Value co‐creation between foreign firms and indigenous small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in Kazakhstan's oil and gas industry: the role of information technology spillovers

Study related to the extractive sector still plays a limited role in the mainstream international business (IB) and management literature, with even less focus on ongoing liberalisation and digitalisation in the industry. This paper was motivated by the question of how collaboration between foreign and indigenous oil and gas (O&G) companies can support small and mediumsized indigenous technological development. A three-stage qualitative–interpretive method based on interviews with industry experts has been adopted in order to build three case studies. The main contribution of this paper is the development of a model that explains how different actors can cocreate value in the ecosystem of public–private partnership (PPP) in the O&G industry through digital technologies. This paper proposes what companies and the government could do to increase the competitiveness of the local economy, diversify from O&G into high technological industries, and support industrial development through information and communication technologies (ICT)

German and Israeli Innovation: The Best of Two Worlds

This study reviews – through desk research and expert interviews with Mittelstand companies, startups and ecosystem experts – the current status of the Israeli startup ecosystem and the Mittelstand region of North Rhine- Westphalia (NRW), Germany. As a case study, it highlights potential opportunities for collaboration and analyzes different engagement modes that might serve to connect the two regions. The potential synergies between the two economies are based on a high degree of complementarity. A comparison of NRW’s key verticals and Israel’s primary areas of innovation indicates that there is significant overlap in verticals, such as artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), sensors and cybersecurity. Israeli startups can offer speed, agility and new ideas, while German Mittelstand companies can contribute expertise in production and scaling, access to markets, capital and support. The differences between Mittelstand companies and startups are less pronounced than those between startups and big corporations. However, three current barriers to fruitful collaboration have been identified: 1) a lack of access, 2) a lack of transparency regarding relevant players in the market, and 3) a lack of the internal resources needed to select the right partners, often due to time constraints or a lack of internal expertise on this issue. To ensure that positive business opportunities ensue, Mittelstand companies and startups alike have to be proactive in their search for cooperation partners and draw on a range of existing engagement modes (e.g., events, communities, accelerators). The interviews and the research conducted for this study made clear that no single mode of engagement can address all the needs and challenges associated with German-Israeli collaboration

Product service systems: A sustainable design strategy for SMEs in the textiles and leather sectors

Sustainability is no longer an optional facet of production. Concrete actions are needed from every actor in society to achieve more efficient, responsible, and innovative ways of producing, consuming, and living. Businesses, including small and medium enterprises (SMEs), are key actors in the drive toward sustainability. Product Service Systems (PSS) are an alternative for SMEs willing to make the transition towards more sustainable operations, but they remain an unknown quantity for many companies. In this article we present findings from two recent studies on the design of sustainable PSS for SMEs. Our main objectives are to inform designers, design managers, and policymakers about the advantages a sustainable PSS offers to SMEs seeking more sustainable operations, and discuss SMEs’ operational needs should they wish to innovate using PSS

Boosting Emerging Technology Adoption in SMEs: A Case Study of the Fashion Industry

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) provide a significant contribution to the economy and are amongst the target of governments’ digital transformation programs. Yet, existing advanced technology adoption models are based upon and targeted for large-scale companies and might not be applicable to the majority of firms in this segment. To address this issue, this study aims to explore ways in boosting the adoption of technologies relevant to SMEs by employing a qualitative research approach through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with manufacturing SMEs in the fashion industry. Evidence of this study points to several main findings: (1) Leader's competencies, technology literacy, growth mindset, and supportive SME conditions provide positive sentiments towards emerging technologies. However, (2) SMEs must also consider the compatibilities of the technology and evaluate its advantage to the firms prior to adoption. Lastly, (3) stakeholders support and competitors influence are also shown to affect SME leaders, the SME, and the technology itself in terms of supporting technology adoption. This research contributes to the literature by uncovering current condition and needs of SMEs for their technological transformation. For relevant stakeholders, targets of transformation might be achieved if the particular concerns of SMEs have been addressed

Eco‐Holonic 4.0 Circular Business Model to Conceptualize Sustainable Value Chain Towards Digital Transition

The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize a circular business model based on an Eco-Holonic Architecture, through the integration of circular economy and holonic principles. A conceptual model is developed to manage the complexity of integrating circular economy principles, digital transformation, and tools and frameworks for sustainability into business models. The proposed architecture is multilevel and multiscale in order to achieve the instantiation of the sustainable value chain in any territory. The architecture promotes the incorporation of circular economy and holonic principles into new circular business models. This integrated perspective of business model can support the design and upgrade of the manufacturing companies in their respective industrial sectors. The conceptual model proposed is based on activity theory that considers the interactions between technical and social systems and allows the mitigation of the metabolic rift that exists between natural and social metabolism. This study contributes to the existing literature on circular economy, circular business models and activity theory by considering holonic paradigm concerns, which have not been explored yet. This research also offers a unique holonic architecture of circular business model by considering different levels, relationships, dynamism and contextualization (territory) aspects

A Systematic Review on the Small and Medium Business Resilience Framework

This study provides an insight into the factors that affect Malaysian SME owners' tax compliance. This study investigates the effect of tax morale, tax complexity, and tax knowledge on tax compliance. This study adopted the online survey form of Google form to distribute the questionnaire, and 110 SME business owners responded. The regression analysis was used to analyze the data. The findings of this study indicate that tax morale and tax knowledge all have a significant impact on tax compliance. The findings of this study could assist IRBM in improving tax compliance among Malaysians, particularly those who manage SMEs. Keywords: Tax compliance; Small Medium Enterprises. eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia