The influence of collaboration-oriented organisational capabilities on supply chain competence among small and medium enterprises

Abstract: Orientation: In the contemporary business environment, there is need for firms to strategically interact with partners beyond boundaries, and by collaborating these firms can access resource and technologies beyond their limits. Research purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of collaborationoriented organisational capabilities (COOC) on supply chain competence among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Zimbabwe. Motivation for the study: Small and medium enterprises in Zimbabwe have experienced limited growth, primarily because of their failure to nurture and steer their competencies. The literature suggests that there is value in synchronised cooperative and competitive interactions between firms as such interactions incentivise the pursuit of shared interests. Research design, approach and method: Through a cross-sectional survey, data were collected from 388 SMEs in Zimbabwe, and structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data. Main findings: The study specifically found that there is a positive and significant relationship between collaboration-oriented capabilities and supply chain competence. Practical/managerial implications: The results of this study demonstrate the critical role of organisational capabilities in achieving supply chain competence. The study proves that collaborative capabilities are central to the supply chain success of SMEs, with the possibility of influencing also the firm’s sustainable competitive advantage in line with the dynamic capabilities theory. Contribution/value-add: This study sheds light on the possibility of enhancing the overall supply chain competence of SMEs by establishing and empirically testing the relationships between COOC and supply chain competence

Alliance management capability and SMEs’ international expansion : The role of innovation pathways

Although alliance management capability (AMC) has been widely investigated as a firm-level performance driver, it is still unclear whether and how this distinctive type of relational capability can enhance small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) internationalization activity. By integrating the alliance capability literature and resource-based view (RBV), as well as using data collected from a sample comprising 248 SMEs in UK manufacturing industries, we address this gap by examining the mechanisms through which SMEs can expand their internationalization via collaboration. We found support for our contention that AMC enhances radical and incremental co-innovation in SMEs, culminating in the international expansion of these firms. Additionally, we reveal the moderating effects of alliance partner diversity on the AMC and co-innovation relationship. The results offer both theoretical and managerial insights, contributing to a better understanding of how SMEs can leverage AMC to drive their global expansion strategies.© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Determinants of SMEs performance in Nigeria: A pilot study

The objective of this research work is to examine and explore quantitatively a small sample of data on the determinants of SMEs Performance in Nigeria. The study adopted survey approach to collect 46 usable questionnaires from SMEs in Kano as one of the strata based on stratified random sampling method. The model produces six factors that are used as a determinant of SMEs performance in Nigeria. Therefore, validity and reliability of the instruments were examined through panel of expert and also the small sample of the data was analyzed using SPSS v18.Results confirmed the validity and reliability of the instruments adapted in the pilot study

Essays on digitalization among small and medium-sized firms : Complementary and contingent approaches

