The impacts of sustainable inter-firm collaboration on business performance of shipping companies

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thi Minh Trang Tran ◽  
Su-Han Woo ◽  
Kum Fai Yuen
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Resources ◽  
Internal Resources ◽  
Structural Bonding ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
External Relationships

PurposeTo gain competitive advantage, shipping companies need the abilities to manage environmental requirements, which this study refers to as sustainable shipping capabilities, including internal resources and external factors such as inter-firm collaboration. However, previous studies mainly focused on the effectiveness of internal resources, leading decision-makers in shipping companies to undervalue the significance of external relationships in managing sustainability issues and their impact on performance. Therefore, this paper aims to identify and examine the impacts of sustainable inter-firm collaboration on shipping companies' business performance (i.e. shippers' loyalty and financial performance).Design/methodology/approachA proposed model that explains the relationships between relation bonding strategies, sustainable inter-firm collaboration and business performance was developed. Accordingly, a survey questionnaire was constructed and sent to 294 shipping companies in Vietnam. Structural equation modeling was deployed to examine the validity of the measurement items and investigate relationships among the latent constructs.FindingsThe findings show that financial bonding strategies have the most significant impact on sustainable inter-firm collaboration, followed by social bonding strategies and structural bonding strategies. Furthermore, sustainable inter-firm collaboration has direct and indirect (via perceived shippers' loyalty) effects on business performance.Research limitations/implicationsRelational bonding strategies provide a unique perspective to sustainable inter-firm collaboration. This study also contributes to allocate external resources and capabilities to improve inter-firm collaboration, thereby maximizing financial performance.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature by applying relational bonding strategies that determine the key factors enabling sustainable inter-firm collaboration.

scholarly journals Measuring dimensions of perceived business success among Malaysian and Bangladeshi SME owners

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shehnaz Tehseen ◽  
Fatema Johara ◽  
Hussam Al Halbusi ◽  
Md Asadul Islam ◽  
Fadi Abdel Muniem Abdel Fattah
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Structural Model ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Business Success ◽  
Retail Sector ◽  
Business Growth ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of Malaysian and Bangladeshi retail small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) business owners on the key elements of business growth.Design/methodology/approachThe construct measurements have all been taken from previous researches. The data were gathered from retail SMEs in Malaysia and Bangladesh in order to evaluate entrepreneurs' perception towards the essential elements of a business performance. Structural equation modeling (SEM) with PLS-technique, specifically Smart-PLS Version 3.2.4, was used to accomplish the study's objectives and analyze the measurements, as well as the structural model.FindingsAccording to the findings, Malaysian and Bangladeshi SMEs have different perspectives toward the dimensions of their business performance. For example, Malaysian retail SME owners consider business growth and financial results to be the most important aspects of their success. Retailers consider financial performance to be less critical than non-financial performance when it comes to their business's success. Owners of Bangladeshi retail SMEs, on the other hand, see efficiency relative to competition, and that non-financial performance is the key component to achieving business success. In the sense of Bangladeshi SMEs, market development and financial results are seen as less significant in attaining success.Research limitations/implicationsSince this research was only conducted in Malaysia and Bangladesh, it did not cover a large number of countries. The sample size was limited; therefore, the findings of this study cannot be applied to the entire population of Malaysian and Bangladeshi retail SMEs due to the non-probability sampling technique.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study show that entrepreneurs or business owners in the retail sector in Malaysian and Bangladeshi SMEs view the attributes of their business performance differently.Originality/valueThis study adds to the rising context of entrepreneurship by examining SME owners' perception of main business performance dimensions in the scope of Asian retail SMEs.

Absorptive capacity and business performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 118 (9) ◽  
pp. 1787-1803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xueyuan Liu ◽  
Haiyun Zhao ◽  
Xiande Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Direct Effect ◽  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Multiple Paths

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the multiple paths of absorptive capacity’s (AC) effect on business performance (BP): direct effect and indirect effects through innovation and mass customization (MC).Design/methodology/approachThe authors examined the role of innovation and MC capability on the relationship between AC and BP. Data from 278 Chinese firms in four manufacturing industries collected by questionnaire are used to empirically examine the proposed model by Structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results show that AC can directly enhance BP, and indirectly through innovation and MC capability. The study also finds that MC capability has a stronger mediating effect than innovation.Originality/valuePrior studies have not yet built linkages between AC and BP with both innovation and MC’s effects. This study provides empirical evidence of the effects of AC on BP and three paths are discussed including AC’s direct effect and indirect effects through innovation and MC to firm’s BP. This study provides a new direction for executives to better understand the movement of knowledge along supply chain and in intra-organizational environment, and of the importance of innovation and MC capability since they are essential carriers for BP enhancement.

