Exogenous Barriers Research Articles

On the edge of Big Data: Drivers and barriers to data analytics adoption in SMEs

Adoption of technological innovations such as data analytics represents a major organizational transformation for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Literature shows that data analytics can improve the performance of SMEs. However, SMEs face many barriers in adopting this technological innovation. Unfortunately, the literature on data analytics adoption in SMEs is limited. Our goal is to identify the drivers and barriers to data analytics adoption in SMEs. With 35 semi-structured interviews with SMEs in the manufacturing and agricultural industries from France, we establish two comprehensive typologies of drivers and barriers. Our results show that exogenous drivers such as market, competition and the Covid-19 crisis have a stronger influence on data analytics adoption in SMEs than endogenous drivers. Endogenous barriers like lack of strategy, skills and organizational culture have a more negative influence on data analytics adoption in SMEs than exogenous barriers. This article contributes to better understanding of data analytics adoption process in SMEs. Our research helps SMEs manage organizational transformation and develop a strategy supporting technology adoption.

Analysis of Small Medium Enterprises Export Inhibiting Factors Subsector Teak Craft Industries in Blora Regency

The export development of SMEs was faced with various obstacles that could hinder Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) from exporting. These obstacles could come from internal and external SMEs. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of Knowledge Barrier (KB), Resource Barrier (RB), Procedure Barrier (PB), and Exogenous Barrier (EB) on Export Barriers (HE) for SMEs in the teak craft industry subsector in Blora Regency both partially or simultaneously. This research is quantitative study using observational data methods, questionnaires, and literature studies. The number of samples was 43 respondents who have been experienced in export activities. This study used multiple linear regression analysis. The results show that the coefficient of determination (R2) in this study shows the influence of the variable Knowledge Barrier (KB), Resource Barrier (RB), Procedure Barrier (PB), and Exogenous Barrier (EB) on Export Barriers by 61.7%, while the remaining 39.3 % evidence by other variables not present in this study. Meanwhile, the results of the F test show that simultaneously the variables of KB, RB, PB, EB have a significant affect on Export Barrier. Furthermore, partially, KB and PB variables affect but not significantly on export barriers. Meanwhile, the regression equation for the variables KB, RB, PB, EB was HE = 0.017 - 0.046KB + 0.299RB - 0.110PB + 0.688EB . Based on the results of the study, from the four variables studied, the Exogenous Barrier (EB) variable was the most dominant variable affect the export barriers to SMEs in the teak craft industry subsector in Blora Regency

Barriers to Financial Innovation—Corporate Finance Perspective

This paper addresses the application of financial innovations from the corporate finance perspective. The objective is to identify and prioritize the main types of barriers to the implementation of financial innovations by nonfinancial firms. The motivation behind the study lies in the importance of financial innovations for the firms’ ability to create value. As proven by the extensive literature review, comprehensive studies on financial innovation applications by nonfinancial firms are relatively rare. To cover this cognitive gap, the theoretical argumentation followed by the discussion of results of the empirical research are presented in this paper. The paper provides the results of two-stage survey research, aiming to find opinions of financial managers (end-users) and experts (creators of innovation) on the main barriers to financial innovations in Poland. According to managers, the most important are exogenous barriers, including: (1) Unclear tax and accounting regulations, (2) complex construction of financial innovations, and (3) transaction costs related to their application. On the other side, the experts from financial institutions recognized the greater importance of endogenous factors such as: (1) Lack of sufficient knowledge about financial innovations and (2) the reluctance to change observable in many firms. This study contributes to the ongoing debate on financial innovations by adding the perspective of corporate financial strategy. It also offers insights into the potential actions (at the institutional and individual level) aiming to reduce the barriers and support the implementation of financial innovations by nonfinancial firms.

