The Venezuelan Enterprise: Current Situation, Challenges and Opportunities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Luis Saboin
Keyword(s):  
Firm Level ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Investment And Financing ◽  
Basic Services ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
And Performance ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Comprehensive Recovery ◽  
Enterprise Survey ◽  
Infrastructure Services

Using Enterprise Survey data, this study describes the characteristics of current Venezuelan firms the survivors of one of the deepest economic contractions of modern historyacross different dimensions, such as access to infrastructure services, firms investment and financing, labor and skills, foreign trade, the legal environment, and firms innovation and performance. The study identifies the main challenges faced by the surviving firms (notably: macroeconomic and political instability, unreliability of basic services, lack of credit, and migration), while identifying some of the opportunities for these firms to exploit if a comprehensive recovery strategy for the country were to be implemented. In this sense, I find that the representative Venezuelan survivor firm has managed to internationalize through several channels (foreign ownership, exports, and international quality certifications), as well as to match skills with current business and market demands and keep innovating. The study also briefly analyzes some of the traditional determinants of (labor) productivity at the firm level, bringing the most interesting aspects to the fore so they can be explored further in more topic-focused research.

scholarly journals Firm Level Strategy, Organization Culture and Performance of Food and Beverage Manufacturing Firms in Kenya

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary B. Awino ◽  
Dominic C. Muteshi ◽  
Reginah K. Kitiabi ◽  
Ganesh P. Pokhariyal
Keyword(s):  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Organization Culture ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Improved Performance ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

The study tested the impact of organization culture on the on the relationship between firm-level strategy and performance of food and beverage manufacturing firms in Kenya. The opinion of the CEO/MDs from 125 firms in this sector was sought by application of a structured questionnaire; the collected data was analysed using hierarchical regression analysis. The paper stated hypothesis that organizational culture has a significant effect on the relationship between firm-level strategy and performance. The results supported the hypothesis. Therefore, firm development of strong organization culture to support firm-level strategy for higher performance is paramount. These findings will contribute to government policy formulation for sector’s expansion and competitiveness and management drives in building a positive organization culture to support firm-level strategy for improved performance.

scholarly journals The Intensity of Knowledge Capital Investment in Kenya: Evidence from Manufacturing and Service Sectors

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 179
Author(s):  
Simon Ndicu ◽  
Lucy Wacuka
Keyword(s):  
Capital Investment ◽  
New Product ◽  
Knowledge Capital ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Product Innovativeness ◽  
Service Sectors ◽  
Innovation Output ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Product Output ◽  
Combined Data

The study investigates the extent to which firms in Kenya manufacturing and service sectors invest in knowledge capital leading to innovations. 534 firms were included in the analysis. This was the combined data from the first Kenya innovation survey data of 2012, which covered 158 firms, (2008-2011) and the second Kenya innovation survey of 2015 which covered 376 firms (2012-2014). The Crépon, Duguet, and Mairessec (CDM) (1998) model, which considers a system of four equations: innovation propensity, innovation investment, innovation output and performance equations, was used as the estimation technique. The results revealed that, a firm’s decision to spend on R&D was significantly influenced by firm ownership, financial turnover and product innovativeness. A firm’s R&D intensity was significantly determined by its financial turnover and ownership. A firm’s activity and financial turnover were also significant in determining whether it introduced a new product in the market or not. The results of this paper suggest that a firm’s financial turnover was significant in R&D decisions but R&D intensity did not significantly matter to a firm’s product innovativeness. Further, a firm’s level of innovativeness was a significant determinant of its productivity. In addition, the results suggest that, innovations among the Kenyan firms in the manufacturing and service sectors were heavily reliant on financial capital and were struggling to convert knowledge inputs into product output. This study thus recommends a policy that incorporates the academia and firm level innovation with national innovation systems to enhance knowledge and skill intensive innovations that are new to the world.

scholarly journals Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence in Migration and Mobility: Transnational Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Societies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 135
Author(s):  
Marie McAuliffe ◽  
Jenna Blower ◽  
Ana Beduschi
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
International Development ◽  
Digital Technology ◽  
Design Development ◽  
Systemic Risks ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
The Subject ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Migration Systems

Digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in migration and mobility have incrementally expanded over recent years. Iterative approaches to AI deployment experienced a surge during 2020 and into 2021, largely due to COVID-19 forcing greater reliance on advanced digital technology to monitor, inform and respond to the pandemic. This paper critically examines the implications of intensifying digitalization and AI for migration and mobility systems for a post-COVID transnational context. First, it situates digitalization and AI in migration by analyzing its uptake throughout the Migration Cycle. Second, the article evaluates the current challenges and, opportunities to migrants and migration systems brought about by deepening digitalization due to COVID-19, finding that while these expanding technologies can bolster human rights and support international development, potential gains can and are being eroded because of design, development and implementation aspects. Through a critical review of available literature on the subject, this paper argues that recent changes brought about by COVID-19 highlight that computational advances need to incorporate human rights throughout design and development stages, extending well beyond technical feasibility. This also extends beyond tech company references to inclusivity and transparency and requires analysis of systemic risks to migration and mobility regimes arising from advances in AI and related technologies.

Introduction

2021 ◽  
pp. xviii-22
Author(s):  
Milija Gluhovic ◽  
Silvija Jestrovic ◽  
Shirin Rai ◽  
Michael Saward
Keyword(s):  
Performance Studies ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
First Century ◽  
Field Of Study ◽  
Political World ◽  
Key Points ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Key Terms ◽  
A Current

Beginning with two vivid examples that illustrate the Handbook’s core arguments—that politics is performative, performance is political, and that both of these matter to understanding our worlds—the introduction provides a current, contextual account of the shared syntax of politics and performance. It defines key terms, such as politics, performance, theatricality, and performativity, that inform the Handbook contributions. Through accessible and provocative engagements with new ways of thinking about politics and performance in both disciplinary and interdisciplinary modes, the introduction shows that these categories are interwoven and entangled in complex and consequential ways. It outlines the states of the art in theater and performance studies and politics, respectively, capturing key points of interconnection between these discourses in order to build on, extend, and reshape interdisciplinary conversations. Finally, it reflects on key challenges and opportunities that attend bringing the two broad fields together for mutual enrichment and building a new, hybrid field of study. Underlining the co-constitutive nature of performance and politics, the introduction suggests that such a framework is critical to promoting an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the complex political world of the twenty-first century.

Antecedents and Consequences of Technology Orientation (TECHOR) for Small Firms

2013 ◽  
pp. 214-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia F. Lee ◽  
Can Uslay ◽  
Matthew L. Meuter
Keyword(s):  
Technology Adoption ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
Technology Policy ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Technology Learning ◽  
Antecedents And Consequences ◽  
Sense And Respond ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Technology Orientation

This chapter explores the firm-level technology orientation construct and highlights the importance of a small firm’s dynamic capabilities in knowledge learning and management. Technology orientation (TECHOR) is comprised of three sets of technology-oriented activities: the allocation of technology resources, the development of technology competence, and the ability to sense and respond to technology opportunities that influence technology adoption and utilization. As firms engage in more of these activities, they will have higher levels of technology orientation. Antecedents to TECHOR include external forces (technology policy and industry characteristics) and internal dynamics (role of management, interdepartmental connections, and organizational factors). Consequences include customer outcomes (technology learning, perceived quality, and loyalty), employee outcomes (technology learning, job satisfaction, and performance) and organizational outcomes (firm performance and competitive advantage). Small firms that can deliver the appropriate match between the required technology-oriented activities, technology adoption, and utilization are the ones that are likely to survive and thrive.

