nep-sbm New Economics Papers
on Small Business Management
Issue of 2024–12–23
nine papers chosen by
João Carlos Correia Leitão, Universidade da Beira Interior


  1. Winning Strategies for Launching a Successful Business in Developing Markets By Asuamah Yeboah, Samuel
  2. Analyzing and Predicting R&D Collaboration Networks in the Metaverse Industry By Juite Wang
  3. ERDF and ESF funding for skills for smart specialisation, industrial transition and entrepreneurship 2014-2020 By WOOLFORD Jayne; BACHTROEGLER-UNGER Julia; BURTON Anna; LALANNE Marie; GULDA Krzysztof
  4. Generative AI Through the Lens of Neo-Schumpeterian Economics: Mapping the Future of Business Innovation By Kapoor, Amita; Singh, Narotam; Chaudhary, Vaibhav; Singh, Nimisha; Soni, Neha
  5. European security in a changing geo-political context. From the European Research Area to the European Defence Research and Innovation Area and from Cohesion to European territorial security policy By KATTEL Rainer; SOETE Luc
  6. A fish rots from the head down: The contagion effect of upstream firms’ environmental misconduct on downstream firms’ green innovation continuity By Hong, Jifeng; Kazakis, Pantelis; Strieborny, Martin
  7. On the size of innovation and selling versus licensing By Antelo, Manel; Bru, Lluís
  8. Can ‘local missions’ play a role in linking climate change mitigation and Cohesion policies? By MCCANN Philip; JANSSEN Matthijs; STIERNA Johan
  9. Leveraging AI and NLP for Bank Marketing: A Systematic Review and Gap Analysis By Christopher Gerling; Stefan Lessmann

  1. By: Asuamah Yeboah, Samuel
    Abstract: Entrepreneurship in developing countries plays a pivotal role in fostering economic growth, reducing poverty, and creating jobs. However, the process of establishing and sustaining businesses in these regions is fraught with numerous challenges, including limited access to capital, inadequate infrastructure, complex regulatory frameworks, and socio-political instability. This study examines the strategies entrepreneurs employ to navigate these barriers and succeed in emerging markets. A systematic review of existing literature, including academic studies and industry reports, identifies key approaches such as leveraging local market insights, utilizing diverse funding mechanisms, navigating regulatory environments, adopting technological innovations, and implementing sustainable practices. The study also highlights the importance of forming strategic networks, partnerships, and flexible business models. By integrating theoretical frameworks such as resource-based view (RBV), institutional theory, and network theory, the research provides a comprehensive understanding of the interplay between the factors that shape entrepreneurial success in developing countries. The study offers practical recommendations for entrepreneurs, policymakers, and stakeholders seeking to promote sustainable business development. This research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on entrepreneurship in developing regions and offers valuable insights for supporting entrepreneurial growth in these dynamic and challenging environments.
    Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Business Strategies, Market Insights, Funding Mechanisms, Regulatory Frameworks, Technological Advancements, Sustainable Practices, Business Networks
    JEL: L26 M13 O10 O31 O38
    Date: 2024–09–14
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:122661
  2. By: Juite Wang (Graduate Institute of Technology Management, National Chung Hsing University)
    Abstract: Innovation ecosystems have become an indispensable element in the growth strategy of firms in various industries. In the birth stage of innovation ecosystem, it is important for firms to assess technological positions of various actors in the innovation ecosystem to support decisions on external R&D collaboration. This research integrates semantic analysis and bibliometric analysis for predicting evolving collaboration patterns and predict collaboration potential. Semantic analysis applies the context-aware deep learning framework based on BERT [14] to analyze unstructured patent data and evaluate technological similarity between individual firms. In addition, biblio-metric analysis uses patent indicators related to technological capabilities and potential technology synergy of individual firms. Then, the deep neural network (DNN) approach is used to learn the relationships between descriptive features and collaboration potentials as target feature. Our findings suggest that the metaverse innovation ecosystem remains in its nascent stages, with the collaborative network still being sparse. The illustrative example reveals that recommended candidate partners often align with or resemble past partners from prior periods. This suggests that the pro-posed deep learning approach is capable of predicting collaborative relationships between various firms.
