The effect of firm characteristics in accessing credit for SMEs

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in socio-economic development. Despite their significance, the failure rate for SMEs is considerably high, especially in developing economies. Among the widely pronounced reasons for the high failure rate is non-availability of external financing. This study examines various firm attributes that affect access to credit using a sample of 970 SMEs that operate across nine provinces of Mediterranean and Southeast Anatolia regions in Turkey. The results suggest that asset size, sales volume and stability, export rate, and legal form are important determinants of satisfaction with bank products and services. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that larger firms with high and stable sales revenues are more likely to have better access to and therefore benefit more from credit services offered by their local banks.     

Tariff evasion in sub-Saharan Africa: the influence of corruption in importing and exporting countries

Multilateral organizations recommend sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries to increase international trade in order to attain sustainable economic growth. The benefits of trade can be hampered, however, by tariff evasion. Using trade data from 2008–2014 of 31 SSA countries, we examine how the association between tariff rates and value and quantity gaps (which are indicative of tariff evasion) is enhanced by corruption in both importing and exporting countries (SSA countries are referred to as importing countries, and their trade partners from outside SSA are referred to as exporting countries). Results of a series of tests show that corruption levels in both sides of the trade partnership reinforce the (positive) association between tariff rates and value and quantity gaps. This indicates that counteracting tariff evasion in SSA is a co-responsibility between trade partners.     

Customer emotional regulation and relationship quality: Evidence from the banking industry

The aim of this paper is twofold: first to examine the extent to which customer perceptions of employee deep/surface acting influence customer deep/surface acting; second to assess the degree to which customer deep/surface acting strengthens/weakens the level of relationship quality (RQ). Survey data were collected from (291) respondents from 13 banks located in Jordan. Two key findings emerged from the current study. First, when customers encountered authentic employees (i.e., deep acting), they were more likely to modify their internal feelings to match the required displays, and less likely to express unauthentic emotions. On the other hand, when customers encountered unauthentic emotions, they were less likely to express unauthentic emotions. Second, customer deep acting is found to be positively associated with relationship satisfaction, commitment, and trust, whereas customer surface acting is negatively associated with relationship satisfaction and trust. This study adds to the body of knowledge on the antecedents of RQ through identifying customer emotional regulation as a key determinant of that.     

Defying Distance? Cross‐Border Acquisitions by Emerging‐Economy Firms

We argue that emerging‐economy firms’ international location choices are driven by the pursuit of dynamic efficiency rather than the immediate minimization of transaction and learning costs, and hence the relationship between country distance and the number of cross‐border acquisitions will be less negative for these firms relative to advanced‐economy firms. We then test the hypothesis with respect to four measures of country distance—geographic, economic, cultural, and institutional—and find support for the hypothesis. Our study provides empirical support for claims in the literature about differences in the international expansion behavior of emerging‐economy firms with respect to location. In addition, our study makes a theoretical contribution by showing that the theoretical perspective of dynamic efficiency can explain the difference in the location choices for cross‐border acquisitions by emerging‐economy firms relative to those by advanced‐economy firms. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc..     

A typology of Jordanian consumers after Covid-19: The rational,the suspicious,and the cautious consumer

This study presents a detailed typology of Jordanian consumers that identifies the effects of Covid-19 on their personal, social, and purchase and consumption patterns following the pandemic. Based on a qualitative approach using a sample of Jordanian consumers (N = 71), this study identifies three main types of consumers: the rational, suspicious, and cautious. All were distinguished by cognitive, emotional, and behavioral differences: the rational consumers viewed the pandemic as a natural occurrence, were willing to vaccinate, and took the opportunity to improve their lives and consumption behavior; the suspicious consumers viewed the pandemic as a man-made virus and refused to rationalize their behaviors and follow the social-distancing rules or vaccinate; and the cautious consumers were generally somewhere in between, and while they improved some aspects of their consumption, social, and personal lives, other aspects either remained the same or worsened. The findings have implications for managers and governmental bodies.     

Measuring entrepreneurial orientation and institutional theory for informal enterprises: scale validation

Quality & Quantity - The importance of institutional factors and entrepreneurial orientation is widely recognized in the study of entrepreneurship development, leading to the development of...     

The diffusion of innovation theory and the effects of IFRS adoption by multinational corporations on capital market performance: a cross-countryanalysis

This article seeks to contribute to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) literature by examining the effects of adopting IFRS on stock market performance worldwide from the diffusion of innovation theory perspective. Our study revealed several interesting findings after using combinations of unique panel data sets from 110 countries worldwide and conducting a robust empirical analysis from 1995 to 2014. First, we found a positive association between late mandatory IFRS adoption and stock market integration in Europe. Second, our findings indicate a significant negative association between early IFRS adoption and the following financial indicators: stock market trading volumes, stock market capitalization, market turnover, and market return. Third, our study reveals an insignificant association between early IFRS adoption and stock price volatility alongside stock market development. Our findings are robust and have significant practical and policy implications for regulators and policymakers of multinational corporations.