Wage-setting practices in the metalworking sector in Greece

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 1441-1463
Author(s):  
Daphne Nicolitsas
Keyword(s):  
Market Competition ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Product Market ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Collective Agreement ◽  
Wage Setting ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Level Information ◽  
And Performance

PurposeThe paper aims to link product market features in the Greek metal processing sector to the wage-setting practices followed therein.Design/methodology/approachAggregate business structural statistics are used to document the product market structure features while information from a rich sectoral collective agreement database, covering a number of sectors of the Greek economy, is used for the wage-setting practices. The approach is, in general, descriptive and discursive with the use of some regression analysis.FindingsThe main findings of the paper include: first, the metal sector as a whole is heterogeneous in terms of its structural/productive features; second, the type of collective agreements followed in the subsectors of the metal sector appear related to the structural features of the subsectors; third, negotiated wages appear binding for subsectors facing less product market competition; and finally, the ability to opt out of the sectoral agreement and sign firm-level agreements during the recent crisis in Greece was used mainly by firms suffering accounting losses.Research limitations/implicationsThe research results are limited by the absence of detailed firm-level information both on the actual wages paid and on the exact industrial relations practices in the workplace.Originality/valueIn view of the changes taking place in industrial relations in general and collective bargaining in particular, the issue of the homogeneity – in terms of structure and performance – of individual sectors, sets the question of whether one size (agreement) fits all and consequently whether extensions of agreements to whole sectors are advisable. This is the spirit in which the paper is written. The originality is linked both to the issue addressed but also to the use of the detailed collective labour agreements information and its association with product market features.

The Causal Effects of Proximity on Investment: Evidence from Flight Introductions

2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (6) ◽  
pp. 1978-2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse Ellis ◽  
Leonardo Madureira ◽  
Shane Underwood
Keyword(s):  
Mutual Funds ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Investment Decisions ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Causal Effects ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Exogenous Shock ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Fund Investment

We use the introduction of direct flights as an exogenous shock to the travel time between mutual funds and firms to estimate the causal effects of proximity on fund investment decisions and performance. We find that a fund invests significantly more in firms that become more proximate following the introduction of direct flights and that these more proximate investments exhibit superior performance. Our findings are robust to including a variety of fixed effects and potential confounders such as firm-level shocks, fund-level shocks, and time trends. Collectively, our results indicate that proximity enhances investors’ ability to acquire value-relevant information about firms.

scholarly journals CERN Tape Archive — from development to production deployment

2019 ◽  
Vol 214 ◽  
pp. 04015
Author(s):  
Michael C. Davis ◽  
Vladímir Bahyl ◽  
Germán Cancio ◽  
Eric Cano ◽  
Julien Leduc ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Storage System ◽  
File Transfer ◽  
Disk Storage ◽  
And Performance ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Performance Challenges ◽  
Archive Solution

The first production version of the CERN Tape Archive (CTA) software is planned to be released during 2019. CTA is designed to replace CASTOR as the CERN tape archive solution, to face the scalability and performance challenges arriving with LHC Run–3. In this paper, we describe the main commonalities and differences between CTA and CASTOR. We outline the functional enhancements and integration steps required to add the CTA tape back-end to an EOS disk storage system. We present and discuss the different deployment and migration scenarios for replacing the five CASTOR instances at CERN, including a description of how the File Transfer Service (FTS) will interface with EOS and CTA.

Assessing the Value of Information Technology Investment to Firm Performance

2002 ◽  
pp. 257-278
Author(s):  
Qing Hu ◽  
Robert T. Plant
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Financial Performance ◽  
Capital Investment ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Performance Data ◽  
It Investment ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
It Investments ◽  
And Performance

The promise of increased competitive advantage has been the driving force behind the large-scale investment in information technology (IT) over the last three decades. There is a continuing debate among executives and academics as to the measurable benefits of this investment. The return on investment (ROI) and other performance measures reported in the academic literature indicate conflicting empirical findings. Many previous studies have based their conclusions on the statistical correlation between IT capital investment and firm performance data of the same time period. In this study we argue that the causal relationship between IT investment and firm performance could not be reliably established through concurrent IT and performance data. We further submit that it would be more convincing to infer causality if the IT investments in the preceding years are significantly correlated with the performance of a firm in the subsequent year. Using the Granger causality models and three samples of firm-level financial data, we found no statistical evidence that IT investments have caused the improvement of financial performance of the firms in the samples. On the contrary, the causal models suggest that improved financial performance over consecutive years may have contributed to the increase of IT investment in the subsequent year. Implications of these findings as well as directions for future studies are discussed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document