Best practice network business model for internationalization of small and medium enterprises

Small and medium enterprises’ entry to international markets leads to their continuous growth and facilitates national and global economic development. In an attempt to substantiate these outcomes, they seek to acquire best practices and experiences in order to facilitate entering, surviving, and growing in global markets. To address this challenge practically, the present paper introduces a media for networking and a system for transferring internationalization best practices across small and medium enterprises under the concept of Best Practice Network. Subsequently, the paper tries to depict Best Practice Network as a viable business and establish a guideline for implementing it by developing its business model. To achieve this objective, the authors have administered multi-case study research among the top managers of international small and medium enterprises in the information and communication technology sector of Iran. The resulting model is based on business model ontology and proposes a bird’s eye view of the Best Practice Network including product, customer interface, infrastructure management, and financial aspects. Moreover, by proposing a media for sharing related best practices, this paper can lead to the decline of the stage theory of internationalization and can excel the born global theory of small and medium enterprises.     

Do SPS measures matter for margins of trade? Evidence from firm-level data

According to the World Trade Organization (WTO) standards, countries are allowed to adapt regulations under the Sanitary and phyto-sanitary (SPS) and technical barriers to trade (TBT) agreements in order to protect human, animal and plant health, as well as environment and human safety. Yet, these measures can become an impediment in international trade, especially for developing countries. Therefore, using an Egyptian firm-level data set and a new database on specific trade concerns raised in the TBT and SPS committees at the WTO, we analyse the effects of product standards on two related aspects: first, the probability to export (firm-product extensive margin), and second, the value exported (firm-product intensive margin). We merge this data set with a new database on specific trade concerns raised in the TBT and SPS committees at the WTO. Our main findings show that SPS measures imposed on Egyptian exporters have a negative impact on the probability of exporting a new product to a new destination. By contrast, the intensive margin of exports is not significantly affected by such measures.     

Reducing risk factors for international visitors in destinations

This paper examines issues relating to the safety of international visitors in tourism destinations using Queensland as a case study. Safety is an important yet often neglected aspect of destination management and failure to implement strategies designed to reduce the level of risk may expose destinations to unfavorable publicity leading to erosion of domestic as well as inbound markets. Rather than take a broad perspective discussing all forms of risk, the paper focuses on motor vehicle accidents and water activities. A simple four‐step model of destination risk identification and management is developed. The paper then focuses on strategies that should be considered by the authorities and individual tourist to reduce risk in motor vehicle accidents and in water sports. The paper concludes with identification of destination risk management as an issue requiring further research.     

The economic growth and foreign direct investment nexus: Does democracy matter? Evidence from African countries

This article investigates the impact of democracy on the foreign direct investment (FDI)–economic growth nexus by considering both a country's current and past political regimes. We apply a linear dynamic panel data model to data from 53 African countries over the period 1989–2014. Standard errors of the estimates are Weidmeijer corrected, following an orthogonal deviations transformation. The results show that the direct impact of FDI on growth is positive and significant. Likewise, the stock of democracy plays a positive and significant role in the growth process. However, the positive impact of FDI on growth decreases with the improvement in the historical experience of a country with democracy. These findings imply that with contemporary efforts to expand political rights in Africa, it is critical to identify alternative channels that facilitate the transmission of the flow of FDI into further and sustainable growth.     

Inequality of opportunity in earnings and assets in Egypt

ABSTRACT

By most available measures, the level of inequality in the MENA region, including Egypt, is considered relatively low. This regularity applies to both inequality of outcomes as well as inequality of opportunity. This paper challenges this view. It argues specifically that circumstances beyond the control of individuals account for a larger share of inequality of opportunity when asset distribution is considered rather than the distribution of earnings, essentially because earnings are subject to measurement errors and idiosyncratic shocks. The paper tests this proposition by estimating the extent to which factors related to the circumstances a person is born into contribute to inequality of opportunity in earnings as well as asset ownership. The results show that circumstances account 26–32% of inequality of asset distribution, compared with only 8–10% of inequality of opportunity in earnings. The analysis further shows that the area of birth and fathers education level are the two most important circumstance factors contributing to inequality of opportunity, for both assets and earnings.     

Computational thinking embedded in engineering design: capturing computational thinking of children in an informal engineering design activity

Just as engineering and computational thinking have recently gained increased attention in pre-college school-based education, many museums and science centers have also designed exhibits and experiences to promote computational thinking and engineering learning. Recent reports suggest that computational and engineering thinking can empower each other, and engineering design can be an appropriate context for children’s engagement in computational thinking. Previous studies have documented young children’s abilities to engage in engineering thinking and other studies have collected evidence of young children’s abilities to engage in computational thinking. However, there is little research that explores how children’s engagement in both engineering and computational thinking can support each other. Hence, in this qualitative case study, we aimed to examine how 5 to 7-year-old children engage in computational thinking competencies in the context of a family based engineering design activity. This activity was conducted at a small science center exhibit. In our presented findings we map children’s enactment of at least one CT competency to children’s engagement in engineering design actions.

     

The changing profile of caravanners in Australia

Caravanning has been a popular leisure activity in Australia for many decades. In recent years the profile of the industry has changed with a shift from family caravanning to retirees. This change has significant implications for the industry overall as well as the regional areas visited by caravanners. This paper reports on research designed to develop a profile of contemporary caravanning in Australia. One of the most significant findings was the homogeneity of the respondents. The largest groups of respondents were ‘empty nesters’, people who were retired or near retirement and who were attracted to three clusters of activities: nature; shopping and eating; and visiting heritage attractions. Another major finding of interest for regional areas was the relatively low daily expenditure on food and accommodation. The paper discusses a range of options that may be used by regional areas to boost their caravan sector. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cultural values and definitions of career success

This paper examines how national culture relates to the ways that individuals define career success. Data are drawn from interviews with 269 professional services employees in 15 countries. Interviews are content coded and linked with country‐level Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness measures of cultural values. We test our hypotheses using a multilevel multinomial logit model. The results demonstrate that the ways in which employees define career success vary across countries, due in part to differences in cultural values after controlling for gender, occupation, job level, and national economic development. We find that employees from countries high in future orientation, uncertainty avoidance, and performance orientation are more likely to define career success in terms of interpersonal outcomes, and those from countries high in collectivism (institutional and in‐group), humane orientation, and gender egalitarianism are more likely to prefer intrapersonal outcomes. We find that employees from countries that are high in assertiveness, uncertainty avoidance, and performance orientation are more likely to define career success in terms of achievement‐oriented outcomes. Finally, we find that employees from countries high in power distance report career success definitions in terms of safety and security outcomes. We discuss the implications of these findings for theories of cultural differences in careers across countries.