    Keywords: Innovation ecosystems, Deep learning, Collaboration network, Natural language processing
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sek:iefpro:14716418
  3. By: WOOLFORD Jayne (European Commission - JRC); BACHTROEGLER-UNGER Julia; BURTON Anna; LALANNE Marie (European Commission - JRC); GULDA Krzysztof
    Abstract: This research quantifies the extent to which the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF) supported the provision of education and training relevant to the needs of territories and their smart specialisation (S3) domains in the 2014-2020 programming period.
    Date: 2024–11
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipt:iptwpa:jrc139680
  4. By: Kapoor, Amita; Singh, Narotam; Chaudhary, Vaibhav; Singh, Nimisha; Soni, Neha
    Abstract: This paper explores the transformative impact of Generative AI (GenAI) on the business landscape, examining its role in reshaping traditional business models, intensifying market competition, and fostering innovation. By applying the principles of Neo-Schumpeterian economics, the research analyses how GenAI is driving a new wave of "creative destruction, " leading to the emergence of novel business paradigms and value propositions. This research incorporates a novel AI-augmented SPAR-4-SLR framework as a key component, offering a systematic and innovative approach to analysing the rapidly evolving GenAI domain. By leveraging co-occurrence network analysis and LLM-based evaluation, this methodology identifies interdisciplinary trends and highlights diverse applications of GenAI. Beyond this, the study extends its scope to explore insights from internet-scraped data, Twitter analytics, and company reports, providing a comprehensive understanding of how GenAI is transforming businesses. This multi-faceted approach underscores GenAI's profound impact across industries such as technology, healthcare, and education, revealing its role in enhancing operational efficiency, driving product and service innovation, and creating new revenue streams. However, the deployment of GenAI also presents significant challenges, including ethical concerns, regulatory demands, and the risk of job displacement. By addressing the multifarious nature of GenAI, this paper provides valuable insights for business leaders, policymakers, and researchers, guiding them towards a balanced and responsible integration of this transformative technology. Ultimately, GenAI is not merely a technological advancement but a driver of profound change, heralding a future where creativity, efficiency, and growth are redefined.
    Date: 2024–11–20
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:osfxxx:khptm
  5. By: KATTEL Rainer; SOETE Luc
    Abstract: European policymakers face difficult trade-offs when aiming to increase economic growth and industrial competitiveness, stepping up efforts in green and digital economies, and coming to terms with new security realities requiring increased investments. As European and several national elections in 2024 have shown, this is not an easy circle to square. This paper makes an argument for the European Union to develop a coherent and overarching approach to security investments aligned with the current green and digital agendas and based on a broadening of two of Europe’s unique, long-standing policy frameworks. The first is the area of research and innovation policy, where the nature of the multi-level governance between the EU and its Member States has been one of “shared parallel competence”, implying that EU Member States can carry out national science and research policies in parallel to the EU. This institutional set-up offers the opportunity to broaden, in a relatively straightforward way, the current European Research and Innovation Area (ERA) into a European Defence Research and Innovation Area (EDRIA). The second framework is the EU’s regional, so-called cohesion policy, which could be described as Europe’s “secret” weapon. The integration of security issues into European regional policies represents, in the current insecure international geo-political environment, a logical, new expression of intra-regional European solidarity, and offers the opportunity to enlarge current cohesion policy towards a European territorial security policy.
    Date: 2024–11
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipt:iptwpa:jrc139401
  6. By: Hong, Jifeng; Kazakis, Pantelis; Strieborny, Martin
    Abstract: As economic integration advances, the interdependence between upstream and downstream firms within the supply chain intensifies. Using data from Chinese listed firms (2010–2023), we examine the impact of suppliers’ environmental misconduct on downstream firms’ green innovation continuity. We show that suppliers’ environmental misconduct significantly undermines downstream firms’ green innovation continuity. In addition, suppliers’ environmental misconduct lowers downstream executives’ green cognition and increases financial constraints, reducing green innovation continuity. Further, greater bargaining power in downstream firms mitigates the negative impact of suppliers’ environmental misconduct, while closer geographic proximity amplifies its harm to green innovation continuity. Moreover, we find that China’s 2015 environmental protection law curbed suppliers’ environmental misconduct, boosting green innovation continuity in downstream firms. Finally, talent introduction policies enhance green innovation continuity, though this effect is weakened by suppliers’ environmental misconduct. Our findings add to the green supply chain literature, provide a perspective of green innovation continuity for corporate governance, and expand research on the impact of exogenous policies and environmental regulations on firms.
