Massey Documents by Type

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/294

Browse

Start date: 2021Subject: search.filters.subject.Small business

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    A model to assess cloud enterprise resource planning adoption in small and medium-sized enterprises : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Information Systems, School of Mathematical and Computational Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand. EMBARGOED until 31 July 2027.
    (Massey University, 2025-07-28) Tongsuksai, Sunchai
    In the current digital era, cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems have evolved taking precedence over the on-premise ERP due to the convenience of software deployment and operation managed by third parties or cloud service providers (CSPs). This is specifically helpful to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), who usually are limited in resources. The cloud ERP is an innovative technology, and its application can play a crucial role for SMEs to compete in the global market. There is a lack of research that looks at the benefits, characteristics, critical success factors (CSFs), and challenges of cloud ERP adoption in SMEs, specifically in the New Zealand (NZ) context. Thus, the objectives of this study are (1) to identify the benefits of adopting cloud ERP systems in New Zealand SMEs, (2) to examine the influential characteristics for the adoption decision of these systems, and (3) to evaluate the CSFs and the challenges that impact their adoption in SMEs. This study develops and uses a conceptual model, which combines technology, organisation, and environment (TOE) and unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) frameworks, to examine the influential characteristics of the technological, organisational, environmental and individual dimensions for cloud ERP adoption in NZ SMEs. A qualitative research design is deployed which is conducted in two phases in this study. In the initial preliminary study phase, semi-structured interviews are conducted with ERP vendors, who are experts and critical players in cloud ERP deployment, to gather in-depth knowledge on the current practices of cloud ERP adoption in NZ SMEs. In the second main study phase, two SMEs from NZ are interviewed to collect data from practitioners and company managers who are involved in the adoption of cloud ERP in their companies. The data collected from these case studies are evaluated through cross-case analyses and compared with the preliminary study findings and extant literature to arrive at the study results. A revised and extended empirical model is developed based on the study findings. The findings of this study highlight the benefits of adopting cloud ERP systems in New Zealand SMEs. The key benefits include cost reduction, system and data accessibility, scalability, and effortless integration with other applications. This study further highlights the characteristics that influence cloud ERP adoption decisions in NZ SMEs, as well as identifies novel characteristics that affect this adoption decision, such as system quality (technological dimension), organisational culture (organisational dimension), government funding support (environmental dimension) and personal innovation (individual dimension). Furthermore, the CSFs and challenges associated with adopting cloud ERP systems in NZ SMEs are discussed. The key CSFs include education and training for users, having knowledge of cloud ERP, and clear understanding requirements of cloud ERP adoption. The key challenges include lack of awareness and knowledge, incorrect migration process, and ineffective project management. These insights enhance the understanding of academics and practitioners regarding the benefits, characteristics, CSFs, and challenges of adopting these systems in SMEs.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Risk management by entrepreneurial and non-entrepreneurial micro and small-scale firms in the agriculture food-processing sector in Sri Lanka : a mixed method approach : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor in Philosophy in Agribusiness at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2023) Ganegoda Hewage, Ishara Anjalee
    Risk, risk-taking, and risk management have been identified as integral components of entrepreneurship since the inception of the concept of entrepreneurship. However, the relationship between these components still puzzles scholars as different scholars have presented often contrasting theoretical notions and empirical findings regarding how entrepreneurial firms take and manage risk. Despite the importance of risk in entrepreneurship, the attention given to risk management and the adoption of specific risk management strategies is limited in the research literature. The firms operating in the MSME sector play a vital role in economic development in developing countries, particularly in Sri Lanka. The term entrepreneurship is frequently associated and investigated along with the term MSMEs where many researchers have used these two terms synonymously or alternatively. Literature supports the notion that entrepreneurial firms and small businesses are related but they are two different entities with distinctive features. However, the lack of specific criteria to differentiate between the two firm groups is identified as a major hindrance in the sector that negatively affects the development of beneficial policies and scholarly work. With the above questions identified, the overarching research question of this study is; “Do the entrepreneurial micro and small-scale (MSE) firms in the agriculture food processing sector in Sri Lanka manage the risks they face any differently from other MSEs operating in the sector?”. To address this question first it was necessary to assure the existence of such entrepreneurial firms within the sector. For that, the study devised a method to differentiate entrepreneurial firms from their non-entrepreneurial counterparts. Moreover, the study also aimed to investigate the factors that determine the differing risk management behaviour of these MSEs operating in the agriculture food processing sector in Sri Lanka. The research process began with a preliminary study to investigate the context of agriculture food processing MSEs in Sri Lanka. With the support of the findings of the preliminary study and the literature, the five-dimensional Entrepreneurial Orientation approach (i.e. innovativeness, proactiveness, risk-taking, competitive aggressiveness, and autonomy) was identified as the best-fitting method to differentiate between the two firm groups. Upon confirming the existence of entrepreneurial and non-entrepreneurial firms in the sector, the study adopted an exploratory sequential mixed-method approach consisting of two phases; a qualitative phase with selected case firms to explore the nature of their EO followed by a quantitative phase with survey data to investigate the risk management behaviour of a population of these firms. The qualitative phase was conducted with four selected case firms; two