Barriers to adopting lean construction in the construction industry: a literature review

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify and theoretically explain the general barriers to adopting lean construction practices in the construction industry regardless of the country or the company size or specialization, and to suggest future research studies in this field.Design/methodology/approachSystematic literature review was conducted to identify and explain the list of the barriers from scientific sources that were published before May 2018.FindingsTwenty-nine barriers were identified and explained, and a proposed model to classify the sources of the barriers was chosen. Seventeen barriers were classified as internal environment-related barriers, five were labor-related, three were materials-related and four were exogenous barriers. In addition, some directions for the future research studies were suggested.Research limitations/implicationsThe barriers that are related to the advanced levels of lean construction (LC) implementations, to a specific location or to a specific LC tool were excluded.Originality/valueThis review will help to increase the understanding of the new concept of LC and might help to encourage the adoption of LC practices. Also, it might be useful for identifying the strategies to achieve successful application of these practices.

Концептуальні засади Стратегії розбудови технологоорієнтованих стартапів в інтересах інноваційного розвитку економіки України

The purpose of the article is to define the conceptual bases of the Strategy for the advancing of technology-oriented startups (TOS) in the interests of innovative development of Ukrainian economy, based on modern challenges and threats, as well as global tendencies in the development of technologies. In view of the findings of an analysis and on generalization of scientific achievements of Ukrainian scholars and practitioners, as well as taking into consideration the preliminary results and conclusions of the authors’ own researches, the article provides both the endogenous and the exogenous barriers that prevent the development of TOS in Ukraine. It is substantiated for the first time that a startup is not only a human institution that creates new products or services in the face of extreme uncertainty, but a multi-device mechanism that provides technology transfer from the academic, educational and scientific spheres to the business environment through the establishment of an economic entity; accelerates the commercialization of technology and the introduction of the new product, process, service to the market; ensures the international technology transfer through the involvement of foreign pioneering entrepreneurs to commence and develop a startup in another country, as well as through the acquisition of a current startup by a foreign company (mergers and acquisitions, foreign investments); provides access to foreign technologies, infrastructure, databases. It is shown how technology-oriented startups are able to turn the limited opportunities of a novice company into advantages in a competitive struggle with leaders and lead to structural changes in the economy. The goals, priorities, key tasks of TOS development in Ukraine, as well as ways of their implementation are defined, aimed at: formation of personnel and scientific-technological resources; encouraging the commencement of TOS; launching corporate incubators and accelerators; ensuring stable sources of funding for the establishment and development of TOS; promoting technological innovations and facilitating the TOS’s access to the public procurement market and foreign markets; protection of TOS from «unfriendly» investors; introduction of monitoring of TOS activities and popularization of innovative entrepreneurship.

Does Exogenous Barriers to Entry Make Firms Less Competitive? A Field Study in Inebolu

Yapi-Davranis-Performans paradigmasi piyasa yapisinin firma davranisi ve performansini etkiledigini ileri surmektedir. Yuksek dissal giris engellerinin bulundugu piyasalarda yerlesik firmalar rakiplerinin piyasaya giris yapmasindan cekinmezler. Bu nedenle rekabetci davranmak icin daha dusuk motivasyona sahip olurlar ve bu da firma davranis ve performansini etkileyebilir. Kisaca dissal giris engelleri piyasalardaki etkinsiz sonuclarin bir nedeni olabilir. Bu calismanin amaci giris engelleri ve firma davranisi arasindaki iliskiyi incelemektir. Bu amacla Inebolu’da faaliyet gosteren firmalar uzerine anket gerceklestirilmistir. Boylece giris engelleri ve firma davranisi arasindaki iliskiye dair firma yoneticilerinin dusunce ve algilari hakkinda fikir elde edilmistir. Bu calismanin sonucunda yapilmis diger akademik calismalarla uyumlu olarak yuksek dissal giris engellerinin bulundugu piyasalarda yerlesik firmalarin daha az rekabetci davrandigi neticesi elde edilmistir. Bu davranislar ayrica firma ve piyasa performansini da olumsuz etkilemektedir.

