Workers in labour-intensive industries in developing countries have been described as the ‘hidden hands’ in the making of valuable goods in global production networks (GPNs). The process of improving the rights and entitlements of workers in GPNs have been referred to as ’social upgrading’. However, literature on social upgrading has tended to overlook the role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and there is still little scientific understanding of how small businesses in developing countries can engage in social upgrading. The aim of this thesis is to enhance the understanding of how SMEs in developing countries can improve working conditions and labour rights. Through a qualitative case study, this study goes beyond statements of leading Fair Trade brands to provide insights based on voices of both workers and owner-managers in a small garment factory in Nepal. This study brings forward observations where SMEs, shaped by their characteristics, are enabled to evade responsibilities concerning working conditions and labour rights.

The positive relationship of firm-level entrepreneurship and performance has received much attention in recent years and has become an attractive title in the entrepreneurship literature. This popularity encourages researchers to study the role played by the phenomenon on other organizational outputs such as internationalization. Until now, the majority of international studies have put their attention on the conceptual explanation of the interaction, and the number of empirical studies on the subject is few. Furthermore, almost all the empirical studies have been performed in developed and emerging markets, and developing areas such as the Middle East are nearly ignored. In the real context of Iranian business, policymakers support entrepreneurship as a proven way to improve the internationalization of smaller companies. Following this assumption, several supportive plans have been designed and executed which aim to increase the entrepreneurial status of SMEs as a way to enhance their internationalization. A question worth answering here is: Does having a better entrepreneurial stature mean better internationalization for Iranian SMEs? To answer this question and to fill the gap in the literature on the subject, this research explains the relationship of firm-level entrepreneurship and the internationalization of Iranian SMEs. To resolve the current conceptualization problem of firm-level entrepreneurship and to respect a broad conceptualization of entrepreneurship, a profile measurement model was employed in which companies are classified into four different groups: non-entrepreneurial, forced entrepreneurial, latent entrepreneurial, and actual entrepreneurial. This profile model incorporates the two popular constructs of entrepreneurial orientation and corporate entrepreneurship to determine the entrepreneurial stature of a company. Surprisingly, while the literature predicted the highest level of internationalization for actual entrepreneurial companies, the forced entrepreneurial firms showed the best internationalization in reality. The only exception was when the environments became very hostile, in which the actual entrepreneurial SMEs suppressed the forced entrepreneurial, showing better internationalization. These unexpected conclusions led the researcher to consider the complementary role of business networks. A case study approach was applied. The results revealed the importance of actor type in the decision to enter a foreign market, structural holes in identifying international opportunities, and network closure in realizing the opportunities. In simpler words, the forced entrepreneurial company held a better position to receive the information about international markets because most actors who dealt with them where international companies. In addition, it enjoyed an external network rich of structural holes and a dense internal network, which respectively facilitated the exploration and exploitation of subsequent international opportunities. All in all, however, firm-level entrepreneurship seems an important factor of companies’ internationalization that could somehow justify why entrepreneurial companies show better international activities than nonentrepreneurial firms, it is not able to explain how different types of entrepreneurial companies could hold different levels of internationalization. This is the mutual interaction of entrepreneurial status and the network structure that presents a powerful explanation of the difference in internationalization among companies. Therefore, researchers are invited to focus more on a configurational analysis of firm-level entrepreneurship, network structure, and internationalization, and policymakers are recommended to see both entrepreneurship and business networks when they design a supportive plan to improve the internationalization of SMEs. / <p>In the printed version is the ISBN incorrrect: 978-91-7519-497-4. The ISBN is corrected in the electronic version.</p>

