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We investigate the labor market effects of a loan guarantee program targeting French SMEs during the financial crisis. Exploiting differences in regional treatment intensity in a border discontinuity design, we uncover a central trade-off for such interventions. While the program has a positive impact on workers' employment and earnings trajectories that translates into positive aggregate employment effects, it dampens the worker reallocation toward more productive firms that happens following recessions, and particularly so for high-skill workers. This labor allocation effect is economically significant and translates into a reduction in aggregate productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the exponential growth of artificial intelligence (AI) research in operations, supply chain, and productions management literature, empirical insights on how organisational behavioural mechanisms at the human–technology interface will facilitate AI adoption in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and subsequent impact of the adoption on sustainable practices and supply chain resilience (SCR) is under-researched. To bridge these gaps, we integrate resource orchestration and knowledge-based view theoretical perspectives to develop a novel structural model examining antecedents to SCR and AI adoption, considering AI adoption as a pivot for facilitating SCR. The structural equation modelling technique was employed on the data collected from 280 Vietnamese manufacturing SMEs' operations managers. Our results demonstrate that leadership will drive AI adoption by creating a data-driven, digital and conducive culture, and strengthening employee skills and competencies. Furthermore, AI adoption positively influences CE practices, SC agility and risk management, which will help to achieve SCR. For managers, the importance of internal organisational employee-centric mechanisms to create value from AI adoption without impeding business value is highlighted. We reveal the enablers that will help in transforming SMEs to become resilient by deriving appropriate responses to unprecedented disruptions through data-driven decision-making leveraging AI adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the role of short-term economic dynamism in responding to crisis induced supply shortages. We focus on the domestic manufacturing ramp-up of surgical masks, respirators, and their intermediary products in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We develop a novel method for timely identification and validation of the evolving state of domestic manufacturing. To unpack the activities of domestic manufacturers and related institutions, we triangulate across 56 qualitative interviews, certifications, Thomasnet.com®, industry associations, and other public data. We find that while large manufacturers could rapidly scale up, onshore, or diversify production to enter into domestic production of critical medical supplies, these large manufacturers alone were insufficient to meet the spike in demand. In face of this shortage, small and medium enterprises (SME), who entered into mask and respirator production as de novo firms, spin-offs, and by diversifying, were important in increasing overall domestic capacity and serving markets unmet by large hospital distributors. These firms often had fewer competencies and resources compared to larger firms, and received less effective government support. Despite these disadvantages, a number of SMEs succeeded in entering into domestic production, and our interviews suggest this capacity could have been better integrated into the national response. We propose new theory for how and when federal and state governments should support short-term economic dynamism (firm entry into target products and/or markets) during crises to address supply shortages, and the types of market and network failures federal or state governments may be most effective at addressing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the importance of governance quality of local government in small businesses' future revenue growth forecasting accuracy. Forecasting errors are due to either overestimation or under-estimation. When local governance quality improves, transaction costs are eliminated, boosting firms' actual performance up to the level forecast, thereby reducing overestimation. Also, when local governance quality improves, institutional trust (trust in government) and generalized trust (trust in strangers) improve, lifting the expectation of future performance to the actual level, thereby reducing under-estimation. We investigate these two mechanisms using a set of more than 250,000 small businesses in Vietnam using an instrumental variable approach to control for potential endogeneity. It is found that governance quality enhances forecasting accuracy by reducing under-estimation forecasting errors but, interestingly, without affecting overestimation errors. This paper is one of the first that links governance quality to business forecasting, indicating that local authorities can help local businesses make efficient resource preparation by improving their governance quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) are essential for the growth and development of the country's economy, as they create jobs, generate income, and foster production and innovation. In recent years, credit risk assessment (CRA) has been an essential process used by financial institutions to evaluate the creditworthiness of MSMEs and determine the likelihood of default. Traditionally, CRA has relied on credit scores and financial statements, but with the advent of machine learning (ML) algorithms, lenders have a new tool at their disposal. By and large, ML algorithms are designed to classify borrowers based on their credit history and transactional data