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.

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 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.

Substance Use and Self-Harm: Case Studies From Patients Admitted to an Urban Hospital Following Medically Serious Self-Harm

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (14) ◽  
pp. 2201-2210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elsie Breet ◽  
Jason Bantjes
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Urban Hospital ◽  
Adaptive Function ◽  
The Past ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Analyze Data

Few qualitative studies have explored the relationship between substance use and self-harm. We employed a multiple-case study research design to analyze data from 80 patients who were admitted to a hospital in South Africa following self-harm. Our analysis revealed, from the perspective of patients, a number of distinct ways in which substance use is implicated in self-harm. Some patients reported that substance intoxication resulted in poor decision making and impulsivity, which led to self-harm. Others said substance use facilitated their self-harm. Some participants detailed how in the past their chronic substance use had served an adaptive function helping them to cope with distress, but more recently, this coping mechanism had failed which precipitated their self-harm. Some participants reported that substance use by someone else triggered their self-harm. Findings suggest that there are multiple pathways and a host of variables which mediate the relationship between substance use and self-harm.

scholarly journals Connecting Inward and Outward Internationalisation of Malaysian SMEs: A Learning Approach

2018 ◽  
pp. 264-275
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Supplier Relationships ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
The Relationship

When SMEs are part of global value chain, the flows of information in cross-border buyer-supplier relationships which emerge from inward-outward internationalisation connections should be addressed. This study therefore investigates the learning processes of internationalising small and medium enterprises that engage in inward and outward internationalisation. Hence, this study adopts a qualitative case study approach based on ten cases of the internationalising SMEs in Malaysia. Semi-structured interviews with the Managing Directors of the selected SMEs were conducted over a two-year period. Additionally, participant observations were conducted by attending the meetings related to import-export activities and documentations were gathered for data triangulation Findings of this study highlights that the relationship with key foreign suppliers empowered case firms to connect inward to outward internationalisation through collaborative knowledge sharing. The distribution of knowledge through tacit-tacit and tacit-explicit knowledge sharing underpinned by formal planning was a prerequisite for inward-outward internationalisation connections to be established.

scholarly journals Small and medium enterprises and the support policy of local government

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mieczysław Adamowicz ◽  
Aldona Machla
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Local System ◽  
Limiting Factors ◽  
Polish Economy ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
The Town

The subject of this research are small and medium enterprises (SME) in the Polish economy, the support of this sector by local government and the functioning of small and medium enterprises in the local system of the town and commune of Pułtusk. The aim of this study is to present the condition and the role of SME in the local systems in light of the selected features of this sector in the country and evaluation of support for SME given by local government of the town and the commune. The case study research methods applied were literature research, documentation review and survey-based research using questionnaire. The survey was conducted in spring, 2014, on a random sample. The research resulted in learning the profile of a local entrepreneurs and the action characteristics of SME in the examined unit. The diagnosis of the sector’s situation was made, the stimulating and limiting factors of its prosperity were identified. The SME support system of local government and the entrepreneurs’ expectations towards commune government in the field of development of local enterprises were evaluated. The results and conclusions confirm the need for development of local government activity in formulating and implementation of the development of local enterprises policy.

scholarly journals Jornalismo e deliberação pública: um estudo de casos múltiplos Journalism and public deliberation: a multiple case study Periodismo y deliberación pública: un estudio de casos múltiples

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Solano Dos Santos Nascimento
Keyword(s):  
Social Problems ◽  
Multiple Case Study ◽  
Public Deliberation ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

ResumoO artigo apresenta o resultado de um estudo de casos múltiplos a respeito da relação entre três reportagens que trataram de problemas sociais – publicadas pela revista Época e pelos jornais O Globo e Correio Braziliense - e mudanças na legislação que teoricamente buscaram resolver os problemas apontados pelas reportagens. O estudo concluiu que houve influência das reportagens nas mudanças em leis, mas que esse impacto teve nuanças bastante distintas.AbstractThis report presents the results of a multiple case study about the relationship between three stories  that dealt with social problems - published by Época magazine and O Globo and Correio Braziliense newspapers  - and changes in legislation that theoretically sought to solve the problems pointed out by the stories . The study conclusion was that there was influence of the stories in laws  changes, the impact had quite different shades. ResumenEl artículo presenta el resultado de un estudio de casos múltiples acerca de la relación entre tres reportajes sobre problemas sociales-publicados por la revista Época y por los periódicos O Globo y Correio Braziliense - y cambios en la legislación que teóricamente buscaron resolver los problemas señalados por los reportajes . El estudio concluyó que hubo influencia de los reportajes en los cambios de leyes, pero que ese impacto tuvo matices muy distintos.

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