Blockchain technology can be used to record virtually anything of value – your identity, a will, a deed or almost any type of secure transfer of information. But in many respects…
Abstract
Purpose
Blockchain technology can be used to record virtually anything of value – your identity, a will, a deed or almost any type of secure transfer of information. But in many respects, blockchain is lacking some critical capabilities to make it ready for widescale adoption by business. This paper on IBM blockchain attempts to uncover the promise of blockchain for enterprise, which goes beyond its role as an industry disruptor. It also has tremendous potential to improve existing business processes, as well as to improve efficiencies in existing transaction systems, leading to exponential cost saving for the enterprise and the end consumer. Disintermediation and disruption is the investment magnet for blockchain-related ideas, riding on the success of the business and underpinned by peer-to-peer and crowdsourcing models. Blockchain technology promises a similar explosion in trade, ownership and trust, as the tenets of both technologies rely on principles of distributed governance and rules established for a time-tested protocol.
Design/methodology/approach
The idea behind defining the path to blockchain enterprise adoption is to ensure that we have a microscopic focus on a singular use case and that we distill the existing business into a blockchain paradigm. This implies both business and technology models. We take a singular use case that has an industry and enterprise impact and apply business and technology acumen to the problem domain.
Findings
The result is a well-thought-out business architecture and technology blueprint, along with requirements for compliance, audit and enterprise integration. The point of this exercise is to expend time and energy with the right business domain expertise and blockchain technology expertise to derive an adoption model that enlists and surfaces hurdles, challenges and factors in the costs and economic viability of the blockchain solution.
Originality/value
The resulting artifacts/collateral of the blockchain client led engagement are envisioned to be instrumental in socialization and in providing a blueprint for a business seeking executive sponsorship and the necessary funding for first project.
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Rohit Prabhudesai, Nitin Pangarkar, Ch V.V.S.N.V. Prasad and Abhishek Kumar Sinha
This paper aims to fill a gap in the authors’ understanding of alliance-level and the partner-level alliance performance by analysing the influence of behavioural factors for…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to fill a gap in the authors’ understanding of alliance-level and the partner-level alliance performance by analysing the influence of behavioural factors for alliances formed by SMEs. Prior studies on the topic have arrived at inconclusive results. This study plugs gaps in prior studies' approach such as deployment of inconsistent performance measures, and omission of contingent factors.
Design/methodology/approach
The survey method was used to collect responses about 86 alliances of Indian SMEs. The data were analysed using PLS-SEM technique.
Findings
Two relationship capital variables – Trust and Commitment – were found to have differential influence on the two levels of SME alliance performance, and their influence was mediated by the presence of two exchange climate variables – Communication and Conflict.
Research limitations/implications
Since the study employs perceptual measures of performance, it is subject to the limitations of these measures. Similarly, given the relatively small sample size on which analyses were based, the results may need to be replicated in order to generalize the findings.
Practical implications
The study tested a comprehensive model for alliance and partner performance in the context of SMEs. The study's results may be particularly useful to managers of SMEs for focusing on the key factors that influence alliance performance as well as their performance.
Originality/value
The model tested in the study is comprehensive and also accounts for the subtleties about the impact of the two key types of behavioural factors – Relationship capital and Exchange climate – on alliance and partner performance.
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The purpose of this study is to examine whether the usage of informal finance helps exports of emerging market firms.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine whether the usage of informal finance helps exports of emerging market firms.
Design/methodology/approach
The study analyzes a large dataset of observations on emerging market firms. To address the issue of a non-random sample and correct for self-selection in the regression analyzes, this paper uses the two-stage Heckman procedure. In the first stage, this study uses a sample of 74,148 firms from 135 countries over an 11-year time period (2006 to 2016). In the second stage, which includes only firms involved in exports, the analyses are based on 13,608 observations on firms from 135 countries over the same time period.
Findings
The study finds that the usage of informal finance helps exports of emerging market firms. Furthermore, the interactive effect between informal finance and home country affluence also influences exports.
Research limitations/implications
The analyses do not account for destination market characteristics such as size and growth.
Practical implications
The study suggests that emerging market firms should not shy away from using informal finance which can often be more convenient, and sometimes cheaper, than formal finance. Informal finance’s timeliness might be particularly useful for pursuing strategies such as exporting.
Originality/value
Studies in international business implicitly assume that finance is available for pursuing strategies such as exports or foreign direct investment. However, formal finance is scarce in emerging markets. By drawing a linkage between informal finance and exports in emerging markets, the study adds to the international business literature. The study also examines joint and interactive effects of home country characteristics and deployment of informal finance on exporting.
