop a decision support framework to determine the optimal strategies for mitigating supply chain sustainability (SCS) barriers.
Design/methodology/approach
To operationalize the research objectives, both qualitative and quantitative methods were adopted. The qualitative phase comprised a field study, while a quality function deployment approach and optimisation technique were used in the quantitative phase.
Findings
This study finds that a lack of support from top management and cost and utility supply problems are the primary barriers to SCS. This study also finds that incentives for suppliers to implement sustainability practices, awareness building among supply chain members and supplier development are the main strategies to mitigate the barriers.
Practical implications
The findings of this study will assist the supply chain managers in prioritizing sustainability barriers and implementing the optimal strategies to mitigate the barriers.
Originality/value
Founded on the stakeholder theory and dynamic capability view, this study developed a unique decision support framework to identify appropriate strategies for mitigating SCS barriers while optimizing the social, environmental and economic objectives of the supply chain.
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Eijaz Ahmed Khan, Md Maruf Hossan Chowdhury, Pradip Royhan, Sunaina Gowan, Mohammed Mizanur Rahman and Mehregan Mahdavi
Sustainable development goals and the climate change agenda are becoming widely promoted topics of research for the 21st century. The role of cities is increasingly recognised as…
Abstract
Purpose
Sustainable development goals and the climate change agenda are becoming widely promoted topics of research for the 21st century. The role of cities is increasingly recognised as central to investigating these topics. Yet, the field of informal sector entrepreneurship which so many urban entrepreneurs in developing countries depend upon is seldom considered. To redress this imbalance, this study aims to develop a decision model in accordance with institutional theory (IT) and resource dependency theory (RDT) for city managers to deploy. The model identifies and prioritises optimal strategies to address the three areas of sustainability requirements environment society and economy within the study context of Bangladesh.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a mixed methods research design. In the qualitative part, the authors identified the three areas of sustainability requirements (i.e. environment, society and economy) and their corresponding strategies involving the informal sector that operates within the urban environment. In the quantitative part, the authors applied fuzzy quality function deployment (QFD) integrated with the 0-1 non-linear optimisation technique to identify optimal strategies.
Findings
The findings show that strategies such as legitimate frameworks, waste management, allocation of urban public space and training programs contribute in important ways to the three areas of sustainability requirements.
Practical implications
The proposed decision model will assist policy-makers and city managers to prioritise sustainability requirements and implement optimal strategies to address those requirements.
Originality/value
Through the integration of IT and RDT, the decision model developed in this study is unique in its application to urban-based informal entrepreneurship in the context of developing countries. The effective application of the fuzzy QFD approach and the optimisation model in the context of urban-based informal entrepreneurship also offers unique contributions to the field of study.
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Azadeh Rajabian Tabesh, Md. Maruf Hossan Chowdhury, Mohammed A Quaddus, Omid Ameri Sianaki and Eijaz Khan
This paper aims to illuminate the nuanced dynamics of green supply chain management (GSCM), specifically focusing on the intersections of supplier relationships, supplier…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to illuminate the nuanced dynamics of green supply chain management (GSCM), specifically focusing on the intersections of supplier relationships, supplier governance and organizational agility. Recognizing a gap in the understanding of how these elements confluence to promote green purchasing, the paper uses a quantitative study on data collected from the Australian food industry. Advanced analysis techniques provide empirical evidence underscoring the pivotal roles these elements play, expanding on current GSCM literature within a resource-based view.
Design/methodology/approach
This study, based on a questionnaire sent to Australian food professionals, used higher-order reflective constructs to assess supplier relationships and governance. Data was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling and Hayes PROCESS, considering factors like firm revenue and manager experience. Both the reliability of measures and mediation hypotheses were stringently validated using established guidelines.
Findings
The comprehensive study validated supplier governance's key influence on green purchasing and supplier relationships. Notably, organizational agility emerged as a crucial mediator, underscoring the interplay of these constructs. Concurrently, the reflective measurement model exhibited robust validity and reliability. Interestingly, demographic factors such as company size, revenue and managerial experience showed no discernible impact on green purchasing practices.
Practical implications
In the Australian food sector, supplier governance and relationships are pivotal for advancing green purchasing. This study emphasizes the value of organizational agility in amplifying these practices. Managers, when aligning with supplier relationships enhanced by communication and mutual aid, can foster robust green initiatives. Embracing these insights and the critical importance of supplier governance, managers can drive more sustainable, informed supply chain decisions in the industry.
Originality/value
In pursuit of understanding the relationship between supplier governance, supplier relationships and green purchasing, this research uniquely situates itself within the resource-based view (RBV) to reveal critical theoretical and practical implications. By focusing on the Australian food industry, the study spotlights the often-overlooked mediating role of organizational agility in linking supplier relationships with green purchasing efforts. In doing so, this research not only strengthens the argument for fortified supplier relationships – as a catalyst for enhancing agility and thereby green practices – but also re-contextualizes the RBV in a fresh light. This new perspective provides managers with an enriched model, emphasizing the imperative of solid supplier governance for sustainable, agile and green supply chain operations in the food domain.
