Business Environment And Enterprise Performance Survey Research Articles

Concentrated bank market and SMEs’ collateral issues: a study of the firms of developing Asian countries

Collateral is a significant challenge for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in acquiring formal credit. Bank market concentration can cause to increase collateral demand through enhancing bank market power. This study explores the relationship between bank market concentration and the collateral challenges faced by SMEs in accessing bank credit by employing a probit regression model. The analysis utilizes a sample of over 25,000 firms from 19 developing Asian nations. The datasets combine firm-level data sourced from the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS) with country-level financial data obtained from the Global Financial Development Data (GFDD) which are provided by the World Bank. The results reveal a significant positive correlation between bank market concentration and the collateral challenges encountered by SMEs in developing Asian countries. In markets characterized by high levels of banking concentration, financial institutions tend to exhibit risk-averse behavior, manifesting in an increased propensity to demand collateral for both SME and large enterprise loans. Consequently, this heightened bank concentration exerts additional pressure on SMEs in acquiring bank credit. To foster an environment conducive to SME financing, countries with high levels of banking concentration should enact regulatory measures aimed at managing and constraining market concentration levels.

The role of legal system in SME bank credit in ASEAN

This study aims to investigate the role of legal system in the access to bank credit of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and explores the measures to improve legal system among the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN). By applying the ordinary least squares (OLS) method, the study examines the bank credit accessibility of over 12,000 firms across eight ASEAN countries, using the data collected from the World Bank’s Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS), in relation to each country's contract enforcement indicators. The estimated results reveal a significant positive relationship between contract enforcement and SMEs’ access to bank credit. Furthermore, the results show that long time consumption and large costs for contract enforcement reduces financing opportunities of SMEs. Additionally, the study finds that a country’s legal tradition does not impact the effectiveness of its contract enforcement. Implementing electronic filing systems and limiting times and costs for legal processes can enhance contract enforcement. Consequently, strong contract enforcement appears to encourage banks to increase SME lending, leading to higher SME bank credit in countries with efficient contract enforcement mechanisms. Enhancing contract enforcement can increase SME financing and consequently, will improve a country’s financial intermediation. These findings underscore the importance of contract enforcement including its duration and cost, in the context of SME financing and suggest ways to improve a country’s legal system to foster SME access to bank credit.

Innovation or imitation? The impacts of financial factors on green and general research and development

This paper empirically investigates the influences of financial factors (constraint, sources, and supports) on firms’ research and development (R&D). We separately consider general R&D and green R&D. Further, under each R&D, we distinguish between independent innovation and dependent imitation. We acquire firm-level data from Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS) between 2017 and 2019 and find that a stringent financial constraint in tandem with undiversified financing sources most severely impede both general and green R&D. Overall, innovation is more sensitive to financial factors than imitation; relatively, green innovation is the most sensitive while green imitation is the least.

Coupling men‐to‐women: Promoting innovation in emerging markets

AbstractMotivated by calls to explore corporate outcomes of gender diversity‐related dependencies in a firm's upper echelons, we examine whether gender diversity in manager‐owner(s) teams shapes innovation. Using the context of emerging markets and a large surveydataset drawn from the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS), we find robust evidence suggesting that gender‐diverse manager‐owner(s) teams are associated with higher odds of undertaking innovation. Specifically, women (men) owned firms managed by a male (female) top manager are associated with a higher likelihood of undertaking innovation relative to women (men) owned firms managed by women (men). Additionally, we find that female‐owned firms run by male (female) top managers are the most (least) innovative and male‐owned firms run by female (male) top managers are the second (third) innovative. Our findings indicate that heterophilic manager‐owner(s) teams have the potential to foster innovation in emerging markets. More importantly, our results suggest that initiatives promoting manager‐owner(s) team's gender diversity have the potential to overcome the social and structural barriers that impede innovation in emerging economies.

Bribery and Firm Growth: Sensemaking in CEE and Post-Soviet Countries

How does bribery affect firm performance in transition economies? What would be the consequences of a discrepancy between a firm’s perception of the environment and its strategic choices? Using the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS) data, we examine 1) the effect of bribery on firm performance and 2) the moderating role of the perceived degree of court fairness by a firm. We first find that bribery itself increased firms' sales growth in 27 transition economies in CEE and post-Soviet countries from 2002 to 2008. Second, our results reveal that the perceived degree of court fairness negatively moderates the positive relation between bribery and firm growth. We explain the findings with organizational failure in sensemaking.