Customer empowerment and firms’ performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 336-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarra Berraies ◽  
Manel Hamouda
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Financial Performance ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Empowerment ◽  
Mediating Variables ◽  
Exploratory Innovation

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of customer empowerment (CE) on financial performance and the role of innovation and customer satisfaction as mediating variables in this relationship. Design/methodology/approach To empirically test the conceptual model and research hypotheses, data were collected through a survey from 216 branches of 14 commercial banks in Tunisia. Results were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Findings The results indicate a significant and a positive impact of CE on firms’ financial performance. Customer satisfaction, exploitative innovation and exploratory innovation mediate the relationship between CE and firms’ financial performance. Practical implications These findings provide useful insights for practitioners, particularly bank managers who can improve their financial performance, customer satisfaction and innovation by empowering their customers and integrating them in the products and/or services conception process. Conclusions emphasize practices to be encouraged within banks such as services customization which are acquired by customers themselves, the expression of opinions, customers’ needs and the interaction among bank customers. Originality/value Several studies in the literature have studied the CE and its impact on business performance. However, few research studies have focused on the variables that mediate this relationship. So far, this paper not only integrates mediating variables such as customer satisfaction and innovation to study the link CE-firm performance but also makes the distinction between exploitative and exploratory innovation which is seldom made by researchers.

Dependence, trust, and 3PL integration: an empirical study in China

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (9) ◽  
pp. 927-948 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baofeng Huo ◽  
Chen Liu ◽  
Haozhe Chen ◽  
Xiande Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Information Sharing ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Performance Model ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Key Dimensions ◽  
Process Coordination ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate relationships among dependence, trust, and integration in the Chinese 3PL context. 3PL integration is manifested in two key dimensions: information sharing and process coordination. Design/methodology/approach This study develops a dependence-trust-3PL integration-performance model and tests it using structural equation modeling with survey data collected from 361 companies in the Greater China area (i.e. mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan). Findings The results show that switch dependence is indirectly related to information sharing and process coordination through goodwill trust, while goal dependence has direct links with both integrative behaviors. The authors also found that only goodwill trust mediates the relationship between dependence and integrative behaviors, while ability trust does not mediate any relationships. Finally, the analysis validated the direct link between process coordination and financial performance, but did not find a significant link between information sharing and financial performance. Originality/value Different from most previous studies on similar topics, this study examines the impacts of different types of dependence and trust on different 3PL integration dimensions. As a result, the findings are more specific and have direct relevance to effective 3PL relationship management in China.

Unveiling the growth process: entrepreneurial growth and the use of external resources

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Furlan ◽  
Roberto Grandinetti ◽  
Adriano Paggiaro
Keyword(s):  
Firm Growth ◽  
High Growth ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Business Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Resources ◽  
External Relationships ◽  
Entrepreneurial Growth ◽  
Over Time

Purpose – Business research and entrepreneurship literature typically examines external resources as input or output of entrepreneurial (or high) growth. The purpose of this paper is to combine these two perspectives in describing and modeling high growth. Design/methodology/approach – The study tests the hypotheses on a sample of medium-sized, established manufacturing firms using structural equation modeling. Findings – Results provide original contributions to the business research on firm growth and entrepreneurship. They are consistent with studies advocating the importance of adopting a process perspective when studying business growth to probe the causal mechanisms behind growth. Research limitations/implications – Being quantitative, this study does not address the dynamic interdependencies between proprietary and hybrid growth. However, the literature on entrepreneurship would benefit from qualitative studies that explore how successful and sustainable growth processes combine the two modes of growth. Originality/value – Findings partially discard the input and output approach in favor of a vision of entrepreneurial growth as a process that unfolds over time with the development of external relationships. Only the process of collaboration, a core competence of entrepreneurial firms, reduces information asymmetries and agency problems, thus turning the corresponding inter-organizational relationships into formidable feeders of firm growth. Entrepreneurial growth is in fact a process that needs external relationships in order to flourish over time.

Entrepreneurial universities and women entrepreneurship: a cross-cultural study

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (9) ◽  
pp. 2541-2554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Carmen Laudano ◽  
Lamberto Zollo ◽  
Cristiano Ciappei ◽  
Vincenzo Zampi
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Entrepreneurial Universities ◽  
Cross Culture ◽  
Developed Country ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Self Employment ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Emerging Country

Purpose Through a cross-culture study, the purpose of this paper is to understand about how entrepreneurial universities can foster entrepreneurship in women by attending to psychological and environmental factors and personality traits that encourage women to form entrepreneurial intent. Design/methodology/approach The authors test the proposed conceptual model on a cross-cultural sample comprising 350 students from Italy, a developed country, and from Albania, an emerging country. Structural equation modeling is used to validate the proposed model and test the hypothesized relationships. Findings In both Italy and Albania, entrepreneurial universities significantly impact entrepreneurial attitudes and intentions in women. The major differences relate to psychological factors that predict self-employment attitudes and intentions. Specifically, risk-taking propensity and locus of control are important antecedents of attitudes in both samples; the need for independence is a significant predictor only in the Italian sample; need for achievement has significant influence only in the Albanian sample. Originality/value To better understand and interpret the phenomenon of female entrepreneurship, the authors use the theory of planned behavior to investigate entrepreneurial universities located in Italy, a developed country, and Albania, an emerging country.

