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The purpose of this paper is to explore the rationale for value chain business associations and construct a conceptual framework for establishing and managing a value chain association, using the value chain for dried fruits and vegetables in Tanzania as the empirical basis.

To achieve the objectives of the paper, a conventional approach involving literature review, framework development, and data collection and analysis was used to conceptualise the organisation of a value chain association in a developing country context.

The study finds rationale for a value chain-based business association based on the literature review, observations and discussions from the stakeholder workshop.

It has been suggested that upgrading the currently fragmented dried fruit and vegetable value chain to encompass all value chain actors might have implications towards “creativity”, “innovation” and “entrepreneurial abilities” along the value chain, i.e. resources and competences that could enhance the value of the market offer and thus the competitiveness of the whole value chain. A value chain-based business association might be one of the stepping-stones to enhance innovative and entrepreneurial abilities for strong and competitive value chain activities.

If the literature has been relatively silent on business associations understood primarily as industry associations, it has been completely silent on value chain associations. This paper therefore makes explicit contribution on the conceptualization of value chain association with a particular focus on the developing country setting.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of awareness of and compliance with chicken feed standards among chicken farmers in Tanzania.

A total of 107 respondents in two regions were selected through simple random sampling. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression approaches were used in data analysis.

The results revealed that the level of awareness of standards is low and the compliance level is even lower at the same time as the data indicated a positive relation between awareness and compliance. Attending seminars, knowledge dissemination by extension agents, farmers’ awareness of the existence of other standards and health consciousness have a significant and positive influence on awareness of feed standards while the age of the farm and dependence on farm formulated feeds have a significant negative influence on awareness of standards. On the other hand; knowledge dissemination by TBS, awareness of chicken feed standards and awareness of the existence of other standards apart from chicken feed standards, have a significant positive influence on compliance with feed standards.

These findings indicate that regulators should invest more in awareness creation campaigns to enhance compliance with feed standards at the same time as feed processors should develop closer knowledge and learning links to farmers.

The findings of the study are expected to positively contribute to performance of chicken industry in Tanzania by promoting production of products that are of quality accepted domestically and abroad.

Products of medicinal plants play significant roles in management of diseases. Their accessibility through trade plays a key role in health, economic and livelihood improvement. However, the traceability of the production process from their source in Tanzania is lacking. This study aims to depicture the production process of formulated products of medicinal plants.

The study applied the value chain theory using qualitative data from literature review and survey to practitioners of traditional medicine. Survey data were collected through 15 in-depth interviews and ten focus group discussions in five regions of Tanzania.

Input to output structure is performed through a five actors' value chain. The raw material is provided by harvesters who collected medicinal plants from wild. The processing is conducted by wholesalers and formulators. The wholesalers add value by drying, milling and bulk packaging of individual medicinal plants. Formulators mix different medicinal plants to create readymade products for specified diseases. Distribution is done by retailers and healers. There were six regulating and two supporting organizations. Private supporters were millers and transporters. Governance structure was deduced to be relational. Relational governance was a result of lack official standards along the value chain.

The described value chain can be used to guide investments in production of products of medicinal plants by improving formulation technology.

The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize and make sense of the internationalization of the triple helix (TH) model.

As this study is exploitative in nature, an inductive approach is adopted in data collection and data analysis. The Danish TH's experiences in China are used as empirical evidences. Primary data are collected from in-depth interviews and discussions, filed observations, and personal experiences. Secondary data such as the government policies and documents, companies’ annual reports, and reliable web sites are also included.

The paper conceptualizes the internationalization of the TH into three stages: pioneering stage, exploration stage, and integration stage. In the pioneering stage, the authors see the establishment of each of the three helix spheres abroad, i.e. internationalization of companies, universities and governments; in the exploration stage, the three spheres start to interact abroad and collaborate with their counterparts in the host country; in the integration stage, helix to helix collaboration is emerging.

This study has both theoretical and practical significance. It expands the existing TH theory by proposing a model for the internationalization of it. On the other hand, this study gives implications regarding utilizing global knowledge resources and enhancing innovation performances overseas.

The aim of this article is to describe and assess the use of the Internet by exporters in a development setting. The findings from two surveys in Ghana reveal that the exporters have reached the e‐mail stage and are moving into the Web site stage. At this stage, the main barriers to an increased use are reported to be training, means to finance equipment and running costs, with access problems coming third. The change from face‐to‐face interaction to digitalized interfaces is also a barrier to the spread of Internet use. The Internet is used for pre‐sales activities and the e‐mail for daily communications. The strategy is reactive with high hopes of being discovered rather than active search of their own. The policy and managerial implications are that training and financial packages must be provided and business associations must be active in creating portals of relevance to the exporters, and pressure put on the government to increase infrastructural investments.

The purpose of this paper is to explore and highlight the particular innovation characteristics and modes of the Chinese online game industry from a networking perspective.

This research is qualitative. Both primary and secondary data are used, which is collected through desk research on related documents and long‐term participative observation and personal experiences. This paper begins with an overview of the online game industry's innovation process and types; then constructs a framework that contains four innovation modes with different networks to guide the analysis and organization on the empirical findings; finally, the paper proposes some implications for companies and government.

This paper is an attempt to open the black box of the innovation of the Chinese online game industry. Born as an incomplete and virtual product, the innovation modes evolve from closed to a combination of open and networking ones. Producer‐driven Innovation Network Mode shows that game companies can get innovation resources through its focal network. Producer‐user Interaction Mode shows that players' have tremendous innovation potential. Open Collaborative Network Mode shows that power is distributed and the roles of actors are blurred.

This paper offers an analysis of the Chinese online game industry from the innovation side and partly fills the research gap. Also, this paper emphasized the users' innovation ability and a hybrid of different innovation modes, which can be seen as a successful theory test of user innovation, innovation networks, and open innovation theories in the Chinese context.

The changing roles of the United Nations (UN) and national institutions have made addressing climate change a critical concern for many multinational enterprises’ (MNEs) survival and growth. This chapter discusses how such institutions, which vary in their nature and characteristics, shape firm strategies for climate change adaptation. Exploring different versions of institutional theory, the chapter demonstrates how and why institutional characteristics affect typical patterns of firm ownership, governance, and capabilities. These, in turn, influence companies’ internationalisation and climate-change strategies. Climate change poses challenges to how we understand firms’ strategic decisions from both an international business (IB) (HQ–subsidiary relations) and global value chains (GVC) (buyer–supplier relations) perspective. However, climate change also provides opportunities for companies to gain competitive advantages – if firms can reconfigure and adapt faster than their competitors. Existing IB and GVC research tends to downplay the importance of climate change strategies and the ways in which coherent or dysfunctional institutions affect firms’ reconfiguration and adaptation strategies in a globally dispersed network of value creation. This chapter presents a perspective on the institutional conditions that affect firms’ climate change strategies regarding ownership, location, and internalisation (OLI), and GVCs, with ‘investment’ and ‘emerging standards’ playing a significant role. The authors illustrate the discussion using several examples from the Global South (i.e. Bangladesh) and the Global North (i.e. Denmark, Sweden, and Germany) with a special emphasis on the garment industry. The aim is to encourage future research to examine how a ‘business systems’, or varieties of capitalism, institutional perspective can complement the analysis of sustainability and climate change strategies in IB and GVC studies.