Search

The observed low level of information and communication technology (ICT) usage among micro, small, and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) firms in many African countries may serve as a major constraint to their productivity. The productivity of service and manufacturing firms is impacted differently due to this low uptake of ICT. This paper seeks to examine the differential effects of ICT on MSMEs' productivity in emerging African economies, specifically Egypt and Nigeria. This study evaluates the effects of ICT on MSMEs' productivity across different sectors (services and manufacturing), by size and aggregated. The estimated results support the positive impact of MSMEs' website presence and use of email on their productivity, though the magnitude varies across different analyses and sectors. This appears to support the differential sectoral impacts of ICT on MSMEs' productivity across countries in emerging markets. Specifically, this study finds evidence for a higher impact of firms' website presence on productivity in the manufacturing sector than the services sector across emerging economies. The study, therefore, recommends that emerging markets economies that want to implement appropriate national technology policies to enhance their firms' productivity should always consider their differential effects on various sectors, as universal ICT policies may not achieve the desired objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve the harmonious development of economic growth and the environment, nations must pay more attention to wastewater treatment and boost efficiency using green technology. This study applies the Malmquist-DEA model to assess the efficiency of green technology innovation in 19 Chinese wastewater treatment companies between 2017 and 2020. In addition, focus is placed on the core wastewater treatment technology of the companies with excellent performance, indicating how wastewater treatment companies may improve their green technology. The results of the study indicate that, first, the overall effectiveness of green technology innovation in companies follows a rising and then decreasing trend. In 2020, wastewater treatment companies' green technology innovation efficiency was around 17.4 percent lower than in 2017. Improving technical progress is the key to boosting the total factor productivity of wastewater treatment companies. Second, based on the Tobit regression, the shareholding ratio of companies has a positive influence on the technical efficiency of companies. Therefore, China should increase innovation capacity and productivity, adopt current sewage treatment technology from overseas, and thus gradually achieve clean sewage utilization and ecological environment management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, capacity utilization of tourism business-certified accommodation facilities divided into regions according to the Classification of Accommodation Facilities Regional Units of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has been examined by Total Factor Productivity (TFP), Scale Efficiency and Pure Technical Efficiency change. The research covers the four years between 2014 and 2017. The Malmquist Total Factor Productivity Index approach was used in the analysis. The findings show that in 2014-2017, the capacity utilization of the hospitality sector has a downward trend in TFP. In this case, policymakers and investors should focus on the factors that are driving the TFP increase. The increase of TFP will be possible in the hospitality sector by improving and developing appropriate production technologies. In addition, it is necessary to improve operational efficiency (management and organization) in order to increase TFP. 85% of the 13 regions taken in the study are less than 1 TFV limit value. For these regions, especially technological development is the dominant factor affecting total factor productivity growth. Our study proposes a different perspective in the sector's capacity utilization efficiency and productivity assessment by using non-financial input and output variables in the hospitality sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]