Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the characteristics of intellectual capital (IC) in Mexican small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Due to the shift from traditional factors of production to knowledge-based economy, an understanding of the role of IC has become crucial for SMEs to develop a competitive advantage. Design/methodology/approach – This study takes an in depth look at the three components of IC: human, organizational, and external capital. In order to do so, a quantitative study on 445 SMEs was conducted based on data collected through an online survey. A structural equation model is proposed that is a fit with the reality of Mexican SMEs. Regional differences are highlighted by means of multigroup analysis. Findings – The results suggest that the features of human and organizational capital are consistent with previous studies on SMEs in emerging economies. However, external capital shows some distinctive characteristics unique to Mexican context. Practical implications – Implications for managers and policymakers are discussed, whereby an adaptation of programs and policies are required to fit the Mexican context at the national and regional levels. Originality/value – To the best of the authors knowledge, this is the first study that observes the components of IC in Mexican SMEs.

<p>This paper combines the resource-based and dynamic capabilities views to examine intellectual capital in Mexican small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and its relation to competitive advantage. Following an exploratory approach, this paper relies on face-to-face interviews with managers to take an in-depth look at the three components of intellectual capital: human, organizational, and relational capital. Further, a SME typology is proposed and the examined companies are categorized accordingly. Dynamic SMEs have instituted internal and external processes to respond rapidly to change, allowing them to sense opportunities and threats and subsequently benefiting from competitive advantages. This analysis can help both managers and policymakers put appropriate programs in place to encourage SME development and growth by identifying the impact of intellectual capital. The generalizability of the results is limited by the small sample size and the focus on one geographic region in Mexico. This study contributes to the limited literature on intellectual capital in SMEs in emerging markets. Moreover, very few papers have analyzed intellectual capital from the perspective of the dynamic capabilities view.</p>

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This paper investigates the relationship between organizational climate drivers and whistleblowing intention through a cross-sectional study in Selçuk University in Turkey. Contrary to our expectations, the findings do not fully support the existing literature and the hypotheses underpinning this research. While the work environment in faculties and institutes of Selçuk University seems to portray an overall positive organizational climate, lecturers, researchers, and research assistants have expressed a deep reluctance in the likelihood to sound the alarm in case they witness wrongdoings and malpractices committed by their supervisors and fellow colleagues. The investigation reveals that some organizational climate drivers such as organizational justice, morale, leader credibility and mobbing are consistently associated with informal whistleblowing intention while only individual autonomy is bound with formal whistleblowing intention. Nevertheless, the outputs highlight individual autonomy and morale to have negative impact on whistleblowing intention which is opposite to our expectation. Furthermore, the findings do not support the assumption relating to the mediating role of trust and safety climate in the relationship between organizational climate drivers and whistleblowing intention.

Governments are providing their citizens with more and more electronic services. However, little is known about how e-government services are appropriated in outlying regions. In this paper, we analyze the needs and barriers to e-government through the lenses of managers in these regions. To this end, an exploratory research is undertaken in four outlying regions of Quebec, Canada. The focus is on the adoption of e-government services through a "bottom-up" approach. We describe how these services are perceived by public and parapublic organizations in order to offer solutions designed for outlying regions. In general, when designing online services, a range of social, economic, and demographic factors need to be taken into account. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

This paper seeks to examine the evolution of determinants under scrutiny by academics publishing on performance of ethnic companies in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Using the systematic literature review method, we first provide a descriptive analysis of articles gathered, and then make an in-depth examination of the determinants focused on. A database of 40 papers published between 2002 and 2011 was collected the topic was precise enough to yield only a few articles from a wide range of journals. We provide a systemized summary of the current status of this body of work, examine areas where research is lacking, and explain why further study of the role of cultural and ethical values as determinants of ethnic entrepreneurship is critical.

This paper investigates the determinants of success of the client-consultant relationship from the consultant's point of view. Ten consultants from various fields (e.g. change management, information technology, etc.) based in the province of Quebec in Canada were interviewed. They were asked to comment on issues relating to their roles in the consultancy project, expectations, and the determinants of success of the client–consultant relationship. Interview data were analysed using an interpretive frame. The research findings reveal that consultants perceive their contribution and role positively and perceive themselves as change agents and knowledge transmitters. Trust, active communication, and shared feedback were identified as the major determinants of success of the client–consultant relationship. The results support and help advance earlier research findings in the management consulting field. Consultants are conscious that a long-term relationship built on trust, active communication, and shared feedback, identified as major determinants of success in the client–consultant relationship, is essential. The qualitative findings of the study add to, and help support, earlier research findings on consultants' perception of their roles and contributions within client organisations.

Résumé de l'articleCette recherche examine la relation entre le fonctionnement d'un réseau et sa performance à partir des cas de deux réseaux d'entreprises brésiliens : les réseaux de Campina Grande et de João Pessoa. L'analyse des résultats montre que contrairement au réseau de João Pessoa où les membres sont motivés par des objectifs individuels de court terme, le fonctionnement du réseau de Campina Grande peut être expliqué par quatre variables qui ont une influence sur sa performance : le rôle des institutions, les attentes des membres et une vision collective à long terme, la sélection de partenaires basée sur un ensemble de critères, et le transfert de connaissances à plusieurs niveaux. L es structures des entreprises ont évolué dans le temps afin de répondre aux défis de leur environnement. Trois périodes stratégiques importantes dans l'histoire des entreprises peuvent être distinguées. La première période est caractérisée par une forte internalisation des ressources donnant aux entreprises une certaine autonomie. La période suivante est celle de la sous-traitance dont l'objectif est de rendre les entreprises plus efficaces grâce à l'externalisation de certaines activités. La troisième période est celle que nous vivons actuellement où de plus en plus d'entreprises s'engagent dans de différentes formes de coopération. Plusieurs auteurs s'accordent à dire que dans l'environnement écono-mique actuel devenu plus complexe, les petites et moyennes entreprises doivent nouer des liens solides et durables avec d'autres organisations. La coopération devient ainsi un élé-ment important de stratégie et d'organisation pour ces entreprises. Cette coopération implique une réorganisation plus souple des structures organisationnelles, plus précisément le développement des structures en réseau (Miles et Snow, 1986).Les structures en réseau sont considérées par plusieurs auteurs comme de véritables instruments de politique éco-nomique en raison de leurs impacts positifs sur la performance des entreprises, la compétitivité et la croissance économique nationale (Rocha, 2004). En effet, on leur attribue plusieurs vertus telles que la flexibilité et la réactivité. Elles constituent un excellent vecteur de communication (Giard, 2000) et permettent l'accès aux savoir-faire externes indispensables à la réussite des entreprises (Weiss, 1994). Par ailleurs, les structures en réseaux sont perçues comme efficaces pour défendre et créer des emplois nationaux grâce à l'innovation, facteur clé du maintien et du développement de l'avantage concurrentiel.Le succès des entreprises qui ont adopté les structures en réseau a engendré plusieurs recherches sur cette forme d'organisation ces trois dernières décennies. Cependant, la plupart des travaux ont tendance à se focaliser sur les grandes entreprises globales ou à forte dimension innovatrice des pays développés. Très peu d'études ont été faites sur les pays en développement particulièrement ceux en émergence où la structure en réseau est encore une nouveauté. De plus, bien que l'évaluation ...