Trade and access to finance of SMEs: is there a nexus?

Limited resources and barriers to entry are critically higher for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) than for large companies. One of the reasons explaining why the resources of SMEs are scarce is their limited access to financial services. This in turn reduces the likelihood of exporting. For this reason, using the census of SMEs done by the Central Bank of Egypt and the Egyptian Banking Institute, we try to examine the impact of access to finance on their export performance. We measure the latter by the extensive margin that means the probability of becoming an exporter and the probability of serving several markets. We found a significant and positive impact of dealing with banks and having banking facilities on the probability of exporting and that of exporting to more than one destination. Thus, wider and more efficient financial services are likely to increase the number of exporters and boost exports’ diversification.     

Which factors hinder the adoption of open innovation in SMEs?

The literature on open innovation (OI) is characterised by studies based both on large companies and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Among all, one of the less explored issues in SMEs is what impedes them to adopt OI. Thus, this paper has the threefold objective to identify which factors hinder the adoption of OI in SMEs, to investigate if different behaviours exist among SMEs in relation to these factors, and to understand if the same factors effectively influence the level of adoption of OI. Based on a survey on 157 Italian SMEs, we identified four main barriers (namely, ‘knowledge’, ‘collaboration’, ‘organisational’, and ‘financial and strategic’) and three profiles of firms, different in terms of innovativeness of the industries they belong to (knowledge intensive, medium-innovative, and less innovative) and hampering factors perceived (‘knowledge’, ‘financial and strategic’, and ‘collaboration’ and ‘organisational’ barriers). Moreover, we found that some of these factors effectively impede the adoption of the paradigm.     

Development of Small and Medium Enterprises （SMEs） Accounting Information System in Cluster of Kampung Laweyan Batik,Surakarta, Indonesia

The role of small and medium enterprises （SMEs） in the economy of a country was quite strategic, however the tightness of the competition, has allowed the SMEs into disadvantageous position. The SMEs need a precise accounting information system, thus the SMEs could improve the accuracy, validation data, productivity, and the competitiveness of enterprises. The problem of this research is how the SMEs accounting information systems in a cluster of Kampung Batik Laweyan Surakarta. To develop accounting information systems in a SMEs cluster of Kampung Batik Laweyan Surakarta, this research used research and development （R＆D） method. Data obtained through analysis of the company＇s business processes. Results of data analysis used to develop accounting information systems in a SMEs cluster of Kampung Batik Laweyan Surakarta. Accounting information system development consists of the structure of SMEs organizations, the general design of accounting information systems of the SMEs, flowchart and documentation of the SMEs accounting information systems, and accounting software of the SMEs     

ICT adoption,innovation, and SMEs’ access to finance

This study examines the association between ICT adoption, innovation, and SMEs' access to finance by exploiting the World Bank Enterprise Survey (WBES) data of 171,000 SMEs from 149 countries between 2006 and 2020. We decompose SMEs' access to finance into two components, i.e., basic and advanced access to finance. Basic access to finance is captured from two indicators; namely, the firm's bank account and line of credit from a financial institution, while advanced access is captured by whether the firm's investments and working capital is financed by the bank. Consistent with the information asymmetry hypothesis, our findings confirm that ICT adoption reduces information asymmetry between SMEs and banks. Therefore, banks are more likely to grant credit and to finance projects and the working capital needs of innovative SMEs. Moreover, this study complements the argument of resource-based theory (RBT) and suggests that innovation can provide a competitive advantage with regard to a firm's access to credit. These results imply that SMEs with greater access to and use of new technologies are more likely to acquire financial resources from banks. The results hold to various robustness checks and identification strategies. Our findings provide important policy implications for SMEs around the globe.     

Small firms’ non-market strategies in response to dysfunctional institutional settings of emerging markets

Institutional settings in emerging markets are often plagued by state actors exploiting the vulnerability of resource-constrained small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Whilst we know a great deal about how large firms use non-market strategies (NMS) to navigate such institutional spaces, current knowledge of such strategies in connection with SMEs remains limited. Using in-depth interview data from a wide range of actors in Russia, we reveal the predatory behavior of state actors and how, in response, SMEs develop NMS to respond to fluctuating institutional conditions. We underline four forms of institutional predatory behaviors comprising shifting the rules of the game; privatizing power; selectively using/abusing laws; and normalizing informalities. In turn, we identify how SMEs variously adopt NMS to tackle these predatory strategies; namely deflection, alliance, concealment and internationalization. We highlight how SMEs learn to navigate, and ultimately to overcome, dysfunctional and fragile institutional conditions of emerging markets through the pursuit of particular NMS.     

Global value chain linkages: An integrative review of the opportunities and challenges for SMEs in developing countries

This study reviews the literature on the challenges and opportunities of the global value chain (GVC) participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries. A three-step approach to the literature review is used for synthesizing the relevant research works. In the end, we retain that SMEs are drivers of economic growth and despite the many challenges they face, the opportunity for developing country SMEs to benefit from their GVC linkages does exist, notably the high-quality information that they would otherwise not have access to. However there are necessary preconditions, resources and strategies that need to be put together to ensure the successful integration and growth (upgrading) of these SMEs within GVCs. The findings and proposed model contribute to enrich existing GVC research and offer a theoretical guide for possible practical measures to be adopted by SMEs and governments in developing countries.     

中小企业数字化转型关键参与主体的行为演化

从设计奖励机制角度,关注服务商的外力帮扶与合作作用,将政府、服务商与中小企业纳入同一框架,分析推动中小企业数字化转型的策略。设置政府对中小企业与服务商分别实施奖励机制、补贴机制和惩罚机制,运用演化博弈方法,将政府、服务商和中小企业作为数字化转型系统的主要参与主体构建三者演化博弈模型,探究政府与服务商参与对中小企业数字化转型的作用机制和影响效果,并利用MATLAB 2018b软件进行仿真,探讨相关参数对各参与方策略选择的作用机制。结果显示：中小企业、服务商和政府受彼此参与意愿的影响程度存在差异,政府参与意愿的提高对服务商和中小企业积极参与数字化转型影响最大;协同收益及政府惩罚的提高正向影响系统演化,政府补贴和奖励因素具有捆绑效应,两个因素同时降低时有利于系统稳定;政府对服务商补贴力度存在30%的阈值,且补贴力度越接近30%越有利于系统达到理想状态。基于研究结论,推动中小企业积极进行数字化转型应进一步提升中小企业数字化能力,政府实行科学的奖补和惩罚机制,包括适当提高对服务商上云服务的补贴力度和完善服务商社会责任评价制度等。     

The impact of international diversification on credit scores: Evidence from the UK

Despite the great deal of previous research into international diversification, we know little about the impact of international diversification on firms’ credit scores. Drawing upon the resource-based view and transaction cost economics, we examine the relationship between international diversification and credit scores by using a large sample of 6,557 UK firms between 2016 and 2017. We find an inverted U-shaped relationship between international diversification and firms’ credit scores, indicating that the effect of international diversification on credit scores is initially positive but becomes negative with over-diversification. In addition, we find that R&D intensity positively moderates the relationship between international diversification and credit score, implying that the credit scores of highly diversified firms improve as they increase their investment in R&D. Further analysis suggests that a firm’s credit score becomes less dependent on international diversification for large firms, firms in concentrated industries, firms in the manufacturing sector, and firms distant from key metropolitan areas, such as London.