while leveraging the entity relationship involved in credit transactions. This study introduces an innovative knowledge graph-driven credit risk assessment model (RGCN-RF) based on the Relational Graph Convolutional Network (RGCN) and Random Forest (RF) algorithm. RGCN is employed to identify topological structures and relationships, which is currently nascent in traditional credit risk assessment methods. RF categorises MSMEs based on the enterprise embedding vector generated from RGCN. Extensive experimentation is conducted to assess model performance utilising the Indian MSMEs database. The balanced accuracy of 92% obtained using the RGCN-RF model demonstrates a considerable advancement over prior techniques in identifying risk-free enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Only recently have scholars begun to explore the cross-section connection of entrepreneurship and personal selling and introduced the notion of entrepreneurial selling. This study contributes to the emerging debate by addressing the personal selling role of business owners of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the business-to-business (B-to-B) market in the context of failure. It examines how business owners make sense of their entrepreneurial selling activities and how underperformance in this role contributes to failure. Based on a literature review and interviews, the paper concludes that entrepreneurial selling is a crucial activity for preventing business failure and one that business owners recognize. Reasons for underperformance include business owners spending too little time on selling, their lack of personal selling skills, and procrastinating their selling activities. Answering the "bird-in-the-hand sales means" questions can produce either success or failure. Future research avenues are then suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Libraries play an increasingly significant role in responding to the needs of the local economy. They have the resources to survey the business community to determine what these needs are. Libraries can also form partnerships with government agencies and nonprofits that can help to foster a thriving economy. Programming and events can be targeted to assist segments of the population that have traditionally been underserved or have only limited access to the resources needed for business creation. Richland Library in Columbia, SC, and the Baltimore County Public Library are cited for the community partnerships they have formed and for their innovative programming in support of small business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supply chain viability (SCV) is associated with systematic and dynamic approaches to responding to COVID-19 disruptions. The supply chain has been disturbed due to the recurrent nature of the pandemic. In the post-pandemic era, large and small- and medium-sized manufacturers have both advantages and disadvantages, complementing each other. This study proposes an agent-based model to simulate the viable situation of heterogeneous supply systems by considering three behavioural rules (i.e. cooperation establishment, win-win cooperation, and cooperation priority). The results demonstrate that the viability will be improved if large manufacturers cooperate closely with small- and medium-sized manufacturers. The viability is also associated with two adjustment parameters of production capacity, indicating that large manufacturers need to become more scalable, flexible, and adaptable to survive a rapidly changing environment. In addition, when the cooperation is more widely-connected, the viability will be higher. When facing severe fluctuations, large and small- and medium-sized manufacturers can cooperate, acting as a 'sponge system' to flatten the fluctuations. Finally, the simulation results of an empirical network also support this conclusion. Therefore, we suggest that a viable supply chain design should consider integrating supply resources to improve the overall viability of the supply system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article summarizes a special issue on the topic of firm entry and the role of knowledge resources in shaping entrant dynamics. It discusses the relationship between a firm's pre-entry knowledge resources and capabilities and their success in entering and surviving in industries. The article explores factors that influence entry, such as the industry environment and sources of knowledge heterogeneity. It presents a collection of studies that examine various aspects of firm entry, including the relationship between founding team composition and experiential search, the impact of job title ambiguity on employee mobility, and the reasons why employees of small firms are more likely to become entrepreneurs. The papers provide valuable insights into the dynamics of firm entry and offer suggestions for future research in the field of economics of innovation and industrial dynamics. [Extracted from the article]

Knowledge is largely recognized as a key driver of survival and growth of new entrants. Previous literature on the role of pre-entry knowledge in post-entry performance has focused on entrepreneurial and managerial capabilities and education and on knowledge incorporated in material and immaterial resources. In this paper, taking to the firm level the intuition behind the notion of economic and technological complexity of countries, we hypothesize that post-entry performance of new firms may be explained by their knowledge base complexity, which captures the reinforcing mechanism between variety and creation of new valuable knowledge. We provide a measure of firm-level complexity derived from the analysis of textual content of patents and exploit it to examine the empirical relation between pre-entry complexity of knowledge and post-entry growth in a sample of Italian firms entering