This dissertation explains how and under what circumstances the operational performance of small and medium-sized (SME) firms is most likely to benefit from digitalization. This topic will be examined by combining the resource-based view (RBV) and contingency theory, that is, using the contingency RBV, which remains relatively rarely used in current research. The perspective permits an examination of the impact of various resources and capabilities in the presence of situational factors. The dissertation consists of five papers dealing with digitalization in SMEs operating in various areas. The research relies on two surveys involving Finnish SMEs from manufacturing industries, the first of which provides cross-sectional data. Together the two datasets provide the longitudinal data informing the dissertation. The research shows that the contingency RBV provides a comprehensive framework that can assist in examining how and in what circumstances SMEs can benefit from digitalization, that benefit being measured from an operational improvement perspective. Previous research on SMEs is limited, so the first result of this thesis involves testing a theoretical framework for SMEs in the context of their digitalization. The research results show that the benefits of digitalization for operational performance arise through two different mechanisms, and digitalization alone does not affect the firm's success. The effect of digitalization on SMEs’ operational performance emerges from the complementarity between digitalization and firms’ organizational attributes, factors, or resources that enhance performance. The second mechanism relates to environmental and situational factors and shows that both the firm's internal and external environment determine the level of the impact of digitalization. Among Finnish SMEs, digitalization produces value in the form of improved operational performance when digitalization, resources, and capabilities bolster each other in internal and external environments conducive to digitalization.Tässä väitöskirjassa selvitetään miten ja missä tilanteessa pienet ja keskisuuret (pk) yritykset pystyvät todennäköisemmin hyötymään digitalisoitumisestaan operatiivisen suorituskyvyn näkökulmasta. Aihetta tarkastellaan yhdistämällä resurssi- ja tilannetekijäteoria eli tässä työssä hyödynnetään tilanteista resurssiteoriaa, joka on nykyisessä tutkimuskentässä vielä varsin rajallisesti käytetty. Näkökulman mukaan erilaisten resurssien ja kyvykkyyksien vaikutusta voidaan tarkastella tilannetekijöiden ollessa läsnä. Väitöskirja muodostuu viidestä artikkelista, joissa käsitellään yritysten digitalisoitumista. Väitöskirjassa käyte¬tään kahta eri kyselytutkimusta, joihin suomalaiset valmistavan teollisuuden pk-yritykset ovat osallistuneet. Ensimmäinen aineisto on poikkileikkausaineisto ja aineistot yhdessä muodostavat toisen, pitkittäisen, aineiston. Tutkimustulokset osoittavat, että tilanteinen resurssiteoria muodostaa kattavan viitekehyksen, jonka perusteella voidaan lähestyä sitä, miten ja missä tilanteissa pk-yritykset pystyvät hyötymään digitalisoitumisesta parantuneen operatiivisen suorituskyvyn näkökulmasta. Aikaisempi pk-yrityksiin keskittynyt tutkimus on ollut vähäistä, joten tämän väitöskirjan ensimmäisenä tuloksena voidaan pitää teoreettisen viitekehyksen testaamista nimenomaan pienillä ja keskisuurilla yrityksillä niiden digitalisoitumisen kontekstissa. Tutkimustulokset osoittavat, että digitalisoitumisen hyöty operationaaliseen suoriutumiseen syntyy kahden erilaisen mekanismin kautta eli digitalisoituminen ei yksin vaikuta yrityksen menestymiseen. Ensimmäinen mekanismi muodostuu niin kutsutusta täydentävästä suhteesta, joka tarkoittaa sitä, että yrityksen digitalisoituminen vaikuttaa yrityksen muihin resursseihin ja kyvykkyyksiin vahvistavasti, ja yhdessä digitaaliset tekijät yrityksen resurssien ja kyvykkyyksien kanssa parantavat yrityksen suoriutumista. Toinen mekanismi liittyy kontingenssivaikutukseen, jossa tilannetekijät vaikuttavat yritysten digitalisoitumisesta syntyvään hyötyyn. Tulokset osoittavat, että mikäli yrityksen sisäinen ympäristö on suotuisa yrityksen digitalisoitumiseen, sillä on positiivisia vaikutuksia digitalisoitumisesta saatavaan hyötyyn. Tulosten mukaan myös ulkoinen ympäristö vaikuttaa yrityksen digitalisoitumisesta saatavaan hyötyyn. Suomalaisten pk-yritysten digitalisoituminen tuottaa yrityksille arvoa parantuneena operatiivisena suorituskykynä silloin, kun yritysten digitalisoituminen ja resurssit sekä kyvykkyydet vahvistavat toisiaan digitalisoitumiselle suotuisassa sisäisessä ja ulkoisessa ympäristössä.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

R&D Alliances and SMEs Post-Entry Internationalization Speed : The Impact of Alliance Management Capability and Co-innovation Ambidexterity

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The impact of health pandemic on WCM: Evidence from the UK