Revitalising serial entrepreneurship in sub-Saharan Africa: insights from a newly emerging economy

ABSTRACTIn light of the growing national priority to develop and revitalise entrepreneurship in emerging economies, our understanding of barriers to serial entrepreneurship (SE) in such a context warrants further scholarly attention. Using insights from Ghana, an integrated framework of endogenous and exogenous barriers to SE is advanced. The study identified factors such as stigmatisation of business failure, fear of failure, successive governments’ suspicion of the private sector and lack of a clear national policy as barriers to the development of SE. By creating conditions for de-stigmatising of failure, countries would be able to create conditions for more serial entrepreneurs to emerge and flourish. The analysis also indicates that reinvigorating entrepreneurship by providing space and opportunity for failed entrepreneurs to re-emerge would enable such countries to enhance entrepreneurial activities and improve economic development. The implications for technology analysis and strategic entrepreneurship literature are identified and examined.

Barriers to Entry for Low Cost Carriers in the South African Airline Industry: Competitive Dynamics and the Entry, Expansion and Exit of 1time Airline

This paper examines the barriers to entry and expansion of competitor airlines in South Africa. The exit of 1Time from the market as well as the experience of FlySafair, a recent entrant, are used to draw lessons about competitive conditions and constraints that new airlines face in the market. The assessment shows that while the exogenous barriers to entry are not prohibitively high in South Africa (partly evidenced by the number of entrants), a history of repeated anti-competitive conduct by the national carrier, South Africa Airways, has contributed to these challenges. The analysis of price data covering 2014 and 2015 and information drawn from detailed firm-level interviews demonstrates the positive effects of entry in the South African market, including through reducing prices and increasing frequencies to smaller routes which has benefits for local economies. There is preliminary evidence that the entry of LCCs has also contributed to increased passenger volumes, although there are limitations in the data which is available to assess this further.

Drivers and barriers in public-private innovation partnerships (PPI) in Danish healthcare and eldercare

What are the main drivers and barriers to achieving innovation in public-private innovation partnerships (PPIs)? Based on a comparative case study of four PPIs in Danish healthcare and eldercare, the article explores the influence of exogenous, institutional and collaborative factors in PPI. The analysis shows that in cases where innovation has been achieved an exogenous barrier, such as public procurement rules, has been overcome through facilitation of the collaborative process and trust-based relations, and that institutional risk-willingness, support and investment of resources in interaction with collaborative factors such as common purpose, trust and engaged individuals have contributed to the development and implementation of new solutions.

Genome-wide scans reveal cryptic population structure in a dry-adapted eucalypt

Genome-wide DArTseq scans of268 individuals of Eucalyptus salubris, distributed along an aridity gradient in southwestern Australia, revealed cryptic population structure that appears to signal hitherto unappreciated ecotypic differ- entiation and barriers to gene flow. Genome-wide scans were undertaken on 30 wild-sampled individuals from each of nine populations; 10 individuals per population were measured for habit and functional traits. DArTseq generated 16,122 high- quality markers, of which 56.3 % located to E. grandis chro- mosomes. Genetic affinities of the nine populations were only weakly correlated with geographic distances. Rather, popula- tions appeared to form two distinct molecular lineages that maintained their distinctiveness in an area of geographic over- lap. Twenty-four outlier markers signalled divergent selection and differentiation of the two putative lineages. Populations from the two lineages were phenotypically differentiated in leaf thickness, specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf nitrogen per unit mass (Nmass). The more northerly lineage (with thinner leaves) occurred in hotter, drier conditions with higher radia- tion. Populations of the more southerly lineage occurred on soils that were relatively low in phosphorus; the trees had thicker leaves, lower SLA and lower leaf Nmass, consistent with general responses to low nutrient levels. While historic isolation and drift may have contributed to the cryptic popu- lation structure observed, there is evidence of ecotypic adap- tation, which may provide an exogenous barrier to gene flow. This study highlights the power of new molecular technolo- gies to provide novel insights into the genetic architecture of wild populations.

