nep-cse New Economics Papers
on Economics of Strategic Management
Issue of 2026–02–02
five papers chosen by
João José de Matos Ferreira, Universidade da Beira Interior


  1. The Mediating Role Of Global Export Mindset: Global Capabilities, Networks, And Global Export Mindset In Emerging Market Small And Medium Enterprises By Ambate, Vicky Armando
  2. Market Concentration and Innovation Horizon: Evidence from the US Firms By Ali, Amjad; Afzal, Muhammad Bilal; Ahmad, Khalil
  3. Global changes and effectiveness of innovation policy in Brazil By Sergio Queiroz; Nicholas Vonortas; Otaviano Canuto
  4. Mapping the Research Landscape of Sustainable Startups: A Bibliometric Perspective By Giulio Valerio Corbelli
  5. Migrant Entrepreneurship and Firm Performance: The liability of Foreignness, Smallness and Newness By Arrighetti, Alessandro; Foresti, Giovanni; Fumagalli, Serena; Giusti, Sara; Lasagni, Andrea

  1. By: Ambate, Vicky Armando
    Abstract: Research on export performance has extensively examined the roles of export orientation, global networks, and dynamic capabilities in enhancing firms’ export outcomes, particularly among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, existing studies largely rely on direct-effect approaches and provide limited explanation of the internal mechanisms through which external resources and organizational capabilities are transformed into export performance. Moreover, the literature tends to treat global mindset, strategic cognition, and export orientation as separate constructs, resulting in fragmented insights and inconsistent empirical findings. Addressing these gaps, this study proposes the development and empirical examination of Global Export Strategic Mindset (GESM) as a conceptually derived construct that functions as a strategic mechanism linking global network and global dynamic capability to export performance. GESM is conceptualized as a cross-level strategic capability that integrates managerial global perspective, strategic cognitive processing, and organizational commitment to exporting. Operationally, GESM is modeled as a higher-order construct comprising three dimensions: Global Strategic Cognition, Strategic Export Commitment, and Global–Local Strategic Integration. This study adopts a quantitative, explanatory research design. Data are planned to be collected through a survey of exporting SMEs in Indonesia and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine the proposed structural relationships and the mediating role of GESM. The proposed research is expected to contribute to export performance and internationalization literature by providing a mechanism-based explanation of how global resources and capabilities are converted into effective export strategies, while offering practical insights for strengthening the strategic capacity of SMEs in emerging economies.
    Date: 2026–01–15
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:twxbk_v1
  2. By: Ali, Amjad; Afzal, Muhammad Bilal; Ahmad, Khalil
    Abstract: This study investigates how market concentration, specifically, the degree of competition within a sector impacts different innovation strategies, with particular emphasis on the distinction between long-term and short-term innovation approaches adopted by corporations. The research utilizes a dataset comprising an unbalanced panel of U.S based firms. To generate robust and valid conclusions, the analysis incorporates a suite of statistical and econometric methodologies, such as regression analysis, multicollinearity diagnostics, tests for endogeneity, and comprehensive robustness assessments. These tools are employed to examine the connection between market concentration, measured by the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index, and the innovation horizon, defined as the interval between initial research and development investments and the attainment of innovative outcomes. Furthermore, the robustness analyses confirm the reliability of the findings across various modeling specifications, providing empirical evidence that heightened market concentration correlates significantly with a reduced innovation horizon. The results reveal that firms operating in markets characterized by high concentration are inclined toward short-term innovation strategies, likely as a result of intense competitive dynamics among a limited number of dominant players striving to retain market share. These insights advance the understanding of how market structure shapes the strategic timing of innovation within firms, yielding important implications for innovation policy as well as managerial decision-making.
    Keywords: Market Competition, Innovation Horizon, Firm Innovation, Herfindahl-Hirschman Index
    JEL: M13 O3
    Date: 2025
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:127526
  3. By: Sergio Queiroz; Nicholas Vonortas; Otaviano Canuto
    Abstract: Brazil went from a quite impressive economic performance during much of the twentieth century to a period of mediocre growth from 1980 onwards. This shift has positioned the country as a textbook case of the “middle-income trap”. This paper aims to demonstrate how certain transformations in the international economy since the 1980s—notably the globalization of firms and industries—combined with a set of domestic challenges, disrupted the path of industrial and technological development that Brazil had pursued since the 1930s. In essence, growth strategies based on the scale of the domestic market ceased to be effective. The innovation and economic challenges the country now faces cannot be addressed without a clear understanding of these processes. The analysis carries important policy implications, centered on the need for less protectionism and greater internationalization of firms. Reversing the inward-looking orientation of Brazilian industry is a key objective for any policy aiming to stimulate increased business R&D and innovation.