the market in 2009-2011. Baseline results show a significant and positive association between knowledge complexity and post-entry growth, even after controlling for firm characteristics and year, sector, and region fixed effects. Robustness analysis reveals that this positive effect is more significant over the medium run than in the initial years after entry, while relatively weaker for the so-called Innovative Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A common finding in the literature on heterogeneity in entrepreneurial entry is that workers of small firms relative to large firms are more likely to become entrepreneurs (i.e. the "small firm effect"). Researchers disagree, however, on how to interpret this relationship, and in which contexts. A traditional argument is that work experience in small firms facilitates the acquisition of knowledge relevant to entrepreneurship, which, in turn, facilitates transitions into entrepreneurship. An alternative explanation argues that, at least in technical domains, the small firm effect derives from the potential for large firms to better integrate ideas internally (i.e. intrapreneurship). We inform this debate by leveraging a unique, nationally representative survey that provides rich details about the emergence of entrepreneurial ideas and their potential implementation inside vs. outside of firms. Consistent with the former explanation of the small firm effect, for the average worker, we find strong evidence that small firms (relative to large firms) are better at providing an environment that facilitates transitions to entrepreneurship. However, we also find that technical workers are more likely to attempt to implement ideas in larger firms relative to non-tech workers. Our results thus imply that while the traditional mechanism drives the small firm effect for non-tech workers, both mechanisms contribute to the effect for the tech workers, thus helping to reconcile competing explanations in prior studies. In addition to unpacking the drivers of the small firm effect, our study has broader implications for the recent discussion on the drivers of entrepreneurial dynamism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article studies how changes in investor protection regulations affect local entrepreneurial activity, relying on the heterogeneous impact of a 2011 SEC regulation change on the definition of accredited investors across U.S. cities. Using a difference-in-differences approach, I show that cities more affected by the regulation change experienced a significantly larger decrease in local angel financing, entrepreneurial activity, innovation output, employment, and sales. I find that small business loans and second-lien mortgages became entrepreneurs' partial substitutes for angel investment. My cost-benefit analysis suggests that the costs of protecting angel investors through the 2011 regulation change outweigh its benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Business-to-business (B2B) firms leverage the advantages of their domestic location to export goods and services. However, little empirical research has examined the extent to which domestic location effects explain variation in B2B firms' export intensity, despite their potentially critical role. In this study, the authors explore this question with a variance decomposition analysis, an approach that allows them to quantitatively examine the relative contribution of domestic location and other effects on B2B firms' export intensity. Their analysis uses a large longitudinal sample of 7,465 European B2B firms over 15 years (2004–2018). Splitting domestic location effects into the home country and subnational region (a geographic space within a country) effects, they find that each explains a substantial portion of the variation in export intensity. Notably, the results show that the examined effects are more critical for small and medium-sized enterprises than for larger B2B firms. Domestic location factors also matter more for B2B manufacturing firms than for B2B service firms. The findings enhance scholarly and managerial understanding of the application and predictive power of domestic location effects in explaining firm internationalization through exports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digitalization has enabled entrepreneurs to adopt digital tools to create opportunities and reach customers in international markets. Yet, the understanding of international digital entrepreneurial marketing in the global marketplace is limited. Drawing on social network theory, the authors investigate how entrepreneurs' social ties and firms' international digital entrepreneurial marketing influence small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) internationalization. Based on multiple case study methodology, the results suggest that entrepreneurs' bonding and bridging ties facilitate different dimensions of international digital entrepreneurial marketing. That further enhances the intensity and geographic scope of SME internationalization. SME internationalization also reinforces entrepreneurs' accumulation of social ties. This study contributes to international marketing research by developing the dimensions of the international digital entrepreneurial marketing concept and exploring its important role in SME internationalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I study the effect of patent-infringement claims by patent trolls on acquisitions of small firms. Exploiting staggered adoption of state anti-patent troll laws, I find that the laws have two effects. First, the number of acquisitions of small firms declines after these laws are adopted. Second, the anti-troll laws increase the acquisition price for acquirers. The market reflects the increased cost of acquisition as measured by lower acquisition announcement returns. Large firms increase R&D after