Internationalisation of SMEs: does entrepreneurial orientation matter?

Author(s):  
Mohammed Ngoma ◽  
Abaho Ernest ◽  
Sudi Nangoli ◽  
Kusemererwa Christopher

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate entrepreneurial orientation (EO) as a predictor of internationalisation of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The key research question is “to what extent do the dimensions of EO (innovativeness, proactiveness and risk taking) predict internationalisation of SMEs?” Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a cross-sectional survey to collect data from 282 SMEs, with the use of a multi-dimensional self-administered questionnaire. All the measures in this study were adopted from existing instruments from previous studies and all showed a CVI above 0.8. Data were analysed quantitatively using descriptive statistics, correlations and hierarchical regression. The nature and strength of the relationships between the variables was tested using the zero-order bivariate correlation analysis. Findings The study establishes a significant relationship between the dimensions of EO and internationalisation of SMEs. Research limitations/implications This paper contributes to the corpus of literature on internationalisation of SMEs. Future research should consider the major constructs from a longitudinal point of view given that cross-sectional studies sometimes fail to examine the interaction effect of the variables. Practical implications The paper illustrates how EO dimensions can influence an entrepreneur’s decision to go international especially handling the process of internationalisation and its dynamics. Originality/value The paper provides contextual evidence from a developing country to the effect that as local investors get more inclined to EO, they in the process ease their way to joining the international business arena.

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-24
Author(s):  
Joshua Mandre ◽  
◽  
James Kagaari ◽  
Levi Kabagambe ◽  
Joseph Ntayi ◽  
...  

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether self-organisation predicts of adoption of management controls in manufacturing firms. The study employed the lens of complex adaptive systems theory to investigate the research question. The study used a cross-sectional survey to collect data from 202 manufacturing firms with the use of a multi-dimensional self-administered questionnaire Data were analyzed quantitatively using PLS-SEM. The findings indicate a positive relationship between innovativeness, emergence and adoption of management controls. The hypothesis for networks of interaction was not supported.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
George Ouma Ochieng'a ◽  
Maurice Ogada

Purpose Good health is important for the happiness and productivity of employees of any organization and a nation. With the declining government funding for public Universities in Kenya, providing health cover for employees is a real challenge. Thus, the universities have to explore widely acceptable and sustainable options. This study aims to explore the correlations of employee preferences for health care schemes and evaluated the cost implications of each of the available Schemes.Design/methodology/approach The study applied a multinomial probit analysis on cross-sectional data from Taita Taveta University (TTU) in Kenya's coastal region. Cost-benefit analysis was used to rank alternative healthcare schemes. For triangulation of information, individual interviews were supplemented with key informant interviews.Findings Two sets of factors, personal attributes of employees and the attributes of the health care provider, were found to drive employee preferences for health care schemes. Thus, the universities need to consider these attributes in their choice sets of health care schemes to gain employee support.Research limitations/implications The study was based on a cross-sectional survey that may not capture the dynamic elements in institutional management. Thus, future research may build panel data on the current one for further analysis.Practical implications The study found that household characteristics and the perceived attributes of the healthcare providers are key drivers of the preferences. Thus, it is important to consider the characteristics of the employees (for example, age, family sizes, etc.) and attributes of healthcare providers before selecting a healthcare scheme for the workersOriginality/value This is a pioneer study on the choice of healthcare scheme for institutions of higher learning in Kenya. Universities are made aware of what informs employee's preferences for health schemes. This is important for tailoring health care schemes to match employee preferences for greater satisfaction.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 841-859
Author(s):  
Fabian F. Osorio Tinoco ◽  
Miguel Hernández-Espallardo ◽  
Augusto Rodriguez-Orejuela

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to clarify how responsive market orientation (RMO) and proactive market orientation (PMO) create competitive advantage. Design/methodology/approach Nonlinear and interaction effects are tested by applying hierarchical regression analysis to a sample of 272 Colombian manufacturing companies. Findings The results show that although market orientation promotes the competitive advantage of a business, both approaches – responsive and proactive – exhibit saturation effects and a positive interaction. Research limitations/implications The main limitation of this study is the cross-sectional design and the use of a single source for data collection. It is suggested that future research includes different orientations combined with these two market orientations – responsive and proactive – for achieving competitive advantage. In addition, further studies could replicate this analysis for different environmental conditions. Originality/value This paper simultaneously evaluates the nonlinear and complementary effects of RMO and PMO. From a strategic standpoint, it presents an empirical confirmation of the familiarity trap, the failure trap and the positive effects of combining RMO and PMO.


