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Grounded in upper echelons theory, this research contributes to the current literature on SME digital transformation by leveraging empirical data from 372 SMEs in an emerging economy. The study investigates the influence of overconfident managers on digital transformation and its subsequent impact on sustainable competitive performance, with digital culture playing a moderating role. Our findings reveal that managerial overconfidence significantly influences digital transformation and sustainable competitive performance in SMEs. Digital transformation serves as a significant mediator of the relationship between managerial overconfidence and sustainable competitive performance. Additionally, digital culture strengthens the association between managerial overconfidence and digital transformation. Based on these insights, SMEs need to be aware of managerial traits and, in particular, need to focus on overconfident managers to embrace digitalization and enhance performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study explores the mechanism by which intellectual capital (IC) [i.e. human capital (HC), structural capital (SC) and relational capital (RC)] influences small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) efficiency in the presence of business model innovation (BMI) as a mediator. Design/methodology/approach: Data collection is conducted through a survey completed by 319 owners and top managers of SMEs operating in the manufacturing sector in three cities in Pakistan. A simple random sampling method is used. A structural equation modeling artificial neural network (SEM-ANN)-based approach is applied to evaluate the role of IC predictors. The mediation results are authenticated using PROCESS. Findings: The results indicate that HC, SC and RC significantly influence SME efficiency and BMI. Furthermore, BMI fully mediates the relationship between human capital and SME efficiency, while partially mediating the relationship between structural capital and SME efficiency, as well as between SC and SME efficiency. Originality/value: This study pioneers research into the link between IC and SME efficiency. It contributes to the literature by defining IC as an antecedent of SME efficiency. It further contributes to the literature by defining IC as an antecedent and BMI as an intervening variable of SME efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the influence of the digitalization of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on the sustainable competitive performance (SCP) of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in an emerging economy and to examine the moderating effect of digital organizational culture on this relationship. Design/methodology/approach: Data collection was conducted through a survey completed by 311 owners and top managers operating in service, trading and manufacturing sector SMEs positioned within the twin cities of Pakistan. A convenient purposively sampling technique and snowball method were used for data collection, and structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. Findings: The results of this study suggest that CSR digitalization has a markedly positive influence on the SCP. Digital organizational culture appears to moderate these relationships. Practical implications: This study highlights the importance of considering CSR digitalization and fostering a digital organizational culture for SMEs to achieve SCP. The findings provide valuable insights for strategic decision-makers, including owners, CEOs and senior management of SMEs, to enhance their knowledge concerning how and why a digital organizational culture makes it easier to digitalize CSR activities, with the ultimate objective of ensuring SCP and SME growth. Overall, the findings of this study have practical implications for policymakers and managers in SMEs as they can promote the adoption of digital technologies in CSR initiatives and develop a digital organizational culture within the organization. This would contribute to enhancing the SCP of SMEs. Thus, this research is beneficial for business actors, policymakers and researchers seeking to enhance SMEs' SCP. Social implications: This study provides valuable guidance to the senior management of SMEs regarding successfully adopting and integrating digital technologies into their CSR practices. This integration can lead to increased social and environmental benefits, which positively impact both business and society. Policymakers can use these findings to develop policies and initiatives to encourage CSR digitalization among SMEs. By providing support and incentives for digital transformation, policymakers can help SMEs adopt digital tools to improve their CSR performance, contributing to economic growth and sustainability. Originality/value: This study pioneers research on the links between CSR digitalization, digital organizational culture and the SCP of SMEs. This study contributes to the literature by defining CSR digitalization as an antecedent to the SCP of SMEs. In addition, this study underlines the significance of CSR digitalization for the achievement of SMEs' SCP of SMEs with the moderating role of digital organizational culture. Overall, this study enriches the resource base view literature through empirical evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates whether managerial level attributes (age, education, and experience) and firm level attributes (size and age) influence the role of financial resources (FR) on sustainability performance in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in emerging economies. To test the model, the analyses were performed through SmartPLS based on 611 Pakistani SMEs. The results of the structural equation modeling indicate that the positive relationship between FR and sustainability performance is significantly strengthened by managerial attributes (manager experience and education) and firm level attributes (firm size). However, manager age and firm age do not moderate the nexus between FR and sustainability performance. This research recommends SMEs to focus on experienced and educated managers as compared to older ones to utilize their FR efficiently in sustainable activities. This research enriches the resource base view and upper echelon literature through empirical evidence. Further implications for policymakers and businesses are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the effects of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) on the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with mediating role of differentiation strategy in Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach: A theoretical framework has been developed to base the hypotheses, as also to determine the exact approach in this study. To establish the influence of EO on the performance of SME, a five-point Likert scale questionnaire has been used to collect data from middle and senior managers who operate in SMEs in the manufacturing sectors. The sample illustrates 166 incumbents, comprising 68.07 per cent from middle management and 31.93 per cent from senior management operating in manufacturing sector of SMEs, by means of a stratified random sampling technique. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS and Amos graphics software. Hypotheses were tested by using structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. Findings: EO, as a whole, presents a significant positive effect on the performance of SMEs. Moreover, differentiation strategy partially mediated the relationship between EO and performance of SMEs. Two dimensions of EO, proactiveness and risk-taking propensity, strongly increased firm performance while innovativeness, competitive aggressiveness, autonomy and competitive energy did not cause any significant change. The findings differ from the current view of western enterprises that innovativeness (INO) played a major role by increasing performance of SMEs. The results transpired that innovativeness (INO) tends to reduce performance of SMEs, but the p-value did not reach a high significance value. Research limitations/implications: The main limitation of this empirical study is comparatively a small size of the sample. The analysis of power suggests that a larger sample could have provided more reliable and extensive results. Regardless of that, the analysis of reliability, using the Cronbach's alpha, exhibited the consistency of outcomes in providing an accurate portrait of the EO influences on the performance of SME. Practical implications: The study verifies that two dimensions of EO have considerable effects on the performance of SMEs, while the others have not, whereas, the EO, as whole, has significant positive effect on performance of SMEs. These findings should be helpful for researchers looking for appropriate performance measures, and for entrepreneurs aiming at getting support for their decisions and evaluating their performance. Originality/value: The current study appears to be first of its kind focusing on the link between EOs, as whole, and its dimensions, to performance of SMEs and differentiation strategies within the specific context of Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]