the adoption of state laws, replacing external innovation. Using a sample of acquisitions that are plausibly unaffected by the laws, I disentangle alternative explanations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the impact of the refinancing channel of monetary policy on very small and medium-sized businesses. Using data covering the near universe of these businesses, we find that increased household refinancing reduces the probability that a business exits or exhausts its debt capacity in the calendar year, as well as 6 years after the first exposure. It also helps younger businesses maintain credit relationships. Financial factors, like business liquidity, as well as local demand dependence, amplify these effects, especially for very small businesses. These results suggest that the refinancing channel of monetary policy can have large long-run effects on local economies. Authors have furnished an Internet Appendix , which is available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a sample of non-U.S. regulatory regime shifts, we find that expanded short selling is associated with stock price declines, reductions in capital expenditure, and lower asset growth. In a reversal of results found for U.S. stocks in a study of Regulation SHO by Grullon, Michenaud, and Weston (2015), our results are stronger for large firms than for small firms. We also show that this investment effect is stronger for firms that previously relied on outside financing. Our results suggest that short-sale policies affect corporate investment and that this effect is not driven by capital constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2020, the American Library Association (ALA) announced the Libraries Build Business (LBB) grant initiative. Thirteen public library systems were selected to receive a total of $1.3 million to bolster their library’s entrepreneurial outreach. ALA and Google.org supported efforts to build capacity in libraries and library districts. Libraries in turn offered innovative programming, access to e-resources and developed services for local entrepreneurs and the business community. Libraries Build Business (LBB) objective was to identify library-led entrepreneurship models that would help lower-income and/or under-represented entrepreneurs, i.e. women and minorities to start and grow new businesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This quantitative study determined the level of effectiveness of internal control and internal audit as well as its relationship to business performance and examined their influence on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). It employed a quantitative-descriptive and cross-sectional research design. The respondents of the study were the accountants or the employees of 21 SMEs within the vicinity of General Santos City, Philippines. The respondents must be employed by the businesses that they work with and have performed at least one internal audit within the entity and must have knowledge in internal controls as well as internal audit. Random sampling and adapted-modified research survey questionnaires were used to identify the respondent's level of effectiveness of internal control and internal audit and their influence to the business performance of the SMEs. The data gathered were treated using mean, Pearson's Correlation Coefficient, and multiple regression. Moreover, the results of the study showed that the level of effectiveness of internal control and internal audit and the business performance of the SMEs were considered high with the overall mean of 4.19, 4.32, and 3.97, respectively. Hence, it is recommended to use this study as a basis to identify any potential issues to enhance and strengthen the level of effectiveness of internal control and internal audit and their influence on the SMEs' business performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the roles and positions of craftsmen in the design development within the Indonesian rattan furniture industry. Positioned as subcontractors, craftsmen play an essential role in the design development process, particularly in the exploration and interpretation of sketch drawings into prototypes that meet buyers’ specifications and gain their approval. This research utilised a phenomenological approach to explore the experiences of craftsmen in creating prototypes conveyed solely through sketch drawings. Rattan furniture design is generally dynamic and organic, characterised by numerous curves and complex forms that are challenging to depict accurately. Sketch drawings are rough and often lack proper proportions, scalability, standardisation, and intricate details, leading to varying interpretations of the prototype sketch drawings. Based on their experience and creativity, the craftsmen create prototypes solely by referring to sketch drawings. Consequently, there has been a significant collaboration between contractors and craftsmen as subcontractors in the design process. This research is part of an initiative aimed at recognising craftsmen as marginalised participants in small business entities, highlighting their contributions and rights within the collaborative design process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a Comparative Historical Analysis (CHA) is made between South Korea and South Africa for the improvement of the South African politics, economy, society, and ethos. Through a mixed-methods approach, this study is making use of four case studies and a literature study to learn from the most prominent differences between RSA and ROK experienced by South African expats living in ROK (confirmed by other expats in ROK). The issues that form the basis of discussion of prominent differences between South Africa and South Korea are 1) the respect basis of society (the Korean focus on respect for others is viewed as a counter for racial superiority