scholarly journals Complexity and the triple bottom line: an information-processing perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (9) ◽  
pp. 1142-1163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Wiengarten ◽  
Muhammad Usman Ahmed ◽  
Annachiara Longoni ◽  
Mark Pagell ◽  
Brian Fynes
Keyword(s):  
Information Processing ◽  
Financial Performance ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Triple Bottom Line ◽  
Structural Equations ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the impact of complexity on the triple bottom line by applying information-processing theory. Specifically, the paper assesses the impact of internal manufacturing complexity on environmental, social, and financial performance. Furthermore, the paper assesses the moderating role of connectivity and shared schema in reducing the potential negative impact of complexity on performance. Design/methodology/approach Multi-country survey data collected through the Global Manufacturing Research Group were utilized to test the hypotheses. The authors used structural equation modeling to test the measurement and initial structural model. Furthermore, to test the proposed moderating hypotheses, the authors applied the latent moderated structural equations approach. Findings The results indicate that while complexity has a negative impact on environmental and social performance, it does not significantly affect financial performance. Furthermore, this negative impact can be reduced, to some extent, through connectivity; however, shared schema does not significantly impact on the complexity-performance relationship. Originality/value This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the impact of complexity on sustainability. Furthermore, it provides managerial applications as it proposes specific tools to deal with the potential negative influences of complexity.

Exploring loyalty to specialty foods among tourists and residents

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (5) ◽  
pp. 1120-1131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dwi Suhartanto ◽  
Brendan T. Chen ◽  
Zurinawati Mohi ◽  
Adila Sosianika
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Perceived Quality ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Motivation Factors ◽  
Perception Of Quality ◽  
Retail Managers ◽  
Internal And External Factors ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine a specialty food loyalty model which includes perceived quality, satisfaction, and motivation, and to assess the model’s applicability in two distinct groups of customers: tourists and residents.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 455 specialty food customers in Bandung, Indonesia. Variance-based structural equation modeling (partial least squares (PLS)) was used to examine the relationship between the drivers (perceived quality, satisfaction and motivation) and loyalty according to the data presented by tourists and residents.FindingsThis study indicates that the perception of quality is an important factor affecting tourists’ and residents’ satisfaction with, and loyalty to, a product. Furthermore, this study suggests that motivation factors are important for tourists and residents in regard to developing loyalty to specialty foods.Practical implicationsThis study provides a venue for retail managers and producers to improve their business performance by developing specialty foods of high quality. To improve their quality, this research suggests that managers and retailers focus on innovation based on exotic and unique traditional food reflecting the richness of local culture. To ensure their loyalty, customers of specialty foods need to be motivated by internal and external factors.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first to examine the formation of specialty food loyalty in two distinct groups of customers: tourists and residents.

Role of reciprocity in firms' open source strategies

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 797-815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yiqing Yu
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Social Participation ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Symbiotic Relationship ◽  
Behavioral Strategies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Open Source Communities

PurposeInterorganizational reciprocity plays a key role in relationships among software firms and open source communities. This study seeks to illuminate how a firm's open source strategy, characterized by its participation in the open source community, contributes to its financial performance.Design/methodology/approachBased on the norm of reciprocity and social capital theory, the study proposes a model comprising the behavioral antecedents and business results of a firm's symbiotic relationship with the open source community. Data were collected through a survey. Partial least squares-based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to assess the results.FindingsA firm's participative behaviors can have three dimensions: technology giving, technology taking and social participation. Technology taking directly impacts financial performance, whereas the effects of technology giving and social participation on financial performance are fully mediated by the firm's symbiotic relationship with the open source community.Practical implicationsManagers can understand how a specific behavior ultimately contributes to a symbiotic relationship or a firm's financial performance and how to flexibly align participation strategies with the business orientation.Originality/valueThe study adds to the open source literature by refining and enriching the conceptual domain of a firm's participative behaviors in open source communities. It also reveals how contrasting behavioral strategies impact a firm's financial performance.

A measure of adaptive performance and the DLOQ

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyoungshin Kim
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Learning Organization ◽  
Organization Development ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Adaptive Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Modeling Analysis ◽  
Performance Dimension

Purpose This study aims to introduce adaptive performance as an organizational performance dimension and examine the possible dynamics between the dimensions of a learning organization and adaptive performance. Design/methodology/approach This study used a survey and applied factor analysis and structural equation modeling analysis. Findings The results supported adaptive performance as an organizational performance dimension. Also, the findings of this study empirically proved that perceived knowledge and adaptive performance mediate the positive relationship between a learning organization and perceived financial performance. Research limitations/implications In addition to the current Dimensions of a Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ) studies, this study revealed that adaptive performance, one of the nonfinancial outcomes improved by learning, had a significant effect on financial performance. Also, this study provided evidence of the additional construct validity of the DLOQ, particularly its performance measures. Practical implications This study advises practitioners to take a close look at how learning and organization development activities improve organizational performance overall. Originality/value This study supported a claim that learning and organization development activities in organizations have a strong potential to induce variance in intangible performance.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document