Internationalization of SME retailer: barriers and the role of public support organizations

Purpose – The need for retailers to internationalize is a growing reality in developed markets. Research examining problems in this process argues that the barriers to internationalization should be studied based on the situation in each country, and that public organizations which implement policies to support internationalization do not always adapt to company needs. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the limited existing research on the subject of Spanish retail internationalization, analysing the problems faced by SMEs and the role of public support organizations in helping them. Design/methodology/approach – By means of in-depth interviews with experts, the authors first, analysed the barriers faced by Spanish retailers in their internationalization processes, and found a predominance of endogenous as opposed to exogenous barriers. Second, the authors studied the appropriateness of support policies for retail needs and identified a significant mismatch. Findings – Results show that the current international economic climate and restricted access to financing, combined with the small size of retailers, their lack of experience in internationalization processes, and the potential that still remains in the local market, are an inducement not to venture into other markets. Additionally, there is a lack of awareness on the part of public organizations about the reality and needs of the retail sector. In addition, the study of retail internationalization as a discipline seems to be in constant flux. Research limitations/implications – It would be pertinent to consider the findings in the light of a number of limitations of the study. The sample did not consist of retailers but its representatives. The reliance upon a single nation sample could also be viewed as a limitation. Practical implications – The authors provide Spanish retailers with ideas about the problems they are facing which they will find useful as a starting point for strategic thinking about their internationalization prospects. Social implications – As for Spanish promotion organizations, they should consider the results of this research and further study the needs of retailers in their internationalization processes while also identifying which companies have the greatest potential for operating in foreign markets. Originality/value – It is the first time a research for Spain is conducted that highlights the needs of developing a plan to support the internationalization of the retail sector and provide specific lines of action.

Hybridization at an ecotone: ecological and genetic barriers between three Iberian vipers

The formation of stable genetic boundaries between emerging species is often diagnosed by reduced hybrid fitness relative to parental taxa. This reduced fitness can arise from endogenous and/or exogenous barriers to gene flow. Although detecting exogenous barriers in nature is difficult, we can estimate the role of ecological divergence in driving species boundaries by integrating molecular and ecological niche modelling tools. Here, we focus on a three-way secondary contact zone between three viper species (Vipera aspis, V.latastei and V.seoanei) to test for the contribution of ecological divergence to the development of reproductive barriers at several species traits (morphology, nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA). Both the nuclear and mitochondrial data show that all taxa are genetically distinct and that the sister species V.aspis and V.latastei hybridize frequently and backcross over several generations. We find that the three taxa have diverged ecologically and meet at a hybrid zone coincident with a steep ecotone between the Atlantic and Mediterranean biogeographical provinces. Integrating landscape and genetic approaches, we show that hybridization is spatially restricted to habitats that are suboptimal for parental taxa. Together, these results suggest that niche separation and adaptation to an ecological gradient confer an important barrier to gene flow among taxa that have not achieved complete reproductive isolation.

Competition barriers and foreign subsidiary growth: propositions on the contextual role of strategic orientation

A foreign subsidiary's way of breaking through exogenous barriers to competition triggers growth of the subsidiary and the firm as a whole. This article contributes to literature on international business strategy by developing a conceptual framework that underscores the contextual role of subsidiary's strategic orientation in breaking through the barriers. Propositions are developed based on analysis of four high growth subsidiaries of Swedish industrial firms operating in the USA. The propositions distinguish types of exogenous competition barriers encountered by the foreign subsidiary, and types of strategic orientation. First, it is proposed that the more extensive the foreign subsidiary's entrepreneurial orientation the weaker the negative association between a scale barrier and subsidiary's growth. Second, it is proposed that the more extensive the foreign subsidiary's market orientation the weaker the negative association between customer access barriers and subsidiary's growth. Contributions to literature and practical implications are discussed.