theories in RSA), 2) work ethics (the strong Korean commitment to hard work and proper remuneration corrects the lack of work ethics in small RSA enterprises), 3) education and innovation (the educational system in Korea is under less strain than in RSA because it receives high priority funding and support from the government), and 4) national cohesion (RSA’s diversity can be detrimental if leads to a lack of cohesion in the society). These issues are discussed from a CHA perspective for the purpose of contributing to the ongoing debate for the improvement of the South African society, economy and politics. By presenting case studies, this paper is limited in scope but makes an invaluable contribution to the wider debate on the improvement of RSA. The novel contribution of this paper is that it adds to the debate the observations of expatriates living in a country that has some similarities with RSA, but different from RSA, managed to improve their economy since their democratization in 1987. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the world increasingly prioritises environmental sustainability, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) must find innovative ways to develop green products. In the current digital era, social media has become an influential tool for SMEs to be involved in environmental collaboration and promote green product innovation. The present study proposes to discover the effects of social media usage on SME green product innovation, with the intermediating role of environmental collaboration and a mediating mechanism of digital leadership on the association between social media usage and environmental collaboration in SMEs of China. Utilising a quantitative cross-sectional survey, the research collected data from 336 SMEs and assessed it in partial least squares structural equation modelling. The outcomes narrated that social media usage positively affects environmental collaboration, leading to SME green product innovation. Furthermore, digital leadership supported the connotation between social media usage and environmental collaboration. The study offers theoretical and practical contributions for SMEs and provides valuable insights to policymakers while highlighting the need for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to build a conceptual model based on the role of share value relational capital, frugal innovation and ambidexterity as an effort to link the increase in the resilience of SMEs (small medium enterprises). By using a quantitative research design, a structural study methodology was adopted in this study. Overall, data from 132 tourism SMEs was collected using a questionnaire and 568 data from respondents that can be used for further analysis. The analysis uses logistic regression with dichotomous response and predictor variables on structured tables of count data, representing firm performance as a result of capital resources, physical resources and possibly innovation. To test share value relational capital, frugal innovation and ambidextirity which is outlined in the research model and the hypotheses, the authors used the structural modelling software Analysis of Moment Structure, Structural of Equation Model (AMOS SEM) to analyse 568 usable questionnaires. The results show the acceptance of all hypotheses proposed in this study, as well as the role of share value relational capital, frugal innovation and ambidextirity variables can be a bridge to leverage the resilience of SMEs. The findings in this research area show that there are three pathway strategies for increasing resilience SMEs. Share value relational capital, frugal innovation and ambidexterity are the basis of separate contributions to increase the resilience of SMEs There are several practical implications for SMEs managers who want to increase their resilience. The originality in this research is the role of share value relational capital, frugal innovation and ambidexterity in being able to bridge the influence between digital business transformation and resilience SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cloud computing was introduced to Hungarian enterprises in the 2010s. The aim of this research is to identify the distinctive features and benefits of the technology and to empirically characterise the extent of its current use and the rate of its future diffusion. The theoretical background of the research is provided by an introduction to cloud computing and a description of the theory of diffusion. The empirical analysis is based on representative data from the KSH on the use of cloud technologies, and the technology is predicted using the Bass model. In light of the results, it can be concluded that in the 15 years since the emergence of cloud technology, its use has increased among SMEs, however, this growth has been significantly slower than that observed among large enterprises, despite the fact that the use of the technology is particularly well suited to the specialities of the SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family businesses represent one of the oldest and still dominant forms of business organisations, yet research on their innovation activity remains a relatively emerging field of study, especially in Central and Eastern Europe. This paper investigates the relationships between the family nature of firms, the innovation activity and the export activity using statistical methods on a representative sample of Hungarian small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in 2017, 2020 and 2022. The results show that the innovation activity of Hungarian SMEs engaged in export activities is more significant than that of non-exporting counterparts. The family nature of firms and their innovation activity, however, can be considered independent, while the relationship between family nature and export activity is not consistent across