R&D synergy between local and foreign-owned enterprises in post-communist economies

This study examines how internal research and development (R&D), external knowledge acquisition, and R&D contracted with other companies interact in local and foreign-owned enterprises in post-communist economies. A large sample of firm-level data from the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS) across 26 post-communist countries (including European Union (EU) members and non-EU states of Eastern Europe, Caucasian countries, and Central Asian countries) and country-level data from the Global Innovation Index and the International Property Rights Index were used. The findings show that enterprises with majority foreign ownership are relatively more likely to acquire external R&D. We demonstrate that the R&D behavior of enterprises with majority foreign ownership and local firms are interrelated, that is, we find a synergy effect. According to the results, decisions on internal R&D and the purchase of external knowledge for enterprises with majority foreign ownership are similar to those of local firms. However, enterprises with foreign ownership contract R&D with other companies more often if local firms conduct internal R&D. These results indicate the presence of knowledge spillover and cross-learning effects in both types of enterprises in post-communist countries. Finally, we find that the national innovation environment is not significant for the R&D intensity of enterprises with majority foreign ownership, which suggests their high dependence on the parent structures of multinational enterprises.

Managing the knowledge for innovation in Eastern European firms: open or closed innovation?

PurposeThis study investigates the impact of cooperation with external partners on the intensity of product innovation as well as its commercial success. The focus is on firms located in the Eastern European countries that are seldom a subject of empirical innovation studies. The theoretical framework takes into account that moderate and modest innovator countries, which comprise the sample, have distinct innovation ecosystems relative to advanced economies.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses data from the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS) that was conducted in 2013–2014 and covering the period of the past three years. Product innovation is measured through its intensity (a number of product innovation) and through its commercial success (innovative sales). A set of hypotheses are tested using a negative binomial estimator (for the number of product innovation) and a tobit estimator (for innovative sales) estimated in Stata statistical software.FindingsEmpirical findings show that vertical cooperation has a positive effect on the intensity of innovation activities. In contrast, the authors find no evidence that horizontal cooperation or cooperation with science partners (universities and research centres) increase innovation intensity or its commercial success. Besides vertical cooperation, for a commercial success, it is equally beneficial for firms to use their own innovative ideas. These results taken together suggest that closed innovation and cooperation with customers and suppliers are critical determinants of product innovation in Eastern European firms.Originality/valueThe study contributes to expanding the research on knowledge management and open innovation in less advanced economies.

The Impact of the 2008-2009 Global Crisis on Manufacturing Firms’ Fixed Asset Purchases: The Case of Eastern Europe and Central Asia

We examine the impact of the 2008-2009 Crisis on two dimensions of manufacturing firms in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, i.e., receivables collection (whether the customers pay after the delivery rather than before or on the date of delivery) and financing of manufacturing firms’ fixed asset purchases (what type of financing they used before and after the 2008-2009 Crisis). We use the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS), i.e., BEEPS IV and BEEPS V data to represent the pre-Crisis and post-Crisis periods respectively. Our analysis indicates that the percentage of purchases paid by the customers of the manufacturing firms significantly decline from the pre-Crisis to the post-Crisis period. This finding suggests that manufacturing firms tighten their payment policies and are not as lenient with their customers post-Crisis. In addition, we find that the percentage of manufacturing firms’ fixed asset purchases paid for by internal financing significantly increases, whereas the percentage of fixed asset purchases paid for by owner’s contribution and supplier credit significantly decline post-Crisis. These findings suggest that as a result of the 2008-2009 Crisis, manufacturing firms in these countries seem to rely more on internal funding which may be due to tighter availability of external sources or drainage of shareholders funds (not enough cash) post-Crisis.

The effect of credit constraints on innovation activities during different economic conditions: firm-level evidence from Turkey

This paper assesses to answer the question 'In the periods of during and after the recession, do the credit constraints affect the product innovation and R&D activity of manufacturing firms? ' Taking into consideration that Turkey is a developing country, the financing opportunity for innovative firms are narrower than the developed countries. This paper uses five waves of Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS) data between 2005 and 2019 on manufacturing firms and analyses by using an extended probit model with endogenous treatment. Results show that there is an endogenous effect between innovative activities and financial barriers. Additionally, findings support the hypothesis that the probability of being innovatively active is lowered about 40% by the effect of credit constraints. Most importantly, this paper has evidence that the effect of credit constraints differentiates during different economic conditions. To sum up, the pre-recession period is more affected than the post-recession period.

