Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation
 

An empirical comparison of the absorptive capacity and responsiveness of Russian and American growth-oriented small and medium enterprises (SMEs)

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  • This study examines the relationship between organizational absorptive capacity and organizational responsiveness to changes in their environment exhibited by growth-oriented SMEs in Russia. Adopting the theoretical framework and methodology used by Liao, Welsch and Stoica in their 2003 study of the absorptive capacity and organizational responsiveness of U.S. growth-oriented SMEs, this study compares and contrasts their results for U.S. SMEs with the results for the sample of Russian SMEs. A Russian translation of the data collection questionnaire was administered to senior managers of 825 SMEs from across Russia. A sample of 91 Russian growthoriented SMEs for the study was identified from the respondents.. Analysis was carried out using a hierarchical multiple regression analysis approach. First, a full regression model was run with organizational responsiveness as the dependent variable, and the two constructs of absorptive capacity (external knowledge acquisition and internal knowledge dissemination), environmental turbulence, strategic orientation, firm size and age were the independent variables. Next, interaction terms for pairs of the independent variables were substituted into the second block of the multiple regression model one at a time, in order to test the interaction effects of the variables over and above the variables alone. In all, seven multiple regression models were examined. This study confirmed the primary hypotheses of Liao et al. for the sample of Russian SMEs: organizational responsiveness of growth-oriented SMEs is positively related to the external knowledge acquisition and internal knowledge dissemination capabilities of the firm. The current study could not confirm other of Liao et al.’s hypotheses regarding the moderating effects of strategic orientation and environmental turbulence. This research demonstrated a positive relationship between organizational age and responsiveness for the Russian SMEs that was not present for the American SMEs. There was also a demonstrable moderating effect of firm strategic orientation on organizational responsiveness based on age. These findings have implications for theory, since the results demonstrated by Liao et al. could not be completely replicated. This analysis led to implications for further research and implications for practice for both entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship educators in emerging economies.
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