<p>U disertaciji je kreiran novi model<br />konkurentnosti malih i srednjih preduzeća u<br />tranzicionim uslovima u funkciji optimizacije<br />performansi, održanja i sticanja konkurentnosti.<br />Istraživanje omogućuje identifikovanje ključnih<br />indikatora konkurentnosti malih i srednjih<br />preduzeća u tranzicionim uslovima, ali i njihovu<br />evaluaciju, na taj način pružajući malim i<br />srednjim preduzećima neophodan alat koji<br />omogućuje efikasno praćenje i procenu<br />konkurentnosti, merenje efikasnosti poslovanja,<br />upoređivanje sa konkurentima, kao i<br />formulisanje adekvatne konkurentske strategije.<br />U disertaciji se na odgovarajući način može<br />sagledati signifikantnost eksternih faktora<br />okruženja, kao i konkurentskih strategija i<br />njihova korelacija sa identifikovanim ključnim<br />indikatorima konkurentnosti malih i srednjih<br />preduzeća u tranzicionim uslovima, čime se<br />uspostavlja veza između konkurentnosti malih i<br />srednjih preduzeća u tranzicionim uslovima i<br />primene odgovarajućih strategija u poslovanju.</p> / <p><span style="font-size:10px;">A new competitiveness model of small and<br />medium sized enteprises in transitional context<br />has been created in this dissertation, as a<br />function of performance optimization,<br />maintenance and acquisition of competitiveness.<br />This research enables identification of key<br />competitiveness indicators of small and medium<br />sized enterprises in transition economies, as well<br />as their evaluation, thus providing small and<br />medium sized enteprises with a necessary tool<br />for efficient monitoring and assessment of<br />competitiveness, business efficiency<br />measurement, benchmarking, as well as<br />formulation of adequate competitive strategies.<br />The significance of external environmental<br />factors, as well as of competitive strategies, and<br />their correlation with the identified key<br />competitiveness indicators of small and medium<br />sized enteprises in the transitional context can<br />be adequately observed, thus establishing the<br />relationship between competitiveness of small<br />and medium sized enterprises in transition<br />economies and implementation of adequate<br />business strategies.</span></p>

This research contributes to the growing body of research on cloud computing and addresses the paucity of research on cloud computing adoption, as well as information systems (IS) and information communication technologies (ICTs) adoption in sub-Saharan Africa. The research addresses the current state of cloud computing adoption in addition to the issues that can encourage or preclude its use by SMEs in sub-Saharan Africa. Further, the research establishes the extent to which cloud computing adoption stimulates small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in sub-Saharan Africa to contribute to development. A qualitative research methodology with an interpretive viewpoint is adopted for this research comprising of two major phases that involved a total of eighteen small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria. A pilot exploratory study using grounded theory was conducted in the initial phase and the development and refinement of a conceptual framework for analysis and evaluation was carried out in the second phase. The framework is theoretically grounded in the integration of two distinct theoretical traditions, i.e. institutions theory and the capability approach. This is the first research study that employs such a combination to examine cloud computing adoption. This research examines the expectations of cloud users against their fears together with other related influences to draw conclusions regarding the future of cloud computing usage in sub-Saharan Africa. The research found that SMEs considered issues like security, privacy and trust as playing a role in enabling adoption of cloud computing. This is in contrast with SMEs in the global north where these specific issues are discouraging adoption. The research recommends to policy makers and stakeholders interested in developing the cloud infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa, that there is the need to be cautious in drafting policies (which are non-existent at present). This is in order not to draft policies and regulations with regard to cloud computing usage that will inhibit adoption. Finally, this research presents an incremental model that is used to analyse how cloud service provision was introduced in sub-Saharan Africa. The novel three-stage maturity model identified the incremental approach to the delivery of cloud services in sub-Saharan Africa which started from (i) no local provision, (ii) cloud brokers promoting foreign cloud service provision and (iii) locally-available cloud service provision over a period of three to four years. This research envisages that, with further development of the cloud infrastructure especially in terms of internet connectivity, and improved awareness, more SMEs will adopt cloud computing as part of their IS/ICT strategy.