Access to finance for SMEs in post-socialist countries: the Baltic States and the South Caucasus compared

PurposeThis article examines access to finance for SMEs in the Baltic States and the South Caucasus countries following the financial crisis of 2007 and is set within the context of the rule of law for businesses.Design/methodology/approachThe article uses the cross-sectional dataset from the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS) for 2009 to examine access to finance for SMEs and the court system in the Baltic States and the South Caucasus countries. An ordered probit estimation technique is used to model access to finance and the court system in the Baltic States and the South Caucasus countries. The analysis draws upon institutional theory to explain access to finance for SMEs.FindingsThe results show variations from one Baltic State and South Caucasus country to another in relation to fairness, speed of justice and enforcement of court decisions. The analysis suggests that if access to finance is not an obstacle to business operations and the court system is fair, impartial and uncorrupted, it determines the likelihood of strength in entrepreneurship. Additionally, the results show that, within the Baltic region, businesses experiencing constraints in accessing finance are more likely to have females as their top managers. However, for the South Caucasus region, there was no gender difference.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is based on evidence from the Baltic States and the South Caucasus region. However, the findings are relevant to discussions on the importance of the context of entrepreneurship, and more specifically, the rule of law. The institutional theory provides an explanation for coercive, normative and mimetic institutional isomorphism in the context of access to finance for SMEs. Coercive institutional isomorphism exerts a dependence on access to finance for SMEs. In coercive institutional isomorphism, formal and informal pressures are exerted by external organisations such as governments, legal regulatory authorities, banks and other lending institutions. These formal and informal pressures are imposed to ensure compliance as a dependency for successful access to finance goal.Practical implicationsThis research creates awareness among entrepreneurs, potential entrepreneurs, business practitioners and society that reducing obstacles to access finance and a fair court system improve entrepreneurial venture formation. This has the potential to create employment, advance business development and improve economic development.Originality/valueThis paper makes an original contribution by emphasising the significance of access to finance and a fair court system in encouraging stronger entrepreneurship. The institutional framework provides a definition for coercive institutional isomorphism to show how external forces exert a dependence pressure towards access to finance for SMEs.

Home country institutions and exports of firms in transition economies: Does innovation matter?

We draw on institutional theory and the resource-based view to analyze the relation between home-country governance imperfections and the export intensity of firms in transition economies, including an examination of the moderating role of innovation. We propose that greater governance imperfections result in lower export intensity and that innovation mitigates the constraints of operating with weak home-country institutions. Analyses of panel data from the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS) on firms from transition economies provide support for our arguments. Our findings allow us to conclude that although firms from transition economies face difficulties to export due to the regulatory constraints of their home countries, a strategy based on innovation represents a viable way of overcoming these limitations.

Are female-led firms disadvantaged in accessing bank credit? Evidence from transition economies

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide empirical evidence on the presence of gender-based discrimination in formal credit markets during the global financial crisis. Specifically, the study tests for gender differences in the probability of being credit-rationed, in the likelihood of being a discouraged borrower and in the price conditions of bank financing.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses the fifth wave of the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS), which provides detailed micro data on firms from 26 transition economies in Europe and Central Asia. The empirical analysis employs linear and non-linear sample selection regression models and extended Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition techniques to assess gender differences in access to credit.FindingsControlling for a large set of observable firm characteristics and for endogenous selectivity, we find that female-led firms are more likely to face financing constraints and to be discouraged from applying for credit than their male counterparts. Conditional on having obtained a loan, female-led firms also face significantly higher interest rates. Furthermore, the observed gender gaps are mainly due to unexplained factors, supporting the hypothesis that banks discriminate against women-led firms in their credit-granting decision.Originality/valueThis study provides new insights on gender discrimination in formal credit markets, highlighting that gender differentials in access to credit significantly vary across countries and strongly depend upon the definition of the firm's gender structure. From a policy perspective, the evidence obtained stresses the need for policies aimed at promoting the role of women in the economic environment in order to reduce discrimination and raise competition in credit markets. Moreover, public interventions should support lending to creditworthy female enterprises in order to improve their perceptions about banks' willingness to grant credit and reduce their propensity to be discouraged from applying.

The Differential Effect of Corruption on Growth: Does Firm Origin Matter?

ABSTRACT This study investigates whether the impact of firm-level corruption on growth varies based on origin of the firm. More specifically, I examine how corruption in the business environment affects growth for privatized former state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and originally private firms in transition economies. Employing Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS) data and using a sample of 15,103 unique firms in 30 Eastern European and Central Asian countries, I find that corruption hampers growth for private firms, but it is not detrimental to privatized firms’ growth. In fact, some evidence suggests that corruption helps privatized firms growing faster.

Corruption and Firm Tax Evasion in Transition Economies: Results from Censored Quantile Instrumental Variables Estimation

This study examines the relationship between firm-level tax evasion and corruption. The literature has considered the corruption-firm tax evasion nexus to some extent, however, the heterogeneous impact of bribes on tax evasion has been largely ignored. We posit that the impact of bribes on tax evasion is conditional on the prevalence of tax evasion. Using firm-level information from the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS) across 25 transition economies for the years 2002 and 2005, we estimate the heterogeneous impact of bribes on tax evasion using the censored quantile instrumental variables technique. The results show that corruption has a larger impact when tax evasion is more widespread. Among other results, firm-level characteristics also show heterogeneous effects across the conditional distribution of tax evasion. In terms of the policy implications, the results suggest that policies that focus on reducing the tax burden and controlling corruption will be more effective when tax evasion is more prevalent.