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Md Maruf Hossan Chowdhury, Mohammed Quaddus and Renu Agarwal
Following a contingent resource-based view (CRBV) perspective, this paper aims to explore the operating context in which supply chain resilience (SCRE) is likely to enhance the…
Abstract
Purpose
Following a contingent resource-based view (CRBV) perspective, this paper aims to explore the operating context in which supply chain resilience (SCRE) is likely to enhance the supply chain performance (SCP) of organizations. More specifically, the authors developed the ‘Supply Chain Resilience’ model wherein we considered two important exogenous context variables (supply chain relational practices [SCRPs] and network complexities [NCs]) and studied their moderating roles on the relationship between SCRE and SCP. The authors also investigated the conditional effect of SCRE on SCP at different levels of SCRPs and NCs.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used both qualitative and quantitative approaches. For the qualitative approach, a field study was undertaken, while the quantitative study was conducted via the use of a survey questionnaire of 274 apparel manufacturers and their suppliers in Bangladesh. The authors applied Hayes PROCESS enabled multiple regression analysis and structural equation modelling to statistically test the proposed research models.
Findings
The research findings revealed that SCRP and NC individually moderated the link between SCRE and SCP. The link between SCRE and SCP was strengthened via the interaction effect of SCRP and NC, even if the NC value was high.
Practical implications
The findings will assist supply chain managers in managing supply chain performance during uncertainties by strengthening resilience capability at different levels of NCs and SCRPs.
Originality/value
Drawing on CRBV, the authors studied how the conditional effects of exogenous variables (SCRP and NC) moderated the relationship between SCRE and SCP in both two- and three-way interactions, which is a novel approach in the SCRE literature and also extends the theoretical perspective of CRBV.
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Md. Abdul Kaium Masud, Mohammad Sharif Hossain, Mahfuzur Rahman, Mohammad Ashraful Ferdous Chowdhury and Mohammed Mizanur Rahman
Corporate corruption reporting (CCR) is an emerging issue of the corporation for measuring transparency, integrity and accountability to the stakeholders and society. The purpose…
Abstract
Purpose
Corporate corruption reporting (CCR) is an emerging issue of the corporation for measuring transparency, integrity and accountability to the stakeholders and society. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of CCR and financial management responsibility regarding the issue of corruption control.
Design/methodology/approach
To explore the influences of corruption disclosure, this study considers the keywords-based content analysis of the listed financial firms of the Dhaka Stock Exchange in Bangladesh for 2012–2016. The research considers stakeholders and theoretical legitimacy lens for discussing corporate corruption disclosure. This study identified 143 self-driven keywords by classifying, analyzing and selecting the appropriate large set of keywords from the prior literature. This study examines 247 firm-year observations of all financial firms in Bangladesh using secondary data sources.
Findings
The results of the hierarchical regression analysis report that financial firms following Sharia principles have a negative and significant association with CCR, while Big4 has a positive and significant influence. Moreover, the interaction effect of Big4 on the relationship between Sharia principles and CCR is negative and insignificant. The findings reported that Islamic financial firms disclose less corruption information than conventional financial firms in Bangladesh.
Practical implications
This study findings are expected to significantly impact corporate management and policymakers of developing and highly corrupted economies to enhance corporate accountability, transparency and reputation. The regulatory body can consider the findings to promulgate anti-corruption reporting rules and regulations.
Originality/value
The authors believe the theoretical lens used to support the method and findings of this paper are unique and novel.
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Md Reiazul Haque, Saiful Islam, Sourav Paul Chowdhury, Md. Alamgir Hossain and Md Ziaul Hassan
This study aims to investigate the potential link between prior-year banking performance and a change in the number of board of directors’ meetings in the current year and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the potential link between prior-year banking performance and a change in the number of board of directors’ meetings in the current year and understand how changes in board meetings might impact subsequent bank performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample is drawn from 42 banks in Bangladesh from 2011 to 2019, and the data are analyzed using multivariate regressions. Potential endogeneity concerns are addressed using the entropy balance matching approach.
Findings
This study presents two key findings: first, the change in the number of board meetings in a year is influenced by bank performance in the last year, where poor performance leads to more meetings, and second, an increase in the number of board meetings contributes to enhanced bank performance.
Originality/value
This is one of the few studies to explore the reasons behind changes in the board of directors’ meeting behavior and whether such changes benefit banks. The results highlight that a decline in bank performance prompts the board to meet more often, and this proactive response helps banks overcome the poor performance problem. Thus, this study underscores the significance of the board’s adaptive behavior in tailoring the number of meetings according to the bank’s specific circumstances.