2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 337-351
Author(s):  
Ki Ho Kim ◽  
Eugene Y. Roh ◽  
Young Joong Kim ◽  
Samuel A. Spralls

PurposeThe primary purpose of this article is to develop and test a model of the antecedents and consequences (Cho et al., 2016) of bullying in Korean hotel kitchens.Design/methodology/approachCross-sectional survey data were collected from 288 kitchen workers at 12 upscale Korean hotels. Proposed path models were tested using Hayes' (2013) PROCESS syntax in SPSS for mediation and moderated mediation analyses.FindingsThe empirical results indicated that an employee's acquiescent silence behavior increases the likelihood of being bullied. As a result, bullied employees are more likely to respond by engaging in a person-related counterproductive work behavior (CWB-P) or in defensive silence out of fear with temporary employees reacting less aggressively compared to regular employees.Research limitations/implicationsCross-sectional design and self-report data risk common method variance and attributions of causality. Future research should use longitudinal designs to avoid common method bias and make causal inferences. Theoretical and practical implications for kitchen productivity are presented. The study should offer valuable insights for prospective employers to develop on-going training and create a positive working environment within the organization.Originality/valueWhile bullying is a widespread and even an epidemic problem for the commercial kitchen environment, research into abusive behavior among chefs has been limited. By utilizing a specific segment of the hospitality industry, this research identified different behavioral aspects of bulling between temporary and regular employees in the commercial kitchen environment.


2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 564-587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Mafabi ◽  
John C. Munene ◽  
Augustine Ahiauzu

Purpose – This study aims to investigate the mediation role of innovation between creative climate and organisational resilience. Design/methodology/approach – The study used a cross-sectional design to collect data about the study variables from parastatal managers using self-administered questionnaires. Hierarchical regression and Medigraph were used to test hypotheses. Findings – Creative climate has a significant association with innovation and organisational resilience. Innovation partially mediates the effect of creative climate on organisational resilience. Research limitations/implications – The sample size was small involving only parastatals. The results may be different in an expanded public sector. The study was cross-sectional that is limited in examining long-term effects of creative climate and innovation on organisational resilience. Therefore, a longitudinal study design is proposed for future research. Practical implications – Managers in parastatals need to provide a conducive creative climate that promotes innovations for organisational resilience. Originality/value – The study provides empirical evidence on the mediation role of innovation in the relationship between creative climate and organisational resilience in a public sector. The evidence shows the contribution of innovation in striving for organisational resilience based on the creative climate.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 296-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arbaiah Abdul Razak ◽  
Peter A. Murray

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore the strategies performed by innovation actors to ensure commercialisation success, and to determine which of these strategies significantly predict a successful commercialisation within a public university context. Design/methodology/approach The strategies conceptualised for this study included open innovation, strategic leadership and collaborative advantage. A total of 222 public university academics participated in an anonymous survey and were asked to provide responses on their innovation strategies. These responses were then explored to assess the construct validity of the survey instrument and further analysed using a hierarchical multiple regression technique to test the hypotheses and to compare several regression models. Findings The results suggested that strategic leadership and open innovation strategies are significant predictors for successful commercialisation with coefficient of multiple determination (R2) of 21 per cent. This study, however, found that collaborative advantage does not significantly determine commercialisation success. Research limitations/implications The study was limited by the empirical evidence that was based on cross-sectional survey data of public university academics. A qualitative study with other groups of participants such as from the industries would further confirm the relationship between innovation strategies and commercialisation success. Future research should replicate this study in other settings to improve the generalisation of the findings. Originality/value This study discovered strategic leadership as the most dominant predictor for commercialisation success in a public university context followed by open innovation strategy. It confirms the strategic roles of leaders in innovation attempts and provides further understanding about the openness strategy in innovation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 948-964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linlin Chai ◽  
Jin Li ◽  
Thomas Clauss ◽  
Chanchai Tangpong

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the antecedents and the conditions of coopetition at the inter-organizational level. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on survey research methodology and analyzes the data from 138 companies regarding the antecedents and the conditions of their coopetition. Findings The results indicate that the interdependence between partners (i.e. the antecedent) positively affects interfirm coopetition, and that this relationship is contingent on the joint occurrence of opportunism (a behavioral condition) and technology uncertainty (a contextual condition). Specifically, highly interdependent firms are more likely to be involved in a coopetitive relationship when both opportunism and technology uncertainty are high. Interestingly, the authors’ data also show that opportunism or technology uncertainty alone may not be adequate in moderating the interdependence–coopetition relationship. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to the current literature in two meaningful ways. First, it empirically examines interdependence as a potential antecedent of interfirm coopetition. Second, it improves our understanding of the behavioral and contextual conditions that facilitate the formation of coopetitive relationships by examining the moderating roles of opportunisms and technology uncertainty in the relationship between interdependence and interfirm coopetition. The limitations of this study lie in its confined method of cross-sectional survey from the focal firm’s perspective. Future research may advance beyond this study through experimental and/or longitudinal research designs. Practical implications This study provides managers with two important practical insights in coopetition management. First, the findings suggest a two-step approach to help a firm assess and manage the level of coopetition in its relationship with a business partner. In addition, the findings provide a counterintuitive suggestion to managers that the joint conditions of high opportunism and high technology uncertainty indeed prime the relationship for the rise of coopetition, provided that managerial efforts are made to somewhat increase the level of interdependence in the relationship. Originality/value Despite the growing number of studies on coopetition, research still lacks knowledge about the antecedents and the conditions of inter-organizational coopetition, and this study aims to fill this gap.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Irewolede Aina Ijaola ◽  
Godwin Iroroakpo Idoro ◽  
Michael Gbolagade Oladokun

