The impact of information technology resources on SMEs' innovation performance

This work aims to develop a research framework to examine the impact of information technology resources on the innovation performance of Saudi small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs). SMEs innovation capability influences growth and technological progress (Bruque & Moyano, 2007). However, many developing countries exhibit moderate or even low innovation performance. For instance, Saudi Arabia is ranked 54th by the Global Innovation Index (GII 2011). Innovation systems studies focus on the alignment between the interactions of innovation actors with their constantly changing environment toward better innovation performance (Etzkowitz & Leydesdorff, 2000). The dynamic capabilities of organisations have been highlighted as a crucial characteristic that helps to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage (Teece et al., 1997). The indirect impact IT resources on innovation performance represents an attractive research area (Benitez-Amado et al., 2010). Therefore, we argue that a closer look at Saudi SMEs information technology resources and their impact on the firm dynamic capabilities and innovation performance would make a significant contribution to existing knowledge. Areas such as the organisation strategies of developing countries, innovation management, dynamic capabilities, open innovation and strategic information systems are few examples of areas that might benefit from this work

Customer agility and firm performance in the tourism industry

The growing importance of agility in any business process is universally accepted and extensively investigated in different disciplines. However, lacking empirical pieces of evidence for the suggested theoretical framework of agility hinders its application in the practices. Thus, this study attempts to address this issue by empirically testing a framework of customer agility’s antecedents and consequences using the tourism industry context. The framework is tested on data collected from 231 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism industry in Vietnam and analyzed using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings suggest that not all attributes of customer agility exert positive impacts on the firm’s performance and human factors are posited as the most important antecedents for organizational agility. A number of practical implications are also suggested from the research findings

Effects of supply chain transparency, alignment, adaptability, and agility on blockchain adoption in supply chain among SMEs

This study aims to investigate the extent to which the contributions of blockchain technology to supply chain parameters influence blockchain adoption among SMEs. Drawing on contingency theory, the study investigates the moderating effect of market turbulence. The data were collected from 204 SMEs in Malaysia\u27s manufacturing sector and analysed using the partial least squares technique. The results showed that the intention of SMEs’ managers to adopt blockchain is influenced by the contributions of blockchain to supply chain transparency and agility. Supply chain transparency, alignment, adaptability, and agility are interrelated. Market turbulence moderates positively the association between agility and intention to adopt blockchain. This study extends the literature by decomposing the concept of relative advantages and investigating the influences of blockchain benefits on blockchain adoption. The moderating effect of market turbulence indicates that the influence of blockchain on agility is more important for SMEs operating in a turbulent environment than the SMEs in a stable market. The findings help the policymakers and blockchain vendors in developing effective plans and strategies to speed up the adoption of blockchain among SMEs. Furthermore, the results give confidence to the managers and owners of SMEs that blockchain can be a valuable competitive advantage source

The mediating effect of supply chain integration on the relationship between information technology, trust and firm performance: a conceptual framework

Supply chain Management has played a significant role in corporate efficiency and has attracted the attention of numerous academicians over the last few years. As the concept of becomes more widely accepted, supply chain integration (SCI) is gaining more attention among both practitioners and academics. The paper aims at understanding how SCI and its antecedents, impacts firm performance. For the literature review of the related academic articles for the previous studies has been taken by international journals in Logistics, Supply Chain Management and Operations Management. The study looked at some variables such as trust and information technology (IT) that might impact the SCI and finally improve firm performance. Therefore, it is crucial for managers to apply their firms IT and trust as lower-order organizational capabilities to improve SCI as a higher-order organizational capability. To aid the study, Resourced-Based View (RBV) theory has been developed as the framework for the present research. The paper also proposes the framework for future research in empirical investigation in manufacturing. This study bridges the gap by developing a framework for measuring SCI, which enables any organization to identify critical success factors for integrating their SC, measures the degree of integration qualitatively and quantitatively and suggest improvement measures

Exploring Factors Influencing Open Innovation Adoption in SMEs: The Evidence from Emerging Markets

Open Innovation (OI) is among the vital innovation paradigms for assisting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to effectively implement innovation initiatives. Drawing on the concepts of organisational agility and absorptive capacity with transaction cost theory, this study’s goal is to investigate factors affecting the adoption of an Open Innovation (OI) orientation in Thai SMEs. Using data from 214 SMEs in Thailand, structural equation modelling validated the model and analysed the proposed hypotheses. The results show that organisational agility, economic and financial readiness and absorptive capacity relate positively to OI adoption and innovation performance. Organisational agility (b = 0.553) had the greatest influence on OI adoption, then economic and financial readiness (b = 0.405) and absorptive capacity (b = 0.387) followed. The results of mediation analysis also reveal that OI adoption partially mediates the effects of organisational agility and absorptive capacity on innovation performance. Our study provides a trailblazing empirical analysis of the major factors influencing SMEs’ OI adoption and performance, extending knowledge of OI adoption by SMEs in emerging economies. The paper proposes a holistic framework for examining SMEs’ OI adoption and performance, through the integration of organisational agility, absorptive capacity and transaction-cost concepts. Doi: 10.28991/esj-2021-01295 Full Text: PD