The drive that initiated this doctoral thesis was the absence of a resource that investigated social trauma’s effect on business ethics; therefore this thesis investigates the relationship between social trauma and business ethics practices aiming to make the first contribution on an academically untouched topic. As in the case of individual psychology, social psychology also examines matters on a case-tocase basis for a clear understanding of the underlying phenomena and complex processes. Hence, considering the past and the current characteristics of Cypriot Turks of North Cyprus, they were chosen as the case study society. In order to explore social trauma’s impact on business ethics, different disciplines were uniquely synthesized through particular lenses; large group psychology, business-government-society relationship and individual ethical decision-making. The absence of previous work in this area suggested exploratory, qualitative research to be the optimum approach. Rich primary and secondary data were collected through interviews, observations, photographs and documents. The resulting data analysis and findings contribute to the current body of research on business ethics, social trauma and business-government-society relationship at the empirical and conceptual levels. The key contribution of this research is to substantiate the link between social trauma and business ethics, and the way social trauma causes unethical behaviour through its effect on the institutions and individual-social interaction. Furthermore, a model of social trauma and business ethics relationship was developed which also provides a framework for potential future research in other social contexts. Even after decades, social trauma can impact on the conduct of business and can interfere with the individual ethical decision-making process in multiple ways; the causes and consequences of this are discussed in depth. The way this impact occurs and its particulars may differ from one large group to another, and this should be noted before the framework is applied to any other society.

Background: Corporate social responsibility has continuously developed ever since the concept first was introduced in the 1950’s up until today. In its beginning, managers who engaged in CSR did so to improve workforce efficiency. In this day and age, CSR has come to include social, environmental and economic topics and is now about creating value for the society at large. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to find the underlying reasons for why SMEs engage in CSR activities. Method: To properly fulfill the purpose of this study, we have conducted a qualitative case study. The empirical data has been collected through ten in-depth semi-structured interviews with ten different organizations from four different industries. Conclusion: The results show that SMEs believe there are expectations from customers/clients to engage in CSR and by doing so they create a competitive advantage over their competitors. In addition to this, most SMEs that engage in CSR is in the strategic stage of CSR, in activities connected to the environment. Furthermore, there are several industry-related differences as to why SMEs engage in CSR. These differences include factors such as competitive advantage, customer expectations, and requirements to follow rules and regulations.

