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Chinese SME development and industrial upgrading

Chinese SME development and industrial upgrading
Chinese SME development and industrial upgrading

Purpose: Drawing from industrial upgrading theories, this study aims to explore the issues of industrial upgrading and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) development in an emerging market – China. Design/methodology/approach: A contextual stepwise approach is undertaken by applying netnography and interviews to investigate manufacturing SMEs' perceptions on upgrading. Findings: The study outlines three economic actors – government, industry and manufacturer; two upgrading factors – internal and external; a vicious circle that consists of thin profit, quality and imitation issues; and a benign circle that incorporates a list of upgrading capabilities – research and development (R&D), creativity, design and branding – in the context of upgrading to the value-added supply chain. Research limitations/implications: By integrating the findings with relevant literature, the authors propose a framework to best illustrate manufacturing SME upgrading. The findings reveal that Chinese manufacturing SMEs acquire upgrading capabilities through organizational learning during the upgrading process, which is affected by both external and internal factors in the constraints imposed by the interplay of relevant actors. Originality/value: Through the innovative methodological approach, this study affords great insights into industrial upgrading from the perspective of manufacturing SMEs in an emerging economy – China.

Industrial upgrading, Netnography, OEM-ODM-OBM, SMEs’ development
1746-8809
Lin, Fenfang
d2d0fe76-3e6f-488b-94c2-6b0f4c9f08eb
Ansell, Jake
39e3777b-fa93-4624-9252-c6ca837b08ee
Siu, Wai-Sum
45167a39-f81d-479e-b1af-48b1489f3770
Lin, Fenfang
d2d0fe76-3e6f-488b-94c2-6b0f4c9f08eb
Ansell, Jake
39e3777b-fa93-4624-9252-c6ca837b08ee
Siu, Wai-Sum
45167a39-f81d-479e-b1af-48b1489f3770

Lin, Fenfang, Ansell, Jake and Siu, Wai-Sum (2020) Chinese SME development and industrial upgrading. International Journal of Emerging Markets. (doi:10.1108/IJOEM-01-2019-0054).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Purpose: Drawing from industrial upgrading theories, this study aims to explore the issues of industrial upgrading and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) development in an emerging market – China. Design/methodology/approach: A contextual stepwise approach is undertaken by applying netnography and interviews to investigate manufacturing SMEs' perceptions on upgrading. Findings: The study outlines three economic actors – government, industry and manufacturer; two upgrading factors – internal and external; a vicious circle that consists of thin profit, quality and imitation issues; and a benign circle that incorporates a list of upgrading capabilities – research and development (R&D), creativity, design and branding – in the context of upgrading to the value-added supply chain. Research limitations/implications: By integrating the findings with relevant literature, the authors propose a framework to best illustrate manufacturing SME upgrading. The findings reveal that Chinese manufacturing SMEs acquire upgrading capabilities through organizational learning during the upgrading process, which is affected by both external and internal factors in the constraints imposed by the interplay of relevant actors. Originality/value: Through the innovative methodological approach, this study affords great insights into industrial upgrading from the perspective of manufacturing SMEs in an emerging economy – China.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 1 May 2020
e-pub ahead of print date: 10 June 2020
Additional Information: Publisher Copyright: © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited.
Keywords: Industrial upgrading, Netnography, OEM-ODM-OBM, SMEs’ development

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 440954
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/440954
ISSN: 1746-8809
PURE UUID: 344520cc-5b0a-4785-96a2-11e6bfdaf3ca
ORCID for Fenfang Lin: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-0807-5931

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 26 May 2020 16:30
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:37

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Contributors

Author: Fenfang Lin ORCID iD
Author: Jake Ansell
Author: Wai-Sum Siu

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