    Keywords: supply chain relationships; supply chain information transmission; environmental misconduct; green innovation continuity; green policy; financial constraints
    JEL: G30 L14 L22 Q51 Q55
    Date: 2024–11–17
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:122743
  7. By: Antelo, Manel; Bru, Lluís
    Abstract: We consider a non-producer patentholder with a cost-reducing innovation that can be used in a homogeneous duopolistic industry. To profit from the innovation, the patentholder can decide to sell it, or license it, and if the latter, the number of licences to grant as well as the corresponding contractual terms. We show that the size (value or quality) of innovation is crucial for that decision. The patentholder prefers to sell a small-sized innovation, in which case the buyer further licenses it to the competitor by means of a pure ad-valorem royalty contract. However, if the innovation is moderate or large, the patentholder retains ownership and licenses it to both firms through 2PT contracts involving per-unit royalties. Sale is shown to be welfare superior to licensing for both consumers and firms.
    Keywords: Cost-reducing innovation, sale, licensing, per-unit royalty, ad-valorem royalty, welfare
    JEL: L13 L24
    Date: 2024–01
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:122731
  8. By: MCCANN Philip; JANSSEN Matthijs; STIERNA Johan (European Commission - JRC)
    Abstract: Mission-oriented innovation policies, as adopted by the European Union and several member states, tie top-down prioritization of societal problems to bottom-up problem-solving capacities. A critical challenge is to create resonance between (supra)national missions and the daily reality of field-level actors located in strong or weak regions with different problems, capabilities and institutions. Possibilities for synchronising those two worlds depend on how actors perceive risk and uncertainty, and on how these reframe the salience, credibility and legitimacy of missions. We conceptualise ‘local missions’ as both embedded in and re-scoping overarching missions, and discuss possibilities to support them through EU Cohesion policy.
    Date: 2024–11
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipt:iptwpa:jrc139535
  9. By: Christopher Gerling; Stefan Lessmann
    Abstract: This paper explores the growing impact of AI and NLP in bank marketing, highlighting their evolving roles in enhancing marketing strategies, improving customer engagement, and creating value within this sector. While AI and NLP have been widely studied in general marketing, there is a notable gap in understanding their specific applications and potential within the banking sector. This research addresses this specific gap by providing a systematic review and strategic analysis of AI and NLP applications in bank marketing, focusing on their integration across the customer journey and operational excellence. Employing the PRISMA methodology, this study systematically reviews existing literature to assess the current landscape of AI and NLP in bank marketing. Additionally, it incorporates semantic mapping using Sentence Transformers and UMAP for strategic gap analysis to identify underexplored areas and opportunities for future research. The systematic review reveals limited research specifically focused on NLP applications in bank marketing. The strategic gap analysis identifies key areas where NLP can further enhance marketing strategies, including customer-centric applications like acquisition, retention, and personalized engagement, offering valuable insights for both academic research and practical implementation. This research contributes to the field of bank marketing by mapping the current state of AI and NLP applications and identifying strategic gaps. The findings provide actionable insights for developing NLP-driven growth and innovation frameworks and highlight the role of NLP in improving operational efficiency and regulatory compliance. This work has broader implications for enhancing customer experience, profitability, and innovation in the banking industry.
    Date: 2024–11
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2411.14463

This nep-sbm issue is ©2024 by João Carlos Correia Leitão. It is provided as is without any express or implied warranty. It may be freely redistributed in whole or in part for any purpose. If distributed in part, please include this notice.
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