Entrepreneurial Orientation, Management Commitment, And Human Capital: The Internationalization Of SMEs In India

Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make sizeable contributions to the economic success of nations. Research concerning the internationalization of SMEs is available in the context of developed economies but less is can be found dealing specifically with the entrepreneurial behavior and international expansion of SMEs in emerging markets such as India. This research extends the literature addressing the relationships surrounding the internationalization of SMEs in India as related to entrepreneurial behavior, firm resources, and commitment to internationalization. Entrepreneurial orientation, a commitment to internationalization, and the ability to leverage human capital influence the international success of Indian SMEs, based on the analysis of data collected from 150 Indian SMEs

Exploring the links between business process re-engineering and small and medium-sized enterprises

Despite a growing literature on business process re-engineering (BPR) principles and prospects, there is little empirical research evaluating the success or failure of BPR initiatives. This is especially so in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) where the potential for BPR benefit may differ significantly from that in their larger counterparts. An examination of the literature on process re-engineering reveals that BPR guidelines derived from the experiences in large organisations are inadequate for SMEs given the different characteristics of SMEs in terms of size, structure, culture, resources and technology. The objective of this research is to develop an appropriate basis of BPR guidelines for SMEs. A pluralistic research method is used due to the exploratory nature of the study and the absence of existing rigorous research in the area. This consists of a questionnaire survey of 116 Taiwan-based SMEs, followed by case studies of eight chosen organisations. The findings from the survey enable the researcher to modify the proposed framework of BPR implementing for SMEs, and the case studies explore the factors that facilitate/inhibit BPR success in SMEs in greater detail. The study reveals an opportunity for SMEs to benefit from BPR efforts, although their BPR initiatives are mainly inter-functional. Re-engineering in SMEs is often a response to positive trends, and is largely dependent upon the owner-manager's perceived benefits and risk-taking attitudes. A strategic vision as well as sound external relations may leverage SMEs' re-engineering efforts to higher business integration, while a lack of financial support and non-standardised IS infrastructure may restrict SMEs' BPR initiatives to functional areas. Employee empowerment, dedication to R&D, and innovative use of IT are intertwined and significantly related to BPR success. The study concludes by outlining the principles of BPR guidelines for SMEs based on a modified framework detailing the BPR environment in SMEs. These include a holistic and strategic view towards BPR, the roles of owner-managers and employees, change issues, and implementing BPR as a process change project

Convention services manager\u27s perception of the strategic outsourcing of convention services

The purpose of this study was to identify the degree of outsourcing and the main advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing perceived by convention services managers. Outsourcing was considered as a convention management strategy in which a convention service department utilizes more specialized assistance in order to reduce costs and improve efficiency; The review of the literature described the background for outsourcing by focusing on the literature in the service field. This study utilized a modified Delphi method to combine opinions of a widespread group of convention services managers. Electronic mail was used as the medium to recruit participants and disseminate the Round I questionnaire and the feedback loop questionnaire; For the first rating in Round I, participants were asked to rate the degree of outsourcing and the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing using a 7-point Likert scale. For the second rating in the feedback loop, participants received the average rating of all participants as well as the standard deviation for compariSon They rated items of advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing once more on the same scale; The findings of this study included six convention services which have the significant usage of outsourcing, 13 main advantages of outsourcing, and two main disadvantages of outsourcing perceived by convention services managers. The results of this study help to better understand the concept of outsourcing and contribute academically and practically to advancing the convention service management

Orchestration of the Marketing Strategy under Competitive Dynamics

Constructing suitable marketing strategy and implementing it effectively is an art and science both like orchestration of a symphony. The discussion in this paper blends this analogy with the science of marketing demonstrating the levels of strategy development in a competitive marketplace. The paper presents the marketing-mix in contemporary context and argues that performance of a marketing firm can be maximized, when a firm develops a creative marketing strategy and achieves marketing strategy implementation effectiveness. The discussion in the paper reveals that marketing managers of different levels simultaneously operate within the firm and perceive the need for strategy development with varied preferences. A consequence of this is development of robust strategies and their effective implementation which, in turn, leads to increased market performance. Thus, it is important for researchers to investigate various strategy integration perspectives and this paper provides guidance by reviewing the existing literature.Marketing strategy, strategy integration, marketing-mix, customer value,strategy implementation, market competition, risk factors, brand building, customer centric strategy, routes to market

Global IT Outsourcing Management: Key Influence Factors and Strategies

The key focus of this article is to provide an understanding about the complexities involved in global IT outsourcing and the management initiatives needed for the successful implementation of a global IT outsourcing partnership. Technological advances combined with increased globalization and competitive pressures have forced many firms to consider alternatives that will reduce organizational cost, and at the same time create and/or maintain their competitive advantage in the global market. Increasingly, the phenomenon of global outsourcing is being considered by many firms as a solution to their IT needs and problems. With increasing recognition and confidence in the programming competencies of IT workers in India and other countries, offshore outsourcing has gained increasing acceptance among U.S firms across all industries.Even though there has been a plethora of studies on domestic outsourcing of information systems, the research on outsourcing outside national borders (global outsourcing) has been scarce. One of the areas which lacks depth in the literature is in how to manage a global outsourcing partnership. Anecdotal evidence points to the fact that even the best outsourcing deals can go sour if not managed properly. In the context of global IT outsourcing, the management of the outsourcing relationship becomes even more complex because of the geographical distance and the difference in the national and organizational cultures of the client and vendor firms. This article identifies the key elements that should be considered while managing an outsourcing relationship with a foreign’ vendor and the role the manager should play in a global outsourcing context

Global Information Technology: A Meta Analysis of Key Issues

Recently, there has been an increasing number of studies and articles that have identified and ranked global information technology (IT) issues in various parts of the world. The objective of this article is to aggregate the results of these studies and explore the possibility of linkage of these key IT issues to environmental and organizational factors. An organizing framework for global IT issues is developed and one of the factors in the framework, the level of economic development of the country, is analyzed to observe its impact on the ranking of key IT issues. Cluster analysis on a sample of ranked IT issues from 16 different regions indicates a linkage between the level of economic development of a region and the ranking of various types of IT issues. The analysis provides stronger support for the three-way classification of regions into developed, developing, and under-developed rather than the more recent four-way classification of developed, newly industrialized, developing, and under-developed