scholarly journals E-commerce in the internet-enabled foreign expansion of Polish fashion brands owned by SMEs

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marzanna Katarzyna Witek-Hajduk ◽  
Anna Małgorzata Grudecka ◽  
Anna Napiórkowska
Keyword(s):  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Multiple Case Study ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Fashion Industry ◽  
Foreign Markets ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Medium Enterprises

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to identify ways and motives of application of e-commerce in the foreign expansion of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) fashion brands.Design/methodology/approachA multiple case study was used as the research method. Data were obtained from primarily in-depth interviews with managers of four Polish SMEs –fashion brands owners, whose products are sold in the foreign markets using e-commerce, and secondary sources.FindingsThrough this study the authors identified both strategic-proactive and market-reactive motives of e-commerce applications in SMEs’ fashion brands in the internet-enabled foreign expansion and three different models of usage of e-commerce in the foreign expansion of SMEs.Research limitations/implicationsThe research was based on the multiple case study of only Polish SMEs in the fashion industry. The conclusions of this study can be applied by fashion companies in their internet-based foreign expansion.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the existing body of literature on the internationalization process of SMEs, and particularly on the application of cross-border e-commerce in the foreign internet-enabled expansion of fashion SMEs by identifying three various models of applying e-commerce, in the internet-enabled foreign expansion and their both proactive and reactive motives.

scholarly journals What companies can learn from unicorn startups to overcome the COVID-19 crisis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Doritta Rodrigues ◽  
Matheus Eurico Soares de Noronha
Keyword(s):  
Business Models ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
Analysis Technique ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Medium Businesses ◽  
Medium Enterprises

Purpose This paper aims to search measures that unicorn startups have implemented during the pandemic and show what lessons can be learned to help entrepreneurs and small and medium businesses to overcome the crisis. Design/methodology/approach The method is a multiple case study with five unicorn startups. This study collected data through interviews and analyzed them by the content analysis technique. Findings The findings show that the pandemic affects negatively unicorns’ businesses; that a digital business model innovation affects them positively; and that innovations moderate positively the negative impact of the crisis. Research limitations/implications Most interviewees hold operational positions. Practical implications Three actions stand out to overcome the crisis: adoption of new digital platforms; strategies to increase the network of partners; and adaptations in the provision of payment services. Originality/value The cases show that entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprises need to develop capabilities to innovate in their business models, and digitalization is a solution to face the crisis and overcome it in the future.

Value co-creation in the beverage and food industry

2017 ◽  
Vol 119 (11) ◽  
pp. 2359-2372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Tardivo ◽  
Alkis Thrassou ◽  
Milena Viassone ◽  
Francesca Serravalle
Keyword(s):  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Solid Foundation ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Direct Applicability

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to define and describe how consumers may constitute an integral part of small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) value co-creation process in the food and beverage (F&B) industry, and to provide practicable implementation recommendations to firms in the Piedmont region that are important and prominent in this sector. Design/methodology/approach The research methodology rests on a multiple case study design, applied to three F&B Piedmont SMEs that produce beer, water and starters: Baladin, Lurisia and Galfré. Findings Results show an increasing awareness by firms of the important role played by customers in value co-creation, though limited to specific roles in the case of SMEs. Research limitations/implications The research is limited by its exploratory nature, though the findings and conclusions drawn provide a solid foundation for further development and testing on the subject. Practical implications The case studies’ results allow the reader to understand the importance of the increasing awareness of the role played by customers in value co-creation, especially on the WWB, where costs are minimizing. Originality/value The research’s value stems from fact that there are few existing studies on the ways to engage customers in value co-creation. Moreover, these studies, contrary to the present research, are largely theoretical and either have no direct applicability or are limited to a single case.

scholarly journals An overview of the circular economy among SMEs in the Basque country: A multiple case study

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 1047 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Ormazabal ◽  
Vanessa Prieto-Sandoval ◽  
Carmen Jaca ◽  
Javier Santos
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Basque Country ◽  
Multiple Case Study ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Limited Resources ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Medium Enterprises

Purpose: This research analyzes the maturity of environmental management as well as the degree of to which the Circular Economy has been implemented in Basque SMEs.Design/methodology/approach: A total of 17 case studies were carried out in industrial SMEs companies in the Basque Country.Findings: The main results show that companies are limited to complying with the law and in many cases are worried about the image of the company, although they are not committed to environmental issues. There is still a lot to do in SMEs, as they are the companies that face the biggest challenges due to a lack of resources.Originality/value: Circular Economy aims to change a linear economy into promoting sustainability of the economy while also engaging in sustainable environmental protection. This research has focused on small and medium enterprises as they represent a 99% of companies in Europe and they are the ones that have the most difficulty reaching a stage of environmental excellence due to their limited resources.

scholarly journals The Role of Cooperative Societies in Advancing Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Osun State, Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Research Method ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Multiple Case Study ◽  
Cooperative Society ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
Enterprise Creation

Due to dwindling economic situation most especially in developing countries, people have resulted into self-help through cooperative societies to raise funds for starting small and medium enterprises (SMEs). It was on this premise that the study critically examined the activities of cooperative societies in Osun state in furthering SMEs advancement. The study adopted qualitative research method through in-depth exploratory design to explain ‘what’ and ‘how’ rather than mere prediction. A comparative multiple case study was used as it closely links empirical observations with existing theories to explore the effect of cooperative societies on enterprise creation and expansion and its impact on the advancement of SMEs in Osun State, Nigeria. Four cooperatives were selected and studied. Findings affirmed the significant role played by cooperative societies in advancing SMEs in Osun State. The study concludes that cooperative societies intervention in providing micro loans to members for investment purpose in the area of enterprise formation and expansion is encouraging and should be sustained to improve the prosperity of individuals in Osun State. It was recommended that the promoters of cooperative societies in the State and Nigeria must sustain and increase efforts towards advancing SMEs through the provision of financial facilities to members. Keywords: Cooperative society, Small and Medium Enterprises, Osun State

scholarly journals Achieving Ambidexterity in Internationalization: Analysis of How SMEs Cope with Tensions between Organizational Agility–Efficiency