Supply chain resilience in Finnish SME family firms

Paper delivered at the 21st Logistics Research Network annual conference 2016, 7th-9th September 2016, Hull. Abstract Purpose: The challenging economic landscape in Finland has brought about a stronger need among firms to manage risk and uncertainty in order to maintain operational performance and supply chain continuity. Given this turbulent environment, the contribution and commercial activities that small and medium sized family firms provide for the Finnish economy require them to have knowledge of drivers of risk and the tools to mitigate it. The purpose of this paper is to analyze how resilient small- and medium-sized (SME) family firm supply chains are operating during the current economic turbulence in Finland. Research Approach: The empirical study for this paper took an inductive research approach by devising a framework from the literature on family firm capabilities and supply chain risk and resilience, and then investigating the strength of the framework through qualitative data collection. Multiple-case studies were conducted including pilot and semi-structured interviews with respondents representing six SME family firms active in Finland. Findings and Originality: Risk drivers and key capabilities connected to SME family firms have been identified. The subject of supply chain resilience was perceived as an abstract subject by several firms, but gained increased interest throughout the research. Several resilience-promoting activities are already being conducted by some firms, nevertheless areas of improvement have also been identified. Despite the growing interest of SMEs in risk and resilience not many studies have been conducted on how SME family firms manage their supply chain resilience; thus this study bridges a gap by combining these two elements. Research Impact: There are many different studies on SME family firms but research on how capabilities of the family firm influences supply chain resilience has not received a great degree of academic interest. Further, prior empirical research on how SME family firms manage supply chain risk and resilience in practice is scarce. This study thus informs the literature on these aspects. Practical Impact: The findings of this study contribute valuable insights to managers active in SME family firms when evaluating their level of business risk and uncertainty, particularly relating to their supply chain activities. Further, the findings offer practical guidelines to help improve supply chain continuity and resilience

Redesigning work organizations and technologies: experiences from European projects

Currently distributed business process (re) design (resulting in components of business networks) basically relies on technical criteria. And that are the main purposes of most research projects supported by EC. Through the process of building a European Research Area, this means a strong influence in the national research programmes. However it is generally accepted that it should also take into account social criteria and aspects such as the quality of working life, or participation in decision processes. Those were some of the objectives of projects in de 80s decade, and framed some of the main concepts and scientific approaches to work organisation. The democratic participation of network and organisations members in the design process is a critical success factor. This is not accepted by everyone, but is based in sufficient case studies. Nevertheless, in order to achieve an optimization that can satisfying the requirements of agility of a network of enterprises, more complex design methods must be developed. Thus, the support to the collaborative design of distributed work in a network of enterprises, through a concurrent approaching business processes, work organisation and task content is a key factor to achieve such purposes. Increasing needs in terms of amounts of information, agility, and support for collaboration without time and space constrains, imposes the use of a computer-based model.business process; networks; decision processes; collaborative design;

Exploring the power of psychological empowerment in boosting workforce agility in SMEs

This study investigates the impact of psychological empowerment on workforce agility in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The study employs a quantitative analysis to measure levels of psychological empowerment and workforce agility, assessing the dimensions of psychological empowerment, including Meaning, Self-determination, Competences, and Impact, and examining their influence on workforce agility. The results reveal a significant positive relationship between the dimensions of competence and meaning in psychological empowerment and workforce agility. However, the dimensions of impact and self-determination do not exhibit a strong relationship with workforce agility. This research contributes to the existing literature by addressing the gap in knowledge regarding the impact of psychological empowerment on workforce agility in Moroccan SMEs. The findings have practical implications for managers and decision-makers in SMEs, suggesting that organizations should focus on improving their employees' skills and enhancing their sense of work meaning to foster resilience and adaptability. By fostering workforce agility through empowerment, organizations can create a more engaged and adaptable workforce, potentially leading to increased productivity and competitiveness.   Keywords: Psychological empowerment, organizational agility, workforce agility, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), construction sector firms. JEL Classification : O15, C3, M1, L74 Paper type: Empirical researchThis study investigates the impact of psychological empowerment on workforce agility in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The study employs a quantitative analysis to measure levels of psychological empowerment and workforce agility, assessing the dimensions of psychological empowerment, including Meaning, Self-determination, Competences, and Impact, and examining their influence on workforce agility. The results reveal a significant positive relationship between the dimensions of competence and meaning in psychological empowerment and workforce agility. However, the dimensions of impact and self-determination do not exhibit a strong relationship with workforce agility. This research contributes to the existing literature by addressing the gap in knowledge regarding the impact of psychological empowerment on workforce agility in Moroccan SMEs. The findings have practical implications for managers and decision-makers in SMEs, suggesting that organizations should focus on improving their employees' skills and enhancing their sense of work meaning to foster resilience and adaptability. By fostering workforce agility through empowerment, organizations can create a more engaged and adaptable workforce, potentially leading to increased productivity and competitiveness.   Keywords: Psychological empowerment, organizational agility, workforce agility, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), construction sector firms. JEL Classification : O15, C3, M1, L74 Paper type: Empirical researc

Agility in responding to disruptive digital innovation: Case study of an SME

Disruptive digital innovation (DDI) often creates hypercompetitive market environment that forces firms to be agile to survive and remain competitive. Whereas most studies have focused on larger firms' effort to be agile, few have looked at how small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) respond to DDI. The study attempts to answer the research question of how SMEs achieve agility to respond to DDI. Drawing on a case study of an innovative SME, our study develops a framework on agility based on the processes of mitigating organizational rigidity, developing innovative capabilities, and balancing the tension of organizational ambidexterity. Specifically, our findings show that for SMEs, mitigating organizational rigidity is enabled by the mechanism of achieving boundary openness while developing innovative capability is enabled by the mechanism of achieving organizational adaptability. At the same time, given the inherent challenges of resource constraints, SMEs also need to balance the tension of organizational ambidexterity