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Chinmay Pattnaik and B. Elango
The previous decade has been characterized by emerging market firms expanding into international markets. This trend has led to scholars in the IB arena to grapple with the new…
Abstract
The previous decade has been characterized by emerging market firms expanding into international markets. This trend has led to scholars in the IB arena to grapple with the new phenomenon of emerging multinational enterprises (EMNEs), specifically the relationship between internationalization and performance of the EMNEs. This paper seeks to add to the literature by capturing the impact of firm resources on the internationalization‐performance relationship. Empirical analysis on a sample of 787 Indian manufacturing firms indicates that there is a non‐linear relationship between internationalization and performance. Findings also indicate that a firm’s capabilities in cost efficiency and marketing have a moderating impact on this relationship.
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Rohit Prabhudesai, Nitin Pangarkar and Ch.V.V.S.N.V. Prasad
The aim of the study was to determine how the different types of resources possessed by a small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME), in conjunction with the environmental…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of the study was to determine how the different types of resources possessed by a small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME), in conjunction with the environmental uncertainty perceived by the SME's managers, affect SME's alliance formation.
Design/methodology/approach
Personal interview method was used to collect responses to a survey instrument from Indian SMEs. Logistic regression technique was used to analyze the responses obtained from 127 manufacturing enterprises.
Findings
The study finds that while both tangible and intangible resources possessed by an enterprise positively influence the enterprise's alliance formation, the influence of intangible resources is significantly stronger. The authors also observed the interactive effect between each resource type and environmental uncertainty to be a significant predictor of alliance formation.
Research limitations/implications
The study does not account for temporal effects such as changes in resources and perceived environmental uncertainty, which may affect alliance formation. Similarly, because the data were obtained from a geographically restricted sample, replication of the study in other geographies may be necessary for generalizing the results.
Originality/value
The paper responds to the call for research to link firm resources and perceived environmental uncertainty toward explaining alliance formation by SMEs. The study went beyond making a distinction between the two types of resources by explicating how the interaction of resource type and environmental uncertainty will affect alliance formation.
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This study uses the notions of institutional harshness and uncertainty avoidance in the home country to explain the choice between direct and indirect exporting strategies by…
Abstract
Purpose
This study uses the notions of institutional harshness and uncertainty avoidance in the home country to explain the choice between direct and indirect exporting strategies by emerging market firms.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is based on a dataset of 23,256 observations on firms from 32 countries spread over 11 years (2006–2016). Since only some firms undertake exports, the Heckman procedure is used to control for sample self-selection. In the first stage, we predict which firms will choose to export, and, in the second stage, we examine the factors driving the choice made by firms involved in exports between direct and indirect exports strategies.
Findings
The analyses reveal that firms are more likely to choose direct exports when institutional harshness is high and when they are from countries with low uncertainty avoidance. We also find that the strength of the relationship between institutional harshness and the choice of direct exports is moderated at high levels of uncertainty avoidance.
Research limitations/implications
While this study's empirical models account for many firm-level factors as well as home country differences discussed in the literature, we acknowledge there could be other temporal, firm or country idiosyncratic factors not included in our analysis driving the key choices examined in the paper.
Originality/value
This study makes three contributions to exporting literature. First, it highlights the drivers of the choice between direct and indirect exports. This choice is an important facet of exporting strategy and has received scant attention in prior IB research. Second, it demonstrates how the choice between direct and indirect exports is impacted by the degree of the home country's institutional harshness and uncertainty avoidance. Third, it offers insights on how the interaction of formal and informal home market institutional factors influences export strategy.
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Gamal Abdualmajed Ali, Haim Hilman and Abdullahi Hassan Gorondutse
This study aims to examine the joint effect of entrepreneurial orientation (EO), market orientation (MO), total quality management (TQM) and organisational performance in the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the joint effect of entrepreneurial orientation (EO), market orientation (MO), total quality management (TQM) and organisational performance in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA's) small and medium enterprise (SME) sector.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper used a quantitative research design. A total of 393 questionnaires were distributed to and collected from owners/managers of SMEs in KSA to acquire requisite data for examining the hypothesised model of the study. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to analyse the research data.
Findings
The results indicate that EO, MO and TQM are positively and significantly related to the organisational performance of SMEs. In addition, the findings reveal that TQM has contributed the most to the enhancement of organisational development, which is followed by EO and finally, MO.
Practical implications
Developing economies consider SMEs as an approach to generate new jobs and enhance economic growth. The results provide owners/managers, practitioners and academicians with an enhanced understanding of the relationship and effects of EO, MO and TQM on organisational performance, particularly in the SME sector. Thus, owners/managers are guided to develop improved and further effective decisions for the implementation of TQM practices with strong EO and MO. Consequently, firms realise superior performance and continuously compete within their market.
Originality/value
From the perspective of developing countries, this study contributes to the existing literature by providing empirical evidence regarding the effects of EO, MO, TQM and SMEs' performance. This study is the first to empirically examine the SME sector within the KSA's economy regarding the new orientation among decision makers in terms of increasing the significance of non-oil activities. This study also confirms the usability of resource-based view theory and strategic orientations variables in the KSA SMEs.