The primary purpose of this exploratory research was to provide evidence of the impact of COVID-19 financial crisis on the working capital management of UK micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs).The secondary aim was to provide insights into micro-, small, and medium- sized enterprises’(MSMEs) use of management accounting techniques. Suchorganisations were purposely selected as the subject of this study because they face challenges (even in times of general economic prosperity, owing to their small profit margins) in maintaining an effective WCM policy, which involves managing and controlling cashflow, risks, opportunity costs, and expected returns. Understanding how the COVID-19 financial crisis has impacted UK MSMEs cannot be understated, as policymakers urgently seek evidence to shape their agenda to support this vital sector. The study employed mixed methodology by collecting both quantitative and qualitative data. The empirical data were obtained from a survey conducted among 150 micro-, small, and medium-sized UK businesses and a number of follow-up interviews. A contingency approach was adopted, and structural equation modelling was applied to analyse the data, using a Likert or ordinal scale of 1 to 5 to test the hypotheses. The empirical results indicate that the COVID-19 financial crisis has negatively impacted both the WCM, and cash flow/liquidity of UK MSMEs measured through both observed and unobserved/latent variables. The causes of these negative impacts are reduced customer demand (market channel) and the anxiety of a positive economic outlook (emotional channel). The research contributes to both knowledge and literature in the field, as no previous studies have provided such evidence in the UK

The effect of strategic planning on competitive advantages of small and medium enterprises

This research starts from a phenomenon that indicates that the competitive advantage of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in increasingly fierce business competition has not yet achieved in Sukabumi, Indonesia. This is indicated by the inefficiency of production costs felt by SMEs which are not capable of creating competitive prices and the difficulty of making unique products. The purpose of this study is to determine the magnitude of the influence of dimensional strategic planning on the competitive advantage of SMEs. The results of the analysis and discussion are expected to find a concept regarding SME strategic planning. This study uses a quantitative approach, with an explanatory survey design that explains and describes the level of influence of strategic planning on the competitive advantage of SMEs in Sukabumi Regency, Indonesia. By using data analysis of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), the results of the study indicate that there is a significant influence of strategic planning on the competitive advantage of SMEs in Sukabumi, Indonesia. Strategic planning which consists of three dimensions, namely: the desires of external stakeholder, the company's internal encouragement, and the company's database, significantly influences the competitive advantage of SMEs. Of the three dimensions of strategic planning, the dimensions of external stakeholder have the highest influence, while the company's database have the lowest effect. These results practically imply for SMEs to increase the consideration of company database in preparing the SME strategic planning. Keywords: Strategic planning Competitive advantage SMEs Cost leadershi

Boon or curse? A contingent view on the relationship between strategic planning and organizational ambidexterity

Numerous scholars have attempted to explain which factors allow for organizational ambidexterity. Strategic planning, as a possible antecedent, has not been considered so far. This is surprising because strategic planning is among the most widely used strategic decision-making tools in management practice and one of the most extensively studied concepts in management research. In addition, prior research has demonstrated the potential of strategic planning to impact innovation-related outcomes—both positively and negatively. Here, we investigate the association between strategic planning and organizational ambidexterity using a survey of 217 senior executives. We highlight the importance of considering how executives use strategic planning. Our results support the hypothesis that strategic planning's positive or negative association with organizational ambidexterity is contingent on other organizational factors. Our findings reveal that strategic planning is only positively associated with organizational ambidexterity when leaders' innovation orientation is extraordinarily high. We further contextualize this interaction effect by considering the environmental uncertainty perceived by the top management. This work contributes to the literature by examining the antecedents of organizational ambidexterity

Digital transformation and SME internationalisation:unravelling the moderated-mediation role of digital capabilities, digital resilience and digital maturity

PurposeThis study has two main objectives. First, to examine the indirect effects of digital platform capability and digital resilience on digital transformation (DT) outcomes for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and second, to investigate how digital business model maturity influences these indirect effects.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts a quantitative design and collects data through a self-reporting survey from individuals in the technological industries. The Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) and PLS multi-group analysis examine the measurement and structural models and the significance of differences in indirect paths based on the digital business model maturity level, serving as a moderator.FindingsThe findings of this study provide valuable insights into the internationalisation of digital SMEs. They indicate that digital platform capability and resilience fully mediate, connecting digital resources to SME growth. The study also confirms the digital business model maturity’s positive and significant moderating effect on these indirect relationships.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the existing literature by focusing on the international outcomes of platform ecosystems in developing markets. It explores how digital platform capability and resilience support the digital transformation of SMEs, considering their vulnerability due to their small size. The study also fills a research gap by investigating the relationship between big data, digital leadership and the international growth of digital platforms. Lastly, it explores the role of digital maturity in the relationships between antecedents, determinants and outcomes of digitalisation.<br/