No abstract

No abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the importance of information technology for logistics Small Medium Entreprise (SMEs) in Pakistan. It is the time of technological rapidness; especially after COVID-19, the word business has majorly transformed into a digital business. If an organization did not shift toward technology, it would be hard for it to even sustain in this rapid era. This study adopts the questionnaire after extensive literature review. A quantitative study was conducted among logistics SMEs in Pakistan to empirically verify what competitive advantages they are leading and gaining from information technology and how much information technology is important for their sustainability. The literature lacks information about the ways in which information technology has been integrated into logistics SMEs operating model, and more specifically, there is no information about IT valence, IT resource commitment, IT managerial commitment, and IT competency. The research is primarily quantitative in nature, where the data were collected via a close-ended questionnaire from 340 logistics SMEs in Pakistan. The independent variable of this research was information technology (i.e., IT valence, IT resource commitment, IT managerial commitment, and IT competency), whereas the dependent variable was competitive advantage. The study found that IT had a significant impact on the competitive advantage of logistics SMEs operating in Pakistan. All the variables related to IT had a significant impact on competitive advantage, which included IT valence, IT resource commitment, IT managerial commitment, and IT competency. This study helps managers and owners of logistics SMEs in decision-making, who can understand how much IT can enhance their performance and reduce their risks. This study has been specifically conducted with logistics SMEs operating in Pakistan, which means that there is much scope to be worked upon, i.e., by selecting companies operating in other countries and comparing them with current findings. This study observes the impact of information technology (i.e., IT valence, IT resource commitment, IT managerial commitment, and IT competency) on competitive advantage, and other independent variables can be studied to find the impact on competitive advantage.

We investigate the connectedness of automated market makers (AMM) that play a pivotal role in liquidity and ease of operations in the decentralized exchange (DEX). By applying the TVP-VAR model, our findings show higher level of connectivity during periods of turmoil (such as Delta, Omicron variants of SARS-Covid, and the Russia Ukraine conflict). Furthermore, risk transmission/reception is found to be independent of the platform on which they typically run (Ethereum based AMMs were both emitters as well as receivers). Pancake (a Binance based AMM) and Perpetual Protocol (Ethereum based AMM) emerged as moderate to high receivers of risk transmission, whereas all of the other AMMs, including Ethereum, were found to be risk emitters at varying degrees. We argue that AMMs typically depend on the underlying smart contracts. If the contract is flexible, AMMs can vary (either receiver or emitter), otherwise AMMs behave in tandem.

Producing something from low or nothing through entrepreneurial bricolage is an increasing phenomenon in emerging and dynamic markets. Recently, there is a dire need in developing affordable products and services targeting new markets. Entrepreneurs in the limited resources environments often develop such products. As suggested by Baker and Nelson, firms engage in bricolage to overcome the limitations imposed by the limited resources situation. With respect to the current situation, resource limitations and sustainability issues are pushing firms to develop affordable, quality products and services.