Milton Friedman once argued that profits are the chief purpose of business. Profits do matter, but today we know more about how business contributes to society. Good firms bring innovation to the marketplace, which facilitates their growth. Innovative, growing firms generate economic growth and...

We examine the role of national culture — an important informal institution — in the profit reinvestment decisions of small firms in emerging markets. Prior economic development literature focuses on formal institutions as determinants of growth. However, in emerging markets where formal...

Bribes can either put "grease" or "sand" in the wheels of commerce, affecting firm performance (at the micro-level) and, ultimately, economic growth (at the macro-level). These two opposing hypotheses on the role corruption plays in countries with weak institutions raise an important empirical...

Interest in the international business strategies of mid-sized firms has grown over time and it has seen the rise of concepts like hidden champions, international niche market leaders and Middle Market. In this scoping article the content of 9 topical contributions to a special issue of the...

This paper takes stock of one year of policy responses to the 2022/2023 energy crisis triggered by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine from the perspective of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In this paper, "SME policy responses" are defined as all government policies, whether...

Objective - This paper offers a review of the latest studies with regards to the impact of COVID-19 on small businesses in different countries around the world.Methodology - This paper reviewed a compilation of COVID-19 studies focusing on SMEs that was conducted between 2020 and 2022. The...

The differentiation of products and services parallel with the globalization, motivated researchers to commit resources within supply chains more effectively. Competitive nature of the markets requires innovativeness with swift actions to supply mass customized demand. The total cost in the...

The study aims to investigate corporate social responsibility (CSR) best practices of the world automotive industry - Peugeot, BMW, Ford, Hyundai and Toyota among others – and recommend that they plan their business strategies and managerial responses accordingly. Based on the comparative...

China is the world's largest user of industrial robots. In 2016, sales of industrial robots in China reached 87,000 units, accounting for around 30 percent of the global market. To put this number in perspective, robot sales in all of Europe and the Americas in 2016 reached 97,300 units...