Selection on hybrids of ecologically divergent ecotypes of a marine snail: the relative importance of exogenous and endogenous barriers

Unravelling the form of selection acting on hybrids of ecotypes undergoing ecological speciation is essential to understand the mechanisms behind the evolution of reproductive isolation in the face of gene flow. Shell phenotype is known to be affected by natural selection and is involved in the fitness of the marine snail Littorina saxatilis. Here, we studied the association between shell traits and fitness in hybrids in order to determine the relative role of exogenous and endogenous selection in this hybrid zone of L. saxatilis. We show that directional selection is the predominant mode of selection among hybrids. We also show its heterogeneity, affecting different shell traits, within populations at the level of the microhabitat. Therefore, endogenous selection mechanisms are most probably lacking in this hybrid zone and exogenous barriers (pre- and post-zygotic) are possibly one of the main forces behind the evolution of barriers to gene flow between these ecologically divergent ecotypes. This study shows how this barrier might represent an important type of reproductive isolation within ecological speciation, and this should be taken into account in future studies of speciation in hybrid zones. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, , -. ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: adaptation - introgression - Littorina - mosaic hybrid zone - natural selection - post-zygotic isolation - premating isolation.

Barriers to innovation in the medical nutrition industry: A quantitative key opinion leader analysis

Innovation is a necessity for survival in dynamic and complex industries such as the medical nutrition industry. To remain competitive, medical nutrition companies must embrace innovation activities that improve productivity. Nevertheless, innovation is a difficult undertaking and companies must first overcome numerous barriers inhibiting innovation. Studying these barriers provides insight into the dynamics of innovation, which simultaneously is a first step in the process of overcoming them. This study investigates the exogenous barriers that inhibit medical nutrition innovation.Primary data was collected by qualitative interviews from 17 medical nutrition key opinion leaders (KOLs) through and quantitative data by means of a questionnaire from 77 KOLs. Medical nutrition innovation barriers were identified and ranked according to importance.This study shows that barriers impact all steps of the medical nutrition value chain. Nine main innovation barriers emerged from the research. The most significant barriers are associated with financial aspects and clinical research, whereas the least significant are associated with product barriers. Medical nutrition companies must realize that investment in innovation is and remains crucial within this industry.

SNP Detection from De Novo Transcriptome Sequencing in the Bivalve Macoma balthica: Marker Development for Evolutionary Studies

Hybrid zones are noteworthy systems for the study of environmental adaptation to fast-changing environments, as they constitute reservoirs of polymorphism and are key to the maintenance of biodiversity. They can move in relation to climate fluctuations, as temperature can affect both selection and migration, or remain trapped by environmental and physical barriers. There is therefore a very strong incentive to study the dynamics of hybrid zones subjected to climate variations. The infaunal bivalve Macoma balthica emerges as a noteworthy model species, as divergent lineages hybridize, and its native NE Atlantic range is currently contracting to the North. To investigate the dynamics and functioning of hybrid zones in M. balthica, we developed new molecular markers by sequencing the collective transcriptome of 30 individuals. Ten individuals were pooled for each of the three populations sampled at the margins of two hybrid zones. A single 454 run generated 277 Mb from which 17K SNPs were detected. SNP density averaged 1 polymorphic site every 14 to 19 bases, for mitochondrial and nuclear loci, respectively. An scan detected high genetic divergence among several hundred SNPs, some of them involved in energetic metabolism, cellular respiration and physiological stress. The high population differentiation, recorded for nuclear-encoded ATP synthase and NADH dehydrogenase as well as most mitochondrial loci, suggests cytonuclear genetic incompatibilities. Results from this study will help pave the way to a high-resolution study of hybrid zone dynamics in M. balthica, and the relative importance of endogenous and exogenous barriers to gene flow in this system.

SNP‐array reveals genome‐wide patterns of geographical and potential adaptive divergence across the natural range of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is one of the most extensively studied fish species in the world due to its significance in aquaculture, fisheries and ongoing conservation efforts to protect declining populations. Yet, limited genomic resources have hampered our understanding of genetic architecture in the species and the genetic basis of adaptation to the wide range of natural and artificial environments it occupies. In this study, we describe the development of a medium-density Atlantic salmon single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array based on expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and genomic sequencing. The array was used in the most extensive assessment of population genetic structure performed to date in this species. A total of 6176 informative SNPs were successfully genotyped in 38 anadromous and freshwater wild populations distributed across the species natural range. Principal component analysis clearly differentiated European and North American populations, and within Europe, three major regional genetic groups were identified for the first time in a single analysis. We assessed the potential for the array to disentangle neutral and putative adaptive divergence of SNP allele frequencies across populations and among regional groups. In Europe, secondary contact zones were identified between major clusters where endogenous and exogenous barriers could be associated, rendering the interpretation of environmental influence on potentially adaptive divergence equivocal. A small number of markers highly divergent in allele frequencies (outliers) were observed between (multiple) freshwater and anadromous populations, between northern and southern latitudes, and when comparing Baltic populations to all others. We also discuss the potential future applications of the SNP array for conservation, management and aquaculture.