    Date: 2025–08
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ocp:rtrade:springer_01-25
  4. By: Giulio Valerio Corbelli (Department of Economics and Management, University of Ferrara)
    Abstract: This study provides a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the academic literature on sustainable startups, mapping the evolution, structure, and thematic orientation of the field in the decade following the introduction of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Using a dataset of 984 peer-reviewed journal articles indexed in Scopus between 2015 and 2025, the analysis combines descriptive indicators with network-based techniques, including co-citation, co-authorship, and keyword co-occurrence analyses. The results reveal a sharp and sustained growth in scholarly attention to sustainable startups, accompanied by increasing geographic diversification and interdisciplinary engagement within the social sciences. While publication output is concentrated in a limited number of countries and journals—most notably sustainability-oriented and energy-focused outlets—the intellectual structure of the field is organized around six main thematic clusters, spanning entrepreneurial ecosystems, eco-innovation and circular economy, sustainable business models, digitalization, energy and climate change, and social responsibility. A small number of highly influential authors and research groups play a central bridging role, facilitating knowledge diffusion across otherwise fragmented research streams. Beyond documenting publication trends, this bibliometric mapping clarifies the conceptual boundaries of sustainable startup research and highlights persistent gaps, particularly the limited integration of sustainability-oriented startups into core entrepreneurship theory and the lack of standardized approaches to measuring environmental and social impact. By explicitly acknowledging the trade-offs inherent in bibliometric indicators— especially with respect to journal reputation and non-measurable qualitative dimensions—this study positions bibliometrics as a complementary tool for framing and contextualizing empirical research rather than as a normative evaluation of scientific quality. Overall, the findings depict a rapidly maturing research field in which sustainable startups are increasingly recognized as key agents of systemic transition, linking innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainability. The study offers a structured and replicable overview that informs future theoretical development and empirical investigation in sustainability-oriented entrepreneurship.
    Keywords: Sustainable startups; Sustainable entrepreneurship; Bibliometric analysis; Circular economy; Sustainable business models; Innovation; SDGs
    Date: 2026–01
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:srt:wpaper:0226
  5. By: Arrighetti, Alessandro; Foresti, Giovanni; Fumagalli, Serena; Giusti, Sara; Lasagni, Andrea
    Abstract: This paper challenges the widespread assumption that migrant-owned firms inevitably suffer from persistent performance disadvantages due to structural liabilities. Using a matched-sample design based on firm-level administrative data for the period 2019–2023, we compare migrant- and native-owned enterprises across multiple performance dimensions, including value added, sales, total assets, and employment growth. While descriptive statistics confirm migrant-owned firms’ lower capital intensity and value added levels, our regression estimates reveal no evidence of a systematic performance disadvantage associated with the Liability of Foreignness (LoF). Moreover, when LoF and other liabilities (Liability of Newness, LoN, and Liability of Smallness, LoS) are jointly considered, interaction effects are either neutral or positive. In particular, young migrant firms (LoF × LoN) and micro-sized migrant firms (LoF × LoS) often outperform native-owned enterprises’ in growth indicators. These results seem to suggest that eventual disadvantages caused by the Liability of Foreignness can be offset by some strategic assets, such as transnational networks, flexibility, and adaptive capabilities, that usually characterized migrant-owned firms. The findings contribute to a more context-sensitive understanding of migrant entrepreneurship, with implications for both theory and policy.
    Keywords: Migrant entrepreneurship, Native firms, Liability of Foreignness, Liability of Newness, Liability of Smallness, Growth, Performance, Matched-pair Analysis
    Date: 2025
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:esprep:335547

This nep-cse issue is ©2026 by João José de Matos Ferreira. It is provided as is without any express or implied warranty. It may be freely redistributed in whole or in part for any purpose. If distributed in part, please include this notice.
General information on the NEP project can be found at https://nep.repec.org. For comments please write to the director of NEP, Marco Novarese at <director@nep.repec.org>. Put “NEP” in the subject, otherwise your mail may be rejected.
NEP’s infrastructure is sponsored by the School of Economics and Finance of Massey University in New Zealand.