In this mixed methods study, a moderated mediation model predicting effects of leader-member exchange (LMX) and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) on innovative work behaviors, with employability as a mediator, has been tested. Multi-source data from 487 pairs of employees and supervisors working in 151 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) supported our hypothesized model. The results of structural equation modelling provide support for our model. In particular, the benefits of close relationships and high-quality exchanges between employee and supervisor (LMX), and fostering individual development as a result of employees’ OCB have an indirect effect on innovative work behaviors through positive effects on workers’ employability. Innovative work behaviors depend on employees’ knowledge, skills, and expertise. In other words, enhancing workers’ employability nurtures innovative work behaviors. In addition, we found a moderation effect of organizational politics on the relationship between employability and innovative work behaviors. Secondly, qualitative methods focusing on experiences of the antecedents and outcomes of employability were used to complement our quantitative results. All in all, this study has important consequences for managerial strategies and practices in SMEs and call for an awareness of the dysfunctional effect of perceived organizational politics.
Vast empirical evidence underscores that exporting firms are more productive than non-exporters. As governments accordingly pursue export-promoting policies we are interested in the firmness of these conclusions with respect to African small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and the influence of the destination of export trade. Using a micro-panel dataset from five African countries we confirm the self-selection. We apply propensity scores to match exporters and use a difference-in-difference methodology to test if African SMEs experience productivity gains because of export participation. Results indicate that African firms significantly learn-by-exporting. Manufacturers obtain significant performance improvements due to internationalization although this effect is moderated by export destination. Firms that export outside Africa become more capital intensive and at the same time hire more workers. In contrast we find evidence that exporters within the African region significantly downsize in capital intensity. Results regarding skill-bias of internationally active firms are mixed, where exporters within the region expand in size and hire more relatively unskilled workers.
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Membrane downstream processing (DSP) offers many opportunities to make process water purification, food supplement concentration and fatty acid hydrogenations more sustainable. Zuyd University of Applied Sciences (ZUYD)/Center of Expertise (CoE) CHemelot Innovation and Learning Labs (CHILL) and Utrecht University of Applied Sciences (HU)/ Utrecht Science Park Innovation Lab (I-Lab) will extend their current field labs with (reactor-)membrane set-ups to assist small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with implementation and dissemination of membrane DSP. Experimental and theoretical scale-up will quantify the membrane DSP contribution to the transition of the chemical industry to become climate neutral. The MEM4CHEM consortium spans the chemical and high tech equipment (HTE) sectors and covers all aspects related to hardware, i.e. reactors, membranes and gas/liquid streams, to implement sustainable innovations for chemical end users. The membrane DSP field labs will be disseminated to extend the research network. In MEM4CHEM the overarching question: How can we implement (reactor-)membrane DSP set-ups in chemical process innovation and disseminate their advantages? and research question: How far can energy/material savings be increased in chemical processes by the use of membrane DSP? will be answered by: i) extending field labs with modular plug-and-play (reactor-)membrane set-ups tailored for the chemical process industry. ii) establishing guidelines for further optimization/upscaling. iii) quantifying energy and material savings using membrane DSP. iv) speeding up industrial implementation of membrane DSP by dissemination, research network expansion, integration of membrane knowledge in education and establishing young professionals as knowledgeable ambassadors. SMEs will be supported by: a) dissemination of the advantages of membrane DSP high tech equipment to facilitate implementation. b) the possibility for SME end users to quantify energy- and material savings in accessible field labs.