Esta tese investiga a relação entre recursos do país e desempenho internacional de Pequenas e Médias Empresas (PMEs) brasileiras. Com a abertura dos mercados globais, PMEs de países emergentes enfrentam novos entrantes no mercado doméstico, se tornam multinacionais com expansão internacional tardia e características distintivas, e passam a lidar com recursos que devem ser adequados para estratégias voltadas ao mercado interno e externo, sendo a exportação o nível menos complexo e mais adotado de internacionalização dessas empresas. Compreender a internacionalização a partir das características da firma e da localização em um país de origem emergente mostra-se um desafio gerencial e teórico. A Visão Baseada em Recursos (VBR) é apropriada para esse tópico de pesquisa, pois permite abordar os recursos da firma e do país na geração de vantagem competitiva sob a lógica da internacionalização. Recursos do país são externos à firma e disponíveis a qualquer empresa localizada em um país (FAHY, 2002) e ainda não foram investigados quanto ao seu uso e relação com o desempenho na internacionalização de PMEs de países emergentes. Para suprir esta lacuna teórica, esta pesquisa se dividiu em duas fases: a etapa qualitativa e exploratória identificou recursos para internacionalização de PMEs de países emergentes. Adotaram-se técnicas de revisão sistemática de literatura, seguida de entrevistas com especialistas, instituições e PMEs no contexto brasileiro. Identificaram-se 11 recursos do país por meio de análise de conteúdo com apoio do software Nvivo. O grau de utilização e a relação dos recursos do país com o desempenho internacional das empresas foram verificados empiricamente na etapa quantitativa e descritiva da pesquisa, em uma Survey com 222 PMEs brasileiras. O desempenho internacional foi medido de modo subjetivo, por um construto de satisfação com atividades internacionais nos últimos três anos, e de modo objetivo, baseado na intensidade exportadora da empresa. A análise dos dados foi feita com técnicas estatísticas paramétricas e apoio do software SPSS. Os principais resultados apontam que os recursos do país mais utilizados são os de acesso à informação, infraestrutura logística e cadeias produtivas bem desenvolvidas, os quais explicam 9,4% do desempenho internacional subjetivo das PMEs brasileiras. Por outro lado, não há relação entre recursos do país e intensidade exportadora das empresas. Houve diferenças no uso de recursos do país quanto às características da empresa exportadora, como idade, escopo geográfico, intensidade tecnológica e tipo de gestão, o que não ocorreu quanto à experiência internacional. Embora os recursos do país sejam utilizados pelas PMEs brasileiras, destaca-se que não são determinantes para sua vantagem competitiva no mercado externo. As PMEs brasileiras estão otimistas em relação ao crescimento nas exportações. Os recursos do país associados à satisfação com atividades internacionais devem embasar políticas e projetos setoriais para internacionalização dessas empresas. Os resultados desta pesquisa cobriram lacunas teóricas sobre o tema de internacionalização de PMEs de países emergentes sob a Visão Baseada em Recursos e abriram novos caminhos de investigação. Pesquisas futuras podem comparar estes resultados com o contexto de empresas de diferentes portes e países emergentes. Possivelmente, os recursos do país menos estratégicos para PMEs brasileiras sejam estratégicos em outros contextos, o que deve ser verificado empiricamente. Por fim, sugere-se verificar quais recursos da firma estão associados ao uso de recursos do país e demais fatores determinantes no desempenho internacional de PMEs de países emergentes. / This thesis investigates the relationship between country resources and the international performance of Brazilian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). With the opening of global markets, emerging market SMEs face new entrants in the domestic market, become multinationals with late international expansion and distinctive characteristics, and begin to deal with resources that should be adequate for strategies aimed at the domestic and foreign market. Export is the less complex and more used mode of entry of SMEs in foreign markets. Understanding the internationalization through the characteristics of the firm and its location in an emerging country of origin is a managerial and theoretical challenge. The Resource Based View (VBR) is appropriate for this research topic because it allows an approach to the country and the firm resources to create competitive advantage in internationalization. Country resources are external to the firm and available to any company located in a country (FAHY, 2002). There are no researches about the use and relation of country resources to internationalization performance of SMEs in emerging countries. To fill this theoretical gap, this research was divided into two phases: the qualitative and exploratory stage identified resources for internationalization of SMEs from emerging countries. Techniques of systematic literature review were adopted, followed by interviews with specialists, institutions and SMEs in the Brazilian context. Eleven country resources were identified through content analysis supported by Nvivo software. The use and the relation of country resources to the international performance of the SMEs were verified empirically in the quantitative and descriptive stage of the research, in a Survey with 222 Brazilian SMEs International performance was measured subjectively by a construct of satisfaction with international activities in the last three years, and in an objective way, based on the export intensity of the company. Data analysis was performed using parametric statistical techniques with SPSS software support. The main results indicate that the most used country resources are information access, logistics infrastructure and well-developed production chains, which are responsible for 9.4% of the subjective international performance of Brazilian SMEs. On the other hand, there is no relation between resources of the country and export intensity SMEs. There were differences in the use of country resources regarding the characteristics of the exporting SMEs, such as age, geographic scope, technological intensity and type of management. There were no differences regarding international experience of firms. Although country resources are used by Brazilian SMEs, it is highlighted that they do not generate competitive advantage in the foreign market. Brazilian SMEs are optimistic about the growth in exports. Country resources associated to the satisfaction with international activities should support policies and sectoral projects for the internationalization of these firms. The results of this research covered theoretical gaps on the theme of internationalization of SMEs from emerging countries under the Resource Based View and opened new avenues of research. Future research can compare these results with other firms with different sizes and from other emerging countries. Possibly, the less strategic country resources for Brazilian SMEs are strategic in other contexts, which should be verified empirically. Finally, it is suggested to verify which firm resources are associated to the use of country resources, as well as other determining factors to the international performance of SMEs in emerging countries.