Purpose The skills and knowledge of site supervisors play an important role in the outcome of construction projects. Evidence gleaned from the literature indicates that poor performance of construction projects remains a central concern for stakeholders in the construction sector. This suggests that the site supervisor’s training is important in the construction project outcomes. Various training programmes are available for site supervisors, yet construction firms are not satisfied with them. The purpose of this study is to determine the key training practice indicators for optimal site supervisor’s usage in construction firms. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a cross-sectional survey research design. In the approach, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were used to determine the key training practice indicators for site supervisors. Data were collected from 218 construction site supervisors using a questionnaire. Findings Findings show that training practices are a multidimensional concept consisting of training needs assessment, training delivery, training evaluation and transfer. From the 50 training practice variables, this study establishes 12 key training practice indicators for training site supervisors in construction firms. Research limitations/implications Future research should adopt a longitudinal survey for examining training practices in construction firms. Practical implications The identified key training indicators can inform the policies and practices used in the training of site supervisors. Originality/value This study contributes to knowledge by establishing 12 significant training practice indicators for optimal site supervisors’ usage in construction firms.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olajide Julius Faremi ◽  
Oluranti Olupolola Ajayi ◽  
Kudirat Ibilola Zakariyyah ◽  
Olumide Afolarin Adenuga

PurposeThe study investigates the extent to which defects in coastline buildings are influenced by the climatic conditions within the coastal zones.Design/methodology/approachThe study conducted both desk study and field survey. The primary data for the study were collected through a cross-sectional survey of facilities and maintenance managers of randomly selected coastline buildings. Of the 120 self-administered structured questionnaires, 102 were successfully retrieved representing an 85% response rate. Data collected were analysed using charts, relative prevalence index and Spearman's rho correlation visualization technique.FindingsSaltwater intrusion, ocean overflow, extreme rainfall, debris flow, floods and droughts are the prevalent climatic conditions along the coastline. Steel corrosion, foundation settlement, spalling of concrete and fading of finishes are prevalent defects in coastline buildings. The result shows a positive significant correlation between climatic conditions and defects in coastline buildings.Research limitations/implicationsThe study compliments literature on buildings resilience and maintenance management, and also provides a basis for streamlining future research on coastline buildings.Practical implicationsThe results provide information on climatic conditions and prevalent defects that should be considered during the design and construction of coastline buildings. The information provided could assist construction stakeholders in improving the resilience of coastline buildings.Originality/valueThe study established that coastline buildings are vulnerable to a rapid rate of defect and deterioration which threatens the sustainability of coastline cities. It suggests measures that could improve the resilience of the elements and components of coastline buildings and consequently enhance the safety of life and property, and improve the physical and economic performance of coastline buildings.


2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 745-764 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph Kattenbach ◽  
Simon Fietze

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) within the framework of the job demands-resources (JD-R) model. Design/methodology/approach The sample of N=597 white-collars in the German media and IT industry is drawn via the professional network XING. Cross-sectional mediator models are used to test the hypothesis. Findings The processes proposed by the JD-R model find empirical support. Job demands primarily cause exhaustion while job resources increase job satisfaction. Besides, job demands reduce job satisfaction and job resources lead to less exhaustion. An exception is found for cognitive workload which rather acts like a job resource. EO mediates these effects in a favorable way. High job resources foster EO, which in turn reduces exhaustion and enhances job satisfaction. For job demands, EO shows a negative mediation reducing the health-impairment process and increasing job satisfaction. Research limitations/implications Future research should broach the issue of adverse effects related to extreme employee entrepreneurship and potential negative effects. Practical implications Supporting and supervising an EO may help employees to cope with modern job profiles in agile organizations. Originality/value The findings provide support for a favorable mediating role of an entrepreneurial personal resource within the JD-R model. This knowledge may be used to consider individual work orientations and to organize work in a “healthy” way.


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