the three years. A limitation is that the 2020 and 2022 surveys were performed during the first wave of the COVID-19 epidemic and the Russian-Ukrainian war, which may have influenced respondents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The manuscript discusses the evolution and some relevant legal issues pertaining to the legal figure of reverse factoring, focusing, in particular, on the European context. In the first place, while developing a comparative analysis of some important national regulatory settings, the paper aims to investigate how different contract laws, through the combination of general principles and special provisions, attempt to address critical issues and potential abuses connected to the use of reverse factoring schemes, such as, most notably, the coercion of parties into entering such schemes. On the other hand, the elements drawn from the comparative analysis are meant to be framed within the dimension of EU law, in order to reconstruct potential regulatory hypotheses and solutions at the EU level, also in the light of fairness concerns which, in the EU internal market and especially from the side of Small and Medium Enterprises, arise from the widespread use of reverse factoring, mostly revolving around exploitation of small-sized suppliers by powerful buyers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pace of good quality retrofit must be urgently scaled up across the UK, in order to tackle fuel poverty, improve the health and comfort of our homes, increase energy security and build climate resilience. Currently, however, incomplete information is used when designing retrofit policies and plans. There are barriers to the scale-up of good quality retrofit including citizen engagement, finance, supply chain uncertainty, a lack of trust and low uptake of quality assurance frameworks. This paper discusses the potential of enhanced, interoperable and democratised building, local and systems data to unlock many of these barriers. It will explore how the adoption of property logbooks across the UK can enable the aggregation of projects and drive access to finance. A retrofit plan for every home has the potential to engage and empower citizens and small to medium enterprise (SME) builders to act locally. This paper describes how the right packages of data can inform better decisions, what work has already been done to date, and how you can get involved in creating transformational change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are debates about cluster heterogeneity, network structures, and innovations. The difference in the degree to which firms joined in the internal and external networks of heterogeneous clusters can affect innovation performance. There is still a lack of empirical evidence on how networks or spatial factors can differentially affect innovation efficiency due to cluster heterogeneity. China has endogenous clusters formed by small and medium‐sized firms and numerous clusters mainly based on government planning instrument, such as industrial zones and high‐tech parks. There are controversies over these planned cluster, such as insufficient firm connections and weak innovation effectiveness.Cluster innovation is a complex socio‐economic process that combines endogenous context, exogenous factors and interacts with multi‐spatial relationships. This perspective may explain the differences in which heterogeneous clusters improve efficiency. This paper draws on first‐hand data obtained from 188 questionnaires. The Lingang Equipment Manufacturing Cluster in Shanghai and the Taizhou Machine Tool Manufacturing Cluster in Zhejiang serve as examples of heterogeneous clusters. We combine the cluster's endogenous and exogenous characteristics, network size and strength of network ties, and local and non‐local innovation spaces to discuss the impact on innovation efficiency. Expecting to provide a reference for improving the innovation efficiency of heterogeneous clusters in developing economies. The results suggest that regardless of local or non‐local scales, exogenous clusters have a more pronounced effect of local network size and non‐local tie strength on innovation performance based on demand for proximity to customers and suppliers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While large enterprises are actively preparing for digital transformation by leveraging technologies such as digital twins, smaller companies face challenges due to economic constraints and market uncertainties, leading to a relative lack of awareness and readiness. To address this situation, this study proposes a digital twin development framework tailored for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This framework utilizes attachable IoT devices for real-time collection of manufacturing data and leverages public server systems for data management. Moreover, it enables the refinement and optimization of digital twins by training machine learning models on collected data. Additionally, the framework includes the integration of simulation models and machine learning models for comprehensive digital twin modelling. Finally, the paper suggests a process for applying and validating this framework in real manufacturing companies, demonstrating the effects of digital twin implementation on productivity enhancement in the production lines of two SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Inspired by the resource-based view, this study focuses on two types of capabilities: dynamic (i.e. agility) and ordinary (sales capabilities). We aim to investigate whether SMEs that cultivate exceptional sales capabilities still need to enhance them through agility to maintain their sales growth and under what conditions. Design/methodology/approach: We use a descriptive research design and survey a sample of 235 SMEs from B2B industries in Croatia. We empirically test the conceptual