This paper examines the innovative behavior of agri-food firms located in Central and Eastern Europe. In the literature, empirical analyses on innovation activities of firms focus on various case studies from around the world. However, very few studies explored the innovation of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) from Central and Eastern Europe’s agri-food sector. The analysis uses the logit estimation method and firm-level data, which are obtained from ERBD-World Bank Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS). Results suggest that firms that spent some proportion of their financial budget on research and development (R&D), had workforce training programs and bought fixed assets are more likely to launch product, process, organizational and marketing innovations.

This research focuses on internationalisation and e-commerce in small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), a significant part of the New Zealand economy. Based on interviews in ten SMEs, this study explores the internationalisation process and adoption of e-commerce in these enterprises. Both phenomena are examined separately to explore relevant issues, followed by consideration of the interrelationship between the two phenomena. Ten case studies of New Zealand SMEs engaged in international business were conducted. Qualitative data was collected in semi-structured interviews with key members of each SME. The interview data were supplemented with secondary data sources, including publicly available information on the firms and their activities. A within-case and cross-case analysis was performed based around the three research foci identified above. The research findings reveal that while there is a high level of confidence among the SMEs studied for internationalisation, e-commerce adoption in these firms was at a medium level of maturity. Facilitators and inhibitors of both internationalisation and e-commerce adoption are presented. A major contribution of the study is the consideration of the mutual effects between the two phenomena, in order to raise awareness of internationalisation and e-commerce in SMEs and their significance for SMEs’ competitiveness.

Organisational learning has been identified as a lasting source of competitive advantage in uncertain environments. Plentiful research has highlighted that knowledge and skills and the capabilities they develop are strategic resources and that effective utilisation of these resources enhances firm innovation and performance. However, in spite of this widespread recognition, family businesses, specifically family SMEs, have not been the subject of previous research exploring the strategic impact of organisational learning on innovation and firm performance. This research, therefore, sets out a theoretical framework drawing upon organisational learning theory and innovation, and explores the strategic links between organisational learning, innovation and firm performance “within” family SMEs and “between” family and non-family SMEs. The study was undertaken in an Australian context using a sample of 222 manufacturing SMEs comprised of 104 family and 118 non-family SMEs. The data were obtained from the Business Longitudinal Survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics over the financial years 1995/96 - 1997/98, which provides the most recent available comprehensive longitudinal dataset of SMEs in Australia. The study involved three constructs: organisational learning, innovation and firm performance. Organisational learning was operationalised using commitment to learning, shared vision, and networking. To measure commitment to learning, three variables, employee training, management development, and comparison of performance were used. Shared vision was measured using the presence of formal planning in the firms. Networking was measured using the existence of external networks. The innovation construct was measured using product and process innovation intensity, and firm performance was measured by growth of sales and rate of return on total assets. Data were analysed using two tests: regression analysis and the Chow test. Whereas the former test was conducted to explore the direct and indirect effects of organisational learning on innovation and firm performance “within” family SMEs, the latter was conducted to compare those effects “between” family and non-family SMEs. Our “within” results, concerning the direct effects of organisational learning on innovation found that network relationships positively influenced innovation in family SMEs. With regard to the direct effects of organisational learning on performance, we found that management development and formal planning were positively linked with family SMEs’ performance. Moreover, relating to innovation and firm performance, our research concludes that innovation in family SMEs is positively linked with their performance. In the case of the indirect effect, we found that networks affect firm performance via innovation. With respect to the “between” results, we found that whereas the effects of formal planning and innovation on firm performance of family SMEs were stronger than for non-family SMEs, the effects of employee training and management development on firm performance were stronger in non-family SMEs. Concerning networks, we found a stronger effect of family SMEs’ networks on their innovation than non-family SMEs. Finally, we re-emphasised the necessity of more scholarly studies linking organisational learning with family business characteristics such as familiness, leadership, ownership, social interactions and organisational process.