A general framework for some economic problems with uncertainty and exogenous barriers

This paper provides analytical solutions and regularity results for some second order PDEs of degenerate elliptic type. The motivation is to study several economic models with uncertainty where the variables are constrained by constant barriers.

EU Agro-Food Chain and Vertical Integration Potentiality: a Strategy for Diversification?

This work utilizes Leontief input–output tables to establish, through new appropriate indicators (the new entry barriers and invasion indices), the strategy pursued by some branches of EU countries for diversifying production, so enriching thus the range of their secondary products. Our attention is focused on EU countries strategic perspectives of diversification by vertical integration, regarding in particular the potentiality of the main Agro-food Chain branches: “Agriculture, hunting and related services” and “Food and beverages”. In this context, we deal with the backward and forward linkages that are the expression of Agriculture and Food vertical integration potentialities through their secondary production in the main field of competence (core business) of the other that reaches a total of €55 billion. In this research, we observe some basic elements: (a) EU Agriculture takes advantage from the opportunity to diversify itself by vertical integration in the field of competence of Food and beverage. So Agriculture will ensure higher incomes and vital outlets for its survival. Food industry entry barriers are feeble and can be circumvented. (b) Food and beverages does not want or perhaps is not able to exploit the upstream integration potentiality with Agriculture due to the high entry barriers that the very Agriculture has built to isolate its core business (endogenous barriers) or that it suffers (exogenous barriers). On the contrary, it is not uncommon that Food industry invests in foreign agriculture and becomes involved in intra and extra-EU relocation diversifying itself in a context of multinational vertical integration.

The coupling hypothesis: why genome scans may fail to map local adaptation genes

Genomic scans of multiple populations often reveal marker loci with greatly increased differentiation between populations. Often this differentiation coincides in space with contrasts in ecological factors, forming a genetic-environment association (GEA). GEAs imply a role for local adaptation, and so it is tempting to conclude that the strongly differentiated markers are themselves under ecologically based divergent selection, or are closely linked to loci under such selection. Here, we highlight an alternative and neglected explanation: intrinsic (i.e. environment-independent) pre- or post-zygotic genetic incompatibilities rather than local adaptation can be responsible for increased differentiation. Intrinsic genetic incompatibilities create endogenous barriers to gene flow, also known as tension zones, whose location can shift over time. However, tension zones have a tendency to become trapped by, and therefore to coincide with, exogenous barriers due to ecological selection. This coupling of endogenous and exogenous barriers can occur easily in spatially subdivided populations, even if the loci involved are unlinked. The result is that local adaptation explains where genetic breaks are positioned, but not necessarily their existence, which can be best explained by endogenous incompatibilities. More precisely, we show that (i) the coupling of endogenous and exogenous barriers can easily occur even when ecological selection is weak; (ii) when environmental heterogeneity is fine-grained, GEAs can emerge at incompatibility loci, but only locally, in places where habitats and gene pools are sufficiently intermingled to maintain linkage disequilibria between genetic incompatibilities, local-adaptation genes and neutral loci. Furthermore, the association between the locally adapted and intrinsically incompatible alleles (i.e. the sign of linkage disequilibrium between endogenous and exogenous loci) is arbitrary and can form in either direction. Reviewing results from the literature, we find that many predictions of our model are supported, including endogenous genetic barriers that coincide with environmental boundaries, local GEA in mosaic hybrid zones, and inverted or modified GEAs at distant locations. We argue that endogenous genetic barriers are often more likely than local adaptation to explain the majority of Fst-outlying loci observed in genome scan approaches - even when these are correlated to environmental variables.