entrepreneurial and two non-entrepreneurial to explore the level and nature of EO. The quantitative data were gathered from a sample of 206 MSEs using a structured, researcher-administered questionnaire. The results confirmed that entrepreneurial firms do exist in the agriculture food processing sector in Sri Lanka. Proactiveness, innovativeness, risk-taking, and competitive aggressiveness were identified as the more suitable EO dimensions that can be used to identify and differentiate between entrepreneurial and non-entrepreneurial firms in the Sri Lankan context, with autonomy being identified as not strongly contributing to this differentiation. The study agrees with the existing body of literature on “entrepreneurs are risk takers”, yet goes much beyond of this common notion to prove that they are not only they are risk takers, but also better risk managers compared to their non-entrepreneurial counterparts. The uniqueness of this study is that it has not inly investigated the risk management behaviour of entrepreneurial small firms but also comapred it with a group of non-entreprneurial firms. Quantitative study found significant differences between entrepreneurial and non-entrepreneurial firms in terms of their adoption of risk management strategies. More entrepreneurial firms adopted knowledge-related, strategic, and product price-related market risk management strategies compared to non-entrepreneurial firms. This was also found in the qualitative phase where the entrepreneurial firms were more proactive and showed a notable orientation toward adopting strategic, and knowledge-related, risk management strategies. The two firm groups showed clear differences in their propensities to risk, with two categories of risk propensities identified as entrepreneurial risk (seeking) propensity attributes and non-entrepreneurial risk (averting) propensity attributes. The entrepreneurial risk (seeking) attributes were found to strongly contribute to the differentiation between entrepreneurial and non-entrepreneurial MSEs while the adoption of strategic and knowledge-related risk management strategies was negatively affected by the non-entrepreneurial risk (averting) propensity. Investigating how sources of risk are perceived, both as opportunities and threats, for both entrepreneurial and non-entrepreneurial firms was another important contribution of this study. The results highlighted that the entrepreneurial group perceived more opportunities arising from the sources of risk than the non-entrepreneurial group, with both groups perceiving the threats in a similar manner. Having a proper identification of entrepreneurial and non-entrepreneurial firms is useful for policymakers to devise their policies more strategically. Finally, this study expands the current understanding of entrepreneurial/non-entrepreneurial firms, especially in terms of strategic planning and knowledge-orientation of entrepreneurial firms in managing risks, risk propensity, and perceiving different sources of risks based on the strong foundation of their proactive and opportunity-oriented nature.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Corporate social responsibility in small and medium enterprises in Vietnam : doing good to do well : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management at Massey University, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2021) Nguyen, Minh
    Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has received growing attention over recent years. However, scant attention has been paid to investigating the implementation of CSR from the perspective of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in a developing country context. Along with the focus on developed countries, existing research underpinned by the institutional theory has mainly focused on macro-institutional determinants and cross-national variations in CSR practices. Despite the pivotal role of SME owner-managers, there is a lack of understanding on the underlying mechanisms by which institutional structure and owner-managers’ agency interact to influence the construction of CSR in different contexts. This thesis aims to theoretically and empirically understand CSR in SMEs in developing countries. Accordingly, the study seeks to answer the question: “How do Vietnamese SMEs engage in CSR practices?”. Vietnam was selected as a novel context for CSR due to its distinctive history and cultural admixture, the prominent role of the state in the country, and its recent integration into the global economy. In Vietnam, there is not only a mixture of Western and Eastern philosophies and practices but also a blend of capitalist and socialist values in play. The rich and complex social and cultural aspects of Vietnam along with its contemporary transitional economy highlight research opportunities to explore CSR practices in their distinctive and special milieu. Following a qualitative methodology aligned to the interpretive paradigm, this study employed a case study method and undertook 21 interviews drawing on 17 owner-managers from 13 organisations together with four key informants. In addition, supporting data were also collected via observations, field notes, and documents for data triangulation. The collected data was then manually analysed using the thematic analysis method. A conceptual framework using constructs of Bourdieu’s theory of social practice guided the data analysis. This framework allowed multiple levels of analysis, specifically in understanding the interaction between the agency of SME owner-managers and institutional variables that contribute to the development of CSR among SMEs. The thesis contains two empirical findings chapters. The first chapter explores CSR initiatives that SMEs in Vietnam are adopting and identifies the institutional influences that contribute to the development of CSR practices. The second chapter investigates the role that owner-managers play in shaping CSR practices among SMEs. The empirical findings reveal that there is evidence of a significant degree of divergence in terms of CSR practices among SMEs within the same institutional structure. These varied CSR expressions can be explained in light of the ambiguous institutional environment in which SMEs are embedded which is composed of factors, namely tradition, political governance, and modernity. These interconnected and competing institutional structures then provide scope for owner-managers, as primary decision-makers, to exercise their agency in shaping CSR. Through the theoretical lens of Bourdieu’s theory of practice, this study demonstrates the mechanisms by which owner-managers utilise their own agent capability, stemming from individual preference, perceptions, and ways of thinking, in response to the institutional influences of CSR. By acknowledging the interactions between structure and agency, this research contributes to a coherent body of knowledge related to the complex construction of CSR in SMEs in developing countries and adds to the body of recent studies which try to understand how individuals navigate competing institutional demands.