framework with the SPSS Process macro. Findings: Our study results confirm that agility mediates sales capabilities' effect on sales growth. Furthermore, we find a significant positive moderating effect of sales orientation ambidexterity (retention coupled with the acquisition) on the indirect effect of sales capabilities on sales growth through agility. Originality: First, our study thus yields new insights on exploiting greater potential from sales capabilities through agile posture and making them at the forefront of SMEs' competitive advantage in turbulent transition markets. Second, through a moderated mediation framework, we provide actionable implications for managers by showcasing the situations in which the mediating role of agility contributes to sales growth, given the various levels of sales orientation ambidexterity. Finally, we contribute to the literature by focusing on two contextual issues: the transition country perspective and SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enterprises opt for alliances to bolster supply chain resilience (SCR) against external shocks. Yet, studies on the impact of strategic alliances on SCR from an operations management perspective are still lacking. This study develops a supply chain network (SCN) cascading failure model that accommodates the presence of strategic alliances, drawing upon complex network theory and cascading failure theory. Using numerical simulations and empirical examples, the study delves into how enterprises can effectively enhance their SCR by forming strategic alliances and appropriately allocating redundant resources. The findings reveal that: (I) Strategic alliances enhance SCR; (II) When enterprises maintain a degree of redundancy, the strengthening effect of alliances on SCR is even more pronounced, particularly under significant external shocks; and (III) In the context of cascading failures, disruptions to smaller enterprises have a more pronounced effect on SCR. Notably, weak-weak alliances contribute more to SCR than strong-strong alliances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time-consuming ocean transportation for international trades requires enterprises to advance payments for goods, which can be fatal for small and medium enterprises with insufficient self-owned capital. Logistics finance is an effective solution for tackling this problem. However, traditional logistics finance has long been plagued by information asymmetry, tremendous paperwork, and long financing cycles. As a distributed database with characteristics of transparency, traceability, and immutability, blockchain technology shows good potential in addressing pain points on traditional logistics financing platforms. This paper focuses on the operational mechanism and value analysis of the blockchain-based port logistics finance platform. The conceptual architecture of the blockchain-based port logistics finance platform is constructed, and a value analysis model based on the Newsboy Model is established for quantitatively analysing the platform's value. The results revealed that the introduction of the blockchain into port logistics financing can significantly improve small to medium-sized enterprises' profitability by providing reliable financing channels. The results also indicate that participants' profit on the blockchain-based platform may be influenced by the speed of market expansion, initial capital size, and financing cost. This paper also discusses theoretical and managerial implications by providing insights into the participants' decision-making on the platform under different constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the impact of heat waves on the productivity of the Italian food industry. Using daily weather and firm‐level data for the 2004–2019 period, we show that a heat wave causes, on average, a reduction in Total Factor Productivity (TFP) of about 3.2%. Smaller firms are more severely affected, with a reduction of approximately 7%, revealing unequal impacts within the same country and sector. The reduction in TFP can be partially attributed to lower workers' productivity, with labour input increased in order to compensate for productivity loss. The estimated effect is heterogeneous across subsectors, with some well‐known Italian products (e.g., wine production) more severely affected by heat waves. These findings have significant policy implications due to the expected increase in the frequency of heat waves caused by climate change, and are particularly important in the case of the Italian food industry, which is mainly composed of small firms. The paper highlights the need to investigate further the impacts of heat stress on the entire food system, as most of the literature has predominantly focused on the agricultural sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary goals of this study are to outline the elements involved in implementing the substantive and procedural parts of the right to live in a safe, clean, healthy, and sustainable environment as well as some of the factors involved in recognizing that right.In this study, we examined how state policy, legal regulations, environmental concerns, citizen laws, and ecological education affect people's health and safety in the environment. There were 1235 participants who work in Mongolia's public, private, education, health, small business, and international sectors provided the data. This study is noteworthy for its consideration of theoretical and practical issues, as well as for Mongolian practices. Based on the survey's factors, the overall results indicated that employees possessed leadership qualities. The ramifications of the aforementioned findings for theory and practice, as well as the research's limitations and opportunities for future investigation, were also covered in our analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]