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A doctoral scholarship is currently open for outstanding candidates to conduct a project comparing the business models of emerging and developed market SMEs:
Comparing business model configurations of internationalising SMEs between emerging and developed economies
Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are important to the export performance of all countries, particularly emerging economies, where they can be pioneers of development and innovation (Anand et al., 2021). Business model configuration,
the way firms interact with other stakeholders to create value (Leppanen et al., 2021), is fundamental to how SMEs internationalise (Hennart et al., 2021), and may change as an industry evolves (Odlin, 2019).
Significant contextual differences exist between emerging economies (such as Indonesia or Brazil) and developed economies (like New Zealand or the US). But we do not know how these differences affect the business models of internationalising
SMEs and, thus, how these firms may internationalise differently. This has implications for firm success and government export development policies.
This project involves comparing business model configurations of internationalising SMEs between one emerging and one developed economy in the same industry, such as agriculture or software development, to begin answering the question,
“How do the business models of internationalising SMEs differ between emerging and developed economies?”
Because causal links between economic context and business model configuration remain unexplored, the research design will likely be qualitative. Numerous shallow cases may be developed by collecting data on standard dimensions that describe
business models, with the configurations identified and compared using a technique like fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (Fs/QCA) that allows for rich contextualisation and the emergence of unexpected themes while still comparing business model configurations
systematically.
PhD subject: International Business
Discipline Area: International Business
Supervisors: Dr Denis Odlin
Prof Rod McNaughton
The University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship is awarded for up to 36 months of doctoral study and comprises an annual stipend of NZ$33,000 in 2023 (with annual CPI adjustment) plus compulsory tuition fees, including the single student
Health Insurance compulsory charge for international students.
https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/business/study-with-us/scholarships-awards/doctoral-scholarships.html
Applicants should have a relevant background in IB or entrepreneurship and meet or exceed the requirements for doctoral study at UoA. Apply via the university portal, explaining why this project matches your scholarly interests and the
contribution you can make: