Business Environment Factors Research Articles

The relationships among selected business environment factors and manufacturing strategy: insights from an emerging economy

Manufacturing strategy represents the way a firm plans to deploy its manufacturing resources and to use its manufacturing capability to achieve its goals. Recent research has pointed out the important role of the business environment on the manufacturing strategy choices by organizations. However, most of the research has been confined to well-developed economies. This paper extends the research on business environment and manufacturing strategy by presenting results from an emerging economy. Using data collected from manufacturing firms in Ghana we demonstrate that in an emerging economy concerns about the competitive hostility is the factor with the strongest influence on manufacturing strategy choice.

Tarptautinio verslo aplinkos veiksniai, jų tyrimas bei vaidmuo Europos verslo plėtrai

Straipsnyje pateikiama tarptautinio verslo situacija, išskiriant pagrindinius vietinių, nacionalinių, europinių, daugianacionalinių ir globalių kompanijų ypatumus. Išanalizavus pagrindinius šių kampanijų veiklos skirtumus, pristatomi verslo aplinkos tyrimai ir šių aplinkos veiksnių vaidmuo Europos verslo plėtrai. Norint detaliau paaiškinti šių veiksnių įtaką verslininkų strateginiams sprendimams, pateikti praktiniai pavyzdžiai, kaip tarptautinio verslo atstovai vienoje ar kitoje dinamikoje Europos verslo aplinkoje turėtų koreguoti strateginius veiksmus. Pateikiami konkretūs Europos verslo aplinkos veiksniai: mokesčių, politinė sistema, žmogaus veiksnys ir t. t. Pabaigoje aptariami verslo aplinkos veiksniai, turintys įtakos Europos rinkos dalyviams, organizuojantiems verslą. Straipsnyje akcentuojamos aplinkos veiksnių keliamos problemos, su kuriomis kasdien susiduria Europos rinkoje veikiantys verslininkai. Be to, galima lengviau numatyti, kaip būtų galima įeiti į vieną ar kitą rinką su savo preke, paslauga, kokių kliūčių gali kilti, steigiant savo mažmeninės prekybos vienetą Italijoje, Rusijoje ar Lietuvoje.

Operations strategy in an emerging economy: the case of the Ghanaian manufacturing industry

AbstractOperations strategy and its development have received a lot of attention in the operations management literature. However, as noted by Ward et al. (1995), an understanding of the factors that influence operations strategy development has not been widely studied. Further, how managers of firms in underdeveloped countries develop operations strategy has yet to receive any significant attention among researchers. This paper takes a look at the development of operations strategy in an underdeveloped economy, Ghana. Specifically, the paper examines the relationships between the business environment and the operations strategy choices made by firms in Ghana. The paper seeks to understand the influence that specific business environmental factors have on the operations strategy choices of low cost, quality, flexibility, and delivery dependability.A survey of manufacturing firms was carried out in 1998. The respondents (production managers in those firms) were asked to indicate the extent to which business costs, labor availability, competitive hostility, and environmental dynamism were of concern to them. They were also asked to indicate their extent of emphasis on the operations strategy choices of quality, cost, flexibility and delivery dependability. This paper presents the result of the analysis of the relationships between the environmental factors and the operations strategy choices. The data indicate that, among firms in Ghana, the two strongest factors that influence the degree of emphasis placed on operations strategy choices are perceived business costs and competitive hostility. Results are presented for both large and small firms, and for firms that are completely locally owned as well as for joint venture firms.

A TWO‐COUNTRY COMPARISON OF THE USE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN COMPETITIVE STRATEGY: SWEDEN AND THE UNITED STATES

Many factors in today's competitive and global business environment contribute to an organization's financial success. A business enterprise's management must adopt a strategy that fully exploits information technology's power as a key element in order to optimize the organization's competitiveness. Recent spectacular technological advances and breakthroughs have made the effective use of modern information technology a critical, competitive business weapon.

Market opening and locus of power in Korea’s channels of distribution

Abstract In this article, we document how business environmental factors and balance of market power changes in the Korean distribution market, as it opens to foreign participation. We document that the opening of Korean distribution market would foster competition, enhance technological advancement, and reduce regulation. We further document that the market opening would lead to a shift in the locus of distribution power from manufacturers to distributors. These findings suggest that governments of emerging economics should consider favourably market-opening policies, and particularly, entrants into Korean distribution markets should prefer retailing or wholesaling to manufacture–distributors as a mode of entry.

Impact of Host Country Market Characteristics on the Choice of Foreign Market Entry Mode

Focuses on characteristics of a host country′s market that influence a firm′s entry mode choice of exporting versus producing in that foreign country. A survey was conducted among US manufacturers who exported a given product to one country and locally produced the same product within another country. The host country′s market characteristics were described in terms of their business environment, production factors, and competitiveness of local competitors. The hypotheses tested indicated that the level of competitiveness of local competitors and availability of local production factors have a greater impact on the firm′s entry mode choice than a host country′s business environment factors.

Information systems—A key igredient to achieving organizational competitive strategy

The development and use of information systems as instruments of organizational competitive strategy are becoming key factors in today's business environment. Industries have recognized the fact that information systems will increase their organizations' competitiveness and overall profitability. However, a number of organizations have also recognized that before information systems can be developed and used effectively, there must first be a throrough understanding of the business opportunities available. Once these organizations have clearly recognized and defined these opportunities, they must then implement the tools and methodologies to help develop an information system which will assist them in enhancing their competitive strategy.

Public planners and business investors—Why can't they collaborate?

Effective long-range investment plans covering international asset management will take into account not only the business environment but external factors, especially political and regulatory uncertainties, which can dampen profits and cash flows anticipated over the economic life of the projected investment. Although financial concession packages promoted by development agencies tend to compensate for some of these costs arising from uncertainties, this approach to industrial development is fraught with obstacles. A closer examination of one such program reveals why concessioned firms are leaving or failing, despite numerous advantages, and why the developement agency may be unable to offset future adverse trends.