Credit constraints and R&D over the boom and bust: Firm-level evidence from Central and Eastern Europe

This paper studies the effect of credit constraints on R&D over the recent boom and bust episode in Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs). Given that financial and venture capital markets in CEECs are thin in comparison to those in high-income economies, it is proposed that credit constraints have a significant adverse effect on R&D activity in these countries. The paper uses three waves of Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS) data between 2005 and 2013 on manufacturing firms from ten CEECs. We find that credit constraints have a substantial effect on R&D engagement, as the probability of credit constrained firms undertaking R&D activities is around 30 % lower than for other firms. The adverse effect of credit constraints for R&D emerges during the years of fast economic growth.

Economic analysis of corruption at the company level

Abstract Corruption is a factor that affects a company severely either directly or indirectly. It may have a positive or negative impact on the economic situation of the company. This article verifies the hypothesis about the corporate perception of corruption as an obstacle to business performance. It also identifies which factors do have a substantial effect on the perception of corruption by companies. The study was carried out using the logit model. The data used were obtained from the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS) database for 2016.

The impact of different types of innovation and governmental support in the performance of firms: the case of Central and Eastern Europe manufacturing SMEs

Abstract This study examined companies from two different groups of countries in Central and Eastern Europe and their partnerships with the Government for the development of four types of innovation (product, process, organizational, and marketing). The research included ex-soviet republics (Eu members and non-members), and observed how each type of innovation affects the firms’ financial performance. A sample of 1,143 manufacturing SMEs from the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS) were tested using multiple regression and logit. Based on the absorptive capacity theory, the results show that manufacturing SMEs from EU-member countries have a higher absorptive capacity and take advantage of the EU’s innovation promotion programs to innovate. On the other hand, the SMEs from non EU-member states perceive a quicker effect of the innovations in financial performance, considering that there is a technological gap between the two groups (non EU-members are less developed). Also, the introduction of different types of innovations simultaneously boosts the performance of firms from non EU-member countries in the short run.

The impact of different types of innovation and governmental support in the performance of firms: the case of Central and Eastern Europe manufacturing SMEs

Abstract This study examined companies from two different groups of countries in Central and Eastern Europe and their partnerships with the Government for the development of four types of innovation (product, process, organizational, and marketing). The research included ex-soviet republics (Eu members and non-members), and observed how each type of innovation affects the firms’ financial performance. A sample of 1,143 manufacturing SMEs from the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS) were tested using multiple regression and logit. Based on the absorptive capacity theory, the results show that manufacturing SMEs from EU-member countries have a higher absorptive capacity and take advantage of the EU’s innovation promotion programs to innovate. On the other hand, the SMEs from non EU-member states perceive a quicker effect of the innovations in financial performance, considering that there is a technological gap between the two groups (non EU-members are less developed). Also, the introduction of different types of innovations simultaneously boosts the performance of firms from non EU-member countries in the short run.

Do Foreign-Owned Firms Provide More Formal Training Than Their Domestic Counterparts?

Transition economies compete for FDI since it is expected to have net benefits for the host economy in terms of employment by creating jobs, paying higher wages, offering more training compared to the local firms, as well as benefits for the balance of payments, technology, growth and the alleviation of poverty. This paper examines if foreign-owned firms are more likely to provide formal training to their employees after controlling for other firm characteristics. This empirical analysis uses firm level data from the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS) 2002-2009. To investigate the impact of foreign ownership on the provision of training this paper is using the Probit, Tobit and Craggit models. The empirical evidence presented in this paper indicates that foreign ownership has a positive and significant impact upon the incidence and intensity of training for both non-production and production workers using pooled cross-section data. Keywords: FDI, provision of training, firm level data, Probit, Tobit, Craggit model

Is Agribusiness Different? Firm-Level Evidence of Perceived Corruption in Post-Soviet Countries

We investigated firm-level perceptions of corruption, based on two enterprise surveys conducted across eight countries of the former Soviet Union. In addition to identifying the perceived major obstacles to business operations, the article looks at whether managers in the agribusiness sector perceive corruption differently than do managers in other sectors. The empirical analysis makes use of the most recent wave of the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS) conducted between 2012 and 2013, complemented by our own survey conducted in 2016. The results paint a heterogeneous picture. One-fifth of the respondents to BEEPS agree that private payments or gifts to local officials have a moderate or high direct impact, whereas the rate of agreement declines when asked about parliamentarians or government officials. Results of a range of econometric models, however, do not reveal differences between agribusiness and other sectors at large. Only in two of ten specifications do respondents from agribusiness tend to perceive corruption as occurring less frequently than do respondents from other sectors. However, country effects seem to be more important than intersectoral differences in the perception of corruption.