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 188
Author(s):  
Anjar Priyono ◽  
Fazli Idris ◽  
Sarina Binti Abdul Halim Lim
Keyword(s):  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Multiple Case Study ◽  
Organizational Agility ◽  
Organizational Hierarchy ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Multidimensional Concept

This study aims to examine how small and medium enterprises manage the tensions between organizational agility and efficiency. Organizational agility is a multidimensional concept where each of its components can interact differently with efficiency. The tensions between other capabilities have been explored in many previous studies, yet there is a lack of research exploring the roots of the tensions between organizational agility and efficiency, how the actors interpret these tensions and what dimensions of organizational agility are causing the tensions. A multiple case study research design with an inductive approach was used to explore how two SMEs manage the tensions between organizational agility and efficiency to serve customers from abroad. Despite the relationship between the agility and efficiency seeming contradictory, our analysis demonstrated that the interaction between the two concepts is complex, depending on the object of the tensions, the actors involved and the context. In fact, two actors at the same level of the organizational hierarchy can have identical perceptions about a tension, but they can arise from different logical reasoning. Moreover, due to the multidimensionality of organizational agility, a meta-capability of organizational agility is more likely to dominate the interaction with efficiency. This study contributes to the limited empirical evidence on how actors in SMEs perceive and manage the various tensions emerging from organizational agility and efficiency.

Relevant factors of innovation contests for SMEs

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1196-1215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Isabel Rodriguez Ferradas ◽  
José A. Alfaro Tanco ◽  
Francesco Sandulli
Keyword(s):  
New Product Development ◽  
Corporate Culture ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Retrospective Case ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Context Factors ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
Design Factors ◽  
Relevant Factors

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the relevant factors that influence the implementation of innovation contests, an open innovation (OI) practice that has been extensively reported in the literature as a managerial tool for external knowledge search. The authors focus the study on the context of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Design/methodology/approach The approach is a retrospective case study. This methodology allows an in-depth view into a Spanish SME that successfully undertook two new product development processes thanks to the deployment of innovation contests. Findings The main context factors influencing innovation contests as managerial tool are ambidexterity, technological and marketing turbulence and intermediaries, among others. Regarding design factors, this work highlights the role of attraction and facilitation. Additionally, the repetitive implementation of innovation contests creates a corporate culture that promotes OI activities. Practical implications Managers will understand that they can use innovation contests as a managerial tool, and knowing the factors that need to be taken into account when implementing an innovation contest will help SMEs managers to make better use of this practice. Originality/value This case study enriches the literature of both innovation contests and topics relevant to SMEs. Based on a theoretical framework of the design factors that influence the implementation of innovation contests, the authors propose a research framework that incorporates those context factors in association with an SME.

scholarly journals Self-protective strategies of parents with ADHD and their children as mediated by sensitivity – a multiple-case study

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 278-291
Author(s):  
Milla Syrjänen ◽  
Airi Hautamäki ◽  
Natalia Pleshkova ◽  
Sinikka Maliniemi
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Multiple Case Study ◽  
Adult Attachment Interview ◽  
The Self ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Parental Sensitivity ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Protective Strategies ◽  
Attachment Strategies

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the parental sensitivity and self-protective strategies of parents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and those of their children. Design/methodology/approach Six parents with ADHD and their under 3-years-old children participated. One parent took part with her both children. The data included seven parent-child dyads. The parents were interviewed with the modified Adult Attachment Interview. Parental sensitivity was assessed using the CARE-Index. The self-protective strategies of the children were assessed with The Strange Situation Procedure or the Preschool Assessment of Attachment. Findings The study showed a variety of the self-protective strategies of parents with ADHD as well as those of their children. Three subgroups were formed on the basis of risk as indicated by Crittenden’s gradient of transformation of information. Parents displayed complex self-protective strategies as well as unresolved traumas, which impaired their sensitivity and ability to engage in mutual regulation of arousal and emotion. The parents’ needs of self-protection compromised their ability to protect and comfort their child that is their sensitivity. The children’s protective strategies matched those of their parents in regard to complexity as mediated by parental sensitivity. Originality/value This multiple-case study demonstrates new ideas to be tested with quantitative methods in larger samples. There are no previous studies which have examined both the attachment strategies and sensitivity of parents with ADHD connecting these with the evolving attachment strategies of their children.

Higher authority organizational stressors among higher education deans: a multiple case study

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 333-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfred Huan Zhi Chan ◽  
Mohd Dahlan Malek ◽  
Ferlis Bahari
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Multiple Case Study ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Higher Education Management ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Stressors ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Education Deans

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify higher authority organizational stressors encountered by higher education deans. Design/methodology/approach This current research employed a qualitative approach utilizing a contextual paradigm with a multiple case study methodology. Findings Out of ten investigated deans in a public higher education institution in Malaysia, nine reported experiences of organizational stressor elements arising from higher authority. Three non-overlapping subthemes were systematically discovered. Practical implications Successful identification of these higher authority organizational stressors has implications for higher education management policies. Policies that reduce or eliminate these stressors may create a positive and progressive environment for deans and the higher education field. Originality/value This study will thus serve to promote a deeper understanding of higher authority organizational stressors encountered by higher education deans.

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